The Lanka Academic
 
MARCH 31, 2008 EST, USA
 
QUAERE VERUM
 
VOL. 8, NO. 360
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Report details S.Lanka aid massacre, blames forces
reuters.com, april 1. LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - A rights group report on Tuesday blamed local security forces for the massacre of 17 Sri Lankan tsunami aid workers in 2006 and accused the government of an outright cover-up.

At the time, the killing of the local workers from aid group Action Contre La Faim (ACF) in the island's northeast was the worst attack on humanitarian workers since the 2003 bombing of the United Nations compound in Baghdad.

The mainly ethnic Tamil workers, who had been involved in rebuilding after the 2004 tsunami, were found shot in the head and lying face down in the ACF compound in the predominantly Muslim town of Mutur in August 2006.

The military said they were trapped in fighting between troops and rebels.

The University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR), a Sri Lankan group that has been criticised by both sides throughout the two decade civil war, named a local Muslim home guard -- a police auxiliary -- and two constables as the killers of most of the group. More... Discuss this story
Published: Mon Mar 31 20:51:25 EDT 2008

International rights panel ends work in Sri Lanka
google.com, april 1. An international panel invited by Sri Lanka to observe the government's probe into human rights abuses shut down operations on Monday, three weeks after accusing Colombo of failing to tackle the issue.

The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) was formed to observe an inquiry into 16 cases of serious rights violations, including the August 2006 massacre of 17 local employees of the French charity, ACF.

The panel said Monday in a statement that they were halting their efforts to determine whether the inquiries were being conducted "in accordance with internationally accepted norms and standards." More... Discuss this story
Published: Mon Mar 31 20:53:07 EDT 2008 Back to the top

In Sri Lanka, Fear of Being 'Disappeared'
washington post, april 1. MAHA OYA, Sri Lanka -- Under thick tropical rains on a rutted country road, a bus packed with ethnic Tamil families screeched to a stop here in eastern Sri Lanka. At a heavily fortified government checkpoint, the families were ordered off the bus.

They were asked many questions. Where had they come from? Why? Whom did they visit? The experience, for many of them, was more than inconvenient. It was frightening. In places like this, they said, amid bungalows battered and burned by war, people go missing.

"It's not waiting in the lines or the search of our bags that troubles us as much as the chances of being picked out, arrested and never being able to see our families again," said a 19-year-old Tamil waiter, who was too fearful of government reprisal to offer his name. "I know neighbors it's happened to. If you are Tamil in Sri Lanka, your trust has been spoiled. You fear rebels and you fear the government, too." More... Discuss this story
Published: Mon Mar 31 22:19:21 EDT 2008 Back to the top

Sri Lanka offers nearly $100,000 to would-be rebel suicide bombers who change their minds
 Associated Press, Mon March 31, 2008 07:28 EDT . RAVI NESSMAN - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) The Sri Lankan government is offering would-be rebel suicide bombers nearly $100,000 and a new life abroad to surrender themselves to authorities, the government said Monday... Back to the top
Sri Lanka has no plan to put off election in Eastern province
 xinhuanet.com, 2008-03-31 . COLOMBO, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government on Monday denied a claim by the main minority Muslim party leader of a government plan to postpone the May 10 election for the Eastern Province... Back to the top
A clear message on rights, says Colombo
 hindu, march 31. COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has said the Constitution and the Supreme Court rulings give “adequate recognition to the provisions contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights... Back to the top
New alliance of Tamil parties soon, says Gunasekara
 hindu, march 31. COIMBATORE: A new “democratic, national alliance of Tamil parties” will emerge soon, Sri Lankan Minister for Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Dew Gunasekara said here on Sunday... Back to the top
Clashes kill 42 in Sri Lanka: military
 google.com, 31 march. COLOMBO (AFP) — A series of clashes over the weekend between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels left at least 39 separatists and three soldiers dead, the defence ministry said Monday... Back to the top
At least 75 LTTE militants killed in Sri Lanka
 indiatimes.com, 30 Mar 2008, 1919 hrs IST,PTI. COLOMBO: At least 75 LTTE militants have been killed in fierce clashes as Sri Lankan Air Force fighter jets on Sunday pounded a key sea Tiger base in the island's embattled northern region, official said... Back to the top
Domestic factors behind record S.Lanka inflation-IMF
 reuters.com, march 30. COLOMBO, March 30 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's record high inflation is due mainly to loose fiscal and monetary policies, rather than high oil prices, the International Monetary Fund said... Back to the top
'Just a true Canadian': alleged Tiger bagman
 national post, march 30. MAPLE, Ont. -Prapa Thambithurai lives in a suburban duplex north of Toronto, near the looping roller coaster tracks and fake theme park mountains of Canada's Wonderland... Back to the top
Police searching for Muttulingam assassin
 upi, March 30. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 30 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan police have vowed to find the assassin responsible for the death of Annamalai Narayanan Muttulingam, a member of the country's ruling party... Back to the top
Journalists condemn attack on director of 'Prabhakaran'
 The Economic Times, 30 Mar, 2008, . COLOMBO: Journalists in Sri Lanka on Sunday condemned the attack on the director of a movie based on the life of LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran in Chennai last week and sought India's intervention in getting back the "seized" copies of the film... Back to the top
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