Special Announcements

Australian Tamil Congress cautiously welcome UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka

Australian Tamil Congress cautiously welcomes the adoption of a resolution at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that expressed growing international concern over Sri Lanka’s failure to address serious allegations of human rights violations occurred in 2009. The Council also expressed concerns regarding the ongoing human rights abuses including enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and torture, threats to judicial independence and rule of law, religious discrimination, and intimidation of civil society activists and journalists.

The US initiated resolution, the second on Sri Lanka within a span of one year, had 41 sponsors including Australia and it passed with 25 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions.

The UNHRC resolution endorsed the recently released report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that castigated Sri Lanka for its failure to implement last year’s resolution and recommended that an international investigation be established for alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. But, HRC failed to set up an investigation mechanism during the recent session, and instead, called upon the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an independent and credible investigation. Given Sri Lanka’s institutionalized and well-entrenched impunity, the recent dismantling of the last remnants of judicial independence by the impeachment of its Chief Justice and the well proven fact that the Government of Sri Lanka is incapable and unwilling to carry out an impartial inquiry, it is deeply disappointing that the International Community has chosen to give Sri Lanka one more year to investigate itself.

On the positive side, the resolution places Sri Lanka under close international scrutiny and the country has been asked to implement the recommendations made in the reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and its own Lessons Learnt and reconciliation Commission. Sri Lanka has also been urged to cooperate with the Office of the High Commissioner and the relevant UN special procedures mandate holders. Further, the resolution requests the Office of the High commissioner to present an update to the Human Rights Council in September 2013 and a comprehensive report followed by discussion on the implementation of the resolution during the March 2014 session.

The statements made by key US officials following the adoption of the resolution, including from the Secretary of State John Kerry, are very encouraging. They clearly indicate that the UNHRC resolution was intended to send a clear message to Sri Lanka that continued refusal to comply with this resolution will not be tolerated by member states and will inevitably lead to the next step of setting up an international commission of inquiry.

Australian Tamils are gratified and would like to thank our government for sponsoring this important UNHRC resolution. We are particularly grateful for the Parliamentarians who took extra interest in ensuring that Australia did not fail to sponsor.

A motion in support of the UNHRC resolution was passed in the Senate last week with the support of both the government and the opposition, showing cross-party support for human rights, accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We also thank Senators John Madigan and Nick Xenophon for tabling the Senate resolution, and the Greens for their principled position on calling for stronger international action and an independent investigation.

Dr Raj Rajeswaran

Chairman

Australian Tamil Congress

Request to help save a life

Dear ATC member,

We do not routinely send out such emails. However, we received a request from a very hard working member of the ATC who has dedicated themself to the Tamil cause. Their request was to help publicise the below message in an attempt to help save the life of someone they knew. Given the opportunity to help save a life, we felt we could assist with the request.

Kind regards,

Australian Tamil Congress

Hi,
I received this email from a friend. I was wondering if you could help spread the word about it through informing your members. The volunteers of ATC work so hard to save and protect the lives of our Tamil brethren. Here is an opportunity to help save the life of another human, who is also from the same island. Humanity sees no colour or race.
Thank you.

Shehan is a friend of our family who has been diagnosed with ALL-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Shehan is just 33 years and has a 3 month old baby. He is in urgent need of a peripheral blood stem cell transplant. He is Sri Lankan by nationality and due to his ethnicity finding a donor from the National Donor registry for Shehan has posed a problem. Both his brothers were tested and proved to be no match.

His family and friends are looking for young people, of Sri-Lankan background, between the ages of 18 and 40 who would be compassionate and kind enough to find the time to help Shehan by donating 20 ml of your blood to test for compatibility (similar to a routine blood test).

The blood would be collected:

Saturday the 4th of June from 3 pm to 5 pm
Annes Parish Hall, Strathfield
(Corner of Beresford Road and Homebush Road)
Entrance is on Beresford Road, Strathfield.

Another collection would be on

Sunday the 5th of June from 2 to 5 p.m.
Cherrybrooke Community Centre
Shepherd's Lane Cherrybrooke

You will be informed if you are a suitable donor in 4-6 weeks. If you are identified as a suitable donor (the chances are 1 in 1000) all it will take is 3-4 hours of your time in having your blood circulated via a cell separator machine and returned back to you immediately. After the procedure you could leave. There is no risk to the donor.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING PERIPHERAL BLOOD STEM CELL TRANSPLANTS

If you have any concerns or questions contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0412 160 926.

Please forward to those you think may be able to help.

The Sound of Silence

The Australian Tamil Congress is proud to co-present The Sound of Silence, a Charity Photo Exhibition which will take you on a journey into the lives of the people of North Sri Lanka. It shares the stories of individuals who despite absolute hopelessness are striving to rebuild and highlights the opposition and struggle they are faced with to do this. The exhibition will be accompanied by a public art project, welcoming all patrons to leave their own impression on a mixed media wall mural hosted by the Mori Gallery.

In late 2010, Shelley Morris, a Melbourne based documentary photographer had the privilege of visiting the northern parts of Sri Lanka, an area that has seen decades of a brutal civil war. Shelley was able to attain unprecedented access to the region, to areas that are usually restricted to foreigners and the media. She was both deeply shocked and saddened by what she saw and the stories she heard. Upon returning, Shelley felt compelled to share her experiences documented via her photographs, raising awareness for the needs of these people amongst the Australian public and advocating dialogue. This body of work, which she exhibited in Melbourne last year is confronting yet thought provoking and evokes in the audience the hope for change.

Exhibition Dates: June 3rd to 5th (12pm to 6pm only) at Mori Gallery

Opening Night Function
6pm to 9pm, Thursday June 2nd 2011
Mori Gallery, 168 Day St, Sydney (6 minute walk from Sydney Town Hall)

Guestspeaker: Gordon Weiss - author, documentary maker and former UN Spokesperson to Sri Lanka

Entry by gold coin donation
Registration: Please register your attendance to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (limited space, so registration is important)

Fax Campaign- Tamils Call on Australia to support an Independent Investigations into War Crimes.

The United Nations (UN) has released a much-anticipated report by the Secretary General's Panel of Experts on accountability in the final stages of the war.

An impartial inquiry is the only means to make the failed state of Sri Lanka uphold justice and equality, and bring peace and closure to all who call this once prosperous land home.

Australia's silence on this issue and the ?soft and friendly? diplomatic approach towards Sri Lanka is no longer tenable.

We need to give a collective voice in calling on the Australian Law makers to follow the lead of their colleagues in US and UK and that of the International Human Rights advocacy organisations to openly call for an independent international investigation into war crimes committed in Sri Lanka.

Let's show our collective strength.

Please click here to send personnel letters to our Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

(Alternatively you can copy and paste into your browser this link http://tamiljustice.com/australia-campaigns-2011/australia-call-for-independent-international-investigation-into-war-crimes/)

"Rebuilding confidence and trust (within Sri Lanka) requires a determined effort for accountability for past crimes by all parties to the conflict" - Emeritus Bishop Desmond Tutu.

Thank you.
Regards,
Australian Tamil Congress
www.australiantamilcongress.com

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	Frances Harrison, a former BBC foreign correspondent who covered the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war and has recently published a book of eye witness accounts from the end of the war, Still Counting the Dead.
	Dr Sam Pari, National Spokesperson of the Australian Tamil Congress. Sam possesses vast experience as a volunteer worker in the post-tsunami regions of North-East Sri Lanka, and has represented the Tamil community at numerous human rights, political and academic forums and in the media.
	Bruce Haigh, political commentator and a former Australian diplomat, who was Deputy High Commissioner at the Australian High Commission in Colombo in the 1990s, and a former member of the Refugee Review Tribunal. (Participating in the Sydney event only.)
	Gordon Weiss, a seasoned journalist and international aid worker. He was the UN spokesperson on Sri Lanka during the last phase and aftermath of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Drawing on his experiences, his book The Cage: The Fight for Sri Lanka and the Last Days of the Tamil Tigers, examines atrocities perpetrated during the last months of the war in Sri Lanka. (Participating in the Melbourne event only.)