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AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL
'Amnesty' was founded in 1961 by
Peter Benenson, a British labour lawyer, and Eric Baker,
a Quaker and nuclear disarmament activist. Its initial focus
was on letter writing campaigns in support of prisoners
around the world who were 'tortured, imprisoned or executed
because his opinions or religion are unacceptable to his
government'. In September 1962, the organization was renamed
Amnesty International (AI). Adopting 'prisoners of conscience'
became a favoured technique of the organization to exert
pressure on governments.
Eventually, the ambit of AI's interests
widened to include general human rights including the problem
of child soldiers, the death penalty, and abortion rights.
The latter was adopted only in 2007, to the fury of the
Catholic Church which was a traditional supporter of AI.
The question needs to be asked as to why abortion was given
a cold shoulder by AI up until that time. Was this right
suppressed in order to please the Catholic Church? And what
other issues have been ignored? There has been criticism
that the Israeli violations of human rights were ignored
by AI, although recent tussles with Israeli authorities
shows that that possible bias has now been corrected.
AI admits to focusing on democratic
governments in its criticism because they are more prone
to bending under public pressure. Famously, the Americans
rejected AI criticism of its behaviour at Abu Ghraib and
Gitmo. The Israelis piled into AI for 'the pattern of biased,
prejudiced, bigoted, one-sided judgments'. They have a point
because, by attacking democracies for the sake of convenience,
AI exempts terrorist organizations that cause democracies
to engage in conflict in the first place. Compared to the
lashings delivered to Sri Lanka by AI, the Tamil Tigers
have got off easily. Sri Lanka can take comfort in 'Moynihan's
Law' where the late US senator, a champion of human rights,
stated that the number of complaints about a nation's violations
of human rights is inversely proportional to actual violations.-Full
Report-(AIW)
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- Will HRW and AI charge the US for war crimes ?
9th May 2009 -9th May 2009 -Will HRW and AI charge the US for war crimes. A probe confirms deaths due to American airstrikes in Afghanistan: Afghan officials have estimated up to 147 people died in the battle in the western province of Farah on Monday.Saudi Arabia's leading newspaper The Arab News Said in an editorial, "stop killing and start caring about ordinary Afghans. Slaughtering them and then apologizing is contemptible." Aren't civilians everywhere considered equal? Will Human Rights Watch based in NY and Amnesty International based in London crucify us Americans for this? What about war crimes? (Hope we get a free pass!) - A possible Commando Operation, and the doctored reports by the Amnesty International.
19 April 2009 -By Charles.S.Perera -The Amnesty International the most incompetent and most interfering of Organisations says that the official two-day ceasefire in Sri Lanka which ended on Wednesday has not helped to end the suffering of around 100,000 civilians trapped in the conflict zone. It does not seem to understand that it was not due to any fault of the government. It was the terrorists who would not allow the Civilians to budge.
And this incompetent Organisations which has done nothing to ameliorate the situation in Gaza, Palestine, Iraq , Afghanistan, Burma or Pakistan, tries to make out that the suffering of the 100,000 civilians( wrong figures) , trapped in the conflict Zone is the fault of the Government because the 48 hour ceasefire was not long enough.
- AI Have you got any brains ? Open letter to AI
18 April 2009 -From Ben Silva UK -Media reports indicate that you want a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
The UN reports that Tamil Tiger fighters killed six civilians trying to flee the conflict zone. Evidence indicate that LTTE will kill any one that is trying to leave and they will force civilians to fight against their will. LTTE have planted booby traps and mines to prevent civilians escape their grip.
Have you thought of asking LTTE to surrender ? If they do, then there would be an automatic ceasefire. Is it too much for your tiny brain to think ?
- London MPs again on the rampage
Sunday, 12 April 2009 -Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -With my adoration of things British, I had always thought of British Parliamentarians as splendid creatures. And I suppose they are, in a way, in that the latest set of effusions puts any exaggerations our Parliamentarians can manage in the shade. Of course the poor creatures are suffering from that well known disease of Parliamentarians, the need to hang on to one’s seat, and some British Labour MPs have a heightened form of this, given the proximity of the next election and the current state of Labour in the polls. - Tamil Protestors Breathing Life in to the LTTE , Not To The Civilians
12th April 2009 - Dr. Chandrani Gunaratna -The latest tactic of the LTTE is to scream that hundreds of civilians are killed daily by the Army shelling, a charge that Sri Lankan army vehemently denies.Certain humanitarian organizations and news agencies citing the so called government health officials, who, while shells are falling within few meters of them, provide daily phone updates on civilian casualties in the no-fire zone, have given credibility to the LTTE's misinformation campaign which is geared to agitate the international community including officials of Western governments against the Sri Lankan government.
- An Amnesty for the Tigers
Wednesday, 08 April 2009 -Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -Amnesty International, with pertinacity worthy of the LTTE, has once more returned to the charge against the Sri Lankan government. As usual it begins its diatribe with affirming its principled balance between an elected government and terrorists, between legitimate armed forces who do not attack civilians and terrorists who do this as a matter of principle, between those who are seeking to free the trapped people Amnesty purports to care about and those who are entrapping them. - Ceasefire would not help save the civilians
25 March 2009-By Neville Ladduwahetty Courtesy The Island -The EU, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and six US Senators have called for a cease-fire to the conflict in Sri Lanka. A cease-fire is expected to provide an opportunity to evacuate the civilians held hostage as a human shield by the LTTE. Since this suggestion has originated from responsible sources with authority, it is necessary to explore whether a cease-fire would in fact save the civilians give the particularities of the context, namely, that they are being held hostage for the specific purpose of providing protection as a "human shield" for the LTTE.
- BBC, Aid Agencies and Sri Lanka
Tuesday, 17 March 2009-Dr. P.A.Samaraweera -The activities of the Aid Agencies have been closely investigated by other countries as well. An extreme case is Sudan, where last week the Aid workers from the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam and Amnesty International were taken to task and asked to cease functioning. Thus the credibility of these organisations has been eroded due to their dual role in developing countries. - SCOPP Secretary General responds at UN dialogue on Displaced Persons
Monday, 16 March 2009 -Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat and Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights -I am grateful myself, Mr President, since though I was complaining earlier about having to stay on, in a cold and comfortless Geneva, the independent Sri Lankan press reported yesterday that the Peace Secretariat is amongst the targets of the 25 or so LTTE suicide cadres that have infiltrated the capital. It is therefore a relief to linger here to deal with the verbal pyrotechnics of Amnesty International et al, rather than face the real thing.Mr President, Amnesty International at least had the courtesy to have a discussion with us, and I am sorry that the countries of the European Union which raised queries turned down our invitation to discuss issues of concern - Amnesty International bombs South Asia
Friday, 13 March 2009-Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -Amnesty may well believe Tissainayagam to be innocent, but since it has not been suggested over the last couple of decades that the Sri Lankan judicial system is not independent, it should surely leave this decision to the courts. If it believes the Sri Lankan court system is not fair, it should say so. Amnesty could also urge for a swift trial, but it should bear in mind that the delays in this case are not exceptional. Finally, since there are clear charges issued, it is absurd that Amnesty should claim that 'statements by senior governments (sic) have indicated that the main reason for his arrest is because of his writing in the Sunday Times newspaper'. Amnesty International's resident Cluster Bomb Specialist Jim McDonald has gone on another of his shooting sprees. Over the weekend he sent out releases targeting both the Sri Lankan and the Pakistani governments. - The Lahore Files: Axis of South Asian terror
7th March 2009 - Lucien Rajakarunanayake - Whether it is Stephen Sackur in HARD talk on BBC or commentators on the Sri Lankan situation, whether from Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, or the touchdown and speed-off journalists of most international media, they are trying hard to pressure Sri Lanka into agreeing to a ceasefire the Government is clearly not agreeable to.
This is not because it does not care for international opinion, or is unconcerned about the suffering of the Tamil people trapped by the LTTE in the North. It is because the Government understands well the nature of the enemy it is dealing with, having all too often experienced how contemptuous it is of international opinion and the basic norms of humanitarian practice.
- Truth and the Tigers
Thursday, March 05, 2009 - Mr. John Thompson, The Mackenzie Institute Toronto, Ontario, Canada -Throughout the countries that shelter the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora, the Tigers' activists are desperately trying to win some reprieve for the last LTTE guerrilla force trapped in Sri Lanka. The problem is that the Tamil Tigers began as a terrorist group; and the two main traits of terrorists are deception and atrocity.Terrorists try to convince both themselves and a wider audience that their cause is righteous.Prabhakaran, the Tiger Supremo, began his career by murdering a federalist Tamil politician who preferred to work within the political system.
- British parliamentarian suffering from an overdose of imagination
Thursday, 05 March 2009 - Communications Division Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - Andrew Dismore, Labour Member of Parliament for an obscure suburb in Northwest London, talks of cluster bombs and white phosphorus, both trendy buzzwords after the exploits of the United States and Israel in their far less careful struggles against terrorism, despite there being absolutely no evidence of their use in Sri Lanka. Believing unsubstantiated claims put about by the LTTE at a time when it is on the brink of collapse is obviously not sensible, and his position as a representative of the British people demands greater concern for the truth. Amnesty International fell into this trap earlier.Andrew Dismore may be forgiven for not knowing this to be a false claim, because Amnesty International didn't bother to withdraw its statement. - The secret compulsions of Human Rights Experts on Sri Lanka
Tuesday, 24 February 2009 -Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General,Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - Some months ago, during a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Amnesty representative there, Peter Splinter, said he was surprised that I did not rubbish Amnesty claims with regard to Sri Lanka as I did those of, for instance, Human Rights Watch. The explanation, I told him, was very simple. Sri Lanka is always willing to engage actively with those who are keen to improve the Human Rights situation in Sri Lanka, without using any deficiencies to attack the government indiscriminately.
- How to Kill Civilians in the Name of "Human Rights": Lessons from Sri Lanka
28 February 2009 -By: Michael Radu, Michael Radu, Ph.D., is Co-Chair of FPRI's Center on Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Homeland Security. -After a conflict of more than a quarter of a century of terrorism and civil war that killed 70,000 people, Sri Lankans finally think they have defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), perhaps the world's most murderous terrorist organization. Why and how a small country of 21 million succeeded in defeating such a group where much bigger powers have failed is a good lesson for those who study terrorism and counterinsurgency. These lessons are primarily political and legal, but also military and diplomatic, and they include both successes and pitfalls in a small country's road to peace and development. - Lasting Peace in Sri Lanka
February 18, Wednesday 2009-John MacKinnon-I found it to be interesting in many ways and would like to provide you with some feedback since them Sri Lankans are extremely sensitive about how this state of affairs is presented by the press. Such sensitivity is to be expected when so many media outlets have published false LTTE propaganda. I can't even begin to tell you how many letters I had to write asking the media not to publish LTTE-supplied fictional stories as news. The same terror propaganda was fed to our senior Senator from Massachusetts Mr. John Kerry, the current Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Even today, according to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, the LTTE Web site Tamilnet forged images. The UK-based BBC is frequently misled by these terrorists thus causing concern. Upon pressure by the LTTE Terrorists in the UK, the BBC ignored a massive anti-LTTE rally held in London, thus violating ethics of journalism.
- Watch out for cluster bombs of lies
15 February 2009 -By Lucien Rajakarunanayake -It's not trendy or chic anymore to say it is raining cats and dogs. Not if you belong to the INGO circuit or that club of touch-down and quick-go foreign correspondents who prefer the gossip of the INGO circuit to the hard work of news gathering. For them the fashion today is to say it is raining cluster bombs. It is not the tropical monsoon they talk about. It's all about what's taking place in the north of Sri Lanka.
- LTTE Terrorists and civilian hostages - the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
13 February 2009 - By : Wick Gankanda California, USA-Dear Senator John Kerry - the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, The entire world knows that the LTTE Terrorists are responsible for the mass murder of civilians by suicide bombings, ethnic cleansing of non-Tamils, using innocent civilians as human shields, recruiting children as soldiers, narcotics trade, assassination of political leaders, extortion, sea piracy, credit card fraud, money laundering, identification fraud, arms trafficking, counterfeit trade, attempting to bribe U.S. State Department officials and the systematic murder of moderate Tamils. The same terror group established bogus human rights organizations as an effective front in UK, Canada, Norway, Australia and the US. Their ability to mislead us is quite impressive and hopefully this letter can help expose them and elicit an appropriate response from the Committee and the US government.
- Amnesty International achieves new levels of lunacy
Wednesday, 11 February 2009 - Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -Over the last few months Amnesty International has, contrary to its previous more balanced approach, been running a campaign of increasing intensity to denigrate the Sri Lankan government. The process began with its so-called Sri Lanka expert, Yolanda Foster, engaging in underhand discussions with some members of the Coffee Club of Sri Lankan based NGOs to send a letter of complaint to the United Nations Secretary General. She accompanied this with regular complaints in public about the actions of the Sri Lankan forces.
- Accusations of genocide in Sri Lanka -Enough Already with the Genocide Talk
10 February 2009 -John Thompson President of the Mackenzie Institute -The accusations of genocide in Sri Lanka are getting annoying... and not in the usual ways. Anybody who takes the charge seriously betrays a highly annoying ignorance about the state of affairs between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Genocide is not happening in Sri Lanka. Plenty of other nasty things are; but genocide is not one of them.
- Towards Zero
Friday, 06 February 2009 -Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process-In the absence then of any categorical condemnation, in the turning by many of blind eyes to the killing by the LTTE of people trying to get away, the LTTE could without any difficulty drive these people along with them, meanwhile trying frenetically to convince the world that the people were starving and would soon be subject to epidemics. They were helped in this by one former UN worker who was taken round Geneva by Amnesty International to do a show and tell about how bad the situation was, until the UN stopped him for so egregious a breach of contract. Then another UN worker claimed that the situation was as bad as Somalia, even while admitting that there was no actual shortage of food. Needless to say, there has been no public condemnation of these outbursts, though the UN has apologized in private – unfortunately we graciously accept such apologies, and then wait for the next storm to hit us, just as our armed forces for years put up with LTTE assaults, simply holding them off, until it occurred to them that self defence meant putting a stop to opportunities for such attacks, not just waiting until one of them struck lucky.
- Amnesty International forgets that suicide bombers kill people
Tuesday, 10 February 2009 -Prof Rajiva Wijesinha , Secretary General', Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process in Sri Lanka regrets the disregard shown for human life in the press release issued by Amnesty International regarding the suicide bombing that took the lives of 28 Sri Lankans.The release seems to be largely the work of Yolanda Foster, now described as AI's Sri Lanka expert. Ms Foster's expertise derives from a stint in Colombo as one of the satellites revolving around the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, which was recently in the forefront of presenting Sri Lanka as a country ripe for exercise of Gareth Evans' Responsibility to Protect. - The Cluster Bomb Game
Monday, 09 February 2009 -Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -I was deeply shocked by news on Friday that stones had been thrown at the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The day before it had been the Indian cricketers, an appalling departure from our usual civilized behaviour as spectators. Such violence must stop, and I hope that message will go out loud and clear. - "Tell the whole truth" says Secretary Defence - Who is telling the truth then?
09 February 2009 -Noor Nizam. Sri Lankan Peace Activist Canada. -INGOs, international media should not hide main fact - LTTE keeping civilians hostage It is unfortunate that spokesmen for INGOs, UN Agencies and other organizations hide most important facts when commenting on the plight of civilians in the Wanni, Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa said during an interview with the 'Daily News' yesterday (Feb 6). "The Government has demarcated an area equal to half the total area still to be cleared as a No fire zone and it is the LTTE that is keeping the civilians by force without allowing them to enter that zone. This is the main factor which these spokesperson hide," added the Defense Secretary. - Questioning the accuracy of Sri Lanka's Civilian Hostages
03 February 2008-By: Shenali Waduge - The last census of Mullaittivu population was taken in 1981. The population was no more than 77,189, Since then with the LTTE dominating the North population census has been only "estimated". The quotes of civilian hostages have shot up from 250,000 to a staggering 400,000 in an area not more than 230sq.km when Sri Lanka's total Tamil population itself is 2.4million. Combined with this international media channels are showing age-old footage (belonging to banned front organizations of the LTTE) to depict the plight of the civilians caused by Government fire. It is only a matter of time that the truth will reveal itself & expose the falsehoods of all those who have benefited by the conflict.
- Tamils should be allowed to seek their LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS
03 February 2009 - Asoka Weerasinghe (Mr.)Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario Canada-WHAT LEGITIMATE ASPIRATIONS? Are they belly aching to you that they are held back in educating themselves, and think that this is a blockbuster reason to go on killing the unarmed innocent Sinhalese, who happen to be my people and Rohan's people, to justify their cause?Mauril, every Tamil who landed here as a refugee was provided their primary, secondary and post secondary education free by the Sri Lankan government, like any other Sri Lankan whether they were Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers or whatever. Every Tamil who is an academic, doctor, lawyer, accountant or what ever who came to Canada educated themselves not having to pay a single penny to the state because of Sri Lanka’s "free education policy". - Background: Thissanayagam Case and Others
22 December 2008-SCOPP-The Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (1977) recognizes freedom of speech, expression and publication as fundamental rights of all citizens of the country. This in turn gives the constitutional recognition and protection for media freedom in the country.
However, like any other country in the world, Sri Lanka too imposes pro bono restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression, speech and publications. This is simply because of the possibility that this freedom can be misused for many purposes, including damage to the nation's solidarity. Therefore, freedom of media in Sri Lanka is subject to the legal restrictions imposed in the interests of racial and religious harmony, with regard to parliamentary privilege, contempt of court, defamation or inducement to an offence, and some others too considered necessary for the good of society.
- Anglo: Saxon Attitudes
Friday, 05 December 2008 -SCOPP - On Friday I was woken to an urgent message from a friend in Australia about the arrest of my old flatmate Damian Green, now a Conservative MP and Shadow Immigration Minister. He had been arrested by an anti-terror police squad, who the Daily Mail in its headline characterized as "Terror police". The alleged offence was that of leaking confidential documents. I have no idea whether anything worse was in question, but according to the Daily Mail, the leaked information included a memo that "an illegal immigrant had been working in the House of Commons as a cleaner" and another that "suggested a cover-up by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith of a massive Government blunder over thousands of illegal immigrants cleared to work in sensitive Whitehall security jobs".
- Failures of logic and intelligence and discrimination and memory in attacking Sri Lanka
Thursday, 04 December 2008 - Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - As the armed forces move nearer to Kilinochchi, the defensive measures brought to bear against them get ever more intense. They also tend to lose sight of rationality. Thus, over the last few days there has been an extraordinary escalation of allegations about an incident that took place in the early hours of Saturday November 29th.Only a man without any sense of discrimination could assume that what the Tigers want is survival by using displaced people as a barrier against government forces. This failure of intelligence is, however, typical of a man who then lumps both sides together with his superb declaration of unacceptability - to whom? To the people to whom the government is accountable? To the people the Tigers are using as a barrier? To the aid workers thirsting to go in, who still refused on grounds of security concerns the last time the Government said they could go in? To whoever funds Amnesty? To whoever funds Human Rights Watch?
- The most civilized counter-terrorism offensive in the world
Tuesday, 02 December 2008 -Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -
The last few weeks have seen a great burst of criticism of the Sri Lankan government, orchestrated by the LTTE and its surrogates in East and West, led in the West by the usual suspects. The main thrust of this criticism is to hold the Government back in the current offensive it is conducting against the LTTE. What amounts to the Western auxiliary force of the LTTE launched a two pronged attack in the last couple of weeks. Human Rights Watch, which is notorious for raising issues about its favoured victims whenever it needs to draw attention away from the abuses of those by whose largesse it lives, concentrated this time on the East. In doing so, it gave the game away completely, for it managed to deal with problems without once suggesting that the LTTE might be responsible for some of them.
- The hallucinations of international human rights organisations continue
27 November 2008 -Communications Division, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -
Amnesty International released yet another one of its highly imaginative press statements on the humanitarian situation in this country last week. Without setting foot here, it latched onto a few unsubstantiated remarks by an ex-aid worker, did a little bad arithmetic with a random collection of very misleading figures and ended up in some ridiculous conclusions.
- Warfare in Sri Lankan style
25th November 2008 - Gomin DAYASRI -It is incredible, it is unbelievable. It happens only in Sri Lanka.
Where in the world do you knowingly treat your enemy before engaging him in combat? It is happening all the time in Sri Lanka, hardly any one talks about it any more. It is time those interfering meddlesome foreigners and our 'greater than god' human rights angels learn of it. Probably they do know, but pretend not to know. Unfortunately, in the war effort, we have not learnt the skills in blowing our trumpet nor are we pied pipers who have mastered the art of playing that signature tune, which is played to perfection by the LTTE. Though in politics, we surpass many.
- SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT CHARGES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IS FAILING IN ITS OBJECTIVITY AND SPREADING FALSEHOODS
22 November 2008 -By Walter Jayawardhana -Amnesty International (AI) , the award winning human rights body, has failed to be objective in its latest report on their country, charged the the Government of Sri lanka .
Charging the human rights body has failed in an objective analysis of the current situation the Ministry of Human Rights and Disaster Management of the government said, “ Its account is littered with misleading innuendo compounded by outright falsehood and, upon a holistic reading of their report, it becomes clear that the intent of the report is to present a skewed picture unfavourable to the lawfully elected and popularly mandated Government of Sri Lanka, states the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights in its official response to the AI Report of November 19, on the conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka.” - Pooneryn puts terror on irreversible retreat
22nd November 2008 - BY: Lucien Rajakarunanayake - "Under the prevailing situation the Government sees no need for any international monitors to assess the needs of the affected Sri Lankan citizens or to carry out the effective distribution of relief already being done through the International Committee of the Red Cross, other identified relief agencies and the Government machinery.
It is necessary to mention that there has been considerable credible evidence of Non-Government Agencies that were engaged in relief work in the Wanni region, having provided both financial and material assistance to the LTTE, for the pursuit of its separatist goals against the sovereign state of Sri Lanka, through terrorism," he further stated in the popular weekly, Daily News column, 'On My Watch'.
- Govt. rejects AI charges of aid blockade
Thursday, 20 November 2008 -Government of Sri Lanka -The Sri Lanka Government categorically rejects the assertion made by Amnesty International (AI) in its latest report that it is carrying out a policy of blocking humanitarian aid needed for the people at present displaced in the Wanni region, states a spokesman for the Presidential Secretariat.
- AI Statement on Sri Lankan IDPs Subjective and Misleading
21 November 2008 -Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, 383 Bauddhaloka Mawatha , Colombo 7. -The statement by Amnesty International (AI) issued on Wednesday, 19 November, entitled "Sri Lankan Government Must Act Now to Protect 300,000 Displaced" is unfortunately yet another attempt to distort the factual situation pertaining to the conditions in which civilians in the north of Sri Lanka find themselves at present. Regrettably, AI has failed to present an objective analysis of the challenges and successes of the Sri Lankan Government in addressing the needs of Sri Lankan persons affected by the conflict. - Amnesty International is a big liar- Sri Lankan Government
21 November 2008 - Sri Lanka News- The Sri Lanka Government categorically rejects the assertion made by Amnesty International (AI) in its latest report that it is carrying out a policy of blocking humanitarian aid needed for the people at present displaced in the Wanni region, states a spokesman for the Presidential Secretariat. - MEP Robert Evans attempts to sully Sri Lanka's good name in the European eye- Ambassador Aryasinha
09 October 2008 -Statement of H.E. Mr. Ravinatha Aryasinha, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the EU -
Sri Lankan Ambassador to the European Union, Mr. Ravinatha Aryasinha in a statement delivered at the session of the South Asia Delegation of the European Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 7) stated Robert Evens MEP has attempt to sully the good name of Sri Lanka in the European eye. Referring to a speech made by Robert Evans at an event organized by LTTE front organization British Tamil Forum in London, the Ambassador highlighted that the MEP had tried to gain political mileage for the coming European Parliamentary election by tarnishing Sri Lanka's good name. - What have the LTTE's NGO/INGO friends being doing in Sri Lanka?
04 Otober 2008 -By: Shenali WADUGE -Sri Lanka's NGO/NGO sector number 3500 (7 per every square mile). Many of those who question the actions of these "humanitarian aid workers" base their argument on the type "work" that has been done by them, why they are unmonitored & why they lack transparency and impartiality. As the Sri Lankan armed forces march to liberate the North of LTTE hegemony what these NGOs/INGOs have been doing can be finally unearthed (pun intended) & expose who actually benefitted from their "humanitarian" kindness.
- Same old advice and misdirected as ever
01 October 2008 - Communications Division Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process -
An unholy trinity of international NGOs saw fit to dish out yet another helping of their standard but totally unnecessary advice the other day. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group issued a joint statement urging the leaders of various other countries and the heads of multilateral institutions to press the Government to take account of some potential dangers ahead in the Vanni. As is becoming the norm for that clique of international NGOs, it presented a rather inaccurate assessment of the current situation and a completely exaggerated vision of what is likely to happen in the future.
- Human Rights gods with feet of clay
6th Sepetember 2008-The Island Editorial - Many a pair of shoes is worn out, it is said, between saying and doing. Nothing exemplifies this adage better than the unspeakable way the self-appointed champions of global democracy and human rights act, when their security or economic interests are threatened.
- Sri Lanka's Response to Amnesty International's statement to the Human Rights Council
Friday, 05 September 2008 -Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights -Sri Lanka -
The Government of Sri Lanka wishes to refute certain assertions made by Amnesty International (AI) on 04 September 2008, in a statement to the Human Rights Council, as to the supposed "severe problems of protection and assistance for displaced persons triggered by the intensification of hostilities". The Government appreciates Amnesty's recognition that the situation of the civilians caught up in the conflict is exacerbated by the unwillingness of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to allow these people to move to areas of relative safety and security. - No Hiatus in Sri Lankan Humanitarian Aid Programmes and Social Services
Wednesday, 17 September 2008 - by:Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha -Over the last month, Amnesty International has issued a number of statements about Sri Lanka. Its latest is entitled ‘Blocking Aid Workers Endangers Trapped Civilians’, and is replete with quotes from a gentleman named Sam Zarifi, who has taken the place of the previously ubiquitous Yolanda Foster. Yolanda’s concern with Sri Lanka had not been confined to her Amnesty hat. Right through August, she had been one of the key players in trying to orchestrate a letter of complaint to the Secretary General of the United Nations with regard to Sri Lanka. - "Sri Lanka will look after its own, to the best of our ability": Peace Chief
17th September 2008-The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva
-Sri Lanka is deeply touched by the concern expressed by countries of the European Union for the human rights situation in some countries in Asia and Africa. We hope that, with advances in globalization, such concern will soon be universal. - Sri Lanka responds to AI statement to the Human Rights Council
6th September 2008-Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights in Sri Lanka -
The Government of Sri Lanka wishes to refute certain assertions made by Amnesty International (AI) on 04 September 2008, in a statement to the Human Rights Council, as to the supposed "severe problems of protection and assistance for displaced persons triggered by the intensification of hostilities". - The systemic abuses of Human Rights Watch, the individual aberrations of Amnesty International
09 September 2008- by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha Secretary-General Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - Sri Lanka -
The moral authority that we would all like NGOs concerned with Human Rights to exercise has sadly been eroded in recent years. This has coincided with the apotheosis of such organizations into recognized players on the world stage. Unfortunately, a mechanism designed to enhance their stature has led in many cases to their being prey for skilful lobbyists, anxious to bend their pronouncements to purposes that have little to do with Rights. Countries that can influence such organizations, through funding or more subtle means, have also got into the act, and we find that increasingly organizations that should look after the Rights of all are selective about their pronouncements. Not entirely surprisingly, such selectivity is often at the expense of countries that strive to remain independent of the dominant consensus.
- Orchestrating disaster: Duplicity of reporting
07th September 2008-Lucien RAJAKARUNANAYAKE - It was a familiar story line last week as Sri Lankan troops moved deeper into LTTE held territory. Diplomats and the foreign media that have so far remained sceptical about the success of the Government's military operations to fight terrorism of the LTTE, are also now beginning to see for themselves that the LTTE is no more the invincible outfit it was made out to be for so long. - Letter to Amnesty International
20 August 2008 - Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights - This letter was faxed to Irene Khan early on August 18th. It has not as yet been acknowledged. Since Amnesty has now sent out another release, repeating some of the misleading statements in its earlier release, we reproduce the letter today. - AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ACCUSES TAMIL TIGERS OF USING CIVILIANS AS A BUFFER VIOLATING INTERNATIONAL LAW
15th August 2008 - Walter Jayawardhana -The London based Amnesty international accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are in control of Sri Lanka's Northern Wanni area of designing measures to use civilians as a buffer against government forces - a serious violation of international humanitarian law. - Countering the International witch-hunt
8th August 2008 -Dr. Palitha T.B. Kohona, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs- In a world where human rights have sadly become a convenient political football, developing countries tend to be subjected to standards of scrutiny which are not always applied even to far more developed countries with more sophisticated support bases. - UK Double Standard Helps Terror
16th June 2008 - Alastair Reynard - The British have facilitated fundraising for Tamil Tiger Terrorists for the past 25 years on British soil. These terrorists have openly held events in UK to celebrate suicide bombers and fund their terror war against a democracy. British politicians attend these events in exchange for money and votes from terrorists living in the UK. Here is an example: Senior UK Labour MP Keith Vaz speaking at a rally praising suicide bombers: - NGOs : the self appointed witnesses, judges, jury & executioners
23rd April 2008 - Shenali Waduge -World politics is certainly not how it used to be. We have witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rise of fundamentalism & the topic of discussion the rise of the non-governmental organizations or "private voluntary organizations", "civil society organizations" or "non-profit organizations". From self-appointed witnesses, judges, jury to executioner, NGOs have today become influential players in the global political arena.
- Tigers Infiltrate Amnesty International !
15th April 2008 - Sri Lanka Defence - An Amnesty International-organized demonstration held in front of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in New York on Friday, 11th April was blatantly infiltrated by sympathizers of the LTTE living in the US and Canada. - The state of Human Rights in Sri Lanka
26 March 2008 - Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process - Since Sri Lanka is to be subject in a few weeks to the Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council, it has been the subject of a spate of attacks by many organizations with interests in this subject. Though many of them repeat the same points, with more or less exaggeration and unwarranted generalization, it is sadly necessary to respond in detail to as many of them as possible. This paper will address the issues put forward by the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum. Sadly its confrontational approach, beginning in the very first paragraph with a sectarian characterization of the current government that insinuates it is not concerned about all Sri Lankan citizens, suggests that its assertions should be treated with care.
- Benevolent Foreign Intervention -The New Scourge of the Third World?
8th March 2008 - Gomin Dayasri - leading Sri Lankan lawyer who was a delegate to the peace talks in Geneva with the Tamil Tigers - Neither the UN nor the Powerful Nations has made any impact on the LTTE's policies and practices. To win the so called "unwinnable" war, it is necessary that Sri Lanka acts in her own interest and the interests of her own People. Without winning the war against terrorism, there is no space for peace. The LTTE has extended itself beyond the frontiers of returning to democracy and the Rule of Law. - Defence Spokesperson regrets over decadence of Human Rights groups
13th February 2008-Addressing the media today (February 13) in Colombo, Media Spokesman for National Security, Keheliya Rambukwella recounted with sadness the taking away of the lives of budding youth and school children in the very recent past. Speaking further, he said that organizations like Amnesty International were clearly biased in their hue and cry and reporting and were serving the interests of another party's agenda. - Amnesty Amnesia about Ceasefire Violations
17th January 2008 - Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process-The Peace Secretariat is sorry that the latest venture of Amnesty International into international politics should have coincided with a terrorist attack which left 26 people dead and more dying. Amnesty will doubtless claim justification, in that it proclaimed that "The end to the ceasefire could unleash fresh violence" but it seems that its main worry is that this fresh violence "will lead to serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detentions and mass displacement of civilians". Violation of the right to life does not find mention here.
- The Geneva Battle
18th December2007
The success of Sri Lanka's aggressively independent stance was reflected in the outcome of the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that concluded Friday.To the great embarrassment of Sri Lanka, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, declared that the Colombo government's human rights enforcement machinery was ineffective and urged the setting up of a UN rights monitoring office in the country.Talking the battle into the adversary's territory, its ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Dayan Jayatilleke, said his country did not want to be 'preached' by states whose human rights record was 'far from perfect'. Sri Lanka would take advice from international bodies only when these had 'transparency of funding' and when their agendas were 'not donor driven', he declared brazenly. - Letter from SCOPP SG to Peter Splinter AI Geneva dated September 10, 2007
10th September 2007- I am writing in response to your press release of September 4th, which I raised a number of issues that we also dealt with .... - Inviting Intervention
2nd November 2007 - Gomin Dayasri - Human Rights after the Cold War and the War on Drugs replaced the Communist threat to interfere and intervene. Such interventions breaches international law, Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and disregards the concept of sovereignty and therefore requires an ethical and moral human face with human rights utilized as the licensed vehicle to intervene in the affairs of other states. Hiroshima and Nagasaki is never treated as genocide and what would otherwise be termed barbaric and treated as uncivilized becomes moral and ethical and lauded as an honorable triumph.
- Beating the blitz on Human Rights
02 October 2007 - Lucien Rajakarunanayake -From where will the next volleys come, now that the promise of humbling and humiliating President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Government before the international community over Sri Lanka's record on human rights has not become a reality? What next after this failure despite all the frantic efforts of manipulative international organizations, calculating politicians, expectations of the LTTE and the high jinx of sections of the media that are light years away from reportage of the truth, and the genuine information of the public? - LTTE threatens families and aid workers in North- AI
24th July 2007- The LTTE must immediately keep to its pledge to the UN and return all remaining child soldiers held by it to their families and engage in transparent procedures with UNICEF to reunite remaining child soldiers with their families, states Amnesty International (AI) in a Public Statement on Sri Lanka. AI says it had received reports in April 2007 that the LTTE were active in recruiting children in Madhu in Mannar District in preparation for future military battles in the North. - AMENESTY INTERNATIONAL RENAMED AS JOKE INTERNATIONAL
27th May 2007-Upasiri de Silva-The Daily Telegraph of Friday, May 25th 2007, published and distributed by the Nationwide News Pty Ltd. in Sydney Australia in its Editorial strongly condemn the Amnesty International, for their false reporting and accusing Australian Prime Minister Mr. John Howard.
- 'Play by the Rules' campaign
April 25, 2007-Asoka Weerasinghe Ottawa, Ontario, Canada-Sri Lanka is now in the Finals and will meet the winner of the other semi-final game between Australia and South Africa.
You all must be cringing with this formidable success story when all of you wanted to torpedo Sri Lanka cricketers psychologically with your ill-advised ‘Play by the Rules’ Campaign in the Caribbean.
- The World Cup Has Become A Stomping Ground For Terrorist Activity As A Result Of Organizational Neglect Of The Most Important Aspect!
April 21st 2007 -Insight by Sunil Kumara -April 16th 2007 has been a dark day for World Cricket with respect to the ICC and the organizers in the West Indies as this is the second time in the tournament they have apathetically neglected the prime importance of security and permitted rabble rousers of both Amnesty International and the internationally banned terror organization to infiltrate the playing fields breaching security during the progress of a game. - The White man's burden (1899-2007): a lesson from cattle
21 April 2007- have no doubt that Dominic is familiar with the Enclosure Movement, the 18th century movement among wealthy British landed aristocrats to enclose their farms forcing the agrarian poor off the old "village commons" that now became "enclosed" as private property. In the American West this enclosing became a cattle issue. Ranchers wanted open access for their cattle. Farmers, on the other hand wanted to protect their farms from cattle. So it became "fencing in or fencing out" issue. Who should erect the fence? What is the purpose of the fence? Should ranchers fence in their cattle or farmer fence out neighbor's cattle? The war is not winnable group has now become the human rights group. Amnesty International can do what it wants out side Sri Lanka. But British and German diplomats must realize that they cannot operate outside their fence.
- - Amnesty International -"Spotless Tiger sympathizer"
17th April 2007 - Ananda Jayasinghe - It is a well known fact that "Amnesty International" has campaigned against Sri-Lankan government's effort to bring "Peace" to Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese by wiping out LTTE, labelled by most of the countries as the "Number One," brutal "Killing Machine", consistantly, for a considerable period of time. Can you develop enough "Guts" to disclose how many LTTE sympathizers are assisting you in this "Nauseating episode" and how much do you get paid by LTTE / Norwegians to propagate their vision, even at the expense of your own standing in AI. - Amnesty's Campaign Against Sri Lanka At the Cricket World Cup
16th April 2007 - Ira de Silva Ontario, Canada -Your statement that you are not targeting the cricket team is appreciated, however given that you are influenced by an advocacy director in the U.S. (A.Kumaran) who is closely aligned to the terrorist group the LTTE, that a director of A.I. in the U.S. (Francis Boyle) has represented these Tamil terrorists in Geneva in 2005 at a meeting with the EU and that there is a news item dated April 11,2007 that the Tamil Tigers are backing your campaign to shame Sri Lanka during the Cricket World Cup gives the lie to your objectives, intentions and timing of your campaign. To say that your "campaign has been misunderstood" is a lame excuse at best and at worst the height of stupidity. - Worldwide Protest Against Amnesty International
16th April 2007-Tanya DeSilva For Consortium of Sri Lanka Expatriates -When you stamp your concerns on a cricket ball, especially now when the World Cup Games are on, you cannot evade the fact that you have dragged in the sport of cricket to the conflict. You biasness could be clearly felt because you only said, "Sri Lanka Play by the Rules" and no mention of the terrorists outfit.
- CSLAT urges AI to "Play by the Rules"- Canada
16th April 2007 -Jaliya Wickremarachchi CSLAT (Canadian Sri Lankans Against Terrorism) -The protest was held against the AI's bogus campaign alleging GoSL for HR violations, launched to coincide with the Cricket World Cup tournament.Over 200 Sri Lankans of all political parties and ethnic groups demonstrated slogans outside the AI, HQ on Friday (13) afternoon - SRILANKA WITHDRAWS FROM CHRISTCHURCH NEWZEALAND TOURNAMENT OF TENNIS DUE TO TERRORIST THREAT
14th April 2007-Walter Jayawardhana- Owing to a terrorist threat, Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the Fed Cup Asia Ocenia Zone Women's tennis tournament , scheduled to start in Christ Church in New Zealand next Monday, the tournament organizers announced.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has already announced that it would join hands with Amnesty International who is leading a cricket ball campaign against Sri Lanka called play by the rule campaign.
- GRAND STANDING BY AMNESTY INTL-SPINELESS HUMAN RIGHTS BODY- WORLD SHOULD TREAT AI, SAME WAY SINGAPORE TREAT AI.
April 13, 2007-M D P DISSANAYAKE-The best way to treat AI, is to treat their reports in the same way as Singapore treat them. AI has no place in Singapore even though they tried to create so many problems in the past in regard to J B Jeyaratnam and the likes. Its behaviour is pathetic in trying to create unrest in well established societies, instead of supporting the courage of nationally elected democratic leaders for their skills in making hard decisions.
- AI completely bowled
April 12, 2007- Asoka Weerasinghe-When 1992 rolled in and I happened to be with Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to Canada at a meeting with your AI representative in Ottawa at his Headquarters in Vanier, he expressed that "Amnesty International is concerned about the excessive force that Sri Lanka's Armed Forces are using on the Tamil Tigers." Betsy, that was when I blew my top. - Play By the Rules Campaign
10th April 2007-Asoka Weerasinghe Ontario, Canada-As you may have now gathered AI's targeting the Sri Lankan cricket team at the Cricket World Cup has drawn out the airs of every cricket loving person in the Asian continent, more so of the cricket loving public in Sri Lanka. One headline this morning read -"Amnesty International protest at Cricket World Cup provokes fury". I doubt when your smart-alec strategist proposed this move that you all would have ever expected this backlash.
- Amnesty International strengthening terrorist efforts to embarrass Govt. - Ex-director of AI was LTTE rep. in Geneva
10th April 2007-Courtesy The Island 06-04-2007 by Shamindra Ferdinando-
The hotly disputed Amnesty International-led campaign, styled "play by the rules", written on dummy cricket balls targeting the Sri Lankan cricket team, participating in the World Cup in the Caribbean, reveals the growing relationship between AI bigwigs and the LTTE. - AI and HRW, Stop Violating Our Rights
10th April-2007-Dilrook Kannangara-In a pathetic display of a miserable diversion from what they ought to stand for, AI and HRW have degenerated to the lowest ebb of morale. I refer to how they attempt to discredit Sri Lankans, our nation and the Sri Lanka Cricket team by launching a smear campaign in the West Indies. - Oh, where are those champions of human rights?
9th April 2007-Sri Lankan National News Paper -Island Editorial -Eight people have been killed and 25 others injured in another terror attack on a civilian bus in Vavuniya. That dastardly claymore mine attack deliberately targeting civilians came close on the heels of the bomb blast in a bus in Ampara on April 02, which killed sixteen civilians. The LTTE is likely to step up attacks on civilians during the festive season, as it is hell bent on aggravating the difficulties of the government on the political front and triggering a backlash. - Colombo protests Amnesty campaign
4th-April 2007-B. Muralidhar Reddy The Hindu - COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Government has taken exception to the Amnesty International (AI) campaign titled "Play by the rules", coinciding with the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean as well as in Europe and South Asia, to secure human rights commitments from Colombo, the LTTE and other parties. - Sri Lanka Accuses 'Amnesty International' Of Trying To Tarnish Her Image During The World Cup
4 April 2007-Letter to Amnesty from SPUR- We send herewith a letter sent to AA-Australia and REQUEST you to stop dragging sports to marginalise Sri Lanka
- INDIA: Former Indian Test Cricketer and Indian Parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu says Amnesty International should keep off the World Cup and stop bothering the Sri Lankan cricket team which is performing well in the West Indies.
4th April 2007-Navjot Singh Sidhu-INDIA: Former Indian Test Cricketer and Indian Parliamentarian Navjot Singh Sidhu says Amnesty International should keep off the World Cup and stop bothering the Sri Lankan cricket team which is performing well in the West Indies. - Gutter Tactics of Amnesty International (AI) Condemned
4th April 2007-Society for peace, unity and human rights for Sri Lanka- AFP has reported today that AI is conducting a campaign during the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean to collect signatures supporting the establishment of a human rights monitoring committee in Sri Lanka.It is time that AI plays with a straight bat and takes a considered stance against Tamil Tiger terrorist's violation of human rights. Inaction will only confirm AI's bias in favour of terrorists. Don't give us the bunkum that your charter is limited to keeping democratically elected governments honest.
- Dragging Sri Lankan cricketers into your campaign
April 3, 2007- Asoka Weerasinghe Ontario, Canada-Whose dumb idea among you lot was it to make a pitch on the alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka at the World Cricket Cup games tarnishing the image of our multi-ethnic Sri Lankan cricketers? Did you not realize that cricket in Sri Lanka is the crucible of affection, camaraderie and harmony between all ethnic groups – Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Moors and Burghers? Wake up AI! - Amnesty International desecrates Cricket world cup?
03-April-2007-Tina Edward-Gunawardhana- The latest smear campaign against Sri Lanka orchestrated by Amnesty International is a diabolical disgrace. If such a champion for Human Rights like Amnesty International is so interested in telling the world to encourage Sri Lankans, LTTE and other armed groups to "play by the rule" should they not have also included Zimbabwe as well?
- An Open Letter to the Amnesty International
16th September 2006 -Ravi Randeniya Ottawa, Canada-I was pleased to read today on CNN.com about AI’s decision to accuse Hezbollah of war crimes in their recent conflict with Israel and applaud your constant attention paid to the plight to the civilians caught up in war.
However, I am perturbed by your lack of enthusiasm to express the same on the most vicious terrorist group on the planet, the Sri Lanka’s Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). It bothers me that in spite of their brutal history of violence which you have well documented over many years haven’t convinced you yet that the LTTE deserves the same attention as the Hezbollah.
- The appeasement of terrorism - doomed to failure
August 20 2004 -Paul Harris -Terrorism is indeed a threat to the regional and global security says Mr. Paul Harris. It is not my brief to discuss here the strategies necessary for the state to re-impose its control over the north and the east of Sri Lanka and secure the Sri Lankan state's territorial, sovereign integrity. It could be done but it would represent an enormous commitment by all those who believe Sri Lanka deserves to survive as a unified state. - LTTE IN A MIGHTY HURRY ASSAULTING PARENTS, BURNING AND BREAKING HOUSES TO TAKE AWAY CHILDREN SAYS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL.
09-July-2004 -Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles- "With today's news of a suicide bombing in Colombo, the fact that the Tamil Tigers have started a new wave of child recruitment is alarming," said Amnesty International. - A SERIOUS WAR CRIME, A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY:
25 September 2002-NISANKA -Today, we have a SERIOUS WAR CRIME, A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY that is being conveniently ignored by the Ranil Wickemasinghe headed Government of Sri Lanka, the Norwegians who are acting as the “peace brokers,” the “International Community,” Amnesty International and other NGOs, and of course, the LTTE aka Tamil Tiger Terrorists (TTT) who are the guilty party to this heinous war crime!
- Amnesty International, Magistrates and the Opposition join hands to defy a
21st July 2001-Velusumana JSBI-Primarily the first priority the Government has to deal with is maintaining Law and Order within the Land. And what is Amnesty International Talking about? and where are they when they are really needed? Have they made any comments about the Government? Appointed Group of Vigilante Women gunned down by the LTTE in the North? Together with their heinous crimes against civilians which have gone on for decades? It's about time they refrained from continued interference into matters beyond their comprehension nor Jurisdiction and would be better off campaigning to dismantle the covert operations of the LTTE in their own country the UK as a result of which there is still, continued human suffering together with other areas in need.
- The (im)partialness of Amnesty International
May 10, 2000-San Fernando -Daily News on May 10, 2000 reported that a suspected leading gun runner of the LTTE serving LTTE ships in Thailand had been arrested with a large haul of radar, sonar and other sophisticated communication equipment by the marine police of the Phuket port in Thailand on April 9. It had also been reported that the Phuket authorities were surprised when a British woman claiming to be a representative of Amnesty International visited Phuket and interviewed the suspect and urged the authorities to deport him to Norway without prosecuting him.
- Who wants LTTE.. A Thought
26th June 2000-Tilak Dias-For example Where are the 560 Sinhalese families who were in Yan Oya. They were massacred by LTTE and their Tamils neighbors who lived side by side. LTTE did this within one night. Where was Amnesty International in this issue?
- Amnesty barristers to argue case for 26 accused in Rajiv trial
12th July 1998-India Today-Amnesty International has agreed to depute two barristers from London to appear before the Supreme Court and argue for the acquittal of the 26 accused who have been sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, according to S Doraisamy, counsel for the accused - The Amnesty report - The critics must come with clean hands
1st December 1997 -Sri Lanka News-Truth is the first casualty of a war. Sri Lanka's civil war waged by the Tiger separatists has been anointed with very many, noble, high sounding names, such as war of liberation, oppression of the minorities, genocide of Tamils and prisoners of conscience etc.
- Amnesty International is a Terrorist Movement -Industries Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe in 1989
1989- SUN News Paper -Industries Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe said that AI money had been used for terrorist activity including propaganda for the JVP. - Hello world!
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