Tamils await their peace dividend

By pearlaction | January 30, 2012 |

[The Global and Mail] For Tamils, the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war has brought no peace dividend; for Tamil women, peace has brought with it a continuation – and in some cases an intensification – of violence and insecurity. In the country’s predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east – a region half the size of…

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Concerns raised over civilian deaths in Sri Lanka violence

By pearlaction | February 21, 2009 |

[Los Angeles Times] The number of civilian deaths in Sri Lanka has risen sharply in the last month, Human Rights Watch said Friday, calling on both sides in the protracted civil war to stop firing at civilians or shelling areas where they are concentrated. The government has been battling the Tamil Tiger rebel group, which…

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U.N. experts decry ‘climate of fear’ in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | February 9, 2009 |

[Reuters] Sri Lanka’s journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders are living in fear and need better protection from violence, United Nations investigators said on Monday. In a joint statement, 10 U.N. experts called on the government to act quickly to halt repressive practices. “The fear of reprisals against victims and witnesses, together with a lack…

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U.N. demands safety for Sri Lankan civilians

By pearlaction | January 27, 2009 |

[CNN] Mounting violence between rebel fighters and government troops along northern Sri Lanka has prompted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call for the safety of civilians as humanitarian groups try to provide aid to some 250,000 people trapped in the region. “The secretary-general is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians caught in…

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