It would be very unwise for Australian security agencies to not test independently the veracity of anything they are told publicly or privately by the Sri Lankan government, given its track record.
Tamil Tigers
Arbiter of asylum claims casts doubt on Rudd’s application freeze
Foreign minister Stephen Smith’s claim over the weekend that conditions are improving in Sri Lanka is a sweeping generalisation that ignores the reality for each person. The Tamil Tigers are still a threat.
AFP flying close to the wind — again — on Tamil case
In pursuing a case against three Australians of Sri Lankan Tamil background for supplying funds to the LTTE, the AFP relied on information provided or vetted by the Sri Lankan government, writes Bruce Haigh.
Australia rolls out the welcome mat for war criminal retirees
If Canberra fails to take its global responsibilities seriously, another chapter will be added to the already dismal history Australia has of allowing sanctuary to killers, brutes and generals.
Richardson: Elections matter — just ask the Tamils
If more Tamils had voted in the last Sri Lankan election, there might have been no renewal of the war, no large-scale human rights abuses, and even no boatloads of refugees off the Australian coast, says Charles Richardson.
Sparrow misses the point about ASIO, screening asylum seekers
Even if people disagree with ASIO, some security screening of those entering Australia, whether as refugees, immigrants or visitors, is clearly required, writes Neil James of the Australian Defence Association.
Risky refugees trap Rudd
Four of the Tamil asylum seekers from the Oceanic Viking kerfuffle have been rejected for security reasons, putting the government in a difficult conundrum. They can’t send them back, can’t give them Australian visas and its unlikely any other country will want them. What now?
Time to stand up for human rights in Sri Lanka — at last
It’s Sri Lanka Week, but rather than thinking about investments, perhaps we should focus on the 300,000 Tamils being imprisoned in an internment camp in the country, in direct violation of their human rights rights, writes Jake Lynch.
At least one ex-Tamil Tiger is headed to Australia…
In an Oz exclusive from Sri Lanka, an ex-Tamil Tiger — unaware of the Indonesian Solution — discusses his plans to catch a boat to Australia, because it is the quickest and cheapest immigration option. Look out Wilson Tuckey!
What is the fuss over former LTTE members in Australia?
Memo to Wilson Tuckey: There are already former members of the Tamil Tigers living in Australia — mostly professional people, raising successful children, writes Bruce Haigh.
The difference between a terrorist and a terrorist
When is a terrorist deemed a genuine refugee who doesn’t pose any threat to Australia? When they’re not a Muslim, apparently. But what makes the Tamil Tigers any different to Hamas, Hezbollah or the Taliban?
Political snippets: Rudd office invasion! Dramatic picture!
Dramatic images from the invasion of Kevin Rudd’s office (by bogong moths), was Wilson Tuckey right? and some temperate modelling from the British Met Office.
Can Tamil Tigers be rehabilitated?
A $23m foreign-backed program in Sri Lanka is attempting to “rehabilitate” former members of the Tamil Tigers, many of whom were forcibly recruited and some as young as 12. But with anti-Tamil sentiment still raging, will Sri Lankans really accept former militants into their society?
Tuckey and the Tamil terrorists
Wilson Tuckey wasn’t over-stepping the mark to suggest that, if a large number of Tamils seek to enter Australia after the end of the Sri Lankan civil war, their ranks may contain former Tamil Tigers, says Bernard Keane. But of course, he had to take it that one step further…
Wall St insider trading: 10 more could be charged
American financial markets have been stunned by the continuing news flow from the newest insider trading charges on Wall St involving billionaire hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, with reports this morning that another 10 could be charged.
Desperation weakens Tamils’ roar
So, the Tamil Tigers aren’t as mischievous as they once were, Mr Ruddock? As Jake Lynch explains, Tamil refugees are still being persecuted and living in horrific camp conditions.
Sri Lanka and its Manik approach to human rights
In Sri Lanka, an appalling human rights tragedy continues to play out. After the wake of the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers, 250,000 Tamils have been herded into detention.
Video shatters polite silence in Sri Lanka’s civil war
For the most part, the world discreetly hid its eyes from exactly what took place in Sri Lanka’s civil war. Until last week.
The end of the war not a new start for Tamils
The death of the Tamil Tigers’ leader in May this year ended Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war, however it hasn’t stopped Tamils’ claims for the end of discrimination against them.
Breeding the next Sri Lankan insurgency behind razor wire
With hundreds of thousands of Tamils being held in detention, the seeds of future bloodshed are now being sown on a massive scale, writes Jeff Sparrow.
We must be vigilant on human rights in Sri Lanka
In recent weeks, the international community awoke from its slumber concerning the indignities and obscenities that have arisen during 25 years of conflict in Sri Lanka, writes Stephen Keim.
Ignoring the Issues: the end of the Tamil Tigers
The demise of the Tamil Tigers might give a moment of passing joy to the Sinhalese, but such relief will be short lived, writes Binoy Kampmark.
