On this Day: May 21, 2009

On this Day: May 21, 2009- South Africa calls for investigations into violations of Geneva Conventions: Noting that “[t]he military offensive conducted by the Sri Lankan government has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the north of the country and resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and the displacement of many hundreds of thousands of citizens,” South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ehrahim Ebrahim in a press release issued today, urged the UN to “to urgently investigate possible violations of international human rights law and contraventions of the Geneva Convention,” and called for “peaceful dialogue with all minorities to address their long standing grievances.” FULL ARTICLE

Article 19: Freedom of Expression

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers

Tamil youth stand in solidarity to make a difference in Sri Lanka

The eyes of children sometimes bear all the history of violence, oppression and death, which prompts them to make a difference and this is why the Tamil youth are participating in various organizations to inform and to protest international war crimes. On Tuesday, more than 5,000 people partook in the memorial remembrance to commemorate the…

Article 18: Freedom of Thought [May 19]

Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 17: The Right to Own Your Things

Article 17. (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. In the 1983 riots, many Tamil businesses were looted and destroyed by Sinhalese thugs, whom were backed up by Sri-Lankan Government and Military forces; Tamils also had many of their property and possessions ransacked and burned. They had their property destroyed because of their ethnicity. By burning Tamil people’s possessions and property, the right for Tamils to own things was infringed upon.

On this Day: May 18, 2009

On this Day: May 18, 2009: SLA spree of massacre in Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal: In a spree of massacre, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is killing the wounded civilians in large numbers in the so-called safety zone, according to a reliable telephone call from Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal Monday forenoon. There are still civilians hiding in the bunkers the phone call said. FULL ARTICLE

On this Day: May 17, 2009

On this Day: May 17, 2009 – Vanni detainees in Jaffna relocated to permanent camp: The civilians fleeing war in Vanni detained in schools converted into Sri Lanka Army (SLA) internment camps in Chaavakachcheari Hindu College and Kodikaamam Thirunaavukkararsu M. V. have been moved Saturday to the permanent SLA internment camp constructed in Raamaavil, Kachchaay in Kodikaamam, a press note by Jaffna Government Agent (GA) said. Full Article

Article 16: Marriage and Family

Article 16: (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full…

Article 15: Right to a Nationality

We are not asking to take over what is not ours, we are only asking for what is rightfully ours. Tamileelam belongs to the Tamils; it is sacred and is bound to us Tamils. By occupying our land, by forcing the Sri-Lankan legal system upon us, by not recognizing our culture, language and land as belonging to the Tamils, the Sri-Lankan Government is taking away our Right to a Nationality.

On this Day: May 16, 2009

Stench of dead bodies permeate Vanni, wounded allowed to die without treatment: An uncounted number of dead bodies between 2,000 and 3,000 are lying all over the places in civilian congested area and the civilians are all struck by a heavy stench of dead bodies, said a volunteer doctor from Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal. “Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has destroyed all medical facilities by targeted attacks, and the SLA was continuing inhuman and indiscriminate attacks on civilians providing only two options, death or surrender,” he added. The volunteer doctor himself witnessed more than 100 deaths Saturday morning. All the government doctors and the top officials have fled the shelling. Civilians are in shock at the continuing carnage in Vanni. FULL ARTICLE