On this Day : May 28, 2009

Access to Sri Lanka detention camps ‘not satisfactory’ – ICRC : The International Committee of the Red Cross has been barred from visiting internment camps in Sri Lanka to check on people held by the Colombo government, the head of the organisation has said. Jakob Kellenberger has asked the Sri Lankan government for access to all its camps, which are ringed by barbed wire and soldiers, to check on conditions of hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians. He pointed out the present situation is “not satisfactory,” Swissinfo reported. The ICRC, which usually refrains from publicly criticizing governments, is mandated under the Geneva Conventions to aid victims of war, Canadian Press reported. Click here to read full article

Article 26: Right to Education

Article 26: (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.

On this Day: May 26, 2009

Sri Lanka accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Tamil areas – paper: “Aid officials, human rights campaigners and politicians claim Tamils have been driven out of areas in the north-east of the country by killings and kidnappings carried out by pro-government militias. They say the government has simultaneously encouraged members of the Sinhalese majority in the south to relocate to the vacated villages,” Telegraph, UK, said, adding that according to an aid worker the recent killings in Trincomalee “were part of a strategy to drive out Tamils.” Click here to read full article

Article 25: Food and Shelter for All

Article 25: (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

On this Day: May 25, 2009

Elderly IDP deaths escalate – Coronor: “More elders die in transit camps located for Vanni displaced persons located in Vavuniyaa due to lack of proper facilities. Hence I appeal to the authorities to send elders displaced from Vanni direct to Homes for the Elderly instead of IDP camps. This would prevent more deaths of elders in IDP camps,” said the Chettikulam Inquirer into Sudden Deaths, Mr.E. Sahul Hameed, media reports said. Click here to read full article

Article 24: The Right to Play

Article 24: Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. As I was growing up, I often felt nostalgic, and yearned to be a child once again. Why? Because to me, early childhood was a time of fun and games; I could play until I became tired of playing, and there were no problems in the world (at least that’s what I thought).

Article 23: Worker’s Rights

Article 23: (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

On this Day: May 23, 2009

In 16 Hours in Sri Lanka, UN’s Ban To Overfly Zone of Carnage, Dine with President: In the wake of what UN officials called a bloodbath on the beach, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the Press are set for a sixteen hour jaunt around Sri Lanka on Saturday, which some call the victory tour. On military helicopters the entourage will travel to Manik Farm, which the UN’s John Holmes has repeatedly called the largest camp for Internally Displaced People in the world. Only Zones 1 and 4 will be toured. Click here to read full article

On this Day: May 22, 2009

On this Day: May 22, 2009- Banned arms’ use caused high casualties in Sri Lanka, says aid worker: ROME – The high number of casualties was caused by “a generous use” of weapons, such as cluster and chemical bombs, that are banned by international treaties and, therefore, their use represents a crime against humanity, he told Catholic News Service in Rome May 21. Today the conflict zone of Vanni “is like a burial ground, nothing left behind, no buildings, no churches, utter destruction,” he said. Click here to read full story

Article 20: Right to Assembly and Association

Article 20: (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. On Tuesday, many Tamils gathered to mourn the deaths of their family, friends and people who perished in the May massacres. While standing among my many brothers and sisters, who all came together in solidarity to commemorate the deaths of our people back home, I was reminded that the strength of our community, is unity and pride of being a Tamil. All those in attendance, and all those many others who stood in spirit with us, all respected us as being Tamils. We are Tamil, and we take pride in being so. However, the Sri-Lankan Government did not recognize the freedom of association, and the freedom from being compelled into another association.