Category: Politics

OTTAWA, October 21, 2010 (AFP) – The Canadian government on Thursday unveiled legislation aimed at curbing illegal immigration and human smuggling by imposing stiff penalties and even detaining asylum seekers. The arrival of two ships carrying illegal migrants over the past year “clearly demonstrates that human smuggling networks are targeting Canada as a destination and […]

OTTAWA, October 19, 2010 (AFP) – Ottawa on Monday welcomed Thailand’s arrest for possible deportation more than 150 Tamil migrants who some reports said wanted to seek asylum in Canada. “These people are minority Tamils fleeing war in their country and seeking asylum through the UN. But they came to Thailand with tourist visas, allowing […]

LONDON, October 19, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s foreign minister Gamini Lakshman Peiris rejected “colonial” criticism Tuesday of a government-appointed civil war probe, after foreign rights groups snubbed an invitation to attend. New York-based Human Rights Watch, London-based Amnesty International and Brussels-based International Crisis Group last week accused the panel of a cover-up and refused […]

October 15, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government-appointed war probe Friday reprimanded foreign rights groups that rejected an invitation to testify and said the local panel should not be judged by “preconceived notions”. Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) said it will “strongly safeguard” its independence despite the “ill-founded misgivings” of three international […]

October 11, 2010 (AFP) – Thousands of protestors marched through the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Monday, demanding the release of ex-army chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka who is serving a 30-month jail term. Activists led by Fonseka’s Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and his wife Anoma marched to the maximum security Welikada prison in […]

OTTAWA, October 7, 2010 (AFP) – Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday his government would soon unveil a law to deter illegal immigration in response to the arrival of rickety cargo ships carrying Tamil refugees. Harper said current legislation does not go far enough to deter human smuggling, which “will increase in the years […]

SYDNEY, October 8, 2010 (AFP) – Australia will urge Indonesia, Malaysia and East Timor to back its proposal for a regional centre to process asylum-seekers during talks next week, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said Friday. Bowen, who will leave Monday for Dili to begin high-level discussions on people-smuggling and border security in the three countries, […]

October 4, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s jailed ex-military chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka vowed to fight for democracy as he was escorted out of prison Monday to attend another court case against him. Fonseka, 59, told supporters outside the Colombo High Court that he was prepared to sacrifice his life and will not […]

October 1, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s jailed ex-military chief Sarath Fonseka, who fell out with the president after the army’s crushing defeat of Tamil rebels, has rejected a government offer to consider clemency, his wife said Friday. Anoma Fonseka said she met her husband at Colombo’s Welikada prison where the former four-star general began […]

September 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka, who led troops to victory over Tamil rebels to end a decades-long civil war, on Thursday began 30 months in jail after the president confirmed the sentence. Troops escorted the former four-star general to the island’s main Welikada prison, hours after the government announced […]

September 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has confirmed the 30-month jail term imposed on former army chief Sarath Fonseka following his conviction by a military court, an official said Thursday. He has said the government is seeking revenge for his decision to stand against the president and wants to keep him from speaking […]

SYDNEY, September 21, 2010 (AFP) – A group of protesting asylum-seekers Tuesday threatened to leap from the roof of a Sydney detention centre where a Fijian man plunged to his death a day earlier, an activist told AFP. Bala Vigneswaran of the Australian Tamil Congress said nine Sri Lankan Tamils, who are among 11 protesters […]