Farmers’ and consumers’ organisations meet to denounce Sri Lanka’s worrisome situation. The island nation is being affected more than other countries’ by the rise in food prices. Alternative economic policies are proposed to encourage small producers rather than private monopolies.
Free Media Movement raises the alarm on the eve of World Press Freedom Day. In a press release it documents the alarming the situation on the island nation, the worse ever. Government and rebels are equally responsible for this deterioration.
As the government and trade unions prepare to celebrate May Day, many ordinary people wonder about the pertinence of the occasion since they work for starvation wages whilst politicians look on indifferent.
Still no claim of responsibility for yesterday's attack at the bus station in Piliyandala. Meanwhile, the army says it has gained control of the area of the shrine of Madhu, previously in the hands of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
A moment of prayer and a peaceful march were held in Colombo yesterday, to ask the Tamil rebels to leave the area of the Marian shrine, and the army to stop its military operations. A new message from the bishops' conference: the statue of Our Lady of Madhu must be returned to the shrine as soon as possible.
A group of Christian and Buddhist clerics manage to visit Mannar, a restricted area where the war rages, to visit refugee camps. A priest describes the daily abuses Tamils endured at the hands of the military, which is bent on winning the war but not avoiding future conflicts.
Father Karunaratnam was killed yesterday right after midday. He was driving home in his well-known car after celebrating Mass. Sri Lanka’s army and Tamil Tiger rebels blame each other. Everyone remembers him as a tireless defender of human rights and as a real bridge between Tamils and Sinhalese.
In an official ceremony 11 “good quality” homes are given to 11 families. The plan was made possible with funds from NAFSO and French NGO Pêche et Développement.
In a press release sent to government and Tamil Tigers, the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka calls for an end to military operations around the sacred site. It wants the Marian shrine, a pilgrimage destination for the entire population, to be protected. Bishops back the decision to move the statue of Our lady of Madhu, dismissing claims it was under duress by the rebels.
Dozens of families are "forgotten" by the government, which is holding in camps refugees with water and electricity problems - 5 toilets for 52 families. It is not giving them new homes, nor work or schooling. A gift package of a few euro will make the celebration of the new year more serene, on April 13.
The World Forum of Fisher People makes an appeal six months after the murder of Canisius Fernando, president of the United Fisher Association. In Sri Lanka his family is still waiting for the compensation the authorities had pledged. In the meantime they live in misery with no hope for the future.
The bishop of Mannar has had the venerated image moved because of the escalation of fighting between the army and Tigers in the area of the sanctuary. Catholics are asking why he chose an area under the complete control of the rebels, and hypothesise pressure.
Subscribe to the newsletter to receive verified news, analysis and insights from Asian countries every week.
Subscribeto the newsletter
