Sinhalese Extremists in Colombo protested in front of the Canadian Embassy against Canada's decision to take in Tamil refugees devastated by the Sri Lankan Army's slaughter of the minority Tamils in the North.

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The current situation in Darfur and Northern Sri Lanka has been receiving wide-scale attention. This is following the recent action by both the Sudanese and Sri Lankan governments to ban aid groups and the UN from their conflict zones. Over the years, 100,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka and 300,000 people killed in Darfur.

Although both these nations are in two different locations in the world, their similarities are astounding. Both Sri Lanka and Sudan have been condemned by the International community for its treatment of its minority citizens. The methods and tactics that both these nations use to commit genocide on their minorities is identical. The use of food and medicine has evolved into a tool of war, and has instilled the deaths of tens of thousands. Both Sudan and Sri Lanka attempt to blame rebel groups in their countries for the deaths. They fail to recognize that the rebel organizations were a result of the treatment of their minorities. Darfur's JEM rebels and Sri Lanka's LTTE rebels both arose from harsh treatment of non-Arab ethnic groups and minority Tamils, respectively. Both groups claim to fight against oppression for their people by their Governments.

In recent events, the Sri Lankan Government has been blamed by the United Nations for over 2,800 deaths over the past two months due to its bombings on heavily populated minority Tamil civilian settlements in the North. Further information is unavailable since the Sri Lankan Government has gone through extreme measures to ban all media, journalists and aid groups from the conflict zones. Sudan has taken on a similar role, banning all aid organizations from Darfur following the ICC's arrest warrant on its president. The United Nations is now probing whether Sudan's banning of aid groups is in fact a war crime. If it is found to be a valid offense, it is likely that Sri Lanka will be next to be probed for war crimes, as it committed similar acts.

Similar to the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudan's President for war crimes, the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary and its Military Commander are both being reviewed by the US Justice Department for similar war crimes and several counts of genocide and torture against minority Tamils.

Both Sudan and Sri Lanka receive military armaments and equipment from China. Last year, thousands boycotted the Chinese Beijing Olympics, dubbing it the 'Genocide Olympics' for its aid in the genocide of Darfur.

The two countries also rank on the 'Alert' status of the Failed States Index, which is an index for states whose central government is so weak and ineffective; widespread corruption and criminality has resulted; and refugees and minority populations are forced to involuntary movement.

In recent news it is clear that both these countries have a disregard for human life, and are persistent on ignoring international pressure. Sri Lanka has now ignored immediate cease-fire calls from the U.S, Canada, Britain, EU and several other nations.

During the Holocaust, Nazi Germany did not permit independent media outlets to function during its war campaign. Scholars view this denial of media freedom as the key method in which the Nazis were able to prevent the world from knowing its treatment of the Jews. It is this approach that allowed them to systematically exterminate millions of Jews without worldwide attention. Sri Lanka has not denied all media, only allowing state-run media to operate on the war conflict.

Denying basic freedoms is the first sign of a deteriorating regime, where freedom of speech is not permitted and those who speak out are executed. It is clear to say that Sri Lanka is now on a path towards a dangerous de-stabilized regime, identical to Sudan's dictatorship. Without the international community intervening in both Sudan and Sri Lanka, we risk the atrocities once committed in our past repeating themselves.

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On Monday, the European Union issued another appeal for a cease-fire in Sri Lanka where 250,000 minority Tamil civilians are trapped due to fighting between The Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE. The LTTE has welcomed the cease-fire however the Sri Lankan Government has rejected the proposal once again.

The United States, Canada, EU, and several other countries have now all appealed the Sri Lankan Government for an immediate cease-fire to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The Sri Lankan Government has declared that it will not issue a cease-fire with the rebel LTTE due to their ability to re-group and re-arm. The Government is asking for an unconditional surrender of the LTTE to end the war and to let the civilians free.

Pro-Tamil websites showed a letter issued by the LTTE political wing stating that the minority Tamil civilians in the rebel-held territory do not want to cross onto Government-held areas. The LTTE have issued an open invitation to all independent monitors and aid groups to enter the conflict zone and ask the 250,000 minority Tamil civilians whether they wish to leave.

It comes at no surprise that the Tamil civilians do not want to cross onto Government-held areas as once they do - they are immediately placed in confined concentration camps, disguised as 'welfare villages'. Human Rights Watch has stated that the 'welfare' in these villages is the last thing on the Sri Lankan Government's mind. The concentration camps are surrounded by coils of barbed wire and armed soldiers. Once placed in the camp, they are not permitted to leave and are confined inside the camp. International aid groups have condemned the use of such camps, since those held in the camps are separated from their families and may have to stay in the camp at least 3 years.

The appeal from the European Union comes days after massive protests held around the World after a recorded 2,8000 minority Tamil civilian deaths have been recorded in the last two months and over 7,000 injuries.

Approximately 120,000 Canadian's took to the streets in Toronto and over 60,000 in Brussels, Belgium.

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Sri Lanka is making a lot of international news lately, but the gravity of the situation is not being conveyed - not even close - primarily due to the Sri Lankan government's propaganda and brutal censorship of the media.

I'm an American who has been working in the country for the past two years. Within the last six weeks, I've watched Sri Lanka's 25-year ethnic conflict become a full-scale genocide against the Tamil population (the primary minority group in the country). Some of the more obvious indications include:

1. The government is in the process of putting approx. 300,000 Tamil civilians into military-run camps, which are, for all intents and purposes, Holocaust-style concentration camps: forced labor, lack of basic necessities and sanitation, indiscriminate killings and generally dire conditions.

2. A few weeks ago, the military began systematically raping the women being held in these camps.

3. In mid-January, the Sri Lankan military created a "safe zone" for Tamil civilians who were still in the war zone so that they would not be "caught in the crossfire". Once the civilians moved into the area, the military started bombing it, even hitting a hospital multiple times.

4. The government instituted a mandatory registration last month whereby all Sri Lankan citizens are legally required to provide the government with such details as their name, ethnicity and home address.


At this point, it is fairly evident that the only way that the genocide will end is through international intervention. The international community, however, while showing growing concern about the situation and urging an end to the violence, is generally under the impression that Tamil civilians are merely being caught in the crossfire, not deliberately slaughtered. Unless it becomes clear to the rest of the world that the Sri Lankan government is intentionally trying to wipe out the Tamil population, it is unlikely that the international community will take any sort of meaningful action.

SOURCE: http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/moggy/2009/02/sri-lankas-genocide.php

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As a signatory to the Commonwealth's Harare declaration, the government of Sri Lanka is committed to the defence of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. However, under the guise of a campaign of liberation, the Sri Lankan government has pursued a brutal military campaign in which it has shelled its own people, including in government-designated "safe zones", displacing, injuring and killing many thousands of innocent civilians. In the past two months alone 2,000 lives have been lost and as many as 5,000 have been injured. In the areas it has secured there have been reports of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and other human rights violations. Dissent is treated as treason, criticism is violently suppressed and Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. Its conduct is, therefore, manifestly incompatible with the principles set out in the Harare declaration.

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group - which meets in London today - was established in 1995 as the guardian of the fundamental values of the Commonwealth. But Sri Lanka has yet to feature on its agenda. Sri Lanka should be put under permanent scrutiny and its government suspended from the Commonwealth until: 1) a ceasefire has been established; 2) it grants a UN monitoring mission unfettered access to the country; 3) it allows international aid agencies access to the Vanni region; and 4) it resumes peace negotiations.

Last year Sri Lanka lost its seat on the UN human rights council over its poor human rights record. It is likewise incumbent upon the Commonwealth to exercise leadership on human rights.

Joan Ryan MP, Siobhain McDonagh MP, Lee Scott MP, Virendra Sharma MP, Andrew Pelling MP, Andrew George MP, Andrew Dismore MP, Stephen Pound MP, Dr Phyllis Starkey MP, Eric Joyce MP, Neil Gerrard MP

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The international Criminal Court will, for the first time indict a head of state. Omar al-Bashir is expected to be issued with an arrest warrant for war crimes and genocide charges. He made a defiant speech in front of a crowd hundreds and thousands of pro-government supporters. In his speech he stated that the ICC has no jurisdiction, and hence will not receive him for charges. He told the crowd they can "eat it" (the warrant).

Bashir is the cause of over 40,000 violent deaths, but genocide may be hard to prove in the ICC court. This will result in the ICC pressing for charges of War Crimes which are not as difficult.

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The United States Senate Foreign Relations Hearing on the Sri Lanka Crisis took place on February 24, 2009. The hearing was presided by US Senator Robert Casey and US Senator Richard Lugard. The Three witnesses were Dr. Anna Neistat (Human Rights Watch, Sr. Emergency Researcher), Bob Dietz (Committee to protect Journalists), and Jeffrey Lunstead (Former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka).

Selected Transcript:

"It is disheartening to hear the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary tell the BBC, 'Descent in a time of war is treason'. The implications for that statement for a Sri Lankan Democracy are chilling." - US Senator Robert Casey

"In a disturbing admission, Defense Secretary Rajapaska told the BBC that hospitals outside the safe zones are 'legitimate' military targets." - US Senator Robert Casey

"Tamils and Sinhalese suffer alike from attacks on basic freedoms. Many Tamils have been abducted and disappeared. It is sad to say that these attacks have been carried out by elements of the government. No member of the Security Forces has been prosecuted for any of these offenses." - Jeffrey Lunstead

"During President Rajapaska's time in high office, eight journalists have been murdered. No one in these cases has been investigated and no one has been brought to justice." - Bob Dietz

"Lasantha Wickrematunge, a prominent editor of the Sunday Leader Newspaper, was attacked by eight men on four motorcycles. After the attack witnesses said the attackers drove off in the direction of the Sri Lankan Air Force Base." - Bob Dietz

"Many of the civilian deaths, including the ones described in the testimony, occurred in the so called 'safe zone' declared by the Government. We received several detailed accounts by people in these 'safe zones', and these accounts describe that the shelling by Sri Lankan forces killed dozens, if not hundreds of people." - Dr. Anna Neistat

"Particularly outrageous was the numerous attacks on the hospitals, our report documents two dozen attacks by artillery shelling and aerial bombardment killing dozens of patients" - Dr. Anna Neistat

"One concern is that no international agencies have access to screening points in the Government camps. There are growing reports of people going missing after being detained. This is particularly worrisome given Sri Lanka's set record of mysterious abductions and executions."
-Dr. Anna Neistat

"Displaced persons are being confined to De Facto internment camps which the Government calls 'Welfare villages'. One look at these camps indicates that the welfare of the inhabitants is the last of the authorities concerns. They are surrounded by barbed wires and machine gun nests and sandbags. The civilians inside have no freedom of movement, there not allowed out, and there relatives do not have access to them. There are heartbreaking scenes happening outside of the camps where relatives are trying to see there family."
- Dr. Anna Neistat

"One of the displaced patients in the Government camp said they were unfortunate to be alive." - Dr. Anna Neistat

"Collecting information on the conflict in Sri Lanka was extremely difficult because the Government of Sri Lanka has conducted a cynical campaign to prevent all independent public coverage of the conflict, barring Human Rights organizations and aid groups in a clear attempt to cover its abuses"
- Dr. Anna Neistat

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Due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation facing Tamils in Sri Lanka, the US has stepped in. The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, one of the most powerful legislative committees in the world, will be holding a hearing tomorrow (Feb/24/09) on the current crisis in Sri Lanka.

The Hearing will be presided by US Senator John Kerry, who is known to be one of the most respected senators in the U.S. Both Democratic Senator John Kerry and Republican Senator Richard Lugar expressed concerns regarding the crisis in Sri Lanka earlier this month, according to the AFP. Kerry and Lugar both stated that they were "deeply troubled" by the Sri Lankan Governments recent threads to expel aid organizations, diplomats and foreign journalists who wish to raise concerns regarding the slaughter of the Tamil minority in the North.

Kerry and Lugar also cited the recent murder of a prominent journalist, Lasantha Wickrematunga, who was shot and killed after criticizing the Sri Lankan Government. A probe has yet to be launched, and the Sri Lankan Government has shown that it has little concern over the murder, which is not too surprising since the Sri Lankan Government is known to be one of the most dangerous places in the world to report from.

Earlier this month, the specially appointed British Envoy to Sri Lanka was immediately rejected by the Sri Lankan Government, warning of 'severe repercussions'. Britain may have been slightly intimidated by the Government's threats, but it will be surprising to see the Sri Lankan Government try threatening the United States in the same way. My bet is that the current administration will be put in it's place if it was ever foolish enough to threaten the world's super power.

Unfortunately, the only media stations broadcasting in Sri Lanka are state-controlled media outlets. The recent news broadcasts are trying to change the US Senate Foreign Relations Committees hearing agenda by shifting blame away from the Government onto the LTTE. Do they really think the U.S is so naive? Obviously both US Senators are aware that the media is controlled by the current Sri Lankan Government, and they are trying to rally against the hearing using propaganda.

Unfortunately for Mahinda Rajapaska (current President), it won't work this time. The U.S. has set forth its agenda for the hearing, with witnesses from the Human Rights Watch, The Committee to Protect Journalists, and a former US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, who will all bring out the truth. His attempts to sabotage a US Senate hearing will cost him dearly, because an enemy of the US is inevitably an enemy of the world.

Hopefully we will see both the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE disarmed, Mahinda Rajapaska and his corrupt government administration kicked out, and peace and democracy restored.

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John Holmes, UN's top senior humanitarian official, has completed his 3-day 'tour' of Sri Lanka. In such a short span of time, how is it even at all possible to conclude on a complete humanitarian crisis and assess evidence from both sides of the conflict? Well thats where John Holmes ultimately failed, by only using information provided by the Sri Lankan Government. Human Rights Watch issued a report Friday, pointing the finger at the same Sri Lankan Government Army of indiscriminately shelling innocent civilians. The report can be found here. Approximately 250,000 civilians are trapped in the North East conflict zone where the Sri Lankan Army (ethnic Sinhalese) and the LTTE (ethnic Tamils) are waging war.

John Holmes met with Sri Lankan Government officials, and was taken to the 'internment camps' or 'concentration camps' in Vavuniya where civilians who flee the war zone are held by the Sri Lankan Government, without movement of freedom. One of the main purposes of the UN envoy was to investigate these 'concentration camps' (disguised as "Welfare Villages" by the current government). John Holmes was escorted by Sinhalese government officials to Vavuniya, which is one of the areas where these camps are setup. In his report today after his three day tour, Mr. Holmes concluded that the welfare villages are treating people well. He interviewed Tamil civilians held in the camps, with translation by a Government official. NGO reports indicate that when a Tamil mother said 'The Army was shelling at us and shooting us', the Sinhalese translator said 'The LTTE were not letting them flee'.

My opinion on Mr. Holmes skills in conflicts of civil war are very weak. Why not have independent translators? Why would anyone want use a government translator during a civil war against the government itself to find issues in the camps? Recently the British Special Envoy to Sri Lanka was rejected by the Sri Lankan Government. Perhaps this was because they knew that the UK would use independent aids to find their facts, opposed to being naive like Mr. Holmes and using government aids. The only blame that Mr. Holmes indicated in his press release was that the LTTE should release civilians, with no blame on the government.

Mr. Holmes' "findings" reported today completely contradict the Human Rights Watch report issued Friday. The Human Rights Watch report, which used sources from inside the conflict zone, as well as outside, concluded that the Sri Lankan Army was 'indiscriminately' shelling Tamil civilians and the LTTE was not allowing civilians to flee.

How can Mr. Holmes have any credible conclusions when he uses only government sources, and has not even visited the conflict zone?

Perhaps its because the Government has banned all journalists, media outlets, diplomats and aid groups from going anywhere near the conflict zone in order to downplay the current genocide. Two weeks ago the Sri Lankan Government even went as far as threatening the Swiss Ambassador for speaking out on the conflict (found here) They have also threatened aid groups and media who would like to report on the issue (found here)

Unfortunately, Mr. John Holmes you have failed to look into the crisis with an objective state of mind with credible sources. Over 250,000 civilians are now at risk on your watch due to your incompetence.

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