Wednesday, July 28, 2010

British Tamils seek boycott of defiant Sri Lanka

British Prime Minister David Cameron will Monday be handed a memorandum on behalf of UK’s Tamil community urging his government to support an international probe into war crimes in Sri Lanka, and to pressure the Colombo government to resettle in their homes tens of thousands of Tamils still languishing in refugee camps, and allow international access to thousands held in its prisoner-of-war camps. The UK is also being urged to boycott Sri Lanka till Colombo complies with international law. The handover follows a march and ‘midnight vigil’ outside 10 Downing Street staged Friday night by thousands of supporters of the campaign who marked the anniversary of the 1983 ‘Black July’ anti-Tamil pogrom.

Vigil outside 10 Downing Street
Vigil outside 10 Downing Street
The vigil also inaugurated a “Walk for Justice” by a British Tamil youth, from the site of British Parliament, through France and Switzerland to the UN offices in Geneva to raise awareness and support for these goals.

Thousands of Tamils and non-Tamils gathered Friday night carrying candles, placards, banners and hoisting flags appealing to the UK establishment and the UN to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka. They walked in procession from opposite Westminster to Downing Street.

The rally and vigil marked the anniversary of the ‘Black July’ state-sponsored massacres of 1983, in which three thousand Tamils were slaughtered and the homes and businesses torched.

“The [event] also served as springboard to gather support for international action on Sri Lanka’s defiance of international norms,” said an official of the British Tamil Forum, which organized the event.

“To this end, we are calling for an international boycott of the Colombo government until it respects international laws,” she said.

“The Sri Lankan government has shown clear opposition to any prospect of independent monitors investigating war crimes in Sri Lanka,” the BTF said. “The walk for justice to the UN coincides with the recent appointment of a UN advisory panel by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.”

An international day of boycott is taking place on Saturday 31st July 2010 across US, UK, Canada, Australia and Europe to take forward this campaign.

“[Friday night’s] event, like others, in intended to send a message of hope to our Tamil brothers and sisters that we will not rest until they are free from the oppressive State,” the BTF said.

“Westminster Council, the Mayor’s Office and the Metropolitan Police offered tremendous support to enable this momentous vigil to take place,” the statement added.

The midnight vigil also inaugurated a “Walk for Justice” from the heart of British Parliament, through France and Switzerland to the UN Human Rights Council offices in Geneva.

Mr. Sivanthan, a British Tamil youth, will be joined by supporters and well-wishers on a two-week walk to raise awareness and amalgamate support for the campaign, which has amongst its goals, “an independent international probe into war crimes committed in Sri Lanka, … access to prisoners of war, for all internally displaced persons to be resettled into their own homes, and a boycott of Sri Lanka until it respects international laws.”

“The two-week walk to the UN aims to unite Tamils across Europe and the wider community to join calls to highlight the need for UN to uphold international laws to ensure that justice is universal and to set precedents for other rogue states,” the BTF said.

A memorandum is also to be handed to the UN in Geneva on 6th August 2010.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

NEXT quits Sri Lanka, exports to EU fall - report

The British clothing retailer, NEXT, has stopped sourcing its garments from Sri Lanka because of the uncertainty of the continuance of the GSP+ duty concession from the European Union, The Sunday Leader reported this week. The company has moved production to Bangladesh, an industry source told the paper. Meanwhile, exports to the EU fell 13% in the first quarter of 2010, a decline the Sri Lankan garment industry attributes to falling demand due to the economic conditions there. Garments are Sri Lanka’s largest foreign exchange earner.

The GSP+ facility helps Sri Lanka to export garments and several other products to the EU on a duty free basis. The advantage o exporters is 9%.

The EU last month again threatened to stop this concession by August 15 if Sri Lanka doesn’t give a written guarantee by July 1 to some 15 conditions governing human rights, the deadline of which is now past.

Sri Lanka rejected the conditions out of hand and dismissed the GSP+ concession as not worth surrendering the country’s sovereignty.

Nonetheless, the EU Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Bernard Savage, told the Sunday Leader on Thursday that the EU exercises a degree of flexibility in their timeframe given to Sri Lanka and would wait for a couple of days for a reply.

However, in the meantime, the Sri Lankan Central Bank has issued a statement warning the garments industry to prepare to make do without the GSP+ concession.

According to the Central Bank, garments exports to EU countries constituted about 50 per cent of Sri Lanka’s total apparel exports in 2009. Of these, about 60 per cent benefited from the GSP+ scheme, while the balance was exported to the EU without the GSP+ concession.

NEXT plc (LSE: NXT) is a British retailer, with its headquarters in Enderby, Leicestershire, England. It is one of the United Kingdom's largest clothing retailers, number three behind Marks & Spencer and Philip Green's retail empire of Bhs and Arcadia Group. The company, which has employed some of the biggest names in the fashion world including Alessandra Ambrosio, Noémie Lenoir, Yasmin Le Bon, Gabriel Aubry and Paul Sculfor, has over 400 stores throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and 50 franchise branches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

External Links:
Wiki: Next plc

Friday, May 14, 2010

California street fair embraces Sri Lanka boycott message

Members of the US-based Tamil political action group, USTPAC Boycott Campaign, joined the madness at the 11th annual How Weird Street Faire in San Francisco on Sunday, May 9th 2010 to publicize the group's mission to the attendees to event, organizers of the Tamil group said. Twenty-foot tall banners advertising the “No Blood for Panties” video series on boycotting apparel made in Sri Lanka adorned the backdrop of the catwalk, according to activists participating in the street fair.

PDF IconSlide show of street fair
The annual event, inspired in 2000 by a small group promoting world peace through technology, brought nearly 12,000 fans in a global celebration of art, music and international culture from vendors and non-profit organizations across the world.

This year’s theme was “Bollyweird: The cosmic Dance” and included ten music stages, a mock Hindu temple, fantastic costumes, food and other festivities spread across ten city blocks.

New this year was Fashion Alley that included a fashion runway featuring top local designers and models who introduced the concept of “conscious consumerism” and “designer activism”.

Models in lingerie and USTPAC's boycott message of “check the label“ were cheered on by an appreciative crowd and captured on numerous cameras, organizers said.

Protesters explained that textiles were the biggest export earner bringing foreign revenue to Sri Lanka and how that foreign exchange was being used by the government to maintain its military whose sole purpose is to oppress the Tamil people.

"Many at the Faire were shocked to hear about the human rights abuses, tens of thousands of internally displaced persons who still remain in internment camps even after the civil war ended a year ago and the war crimes that remain uninvestigated despite efforts by human rights organizations, the United Nations and the US State Department," spokesperson for the protesters said.

"Those who heard our story were sympathetic to our cause and extremely supportive of our campaign. They were willing to sign petitions and promised to boycott clothes made in Sri Lanka. Several models and colorfully attired attendees at the Faire asked to hold our boycott banners. Some even danced with them, adding to the attention they drew from the crowds," the spokesperson further said.

The open-minded ambiance of the Fair turned out to be an appropriate setting for the boycott campaign message, and the protesters were able to pass a serious message of boycotting clothes made in Sri Lanka to the attendees, USTPAC's spokespersons said.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Sri Lanka Boycott campaign buoyed by British MP's endorsement

The Sri Lanka boycott campaigners staged co-ordinated rallies in US and UK cities Saturday and were enthused by the endorsement to their campaign by the British Member of Parliament, Siobhain McDonagh, who in her publicized video and urged consumers to step up pressure on the Sri Lanka Government by sustained economic boycott, US organizer of the boycott, Dr Ellyn Shander said. Boycott rallies were held in several cities in the U.S. and in U.K. "The campaigns in the future are likely to take the form of globally co-ordinated events to increase the effectiveness and to elicit wider publicity," Shander said.

Siobhain McDonagh, a Member of
Parliament, from UK
"Act Now" Director Graham Williamson said, "we are pleased to join our American friends in a Global boycott of Sri Lankan products sold by GAP. We hope the campaign expands throughout the world in the weeks and months to come. If GAP suffers financially due to their 'un-ethical' trade with Sri Lanka it will only have itself to blame," Williamson said. Ms.McDonagh took time off her General Election campaign to join the Oxford Street boycotters outside the GAP flagship store.

Protest Campaign in London
Protest Campaign in London
Protesters in Boston
Protesters in Boston
In the US, protest rallies were held in New York, Boston , Washington D.C., Raleigh NC, Sawgrass Mall, Florida, San Francisco and Chicago.

"This boycott is about asking people to buy with a conscience. Why buy clothing from a government who ridicules human rights and arrogantly committed war crimes? Whenever there is injustice we have an obligation to step up and try and fight for the affected people. We want companies like Victoria secret and the Gap to divest from Sri Lanka and do business ethically as an obligation to their customers and a moral obligation to humanity," Dr Ellyn Shander told TamilNet.

With the global downturn in consumer spending clothing industry has been badly affected. "This is the right time to for the expatriate Tamils to join in force to bring economic pressure on Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Government is unlikely to heed the call of Tamils for political accommodation unless severe economic pressure is hoisted on Colombo," an activist attending the New York protest said.

Protesters in Boston
Protesters in Boston
Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
Protesters in Maryland
Protesters in Maryland
Protesters in Maryland
Protesters in Maryland
Protesters in Boston
Protesters in Boston
Protesters in San Francisco
Protesters in San Francisco

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

boycott srilanka and blood garments


Friday, February 12, 2010

"Boycott Sri Lanka goods" campaign spreads to more US cities

While a few U.S. cities, including Washington postponed the planned Sri Lanka Boycott rallies due to the record-breaking snow storm, in most of the 15 cities Tamil activists held protests urging ethical-minded consumers to boycott Sri Lanka products, especially textiles, as the protesters allege that the profits fund State violence against Tamil civilians, organizers of the protest said. Meanwhile, the organizers of the boycott campaign released a third-video in a planned series of video releases highlighting the need to black-label Sri Lanka products across the world, sources close to the boycott campaign said.

The protest ralllies across the U.S. cities Saturday were very successful in spreading the message, and the experience in the past weeks is helping the activists improve the effectiveness of the rallies, the organizers said.

TamilNet received a brief summary of the rallies held Saturday:

Protesters in New York
Protesters in New York
North Carolina protest
North Carolina protest
North Carolina protest
North Carolina protest
San Francisco protest
San Francisco protest
Florida protest
Florida protest
Florida protest
Florida protest
Fort Lauderdale, FL: The small but energetic Florida group gathered for the fourth time near the Sawgrass Mills mall Saturday. Shoppers curiosity in knowing what is going on in Sri Lanka, is making the boycott meaningful for the Florida Tamils, an organizer of the protest said.

Raleigh, NC: Nearly two dozen people showed up for a "freezing boycott" at the front of a mall entrance. Later this was moved to a intersection of two main roads for better visibility and exposure. Lots of people slowed their vehicles to read. The organizers at the end of the rally dropped brochures on the cars in the parking lot.

San Francisco, CA: An enthusiastic group of over 20 activists including many woman and children at the rally. Almost every person carrying a placard in front of Gap was kept busy by shoppers approaching them to ask for more information and get better informed. The city was bustling with shoppers and tourists, and a couple from Switzerland decided to donate some money after talking to the activists about the human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Many provided their contact information and wanted to be informed on the subject. The street musician across from Gap store was playing his drums while singing "Say No to Sri Lanka" and "No to War Crimes" helping us get attention to the protest.

Some of the protesters walked over to Victoria's Secret, engaging with shoppers along the way. Victoria's Secret called the police to try and intimidate us. Police were told that we were harassing their customers and preventing them from going into the store. Two of the three police officers who arrived at the scene were friendly faces who had seen our protests in the past. Seeing that we were a peaceful bunch, the officers talked to us about the protests while the third officer went into the store to educate them about the rights of citizens to protest. The policemen lefter after engaging in friendly conversations as they had better things to do.

A couple of activists went to meet with the store managers at Victoria's Secret and Gap. The store managers found it hard to be friendly this time around. The corporate HQ and their PR are in touch with the local management, keeping them informed as well as collecting information.

Overall we had another successful protest in San Francisco, handing out hundreds of brochures, fliers and coupons, and more importantly talking to customers and getting public support.

Los Angeles, CA: About 10 activists gathered at the South Coast Plaza mall, Coasta mesa, CA at 11:00 a.m. Two activists each stood at doors of Baby GaP, GAP, Victoria secret and Banana Republic to distribute fliers We delivered about 400 flyers.

The Banana Republic manager and GAP managers inquired if we had permission, and turned back after we said we had permission. We distributed fliers asking shoppers to boycott Sri Lanka products. The protest was peaceful.

Atlanta, GA: Nearly ten of us turned out for the protest in the freezing temperature (for Atlanta, 30 degF). We stood at the mall entrance for more than an hour. After that we all went inside the mall and had an informal discussion on followup actions, and how we could make the effort more effective.

Raleigh, NC: We in Raleigh had a freezing boycott too. We were really numb after a while. Total 17 people showed up with a few children. Originally we started in front of a mall entrance then walked to a main intersection for better visibility and exposure. Lots of people slowed their vehicles to read. Then we dropped brochures on the cars in the parking lot.

Detroit, Michigan: Boycott protest was held in the metro Detroit at Great Lakes Crossing Mall for the first time. We had about 25 participants including children from Metro Detroit as well as from Windsor Ontario. We distributed about 200 flyers. We planned it for 4:00-6:30 but had to stop at 5:30 on the direction of Mall security.

Dallas, Texas: A small team of activists protested close GAP and Victoria Secret which were right next door to each other. Plans are afoot to expand the number of protesters in the area where President Bush lives.

Chicago, Illinois: The determined group in Chicago continued with the protest despite the freezing weather. We gathered in front of Gap and Victoria Secret at Michigan ave downtown Chicago from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and handed out around 600 fliers.

Boston, MA: Boycott Team covered 4 locations in Boston, The weather wasn’t cooperative with the wind-chill at 14° F, but the activists continued their protests. The shopping traffic was light due to the weather, the participants observed.

New York, NY: A small number of activists stood in freezing temperatures, carrying placards urging shoppers to boycott Sri Lanka products, at 34th and broadway 12:30 to 3:30pm Saturday.

External Links:
Boycott: Boycott Sri Lanka Campaign

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

SEND AN APPEAL LETTER TODAY TO ALL THE HIGH STREET STORES AND HELP STOP THE BLOOD GARMENT TRADE.



Whether it's concentration camps, people 'disappearing', young girls being raped by the Army, widespread torture, extortion, extra-judicial murders, child recruitment (by government backed paramilitary groups) and the murder of journalists, Sri Lanka has it all!

The Tourism industry and the textile industries have help fund a genocidal war and continue to help fund a genocidal government with an appalling human rights record. The Sri Lankan government broke International law by illegally detaining up to 300, 000 internal refugees. They also have committed a number of war crimes in 2009 including using banned chemical weapons on civilians areas and repeatedly bombing hospitals and other civilians establishments.


We Believe that economic sanctions is the only way to restore human rights in Sri Lanka, they have clearly shown they have no concern with International Law.


Please join the Stop the Blood Garment campaign today by sending an appeal in one simple click to all the companies that sell products made in Sri Lanka. Warning them that you and other shoppers will boycott their stores if they continue to buy products from Sri Lanka.


If the international community will not sanction Sri Lanka for its war crimes and its human rights violations then we the people must.


Over 20, 000 innocent civilians killed in 2009 alone by the Sri Lankan Government.

(The Times)


Over 20, 000 amputees with insufficient medical facilities.


Over 300, 000 civilians illegally locked up in concentration camps by the government in 2009.

SEND AN APPEAL LETTER TODAY TO ALL THE HIGH STREET STORES AND HELP STOP THE BLOOD GARMENT TRADE.


Please help stop the Blood Garment Trade



Whether it's concentration camps, people 'disappearing', young girls being raped by the Army, widespread torture, extortion, extra-judicial murders, child recruitment (by government backed paramilitary groups) and th murder of journalists, Sri Lanka has it all!

The Tourism industry and the textile industries have help fund a genocidal war and continue to help fund a genocidal government with an appalling human rights record. The Sri Lankan government continue to break International law by illegally detaining up to 300, 000 internal refugees. The Sri Lankan government have also committed a number of war crimes this year including using banned chemical weapons on civilians areas and repeatedly bombing hospitals and other civilians establishments.

Please join the Stop the Blood Garment campaign Today by sending an appeal to the companies that stock products made in Sri Lanka. If the international community will not sanction Sri Lanka for its war crimes and its human rights violations then we the people must.


300,000 civilians held in Nazi-style concentration camps.

Over 20,000 innocent civilians killed in the conflict this year.

Over 20,000 amputees still in desperate need of proper care.

"Next Time you want to buy underwear from MARKS & SPENCER, you want to buy a t-shirt from NEXT, you want to go on a holiday of a lifetime on a beautiful island off the coast of India, do you really want to spend your money on a government that chooses to lock 300,000 people behind barbed wire?" Siobhain McDonagh MP (former Government Whip).

The above is an MPs recent reaction to the abuse of human rights in Sri Lanka, what is yours?


Marks and Spencer promote itself as an Eco friendly company with it’s carbon neutral factories in Sri Lanka. But what they don’t tell you in the small print is that the money goes into an economy which helps fund a Genocidal government, with one of the worst human rights records.

Other stores and companies that sell blood garments include, Tesco, Top Shop, Next, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, GAP, Primark, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, the UK's Bhs, Adams and Debenhams.

Any money spent on Sri Lankan products is blood money and will fund further human rights abuses in that country. We urge you to BOYCOTT these companies and send an online appeal letter today to stop these companies selling blood garments.

RECORD BREAKERS

Not only does Sri Lanka abuse members of the Tamil community it has the record of being the third most dangerous country for all journalists (International Media Watch - 2007), a high risk of carrying out genocide (Genocide Watch), second highest number of disappearances in the world (UN & Human Rights Watch) maintains one of the largest per capita armed forces in the world (and still growing) and is listed as a top 20 failed State (Fund for Peace - 2008).




Saturday, January 23, 2010

Boycott Victoria Secret Boycott Sri Lankan Blood Garments

Thursday, January 21, 2010

This is how Sri Lanka 'won' the war!!! Massacres and NAZI camps

Welcome to the Real Sri Lanka! Welcome to Tamil conentration camps!

Boycott Sri Lanka : Sign the Pledge at BoycottSriLanka.com

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Paper: 20,000 killed in Sri Lanka conflict

Top ten reasons why Osama is losing as a terrorist

Human Rights Watch report unearths attrocities

Sri Lankan state responsibility in abductions & disappearance

Nine Year Old Tamil Girl Beseeches The World To Help

No To SriLanka - Australia

Island of Tears Part 2 - No To Sri Lanka - Boycott Sri Lankan Products

Island of Tears Part 1 - No To Sri Lanka - Boycott Sri Lankan Products

UN chief knew Tamil civilian toll had reached 20,000

SRI LANKA: A Nation Struggles to Forget a Tragedy


By Amantha Perera

PERALIYA, Sri Lanka, Dec 29, 2009 (IPS) - Waves hitting a train and carriages half submerged in water. Scores of men, women and children leaping above the water, hands outstretched, bodies strewn all over.

These images were captured on a mural that became a crucial part of the memorial at Peraliya, a village 90 kilometres south of Colombo, right next to the coast. Yet, images of post-tsunami impacts that are not depicted on the mural run the gamut of emotions.

On Dec. 26, 2004, at 9:25 a.m., a south-bound train was hit by gigantic waves here, killing over 1,500.

Little Lahiru Mihiram has no clear memory of this father, just a thought that he must be one of those many scared faces on the mural. He was less than four months old when his father ran to the train after hearing the screams of panic-stricken passengers as the first waves came flooding inland. He was never found thereafter.

On Dec. 26 this year Lahiru was one of the dozens of mourners, relatives and just plain curious visitors who turned up at the memorial for the five-year anniversary of the tragedy.

While Lahiru’s memory was vague, that was not case for Dayawathie Perera, who survived the train tragedy but lost her daughter-in-law of one month and the girl’s mother. "It was terrible, terrible," she recalled of the horror. She was travelling with her son, his new wife and her mother when the first wave came. "He (her son) kept calling everyone and telling them of the waves, and then the big one came."

Perera was saved by a monk from a nearby temple, who found her stuck under four other bodies. "He had seen my fingers move," she recounts to IPS. Her son, who finally discovered his young wife’s body, put it in the mass grave with his own hands. "He refuses to come here; he says it is too hard." There was no massive crowd at the memorial. The country did observe two minutes of silence at precisely the same time the tragedy ravaged this coastal village.

Along the coast, there were small ceremonies. Mourners in small groups gathered at the grave sites or where they last saw their loved ones and held prayers. White flags dotted small graves as candles flickered against the wind. Those travelling along the southern coast stopped at the giant Buddha statue – a replica of the one destroyed in Bamiyan, Afghanistan – and paid homage to it before continuing their journey.

In the east, in Kalmunai, which suffered the worst damage, small commemoration events were held on the beach. As a whole, the commemoration of the worst natural tragedy to hit the island since known records were kept was a private affair.

"People have forgotten about what happened, people have moved on," says Ajantha Samarwickrema, who shot footage of the waves crashing into Galle town, just south of Peraliya.

The Asian tsunami that affected the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean left a terrible imprint on the country, already battered by a long-running civil war then. Over 35,000 were killed, at least 100,000 houses left in need of repair or reconstruction, a million displaced and a reconstruction bill of 3.2 billion U.S. dollars.

Vimasa Madumali was five when the tsunami hit her village Thudawa, in Matara about 150 km south of Colombo. Her family has got a new house and her father has returned to fishing, with help from donors and governments that provided fishing gear to replace those washed away by the waves.

"We are happy here, we got help and we can live in peace," she tells IPS. The family has moved inland from the coast.

It is the same with Rasheena Umma a young woman, now living at the French Friendship village in Kalmunai, on the eastern coast, 300 km from Colombo. Her former house was located right next to the coast and not a single wall was left standing. "It is a miracle we are alive," she says.

The new house built, with funds from France, is about 2 km from the coast, and Umma is relieved. "We got something; it may be not a lot, but we can go on living. That is better than getting killed."

There is some discontent on the beach, particularly among over 1,300 families in Kalmunai that are still waiting for houses. Others grumble over the quality of the assistance they got.

Transparency International stated over the weekend that at least 470 million dollars out of a total of one billion dollars disbursed for reconstruction efforts by March 2007 had gone unaccounted for.

"There is no precise evidence to explain the missing sum of 471 million dollars. Some government officials rejected the fact of such a missing amount, though they have failed to give any explanation about the figures produced," added the Berlin-based anti-corruption body.

One such alleged mismanagement involved Hungama, a tsunami housing project in the Hambantota District, 300 km south of Colombo, built with public donations from Hungary. Here the houses were so badly constructed that they started to lose rafters, beams and windows even before the first occupants walked in in late 2005. Now the houses have been assigned to civil servants, whose official quarters were lost in the tsunami. Others have settled in after carrying out extensive repairs on their own.

"The houses were not liveable; we had to do a lot of repairs," says Charles Rathnayake. But even he is happy now. My wife was saved at the last moment. If I had not grabbed her, she would not be here. It is much more than getting a house," Rathnayake says.

The destruction left by the waves was so massive and omnipresent that many people find it hard to forget. Along the beach there are still hulls of boats, buildings washed apart by the gushing waters, which stand like silent reminders.

For those like Perera, forgetting the dead will never be easy. Hers is a gnawing pain that has endured for five years and will endure even longer.

"She (her daughter-in-law) was on the phone with my daughter when the waves came. My daughter heard her scream. That was the last anyone heard from her," she says. "How can you forget that?"

Still others try to forget to tragedy that befell them five years ago. "We have to move on. We can’t linger in the past," says Rathnanayke. "I think it is high time that we spoke of the living rather than the dead."

(END)

Sri Lankan aid projects investigated

NEARLY $537 million in tsunami aid for Sri Lanka is unaccounted for and more than $686m has been spent on projects unrelated to the disaster, an anti-corruption watchdog says.

Berlin-based Transparency International has demanded an audit of the money received by the Sri Lankan government to help victims of the Asian tsunami that hit the island on December 26, 2004, killing 31,000 people.

As the tropical nation marked the fifth anniversary of the tsunami, the group alleged that out of $US2.2 billion ($2.5bn) received for relief, $US603.4m was spent on projects unrelated to the disaster. Another $US471.9m is missing, the group said.

"There is no precise evidence to explain the missing sum of $US471.9m," the TI statement issued in Colombo added. An "audit should be done by the government to explain the utilisation of the money received and the challenges faced", the group said.

The claims added to corruption concerns as the reconstruction effort winds down.

UN Under-Secretary General Noeleen Heyzer also voiced fears about early-warning system. Countries in the region had been working with international partners to strengthen systems but "significant gaps" needed to be addressed, he said.

The 2004 tsunami was triggered by a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and seismologists agree another event of that magnitude is almost certain to strike the quake-prone region.

But former US president Bill Clinton, who helped raise millions of dollars in aid for tsunami-hit nations, said Asia had "built back better" since the disaster.

"We will never forget the stories of those who lost their loved ones and all their worldly possessions in one of the worst natural disasters of our time," he said.

"Nor will we forget the tremendous international response from governments, businesses, NGOs, and private citizens who sent money, aid, and prayers in unprecedented volume to the affected regions. We did more than just build back; we built back better."

People across Asia paused over the weekend to remember the day five years ago when an undersea earthquake unleashed the devastating wave that killed more than 220,000 people.

A solemn day of prayers and remembrance to mark one of the world's worst natural disasters was held in Indonesia's Aceh province, which lost almost 170,000 people in the Asian tsunami.

At the site of one of the graves, where more than 14,000 unidentified victims are buried, an elderly woman sat on the ground weeping and reciting Koranic verses for the 40 members of her family who died.

"None of my family members survived in the tsunami. My children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, they all have gone and left me alone here," Siti Aminah, 72, said.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse led remembrance ceremonies by observing two minutes of silence for tsunami victims.

Low-key commemorations marked the anniversary in southern India, which bore the brunt of the disaster in that country, with an estimated 6500 deaths.

On Marina beach in Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu state, women from fishing hamlets poured milk into the sea and showered flower petals over the water as a mark of respect for those who died.

In Thailand, where 5395 people died, according to the official toll, ceremonies were held on the beach in Phang Nga on the west coast, which was worst hit, and on the southern island of Phuket.

AFP The Australian

No To Sri Lanka - Cross Roads - Boycott Sri Lankan Products Clip 4

No To Sri Lanka - Cross Roads - Boycott Sri Lankan Products Clip 3

No To Sri Lanka - Cross Roads - Boycott Sri Lankan Products Clip 2

Boycott Sri Lankan Products & Services

No To Sri Lanka - Cross Roads - Boycott Sri Lankan Products Clip 1

No To Sri Lanka - Boycott Sri Lankan Products

Boycott Sri Lankan Products & Services!

இனம் ஒன்று அழிவதா, இதை நாம் பொறுப்பதா...

Boycott Sri Lanka Groceries

ஒரு இனத்தின் விடுதலையை தனியே ஓர் விடுதலை இயக்கத்தினால் மட்டும் அடைந்துவிடமுடியாது. போராட்டமானது ஒவ்வொருவராலும் ஒவ்வொரு வீட்டிலும் ஆரம்பிக்கப்படவேண்டும். இதனால் எம் இனத்தின் விடுதலை விரைவாக்கப்படும். எமது வீடுகளில் முதலில் ஸ்ரீலங்கா பொருட்களை தடைசெய்து எமது போராட்த்தை ஆரம்பிப்போம். தமிழ் பொங்கும் தைப்பொங்கலில் இது ஒரு விதியாகட்டும். ஒன்றுபட்டால் உண்டு விடுதலை. [also in PDF]

சிங்கள தேசத்துப் பொருட்களை புறக்கணிப்போம்!

Boycott Sri Lankan Products & Services!

தமிழ் உயிர்களை காப்போம்!

Save Tamil Lives!