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related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$blogger":"http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964"},"updated":{"$t":"2023-06-15T01:41:53.217-07:00"},"category":[{"term":"Sri Lanka"},{"term":"Human Rights"},{"term":"Vanni Massacre"},{"term":"War Crimes"},{"term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"term":"Genocide"},{"term":"UNHRC"},{"term":"Displaced"},{"term":"Human Rights Council"},{"term":"Detention Camps"},{"term":"Barbed Wire"},{"term":"Humanitarian Issue"},{"term":"UN"},{"term":"Sri Lankan President"},{"term":"Disappeared"},{"term":"India"},{"term":"Rajapakse"},{"term":"Vanni Mission"},{"term":"Searching Family"},{"term":"Video"},{"term":"Aljazeera"},{"term":"Channel 4 News"},{"term":"The Guardian"},{"term":"war criminals"},{"term":"wikileaks"},{"term":"BBC"},{"term":"GTF"},{"term":"Report"},{"term":"Tamilnet"},{"term":"telegraph"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sri Lanka's Genocide on Tamils"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"In 2009:\nEstimated 40,000 to 70,000 Tamils were killed.\n146,679 Tamils have disappeared. \nMore than 350,000 are displaced from their homes and are in temporary shelters. \nUN \u0026quot;panel of experts\u0026quot; found \u0026quot;credible allegations of war crimes \u0026amp; crimes against humanity\u0026quot; committed in Sri Lanka. \nSri Lanka\u0026#39;s criminal justice system have failed to deliver justice.\nInternational laws were blatantly violated.  \nBut Ban Ki moon and the UN security council are silent and inactive."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/-\/Human+Rights+Council?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/search\/label\/Human%20Rights%20Council"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/-\/Human+Rights+Council\/-\/Human+Rights+Council?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=6\u0026max-results=5"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"19"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964.post-469996365563247694"},"published":{"$t":"2011-06-23T05:49:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2011-06-23T06:03:21.960-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Channel 4 News"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Genocide"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights Council"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lanka"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lankan President"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UN"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UNHRC"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanni Massacre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"War Crimes"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"war criminals"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sri Lanka's Killing Fields - Channel4 News Documentary"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cp\u003EJon Snow presents \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.channel4.com\/programmes\/sri-lankas-killing-fields\/4od#3200170\"\u003Ea forensic investigation\u003C\/a\u003E into the final weeks of  the quarter-century-long civil war between the government of Sri Lanka  and the secessionist rebels, the Tamil Tigers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith disturbing and  distressing descriptions and film of executions, atrocities and the  shelling of civilians the programme features devastating new video  evidence of war crimes - some of the most horrific footage Channel 4 has  ever broadcast.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECaptured on mobile phones, both by Tamils under  attack and government soldiers as war trophies, the disturbing footage  shows: the extra-judicial executions of prisoners; the aftermath of  targeted shelling of civilian camps; and dead female Tamil fighters who  appear to have been raped or sexually assaulted, abused and murdered. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe  film is made and broadcast as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon faces  growing criticism for refusing to launch an investigation into 'credible  allegations' that Sri Lankan forces committed war crimes during the  closing weeks of the bloody conflict with the Tamil Tigers. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn  April 2011, Ban Ki-moon published a report by a UN-appointed panel of  experts, which concluded that as many as 40,000 people were killed in  the final weeks of the war between the Tamil Tigers and government  forces. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt called for the creation of an international mechanism  to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and  international human rights law committed by government forces and the  Tamil Tigers during that time. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis film provides powerful  evidence that will lend new urgency to the panel's call for an  international inquiry to be mounted, including harrowing interviews with  eye-witnesses, new photographic stills, official Sri Lankan army video  footage, and satellite imagery. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlso examined in the film are  some of the horrific atrocities carried out by the Tamil Tigers, who  used civilians as human shields. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EChannel 4 News has consistently  reported on the bloody denouement of Sri Lanka's civil war. Sri Lanka's  Killing Fields presents a further damning account of the actions of Sri  Lankan forces, in a war that the government still insists was conducted  with a policy of Zero Civilian Casualties. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe film raises  serious questions about the consequences if the UN fails to act, not  only with respect to Sri Lanka but also to future violations of  international law.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYou can follow the programme on Twitter using \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/#!\/search\/%23Killingfields\"\u003E#KillingFields\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESri  Lanka's Killing Fields will be shown to MPs and parliamentary officials  at a special showing in the House of Commons next week. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you  wish to contact your MP directly on this or any other matter you can go  to Theyworkforyou.com (you can click on the link at the left hand side  of this page) to find out who your representative is and how to contact  them.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Cb\u003Etrailer \u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e_p1TfTguW0\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003Cb\u003E \u003C\/b\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.channel4.com\/programmes\/sri-lankas-killing-fields\/4od#3200170\"\u003EViewers, please watch this documentary video in Channel 4 News website, found in this link\u003C\/a\u003E \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003Eor \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003EChannel4News youtube\u003C\/span\u003E \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/youtube.com\/embed\/XADVagA2MUk\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003Eor here\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size: small;\"\u003E\u003Ciframe allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nEYzH2yJkdg\" width=\"560\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003ERaise your voice for the Tamils killed in Vanni Massacre! \nAct NOW to liberate the Tamil civilians from the barbed wire camps in Sri Lanka!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/469996365563247694\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/sri-lankas-killing-fields-channel4-news.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/469996365563247694"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/469996365563247694"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2011\/06\/sri-lankas-killing-fields-channel4-news.html","title":"Sri Lanka's Killing Fields - Channel4 News Documentary"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/e_p1TfTguW0\/default.jpg","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964.post-960915399754862160"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-05T13:50:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-14T03:33:27.634-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Barbed Wire"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Detention Camps"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Disappeared"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights Council"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lanka"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UN"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanni Massacre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"War Crimes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Genocide in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv class=\"post-by\"\u003EJune 4th, 2009 Posted by: Suren Surendiran\u003Cbr \/\u003ESource: \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/blogs.reuters.com\/great-debate-uk\/author\/surensurendiran\/\"\u003EReuters\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003ESuren Surendiran is the spokesman for the British Tamils Forum. The opinions expressed are his own. -\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe news that over 20,000 innocent civilians were killed by the military onslaught of the Sri Lankan army has shocked the world, but not world leaders like President Obama, Prime Minister Brown, President Sarkozy and Chancellor Merkel. For, they knew exactly what was going to happen and what is happening now.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHow right Albert Einstein was when he said, “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of those who are evil but because of those who don’t do anything about it”.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“When genocide is happening,” said candidate Obama, so eloquently during the second presidential debate, “when ethnic cleansing is happening somewhere around the world and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe United Nations has yet again proved under the current leadership, that it is an ineffective organisation in conflict resolution and prevention of genocide.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is a great shame for India to have had a hand in the mass killings of Tamils. The other countries that had helped Sri Lanka militarily do not have the best human rights record in the world and their moral values proved to be questionable. India produced the greatest of men on earth, the great Mahatma Gandhi.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe politicians who do not follow Gandhian principles are not worthy to hang his photograph in their place of work. Mahinda Rajapaksa has admitted that he fought India’s war, but as the Commander in Chief of the armed forces and Executive President of the country, he is the one who would be facing the War Crimes Tribunal, even if he pleads insanity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe U.S., the EU and other forward thinking democracies, should use their financial leverage and force an independent investigation on the Sri Lankan government for war crimes. The resolution passed in the United Nations Human Rights Council on 27 May to allow Sri Lanka to investigate itself is a laughing matter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Sri Lankan economy is in the doldrums because of mismanagement, disproportionate military spend and corruption after Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government came into power.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe U.S. and Western governments, having stood idly by when the massacre of innocent civilians by the Sri Lankan State took place, could now show the world that they are taking some action against the perpetrators. This should take the form of punitive economic measures.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe U.S. Secretary of State has indicated that the IMF loan for nearly $2 billion would be stopped or delayed.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe EU is known to be considering the withdrawal of GSP Plus concession worth nearly $2 billion subject to investigation into Sri Lankan government’s human rights abuses. Economic sanctions and curtailment of bi-lateral trade should also play a part. The Commonwealth should suspend Sri Lanka’s membership subject to independent international investigation into war crimes.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETamils in Sri Lanka have been discriminated by successive governments since independence in 1948. It is widely acknowledged that what is happening in Sri Lanka is genocide. The genocide of a people means that the security of those people cannot be left to the perpetrating government itself. It then follows that some form of separation and self determination for the Tamils in the long term is unavoidable.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt is about time for those who said “never again” in Darfur, to take their “responsibility to protect” seriously and substantiate their words with immediate firm action.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EJustice delayed is justice denied!\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003ERaise your voice for the Tamils killed in Vanni Massacre! \nAct NOW to liberate the Tamil civilians from the barbed wire camps in Sri Lanka!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/960915399754862160\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/genocide-in-sri-lanka.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/960915399754862160"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/960915399754862160"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/genocide-in-sri-lanka.html","title":"Genocide in Sri Lanka"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964.post-5091966718157887488"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-02T07:08:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-14T03:32:22.302-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Barbed Wire"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Detention Camps"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights Council"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Humanitarian Issue"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Searching Family"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lanka"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UN"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UNHRC"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanni Massacre"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sri Lanka's displaced families torn apart by war - AP"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/img.mywire.com\/Pubs\/display\/2009\/05\/26\/9087417.jpg\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 512px; height: 318px;\" src=\"http:\/\/img.mywire.com\/Pubs\/display\/2009\/05\/26\/9087417.jpg\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPicture: AP: David Gray\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:85%;\"\u003ETamil civilians stand behind a barbed-wire fence in the Manik Farm refugee camp located on the outskirts of the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavuniya \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:85%;\"\u003Ehome to 220,000 refugees \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan style=\"font-size:85%;\"\u003ETuesday, May 26, 2009. , (AP Photo\/David Gray, Pool)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBy RAVI NESSMAN \u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.mywire.com\/a\/AP\/Sri-Lankas-displaced-families-torn\/10576279?\u0026amp;pbl=251\"\u003EAssociated Press Writer\u003C\/a\u003E | 26-May-2009 | 1200 words, 12 images\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELakshmi Rasamy reached through the barbed wire enclosing this displacement camp, grabbed her mother's hand and wept for her four children who were killed in the last spasm of fighting in Sri Lanka's civil war.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAround her, other camp residents searched the crowd outside for their loved ones and spoke of families split apart by the chaos, of sons detained by the military, of illness, injury and death.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile Sri Lanka celebrates its military victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels after a quarter-century of warfare, nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils who were driven from their homes and trapped in the war zone are struggling to come to terms with the scars of the fighting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMost of them have been corralled into Manik Farm, a 1,400-acre (570-hectare) lot of former scrubland that has been turned into what the U.N. describes as the world's largest displacement camp, housing 210,000 people in endless rows of white tents.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ELike dozens of other smaller camps in the north, Manik Farm is surrounded by coils of razor wire and rows of barbed wire. Those inside are barred from leaving, a restriction that has generated strong criticism from international rights groups who say the displaced should be free to choose where they want to live.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"We are holding them here for their own safety,\" military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said during a military-led tour of the camp Tuesday. \"We don't want anyone to come here and set off a bomb.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOther officials say the war refugees must be screened to weed out any remaining rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who may be hiding among them.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut the restrictions have also kept families apart and left the barbed wire fence as the only link between those inside the camps and their relatives who lived outside the war zone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EU.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes called on the government Tuesday for more freedom of movement for those now in camps, family reunifications and rapid resettlement of people forced from their homes. \"If that does not happen, then very serious questions will have to start being asked,\" Holmes told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERasamy, 45, sat in the dirt with tears pouring down her cheeks as she held hands through the rows of barbed wire with her mother outside the fence. She told her of the final days of the war, her escape from the battle zone five days ago and the death of four of her five children in the violence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA nun, who gave her name as Sister Madeleine, had received a note that her sister's family was in the camp and came here in hopes of seeing them for the first time in two years. But after five hours and repeated announcements over a camp loudspeaker, she was still waiting.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENearby, Veluppilla Selvaraj, 39, scanned the crowd for his mother and sister. He was given emergency leave from his job as a security guard in Saudi Arabia to try to find them. \"I was here yesterday and the day before and the day before. I am still searching,\" he said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMany in the camp said they lost their families in the chaos and violence of the final days of the war and their flight across the front lines. Some held formal family photos taken at wedding celebrations, pointing to those relatives that were missing.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOne man said he got separated from his wife and two children last month as they fled the approaching fighting. He doesn't know whether they are alive or dead. Another woman said she thinks her 7-year-old son is with his grandmother in another camp, but she isn't certain.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA mother said her 2-year-old son was shot in the head while they were fleeing the unrelenting shelling and gunfire in the war zone two weeks ago. When she reached Sri Lankan lines, she gave the child to soldiers who promised to take him to the hospital. She's heard nothing of him since.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOn Tuesday, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights demanded an independent investigation into atrocities committed in Sri Lanka's civil war.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENavi Pillay recommended to the U.N. Human Rights Council that the government and rebels be investigated for the tens of thousands of civilians killed and wounded since December.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESri Lankan Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleka said it was \"outrageous\" to suggest the government should be investigated, saying it was like asking the victorious allies of World War II to accept a war crimes tribunal for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EA 29-year-old woman at the camp named Ranjini meanwhile said the army had taken her husband as they escaped the conflict zone on suspicion he was a rebel fighter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMilitary officials said they had pulled out 9,100 suspected rebels and sent the bulk of them to rehabilitation camps.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESome of the displaced said the military is suspicious of everyone.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Most of the Tamils they are calling LTTE,\" said a man who identified himself as Seevalingam, a former worker at the hospital at Kilinochchi, once the rebel's administrative capital.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EU.N. political chief B. Lynn Pascoe, who visited Sri Lanka on Saturday with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, stressed the importance of political reconciliation.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"The big issue that's going to be out there is who talks for the Tamil side — how broad a group there is involved in the discussion,\" he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. \"These are the kinds of questions that need to be worked on in the near future.\"\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThough the government has said it hopes to resettle the bulk of the displaced by the end of the year, Seevalingam said he feared they would be stuck in the misery of this crowded mini-city for a long time.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENearby, two dozen people line up with pails and empty bottles to pump water from a well alongside the white tents, which house as many as 15 people each. Hundreds of others — many of them mothers holding small children — waited for a ration of soap, baby formula and aspirin. Others washed their toddlers in plastic basins.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESatgunanathan, who like many Tamils uses one name, said that in the final days of the war there was massive shelling from both sides and nowhere was safe. He bears shrapnel wounds in his head and one leg from a shell that landed outside his family's shelter.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe complained about conditions in the camp, said his wife and two children were in the hospital with diarrhea and expressed fears about the heavy military presence here.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\"Everybody is in misery here. We want to go back to our own homes,\" he said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E———\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAssociated Press writer Frank Jordans in Geneva and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003ERaise your voice for the Tamils killed in Vanni Massacre! \nAct NOW to liberate the Tamil civilians from the barbed wire camps in Sri Lanka!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/5091966718157887488\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/sri-lankas-displaced-families-torn_02.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/5091966718157887488"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/5091966718157887488"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/sri-lankas-displaced-families-torn_02.html","title":"Sri Lanka's displaced families torn apart by war - AP"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964.post-696444127502905255"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-02T05:28:00.000-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-14T03:32:58.365-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Barbed Wire"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Detention Camps"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights Council"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lanka"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UNHRC"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanni Massacre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"War Crimes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Calls mount for Sri Lanka probe -BBC"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003C!-- S BO --\u003E \u003C!-- S IIMA --\u003E     \u003Ctable align=\"right\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"226\"\u003E    \u003Ctbody\u003E\u003Ctr\u003E\u003Ctd\u003E    \u003Cdiv\u003E     \u003Cimg src=\"http:\/\/newsimg.bbc.co.uk\/media\/images\/45847000\/jpg\/_45847765_007373564-1.jpg\" alt=\"Debris left in the conflict zone after Sri Lanka declared the war with the Tamil Tiger rebels was over\" border=\"0\" vspace=\"0\" width=\"226\" height=\"170\" hspace=\"0\" \/\u003E     \u003Cdiv class=\"cap\"\u003EDebris was seen in the conflict zone after Sri Lanka declared the war ove\u003C\/div\u003E    \u003C\/div\u003E    \u003C\/td\u003E\u003C\/tr\u003E   \u003C\/tbody\u003E\u003C\/table\u003E         \u003C!-- E IIMA --\u003E  \u003C!-- S SF --\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003ELeading human rights group Amnesty International has called for an urgent inquiry into claims of civilian deaths in the last days of the Sri Lankan war.\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResponding to a Times newspaper report that more than 20,000 were killed, it also urged the UN to publicise its estimate of the death toll. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUN human rights chief John Holmes said an investigation would be a good idea. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Sri Lankan government has strongly denied the claims surrounding its recent onslaught against Tamil rebels. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003C!-- E SF --\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe figures published on Friday in the Times newspaper in the UK - quoting official documents and witness accounts - is far higher than previously thought. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe UN says that there are no confirmed estimates of civilian casualties, and its last estimate two weeks before the end of the war said 6,500 people had died. \u003C\/p\u003E                    \u003C!-- S IBOX --\u003E\u003C!-- E IBOX --\u003E          \u003Cp\u003EClaims of war crimes by both sides have arisen, including from Amnesty's Asia Pacific director Sam Zarifi. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"The Times report underscores the need for this investigation and the UN should do everything it can to determine the truth about the bloodbath that occurred in northeast Sri Lanka,\" he said. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMr Holmes, the UN's senior humanitarian affairs co-ordinator, queried the figures but said the claims needed to be examined. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"I think a lot of the figures which are floating around don't have much justification behind them. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"But nevertheless, there have been serious charges against the [Tamil Tiger rebels]... for holding civilians as civilian shields for such a long time, and thereby being indirectly responsible for their deaths. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"And against the government for using heavy weapons in an area where there are so many civilians and thereby, not deliberately, but again causing many civilian deaths.\" \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe added: \"No-one was there, no-one knows and we may never know. And that's why an investigation would be a good idea.\"\u003C\/p\u003E \u003C!-- Inline Embbeded Media --\u003E  \u003C!--  This is the embedded player component --\u003E  \u003Cdiv class=\"videoInStoryC\"\u003E  \u003Cdiv id=\"emp_8075064\" class=\"emp\"\u003E\u003Cembed type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" src=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/player\/emp\/2.11.7978_8433\/9player.swf\" style=\"\" id=\"embeddedPlayer_8075064\" name=\"embeddedPlayer_8075064\" bgcolor=\"#000000\" quality=\"high\" wmode=\"default\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" flashvars=\"config_settings_language=default\u0026amp;config=http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/player\/emp\/config\/default.xml?1.3.114_2.11.7978_8433_20090514110202\u0026amp;playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F8070000%2F8075000%2F8075064.xml\u0026amp;embedReferer=http:\/\/www.tamileelamnews.com\/\u0026amp;embedPageUrl=\/2\/hi\/south_asia\/8075277.stm\u0026amp;config_settings_autoPlay=false\u0026amp;config_settings_showPopoutButton=false\u0026amp;config_settings_showUpdatedInFooter=true\u0026amp;config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType=eav2\u0026amp;config_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition=International\" width=\"256\" height=\"179\"\u003E\u003C\/embed\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E    \u003C!-- caption --\u003E\u003Cp class=\"caption\"\u003EHuman rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC says Sri Lanka will face an inquiry from the UN Human Rights Committee\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C!-- END - caption --\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E  \u003C!-- end of the embedded player component --\u003E  \u003C!-- END of Inline Embedded Media --\u003E \u003Cp\u003EBritish human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson said it would take time for the true story to emerge. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EForeign journalists and humanitarian groups were barred from the conflict zone and although the Red Cross entered, it does not give evidence in international courts, he said. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"In the fullness of time, of course, you do have witnesses, you do have thousands of people who were on that dreadful strip of beach [designated as a safe zone by the government].\" \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe said as well as priests and doctors talking about what happened, there were also graves. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"This is the way, unfortunately, war crimes are now dealt with, through forensic investigators finding out the story by investigating mass graves. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\"And there do seem, from aerial photographs, to be some.\" \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cb\u003EFalse claims\u003C\/b\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA senior official from Sri Lanka's Centre for National Security told the BBC the accusations were totally false. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVideo evidence published by The Times suggests that the Tamil Tigers established mortar positions and military encampments within camps for displaced people, which were then shelled by the military. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe paper says that it compiled its evidence using aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts and expert testimony. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/today\/hi\/today\/newsid_8075000\/8075064.stm\"\u003EAUDIO Interview: Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC says Sri Lanka will face an inquiry from the UN Human Rights Committee \u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003ERaise your voice for the Tamils killed in Vanni Massacre! \nAct NOW to liberate the Tamil civilians from the barbed wire camps in Sri Lanka!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/696444127502905255\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/calls-mount-for-sri-lanka-probe-bbc.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/696444127502905255"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/696444127502905255"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/calls-mount-for-sri-lanka-probe-bbc.html","title":"Calls mount for Sri Lanka probe -BBC"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4564570884155420964.post-2589652741536429895"},"published":{"$t":"2009-06-01T07:00:00.001-07:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-06-01T07:21:18.653-07:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Displaced"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Genocide"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Human Rights Council"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"India"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Sri Lanka"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Tamil Eelam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UN"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"UNHRC"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Vanni Massacre"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"War Crimes"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Sri Lanka's crucial role in Indian Ocean power struggle"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.timesonline.co.uk\/tol\/news\/world\/asia\/article6401262.ece\"\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFrom \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Times\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EJune 1, 2009\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ECatherine Philp: comment \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor a tiny, teardrop-shaped fragment in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka punches  far above its weight. Its location off the southeastern coast of India may  have put it right in the line of the 2004 tsunami, but it also puts it in  pole position to exploit the growing geopolitical struggle unfolding in the  Indian Ocean.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChina’s role in the Sri Lankan civil war is well known. Its deal to build a  major port at Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka is part of a regional  strategy to create a “string of pearls” of friendly harbours in Pakistan,  Bangladesh and Burma, along key shipping routes through the Indian Ocean.  Less well known is India’s involvement in this and other deals. It was  Delhi, not Beijing, that Sri Lanka first approached over the Hambantota  deal. But having no need of a port so close to home India declined.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EChina’s entry into Sri Lanka has put India in an awkward position. Should it  refuse any of Sri Lanka’s wishes, like weaponry and training, it knows that  Beijing will be the next number Colombo calls. Any pressure India might try  to exert on Sri Lanka is cancelled out by Chinese acquiescence, and — worse  still for India — Pakistan’s acquiescence.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EPakistan has been selling arms to Sri Lanka with China’s encouragement  throughout the last stages of the civil war. Hence the bizarre partnership  of India, China and Pakistan on the supporting side of Sri Lanka’s  self-adulating resolution at the UN Human Rights Council.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENext month, for the first time, Sri Lanka will attend the Shanghai  Co-operation Council as a dialogue partner, a blessing bestowed by Russia  and China in recognition of its importance in the new Indian Ocean great  game.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ERussia, which continues to growl over Nato expansion in Eastern Europe, is  also observing keenly any activity in the Indian Ocean. Already Nato has  encroached up to the Persian Gulf. In October 2007 it conducted its first  ever naval exercises in the Indian Ocean, part of an American strategy to  establish Nato’s presence in this crucial region. Russia, Iran — and even  China — fear Nato’s expanding alliance with Pakistan will give it a foothold  in the region.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EDespite Delhi’s friendly relations with the West, India is desperate not to  allow Pakistan to gain any more influence there.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESri Lanka’s prime location in prime maritime real estate has elevated it to  the jewel in the crown of the new Indian Ocean paradigm.\u003Cdiv class=\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003ERaise your voice for the Tamils killed in Vanni Massacre! \nAct NOW to liberate the Tamil civilians from the barbed wire camps in Sri Lanka!\u003C\/div\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/feeds\/2589652741536429895\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/sri-lankas-crucial-role-in-indian-ocean.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/2589652741536429895"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4564570884155420964\/posts\/default\/2589652741536429895"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"https:\/\/vannimassacre.blogspot.com\/2009\/06\/sri-lankas-crucial-role-in-indian-ocean.html","title":"Sri Lanka's crucial role in Indian Ocean power struggle"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"hr Alert"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/15745495003387147010"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"32","height":"28","src":"\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/img\/b\/R29vZ2xl\/AVvXsEicPjYmYc9kx_cWeQ1hpAS0N8jnhNUp2sAIO-Qd1DD15RBk8-RMME_FFs9rfmDm9btSkNruwV5paba4oQ05f0DzCd1VD1LOLvV8O8Xgz-DoiE10tBHK3yW_dGs_GCVWRw\/s220\/cry.jpg"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});