^(Virakesari)

The Sri Lankan government recently provided police protection and increased military presence for a group of Sinhala Buddhist monks who are undertaking a pilgrimage on foot to Kurunthurmalai, where an illegally built Buddhist temple is situated.

The increased security for the monks contrasts sharply with the surveillance of Tamil devotees by police during a pooja at the Athi Aiyanar temple in the same area last week.

Sri Lankan police, paramilitary forces from the Special Task Force, and military personnel were seen guarding the pilgrimage route. Authorities set up roadblocks, impeding local Tamil movement and subjecting residents to checks. Buddhist flags and banners marked the journey's path, with tents provided for resting monks.

During this pilgrimage, the monks travelled to an illegally constructed Buddhist shrine in Kurunthurmalai. Situated in the Thannimurippu area of the Mullaitivu district, the unauthorized Buddhist vihara has been a source of tension since 2018, sparking protests from local Tamils in the region.

Galgamuwa Shantha Bodhi, the head monk who spearheaded the construction of the illegal vihara with Sri Lankan military support, has persistently defied court orders. Despite international discussions and legal battles, the construction continued and was fuelled by military backing and support from members of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party.

The situation escalated when Judge T Saravanaraja, overseeing legal cases related to the vihara’s unlawful construction, fled the island due to death threats.

The Athi Aiyanar temple, a traditional Tamil place of worship in Thannimurippu, has been the target of intense land grab efforts by Sinhala Buddhist monks in recent years.

This is seen as an extension of state-sponsored Buddhisation, aiming to claim historically Tamil sites as part of Sinhala Buddhist culture. This incident is part of ongoing efforts by the Sri Lankan state to colonize and construct Buddhist structures in traditional Tamil areas across the North-East. 

Tamil families of the disappeared protested in Kilinochchi today as part of their ongoing campaign to know the fate of their forcibly disappeared relatives. 

The families gathered outside Kandaswamy temple in Kilinochchi to demand an international mechanism to investigate the disappearances of their relatives, many of whom have been disappeared at the hands of Sri Lanka's security forces. 

Speaking to the press, Yogeswary Selvaratnam said she has been looking for her forcibly disappeared son for years. 

"I have travelled to Batticaloa, to Colombo - for my son I have been to so many places to search for justice," Yogeswary said. 

"How many other mothers are wandering the streets like me looking for their children? We will continue to look for our children until we die," she added. 

Tamil families of the disappeared have been protesting for seven years across the North-East with clear demands for the Sri Lankan government. The demands are: 

1. Release a list of surrendees from the final phase of the armed conflict;

2. Release the yearly lists of detainees under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) since 1978;

3. Investigate and release the list of all past and present secret detention centres.

Although the Tamil families have been continuously demanding for answers, successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to meaningfully engage with them and address their demands. 

The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has refused approval to award procurement of the 484 MW wind power plant in Mannar and Pooneryn to Adani Green Energy.

The PUSCSL stated that the information submitted for approval by  Adani Green Energy SL Ltd. (AGESL),did not adequately assess the least cost and technical compatibility. 

A letter from the power sector regulator to the CEB’s Acting General Manager, a copy of which was obtained by the Sunday Times, shows that even basic information—such as the full draft power purchase agreement (PPA) between the CEB and AGESL—has not been handed over.

The CEB has requested PUCSL permission to award the power plants to AGESL under the Sri Lanka Electricity Act. However, it has failed to submit the schedules of the draft PPA, the signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Government of India, and clearance granted by the Attorney General’s Department to sign such an MoU following Cabinet approval in March last year. Cabinet approval was given on March 7, 2022. The MoU was signed four days later, on March 11.

Recently, two fundamental rights petitions have been filed in Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court challenging the Adani Green Energy Wind power project proposed for Mannar. This is the third such petition to be filed against the project in less than a month. 

Opposition to the Adanis group involvement in the wind plant was also evident in parliament as he drew comparisons 

A member of the opposition party Kabir Hashim, leveled accusations against the government for intentionally obstructing the process of opening financial bid proposals from companies vying for a contract to construct a separate 50-megawatt wind power plant. 

According to Hashim, this obstruction was an attempt to conceal the potentially lower electricity prices that could result from an open and competitive bidding process.

The opposition MP contrasted this situation to a previous 484MW wind plant project awarded to India's Adani Group through an inter-government agreement, bypassing a competitive tender process.

India's ventures on the island have been dogged with opposition from within Sri Lanka and allegations of cronyism in India, particularly with the involvement of the Adani group. 

Earlier this year, speaking to EconomyNext a Sri Lankan cabinet minister said that Sri Lankan officials disgruntled with India's involvement in Infrastrucutre projects had delayed the fast tracking of the Mannar Wind farm. 

“Some officials are stubborn and not helping to fast track the project,” a cabinet minister told EconomyNext when asked the reasons for the delay.

“Most of them are still living in the past and do not trust India despite this project has direct benefit to the country,” the Minister said referring to anti-Indian sentiment among Sri Lankan bureaucrats following India’s role in Sri Lanka’s 26-year armed conflict.

Read more here

Tamil National People’s Front MP Selvarajah Kajendren renewed calls for the immediate release of Tamil political prisoners, noting how some continue to have new charges laid out against them under the much-criticised Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

“The political prisoners who are in the New Magazine Prison have been there for over 15 years. They are all undergoing mental agony, stress, and depression. They should be released immediately,” he told reporters after visiting the prisoners.

“I met with them and spoke to them, they told me that no measures were being taken to secure their release adding that new cases are being filed to keep them behind bars.” 

Kajendren also referred to the PTA adding that the international community has expressed their concerns that this draconian law should be repealed. Instead, dubious cases continued to be filed under this piece of legislation. “A new case was registered against Krupakaran last week, even though he has served more than 15 years behind bars.” 

The parliamentarian said that Krupakaran was arrested when he was 19 and is yet to be released despite the completion of two sentences. “We demand that all of them should be released immediately,” he added.

Earlier this year, one of the Tamil political prisoners was attacked by a former Sri Lankan army officer in Welikada prison. “At the time of the assault, the officer lamented how soldiers had died in the war to which he had been a witness. This is an act of vengeance that should not have happened. Parthiban has already served 28 years in prison and the least the government can do is ensure they are not dealt with in this manner.”

The Tamil prisoner assaulted in the attack, Parthiban, was detained over his reported involvement in the Colombo Central Bank bombing in 1996.

According to a report published in People's Dispatch, Counter-Currents estimates over 200 Tamil political prisoners are incarcerated in different prisons and detention centres in Sri Lanka.
 

The Tamil National People's Front (TNPF) have urged India to reject the 13th Amendment and instead support a federal solution that will allow the Tamil nation their right to self-determination as well as referring Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court for the Tamil genocide. 

In a letter to India's Minister of External Affairs, Subramanyam Jaishankar, the TNPF's General Secretary Selvarajah Kajendren stated that the amendment failed to prevent the Tamil genocide and that the political situation had become worse than it was when the amendment was first introduced.  

The 13th Amendment was established in 1987 as part of the Indo-Lanka accord and created the system of Provincial Council, promising greater devolution of land and police powers to a merged North-East. However, Sri Lanka has failed to implement the accord.

“The ethnic problem remains unresolved, and the structural genocide against the Tamil nation has intensified,” the letter added. 

Moreover, the TNPF highlighted that there have been over 30 judicial judgements by Sri Lanka’s courts which have determined that as long as Sri Lanka maintains a unitary state structure, Colombo “will be the sole repository of all powers and have specifically held against devolution.” 

The TNPF also called on India to "take action" over the ongoing fishing disputes between Eelam and Tamil Nadu fisherfolk. In recent years, fishermen from the North-East have spoken of Indian trawlers encroaching on their fishing grounds in larger boats which are known to damage the seabed and are capable of carrying a larger catch, often exhausting the fishing reserves thus making it harder for Eelam Tamil fishermen obtain a sizeable catch.

Alongside the referral of Sri Lanka to the ICC, the TNPF called on India to take measures to appoint a country specific special rapporteur for Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council as well as establishing OHCHR field offices in the North-East to document ongoing human rights abuses. 

The letter was handed to Jaishankar at meeting on June 20th with other Tamil politicians, where issues relating to devolution and development were discussed. 

Read the full letter here. 

A tense situation arose during the Mannar District Development Committee meeting held this week when several Tamils questioned the basis upon which the government of Sri Lanka had de-gazetted the Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve, allowing private companies to set up an aquaculture industrial farm. 

Last month, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Wildlife and Forest Resources Conservation Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi issued an extraordinary gazette de-gazetting a section of the Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve to set up an aquaculture industrial farm. The gazette, which is only available in Sinhala, cites that this section of land originally belonging to the Nature Reserve will no longer be considered part of the reserve.

The appendix of the gazette has not been made public despite being issued in May, this year. The extent of the land and other details have been withheld.

The gazette can be found here. 

According to media reports, the aquaculture industrial park will be used for the farming of various species including marine finfish, crabs, and exotic species of shrimp in a Public Private Partnership (3P) and is expected to raise US$ 1.3 billion for the Government.

Parliamentarian and member of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Movement (TELO) Selvam Adaikalanathan told the members present at the meeting that permission should not be granted for such an initiative which would endanger the nature reserve. 

Representatives of fisherfolk also raised their concerns over the 400 acres of the nature reserve being promised to private companies. They added that if 400 acres could be released so easily, the rest of the 1400 acres are in danger of such a land grab.

At the same time, the Manthai West Division Secretary said that they were not given instructions regarding the release of land. He added that the government intended to take 1000 acres, but it was brought down to 400 acres according to the reports.

Others who spoke up at the meeting queried why this gazette was not made available in English or Tamil and the appendix relating to the land extent was ostensibly missing. He also asked if the officials from the Manner Forest Department were aware of the gazette. 

Given the suspicious circumstances around the release of the land belonging to the nature reserve, they added that such lands should not be given freely to private or foreign companies. 

Annalingam Annarasa, Northern Provincial Coordinator of All Sri Lanka Fishermen's Union told the committee that this was a covert scheme to sell lands belonging to Tamils to foreign companies. He added that several communities that live in the surrounding area depend on fishing in the lagoon as their only means of livelihood. 

Issuing a statement, the Colombo-based Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) said that Sri Lanka has once again shown that the actions of the state don’t align with preaching following its move to de-gazette part of Sri Lanka’s best blue carbon protected area amid climate pledges.

WNPS said,

“The Vidattaltivu Nature Reserve is an area in which all three blue carbon ecosystems exist; storing vast amounts of carbon that help mitigate the impact of climate change. This vital ecosystem supports the lives of countless species, empowers livelihoods, and protects our coast from destruction. “If even a single area within or around the Reserve is utilized for aquaculture, the impacts on our environment and the surrounding communities would be devastating and far-reaching–extending beyond what we could even imagine. We urge every possible individual, entity, and interested party to speak up to safeguard this already fragile ecosystem.”

Weeks after the US Navy and Marine Corps conducted joint maritime exercises, the United States has transferred equipment to the Sri Lankan military, as defence ties between the two governments continues to grow.

The consignment of gifts for the Sri Lankan Air Force included air mobility equipment and aircraft spare parts to be utilized for C-130 aircraft and specifically for the Beechcraft King Air 360 ER, which is to be donated to the SLAF by the United States. The total value of the consignment received by the SLAF was over US $1.6 million.

The 2 x Scorpion IL & LO Configuration Man-portable Hybrid Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) devices and 2 x 3XXX ECM Generic Vehicular Mount devices were donated to the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers. 

According to the Sri Lanka army, “these two equipment will facilitate the Sri Lanka Army EOD troops in the disposal of IEDs which can be operated remotely".

"The Army EOD operators have faced significant difficulties due to the shortage of portable ECM jammers. With the donation of the Scorpion IL & LO Configuration Man-portable Hybrid ECM the EOD operators will be capable of disposing of remotely operated IEDs without the risk of being blasted by terrorists during the disposal process.” 

Although it has been 15 years since the end of the armed conflict, the US has often reiterated its stance on “supporting Sri Lanka’s security and sovereignty”. 

The latest military donation comes despite ongoing human rights abuses being perpetrated by the Sri Lankan security forces.

Hundreds of landless Tamil farmers who have been engaged in paddy cultivation in the Illupaikadavai area in Manthai West in Mannar have written to Sri Lanka’s president demanding he issue them land deeds, so that their rightful ownership of the land can be recognised.

The Federation of Community-Based Organizations of the Mannar District sent a letter to Ranil Wickremesinghe stating that these farmers have made similar appeals to presidents before him, however, they are yet to be provided the title deeds for their farming lands. 

Union President V S Sivakaran told reporters in Mannar that these farmers have been engaged in cultivation for the last 30 years however they do not possess any documents for these lands.

“Despite writing to four presidents no one has taken any action,” he said. 

He went on to say that the District Secretariat has been awarding title deeds to those who have paid bribes to government officials. He added that the farmers have submitted all necessary documentation to prove their ownership, however, no reprieve has been offered. 

Despite it being 15 years since the end of the armed conflict, the Sri Lankan government and armed forces continue to occupy swathes of land belonging to the Tamil people.

The Sri Lanka Navy confirmed that a sailor had “succumbed to his injuries,” after the security forces launched an operation that ended with the arrest of 10 Indian fishermen and the seizure of a trawler in Jaffna earlier today.

Official reports from the navy state that the 10 fishermen were apprehended Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.

The navy went on to confirm that “a sailor from the Navy Special Boat Squadron sustained critical injuries,” claiming that it was “due to the aggressive maneuvers of an Indian trawler, resisting its seizure (sic)”.

“Unfortunately, the sailor succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the Teaching Hospital in Jaffna,” the navy said.

In recent years, fishermen from the North-East have spoken of Indian trawlers encroaching on their fishing grounds in larger boats which are known to damage the seabed and are capable of carrying a larger catch, often exhausting the fishing reserves thus making it harder for Eelam Tamil fishermen obtain a sizeable catch.

In March 2022, Eelam Tamil fishermen wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M K Stalin, seeking a “progressive” solution affecting the two Tamil fisherman communities on either side of the Palk Strait.

Tamil families of the disappeared held a rally today in Gandhi Park, Batticaloa, as they continue to search for answers and justice for their forcibly disappeared loved ones. 

Tamil mothers and fathers clutched photographs of their children who were forcibly disappeared by Sri Lanka’s security forces or government-aligned paramilitary forces. 

Despite protesting since 2017, Tamil families still do not have any answers about the fate of their loved ones. While the current Sri Lankan regime has announced that they will establish a new commission to investigate the disappearances, the president and other senior officials have failed to engage with the families. 

In a statement, Batticaloa’s Association of  Disappeared Persons said:

“We are fighting with the aim of getting justice for them and preventing such incidents of torture and disappearance from happening again in our society. We have been trying to get justice through internal mechanisms for many years, but we have been continuously cheated by the Sri Lankan government and threatened by the Sri Lankan army, police, and paramilitary forces.” 

The association added that last week, Sri Lankan police officers went to their secretary, Suganthy’s house and interrogated her for 30 minutes. 

The statement goes on to stress that Sri Lanka’s domestic mechanisms have been established to deceive the international community and if the international community put their faith in these mechanisms, then justice will be further delayed. Therefore, they have called for the international community to establish an international mechanism that will investigate the disappearances of their loved ones. 

Since the roadside protests began in 2017, many parents have passed away without getting any justice for their relatives.

Tamil devotees were subjected to surveillance by Sri Lankan police officers during a pooja at the  Athi Aiyanar temple in Kurunthurmalai last Tuesday. 

The Athi Aiyanar temple, a native place of worship of Tamils located in the Thannimurippu area, has been targeted by intense land grab efforts by Sinhala Buddhist monks over recent years.

In 2018, a court order stated that no changes could be made to the site. However, Buddhist monks aided by Sri Lanka's military and police have illegally constructed a Buddhist temple at the ancient Tamil site. 

Despite the presence of police, many devotees, including the temple management and several politicians, took part in the religious observances. 

Former Northern Provincial Council member Thurairasa Ravikaran, former Northern Province Agriculture Minister Kandiah Sivanesan, Democratic Tamil National Alliance district coordinator N. Yudson, and Karaithurapattu Divisional secretariat member E. Jegatheesan were seen taking part in the pooja. 

^{Illustration by Keera Ratnam / wavesofcolour}

The Tamil Guardian hosted the first ever British Tamil community hustings event in London on Thursday evening. The event was historic - not only for its senior level of representation from British political parties, but also for showcasing how deeply important justice for genocide and securing Tamil rights remains for hundreds of thousands across the United Kingdom. 

If the polls are correct, a Labour government looks increasingly likely, with Keir Starmer set to secure one of the biggest majorities that the country has seen in decades. On these issues, he has been vocal. In recent years, the man set to occupy Number 10 has released repeated statements praising British Tamils and stressing the need to secure justice for the atrocities Tamils faced at the hands of the Sri Lankan state. This year alone, he released a letter to mark Mullivaikkal Genocide Remembrance Day and spoke on the “sacrifices made by the Tamil people for self-determination”. As the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Starmer boasts of his record of prosecuting criminals. His calls to refer Sri Lanka to the International Criminal Court (ICC), so that justice can finally be served and war criminals held to account, are therefore significant.

This was a view that the current Shadow Minister for Asia echoed to British Tamils on Thursday. Catherine West spoke of how, for herself, and for Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, referring Sri Lanka to the ICC and pressing Magnitsky-style sanctions on Sri Lankan individuals were areas where work could be done “quickly”. “It is curious” as to why such sanctions had not been placed thus far, said West as she committed her party to push forward such moves. It is a view that Tamils across Britain undoubtedly share. They will be hopeful the Labour Party’s pledges are swiftly enacted so that justice can finally be served. Tamils will be watching the next steps cautiously and very carefully, particularly given that it was a Labour government in power when the Mullivaikkal genocide of 2009 took place. The inaction of the Blair and Brown governments whilst the massacres took place must be made up for.

Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell also reiterated his party’s commitment to seeing justice for the Tamil people, but for many it would have been too slow. 14 years of a Conservative-led government have had only a few glimmers of hope for accountability, such as when former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister David Cameron visited Jaffna in 2013, directly meeting with human rights defenders and pledging to secure justice for the massacres. Though Britain led successive resolutions at the UN Human Rights Council, it is clear now that they have borne little progress. As international action stalled, years of malaise followed with successive Sri Lankan governments being appeased by British officials, rather than being firmly held to account. Ultimately, Colombo has been let off the hook and Sri Lankan war criminals have continued to roam free. There have still been no prosecutions and there is still no justice. Indeed, in its manifesto even the Conservative Party itself acknowledged that it must ‘redouble efforts’ on Sri Lanka.

Accountability for the mass atrocities though, clearly remains an issue that cuts across party lines, with all the speakers in London proclaiming their support for it. Other key topics such as the recognition of the Tamil genocide, supporting self-determination for the Tamil people and an independence referendum were all matters that were keenly discussed. Green Party spokesperson Benali Hamdache was unwavering in his bold support of the Tamil cause, and as he articulated how the Tamil people “deserve politicians who will work hard for you on the international stage”.

With a new British government set to be formed in just a few short weeks, the issues of justice for mass atrocities and the quest for Tamil liberation will clearly continue to remain firmly on the agenda. Whoever looks to steer Britain on the global stage next cannot afford to ignore them.

Fishermen in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, have initiated a day-long strike demanding the release of 22 Indian fishermen detained by the Sri Lankan Navy. The detainees are accused of trespassing in waters near Jaffna.

The arrests occurred after the lifting of a 61-day annual fishing ban, when approximately 5,000 fishermen set out to sea in 507 boats. Over the weekend, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 22 of these fishermen near Delft Island, alleging they were poaching in territorial waters. Three Indian trawlers were also seized during the arrest.

Some of the Fishermen who were detained

This recent detention brings the total number of seized Indian trawlers to 27, with 204 Indian fishermen now in custody and facing legal proceedings.

The situation has heightened tensions in the region. Last week, Tamil fishermen in North-East Sri Lanka protested outside the Indian consulate in Jaffna, urging the Indian government to prevent their fishermen from entering Sri Lankan waters. They argue that the presence of Indian fishermen threatens their livelihood. 

In the past, fishermen in Mullaitivu have criticized Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, who leads the government-aligned EPDP paramilitary group, for failing to prevent Indian fishermen from poaching in Sri Lankan waters. Devananda responded that the Sri Lankan Navy would take action to curb illegal fishing from India.

This ongoing issue highlights the complex fishing rights dispute between India and Sri Lanka in the Palk Strait region. Previously, the Sri Lankan government made efforts to "empower" fishermen communities through an aid programme yet since the end of the armed conflict, Tamil fishing communities have been continuously restricted in the North-East. Tamil Nadu fishermen have been abused and some extrajudicially killed under the Sri Lankan Navy's detention.

On a recent visit by India’s External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar to Sri Lanka, officials in the country failed to bring up the issue of poaching by Indian fishermen. Previously, Tamil politicians including TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam criticised the Sri Lankan government for allowing Indian boats and trawlers entry into the island's territorial waters. Yet, when Tamil members of Parliament in Sri Lanka met Jaishankar, there was no discussion regarding the escalating fishing tensions in the Palk Strait region.

Good meeting with 8 member delegation of Tamil Leaders from Northern and Eastern Provinces. Thank @ShanakiyanR , @Mavai_S , @MASumanthiran , @ImShritharan , @SAdaikalanathan , Dharmalingam Sithadthan, @CWigneswaran and @skajendren for joining.

Discussed issues pertaining to… pic.twitter.com/dEsjqxlDTr

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 20, 2024

The Mullaitivu Press Club (MPC) has called for an international monitoring mechanism to investigate the oppression and intimidation faced by journalists, following a recent arson attack on a Tamil journalist in Jaffna. 

Earlier this month, Tamil freelance journalist Pradeepan Thambithurai was attacked by masked assailants at his home in Achchuveli, Jaffna. The assailants, arriving on motorbikes, vandalised his property, including setting fire to his motorbike and damaging a three-wheeler belonging to a relative. Leaflets were left at the scene with a message about transgender representation. 

The MPC released a statement to express their outrage over the lack of action taken by the Sri Lankan government. 

“MPC condemns the continued attacks on Tamil journalists in the strongest possible terms. It demands robust action into such threats and intimidation against journalists and urges all concerned parties and international organizations to be vigilant of such attacks and take action to put an end to them,” the press club noted. 

"Journalists being threatened, harassed and tortured merely due to their Tamil identity is indeed a deeply worrying trend," the press club wrote. 

The Press Club decried that despite the increasing number of attacks on journalists reporting from the homeland, no action has been taken by the government or law enforcement which has led to a "culture of impunity". 

For decades, Sri Lanka has intimidated, threatened and even killed journalists, particularly in the North-East for their work that has highlighted the human rights abuses faced by Tamils.  

See the full press release below: 

Thavaseelan reiterated that had action has been taken when these complaints were initially filed, such attacks would not have continued. “We see this as a suppression of media freedom with the support of the state.” 

In response to these attacks, the Press Club demands that an international monitoring mechanism be established to record these complaints and pressure the government to ensure an impartial investigation. 

Over 44 Tamil journalists have been kidnapped, killed, or silenced however the Sri Lankan government is yet to make any arrests. Thavaseelan says that Tamil journalists are being threatened, harassed, and tortured merely due to their Tamil identity which is a deeply worrying trend.