An old Tamil lady - ஈழத்துப் புரட்சிக் கிழவி

தேசத்தின் குரல் திரு.அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கம் அவர்களின் 4ம் ஆண்டு நினைவு வணக்க நிகழ்வு

Memories Of Voice of the Nation

ஈழமக்களின் உரிமைக்காகக் குரல் கொடுத்த பாலா அண்ணா அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கம் அவர்களின் 4ம் ஆண்டு நினைவுதினம் இன்று.

இடம்: அன்னைபூபதி, றொம்மன் வளாகம்
காலம்: 14.12.2010, செவ்வாய்க்கிழமை
நேரம்: மாலை 18:30 மணி

தமிழர்களின் வரலாறும், தமிழ் மக்களும் சிங்களப் பேரினவாதத்தினால் படிப்படியாக அழித்து ஒழிக்கப்பட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்த வேளைகளில், அதை எதிர்த்து நின்று போராடும் எம் தேசத் தலைவன் திரு. வே. பிரபாகரனுக்குப் பக்க பலமாக நின்று, தன்னையும் ஒரு கெரில்லாப் போராளியாக மாற்றித் தன் வாழ்நாளின் நீண்டகாலப் பகுதியை எம் தேசவிடுதலைக்காக அர்ப்பணித்து, எமது ஈழவிடுதலைப் பயணத்தின் நேர்மையை உலகின் திசைகளெங்கும் கொண்டு சென்று, ஈழமக்களின் உரிமைக்காகக் குரல் கொடுத்த பாலா அண்ணாவை எமது தேசியத் தலைவர் அவர்கள் ‘தேசத்தின் குரல்’ எனும் உயர் கௌரவப் பட்டத்தை வழங்கி, அகவணக்கம் செலுத்தி நான்கு ஆண்டுகள் நிறைவுபெறும் இத்தருணத்தில் தேசக் குரல் பாலா அண்ணாவின் நினைவிலென்றும் உலகத் தமிழினம் மூழ்கித் தவிக்கின்றது.

பாலா அண்ணன் அப்படித்தான் உனை நாங்கள் அழைத்தோம்

அன்பாலா! பண்பாலா! ஆளுமைச் சிறப்பாலா!

ஆற்றாத தவிப்பாலா! அயராத உழைப்பாலா!

உள்ளத் துடிப்பாலா! உறவென்ற நினைப்பாலா!

உலகத்து மதிப்பாலா! உணர்ச்சிக் கொந்தளிப்பாலா!

தலைவனின் நட்பாலா! தத்துவத் தொகுப்பாலா!

வித்துவச் செழிப்பாலா! விகடச் சிரிப்பாலா!

பேச்சு வனப்பாலா! பிற பிற நினைப்பாலா!

தேசத்தின் குரல்பாலா! திருக்குறளின் அறப்பாலா!

தமிழன்னை நினை மறப்பாளா!

மாவீரனே! உறுதியுடன் உரைக்கின்றோம் ஈழம்!

உனக்கே காணிக்கை!!!

- நன்றி: அன்புராஜா (anburajabe)

தேசத்தின் குரல் அன்ரன் பாலசிங்கம் அவர்களின் காணொளிகள்

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Sri Lanka scraps Tamil version of its national anthem

Sri Lanka has scrapped the Tamil version of its national anthem at official and state functions, a move likely to further alienate the ethnic Tamils in the country.

Now the national anthem--'Sri Lanka matha....' can only be rendered in the majority Sinhala language at official functions, the Sri Lankan cabinet decided.

The decision was taken at the last cabinet meeting headed by the President Mahinda Rajapksha, who pointed out that no country in the world uses the national anthem in other than one language, the 'Sunday Times' reported today.

"The move will mean that the current Tamil version will no longer be played at any official or state functions"

The Sinhala version is widely used across the country except for the north and east where a majority speaks Tamil.

"A directive to use only the Sinhala version is to be sent out by the Ministry of Public Administration.

All government establishments will be called upon to adhere to this decision" the paper added.

President Rajapaksa told ministers that in no other country was the national anthem used in more than one language. He cited an instance where one time Prime Minister, the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike, had walked out of a function in the north where the national anthem was played in Tamil.

He said there could not be two national anthems and that it was a shortcoming that must be rectified. "We must all think of Sri Lanka as one country," Rajapaksa was quoted as saying by Sunday Times.

Minister Wimal Weerawansa supported President Rajapaksa's proposal. He said that even in neighbouring India, where around 300 languages were used, the national anthem was only in Hindi.

However, two Ministers voiced their dissent. National Languages and Social Integration Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara said the move would not be a suitable one.

Minister Rajitha Senaratne also endorsed the same view. Later, the Cabinet decided to adhere only to the Sinhala version of the national anthem.

Kilde: The times of India

The Silent Genocide of Tamils‬-2010 University of Waterloo Student Investigative Report

[CENSORED FOOTAGES OF SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT EXECUTION OF TAMIL MEN AND WOMEN]

MUST SEE-DECEMBER 2010:
CRUELTY AND INHUMANE KILLING BY THE SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT!

DECEMBER 9, 2010 REPORT 0: http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka...
REPORT 1: http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka..

Report Excerpt:
Sri Lanka execution video: new war crimes evidence

Tuesday 30 November 2010
Channel 4 News reveals new footage of the alleged massacre of Tamil prisoners, as the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrives in London this week.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/...

REPORT 2: War crimes lawyers seek arrest of Sri Lankan president in Oxford

PREVIOUS REPORT:
(UN PLEASE SAVE TAMILS FROM SRILANKAN ARMY ATTROCITIES )
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia...
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles...

"The man is young, naked, bound and blindfolded; a corpse lying across his legs. A soldier approaches him in what appears to be Sri Lankan army uniform and shoots him at point-blank range, apparently amused at the death. Its like he jumped, he says.

The footage, released last night, appears to show what the Tamil community and human rights campaigners have long alleged: that in its final surge against the Tamil Tiger rebels this year, the Sri Lankan Army summarily killed prisoners.

Channel 4, which broadcast the video, says that it was recorded by a Sri Lankan soldier on his mobile phone.

After the murder the video, taken in daylight, pans out to show eight bound corpses, all shot in the head and all but one naked. Voices in the background speak Sinhalese; as the footage concludes, viewers see a ninth bound victim shot.

Vaiko challenges Tribunal order

MDMK (Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,  a political party that espouses the cause of the Tamil people and Tamil nationalism) general secretary Vaiko (V. Gopalsamy) has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging a November 12 order of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal confirming a Central government notification declaring the LTTE an unlawful association.

In his petition, Mr. Vaiko submitted that in the notification a reason to declare the LTTE an unlawful association was that the organisation's objective of a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatened the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

He said the Tigers' object of a separate homeland for all Tamils was restricted to Tamils living in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. Tamils were living in almost all countries. The LTTE's aim was not for establishing an independent sovereign State for all Tamils living in the world, but only for the Tamils in the island nation. Sri Lanka was not a part of the Indian territory. Hence, there was no threat to India's sovereignty or territorial integrity by the Tigers.














The law made it clear that to term an association unlawful, the association or any of its members should have committed unlawful activity or any activity punishable under section 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups) or 153-B (Imputations, assertions, prejudicial to national integration) IPC.

India was a democratic country. Any activity that may even cause disquiet or threat to the security of any State could not be an unlawful activity in the absence of such demonstrations or processions advocating separation from Indian territory.

Therefore, the allegation of exploitation of the situation prevailing in Sri Lanka by individual groups, organisations or political parties supporting the cause of LTTE could not be a ground to declare the LTTE an unlawful association.
Vaiko's profile


   V.Gopalsamy, also known as Vaiko, is a prominent politician in Tamil Nadu, in south India. He was born in Kallingappatti, Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu in 1944. His origin is from the Telugu speaking Kamma (Naidu) community of Andhra Pradesh. His ancestors migrated to Tamil Nadu during the Vijaynagar period. He is the founder of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political party that espouses the cause of the Tamil people and Tamil nationalism. He is known to be a supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is banned as a terrorist organisation in 32 countries including India, as a result he was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA) in 2002 and once-again on 23 October 2008 for sedition.













VAIKO
General-Secretary, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (M.D.M.K.)
Father’s Name: Shri Vaiyapuri
Date of Birth: 22 May 1944
Place of Birth: Kallingappatti, Distt. Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu)
Marital Status: Married
Date of Marriage: 14 June 1971
Spouse’s Name: Smt. Renuka Devi
No. of Sons: 1
No. of Daughters: 2
Educational Qualifications: M.A. (Economics), B.L. Educated at St. Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai
Presidency College and Law College, Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
Profession: Agriculturist , Lawyer
Present Address: Kalingappatti Vill. P.O. Via Thiruvengadam,
Tirunelveli, Distt. Tamil Nadu

Positions Held:
1978-96 Member, Rajya Sabha (three terms)

1982-84 Member, Railway Convention Committee (two terms)

1983-84 Member, Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

1986-87 Member, Committee on Petitions

Member, Committee on Papers Laid on the Table

1994 General-Secretary, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (M.D.M.K.)

1998-99 Member, Committee on External Affairs and its Sub-Committee-I

Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Industry

1999 Re-elected to 13th Lok Sabha (2nd term)

Leader, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Parliamentary Party, Lok Sabha

1999-2000 Member, Committee of Privileges

Member, Committee on Defence

Member, Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests

2000-2001 Member, Committee on Ethics

Books Published:
(i) Clarion Call (in English), (ii) Sanganatham, (iii) Porkkalathil, (iv) Ilatchiyappayanam, (v) Yamunaikkavraiyil, (vi) Velvom, (vii) Veerathin Punnagai, (viii) Ithaya Chiragugal, (ix)Paravattum Thamizhisai; and (x) Vazharattum Valluvam (all in Tamil)

Social work:
He ran a blood donors club which is run by the MDMK party with the name 'Blood Donors' Club'. Till date, more than 80,000 units of blood has been donated to the poor people.

He launched a 3 day 'Tank Desilting Program' in his Village, with the participation of villagers. Along with the villagers, he took clay soil in baskets and loaded it in tractors when the work began under the scorching sun. He has undergone a month long padayatra in Tamil Nadu, to establish communal harmony, to prevent caste clashes and to create awakening for the interlinking of inter state rivers in India. He has conducted free medical camps for physically challenged for years and has been instrumental in bringing a welcome change to their lives.

Political views:
He is well-known for his unequivocal support for the banned LTTE and other organizations fighting for a separate Tamil state in Sri Lanka. In 2002, he was arrested by the Government of Tamil Nadu for making a speech supporting the LTTE, under the controversial POTA and spent 18 months in prison.

Arrests:
In the following election in 2004, the MDMK split from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance that it was part of since 1999, and joined a coalition led by the Indian National Congress. After an emphatic win in the polls, and the subsequent repeal of POTA, Vaiko was released from prison. He contested the 2006 assembly elections with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by J. Jayalalitha. But AIADMK alliance lost in the 2006 Assembly elections and Vaiko's party could get only 6 seats. However it is worth noting, that before this election, MDMK had not won a single seat in the assembly elections, since it didn't ally with any major party in Tamil Nadu.

In 2008, officials of the ‘Q’ Branch of the CID of the Tamil Nadu police arrested the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary on charges of sedition. The MDMK presidium chairman and former Union Minister, Kannappan, was also arrested along with Vaiko on the same charges. Both the party leaders were charged under Section 124 (A) IPC ("Whoever brings or attempts to bring in hatred or contempt or excites disaffection towards the government") and Section 13 (1) (b) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 ("Whoever advocates, abets in, advises or incites the commission of any unlawful activity"). The charges stemmed from speeches Vaiko made at a party meeting on the Sri Lankan issue and the government's raids into LTTE-held areas on October 21. He warned that Indian help to protect Sri Lanka’s integrity would jeopardise India’s own unity and integrity. He also added that he would be ready to take up arms and fight for the Tamils in Lanka. Kannappan, on the other hand, warned the Centre not to force Tamils in Tamil Nadu to struggle for a separate country. A general alert had been sounded across Tamil Nadu following the arrest. TN CM Karunanidhi said the law would take its course in this case, saying that whatever happened had occurred as per the letter and spirit of the law. Conversely, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa described both arrests as simple political vendetta. After 14 days in judicial custody Vaiko and Kannappan, arrested on charges of sedition on October 23, were released by a chennai city court following the Tamil Nadu Government's submission that investigations into the charges against them were complete and there was no need for a further remand.

Special Interests:
Literature, agriculture, research, sports, addressing public meetings etc. and organising Youth Forums
Favourite Pastime and Recreation:
Reading and listening to music

Sports and Clubs:
Volleyball and basketball; President, Jothi Sports Club (Hockey), Palayamkottai, 1971-76

Countries Visited:
Widely travelled (15 countries); also visited several countries of the World in 1984 to address meetings on the ethnic Tamil problem of Sri Lanka

Other Information:
President, District Central Cooperative Bank; won, (i) Gold Medal in Economics and Best Speaker award in St. Xavier’s College, 1964; (ii) First Prize in Inter-Collegiate-Tamil Oratorical Competitions, 1964-65 and 1965-66, representing Presidency College, Madras; (iii) First-Prize-Silver Cup in Inter-Collegiate Elocution Competition conducted by Madras City Police to celebrate Road Safety Week in 1965; and (iv) Best Orator Award in Law College, Madras,1969; detained, (i) under MISA from 1 February, 1976 to 2 February, 1977; and (ii) again for 40 days for organising Black Flag Demonstration against Late Smt. Indira Gandhi’s visit to Tamil Nadu, October, 1977; jailed, (i) four times, during 1978-81 for peaceful demonstrations and picketing against Tamil Nadu State Government; (ii) four times during 1982-83 for organising Volunteer Camps of DMK; (iii) three times during 1984-86 for participation in agitation against the State Government; and (iv) during 1986-87 for anti-Hindi agitation; President, (i) Presidency College Victoria Hostel Tamil Association, 1965-66; (ii) Land Development Bank, Kuruvikulam, 1971-75; and (iii) M.D.K. Co-operative Supervisors’ Training Institute, 1971-76; Chairman, (i) Panchayat Union, Kuruvikulam, Tirunelveli District, 1970-76; and (ii) Tirunelveli District Co-operative CentralBank, 1972-73; Propaganda-Secretary, DMK Party for Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts, 1977-79; Secretary, Election Campaign, DMK headquarters, 1983; Convenor, Dr. Karunanidhi Voluntary Blood Donors’ Association, Tirunelveli; Organiser, Youth Forums; and State Joint Organiser, DMK Students wing, 1970

MARUMALARCHI Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK)
MDMK Another regional outfit on the lines of other dravidian parties has been started in 1994 by Mr. V.Gopalswamy(Vaiko), a vociferous member of Rajyasabha and an emotioal party activitist of DMK. Mr. V.Gopalsamy(Vaiko) grew in the party from his student days. He actively participated in the party agitations and courted imprisonment several times. He was detained under MISA during emergency with other party leaders and workers. His style of speaking is his own, quoting world events and history, dragged many more to his side. Particularly the youths of DMK had a liking for him. His sympathy for Srilankan Tamils' cause is world known.

On many occasions he took up the issue in Rajya Sabha and made hard hitting speaches. He was elected thrice to the Rajya Sabha by the DMK leadership. This fiery and emotion charged speaker had attracted the attention of many in parliment. He was always by the side of the DMK president when the DMK party was in crisis during MGR regime.

His popularity grew in size year after year, he was a fulltime party speaker going rounds in Tamilnadu to speak in DMK propaganda meetings. Interesting news about him was his visit to the Jungles in vavuniya to meet LTTE supremo velupillai Prabhakaran. He was reprimanded by the DMK leadership for this act.

Slowly there develeoped a rift between Vaiko and DMK lealership. Due to some developments in the party, he was expelled by the DMK leadership and the general council endorsed this decision.

Some front liners of the DMK and many party workers came in support of him. Mr. V.Gopalsamy along with some district secretaries announced the decision to start rival DMK ultimately leading to naming of the part as MDMK

He was elected General Secretary with Mr. L.Ganesan, Pon.Muthuramalingam (Dist. Secy Madurai) Gingee Ramachandran (Dist Secy South Arcot) as Chairman and Deputy & Secretary respectively and Mr.M.Kannappan being made Treasurer. He made journey by walk (Padayatra) from Kanyakumari to Chennai to highlight his party ideas. His brave act received kudos from the party rank and file.

He was a bitter critic of AIADMK Govt of Jayalalitha. This MDMK leader was the first political leader, to declare that if voted to power, his govt. would seize the properties and assets of the AIADMK Chief Minister and other Ministers. His party forged an alliance with CPI(M) and fought many issues.

His party inspite of being new to the people managed to come second pushing CPI candidate (DMK's poll partner) to the third place in the Perundurai constituency. This was something an achievement for a party which was started just few months ago and that too with a new symbol (TOP)

In the General election 1996, his party forged an alliance with CPI (M) and Janata Dal and fought (in its Umbrella symbol) the poloitical power namely DMK alliance and AIADMK. He contested for both Vilathikulam assembly segment and Sivakasi parliamentary constituency but unsuccessfully. The political on lookers and observers expected his victory in both seats. He was humbled by DMK candidate in Vilathikulam and by CPI candidate in Sivakasi by a narrow margin. All his party candidates were humbled. He has been considered by the people around him as honest politician. He managed to collect funds for the party and bought own building for head quarter office (Thayagam). This hard working MDMK leader started a party weekly called Sangoli, which carried news and write ups for party workers.

Kilde: The Hindu

Sri Lanka deltar ikke på fredsprisutdelingen

Sri Lanka er blant landene som har takket nei til å delta på fredsprisutdelingen i Oslo Rådhus.

Sri Lankas president Mahinda Rajapakse vil ikke at landets ambassadør i Oslo skal delta på fredsprisseremonien i Oslo fredag.
Sri Lankas ambassadør i Oslo, Rodney Perera, sier til en srilankisk radiostasjon at landet vil boikotte seremonien der den kinesiske dissidenten Liu Xiaobo blir tildelt Nobels fredspris.

Sri Lanka er det 20. landet som takker nei til å være med på arrangementet førstkommende fredag. Nobelinstituttet opplyste tirsdag at Sri Lanka ennå ikke hadde svart.

I alt 44 land har takket ja til invitasjonen.

Kilde: NTB

Sri Lanka: New evidence emerges on war crimes committed on Isaippiriyaa-Channel 4

Warning: this page contains disturbing images.

Channel 4 News can name a woman journalist as one of the victims in the Sri Lanka execution video along with damning new details of the date and location where the video was filmed.

After extensive investigations Channel 4 News can reveal that one of the victims was a high profile member of the Tamil Tigers press and communications wing.

Shoba - whose nom de guerre was Isaipriya - was aged 27 when she died, and was identified by a friendspeaking on condition of anonymity.

The distressing execution video footage, screened by Channel 4 News last week and originating in Sri Lanka, shows a number of incidents of soldiers in uniform shooting in the head people who appear to be unarmed – described as "cold-blooded killing" by an international expert. The video also shows the bodies of other men and women lying on the ground.

Leading war crimes lawyer Julian Knowles, from Matrix Chambers, told Channel 4 News the video was "astonishing evidence" of a type he had only seen "a handful of times" showing the mass killing of civilians or unarmed combatants, a serious war crime.

Channel 4 News can now reveal that one of the victims was a high profile member of the Tamil Tigers – but her role was as a journalist rather than a direct fighter as a result of a heart condition.

Identity of the victim

One of the women shown in the video has been identified by a close colleague and friend, speaking to Channel 4 News, as the Tamil journalist, Isaipriya (pictured above).

Isaipriya was part of the Tamil Tigers, her former colleague told us. She identified that Isaipriya's body appears in the "war crimes" video, partially covered by a sheet, with cuts to the face.

She said: "Isaipriya joined the LTTE. Because of her physical condition, she was deployed to the media unit. She was in the production team. She did some acting. She was a TV presenter. She was a dancer.

"She never carried a gun and her physical condition did not permit her to go to the battlefield. She always had either a camera, a pen or a notepad."

"Isaipriya never carried a gun and her physical condition did not permit her to go to the battlefield."

(Friend and colleague of Isaipriya)

Evidence of who may be responsible

While Isaipriya's body is seen in a video which includes footage of executions, it is unclear how she died. The identities of the soldiers - who look directly at the camera at times in the video - are also unclear from the video, although the fact that they speak Sinhalese suggests they are government troops rather than Tamil fighters.

However, it has emerged that the date of her death and the soldiers who killed her are both listed on the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence website, fixing the date of the video more accurately and indicating which troops were active at that time.

The list says she was killed, along with 31 other LTTE leaders, on 18 May 2009 by 53 Division troops, an "offensive" attack force of the Sri Lanka Army commanded by Major General Kamal Gunaratne.

The Sri Lanka High Commission told Channel 4 News: "The High Commission of Sri Lanka wishes to reiterate that 'Lt. Col. Issei Piriya' was engaged in a hostile operation against the Sri Lanka Security Forces when she met her end.

"Sri Lanka has established the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission the mandate of which is to look into matters relating to the conflict from 2002 to 2009.

"The testimony being presented to the Commission by people from all walks of life, especially from the North and from the East is proof of their confidence, in the workings of the Commission.

"Therefore, it is important that we allow this domestic mechanism to achieve its objectives."

Photographs separately obtained by Channel 4 News also appear to suggest that Isaipriya was captured by soldiers on 18 May 2009.

In two images, Isaipriya can be seen with another woman lying in a trench. It is unclear if she is alive or dead, but the photographs' date stamps are 18 May 2009 and it appears that the hands of both women are tied.

Battle
The 18 May 2009 - when Isaipriya appears to have died and a date which appears the video may have been shot, or possibly the day after - was the penultimate day in the course of the 26-year war in Sri Lanka. The following day, the leader of the Tamil Tigers, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed by government troops and the government declared the war over.

Channel 4 News has also obtained photographs of the scenes following his death, when his body was identified – which are taken by the same camera as those of Isaipriya, and date stamped 19 May 2009, further authenticating the dates.

During the last four days of fighting, on a 4km strip on the north east coast of Sri Lanka, Tamil Tiger fighters were cut off by government troops, and eventually the majority were killed in the fighting or, the Ministry of Defence says, in "mopping up" operations.

Over the 18 and 19 May, after the army defeated the Tamil Tigers, the army "commenced clearing operations to neutralize possible enemy pockets and to collect the bodies and captured LTTE assets", according to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence account of the battle.

These "clearing operations" saw them find 350 bodies and identify 30 as what they call "top level LTTE cadres", including – according to their list – Isaipriya.

It is unclear whether Isaipriya died in combat, in "mopping up" or "clearing operations", or in an execution as with other victims pictured in the video – but lawyer Julian Knowles said the evidence indicated the latter.

"Secondly there's the absence of any weapons – and thirdly the bodies look posed or arranged. They don't look like they've fallen necessarily in battle as the result of a battle-led injury, so it’s difficult to think of a mechanism how they could have died other than a cold blooded execution."

He said that even if she had been injured in battle and left to die by the soldiers pictured in the video, that still constituted a grave breach of the Geneva Convention.

He added: "There's a very fine line between genuine military operations and just killing unarmed pockets of soldiers who may be trying to surrender," said Mr Knowles.

"And certainly the Tamils that one sees before their deaths they don't look the most resilient of fighting troops and I'm quite sure these mopping up operations did involve the mass killings of civilians or combatants who were trying to surrender. Mopping up operations is just really a euphemism."

Investigation
Taking part in these operations, and at the centre of the last few days of fighting, were troops from Division 53 of the Sri Lanka Army – the division claiming responsibility for Isaipriya's death.

Along with Divisions 58 and 59, 53 took part in the "end battle". Tamil eye witnesses also present in the "end battle" have visually identified from geographic markers a potential location of the massacre from the footage, on a strip of land between the lagoon and the sea - south of where Prabhakaran died and in the midst of the fighting over 18 and 19 May.

After considering the photo and video, he said: "To my eye, two things stand out – one is the fastening of the hands behind the back. It's difficult to see how that could have happened if this death occurred in the course of battle.