Wishing for Darkness
We lay down in the bunkers. From that day whenever the Kfirs fly overhead we get very afraid. If in the evening spy planes fly around, we start wishing for the sunrise not to come because after sunrise Kfirs will come. We get afraid because so many of us can’t see well, and one day a child ran quickly to the bunker and fell. So then everyone with eyesight problems gets very scared because we don’t know exactly what to do. And we can’t concentrate well in our studies. While writing our notes for studying, Kfirs come often so we have to leave everything and run to the bunkers and it’s a disturbance. So studying is more difficult now. And in classes we can’t concentrate because we are afraid the Kfirs are coming. Sometimes we even hear vans go by and think it’s Kfirs. Sometimes we can’t even eat because while we are eating the Kfirs come and we have to leave our food and run. Our studies have been affected and the state of our bodies have been very affected... -Pushparany Kumar, 31 years Read more stories from Sri Lanka
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Jun 20, 2008 - Aftenposten
Peace brokers from around the world will once again gather for the annual Oslo Forum next week, to swap experience in conflict mediation. Participants include Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran; Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff for ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Gareth Evans, president of the International Crisis Group. Read this article
As Sri Lanka's civil war escalates, so do attacks on its journalists
Jun 19, 2008 - AP
With civil war raging in Sri Lanka, the journalists trying to cover the conflict find themselves increasingly under siege. They have been hounded by the government, attacked by unknown assailants and accused of aiding the rebels. Many reporters have been arrested or fled the country, while others have resorted to self-censorship, journalists said.Read this article
Review of Sri Lanka under the Universal Periodic Review
Jun 14, 2008 - Amnesty International
Themes raised by member states participating in the review of Sri Lanka under the UPR dialogue included concerns related to the lack of protection of civilians caught in the internal conflict; enforced disappearances, unlawful/extrajudicial killings; torture and other forms of ill treatment, threats to freedom of expression, the need to strengthen national human rights institutions, attacks on dissent and ongoing impunity for human rights violations.
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Press freedom in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate
Jun 13, 2008 - CPJ
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by government’s policies toward journalists who write critically about the conflict between Sri Lanka’s military forces and Tamil secessionists. We have seen an increase in harassment, intimidation, and detention of reporters, many of whom are columnists in senior positions with well-established careers.
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S.Lanka says peace brokers can't visit rebel area
Jun 12, 2008 - Reuters
Sri Lanka has refused requests by Norwegian peace mediators to visit rebel territory, and said fresh peace talks hinged on Tamil Tiger guarantees to lay down arms and stick to a negotiation timetable. Nordic ceasefire monitors quit the country this year after the six-year Norway brokered truce disintegrated.
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