South and Central Asia: Sinhala and Tamil New Year’s Greeting

Sinhala and Tamil New Year's Greeting
Press StatementHillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State Washington, DC
April 12, 2012

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to Sri Lankans around the world as you celebrate Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

This celebration brings people together to renew bonds of friendship and family. It also gives Sri Lankans of all backgrounds, living inside and outside the country, an opportunity to help build...

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Blog: Amid Sri Lankan denial, threats rise for journalists

In the wake of the U.N. Human Rights Council resolution calling for an investigation into Sri Lanka's alleged abuses of international humanitarian law during its war with Tamil separatists, the government has resorted to outright threats of violence against...

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Sri Lankan government calls journalists ‘traitors’

New York, March 22, 2012--The Sri Lankan government must immediately halt its intimidation of journalists who supported the adoption of a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution calling for an investigation into the country's alleged abuses of international humanitarian law during its war with Tamil separatists.

India to Back Human Rights Resolution Against Sri Lanka

Under domestic pressure, India's prime minister says the country may back a United Nations resolution this week criticizing Sri Lanka for alleged human rights abuses. Human rights groups accuse Sri Lanka's army of deliberately attacking tens of thousands of civilians in the final months of its decades-long struggle against Tamil separatist terrorists.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the possible support for a vote against Sri Lanka Monday in Parliament. “I may assure the House that we are inclined to vote...

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India Cancels Visa for Japanese Anti-Nuclear Activist

India's government has revoked the visa of a Japanese anti-nuclear activist who was scheduled to visit during the one-year anniversary of the Fukushima disaster.  Nuclear energy opponents say the move fits a pattern of seeking to stifle criticism of India's rapid push toward nuclear power.

India says it revoked the business visa it granted to Maya Kobayashi because her travel itinerary did not match the stated purpose of her trip on her application.

Greenpeace India, the organization that...

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South and Central Asia: Daily Press Briefing – March 1, 2012

Victoria Nuland
Spokesperson
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
March 1, 2012

Index for Today's Briefing EGYPT Travel Ban Lifted on NGO Employees / U.S.-Egyptian Relations / NGO Issue / Bail / Role of NGOs INDIA ...

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US to support UN rights resolution on Sri Lanka

This is pointless and unnecessary, creating the idea that the U.S. is nothing but an international busybody. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- The United States will support a UN human rights council resolution asking Sri Lanka to implement recommendations of a UN report on the island nation's civil war, an American diplomat said Monday. The resolution would let Sri Lanka explain how it intends to advance ethnic reconciliation and accountability, said Maria Otero, under secretary of state for...

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Hindus Gather in Kuala Lumpur for Annual Festival

Each year, one million Hindu devotees of Tamil descent gather in Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, to celebrate Thaipusam in honor of Lord Murugan, an important deity for the Tamil community.

On the day of the festival, devotees form a pilgrimage to the temple, carrying forms of burdens such as milk, as well as pierce their bodies as sacrifices made to Lord Murugan.

It is believed that the greater the pain one inflicts upon his body, the greater the reward is given to...

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Commandos Deployed to Protect Tigers in Southern India

In the sprawling wildlife sanctuaries of southern India, a team of commandos has been deployed to protect tigers from poaching in the first ever initiative by India driven by a dramatic decline in the big cat's population recent decades.

After three months of training in jungle survival and weapons use, a 54-member “Special Tiger Protection Force” has begun patrolling two major tiger reserves, Bandipur and Nagarhole, which straddle the border of southern Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states.

The force will counter hunters...

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India Cyclone Death Toll Rises to 42

Indian authorities say the devastating cyclone that struck the country's southeastern coast Friday killed at least 42 people and damaged hundreds of homes.

Cyclone Thane lashed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu state and the territory of Pondicherry with winds up to 135 kilometers per hour, before gradually weakening.

Officials say at least 26 of the deaths were in the Cuddalore district. They say most of the deaths were caused by wall collapses and electrocution.

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