10 April 2008 SLDF Called on APRC Delegation to Release an Interim Report on Consensus Arrived at Within the APRC The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) held a discussion with the visiting delegation of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) including APRC Chairman Professor Tissa Vitarana and eight other delegates on 6 April 2008, which followed a meeting of SLDF’s international Steering Committee and an SLDF sponsored day long conference the previous day. 24 January 2008 SLDF Rejects the Interim Report of the APRC Calling for an Interim Arrangement SLDF rejects the APRC’s announcement of the 13th amendment to the Constitution as the interim arrangement, at the personal behest of President Rajapakse who has deflected the announcement of the conclusions reached by the APRC over eighteen month long deliberations, which may now never see the light of day. This undemocratic act by the executive presidency is a travesty of all efforts aimed at according justice to the minority communities, who have consistently suffered discrimination and persecution at the hands of successive Sri Lankan governments over the last sixty years. 14 January 2008 SLDF Demands Completion of the Work of APRC and Progress with the Political Process The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) demands that the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) facilitates the completion of the APRC process and the prompt announcement of its conclusions arrived at through its inclusive, transparent and democratic deliberations. SLDF demands that the GOSL no longer impedes the natural progression of the APRC deliberations set up to explore solutions to the issue of justice for minority communities that has been festering for 60 years, since independence. Recent news reports suggest that the APRC is being subjected to intense pressure by the ruling party and its Sinhala Buddhist nationalist allies, the JVP and the JHU, to abandon the conclusions reached through discussions over 18 months. Instead, the APRC appears to be under pressure to announce proposals that do not go beyond the twenty year old 13th amendment, which disregards the debates over the last two decades and the discussions that have taken place within the APRC. 4 December 2007 SLDF Condemns the LTTE leader’s Call for War and Separate State SLDF Demands an End to LTTE’s Politics of Murder and Suicide As Sri Lanka is plunged into war yet again, and civilians face yet another humanitarian crisis, Prabhakaran's annual Heroes Day speech warrants closer attention. It reveals his continued commitment to a suicidal politics that will serve only the interests of the LTTE, even as it decimates the Tamil community, and confirms him to be one of the individuals most responsible for the failure of peace negotiations and for the repeated return to a war of attrition that is all too familiar to the civilians in the North and East. 8 September 2007 The SLDF Calls for Urgent Progress with the APRC Process The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum insists that the only way out of the destruction and tragedy faced by the people of Sri Lanka over the last two-and-a-half decades is through a political process that addresses the genuine grievances and democratic aspirations of all minority communities. Such a political process needs to discard the legacy of the unitary state and move towards constitutional reform through devolution of power to the regions and power-sharing at the centre, with greater representation for minorities in a bicameral legislature. Committed to the belief that there is no military solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka, SLDF recognizes that the ongoing APRC process remains the only political initiative that is making an attempt towards addressing issues at the heart of the longstanding conflict. However, recent statements by the leadership of the two major political parties, the SLFP and UNP, seriously undermine the APRC process, just as every past attempt in Sri Lanka to bring about state reform has been undermined by the partisan and electoral politics of these parties. The APRC process should remain above such electoral politics and be seen as a way forward out of a political crisis that is affecting all the people of Sri Lanka. 25 July 2007 SLDF Hosts Discussion on International Engagement and Aid The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) hosted a discussion titled ‘Between Peace and Conflict: International Engagement and Aid’ at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University on 22 July 2007. The discussion was chaired by Dr. Jonathan Goodhand (School of Oriental and African Studies, London University), with speakers Sunil Bastian (International Center for Ethnic Studies) and Ahilan Kadirgamar (SLDF). The discussion, which is a first in a series of discussions to be hosted by SLDF, addressed the political economy of aid, donor engagement in the context of broader international engagement and the prospects of peace and development in Sri Lanka. 11 July 2007 SLDF Supports the Work of the COI and IIGEP and Calls for Greater National and International Support to Address the Culture of Impunity The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) calls for greater support for the Commission of Inquiry into Grave Human Rights violations (COI) and the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP). There is a need for adequate resources and support to strengthen the mandate of the COI. The IIGEP requires political support from the international community to ensure its concerns are heard by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). SLDF has constantly reiterated that only a UN Human Rights Field Operation with country-wide monitoring can effectively address the increasing number of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, deter future abuses, provide protection for civilians and bring about an end to impunity. The COI and IIGEP are neither a substitute for international human rights monitoring, nor an alternative to the criminal justice system. However, SLDF believes that the COI and the IIGEP have the potential to make a vital contribution towards addressing the culture of impunity. At a minimum, the COI could provide recommendations for the reform of the criminal justice system, highlight lapses in investigations, and provide evidence to revitalize efforts to bring justice to victims and families of a few of the worst human rights abuses committed during the last two years. 24 June 2007 SLDF Calls on Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs and India to Pressure Sri Lanka on a Just Political Solution and Human Rights Protection The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) calls on the Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs and India to intensify their political engagement with Sri Lanka in order to urgently address human rights protection and a political solution that meets the aspirations of both Tamil and Muslim communities. As the Co-Chairs meet in Oslo on June 25th and 26th, Sri Lanka is on the brink of yet another cycle of protracted war and a political crisis characterized by authoritarianism, grave human rights abuses and serious setbacks to arriving at a political solution SLDF calls on the Co-Chairs to mobilize the international community to support a strong resolution at the UN Human Rights Council leading to a UN human rights field operation that can ensure human rights protection. SLDF suggests that the Co-Chairs and the international community transform their role to one of substantial political engagement through the establishment of a political ‘Contact Group’ on Sri Lanka, consisting of countries that have had long-term engagement with Sri Lanka. Political engagement at this level of intensity will positively contribute to a political solution. 8 June 2007 SLDF Condemns Mass Expulsion of Tamils from Colombo Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) unreservedly condemns the indiscriminate rounding up and forcible mass expulsion of members of the Tamil community from Colombo and their transport against their consent to the north and east of the country. SLDF calls for the immediate return of the evicted Tamil citizens to Colombo. This internal deportation represents a collective punishment upon the Tamil community and manifests the insensitive and inconsiderate manner in which the present regime has been conducting itself under the dubious claim of national security. 5 May 2007 SLFP Proposals - An affront to Tamil and Muslim Aspirations and Failure of Leadership The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) rejects the proposals submitted to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) by the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as irrelevant and counter-productive to any genuine attempt towards seeking a durable political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka through substantial devolution of powers to the regions and power sharing at the centre. These proposals represent an affront to the aspirations of the Tamil and Muslim communities and display a callous disregard of their grievances and sufferings. They also signify a serious failure of leadership of the ruling party. Given that the SLFP holds a large majority within the government coalition, it ought to have demonstrated vision and courage. These proposals appear to show that the President and the SLFP are incapable of acting with foresight and political integrity in finding a sustainable solution to the ethnic conflict. Indeed these proposals are a major set back in the devolution debate in Sri Lanka and reverse the last few decades of faltering progress. As such these proposals are a non starter and ought to be discarded from consideration by the APRC. 1 May 2007 SLDF Concerned by the Emerging Authoritarianism in Colombo, Attacks on Dissent and the Continuing Humanitarian Crisis in the East The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) raises its grave concerns about the continuing humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sri Lanka. SLDF is further perturbed by the emerging authoritarianism in Sri Lanka, where attacks on the media, NGOs and other activists intended to suppress comment on the Government’s handling of the crisis have begun to pose a dangerous threat to the fundamental democratic rights of the people. 11 March 2007 SLDF expresses its grave concern over the continuing deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka and reiterates its call for UN Human Rights Monitoring The current situation Despite international and local condemnation, the situation in Sri Lanka has continued to worsen on many fronts since the last sessions of the Human Rights Council in 2006. Daily military offensives without respite by the Sri Lankan security forces, the LTTE, and the Karuna group, have led to the displacement of a large number of people and brought the country to the brink of a humanitarian disaster. The recent announcement by the LTTE that they will be targeting civilian vessels if they are accompanied by troops is an indication of the total disregard of all armed parties for civilian lives, and forewarns us of the humanitarian disaster that awaits Sri Lanka, unless urgent action is taken. The conclusion of the magisterial inquiry into the execution of the 17 ACF aid workers that there were serious flaws in the government investigation, and that the government has attempted to circumvent the use of foreign forensic experts, indicate the lack of seriousness of the government in carrying out impartial investigations. This further indicates that only an international monitoring mechanism reporting to an independent international body such as the UN can effectively investigate political killings and human rights abuses and identify perpetrators. The ceasefire is virtually non-functional, as the parties display total disregard for the provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement. The role of the SLMM has been rendered totally inoperative. There is an all out war, even while the All Party Conference (APC) continues its exercise of trying to find a basis for a political solution. 6 March 2007 Representatives of Sri Lanka Democracy Forum and Tamil Forum for Peace met with the Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Hon. Bogollagama on his first official visit to the UK on Tuesday, 6 March 2007, at Dorchester in London. The Foreign Minister was presented with the following three demands to be handed to the government. 1. Purposeful progress should be made on the APC process to bring about state reform through devolution and power sharing. In this connection, the Government should take the lead in canvassing broad-based support for the proposals contained in the Majority Report taking account of the points made by Prof. T. Vitharana. 2. The Government should publicly denounce the continuing spate of gross human rights violations including recruitment of child and underage soldiers, arbitrary detentions, extra-judicial killings, abductions and disappearances, and promptly investigate and institute prosecutions where elements within the state enforcement agencies are alleged or suspected to be complicit in such violations. 3. The Government should permit and enable continuing access to humanitarian agencies to conflict zones and facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance, relief and rehabilitation to internally displaced people. Calls for Progress with the Political Solution 22 January 2007 SLDF Calls for Progress with the Political Solution The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) applauds the work of the Majority Group of the Experts Committee and the efforts of Prof. Vitharana, Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), to find a political solution through devolution of power and power sharing at the center. The military advances of the security forces into the Eastern Province, at immense cost to civilians, come at a time when the State needs to decisively move in the direction of a political solution and the protection of human rights. SLDF reiterates that there is no military solution to the question of minorities in Sri Lanka, and it is only through an inclusive process that attempts to meet the aspirations of the Tamil and Muslim communities that co-existence is possible. 13 November 2006, SLDF Outraged by the Grave Abuse of Human Rights and Humanitarian Norms in Sri Lanka The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) expresses its outrage and dismay at the grave human rights situation facing Sri Lanka characterized by disappearances, extrajudicial killings, abductions, torture, and child recruitment. This human rights crisis is coupled with a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions, and Sri Lanka is degenerating into a situation of near anarchy. 6 September 2006 SLDF Calls on Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs and India to Pressure the Sri Lankan State to Address Human Rights and Humanitarian Concerns and Progress on a Political Settlement The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) is deeply concerned about the deteriorating human security and political situation in Sri Lanka. Hundreds of people have been killed or disappeared and over 200,000 more displaced, along with over ten thousand refugees fleeing to India, due to the latest round of fighting between the Tamil Tigers and Government forces resulting in a mounting human rights and humanitarian crisis mainly in the North and East of Sri Lanka. 23 May 2006, SLDF Calls on Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs to Pressure the Government of Sri Lanka to End Extrajudicial Killings and Move on State Reform The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) condemns in the strongest terms the continuing extrajudicial killings by the LTTE, the Sri Lankan Security Forces, and other armed groups. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights, and as the threat of all out war looms above Sri Lanka SLDF fears that civilian life will become even more expendable than ever before. In light of the deteriorating security situation, SLDF wishes to endorse and highlight the findings and recommendations of Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, who has stated that, "human rights must be made central to both the peace process and the general system of governance." 18 April 2006, SLDF Condemns the LTTE's Undeclared War and Calls on the Government to Protect Human Rights and Progress Towards a Permanent Political Solution The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) unequivocally condemns the resumption of an "undeclared war" by the LTTE. The continuous provocation and slaughter of members of the armed forces by the LTTE when a ceasefire is being observed, has also led to the death of many civilians and places the entire civilian population at great risk. SLDF calls on the international community to continue to send strong signals to the LTTE through sanctions and other measures of deterrence - as it is only to these that the LTTE appears to be responsive - until the LTTE demonstrates a genuine commitment to adhere to the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and cease all acts of violence including political killings and child recruitment. 20 February 2006, SLDF Calls for Human Rights and Human Security to be at the Center of Geneva Talks The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum calls on the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Norwegian facilitators and the international community to ensure the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) at the upcoming talks in Geneva, with a focus on the protection of civilians through the human rights provisions in the CFA and through additional human rights mechanisms. 29 December 2005, SLDF Alarmed by Deterioration of Security Situation and Calls for Pressure and Mechanisms to Ensure Protection of Human Rights and End to Violence The North and East of Sri Lanka have been mired in escalating violence in the last month with the LTTE's initiation of an "undeclared war" and the retaliatory violent response of the security forces. ... SLDF calls on civil society actors and the international community to pressure both parties to arrest the continuing violence and to initiate campaigns and mechanisms that will bring about an end to this violence and that will ensure the protection of human rights. 15 December 2005, SLDF Calls on Donor Co-Chairs to Push for a Southern Consensus on a Permanent Political Solution and Reform of the Sri Lankan State The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) is alarmed by the escalation of violence in the North and East, which threatens the possibility of reaching a negotiated political solution to the conflict. The LTTE has consistently violated the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and is responsible for human rights violations and attacks on democracy throughout the ceasefire. ... It is imperative that the LTTE's belligerence should not become an excuse for the Sri Lankan State and Southern political formations to ignore minority aspirations and the need for a permanent political solution. SLDF calls on the Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs to take the lead within the international community in applying further sanctions on the LTTE, while pressuring the South to reach a consensus on a permanent political solution, and to support reform of the Sri Lankan State. 21 November 2005, Letter to the Permanent Represenative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Dear Ambassador Kariyawasam, We, the Steering Committee of the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF), are writing to you when both Sri Lanka and the United Nations are at a crossroads with regards to issues of human rights. While a new president has been elected in Sri Lanka, the peace process in Sri Lanka is at a standstill and we face a serious human rights crisis there. This year alone, we have seen over two hundred killings, over two hundred complaints of abductions / disappearances and hundreds more children recruited as child soldiers. We believe that the United Nations, as the most impartial multilateral body in the world, has a unique role to play in ending this human rights crisis in Sri Lanka. 20 November 2005, For Immediate Release: SLDF Expresses Shock and Outrage at the Attack on Akkaraipattu Mosque The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) expresses its shock and outrage and outright condemnation of the attack on the Akkaraipattu Mosque in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka and the murder of innocent Muslim civilians engaged in prayer, on the morning of Friday 18 November 2005, a day after the Presidential Elections. 26
June 2005, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) extends guarded support for the implementation of the Joint Mechanism for tsunami reconstruction (also known as Post-Tsunami Operations Management Structure), urges increased transparency in its operations and calls for an immediate resumption of peace talks with provisions for the protection of human rights. The post-tsunami political environment offered unique political opportunities for peace building and reconciliation. These opportunities have been squandered by the LTTE’s campaign of political killings and the Government’s failure to address the diverse needs and aspirations of all communities, particularly those of the Muslim community and Eastern Tamils. Nearly half the victims of the tsunami were Muslims yet they were not party to the negotiations of the Joint Mechanism. The Tamils cannot be regarded as synonymous with the LTTE and consulting the LTTE does not equate to consulting the Tamils of the North and East. This is a crucial error in light of reported complaints by tsunami-affected Tamils in the North that they have not been receiving aid collected on their behalf by the LTTE. 1 May 2005,
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum denounces in the strongest possible terms the abduction and murder of journalist Dharmaretnam Sivaram, also known as Taraki. It is the latest in a long line of such abductions and killings; a climate of total impunity prevails and attacks on freedom of expression go unchecked. If this continues the effects on our attempts to achieve peace with democracy will be devastating and the future is filled with grim foreboding and appears bleak. Some of the most capable Tamils of different political persuasions, from many walks of life but all with a desire for independent political self-expression are being wiped out. |
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18 May 2008 SLDF Condemns the Brutal Murder of Maheswary Velautham The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) unreservedly condemns the LTTE for the brutal assassination of Maheswary Velautham on 13 May 2008. Maheswary Velautham was killed in a hail of bullets fired at point blank range by LTTE gunmen when she was caring for her bedridden ailing mother in her home village in Navundil in northern Jaffna in the presence of her family members. Writ all over this cruel episode of murder, and the manner and circumstances in which it was carried is not an iota of the self-proclaimed heroism of the LTTE, but its unrivalled depravity and cowardice. Reputed for her long years of sustained, dedicated and exceptional work on behalf of displaced people, refugees and those languishing in long term detention without trial, Maheswary displayed enormous courage and leadership in negotiating her role in the service of her people in the whirlpool of violent Tamil politics. At a time when many Tamils took the easy way out by going abroad seeking comfortable lives, it was her commitment to serve her people that made her to remain in the island exposing her to the ever present danger that eventually ended her life. 7 March 2008 Concerns of Minorities and Civilians Should be Debated at the UN HRC: SLDF Urges Human Rights Mechanisms to Address Impunity and Protection The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) calls for local and international pressure to halt the severe escalation of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. The country is mired in another brutal cycle of war, the effect of which is particularly made worse by the scuttling of the political process to address minority grievances. The rampant killings, abductions, enforced disappearances, and attacks on the media -- all have worsened the prevailing climate of fear and the culture of impunity; these developments, coupled with the government’s increasing authoritarianism, debilitate democratic institutions and the democratic fabric of society. President Rajapakse’s interference in the political process has undermined the All Party Representative Committee’s efforts to produce credible proposals for a political solution, which would have also provided the opening to address broader concerns of human rights and rule of law in the country. Instead, the escalation of violence inherent to a military approach, the targeting of civilians and the virulent nationalist rhetoric espoused by both the State and the LTTE are further polarizing the communities and eroding the possibility of a sustainable and just peace. SLDF calls on local and international actors to take a principled stand backed up by concrete action to ensure that both the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE respect international human rights and humanitarian laws. SLDF reiterates that a UN human rights field operation can contribute significantly to the protection of civilians. The targeting of civilians during armed conflict and the commission of other grave human rights abuses constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, and perpetrators of such crimes should be brought to justice. 27 December 2007 Para “Master” a Powerful Voice of Tamil Dissent
It is with enormous grief that we received the sad news of the sudden death of Kumaraswamy Pararajasingham on his 72nd birthday on 16 December 2007. “Para Master”, as he was respectfully and affectionately called by his friends and colleagues, was a founder Steering Committee member of the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF). He was one of the leading activists in the German Chapter of SLDF. Para Master’s active and continuing participation in the work and activities of the SLDF was only a part of his life-long commitment to his broader struggle against social exploitation and oppression. 14 October 2007 Progress with the Political Process and the Nexus of Human Rights, Democratization, Reconstruction and a Permanent Political Solution SLDF calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka and all political parties to intensify their efforts in accelerating the much delayed APRC process. This acceleration is necessary to sustain the political process and to arrive at credible proposals for a permanent political solution to the ethnic conflict that will offer substantial devolution of power to the regions and power sharing at the centre to address the democratic aspirations of the minority communities in Sri Lanka. In the war ravaged areas of the East, unconditional humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation of the internally displaced must move with the urgency it requires. However, a political process that articulates a permanent political solution, and that enjoys the confidence, participation and dignity of the minority communities must precede the implementation of any interim administration and massive reconstruction of the East. 7 June 2007 SLDF Calls on UN Human Rights Council to Condemn the Deteriorating Situation in Sri Lanka with a Strong Resolution The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) calls upon the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to indict the rapidly deteriorating human rights, humanitarian, and political crisis in Sri Lanka with a strong resolution. The EU statement discussed by the member states of the UNHRC nine months ago is no longer an effective warning against, or deterrent to, the escalating human rights abuses by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL), the LTTE and other armed actors. The international community and the UNHRC must now firmly resolve to call on the perpetrators of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka to halt their atrocities or suffer tangible measures of censure and isolation. SLDF has raised its fears over the emerging authoritarianism over the major institutions of the State, and has consistently raised its concerns over the LTTE’s totalitarian control and the imposition of a culture of terror. The GOSL and the LTTE have both chosen a military approach, routinely flouting international human rights and humanitarian law, to the detriment of civilian concerns. That neither side is committed to peace is clear from the derisory proposals for a political solution put forward by the President and his ruling party and the renewed call for a separate state and continuing war by the LTTE leader Prabhakaran, in his last annual speech. In the meantime, Sri Lanka slides further into anarchy, with civilians in the North and East suffering from a humanitarian crisis, and the entire country subject to enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and extrajudicial killings being perpetrated with impunity. 29 April 2007 In memory of Sabalingam: SLDF Calls for an End to Intimidation of Political Dissent in the Diaspora SLDF salutes the memory of Sabalingam, a prominent Tamil dissident and activist on the occasion of his 13 death anniversary meeting being held in Paris on 29 April 2007. Sabalingam was shot dead in the presence of his wife and young son at his home in Paris on 1 May 1994, by LTTE gunmen. SLDF expresses its solidarity with the organizers of this meeting of rememberance, Nanbarkal Vaddam. The dissenting community in Europe, particularly in Paris has been celebrating Sabalingam’s memory, through the years, amidst LTTE threat and intimidation. 1 April 2007 SLDF and other Diaspora activists Salute Kethesh Loganathan "The extremes of both sides are trapped in a pathology of a fanatical nationalism that will ensure only one thing - a spiral of death and destruction." said Bob Rae, the former Premier of Ontario who flew down from Canada to give the keynote address at the Kethesh Loganathan memorial meeting held on Saturday, 31 March 2007, at the Conway Hall, London. UK. The 200 strong memorial meeting was chaired by P. Rajanayagam, Editor, Tamil Times, and active SLDF member. The meeting started with the observance of one minute silence to honour all those who had been slain in the cause of democracy and human rights.
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum invites you to a meeting to commemorate the life and memory of Kethesh Loganathan, on Saturday, 31 March 2007 at the Conway Hall Keynote Speaker: Hon. Bob Rae RSVP: ketheshmemorial@lankademocracy.org 14 August 2006, SLDF Condemns the Brutal Murder of Kethesh Loganathan Shocked and grief-stricken, SLDF unreservedly condemns the murder of Kethesh Loganathan, a rare man for his times who continued to fearlessly voice the aspirations of the Tamil people - of peace with human rights, democracy and dignity. Kethesh stood for truth and justice, yearned and worked tirelessly for peace with human rights for his people. He has been silenced by the guns of the LTTE, who at this moment are taking the Tamil people on a journey of destruction. 6 June 2006, SLDF Condemns JVP and PNM Opportunism - a Grave Impediment to a Political Solution SLDF is deeply concerned by the recent statements by leaders of the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP) and Patriotic National Movement (PNM) opposing domestic efforts and international support for the protection of human rights and moves towards a political solution as an attack on Sri Lanka's "sovereignty". 6 June 2006, SLDF Calls on Norwegian Facilitators to Address Human Rights and Humanitarian Concerns at Upcoming Talks in Oslo The Norwegian facilitators have invited the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE for talks in Oslo on 8 - 9 June 2006 to discuss issues related to the monitoring of the CFA, including the safety of members of the Nordic Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) has consistently called for the protection of human rights to be at the centre of the peace process. In the last few months as incidents of violence in the North and East escalated, the human rights crisis has expanded into a humanitarian crisis. 18 November 2005, For Immediate Release: The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) condemns the election violence, intimidation and the consequent disenfranchisement of Tamil citizens by the LTTE in the North and East. 16 November 2005, For Immediate Release: On 12 November 2005, Vaithiyanathan Loganathan, aged fifty-five and resident in Neuss, Germany, was brutally attacked by three to four men. Mr. Loganathan, known in the Tamil community as Loganathan Master, was a teacher at Central College in Jaffna in the early 1980s and has since been resident in Germany for the last two decades. 4 November 2005, For Immediate Release: The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) strongly condemns the recent killings of two college principals in Jaffna, Mr. Nadarajah Sivakadatcham of Kopay Christian College, and Mr. Kanakapathy Rajadurai of Jaffna Central College on October 11th and 12th, respectively. The targeting of two leading educational figures in Jaffna has further entrenched the culture of silence and fear among the people of the North and East. Not only does such violence stifle the independence of educational institutions, it also severely undermines the rights of children to education. Attempts to control and exploit educational institutions thus have enduring social implications and greatly restrict the possibilities for successive generations of children to create a vibrant civil society. 15 September 2005, For Immediate Release Norway's Foreign Minister has called for an urgent meeting of the Sri Lanka Donor Co-Chairs on 19 September 2005 to address the increasingly difficult security situation in Sri Lanka and the need to strengthen the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). This meeting of Norway and the other Co-Chairs is a necessary initiative given the escalating violence and threat of war. However, the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) believes the grave risk to the ceasefire is related to the character of the underlying peace process and calls on the Co-Chairs to re-evaluate the parameters of the peace process while finding ways to strengthen the CFA. 15 August 2005, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The assassination of the Foreign Minister, during a ceasefire is tantamount to a declaration of war and is clearly a deliberate attempt by the LTTE to derail the peace process and precipitate a return to war. 16 July 2005, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Threats
of war have been at the heart of the uneasy ceasefire declared in 2002.
The LTTE in particular
has relied on a return to war
as political leverage. These threats
are now manifesting as a reality and the result
has been a dramatic deterioration
of the ceasefire and a new tragedy
for the people of Sri Lanka. 5 June 2005, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum is outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to acquit all four convicted in the Bindunuwewa massacre on Friday, 27 May 2005. Sadly, the court’s finding of insufficient evidence is in line with a protracted investigation that has been characterized by incompetence, cover-up and a lack of political will. The entire Bindunuwewa episode illustrates the continued culture of impunity in Sri Lanka, and the devastating consequences for minorities when they confront the institutionalized discrimination of the Sri Lankan state. 8 April 2005, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The climate of violence and fear in Eastern Sri Lanka continues to deepen, exacerbating the trauma of tsunami survivors and impeding reconstruction efforts. Political killings are escalating at a time when immediate and urgent reconstruction is required. At the same time the LTTE is engaging in violent provocations of the Sri Lankan security forces, actions that appear aimed at a resumption of war. The LTTE’s attack on a naval vessel near Trincomalee on April 5 was deemed by the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to be the most serious ceasefire violation to date. Three days later a Sri Lankan Army soldier was killed by a group of gunmen in Muttur. The situation demands immediate action by an international community willing to acknowledge that reconstruction, human security and democratic principles are indivisible. War will devastate the country, and destroy any gains made in the post-tsunami reconstruction effort. SLDF reiterates its call on the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to declare an immediate, long-term moratorium on fighting as an urgent first step towards augmenting and ensuring a much violated Cease-fire Agreement. We urge the international community to press for this measure immediately. March 12, 2005 For Immediate
Release: The current visit to European capitals by LTTE leaders coincides with another spike in political killings at home that has led to speculation that Sri Lanka is once again headed towards war. At the very least the violence is greatly increasing the insecurity of civilians and inhibiting reconstruction in eastern Sri Lanka where at least eleven people (nearly all opponents of the LTTE) have been slain since March 5. The stated goal of the European visit is to negotiate a joint mechanism with the Sri Lankan government to deal with the tsunami crisis. But the LTTE’s concurrent campaign of killings and repeated threats to return to war seem to present grave contradictions. |
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February 9, 2005 The
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January 8, 2005 For Immediate Release Rehabilitation
and Reconstruction efforts should nurture an independent The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum extends our sorrow and heartfelt condolences to all victims of the December 26 Tsunami in South Asia and the region. The scale of the devastation in Sri Lanka, even for a country torn by years of armed conflict is difficult to comprehend. For Sri Lanka it is truly a national tragedy. The disaster has left no community untouched. It thus demands an island-wide relief response that transcends ethnic politics. We congratulate all efforts to assist the victims of this disaster, originating in Sri Lanka and internationally. And in particular we welcome and applaud the outpouring of civilian generosity in its wake, witnessed in Sri Lanka and indeed globally, which speaks to the unbreakable bond of human compassion. Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) December 10,2004 For Immediate Release Need of the Hour for Peace in Sri Lanka: A Human Rights Accord, Not ISGA The
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) is gravely concerned about the |
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17 December 2004 For Immediate Release Tamil
Political Culture and International Engagement Were at Stake
in the On 5 December 2004 and 12 December 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW) held meetings in London and Toronto, respectively, to engage the diaspora Tamil community on the issue of child recruitment by the LTTE in the North and East of Sri Lanka. These discussions were based on HRW’s comprehensive 85-page report titled ‘Living in Fear Child Soldiers and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka’, which has also been fully translated into Tamil. Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF), along with other activists, helped publicize these events within the Tamil community, hoping to create a forum in which expatriate Tamils could critically discuss the findings of the HRW report. Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) October 30, 2004 For Immediate Release Remembering the Eviction and Recognizing the Rights of the Northern Muslims. On the 30th of October 1990, fourteen years ago to this day the forced eviction of the Northern Muslims tore apart the social fabric of Northern Sri Lanka, and brought grief and trauma to tens of thousands of Muslim families. As we remember that day, we voice our sorrow and outrage that fourteen years after that cruel act of ethnic cleansing, and two and a half years into the signing the Ceasefire Agreement, the Northern Muslims have still not been able to return home, have not featured significantly in the peace process and have not had their political rights substantively affirmed by any of the major actors. 13 August 2004, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LTTE’s Campaign to Eliminate Dissidents Must Be Stopped The situation in the North and East of Sri Lanka is growing steadily worse. The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) is now receiving information of new killings, attacks and abductions of the LTTE’s suspected opponents on an almost daily basis. Since April there have been more than 40 such murders. It is essential that the government of Sri Lanka and the international community act now to prevent further bloodshed and protect the lives of Tamil political activists now hunted by LTTE death squads. We must also act. Sri Lankans of all communities bear a special responsibility to reject leadership that condones violence, and to refuse our support and cooperation to forces intent on destroying democracy. We must demand an end to the LTTE’s violent oppression. July 16, 2004, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Child Security and Protection is the first step towards Rehabilitation. Sri Lanka Democracy Forum calls on UNICEF, the Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and others to work towards protection of children from recruitment in the North and East, more particularly in relation to the current crisis in eastern Sri Lanka. SLDF joins forces with the children of the Eastern Province, their families and broader community to call for urgent action to address child security and protection. As the LTTE recruitment drive has intensified, more and more families are also openly resisting recruitment in the East – a resistance that has met with it’s particular brutal backlash. We call on all actors to take proactive steps in solidarity with these children and their families in fighting recruitment. Every child has a right to family life, a right to education, a right to live in peace. We all have a responsibility to ensure that those rights are not violated. |
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Read the report from the Sri Lankan activist group The Collective for Batticaloa:
The Collective for Batticaloa is a small group of people from southern Sri Lanka who toured certain areas in Batticaloa in order to assess the nature of the present political and socio-cultural climate prevailing there and to be in solidarity with the people of the east in these difficult times. Our visit was motivated by a need on our part to make contact with at least some people in the east. Since the time of the MOU and the Ceasefire Agreement there has been a no war situation in the country. The peace process has been hailed as bringing calm and prosperity to the country, with its economy beginning to thrive once more. Yet, it has also been severely criticized from many angles, notably by human rights groups, the UTHR in particular, and by groups representing Muslim interests in the north and east. Groups emphasizing minority concerns in the north and east including those of Muslims, and other ordinary people, including women and children, have consistently questioned the premises on which the peace process has been built. They claim that the peace process has brought very little peace to the war ridden areas, especially the east and that the peace is about peace in the south and peace for the market to expand than about peace for people living in the north and east. THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN THE EASTERN PROVINCE(DECEMBER 2003)(The report of a fact finding
mission undertaken by The Human Rights Commission) PREFACEThe Human Rights Commission made a fact finding visit to the Batticaloa and Ampara districts from the 1st of December 2003 to the 3rd of December 2003. The Commission had been receiving a large number of complaints, both oral and written, under signature and anonymous about the human rights situation in the eastern province. The Commission therefore decided to make a visit to the Batticaloa and Ampara districts to meet with members of the communities to ascertain the true nature of the human rights problems in the two districts. The Commission had formal meetings with the NGO Consortium, religious leaders, the Peace Committee, the Regional Committee of the HRC, the Bar Association, international NGOs, the security forces and the police, government officials, the SLMM, the business community, and students and professors at the Oluvil University. |
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July 8, 2004, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: LTTE’s Suicide Bomb Attack Threatens Peace and Democracy The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) strongly condemns the suicide bombing in Colombo on Wednesday, 7 July that killed four police and security personnel along with the young female bomber herself and injured several others. The bombing, which bears all the hallmarks of a typical Tamil Tiger operation, was an apparent assassination attempt against Cabinet Minister Douglas Devananda, head of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a Tamil political party that does not toe the LTTE line. Douglas Devananda is the only dissenting Tamil politician from the North to be elected during the parliamentary elections in April, and this assassination attempt took place while he was seeing members of the public. The election itself was marred by LTTE led political killings and massive fraud leading the EU Election Commission to characterize the elections in the North and East as the “antithesis of democracy.” |
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April 2004 The Sri Lanka Democracy Forum (SLDF) is alarmed and concerned about the safety of cadres, particularly child soldiers, who had been aligned with Colonel Karuna. Reports indicate that when Karuna decided to disband the Eastern faction of the LTTE, he asked these cadres to return to their families. Thousands of cadres have returned to their families or found refuge in the government controlled areas of the East. Sources have informed SLDF that the invading Northern faction of the LTTE have been driving vans whose loudspeakers are announcing that all cadres who were with Karuna must register with the LTTE in the next few days or face grave consequences. SLDF is concerned about the safety of such cadres; if these cadres do show up to register, those who appear to have been close to Karuna may be detained or disappear. Furthermore, child soldiers who register may be re-recruited.
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Elections: April 3, 2004 SLDF Denounces Massive Election Fraud in North and East; Supports Calls for Fresh Elections |
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As the polls closed in Sri Lanka's April 2 election, one thing was clear. Tamil voters of the North and East had once again been denied their franchise. But this time the obstacle was not war, nor was it state-sponsored discrimination. It was fraud, intimidation and murder perpetrated - ironically -- by the LTTE and its proxy, the TNA. While incidents and fraud did occur in some other parts of Sri Lanka, the incidence of vote rigging in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Vanni and Trincomalee, was exceptionally high, and blatantly executed. Voting in
the North and East had been preceded by deliberate targeting of opponents
by the LTTE over the course of many months, during which hundreds of
people - including candidates, potential candidates and their supporters
-- were killed, "disappeared," injured and otherwise threatened
to silence their dissent. But the LTTE failed to complete its mission.
A few courageous people, knowing fully well they endangered their lives
in doing so, remained willing to stand up to the LTTE to contest this
election. Stop the political killings in Sri Lanka! Toronto:
7 February 2004 |
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Sri Lanka Democracy Forum Mission Statement Sri Lanka Democracy Forum is a community that shares a commitment to a democratic and pluralistic vision of Sri Lanka. We recognize that in addition to the loss of lives, the costs of war also entailed the erosion of democracy, the demobilization of pluralistic and independent social movements, and the further victimization of marginalized communities. In that context, we believe that movement towards a just and sustainable peace must be accompanied by the reconstruction of a democratic community that protects and promotes social justice, and the individual and collective rights and freedoms of all communities in Sri Lanka. We are in solidarity with, and have a commitment to support the efforts of marginalized communities to address past injustices, whether such injustice was based on the suppression of dissent, economic disempowerment, and/or on ethnic, gender or caste discrimination at the national or regional level. Among other efforts, we seek to proactively support grass roots movements that seek to expand and revitalize conditions for a vibrant, pluralistic and independent civil society that nurtures freedom of conscience, diverse political affiliations and an independent media. Thus, we believe that the terrain for engagement is not merely macro-political policy, but also economic decision-making, cultural production, and diverse local struggles furthering democratization in all spheres of life. |
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The
Sri Lanka Democracy Forum is a global network of activists committed to
promote democratisation and inter-ethnic co-existence in Sri Lanka. |
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