Canada ups aid to Sri Lanka by $3M

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by lalith | May 4, 2009 at 08:43 pm
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Sri Lankan Police distribute food and supplies to Tamil civilians

Sri Lankan Police distribute food and supplies to Tamil civilians

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uploaded by lalith

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Canada is sending another $3-million in foreign aid to Sri Lanka to help the country meet the humanitarian needs of ethnic Tamils displaced by civil war.

Bev Oda, the Minister of International Cooperation, said in an exclusive interview the money would help pay for food, water, shelter and hygiene kits for 200,000 Tamils living at temporary camps.

"We committed $4.5-million in February and I'm here to meet with the NGO [non-governmental organization] community that we've working with for many years here. They've asked for more assistance so I will be announcing $3-million this evening," she said.

Source: nationalpost.com

The Canadian Government's decision to increase the Aid package to Sri Lanka clearly indicates that the rowdy demonstrations held in Canada by the Tamil Terrorist supporters carrying the Eelam flag have been unsuccessful. 

The Canadian Government is fully aware of the situation is Sri Lanka and Ms. Bev Oda, the Minister of International Cooperation who visited Sri Lanka was impressed by the ,measures taken by the Sri Lanka Government regarding the IDPs.

Canada is one of several Western nations that have appealed to Sri Lanka to end the civil war against the separatist rebels, who are now cornered in a small area in the country's north.

Ms.Oda stated Canada was not considering any consequences as a result of Sri Lanka's refusal to call a ceasefire.

"No we aren't necessarily looking at consequences to the country because it will be the people that are going to continue to suffer," she said.

The Government of Sri Lanka is determined to see an end to this prolonged war. After having gone so far, it seems ridiculous to give in to the lowly Terrorists who are hiding behind innocent civilians.

If the civilians had been  released by the Terrorists, this war would have been over more than a month ago. The human shield consisting of innocent men, women and children has slowed down the advance the Sri Lankan Forces. They are inching towards their target and cannot advance at a normal rate because of the civilians.

Appeals to terrorist leader to release these civilians have fallen of deaf ears. Perhaps, he has lost the will to stand and fight and is heavily dependent on innocent Tamil civilians whom he vowed to protect. Who is protecting whom now!

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4
sudharaka
sudharaka

at 20:48 on May 4th, 2009

May be we could ask the terrorist proxies to protest more often.

3
lalith
lalith

at 21:10 on May 4th, 2009

Protesting with  Terrorist Flags and logos does not paint a rosy picture for any organization seeking favors. Mind you, these terrorists had the audacity to fly the so called Eelam (soon to be defunct) flag right next to the Canadian Flag.

Perhaps, this is what Canada gets back for keeping most of these people on the DOLE.


1
Blue Crush
Blue Crush

at 04:18 on May 5th, 2009

We'll see what they get today ...

3
lalith
lalith

at 04:40 on May 5th, 2009

I'm sure they will be treated  well  by the mounties! Thanks for the post.

3
Tamiya
Tamiya

at 04:37 on May 5th, 2009

The Canadian Aid DID NOT go to Tamils.

These aid go straight to Sinhalese to enjoy.

Sri Lankan government did not send any food or aid during the Tsunami time, when the Eastern Tamil region was the most hit one. The Sri Lankan government and the Sinhalese extremists have robbed and eat all aid ever came for Tamils.

There is no news from the Tamils sources to vouch for these aid has ever gotten to Tamils IDPs.

The only thing that ever gotten to Tamils regions from Sri Lankan government is heavy weapons, chemical weapons, and banned weapons, NEVER any aid.


'Drop food now if the concern is humanitarian': Vanni civilians [TamilNet, Tuesday, 05 May 2009, 01:01 GMT]
“If the Colombo government is starving us, the world should know who is keeping us hostages. If the world’s concern is ‘purely humanitarian’ it should act this very minute to give us our means to keep the body and soul together”, is the voice of the civilian victims of Colombo’s starvation weapon, reported hospital sources in Vanni. Even the meagre food stock of the hospital staff depleted they said. Last Thursday, UN humanitarian chief, John Holmes, acknowledging the situation, said the food supply was barely enough only for a day. Five days have gone, and none coming with only statements of humanitarian concerns, has acted on it. Meanwhile, no more food shipments to Vanni is said to be the decision in Colombo.

Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal 120,000 braving starvation and shelling

“When Colombo breaches its own international pledge on the use of heavy weapons against its own civilians, the world watches it. Now when it deliberately starves its own civilians to death, then also the world watches”, said a political commentator in Colombo, adding that the loss of credibility of UN and particularly of some powers are going to be irreparable.

Mahinda Rajapaksa government calculatedly maintains a very low figure of the civilians in the ‘no-fire’ zone in order not to send enough food. Colombo’s figures in the past were supported by India, but both were discredited later.

While Colombo maintains a figure of 15 to 20 thousand civilians, reliable reports from Vanni put it to more than 120,000. Even some international agencies and media are not doing justice in harping on a figure of around 50,000. Colombo prevents international agencies from finding out the truth.

Last Thursday, UN decided not to penalize Sri Lanka for what it is doing.

'Sri Lanka is a democratically elected government fighting a terrorist organization' is a view maintained by Britain and France.

However humanitarian it could be, it is an internal matter of Sri Lanka, not to be discussed officially in the UN Security Council is the stand of China, sitting on UN action.

Source: tamilnet.com


3
Hiranya Malwatta
Hiranya Malwatta

at 08:10 on May 5th, 2009

Talking about Tsunami Aid Tamiya?

1) Except for very few, all Tsunami Aid by INGOs and other foreign bodies did NOT go through Government channels to the south as well. Government only provided land for projects like building houses and the foreign bodies handled the AID the way they wanted even in the south.

2) I can tell you with confidence that the larger number of INGOs were more interested in giving AID to the NORTH and EAST and not to the South.

3) At the CNO (Center for National Operations) that was set up immediately for Tsunami Relief work, all the INGO requests were processed and it is a fact that more INGOs wanted to go to the North and East and they were allowed to go there.

4) What happened to all the Tsunami AID these INGOs were supposed to be giving the Northern and Eastern people - God only knows. Did Prabhakaran take the AID on himself? I'm sure he did.

2
Hiranya Malwatta
Hiranya Malwatta

at 08:21 on May 5th, 2009

Regarding the Housing projects that are still on going in the EAST :

Minister Fariel Ashraff explained that, obtaining and fixing land in the East for housing projects took longer than for the projects in the South, due to the Marshy landscapes and other natural obstacles. But it is happening, she said.

She is a Muslim and she is in charge of Housing, so I don't think she has any reason to deprive the Eastern people with a large Muslim community, of houses purposely.

0
Preveenr
Preveenr (not verified)

at 00:24 on May 6th, 2009

Ironic, considering I know more than a few Sinhalese who helped with the organizing of aid convoys and actually went to Trinco to personally distribute aid packages long before international aid started arriving in the Island after the Tsunami. As in personally went and personally handed over packages to people, not just left it in a warehouse and came.

3
lalith
lalith

at 04:42 on May 5th, 2009

Tamilnet has been quoted again????????????????????????

3
Tamiya
Tamiya

at 04:45 on May 5th, 2009

Tamilnet.com is a news portal for the banned North and East Tamils Regions of Sri Lanka, and it was is championed by people like Taraki Sivaram who was a well known  journalist around the world and was killed by the Sri Lankan Government in 2005.


‘Sivaram killing a blow against peace’ – US don [TamilNet, Thursday, 05 May 2005, 17:46 GMT]

The abduction and murder last Thursday of political columnist and military analyst, Dharmeratnam Sivaram by suspected Sri Lankan state agents “will hinder peace and promote war” in Sri Lanka, writes Prof. Tom Plate, Director of Asia Pacific Media Network, in a op-ed published Thursday in the Korean Times. “The anguish felt worldwide perhaps surprised the morally suspect government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga,” Prof. Plate, who is with the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote.

Source: tamilnet.com


Tamilnet.com has integrity and reliable sources before it reports anything, and they have always done reporting with respect to the real news and details, not to sway the news.

Then again you would have no idea about integrity and respect in news reporting anyways, so why bother?!!

5
sudharaka
sudharaka

at 05:07 on May 5th, 2009

Thanks for the joke. Only second to calling the LTTE "freedom fighters"

3
Hiranya Malwatta
Hiranya Malwatta

at 07:57 on May 5th, 2009

LOL ! Good one Sudharaka !

0
saravsk
saravsk

at 10:44 on May 5th, 2009

not as poor a joke as calling urself a rational human being. Oh sorry even u never claimed to be so.

0
Amy Judd
Amy Judd

at 10:55 on May 5th, 2009

This kind of language is against our code of conduct and is not allowed on NowPubilc. Please stick to the topic of the story or I will close this comment thread. Thank you.

4
lalith
lalith

at 05:08 on May 5th, 2009

Tamilnet is Tamilnet like a tiger terrorist is a tiger terrorist.

I think I made a mistake. It is goslnet which doctors all those pics. I'm sorry.


4
Tamiya
Tamiya

at 06:35 on May 5th, 2009

http://shamelanka.com/images/tarakis.jpg


Sri Lanka

Dharmeratnam Sivaram, TamilNet and Daily Mirror
29 April 2005

On 29 April 2005 Dharmeratnam Sivaram "Taraki", editor of the news website TamilNet and Daily Mirror columnist was found dead in the capital after being abducted there the previous evening.

One of the best known Tamil journalists, he knew he was in danger because of his uncompromising coverage of the political and military situation.

Source: rsf.org






Read this from Reporters Without Borders



Tamilnet editor’s murder still unpunished after one year


Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Sri Lanka Free Media Movement (FMM) all voiced outrage today about the lack of progress in the investigation into the murder a year ago of Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam "Taraki" Sivaram, the editor of the Tamilnet news website and columnist for the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror newspaper.

The arrest of a suspect in June 2005 raised hopes that the case would soon be solved, but the investigators have done virtually nothing since his arrest.

"The current serious crisis in Sri Lanka - the result of unacceptable terrorism - in no way justifies the impunity prevailing in the murders of journalists and human rights activists," the three press freedom organisations said.

"We call on President Mahinda Rajapakse to step up efforts in the investigation into Sivaram’s murder as the state’s credibility in preventing the murders of journalists, especially Tamil journalists, is at stake" they added.

Four men kidnapped Sivaram on April 28, 2005, as he and several friends emerged from a bar a few metres from the Bambalapitya police station. His body was found the next day in the district of Himbulala, near the parliament. He had been beaten and shot in the head.

Arumugam Sri Skandarajan, a former member of a Tamil armed group, was arrested as a suspect on June 13, 2005, near Colombo. He was found in possession of the SIM card from Sivaram’s mobile phone. The police also said they had found a vehicle that may have been used in his abduction. But the witnesses of the abduction later said the detained suspect was not one of the kidnappers and that the car was not the one they had used.

After his arrest, the police virtually abandoned the investigation. Sivaram’s relatives and friends say the instigators and perpetrators could be linked to Tamil paramilitary groups, as Sivaram supported the Tamil nationalists and was outspoken in his criticism of abuses by the security forces and paramilitaries.

During the past year, Tamil language journalists and media workers have been killed, received death threats, physical and psychological threats, been arrested and detained. Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) journalist, Relangi Selvarajah and her husband were shot dead on August 12, 2005, in Bambalapitiya, Colombo.

Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, popularly known as SSR, a part-time provincial journalist working for the Tamil language daily, Sudaroli, was shot dead in the eastern port city of Trincomalee on January 24, 2006.

D. Selvarathnam, a security guard at the printing press for Tamil language newspaper, Sudaroli, was killed in a grenade attack against the newspaper on August 29, 2005.

K. Navarathnam, newspaper deliveryman of Yal Thinakkural, was killed by unknown assailants in Jaffna on December 22, 2005.

These killings have contributed to a growing fear amongst the Tamil media community.

The IFJ, RSF and FMM are calling for the Sri Lankan Government to ensure those responsible for these murders are brought to justice and to ensure the safety of all journalists working in Sri Lanka.

"As long as journalists are forced to work in fear there can be no press freedom," said the three organisations.

Source: rsf.org



Read this. Then you will see how the Sri Lankan State Terrorist Government has continuously assaulted media in Sri Lanka including Taraki, who was also a Senior Editor at Tamilnet.com:


 Attacks on the Press 2000: Sri Lanka...

The government used this alarming tactic again in early June, when several state-owned media outlets ran a press release that accused four prominent journalists of "maintaining secret connections with the LTTE." They were P. Seevagan, who reports for the BBC's Tamil service and heads the Tamil Media Alliance; Roy Denish, defense correspondent for The Sunday Leader; Saman Wagaarachchi, editor of the Leader's Sinhala-language counterpart, Irida Peramuna; and D. Sivaram (alias "Taraki"), an outspoken free-lance columnist. The smear campaign provoked a spate of threats and "was very clearly designed and deliberately calculated to instigate extremist elements and contract killers against us and our families," the four journalists said in a June 6 statement.
...

Source: cpj.org



The Sri Lankan State Terrorist Government needs to be brought to trial in an Internaional Criminal Court just for slaughtering 14 brave and astounding journalists/media workers in last 3 years.

Specially somebody like Taraki an exceptional journalist from the Tamils in Sri Lanka.

From Reporters without Borders: Editor of TamilNet murdered in Colombo


Editor of TamilNet murdered in Colombo

Reporters Without Borders is revolted at the murder of Dharmeratnam Sivaram "Taraki", editor of the news website TamilNet and Daily Mirror columnist. Four men abducted the well known journalist on 28 April and he was found dead the following morning.

Sivaram, 46, had often told friends that he feared for his safety. "My life is in serious danger," he told Reporters Without Borders in May 2004 after police raided his house and some pro-government media accused him of being a spy for the Tamil Tigers.

He was targeted because of uncompromising coverage of the political and military situation, particularly since the emergence of the pro-government Tamil militia headed by Colonel Karuna.

Reporters Without Borders said Sri Lanka’s authorities were guilty of failing to combat impunity in past cases of murders of journalists. In several reports, it had shown that the government, headed by Chandrika Kumaratunga, has protected killers of journalists, particularly Tamil militia of the EPDP, elements in the presidential guard and members of Col. Karuna’s Tamil militia.

The organisation called on the government to now do everything possible to ensure the killers and those who sent them were identified, arrested and put on trial.

"The premeditated murder of one of the most renowned Tamil journalists is a huge loss for Sri Lanka’s press. Through his website that was visited by tens of thousands of people daily, he provided essential news on the situation in the country," it said.

"Whatever one may think of his relations with the Tamil Tigers movement, Sivaram, was a brilliant journalist", the worldwide press freedom organisation added.

Four men travelling in a Pajero abducted Sivaram late in the evening on 28 April as he was leaving a Colombo bar with friends, just a few metres from the Bambalapitya police station. Witnesses said the men were speaking Tamil.

(JPEG) His body was found the following morning in the Himbulala district, near the parliament building. Sivaram had been killed by several bullet wounds to the head and he bore the marks of a beating. His wife, Herly Yogaranjini, identified his body which will be taken to his native town of Baticaloa for burial. He had three children aged 10 to 16 years.






3
lalith
lalith

at 06:43 on May 5th, 2009

What is the guaranty that LTTE did not kill these guys? For killers of Presidents and Prime Ministers, a reporter is nothing.

Killing of Senior ex-tiger terrorists in Colombo is nothing new to the Terrorists. PLOTE Mohan for instance.

Don't speculate. Prove.


4
Tamiya
Tamiya

at 06:53 on May 5th, 2009

You are making fun right? The Sri Lankan Government won't even allow anybody to cover the news or has blocked any investigation on these deaths, Taraki and Lasantha and the list goes on.

Let the investigations begin.

There are Reporters without Borders and Committe to Protect who are willing to champion the investigations. You don't see any interference coming from LTTE, but the Sri Lankan Government is dead against these investigations. So using your head, and whatever inside there, who do think is the prime suspect here ? Should not the Sri Lankan government be championing these investigations rather than blocking them? Do you want me list all the media sources that have reported regarding the  blocking?!!


Sri Lanka Special Report: Failure to Investigate By Bob Dietz/Asia Program Coordinator

As the Sri Lankan government steps up its war with the LTTE, assaults on journalists are on the rise. So are suspicions that the government is complicit in these attacks.

The lack of credible investigations into these crimes is in keeping with a long history of impunity for those who attack journalists in Sri Lanka. With a failure to investigate and a realistic suspicion that government actors are complicit in the violence against journalists, the time has come for the international community to act.

Source: cpj.org





3
lalith
lalith

at 07:42 on May 5th, 2009

Prove it. Don't get some loser idea and cry.

On the other hand it can be proved that the Losing Tigers of Terrorist Eelam killed a President, a foreign Prime Minister, a Foreign Minister, so many Ministers etc, etc (The list is too long).

Why don't you talk about these too?

By the way, getting back to the subject, what do you think about Canada increasing the aid package by $3 million in spite of (as a result of) the major Terrorist demonstrations in that country?


0
saravsk
saravsk

at 10:51 on May 5th, 2009

what do u want others to prove? that lasantha too was not killed by saint rajapakse. That the ghost letter he sent was not written by lasantha himself but an LTTE agent. That ur previous weeks constipation was a conspiracy of LTTE. what do u want as proof? your nation is in the midst of a genocide. if you ask proof of SL army killing civilians then you must ask god for one solid proof to call yourself a living being. if you get one... then thou shalt be answered by yourself

4
lalith
lalith

at 11:17 on May 5th, 2009

Lasantha's Ghost letter was written after he died. Everybody except for an ignorant few know that.

If there is no proof....... then thou shalt shut up and sit down.

What about the point in issue - The aid increase? Nothing to say?

3
Menik
Menik (not verified)

at 11:36 on May 5th, 2009

Tamiya, Tamiya,

You say the Sri Lankan government and the Sinhalese robbed the Tamils of whatever aid they received. That is a serious accusation of an unethical act. Can you prove it?  

What you pretend not to know is that many of your terrorists were drawing salaries from the government while fighting. How ethical is that? Isn't that robbing? I am sure you heard old George Master saying on TV, something about going to draw his pension. Pension??

 

0
anarchore
anarchore (not verified)

at 06:40 on May 12th, 2009

What a moot point, as the government of Canada is in the thrall of Israeli terror groups like the Jewish Defense League(open bomb throwing terrorist nuts), Canadian Jewish Congress(opinion terrorist nuts who wring 'apologies' out of polluticians) and Bnai B'rith(opinion terrorist nuts that prosecute Canadians who don't like demon Israhell).

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