abductions – Page 2 – People for Equality and Relief in Lanka

In Sri Lanka, Fear of Being ‘Disappeared’

By pearlaction | April 1, 2008 |

[Washington Post] Under a recent military offensive to wipe out those rebels, government forces have abducted hundreds of members of the Tamil minority group, including civilians, according to human rights groups. Many of the “disappeared” never turn up again. Rights activists say Sri Lanka’s growing ties with Iran, China and Russia have emboldened the government…

EU warns Sri Lanka rights abuses threaten trade concessions

By pearlaction | March 18, 2008 |

[AFP] The European Union threatened on Tuesday to withhold trade concessions from Sri Lanka due to the island’s worsening human rights record. Colombo has come under fire for its rights record, with Human Rights Watch saying recently at least 1,500 people “disappeared” between 2006 and 2007 — mostly ethnic Tamils living in the island’s restive…

Sri Lanka protests US report on human rights, saying it presents ‘distorted view’

By pearlaction | March 14, 2008 |

[AP] Sri Lanka summoned the U.S. ambassador on Friday to protest the latest U.S. State Department report on human rights, saying it presented a distorted and exaggerated view of the situation on the Indian Ocean island. The State Department’s 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka cited government abuses including unlawful killings,…

More Tamils ‘abducted by police’

By pearlaction | February 19, 2008 |

[BBC] Police in Sri Lanka are abducting Tamils in Colombo “like dogs”, a leading human rights campaigner says. Convener of the civil monitoring committee (CMC) and leader of the Western People’s Front (WPF) said: “since 12th February seven people were kidnapped by white van in Colombo”. According to Mano Ganeshan, MP, the number of abductions…