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Sri Lanka Rights Abuse Allegations Divide Commonwealth

Other leaders are still coming, despite pressure on them to join the boycott.

(COLOMBO BBC) - The heads of government of the 53 nations of the Commonwealth come together every two years for a summit. This time, several have decided to stay away, to boycott the gathering in Sri Lanka.

The prime ministers of Canada, India and Mauritius say they cannot take part. Their basic complaint: Sri Lanka's President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, should not have been allowed to host the Commonwealth and then take over for the next two years as chairperson of an organisation committed to values of democracy and human rights which he is accused of flouting.

US Congressional Caucus on Ethnic and Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka Praised by USTPAC

“USTPAC believes this bi-partisan Caucus will be an effective tool to highlight the systematic oppression faced by the Tamil and Muslim peoples,” - Dr. Elias Jeyarajah, President of USTPAC

(WASHINGTON, DC) - The United States Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC) welcomes the launch of the Congressional Caucus on Ethnic and Religious Freedom in Sri Lanka at the US Congress this week.

UTSTPAC hopes this will be a turning point for the Tamils in the occupied North-East of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Blocks Freedom Of Movement During CHOGM

Military personnel stopped the buses and turned the families back to their home districts at Madawachchiya and Madhu.

(COLOMBO) - Two days ahead of the Commonwealth Summit where Sri Lanka will assume the chair of an organisation that holds as its core values democracy, human rights and good governance.

Yet the military has stopped busloads of families of the disappeared from travelling to Colombo from the Northern Province.

Protesters Stop Journalists from Traveling in Sri Lanka

Foreign Secretary William Hague has expressed his concern over UK journalists being blocked from going to north Sri Lanka by protesters.

(COLOMBO ITV) - A team from Channel 4 News were escorted away by police after a group of people blocked their train.

Channel 4 News editor Ben de Pear tweeted: "It seems it is mob rule in Sri Lanka, albeit orchestrated by the authorities to prevent free press access to the north of Sri Lanka.

The Chaos in Sri Lanka

The role of Britain & the Commonwealth...

(BRISBANE) - It is not widely appreciated that the current chaos in Sri Lanka is partly due to the damage done by colonial Britain, and later by the failure of the Commonwealth, to act when all the Commonwealth ‘core values’ had been systematically and blatantly violated by a succession of Sri Lankan (Sinhalese) governments.

The result is a Totalitarian State where human rights have taken a bashing, democracy has been dismantled...

Sri Lanka Hosting CHOGM 2013 - A Serious Problem

CHOGM is not a farce. Hosting this event is an opportunity for the host country to make a lot of money.

(BRISBANE) - This paper was written a month ago under a different title: “Sri Lanka hosting CHOGM is a joke. Is the (British) Commonwealth relevant any more?”

I argued that the Commonwealth was a farce, and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) a joke. That is not correct. I have re-written it to draw attention to an entirely different ‘event’ associated with CHOGM, the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF).

Solutions Needed in Sri Lanka

To secure lasting peace and stability, Sri Lanka needs a durable and equitable political system that ensures all citizens are fairly represented and afforded equal rights and protections.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - More than four years after Sri Lanka’s ethnic-fueled internal conflict came to an end after 26 years, the country has yet to implement a viable plan for lasting peace and reconciliation.

In March, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a U.S.-led resolution calling for the “establishment of a truth-seeking mechanism as an integral part of a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to transnational justice” in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka: People `Putting Themselves at Risk`

Our story of reporting in Sri Lanka is totally insignificant compared to that of the countless thousands who have been killed, tortured or disappeared...

(LONDON ) - In the media pack given to all arriving journalists at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) being held in Sri Lanka next week is a 222 page book called "Corrupted Journalism".

It is an out and out attack on Channel 4 and our journalism. As we only received our visas this week (our accreditation process took 8-10 weeks as opposed to the 2-3 weeks it took everyone else) I do not have this weighty tome in my hands, so I can't react to everything it says.

Voice of Palestine Interviews Alan Hart

Our final piece of music is by Lebanese singer Walid Tawfiq, Have Patience O Yasser. We dedicate it to all those Palestinian leaders and martyrs who have been assassinated by Israeli intelligence forces.

(LONDON) - This week Voice of Palestine interviews Alan Hart, British author and journalist.

Alan talks with us about the 9th anniversary of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the new evidence pointing to his murder, as well as the dysfunctional state of affairs of the Palestinian Authority and challenges facing the Palestinian diaspora.

Bagwell Co-Publishes Book on Newspaper Industry

The book, published by Ridenbaugh Press in Carlton, traces the evolution of individual papers from locally, often family-owned publications to the ownership consolidation of larger groups.

(MCMINNVILLE) - Steve Bagwell, adjunct professor of mass communication at Linfield College and managing editor of the McMinnville News-Register, is co-author of a book that examines the newspaper industry in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

“New Editions: The Northwest’s Newspapers as They Were, Are, and Will Be,” written by Bagwell and Randy Stapilus, reviews the evolution of every newspaper produced in the Northwest.