31 August 2009

Liam Fox meets Mahinda Rajapakse, Sampanthan

The government of United Kingdom (UK) is seriously involved in finding a political solution to the legitimate aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the early resettlement of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced as well as ensuring a better future for them, Mr. Liam Fox, British Conservative Party parliamentarian, is reported to have told President Mahinda Rajapakse when he met the latter on Saturday. Liam Fox also met the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) R. Sampanthan later the same day and conveyed the outcome of the talks of he had had with President Rajapakse, the sources said.Liam Fox had told Mr.Sampanthan that he had briefed the President during his talks that the legitimate rights of Tamil people should be safeguarded and the IDPs now being held in Vavuniyaa camps should be resettled in their own villages without any delay and that UK is prepared to assist Sri Lanka in this regard.Liam Fox assured R. Sampanthan that his party would contribute its maximum for the betterment of Tamils in Sri Lanka and it would work hard to see Tamils live with dignity if it comes to power.Meanwhile, R. Sampanthan is said to have briefed Liam Fox and sought his assistance to exert pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka to resettle all IDPs now languishing in the internment camps in Vavuniyaa without any further delay.

Indian CBI to question ‘KP’ in Rajiv Gandhi case 
   
The Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), which is investigating the conspiracy angle in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, is preparing to question LTTE financier Selvarasa Pathmanathan , currently in Sri Lanka’s custody. MDMA, which comprises experts from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as well as other agencies, has been granted another extension by the government despite the closure of this unit, has begun the work of preparing questions on the basis of its decade-old findings. These would be sent to Sri Lanka where Pathmanathan alias “KP” is being questioned by security agencies, official sources said. Pathmanathan, the alleged financier and a key accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was arrested in a Southeast Asian country and brought to Sri Lanka. Considered to be one of the most-wanted terrorists by Interpol, he is suspected to be a key operative in the LTTE’s global network for procuring weapons and other equipment. Jane’s Defence Intelligence Review, the premier London-based defence magazine, had reported that the LTTE had two international wings — “KP” Department and Aiyanna Group — that were engaged in global terrorist activities. The CBI had been on the trail of “KP” for over a decade and its team had travelled to New Zealand in 2002 in search of him. The term of MDMA, which is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence ended on May 31 this year and was given a post-facto approval. The Jain Commission, which went into Rajiv Gandhi’s killing, had come across various leads, which included bank transactions of the LTTE’s front organizations before and after the assassination and on the movement of arms meant for LTTE during that period. The MDMA has also been focusing on the bank details of Pathmanathan. India has taken up the matter with Germany, to get the bank details of “KP”, who is alleged to be a major gun-runner for the terrorist group. The investigators want to know the bank details of “KP” and others including a few Indians, who were alleged to have hatched the conspiracy to kill former Premier Rajiv Gandhi. Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991 when a LTTE suicide bomber blew herself up at an election rally in Tamil Nadu. “KP” is believed to be ‘the chief arms procurer’ for the LTTE and also in-charge of collection of finances for the banned outfit, outside Sri Lanka.

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem’s reply to Eastern Province

Governor’s Statement on resettlement of Muslim familieSri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem MP wishes to clarify the true situation with regard to the resettlement of Muslim families in Upparu village, Verugal, Trincomalee district.The denial of the Governor is unfounded because eighty families were taken to and resettled in Upparu, Verugal on August 13 by Minister Najeeb A Majeed, the Divisional Secretary for Verugal in Eechchalampattu and a local Hindu priest. This was reported in the media with photos in which the Minister and others are appearing. We believe the "Governor was not given the true picture on this resettlement by certain arrogant and high handed government officials. When I raised the question of their eviction on August 18 after resettlement, Minister Najeeb told me of the efforts he made to resettle them and said the problem would be sorted out soon.We possess documentary evidence to establish that the families had lived in Upparu for generations. They are in possession of copies of complaints lodged with the police on their forcible eviction in 1990, ICs issued by the security forces. There are records in the seruwila Divisional secretariat, Serunuwara about their domicile in the village which earlier came under the Seruwila Division.We are also in possession of copy of a letter the Divisional Secretary Seruwila (Serunuwara) wrote on 15/10/2008 to the District Secretary Maj. Gen. T. T. Ranjith De Silva requesting permission for these families to cultivate their lands abandoned after 1987 and the Dist. Secretary had endorsed it with a comment that they be allowed if they possessed the deeds/permits. Consequently, the Divisional secretary had made a minute to the Commanding Officer, Thoppur that the families then living in Selvanagar would have to be resettled in their original village Upparu on 01/11/2008.We understand that the village has been brought under the Administration of the Verugal Divisional Secretariat, Eechchilampattu. The then SLMC Parliamentarian for Trincomalee M. S. Thowfeek had protested against the decision to bring the Upparu village under proposed Verugal Pradesheya Sabha and insisted that consent of the people of the village should be obtained beforehand. He expressed his protest at the Trincomalee Kachcheri before a special Commission that was to submit a report on creating a new Divisional Secretariat.We are also in possession of memos issued by the assistant Land Commissioner Trincomalee nominating chairmen for –lands of those who had died in Upparu Grama Sevaka Division.On August 17-18 the resettled families were chased away without even being allowed to eat the meals they had cooked and their makeshift huts were demolished by the police on a complaint made by the Divisional secretary stating that they did not belong to the village. The inhuman and atrocious displacement of the families just a few days after their resettlement has once again reduced them to the state of helpless IDPs.These, we believe, are authentic documents to establish the fact that they are original settlers of Upparu village and not encroachers as claimed by the misinformed Eastern Province Governor. The villagers are in possession of more documents to prove their claim.We request the Government to take immediate steps to remedy the injustice done to these innocent families and to counter allegations that organized efforts are underway to change the demographic composition of the eastern province.

EPDP wants polls for all local councils in Jaffna
 
Minister and EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda said yesterday he would request President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take steps to conduct elections to the remaining local bodies in the Jaffna district before the end of this year. The Minister said that people in the Jaffna district should be given a chance to elect their representatives very soon. There are three other Urban Councils and 14 Pradeshiya Sabhas in the district.  The three UCs are Point-Pedro, Chavakachcheri and Valvettithurai.   Three Pradeshiya Sabhas namely Kayts, Karainagar and Velanai are islets located off the Jaffna peninsula.The last elections to these local bodies were conducted in 1998.According to Jaffna District Secretary J. Ganesh, there are 570,000 persons living in the Jaffna district, and 100,000 of them live within the municipal limits.  In the meantime, the EPDP leader noted that he could consider offering the deputy mayoral post of the Jaffna Municipality to a Muslim only after the resettlement of at least 1000 displaced Muslim families in the peninsula in another two years’ time.  He was responding to the All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) which asked for the deputy mayoral post for one of its four members elected to the Municipal Council. “There was no agreement in this regard prior to the election.  The initial plan was that the EPDP should run the show under the UPFA.  This demand cropped up suddenly. I told them that their demand could be considered after two years when at least 1000 Muslim families had been resettled.  Today, there are only 66 Muslim families in Jaffna,” Mr. Devananda said.The EPDP has already nominated Mrs. Yogeswari Patkunarajah as the Jaffna mayor and N. Ilango as the deputy mayor. These names are expected to be gazetted after the Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake returns to the country. Asked for comments on the voter turn-out at the election to the Jaffna Municipal Council, he said that 66 percent of voters who received polling cards had cast their ballots. Out of the total 94,807 polling cards sent for Jaffna voters, only 56,546 had been delivered. The Minister said that 10,000 persons who received their polling cards could not vote because they did not have valid ID cards. Another 10,000 persons, he said, did not receive their polling cards in due time though they were delivered.“It means only 36,000 persons had got their polling cards before the day of polling, Out of them 20,000 had exercised their franchise. Therefore, the voter turn-out was 66 percent in Jaffna,” he said. The election was conducted on August 8, 2009.

30 August 2009

Determine if massacre video is old or new: Karunanidhi

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi has asked the central government to find out if a video showing naked Tamil youths being shot dead by suspected Sri Lankan troops is a new or an old clip."Some say it is an old video. It is for the central government to come out with a clarification," Karunanidhi told reporters here. The film was released by a grouping of Sri Lankan journalists based in the West. It was apparently shot in January at an unspecified location. It showed uniformed men said to be Sri Lankan soldiers shooting two naked, blindfolded and tied young men believed to be Tamils from close range. The film, widely shown on international television channels, also showed the bodies of more naked men, shot dead similarly. Only one body was fully clothed. Sri Lanka has said the video is a fake and meant to sully the image of the military, which crushed the Tamil Tigers in May, ending one of the world's longest running insurgencies. Asked about the nearly 300,000 Tamil civilian in refugee camps in Sri Lanka since the conflict ended, Karunanidhi said: "We have been urging the prime minister and the external affairs minister to take necessary action on this front. "The union government must show more interest. The union ministers and MPs from Tamil Nadu are also urging the centre to take immediate action." He said that tonnes of relief material sent by the state government for the displaced Tamils had reached the island for distribution.

Northern PC Headquarters in Mankulam

The Northern Provincial Council Headquarters will be located at Mankulam at a cost of Rs.900 million. Cabinet approved this proposal by Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennekoon this week to proceed with this necessity. The required money would be allocated under the budgetary vote for 2010 when the next budget is presented to parliament. Another allocation of Rs.625 million is sought under the budgetary allocation for next year of the ministry for the reconstruction of fully or partially damaged Local Authority buildings in the Northern Province. Many of those building were damaged by during the three decade old war and it forcibly used some of these buildings for LTTE activity. The location of the Northern Provincial Council Headquarters in Mankulam will help to administrate affairs and operate smoothly without delay.

Muslim extremists to be given another grace period

Despite repeated appeals made to extremist armed Muslim groups in the East to give up their illegal weapon hauls, except for a token surrender in June they continue to defy the security forces and the police.Three weeks ago a fresh appeal went out again to them to surrender their illegal arms with a warning that failure to comply would result in stern action being taken to disarm them, but all such appeals have been ignored.This warning was given at a hurried meeting held at Kattankudy with the attendance of prominent citizens and including members believed to be strongmen of the armed groups. Around 12 of those who attended, who according to police are believed to be the leaders of extremist gangs, were present at the meeting. They were asked to surrender all the weapons as soon as possible without making the situation worse. Police sources also said some of the extremist elements had gone abroad. Eastern Range (Central), DIG Edison Gunatilleke said yesterday that they are still in the process of gathering more intelligence on such members who are operating in those areas. Before an all-out crackdown they will be given a grace period to surrender all arms once again, but the date is not yet decided.Meanwhile, a man said to be one of the extremist leaders was killed at Eravur by unidentified gunmen two weeks ago.He was said to have been the extremist leader in the Eravur area. According to the Police, he had handed over only four weapons during the previous grace period given to them, although he was known to possess a large stockpile of arms and ammunition.Saul Hameed Abdul Samad(41), of Maththamadi Road Eravur was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen who had come in a motor bike to his house in the pretext of buying cashew around 7.30 in the evening on that day. Samad was known to have links with the underworld in Colombo and also had sold arms to various groups apart from his profession as a cashew seller. Previously, two grace periods were given to them to surrender their weapons, but only less than a tenth of their arsenal were handed over to the police.Police said more than 300 armed Muslim extremists are operating not only in the East, but in other parts of the country as well. These extremists are operating under different names for some years steadily building up their fire power. Around 20 small groups operating in the East had been identified by the police.

Foreign Ministry concerned over Solheim’s comments

The Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over a recent comment made by Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim. The Foreign Ministry has also mentioned that the Government of Sri Lanka hopes that a formal response would be received from the Norwegian Government with regard to the attributed comments by a Minister of the Norwegian Government. The statement by the Foreign Ministry is as follows:

The Government of Sri Lanka deeply regrets comments made by Norwegian Minister Erik Solheim. The Government of Sri Lanka refers to the comments made by the Minister of Environment and International Development of the Norwegian Government, Erik Solheim, published in the ‘Aftenposten’ newspaper website of 28 August 2009. The Sri Lanka Government deeply regrets the baseless comments contained therein and is perturbed by such statements being made by the Norwegian Minister against a friendly government. It is unbecoming of Minister Solheim to attribute blame on alleged atrocities, contained in an unsubstantiated video footage, without any recourse to an exchange of views and total disregard to the position of the Government of Sri Lanka on the issues in question. The criticism by him of a democratically elected Head of State, who is carrying out a vibrant agenda to safeguard the rights of the people of Sri Lanka, while having eliminated the scourge of terrorism, is unacceptable. It would be recalled that Norway continued its facilitatory role in the then peace process, even after the election of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The utterances of Minister Solheim have led the Government of Sri Lanka to reflect on his possible partisanship in the facilitatory role. The Government of Sri Lanka hopes that a formal response would be received from the Norwegian Government with regard to the attributed comments by a Minister of that Government.

Thondaman donates houses

Minister of Youth Empowerment and Socio-Economic Development Arumugam Thondaman has donated houses to the estate masses under the Stony Cliff project in the Hatton-Kotagala area. Accordingly, the Minister had taken the decision to provide 43 houses for the plantation community. Each house would include two rooms, a bathroom and a verandah, and facilitated with electricity.Minister Thondaman has allocated nearly Rs. 75 million to construct these new houses. He said the monetary allocations were made under the Mahinda Chinthanaya Programme. The Minister also said the project was implemented in consideration of the plantation community. He added that it is a great boon towards the improvement of the living standards and working conditions of the plantation workers.He claimed that a large number of estate workers will immensely benefit from these development projects

STF crackdown on underworld will continue – Commandant

STF Commandant, DIG K. L. M. Sarathchandra yesterday warned that the crackdown on underworld terror gangs will continue in a bid to eliminate organized crime in the same way as terrorism was wiped out from the country.President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Secretary Defence Gothabaya Rajapaksa who gave the leadership to eliminate the cancer of terrorism, are now committed to tackle the threat of organized crime in all forms."This time there would be no turning back and the crackdown will continue as the Government is fully committed towards fulfilling its responsibilities in creating a law abiding and free society. This would go a long way in meeting the expectations of the majority of civil society," he noted.DIG Sarathchandra said time was running out for all those involved in organized crime rings who are involved in drugs, arms and human trafficking, illicit liquor manufacturing, extortion and use various methods of coercion to plunder valuable property. They also carry out armed robberies.The assistance of the Interpol had been sought to trace the whereabouts of these certain notorious leaders of organized crime gangs who had fled to India and Western countries, police officials said."They cannot hide for long".The Commandant said that well trained STF personnel have been deployed around the clock to track down members of these organized crime rings who have been identified to be operating in and out of safe-houses in the Colombo metropolis and suburbs.If these gang members wish to turn a new leaf and lead a normal life with their loved ones as useful members of civil society, the only way out for them is to surrender with their arms and ammunition to the nearest police or courts without any further delay, he said.

Mangala backs Karu

Renegade former SLFP strongman Mangala Samaraweera spearheading moves to oust incumbent Rajapaksa administration is now said to be making an all-out effort behind the scene to announce the candidature of Karu Jayasuriya as the opposition common candidate as early as possible with a view to weaken the government ahead of any election by attracting back UNP rebels, political sources said. They, however, said even if Jayasuriya was picked as the UNP Presidential candidate he was unlikely to attract back many of the rebels as long as Ranil Wickramesinghe remained as the all-powerful party leader. Jayasuriya was also anathema to most party rebels as he once left the party unable to work under Wickremesinghe and returned, unlike them who have stayed on to fight from within to reform the party.Sources said his earlier attempts to bring forth a formidable common candidate like former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva being dashed with JVP not willing to go along with any such move and his attempts to woo Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Sarath Fonseka into a similar Opposition drive too being rejected by the General has him now urging Opposition leader to give way to Jayasuriya to come forward. They said Ranil Wickremesinghe just might allow Samaraweera’s request, knowing that he has no chance against a popular incumbent President who is just after a historic war victory, against which he had openly worked. “With a string of electoral debacles to his account already he is unlikely to have the nerve to face yet another difficult tussle.” Samaraweera’s latest move has dashed hopes of Central Province UNP Opposition Leader and one time SLFP strongman S.B. Dissanayake to lead the UNP in the forthcoming Presidential race, even though the opposition leader had recently sent a signal to Dissanayake through a trusted emissary that he is under consideration for the task. Dissanayake and Samaraweera are bitter enemies having fallen out while serving in the Cabinet of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Dissanayake’s defection to the UNP in 2001 along with several others resulted in UPFA losing the general election held in December of that year.In 2004 Samaraweera engineered a coup by getting President Kumaratunga to dissolve the UNP-led government elected in less than two years earlier on the primary grounds that it was soft on the LTTE and was endangering country’s security by allowing the Tigers to do as they please, while keeping the security forces under tight leash in the guise of seeking peace.UNP rebel sources, however, are insisting that the party leader would only give false hopes to others of being selected to contest the presidential election, when in fact he has no intention of allowing anyone else to take over the reins in any way.

UK introduces war crime clause in visa applications of Sri Lankans   
 
In future , all SL visa applicants to UK have to fill a column on war crime involvements.This means that the applicant has to declare his involvements , if any , in war crimes. This is a sequel to allegations of human rights violations leveled against the SL Forces, it is reported.It is significant to note that in the recent past ,visa applications of many Govt. politicos including visa applications of the family of Western province Governor , Alavi Moulana were rejected by the UK High Commission , while the visa application of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was rejected by the Canadian High Commission. 

Scandal-hit Trinco land deals halted
 
Trincomalee’s Government Agent Ranjith Silva, a retired Major General, has ordered the immediate suspension of all new registration of land. The move is intended to prevent illegal transactions of land until a full probe is conducted. This is whilst two different top level inquiries have got under way into last week’s Sunday Times disclosure that local politicians were selling prime beach land at Uppuveli in Trincomalee. Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives have been sent to Trincomalee, Police Spokesman Nimal Mediwaka said yesterday. He said it was too early to comment on the findings.Mr. Kodikara’s plan approved by the Trinco Town and Gravest Pradeshiya Sabha The receipt for assessment tax paid for Kodikara’s land The other inquiry has been ordered by Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan. The Chief Minister’s Secretary, A. Devaraj, said yesterday they were probing charges against the heads of two local bodies – S. Gowri Mugunthan, Chairman of the Trincomalee Town Council and T. Kantharuban, Chairman of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Pradeshiya Sabha.As the investigations got under way, the Sri Lanka Navy is continuing to guard a prime plot of beach land and more details of irregularities have begun to emerge.The move came as the Co-ordinating Secretary of a non Cabinet Minister visited the Trincomalee District Secretariat and sought an old deed that had covered an extent of 100 acres. He had photo copied the document. Thereafter, he had turned up at a later occasion to register 60 acres of land under a different name. In another instance, Ranjith Kodikara, a businessman has complained to the Special Investigations Unit of the Trincomalee Police that he had purchased a prime block of land between Uppuveli and Nilaveli and held a deed. However, he had discovered another deed had been made for his own property. He alleged that the Chairman of the Town and Gravets Pradeshiya Sabha had claimed ownership. Strange enough, Mr. Kodikara told The Sunday Times, on August 18, the same Pradeshiya Sabha had certified the same land and confirmed it was owned by him. The Far Eastern Developing Company, an establishment he owned, had paid the assessment rates. He was in possession of the receipts, he said.

29 August 2009

British Conservative party MP Liam Fox visits Jaffna

Liam Fox, British Conservative Party shadow Defence Secretary accompanied by his advisor W. Adams, visited Jaffna Friday where he met the representatives of civil and religious societies at Jaffna Bishop House around 2:15 p.m. “A just political solution to Tamils’ problems should be the first concern and not development,” the representatives told the visiting emissary, sources in Jaffna said. Liam Fox later met Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh at Jaffna Secretariat. The representative who met Liam Fox said that he showed a keen interest in finding out the true situation of the Tamils, the sources added. Rev. Justin Gnanapragasam, Rev. Selvarajah, Rev. Jeyakumar and Nallai Aatheena Chief Priest, Srilasiri Somasunthara Paramachariyar Suvamikal and many prominent representatives of various civil societies participated in the meeting at Bishop House.“Many provisions of the constitution of Sri Lanka remain unexecuted. Had these been executed there would not have been a 30 year war in the country. The government is reluctant to give Tamil language its due rights,” the representatives of civil and religious organization told Liam Fox.“The government is placing development in the first place while ignoring the plight of the Vanni IDPs suffering in the detainment camps in Vavuniyaa. Nothing has been done to resettle the IDPs displaced from the Sri Lanka Army High Security Zones in Valikaamam living in camps for nearly 20 years,” they further said.“The most important need of the hour is to release the Vanni IDPs detained in the camps and to resettle them in their own places at the earliest. Help should be offered to them to build up their livelihoods,” they further said.The representatives also pointed out the government imposed restrictions on the people of Jaffna peninsula in various matters including travel and harassment by armed forces.Jaffna GA, in his press release, said that he requested help from the visiting British emissaries in the issues of resettling Vanni IDPs and those selected from Jaffna detainment camps in their own places.

500 Lankan families returned from India last month
   
Around 500 families have flown back to Sri Lanka from India in the last one month, Vadivel Krishnamoorthy, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India said on Friday adding that this was opposed to just 20 families who had returned the previous month.In his first interaction with the reporters, after assuming charge as Deputy High Commissioner, Mr. Krishnamoorthy explained the various welfare measures initiated by the Sri Lankan government in the North and North Eastern Provinces after the end of civil war. “The fear factor has been removed. People are being treated equally irrespective of their ethnic background. The new Sri Lanka provides a favourable climate for investment. July 2009 alone witnessed 45.2 per cent increase in the number of tourist arrivals to the island from India. About 500 families have flown back to the island in the last one month against 20 families in the previous month,” he said.Addressing the members of India-ASEAN-Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he urged the Indian businessmen to make good use of the favourable investment climate for mutual benefit. “Though the bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka has grown from $0.5 billion to $3.2 billion in 2008, we are yet to touch the real potential. It can be scaled up since the fear factor has been removed. I am here to have long standing partnership with trade and business community,” he added.In his welcome address, Chamber president C.S. Muthu Subramaniyan said: “Recent developments in Sri Lanka provide enormous growth opportunity for development. Trade and investment opportunities are on the rise and Indian real estate companies have started exploring opportunities in the island.”

UN expert urges Sri Lanka to probe execution video

A United Nations expert on Friday urged the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent probe into the authenticity of a video clip aired in Britain allegedly showing Sri Lankan troops executing prisoners.Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said Colombo had categorically denied the allegations, but stressed the need for an investigation."If the government?s position is validated as a result of an inquiry, the international community can rest easy and the government will have been vindicated," he said."There is no justification for not moving ahead with such an investigation in view of the government?s confidence that such atrocities were never perpetrated by its armed forces," he added.The images, which he described as "horrendous," indicate a serious violation of international law if found to be authentic, he said.Alston also pointed out that he had asked permission to visit Sri Lanka on several occasions in recent years, but Colombo had not given him the green light.The video footage, aired Tuesday by Channel 4 in Britain, was allegedly shot during the final stages of the army's defeat of Tamil Tiger separatists.The rebels were finally vanquished in May after nearly four decades of ethnic bloodshed.Sri Lanka's military had said the video was a fabrication designed to "discredit" its armed forces.Widespread international concern was voiced over the number of civilians killed during the last leg of the fighting, while aid groups now fear for the welfare of 300,000 Tamils held in the state-run camps.

India based LTTE operative directed explosives to Colombo:Police

An LTTE cadre, now in custody has revealed the presence of a top LTTE operative in India who had controlled the transfer of explosives from the Vanni to Colombo and its suburbs during the Eelam war IV. This came to light recently when the police (Colombo Crime Division) forced the LTTE cadre to contact the operative based in India over the phone while he was being brought from Mannar to Colombo. Acting on information elicited from the LTTE, investigators recovered ten claymore mines, each weighing about ten kgs buried at Uppukulam, Mannar.Addressing a press conference at Police Headquarters, DIG Anura Senanayake, the senior officer in charge of the investigation said the CCD had made the initial breakthrough following the arrest of an LTTE operative at Badowita, Mount Lavinia police area. Under interrogation, he had led investigators to the Mannar based LTTE cadre who bared the existence of a senior operative based in India.Senanayake emphasised that there was absolutely no truth in the assertion that the recovery of explosives had been staged at the behest of former CCD Chief SSP Vas Gunawardena. He challenged the media to prove any irregularity on their part while promising the media access to additional information and a visit to Uppukulam.Police Chief Jayantha Wickremaratne said Gunawardena had an exemplary track record in fighting terrorism and crime. Referring to a series of recoveries of arms, including one surface to air missile and the arrest of all suspects involved in the killing of an eight-year-old girl in Trincomalee early this year, he said that officers like Gunawardena had worked at the risk of their lives. He regretted that a few incidents involving police officers had been used to run down the entire service. Senanayake said that among several persons, now in custody for moving explosives from Mannar to Colombo was a hari amuthu pudgalayek (a strange man). Asked whether the suspect was a politician, he declined to comment any further as it would impede the ongoing investigation.The IGP said that a section of the press had disputed the recovery made by the CCD on the basis of a statement attributed to Senior DIG Nimal Lewke, in charge of the Northern region. Lewke said that though he had been aware of the arrest of a person by the CCD with the knowledge of Mannar police on August 10 and recovery of a van allegedly used to move explosives from Mannar to Colombo, he had not been told of the recovery of explosives at the time he made a statement. Lewke said that his primary requirement was to ensure security for the Madhu feast on August 15 and he swiftly moved to reassure the Catholic clergy and the people of their safety and security.Senanayake said that the CCD team from Colombo had left Mannar after taking the van allegedly used to move explosives into their custody. "We released the driver after recording his statement as he was not involved with the LTTE," he said adding that the LTTE cadre arrested in Mannar had the Indian link while they were returning to Colombo. "They simply turned back and went in search of explosives buried at Uppukulam," he said.Responding to queries, the IGP said that he would inquire into a website report carried by the MCNS (Media Centre for National Security) website on the day the detection which may have contributed to inaccurate reporting by a section of the media. The MCNS had said that the claymore mines had been recovered along with the van.

British High Commissioner visits Jaffna

British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dr. Peter Hayes, visited Jaffna Thursday on an invitation by Basil Rajapakse, Senior Advisor to the President and his brother, to visit the bridge being built at Changuppiddi-Kearatheevu causeway on A32 land route to Jaffna with British Government’s aid. After visiting the building site the High Commissioner participated in an event along with Basil Rajapakse, Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Governor, G. A. Chandrasiri, where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities officially handed over 1100 acres of paddy land in Thenmaraadchi back to the farmers for cultivation, sources in Jaffna said.  The paddy lands had been converted into High Security Zone (HSZ) by the SLA for nearly nine years and the owners of the lands were not permitted to cultivate them.The above paddy lands are located in Koakilaakka’ndi and Thanangki’lappu areas in Thenmaraadchi.The farmers ploughed their fields with ploughs pulled by bullocks as a mark of having got back their lands.Basil Rajapakse and Minister Douglas Devananda too joined the farmers in the ceremonial event.Saiva and Christian priests were present at the event.

Sri Lanka finds LTTE fighter planes in Eritrea - Report

The Colombo based magazine Lankadweep said in recent reports that Sri Lankan army found 12 fighter planes belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ezham at the airport located in Eritrea.With crucial information blurted out by the LTTE leader Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP, Sri Lanka has managed to find the fight planes landed in Eritrea airport with the help of the government. The legitimate body of Eritrea continued their patronage to the Liberation Tigers since many years and assisted them in maintaining the air and sea based attack vehicles.The government invited Prabhakaran to vamoose from the war zone and seek safety in Eritrea, reported the magazine. Sri Lanka is on the verge to hold a peace talk with the country and confiscate the planes which pose a possible threat of air raids over their nation. Moreover, they are planning to retrieve the ships and submarines that are said to be in Eritrea to be utilized by the LTTEs for future assault.

28 August 2009

U.S. wants Sri Lanka to devolve power sooner

Power devolution in Sri Lanka should take place sooner rather than later to make progress towards greater political reconciliation with the Tamil community, the United States said.Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake, in an interview with a journalist from India Abroad said that is the only way for a definitive end to terrorism in the country.Responding to a question on U.S. policy on Sri Lanka Blake said the U.S. has encouraged progress on two fronts, the humanitarian situation, and the power devolution.Referring to the more than 250,000 internally displaced persons sheltered in the welfare camps in Sri Lanka's North, Blake said the U.S. has encouraged the Sri Lankan government to "allow them freedom of movement, and, more importantly, to allow them to be resettled to their homes as quickly as possible."The U.S. official welcomed the Sri Lankan government's pledge to resettle the majority of the IDPs by the end of the year."We encourage rapid progress towards that goal, but also steps taken so that the international community and the UN and ICRC and others have access to the camps so that the IDPs who are there now can be assured that they are receiving treatment and that everything that goes on there is up to international standards," he noted.On the second front, Blake said Sri Lanka needs to figure out ways to have a dialogue with the wide Tamil community, not only inside, but also outside."Clearly, that will include devolution of power under the 13th amendment, but there may be other suggestions as well. I think it’s important for there to be significant outreach, and it needs to take place sooner rather than later," Blake pointed out.Blake expressed concern on Sri Lankan President's desire to hold Presidential elections prior to any proposals on power devolution to get a wide public support for President's initiatives."We've been disappointed to hear recent statements by the President that he's not going to be in a position to take any measures on devolution of power until after presidential elections. We think that something needs to take place more quickly than that, and we are encouraging the government to do so, "Assistant Secretary Blake urged.Sri Lanka President is seeking a clear mandate from the Sri Lankan public to implement his plans for power devolution to the Tamil minority as devolution of power under the 13th amendment has been subjected to severe debate by the other political parties.

Sri Lanka police kill three underworld figures in a shoot-out

Sri Lanka police today clashed with an underworld gang killing three of the gang including their notorious leader, the police reported.Police spokesman senior DIG Nimal Mediwaka said an underworld leader named 'Faji' was killed together with two of his supporters in a shoot-out with the police in Maligawatte this morning. According to the spokesman, the police acting on a tip have raided the gang hideout in the pre-dawn hours of Friday when the police came under fire from the gang.Sri Lankan government has ordered the police to crackdown the underworld criminal activities in the Sri Lankan capital and several underworld figures from the Maligawatta area have been killed recently in skirmishes with the police.

India to seek LTTE leader's extradition

India has decided to place an extradition request for LTTE leader Kumaran Padmanadan, alias KP, nabbed by Sri Lanka earlier this month.A CBI team will leave for Colombo in September to grill KP on the " larger conspiracy" behind the 1991 Rajiv Gandhi assassination.Sources in the ministry of home affairs ( MHA) said the multi- disciplinary monitoring agency ( MDMA) under the CBI has been given a one- year extension with directions to focus on KP's interrogation and ensure his extradition to India.The request for MDMA's extension was pending with the MHA after its term ended on May 31." MDMA has been given an extension last week after Sri Lanka announced KP's arrest on August 7," a top MHA official said.KP is being interrogated by Sri Lankan officials after they nabbed him on August 5, reportedly on the basis of an input from Indian intelligence agencies, sources said.India accused KP of criminal conspiracy, arms smuggling and involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. He has been accused him of providing finances, arms, explosives, suicide vest and communication equipment to Dhanu and Sivarasan."KP's interrogation by Indian agencies and his extradition could unravel what the Jain Commission indicated as the larger international conspiracy behind Rajiv's killing," the official said.The MDMA has been on the job to unravel this " larger conspiracy" for 11 years without success."The MDMA made many efforts to secure the custody of KP and seek information in the last many years by sending Letters Rogatory to 27 countries.Last year, MDMA sent a team to Germany seeking banking details of the LTTE's 54- year- old chief financier. But we could not get him all these years," the official said."We expect Sri Lanka's cooperation in extraditing KP to India," the official added.

Non-combatants should be free to go, says court

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court has said that war-displaced persons in government-run camps should be allowed to go if they are non-combatants and have a place to go. The Daily Mirror reported on Thursday that the apex court made the observation when a petition filed on behalf of five Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) was taken up recently.The court observed that if 13-year-old Sopika Surendranathan and her parents, who were confined in the IDP camps, had a place to go and if their next-of-kin were prepared to take them, there was no reason for them to be kept in the camps any longer. The senior state counsel stated that the family were not combatants. The court also granted leave to proceed with the rights petition for alleged infringement of their fundamental right to equality and equal protection of the law as well as their right to the freedom of movement and of choosing their residence within Sri Lanka. The matter was listed for hearing on November 12.The petition contended that the family owned three houses and had relatives in Jaffna and Colombo and, if allowed to leave, could obtain accommodation.Separately, the government released 107 Hindu priests and their families housed in the war-displaced camps. Several Catholic priests were also released. However, Internews reported that two nuns would continue to stay in the camps and serve orphaned children.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress chief Rauf Hakeem, at a news conference here, charged that 70 Muslim families resettled in Verugal in the East had been chased away while 450 Muslim persons in Musali in the North had not been allowed to get on with their livelihood. “The government is carrying out showpieces just to show the world that it is resettling the displaced people but the essential thing should be a proper programme of resettlement,” he said.

SRI LANKA TO LODGE PROTEST WITH UK

Sri Lanka said yesterday it would protest to Britain over the Channel 4 TV station telecast of defamatory and distorted images of a Sri Lankan soldier shooting a man and a woman.Cabinet spokesman and Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told journalists at the weekly news briefing that the Foreign Ministry would take up the matter through diplomatic channels. The Channel 4, Britain’s second largest TV station had telecast the highly damaging video footage reportedly taped in January where a man and a woman stripped naked and bound were shot by a person in military uniform. The Channel 4 said the video had been sent by a group calling itself ‘Journalist for Democracy in Sri Lanka’ and that the channel could not vouch for the authenticity of the video. However, many other channels including Al Jazeera and CNN telecast the footage without any comments. CNN only warned viewers that the scenes might be disturbing.“The purpose of the telecast is no doubt to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka and the security forces at this critical time. The Sri Lankan government unequivocally and categorically dismisses it as a concerted attempt to tarnish the image of our country,”Minister Yapa said.He said these were the very same people who attempted to block the humanitarian operations and also tried to save LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran through their mud slinging campaigns while now they were on a mission to defame the Sri Lankan Army, which was one of the highly disciplined professional armies in the world.“We won’t ignore this. We want the Channel 4 and the British government to take action to prevent a repetition of this kind of fabricated propaganda against our armed forces. The Sri Lanka high Commission in London has already lodged a protest with Channel 4,” Mr. Yapa said. He charged that certain media organizations in the west were hell bent on spreading rumours and half baked information about Sri Lanka and added that  Sri Lanka was surely and steadily raising her head on all fronts after vanquishing the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world that bled the country for 30 years. Mr. Yapa said the government had given top priority to re-settle the 280,000 displaced people as early as possible and obtain their contribution for the country’s development process. “Certain elements in the local and international scene do not want this to happen. The Channel 4 episode is another attempt by these elements to pull the rug from under the government,” Minister Yapa said. He and Information Director Anusha Palpita said they had never heard of this group called ‘Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka’ adding that it could be a front organization for LTTE remnants attempting to pump oxygen to the dying organization.

Erik Solheim Suggests Investigation On SL War Crimes

Based on the video footage lived by the British broadcast channel 4 that depicted the cruel killings of people during the Ezham war in Sri Lanka, International peacemaker and Norwegian external affairs minister Erik Solheim suggested the global community to investigate the war crimes committed by Sri Lanka. Earlier, Erik Solheim led the peace keeping time on behalf of UN to settle the dispute between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ezham and the Sri Lankan government which turned futile. He is now about to met the UN envoy Ban Ki Moon and has promised he would urge the international community to commence an investigation. The Channel 4 video is more than solid evidence to accuse the government and those who committed the crime is punishable under law. 'Thousands of Tamils went missing during the bloody war and no one has questioned the government regarding this violation of Human Rights. The ruling government has willfully ignored human rights and laid rules of their own. Without evidences, the UN was unable to proceed but now we have the necessary docs to bring them under custody. Moreover, they have committed the punishable crime of kidnapping international journalists with their white van and I will urge the envoy to put an end to this atrocity,' said Solheim.

Canadian Tamils protest China's support to Lanka

Toronto: A large number of Canadian Tamils demonstrated outside the Chinese Consulate here, protesting China's financial, economic, and diplomatic support of the Sri Lankan government. "China must stop its support to Sri Lankan regime, which is running modern-day internment camps within its borders," David Poopalapillai, National Spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress said on Wednesday and added: "China is the largest supplier of arms to the Sri Lankan military and increased its help when other countries refused to sell military supplies for use in the civil war". Poopalapillai said: At the very least, China should use its diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka to pressure the government into releasing the 280,000 camp detainees in accordance with international law." Quoting a Human Rights Watch report, he said: "Sri Lanka is violating international law with its internment of the civilians. Amnesty International has called the camps overcrowded and unsanitary and said about 50,000 of the detainees are children". "Last year, China was also Sri Lanka's largest foreign donor, providing more than USD 1-billion into the country's treasury. Due to China's diplomatic support in the international arena, Sri Lanka was also able to disregard western nations' calls to adhere to human rights norms," he said. Many Tamils who attended the demonstration have their relatives or friends in the Sri Lanka military-supervised internment camps in Vavuniyaa where more than 300,000 Tamil civilians are living.

Sri Lanka Nay commissions new vessel

Sri Lanka Navy commissioned a new vessel to its fleet today in Trincomalee with the participation of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe.Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was the chief guest at the ceremony to commission the new vessel. Religious dignitaries representing all faiths, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, and Islam, invoked their blessings on the newly commissioned vessel.'Sayurala' the 74 meter long and 1,247 ton ship acquired from India will be used for deep sea patrols. The vessel is capable of a maximum speed of 21.5 knot. The ship is equipped with Marine Surveillance Radar and Communication equipment for the assigned role in Sri Lanka's Exclusive Economic Zone, the Navy said.Defence Secretary thanking India for its support in acquiring the former Indian Coast Guard ship, said the gesture of goodwill by the Government of India will strengthen the bilateral relations and build better cooperation between the two countries. Secretary Rajapaksa commended the Sri Lanka Navy for its effort and dedication to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and unity of the country.

Sri Lanka Will Resettle 50,000 Tamil War Refugees in Two Weeks

Sri Lanka said it will resettle 50,000 mostly Tamil refugees within two weeks as the international community presses for their release from camps where they have been held since the civil war ended in May. The refugees will return to their homes, including in Kilinochchi, the former headquarters of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and Mullaitivu, where Tamil Tiger forces made their last stand, the government said. The U.S. is leading calls for the swift return of more than 280,000 refugees to their homes. The U.K.’s opposition Conservative Party said yesterday they have spent 100 days in camps since the war ended and called on Sri Lanka to allow “full and unrestricted access” by United Nations workers and aid groups to the centers. President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government says a plan to return all refugees to their homes by December depends on mines being cleared in former conflict zones and security being established in the north. The defeat of the Tamil Tigers ended their 26-year fight for a separate Tamil homeland in the country’s north and east. The Sri Lankan government must live up to its pledge to meet the December deadline, William Hague, the U.K. Conservative Party’s foreign affairs spokesman, said in a statement. “Continued confinement in camps will simply sow the seeds of discontent and may lead to renewed conflict in years to come,” he said. “This would be a disastrous setback for the country when peace has been so hard won.”

Aid Access

Aid workers should be allowed access to screen refugees, help provide shelter, food, water and medicine, Hague said, adding that the call is all the more urgent because the monsoon rain season is approaching. Eric Schwartz, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, made a similar appeal last week and said displaced people should have the choice of leaving the camps. Heavy rains earlier this month flooded tents, overrunning temporary sewage systems and raising the threat of disease in refugee camps. The government said last week it will build a drainage system at Manik Farm in Vavuniya, the largest center, by Sept. 15. “All steps are being taken to resettle these people before any floods are caused by the onset of the next monsoon rains,” the government said on its Web site. “The numbers resettled could be even higher as more facilities are made available.”

Mine Clearing

Mine clearing operations will determine when refugees will leave the camps, Basil Rajapaksa, senior presidential adviser, said during a visit to the north two days ago. Areas previously dominated by the LTTE have to be “rebuilt from point zero,” he said. The army is deploying more troops to clear mines in former conflict zones to allow the return of refugees, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said. The military will have to recruit between 25,000 and 50,000 new personnel in order to maintain security in the region, he said this week. The government said yesterday it has started a cultivation program in the northern Jaffna Peninsula for paddy crops that will reclaim about 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of land by next year. “These paddy lands were left abandoned due to LTTE terrorist intimidation for over 10 years,” it said. The army defeated the LTTE’s last units in a battle near the northeastern port of Mullaitivu, killing the group’s leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his commanders. Kumaran Pathmanathan, the man appointed to replace Prabhakaran, was arrested Aug. 5 in an unidentified Southeast Asian country and brought to Colombo for questioning.

27 August 2009

Execution Video Shows Need for International Inquiry-HRW

Full Text of Press Release by HRW

A disturbing video recently provided to the media showing the apparent summary execution of prisoners by Sri Lankan soldiers underscores the need for an international commission of inquiry into possible war crimes committed by both sides during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said today. The video shows men in Sri Lankan army uniforms firing assault rifles point-blank at two naked, blindfolded, and bound men sitting on the ground. Eight other bodies are visible on the ground nearby, all but one unclothed. According to Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, a multiethnic exile organization, the video was taken by a soldier with a cell phone in January 2009. While Human Rights Watch could not confirm the video's authenticity, an independent expert consulted found nothing in the video that would dispute its authenticity. The summary execution of prisoners is a violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and a war crime."The blood, blindfolds, and mud of this apparent atrocity makes nonsense of President Rajapaksa's claims of a clean war against the Tamil Tigers," said Steve Crawshaw, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "An international inquiry needs to get to the bottom of this and other war crimes committed during the past year's fighting."Human Rights Watch reported numerous violations of the laws of war by both the Sri Lankan armed forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the 25-year-long armed conflict, which ended with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May. Because independent observers, including the media and human rights organizations, were prevented from operating near the war zone, the information available on the fighting and potential laws of war violations by both sides has been limited. Before the government could launch an investigation, a Sri Lankan army spokesman already labeled the video a "fabrication." Human Rights Watch has long criticized the government's failure to carry out impartial investigations and prosecutions of those responsible for the numerous human rights abuses committed by both sides during the conflict. There have been serious ongoing violations of human rights, and the backlog of cases of enforced disappearances and unlawful killings runs to the tens of thousands. Only a small number of cases have ended in prosecutions. Past efforts to address violations through the establishment of ad hoc mechanisms in Sri Lanka, such as presidential commissions of inquiry, have produced little information and few prosecutions.Human Rights Watch called for the United Nations secretary-general or other UN body to create an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate violations of the laws of war by all parties to the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, and to make recommendations for the prosecution of those responsible. On May 23, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, issued a joint statement from Sri Lanka in which the government said it "will take measures to address" the need for an accountability process for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. In a July interview with Time magazine, Rajapaksa said that during the war, "[t]here was no violation of human rights. There were no civilian casualties." "Since telling the UN secretary-general three months ago that he'd conduct investigations, Rajapaksa has sat on his hands," said Crawshaw. "Ban should stop relying on the president's promises of domestic action and make it clear that an international commission is needed if the victims of Sri Lanka's bloody war are to find justice."

Prabhakaran tried to escape to jungles before his death: Aide

Worried that LTTE's defeat at the hands of military would crush his dream of a separate Tamil homeland, slain LTTE chief V Prabhakaran had made a last ditch attempt to escape to the jungles in the north by breaching the Sri Lankan defence lines during the final phase of the war. Prabhakaran's now detained close aide Gokulan Master, who was with the Tiger chief during the last stage of the war three months back, disclosed this during interrogation. A day before he was killed on May 18 in Wanni, the Tiger supremo attempted to escape to the Puthukudiyiruppu Jungles by breaking through the Sri Lankan defence lines, the aide said. "If we fail in our final plan, we would be killed by the Sri Lankan army. In such an eventuality, no one can claim an Eelam (separate homeland for Tamils) in Sri Lanka and the Eelam dream would become a nightmare," Prabhakaran was quoted as saying by Master

Resettled Muslim IDPs chased out of Verugal – Hakeem

The government made a "political exhibition" of resettling 75 Muslim IDP families in Verugal, Trincomalee, on August 13, 2009 but five days later the Ichalampattu Pradeshiya Sabha Secretary, chased them out of the area, the SLMC alleged yesterday.Leader of the SLMC Rauff Hakeem said at a news conference in Colombo, the families that were driven out were natives of the area. "Muslims have been living in Upparu, Verugal in Trincomalee, since 1888 and some of them have land deeds dated 1933."He, said that the August 13, ceremony to re-settle the IDP families in Verugal was presided over by Cooperatives Minister Abdul Majeed, the Verugal Pradeshiya Secretary and the Verugal Priest. "But just five days after the political exhibition was enacted, the Ichalampattu Pradeshiya Sabha Secretary, thought it fit to chase out the Muslim families, who for years have been pushed from pillar to post." The resettlement process was good in principle, but the procedures adopted were seriously flawed, Hakeem said."On August 20, this month Resettlement and Disaster Relief Minister Rishard Bathuideen took the heads of 450 families and housed them in temporary houses in Musali comprising 15 villages. They had also been given one month of dry rations. But their movements have been restricted and they are unable to earn a livelihood."He, said that even Muslim children had been videoed by the security authorities, and a pass system has been introduced. This hinders their freedom of movement, while no such restrictions have been imposed on Tamils, in the adjoining village. Hakeem, appealed to the government, to at least grant the males permission to till their lands and for the fisherman to go out to sea, without any hinderances. The authorities, should also take immediate steps to move nearly 40,000 Jaffna IDP’s housed in Manik Farm, Vavuniya to their original homes, since Jaffna was now fully under state control, he added.

India to set up agricultural institute 
   
The Indian government is planning to establish an agricultural research institute in the Northern Province to facilitate the development of agriculture in the area in the post war period, highly placed diplomatic sources said yesterday.They said that a team of Indian agricultural experts would arrive in Sri Lanka during the second week of September to work out the action plan for  agricultural development work in the province. A Memorandum of Understanding is to be signed regarding this.Sources said that the Indian government also intended to provide seeds and planting material for the next ‘Maha season’ as a grant to the government. “India will consider the supply of individual packets of agricultural implements to farmers on a priority basis for the next season,” sources said. Sources said that India intended to develop, over time, a technological and knowledge base in Sri Lanka in the agricultural field by establishing these institutions. All of these programmes will be covered by the aid package of US $ 105 million, pledged by the Indian government during the final stage of the war at Sri Lanka’s request. Under this aid package, India has sent medical requirements in five lots, and also established an emergency medical unit in Pulmoddai.  In order to facilitate the resettlement of displaced persons, India has sent 2600 tonnes of roofing sheets for the roofs of 5000 shelter units that are to be put up in the North. Among the other proposals that are under consideration are projects to establish vocational training centres, solar power plants for identified villages which have no access to the national grid system  and  programmes for cultural renewal in the Jaffna peninsula.

26 August 2009

Is this evidence of Sri Lankan 'war crimes'?

Channel 4 News shows footage claimed to show Sri Lankan forces executing Tamils earlier this year. Jonathan Miller reports.Just three months after the Sri Lankan government declared the country liberated from the Tamil Tigers, video footage has emerged apparently showing government troops summarily executing Tamils. Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which obtained the material, said it was filmed in January - when the international media were prevented by the Sri Lankan government from covering the conflict zone. Tonight, the Sri Lankan High Commission denied the government had carried out atrocities against the Tamil community. A Sri Lankan army spokesman also called the video a "fake". Read the response here. The Sri Lankan government launched a large scale military offensive in January capturing the Tamil Tiger held town of Kilinochchi. The army then steadily pushed the rebels into an small area of the north-east. Be warned - there are extremely disturbing scenes in this report from our foreign affairs correspondent Jonathan Miller.

Sri Lanka High Commission response

"The High Commission of Sri Lanka categorically deny that the Sri Lankan armed forces engaged in atrocities against Sri Lankan Tamil community. They were only engaged in a military offensive against the LTTE. "The High Commission has noted that in many instances in the past, various media institutions used doctored videos, photographs and documents to defame the Sri Lankan government and armed forces. Therefore, we request you to verify the authenticity of the video footage before the telecast".

IDP clergy 'to be released'
    
Hundreds of Hindu and Christian clergy are to be released from the camps for the displaced people in Vavuniya, authorities said.Vavuniya Government Agent PSM Charles told BBC Tamil service that 800 Hindu priests and six Catholic priests are scheduled to be released on Wednesday. Over 400 Hindu priests, she said, will be joining their relatives while the others will be resettled in their ancestral lands.Fr. Victor Soosai, Vicar General of diocese of Mannar earlier told BBC Sandeshaya that six Catholic priests and three nuns are also being detained in the IDP camps by the authorities. Ms. Charles added that clergy will be provided with transport facilities to travel to Jaffna, Mannar and to the east.Nearly 300,000 internally displaced people (IDPs), most of them Tamil nationals, are held in camps in Vavuniya district. 

Sun sets on Eastern flag

The newly designed flag of the Eastern Provincial Council ran into a bitter controversy after some Muslim councillors objected on the basis that their community had not been properly reflected in it, provincial council sources said yesterday.They said the need for a separate flag was mooted after the EPC was elected in May last year. The Eastern Province was de-merged from the Northern Province on a Supreme Court order.The sources said this flag carried pictures of an eagle to represent the Trincomalee district, the singing fish to represent the Batticaloa district, and a lion to represent the Ampara district with the rising sun on the four corners of the flag signifying the East where the sun rises. They said that in view of the objections raised by some of the Muslim councillors a newspaper advertisement had been published calling for artistes to submit fresh designs for a new flag.  Meanwhile, JVP member Wasantha Piyatissa said it was high time that a common Sri Lankan identity was forged instead of members harping on or arguing about identities based on different communities. He said the drawing of the lion on the Eastern Province flag could not even be recognized.

14 Anti-tank mines planted along Giant Tank bund

The Indian De-mining Organization, Sarvatra, said yesterday that it had recovered 14 anti-tank mines planted along the one kilometre stretch of the Mannar Giant tank bund which is now under renovation with Japanese financial assistance.Sarvatra has been engaged in de-mining operations in Sri Lanka since 2003. The organization said that it had expedited the mine clearance work in the ‘Rice Bowl’ area of Mannar so that it could complete the task before monsoon rain starts and hand over the lands for farmers to cultivate.   The Manager-Operation of Sarvatra, Mandir Singh told Daily Mirror yesterday that the area was a heavy mine field, and there were days when they recovered 200-300 anti-personal mines. Mr. Singh said only 10-20 mines were sometimes found in a day. “We now use a special machine called Arjun machine which can remove any type of mine without exploding. There are eight such machines in our possession.  The earth is very hard and dry. So, we use specially renovated water bowsers to sprinkle water on earth and wait for three hours.  Then, we de-mine easily,” he said.He said that his organization also carries out post clearance observation in the de-mined villages.There are mine fields called ‘nuisance mine fields’ where the LTTE has planted mines here and there without any track record on them. The LTTE-planted anti-tank mines are called ‘Amman 200’. Besides, there are mines called ‘bar mines’ invented by the LTTE.The organization said the places around the LTTE bunkers were heavily mined. Mr. Singh said that a mine worker could de-mine an area of 60-70 square kilometres a day with the use of machines. However, only less than ten square kilometres could be cleared of mines manually a day.  The Indian organization has 52 Indian and 58 local workers.

Bid to release S Lanka war refugees

Sri Lankan opposition lawmakers have urged the government to release nearly 300,000 war refugees held in state-run camps, saying the detentions brought shame on the country.The government has been holding the ethnic Tamil civilians at a string of camps in the north, saying it needed to screen the population for Tamil Tiger fighters who may have escaped when the military routed the separatist rebels in May.International rights groups have called on the government to release the civilians, and many aid workers fear the coming rainy season could lead to a humanitarian crisis in the camps."These camps stand as a symbol of shame and disgrace to our proud Sri Lankan history," said Mano Ganesan, an opposition lawmaker and head of a group calling itself Parliamentarians for Human Rights."These camps are like prisons. People are kept against their will and that's illegal," he told reporters.Mr Ganesan also demanded that opposition lawmakers be allowed to visit the camps. The government has severely restricted access, barring most reporters, rights workers and relatives from entering."Parliamentarians have a right to visit any place in the country, and it's our responsibility too to ensure the well being of our people," Mr Ganesan said.Sri Lankan defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the government was considering the issue of access to the camps, but accused the opposition of using the displaced to gain "political advantage."The government has said it will resettle the displaced in their villages in the former war zone after the area has been cleared of land mines. Authorities have resettled more than 5,000 of the displaced, and officials say they hope to resettle 80% by the end of the year, a task many aid workers and diplomats doubt is possible.The rebels fought for a separate homeland for the country's Tamil minority since 1983. The conflict killed more than 80,000.

Sri Lanka elite police kill two LTTE cadres in a clash

Sri Lanka's elite Special Task Force police Tuesday gunned down two LTTE cadres who have been operating in the Eastern Province for some time, the Media Center for National Security said.Troops of the STF clashed with a group of Tigers in Thirimunai lagoon area yesterday night. Troops discovered two bodies of the Tigers along with their weapons following the clash.Meanwhile, troops of 57 division conducting search and clear operations in Kilinochchi recovered six barrels of diesel hidden in Vishvamadu along with several anti personnel mines.

Mrs Patkunan Yogeswary named UPFA mayoral, candidate for Jaffna MC

Media Secretary of the EPDP, M. Stalin, yesterday said that an EPDP member and teacher by profession, Mrs Patkunam Yogeswary had been named the UPFA Mayoral candidate for Jaffna MC.Speaking in the absence of EPDP Leader Minister Douglas Devananda, who was away abroad, the Media Secretary said that the Deputy Mayor was EPDP stalwart Illango with the nom de guerre ‘Regan’.The Assistant Commissioner of Elections for the Jaffna District, P. Kuhanathan said that he had forwarded the names of 23 members who were elected (9) EPDP members, (4) All Ceylon Muslim Congress members, (8) ITAK members and the name of TULF Leader V. Anandasangari and Moulavi B. A. S. Sufiyan who contested as an Independent Group under the Ship symbol to the Commissioner of Elections for the required Gazette notification.Meanwhile, the Leader of the TULF V. Anandasangari who was elected said that he does not consider the Polls to Jaffna MC as an election that was held properly. The people were denied the right to vote freely of their own will.Voters were threatened discreetly by armed groups who roamed the Municipal limits of Jaffna and despite several appeals made to governmental authorities to disarm them and for Government to provide security for them fell on deaf years.At any given time, two or three Ministers were visiting Jaffna weekly doing their best to fool the voters by promising everything, wasting millions of rupees to haul Media personnel in troop carriers from Colombo by air and abuse the state media for their propaganda, open the internal roads in Jaffna to public, the release of Jaffna IDPs who were in Vavuniya and open the A (9) Highway symbolically all this took place two or three days before the polls .And with all that the number of votes polled cannot be considered a just victory, V. Anandasangari said.The founder Leader of the Northern Muslim Rights Organisation in early 1990s B. A. S. Sufiyan, who contested Jaffna MC as an Independent under symbol of Ship and was elected, said that though the Commissioner of Elections did his best to ensure that the rule of law, the Polls were free and fair, but what transpired was something beyond his control.He said that the Government had made use of the All Ceylon Muslim Congress Leader Minister Rishard A. Badhuideen to spend over 50 million to woo the 3500 or more displaced Muslim voters of Puttalam, Ministers as Ameer Ali and Deputy Ministers Bhaila and Provincial Ministers as Hisbullah were utilised for the propaganda campaigns.There are 10,400 registered voters according to the Electoral Register for Jaffna MC, of them only 4,000 or more were eligible to vote. Some lived far away. Around 3000 who applied to vote were rejected as they did not know how they were to fill the forms, some had double registries in their name, addresses were not known to contact them, so many were unable to cast their votes.

Kariyawasam new High Commissioner designate to Delhi
   
Sri Lanka's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam has been named the new High Commissioner to India. A senior career diplomat, Kariyawasam joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1981 and has held diplomatic assignments at Sri Lanka Missions in Geneva, Riyadh, Washington and New Delhi.In India, he held the post of Deputy High Commissioner at ambassadorial level. He also served as the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, Consul General of Sri Lanka to Switzerland and Personal Representative of the Head of State of Sri Lanka to the G-15. Kariyawasam will succeed High Commissioner Romesh Jayasinghe, who in turn will succeed Dr. Palitha Kohona as the new Foreign Secretary (as reported by Asian Tribune last week). Dr. Kohona will leave for New York, by September 10 to take up his new assignment as Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative at the UN succeeding H.M.G.S. Palihakkara.Also, as reported in these columns last week, Ahmed Jawad, currently Director General, Economic Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, has been named Sri Lanka's new Ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia.Other career diplomats due to take up new assignments overseas include Pamela Deen, Kshenuka Senewiratne and Chitrangani Wagiswara.Although no assignments have been confirmed, they are likely to fill ambassadorial posts due to fall vacant shortly in several countries, including Italy, Vietnam, Thailand, Sweden, Canada, South Africa and the UN Mission in Geneva. Furthermore, Nawalage Bzanette Coorey former MP for Colombo District and the SLFP Organizer for Kollonawa has been tipped as the new Ambassador to The Philippines and the former Governor of the Northern Province Dixon Dela Bandara is believed to be the new High Commissioner designate to Maldives Islands.

Maheswaran's bodyguard gives evidence

A Bodyguard of late Parliamentarian T.Maheshwaran, Police Constable Darmasiri Perera yesterday gave evidence before the Colombo High Court in connection with the T. Maheshwaran murder case. The Attorney General filed indictment against Johnson Collin Valentino alias Wasantha (23) of Beach road, Gurunagar, Jaffana for the alleged murder of Maheshwaran at Sivam Kovil at Kotahena on January 1, 2008. The Indictment includes 28 witnesses and 9 productions. The accused was residing at Eliyamulla, Wattala at the time of the alleged murder. Sellavadorei Paramasodinatha of Vivekananda Road, Colombo 13 also gave evidence yesterday before the Colombo High Court Judge Sunil Rajapakse. UNP Parliamentarian T. Maheshwaran was murdered at Sivam Kovil at Kotahena on January 01, 2008. The Court put off the hearing for today.

25 August 2009

Dolphin van scare in Vavuniya camps
 
Displaced Tamil people are being daily abducted from camps in Vavuniya by people who come in vans, a displaced person told the BBC.Speaking with BBC Sandeshaya from a camp for internally displaced people (IDP) in Vavuniya, the IDP said all the displaced try to hide in their tents as the 'Dolphin vans' arrive in the camps. "We do not know what exactly happens as everybody hides as soon as they see the vans. But I know that two to three people are disappearing daily," he said. Some IDPs may also be secretly leaving the camps by paying the authorities, he said. "Some people have suddenly disappeared. I don't know whether they were abducted or left with the help of the authorities."

Meeting relatives

Those who have been already identified as LTTE operatives are sometimes helping the security officials to recognize those who have earlier supported the LTTE, according to the man. The Tamil man who did not want to be identified due to fear for his safety said they are only allowed to meet relatives separated by a barbed wire fence. When food is delivered the IDPs have to stay in queues for more than an hour, depending upon the camp, to get their quota of meals or dry food. As the rainfall continues, he said, it is very difficult to live in the camps due to floodwaters and bad smell from the lavatories that have overflown. The IDP says that it might even take about three years for the authorities to resettle all the displaced at the current pace.Nearly 300,000 IDPs are held by the authorities in different camps in Vavuniya.

US Court rules against attempt to de-list the LTTE
   
A US Court has ruled against an attempt to de-list the LTTE by an organization which had challenged an executive order issued by President George W. Bush in 2001 which allowed the US government to designate groups as terrorist organizations, freeze their assets and block aid, the US media reported.The International Emergency Economic Powers Act was enacted by Congress in 1977 and was originally used by presidents to impose economic sanctions on foreign nations considered a threat to national security. But in 2001, President George W. Bush issued executive orders under the law that enabled him, through the Treasury Department, to designate groups as terrorist organizations, freeze their assets and prohibit any aid or services to the groups. The penalty for violating the law is a fine of either $250,000 or twice the amount of money given to a group.The procedure was challenged in federal court in Los Angeles by the Humanitarian Law Project, which sought to aid the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam in Sri Lanka.Project lawyers argued that the law was unconstitutionally vague and that it violated the First Amendment right of free speech.But a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday by a 2-1 vote that the law regulates conduct, not speech, and does not violate the Constitution.The court majority said, "There is no right to provide resources with which terrorists can buy weapons and explosives."

Sri Lanka: India’s latest security nightmare

Sri Lanka is fast emerging as a security nightmare for India. Basking in its military success against the separatist Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka is cementing its ties with China and Pakistan, ignoring Indian security interests. By embracing India’s enemies and inviting them home, treating them as guests, and doing business with them, Sri Lanka is embarking on a dangerous foreign policy that has the potential to undermine India’s national security.The Chinese are developing a port in Hambantota in Southern Sri Lanka, which experts feel could be converted into a Chinese naval base at short notice. In a recent interview to Tehelka, Colonel (retired) R Hariharan, a Sri Lanka expert, had stated: “Though Hambantota is being developed as a merchant shipping port, it can be converted into a naval base by adding a few facilities.”The Chinese are building an expressway in Colombo and are also involved in an important power project in North Sri Lanka. As the two countries keep signing more collaborative projects, and the Chinese presence increases in Sri Lanka, it would bring the Chinese within breathing (or striking) distance of India’s southern coast, where several sensitive installations including atomic power plants are located. Chinese personnel will be all over Sri Lanka.In a recent article titled, ‘Growing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka’, Gunjan Singh at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, writes: “This increasing closeness between Colombo and Beijing is a reason for concern for New Delhi. During the construction of the (Hambantota) port a large number of Chinese experts are to be expected to be present in the region and this is proving to be a security concern for the Indian side.”Sri Lanka doesn’t lose an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to one-China policy. By doing that Sri Lanka accepts Chinese claims over Taiwan. But Sri Lanka maintains a stoic silence on Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh. It doesn’t want to spoil its relations with Pakistan or China by coming out with a pro-India stand on Kashmir or Arunachal Pradesh. For all the military and financial assistance it has got from India, Colombo has done few favours in return.Despite bending backwards to woo Sri Lanka, by providing it with arms and training its personnel, India has failed to win over Colombo to its side. Journalist Nitin Gokhale has revealed in his recent book, ‘Sri Lanka: From War to Peace’: “Publicly India maintains that it would not give Sri Lanka any offensive weapons. Yet, in early 2006, India quietly gifted five Mi -17 helicopters to the Sri Lankan Air Force…The only Indian condition was these helicopters would fly under Sri Lankan Air Force colours. New Delhi clearly did not want to annoy UPA’s Tamil Nadu allies like the DMK unnecessarily.”Who are these Chinese whom the Sri Lankans are cozying up to? What intentions do they have about India? D S Rajan of the Chennai Centre for China Studies recently shook the Indian security establishment with his article titled, “China should break up the Indian Union, suggests a Chinese strategist.” A China expert, with the added advantage of knowledge of the Chinese language, Rajan translated the contents of a Chinese article that advocated breaking up of India.Rajan states in the article: “The writer (of the Chinese article) has argued… (that) China in its own interest and the progress of whole Asia, should join forces with different nationalities like Assamese, Tamils, and Kashmiris and support the latter in establishing independent nation-states of their own, out of India. In particular, the ULFA in Assam, a territory neighboring China, can be helped by China so that Assam realizes its national independence.”Strategic expert B Raman commends Rajan’s analysis. Rajan concludes his article stating: “In any case, an approach of panic towards such outbursts will be a mistake, but also ignoring them will prove to be costly for India.”Raman writes in his blog: “What is wrong in this analysis? In the 1950s, a number of maps of the Indo-Chinese border started circulating in China and appearing in sections of the Chinese media. The Indian intelligence rightly brought these to the notice of Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister, who took up the matter with Chou En-lai, his Chinese counterpart. He assured Nehru that these maps were circulated by private individuals and had been prepared by the Taiwanese before 1949. He told Nehru that India should not worry about them. Nehru was shocked before the 1962 war when the Chinese used the very same maps, which Chou had described as not official, for claiming large parts of Indian territory and occupying much of it. Today, it is on the basis of the very same maps which the Chinese portrayed as not official that they are claiming Arunachal Pradesh as Chinese territory.”Discussing the combined threat posed by China and Sri Lanka, M G Devasahayam, a retired bureaucrat, writes in The Statesman dated 22 August 2009, “The premonition of Bharat Verma, editor of the Indian Defence Review, that ‘China will launch an attack on India before 2012 and there are multiple reasons for a desperate Beijing to teach India the final lesson, thereby ensuring Chinese supremacy in Asia in this century’ has been in the making for the last few years. By that time Sri Lanka would be fully prepared with an Armed Force of 300,000 (the 8th largest in the world), near-fully trained and equipped by China and Pakistan, forcing India to open a massive land-sea front in the south, which till now has been peaceful. It is thus evident that India’s ‘foreign policy’ on Sri Lanka has been palpably against national interest and security.”As if Chinese presence in Sri Lanka was not enough, Colombo is now all set to train Pakistani army personnel in anti-guerilla warfare in soon-to-be established training schools in the Tamil dominated North Sri Lanka. Lankan army chief Lt General Jagath Jayasuriya has said that these schools would be established in Mullaitivu, Killinochchi and Vavuniya. The proposed training to the Pakistani personnel is to be provided based on a request from Islamabad to train their officers in ‘small team operations.’ What the Pakistanis are capable of doing to weaken India is known to everyone. Their presence near India’s southern borders should ring the alarm bells in the Indian security establishment.

New Eastern flag to represent all ethnic groups

A new regional flag would be designed for the Eastern Province to represent  the aspects of all  communal groups living in co-existence in the Eastern region, Chairman of the Eastern Provincial Council, Mohammad Faiz said.The decision to formulate a new flag was discussed and approved at a provincial council meeting held six months ago, he said.Accordingly, a team of intellectuals and professionals have been appointed designing of the new flag.In the East all  Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims  represent the population of the province.

Tamil Diaspora’s death silent after KP’s arrest 
 
According to our Foreign correspondent , the pro LTTE Tamil Diaspora and its sympathizers are in deep silence over the arrest of K.P. alias Selvaraja Pathmanathan on Aug. 05th. K.P. the new LTTE leader and arms procurer for the LTTE was officially arrested by the SL Security division in an undisclosed country There has been no action taken despite Rudrakumaran , a lawyer under a new letterhead claimed that K.P.s arrest was an abduction . Not one person among those who protested in lakhs in the past wrote a letter to request the release of K.P. Those who sold LTTE flags and emblems for 50 pounds during the days when demonstrations were staged have all been displaced , it is reported. The Organization carried on under the name of ‘Tamil Forum’ in England and its leader Suren Surendiran have also not released any information regarding K.P’s arrest. The voice of the LTTE , the Tamilnet web too has not made mention of anything over the arrest.Satheesan Kumaran , the LTTE propaganda leader who was operating from Norway , and prominent leaders of the LTTE in France, Germany,Canada and America have all disappeared , it is learnt. Though K.P. is a seasoned leader , others are not and are therefore hiding.   Not even the journalists who openly wrote about the SL Tamil problem and AL Jazeera news Agency have been able to speak out after K.P.’s arrest ( One non extremist prominent media personnel has not published a single article after Aug.7th)Some sources say , there are also others – high profile officers of the UN Organization who had links with K.P. are keeping silent because they fear that if they give out any information , they may be suspected of aiding international terrorism and be punished.Trading in arms and drug trafficking are illegal , and those who aid and abet in these offences can be hauled up before the International law and punished , under any circumstance. Meanwhile ,SL’s security Division has declared that in the stamping out of the LTTE , they getting the opportunity to arrest K.P. alive is much more useful than killing of Prabhakaran.

'Exhume' child workers' bodies  
 
The judiciary in Sri Lanka has ordered the police to submit a new post-mortem report after exhuming the bodies of two teenage girls from plantation sector.Bodies of two Tamil girls from estate sector, Lakshmanan Sumadhi, 13, and Madhuraweeran Jayarani, 16, were found in a canal near Torrington Place, Colombo on 15 August. The two teenage girls have been working as domestic servants for ULM Kaushik and WM Fazar in Baudhaloka Mawatha in Colombo, according to media reports. It is illegal to employ children as domestic workers in Sri Lanka.

'Committed suicide'

Police said the two girls have committed suicide but the parents have expressed doubts as the handwriting in the letter supposedly written by the girls did not match with their handwriting. Deputy Justice Minister V Putrasigamani, himself a Tamil of Indian origin, has ordered a special investigation into the deaths of two Tamil girls of Indian origin. He also accused the police of failing to conduct a thorough investigation.“I can’t believe that one can commit suicide by jumping into a small canal,” he told journalist KS Udayakumar. E Thambiah, Attorney at Law appearing for the interests of the deceased, told BBC Sandeshaya that the parents are also suspicious of the medical report. “Parents have noticed some injuries before the post-mortem but there was no mention of injuries in the autopsy report by Dr. Kulathunga,” he said. The police were ordered by the Colombo magistrate to submit the new post-mortem report on 11 September.

New roads to link N-E with South

Two new roads, Trincomalee outer Circular Road and Seruwila-Somawathiya Road have been planned by the Road Development Authority (RDA) with the active participation of the Sri Lanka Army to improve connectivity between the Eastern and Northern Provinces with the rest of the country and facilitate an efficient road network for the economic development of the country. The Trincomalee outer circular road will provide access to new areas identified around Trincomalee harbour for development to maximize land utilization. The road project is linking Nilaweli with Sampur in the environs of Trincomalee bay by connecting main arteries to Trincomalee city and provides the access to the proposed industrial zones declared by the Board of Investment (BOI) and Urban Development Authority (UDA). The trace has been established by the Road Development Authority (RDA) along with the active participation of Sri Lanka Army (SLA). An RDA spokesman said the opening up of new corridors and formation of road platform of the road has already started by the Army. The road embankment of the Northern part of the road (AKT road junction to Pulmodai-Trincomalee road junction) has already been completed and the Southern part embankment from Sampur to Mahaweli river (Left bank side) is completed except the small section in Sampur side which has to be done with the construction of bridge across Mahaweli river. The formation of road platform work from Mahaweli river to the Thampalakamam-Kinniya (B541) road has to be done. There are eight major bridges including the bridge across Mahaweli river and 18 small bridges are located along the new alignment. Seruwila-Somawathiya Road trace has been identified by the RDA with the help of the Army. The proposed road consists of several sections. The proposed road trace starts at Southern end of Palatoppu-Seruwila (B347) road along the new alignment upto Arippu junction where it meets Batticaloa-Tirikondiyadimadu-Trincomalee (BTT) road (A015). The length of this section is approximately 6.7 km and the road platform has been completed. From Arippu junction to Verugal river crossing (Batticaloa and Trincomalee district border) again road traverses along the new alignment. The length of this section is around 6.5 km and the trace has been cleared. After the Verugal river crossing, it traverses through the jungle patch upto Kinnerikulam which also follows the new alignment of approximately 10 km in length. None of the activities has been carried out yet on this road stretch. The road they traverse along the existing cart track from Kinnerikulam to Mattakkattikulam which has 6 km length. The preparation of road platform of this section is in progress now under the supervision of the Army. The next section is from Mattakkattikulam to Thrikonamadu and the formation of 10m wide road platform has been completed. The length of this section is around 1.5km. The section from Thrikonamadu to Sinhapura has a length of 8.2 km and traverses through the existing gravel road which is maintained by Mahaweli Authority. The platform width of this section is 10m. The road section from Sinhapura to Kandakadu is on existing metal and tarred road maintained by the Mahaweli Authority. The length of this section is 4.6 km and the carriageway width is 5m. The next section from Kandakadu to Mahaweli river crossing traverse through the existing gravel road which belongs to the Mahaweli Authority. The length of this section is around 5.9 km and the platform width of this section is approximately 8m. The final section from Mahaweli river crossing to Somawathiya traverses through the new alignment of 2.5 km and the 10m wide platform has been completed on this section. The total length of the road is around 51.9 km. There are four major bridges along the proposed trace which includes a major bridge across Mahaweli river which has a span of nearly 300m and others are Arippu, Verugal and Kandakadu with 30m. 85m and 50m spans respectively.

Project purpose

The main objective of the project is to improve connectivity to Eastern and Northern Provinces from the rest of the country. The selected roads traverse through the rural areas which has agriculture based economy. The improvement of roads will improve the accessibility to these economically backward areas. The improvement of road infrastructure will enable the quick improvement of other infrastructure facilities such as electricity, water and sanitation, health, education etc. in these rural areas. Due to the lack of maintenance during the last three decades, the travel time and vehicle operating cost have been increased. It is expected to reduce the vehicle operating cost and travel time with the road improvement.

24 August 2009

Proposal to ban parties under racial and religious names rejected 
 
The Parliamentary select committee which was to decide on a constitutional amendment regarding the banning of racial and religious named political parties for Parliamentary elections, rejected this proposal, it is reported.The selective Committee headed by Minister Dinesh Gunawardena took the decision after a section of the membership of the selective Committee including Constitution Minister Dew Gunasekera , SLMC Leader Rauf Hakeem severely protested against the proposal. Minister Tissa Vitharana however has supported the proposal , it is learnt. As a number of fundamental petitions have been filed on this and there is decision pending on this issue at the Supreme Court, the Committee decided to put the discussion on hold. An amended proposal later following the SC decision was suggested .While the UNP claimed that banning of political parties registering under racial and religious names is contradictory to the Constitutional provisions, the TNA , SLMC and Mangala Samaraweera have taken this matter to Courts. It transpired that the Opposition party leaders in the Committee have expressed that this amendment is unconstitutional, and if implemented and will cause the minorities to lose their rights to make their demands According to reports there are already 61 registered parties , while 15 new parties have applied for registration to the Elections Commissioner.One of the members of the Parliament select committee told Lanka e news , that at the time SL got its independence , there was only one registered Tamil political party, but now there are 15 of them. Though there are 10 Muslim registered political parties now . then there was none. As unlimited applications for registrations have piled up , the Elections Commissioner is in a heap of problems , informed sources say. This deluge of applications may be because of the new laws to be introduced to limit registrations . However , the new laws will not apply to the already registered parties. 

Civil courts for Kilinochchi & Mullaitivu

The Ministry of Justice has taken a decision to set up courts in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, before resettlements take place in those areas.A high court and a magistrate court will be established in Kilinochchi while Mullaitivu will have a magistrate court, official sources said. Vanni people went to LTTE “courts” when they were under its control and now will have to come to these courts for their needs. At present cases relating to these areas are being heard in the Vavuniya courts.

UK turned down Sri Lanka's request to supply ammo
   
Sri Lanka's request for supply of ammunitions during its war against Tamil Tigers was turned down by Britain, officials said. “Britain had even declined to supply ammunition for 30 mm guns mounted on Sri Lankan Navy's Fast Attack Craft," an official said  quoting sources. Sri Lanka took delivery of ten 30 mm guns from Britain in 1996 along with 6,000 rounds of ammunitions. Although the UK had delivered 2,000 more rounds of ammunition later, it turned down subsequent requests for the same, sources said.

Tiger SP tried to rescue abducted SSP

SP Lakshman Cooray, now in police custody over his clandestine links with the LTTE, had been involved in an abortive bid to rescue SSP Charles Wijewardene after LTTE terrorists masquerading as civilians abducted him in Jaffna during the CFA.Police said that it was not clear whether Cooray had been on the LTTE payroll at that time. Sources said that Cooray had been one of the major LTTE operatives identified by authorities and the first big catch after the collapse of the LTTE last May.

Tamil doctors released on bail   
 
A court in Colombo has ordered the release of four government doctors detained on suspicion on providing 'false information' to international media outlets.Colombo chief magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi made the order after the police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) said the police have no objections over releasing them on bail. T Satyamurthy and T Vartharaja, Medical Superintendants of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts and doctors V Shanmugarajah and Ilanchelian Vallavan were detained under the prevention of terrorism act (PTA). It is confirmed that the doctors have provided false information to international media outlets during the last stages of war under the influence of the LTTE, police informed the court.

'Exaggerated' figures

Releasing the four doctors on conditional bail, the magistrate ordered them to appear before the CID at Vavuniya police station every month. The counsel for the doctors, E Thambiah, told BBC Sandeshaya that it is not clear whether the doctors will be released soon."We are awaiting the decision by the Attorney General to release or charge them in a court of law," he said.Five doctors, including Dr. Sivapalan, who worked in Sri Lanka's combat zone in the last weeks of the war earlier said that they exaggerated figures for civilian casualties. They did so, they told reporters at the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), because of pressure on them from the Tamil Tiger rebels, who controlled the area where they were working. Regularly during the war some of the doctors said people had died in shelling which appeared to come from government-controlled territory. They were arrested in May this year and has been in detention since then.

No charges against 'Sinhala Tigers'   
 
Police terrorist investigators have failed to find any evidence to charge a group accused of helping Tamil Tigers, their lawyer said.Manjula Pathiraja, Attorney at Law, told BBC Sandeshaya that the authorities will have to release the whole group soon.He was commenting on the latest release by the courts of two Sinhala nationals accused of supporting the LTTE."These people were detained for over one and half years, without charges, under detention orders," Mr. Pathiraja said. A group of journalists and trade union activists were abducted and later found in the custody of police Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) in February 2007.

'Abducted'

They were arrested on suspicion of conspiring with the LTTE to overthrow the democratically elected government.The suspects were accused of forming an organisation called Revolutionary Liberation Army and having close links with the LTTE.   The suspects were never charged in a court of law.Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told media days after the arrest that three journalists have confessed to planning and carrying out attacks on behalf of the rebels. The military found explosives hidden by the suspects after the arrest, he added.journalists were shown footages of suspects 'confessing' to have worked with the Tamil Tigers to stage attaks in the south of the country.Media watchdogs, RSF and FMM, protested authorities using alleged confessions taken while in custody.After considering fundamental rights (FR) petitions, the Supreme Court earlier this year released 11 of them without charge.Sarath Fernando, one of those recently released by the court, said that he was tortured while in custody after he refused to confess working for the LTTE. Speaking with BBC Sandeshaya from an unidentified location outside Sri Lanka, he said he filed a formal complaint with the magistrate regarding the torture.    

The Tamil Leader Amirthalingham to be remembered

The Tamil veteran leader, late Appapillai Amirthalingham is to be remembered in London, on his 82nd birthday. Late Amirthalingham who first contested unsuccessfully as an Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi(Federal Party) candidate at Vaddukoddai in 1952, and he continued to lead the Sri Lankan Tamils since his untimely demise in 1989. He was the General Secretary of the Tamil United Liberation Front and was the Leader opposition from 1977 to 1983 in the Sri Lanka parliament.The July violence of 1983 and the sixth amendment to the constitution led to the TULF boycotting parliament, thereby rendering their seats vacant.Amirthalingham, an eloquent orator, but never either practiced or preached violence and terror. He believed steadfastly in ahimsa - nonviolence. Because of his unwavering non-violence stance, he won the wrath of the terrorists’ leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.After the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987, the TULF contested elections to parliament again in 1989. Amirthalingham himself contested in the Batticaloa electoral district. He lost. But he managed to enter parliament as the nominated national list MP in what was then considered a controversial move. In 1989 July, assassins sent by the terrorists’ leader Prabhakaran killed him in his official residence in Colombo.He along with former TULF Jaffna MP. V. Yogeswaran were gunned down in cold blood. TULF president M. Sivasithamparam was too wounded seriously in the incident.Prabhakaran after assassinating Amirthalingham decreed that no Remembrance Day ceremonies of Amirthalingham should be held in the North and East of Sri Lanka, as well as in any Western capitals by the Tamil diaspora.This time, the London branch of the TULF has organized a memorial lecture on 31st August, at the Indian YMCA hall, located in London.The keynote address is to be delivered by Rauff Hakeem M.P., who is also the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

Four suicide jackets found in Nelukkulam

Four suicide jackets weighing 11 kg were found buried near the entrance to a school in Nelukkulam, Vavuniya Saturday night. It was the third time the Vavuniya police recovered hidden LTTE suicide kits from the area during last two weeks. The detection was made on the information divulged by an LTTE activist taken into custody from an IDP welfare centre, the police said.

This is how I managed the war! -Gen.Fonseka speaks

The Sri Lanka Army’s  strategy of acting  like  guerrilla organisation, the restructuring of the Army, ending corruption,  increasing its strength, firepower   and a direct chain of command that went  from the top to grass root levels,  forced the end  of terrorism in the country.Chief  of Defence  Staff (CDS), General  Sarath Fonseka,  in  his first public appearance  nearly  three months after the  elimination of  terrorism in the country,  made these comments  at  ‘Counter Point,’  organised by the  PIM Alumni   on Friday.Speaking  on ‘Winning  Military  Strategies - Lessons  for Managers,’   General Fonseka said that when he took over the Army,  the LTTE was acting  almost like a  conventional army  and was considered to be unstoppable. Like a conventional army,  they had to protect land, equipment and  armaments. “From our side, we changed our tactics and strategies. We started  act ing like guerrillas,  making incursions   into their territories in small groups and carrying out daring attacks when the  LTTE challenged us in the jungles,” General Fonseka said.He said that the decission of going for war  is a political decision. The Army,  together with the other military forces, concluded the war  according to political will. General Fonseka was speaking on  how he prepared the Army to fight the Elam War Four. He said that  when he was  appointed  Commander of the Army on 6th December 2005, the  organisation  was  in need of  lot of changes, including enhanced   manpower, excellent training and better equipment. “30 years of war had caused a lot of frustration to the people, who  had lost their  faith in the Army  and  their confidence that the violence could ever be contained. The war was started in August  2006  in Jaffna. My first task was to prepare the  Army for battle. For that,  I restructured the entire  Army deviating from traditional  methods. I appointed new people, new faces of  my choice to the battlefront, people untainted with corruption,  people  capable of  carrying their duties effectively. I dramatically increased the manpower of the Army with recruitment.  My strategy also included  the procurement of   arms and ammunition, battle tanks, armoured carriers, the best equipment could buy. I also changed  the strategy of  the battle  from  conventional tactics to guerrilla tactics.  For that,  I needed excellent  commanders  and   improved firepower. We started operating in  small groups  and  actively operated in the jungles. Earlier, it was the LTTE  who operated in the jungles. When we moved into the jungles,  they avoided  meeting us  at all costs,” he said.The General said that during the war, the Army’s  main strategy was  to confront the LTTE’s strongest positions.“During the Jayasikuru  operation launched to liberate Jaffna,  I observed through experience that  when we attacked the  LTTE’s  most formidable strongholds, they became very weak. With that in mind,  we  commenced our assault  from  the A9 road, the  Maddu road, Mannar and the  Mulativu  jungles. Sometimes it took us four to five days just to take control of  one or two kilometres. But the results were good for us. We minimised our casualties  and increased the losses of the enemy.  At the end of 2007,   we were operating 35 battalions on  all fronts and the LTTE  had to react  to our plan. We  were engaging  them every day, 24 hours a day, weeks and months on end. We maintained our assault  in all  conditions. In pouring rain and floods, in the hot sun and drought,  we kept the  momentum going until we  achieved victory,” General Fonseka said Restructuring the Army made it necessary to stamp out corruption at all levels, corruption which was rampant from the lowest to the highest ranks. “Every year,  the government   allocated lot of money to the Army, which is an expensive organisation to  maintain.  Because of corruption at every level, we were  not doing  what we  were asked to do. I  made it clear that not  five cents will be spent by the Army without  proper accounting. To that end, I implemented strict rules  and standards. I sat on  Tender Boards and  was  personally monitoring every detail. This  was not a function of the  Commander of the Army,  but  I personally  went through  every detail to ensure that the blight of corruption was eradicated from the Army. General Fonseka also said that  in the past, there was a tradition that when an officer is  caught  making money illegally, he would not suffer any punishment, his service and seniority would not be affected, and his next promotion assured, as long as he paid back the stolen money in full. “I ended this tradition. The guilty received appropriate punishment.” Speaking on new recruitments and  promotions in the organisation, the General said that he  deviated from   traditional methods  of awarding  promotions and  selected  all commanders  on merit and performance, and not on seniority.“We recruited and trained 3,000 to 5,000 men  per month. We also promoted 1,500 soldiers from the ranks  of corporals and sergeants  to lieutenants. We achieved excellent results through these methods, as we made the best use of those with strong battle experience. My new methods of recruitment and merit-based promotions gave me the manpower to win the war, ‘ he daid  I  also implemented  a direct  chain of command  which goes down to grass root  levels in  the Army.   There were many instances when I had to remove commanders  from their jobs and appoint replacements. We had to have the correct men in place when the going got tough. And  there was  huge resistance from the enemy every day.  At one point,  we suffered many casualties and 130 troops died in a single day.  Whenever there was a  victory,  I used  to share that with  my officers and  when there was rise in casualties figures  I took the blame to my self without passing to anyone. In that sense I  my self was  under pressure all the times  but kept the momentum going” General Fonseka said Speaking on Army  intelligence and  its performance  the General Fonseka said that  indigence was  back word in the  past. “I removed  almost all the officers attached to it.  I found that most of them has been serving  that unit  more that 15 to 20 years  and  filled with new young faces. They were brand new set of people committed, sincerely  did their  part, a very good job. If you  take most of the Air Force targets, Navy ships targets  are taken  on Army intelligence unit. Speaking on the support given by the other forces  General said that  Air Force, Navy and Police  did  splendid service  with Army to gain the victory in war.  The coordinated efforts  and close monitoring of the  battle  changing of the tactics became as a  daily routine.“End of the day we had  difficult  time patience  endurance  demonstrating good results  in eliminating  terrorism from the country  which one point considered unimaginable concluded General Sarath Fonseka. At the conclusion of General Fonseka’s remarks the audience at the ceremony gave him standing  ovation  which is  a rare sight.

23 August 2009

US blasted for meeting diaspora

The government has lodged a strong protest with the US Department of State over Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Robert Blake’s recent meeting with pro LTTE activists, sources said.Through the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington DC, the Sri Lanka government has very effectively registered its anger with the US Department of State and Robert Blake’s role regarding Sri Lankan affairs.It is learnt that the government has clearly pointed out that so- called Tamil Diaspora groups are LTTE front organizations and that their activists are LTTE sympathizers. At the meeting with Tamil Diaspora, Robert Blake guaranteed that persons in the US, who may be affiliated with the LTTE, unless they break US laws by providing material assistance, will not be allowed to be “prosecuted or persecuted’’ by Sri Lankan authorities.The US State Department organized a Tamil Diaspora meeting at the department of state in Washington DC, on August 11.Robert Blake and acting ambassador in Sri Lanka James Moore chaired the meeting with sixteen representatives of Tamil Diaspora groups, based in the US.US Tamil Political Action Council (USTPAC), umbrella organization for Tamils Against Genocide, Americans for Peace in Sri Lanka, Federation of Tamil Associations of North America, HELP Advocates Sri Lanka, Ilankai Tamil Sangam, North Carolinians For Peace, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka, Tamils of California, Tamils of New England, Tamils of Ohio, and World Thamil Organization - USA, issued a statement after the meeting with Robert Blake and other State Department officials. According to that statement Robert Blake said that the US is a strong supporter of devolution of power in Sri Lanka and a measure of autonomy for the Tamils in the areas they predominate.“The Sri Lankan President’s statement that a political solution would be looked into only after the presidential election in 2010 is disappointing’’, said Secretary Blake. “Political reconciliation will signal the real end to the conflict. Devolution and reconciliation are factors in the benchmarks set up to assess progress. The State Dept. sees the Tamil Diaspora as an important stakeholder for future reconciliation” USTPAC statement said.

Vavuniya camps IDPs badly hit by the rains
 
While the rains continue in sporadic bursts over Vavuniya, the people living in welfare camps in the area are facing food and water shortages, while sanitary conditions are getting worse by the day, local aid workers said.Humanitarian workers on the ground are concerned about the impact of the monsoon rains on internally displaced persons (IDPs) housed in refugee camps, warning that if conditions did not improve the IDPs could become restive, or even violent.The UN and other humanitarian agencies say there are gaps in their capacity to respond to situations that could arise with the oncoming monsoon rains. They are reviewing their emergency plans and capacity to respond effectively to such situations.So far no steps have been taken to move those living in the worst affected areas out of the camps. Instead, they are being relocated within the camps. The IDPs who were compelled to seek shelter in temporary schools have returned to their tents. Unfortunately, the floors and the walls are still soaked from the rains. Meanwhile, IDPs in zones that had switched from communal cooking to individual cooking are unable to cook because of the muddy conditions, and are surviving on biscuits and water provided by humanitarian organisations. The Humanitarian Agencies Cluster is still in the process of drawing up plans to meet the IDPs’ food requirements when the monsoon sets in and weather conditions become much worse. Water bowsers and gully suckers are unable to reach the camp sites because of the bad road conditions and the danger of vehicles getting stuck in mud.Some 850 persons in zones 1, 2 and 3 are seriously inconvenienced by limited toilet facilities. Meanwhile, sewage from overflowing latrines is causing further problems. The impact of the rains on the other zones has not yet been assessed.According to government officials, steps are being taken to repair damaged roads, and drains are being dug at some of the campsites. However, UN agencies fear they may not be able to complete the work before the monsoon rains arrive in September.The Sunday Times has made several attempts to contact UN spokesman Gordon Weiss, but with no success.

TRO’s Executive Director competes for vacuum LTTE leadership

Following the defeat of the LTTE, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) Executive Director K P Reggie is said to have thrown his hat into the leadership battle that is raging behind the scene in Europe. The Oslo based Nediyavan who was the second in command of Veerakathi Manivannan alias Castro is said to be the other contestant. Reggie, an asylum claimant in the United Kingdom, is said to be exerting his authority through a section of the British Tamil Forum (BTF). Publicity shying Reggie due to his immigration status, is exerting his authority with sheer force on the grounds that he was very close to the LTTE hierarchy.Sources in the British Tamil Forum (BTF) said that real BTF leadership is unable to extricate themselves from the heavy pressures of Reggie and Nediyavan. Reggie is said to have the overriding authority due to his wide exposure including his handshake with the former US President Bill Clinton few years ago.There are also speculations that battle for the leadership of the LTTE lead to the arrest of KP in Malaysia as the competing parties had passed information about KP’s whereabouts to the authorities in Sri Lanka.In a further development, following complaints to the Norwegian police by a person opposing Nediyavan, he was said to be arrested and interrogated for few hours two weeks ago and was allowed to go free.

Top brass made millionaires by LTTE

A high powered investigation to probe assets of senior defence and police officials who have become millionaires overnight is underway. This is to clarify and ascertain whether any of them had LTTE links.The need for investigations had arisen after a recent police probe had found that many senior defence and police officers had amassed wealth, working as LTTE spies. According to investigations these suspect defence officials have been behind a number of suicide attacks targetting ministers and plans to assassinate the president also have been unearthed. According to police investigations, a Superintendent of Police, an Army Lt. Colonel and a few Majors are said to be in the racket.In addition, a number of police officers below the inspector grade, Army officers below Major rank and a leading airman are said to have taken money from the LTTE planning to assassinate ministers. All of them are now in police custody.Meanwhile, the on-going investigations are with regard to other high ranking officials who are said to have amassed wealth through LTTE contacts. According to a reliable police source, a Major General and a Colonel were among the suspected officials. These officials are said to be constantly touring European countries, Singapore and Malaysia from time to time. It has been found that some of them owned 30 to 40 acres of land and ran around in luxury vehicles.It is revealed that SP Lakshman Cooray who was arrested for supporting the LTTE to assassinate minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and for supporting LTTE plans to assassinate minister Maithripala Sirisena and the president, owns a mansion in England and 6 to 7 luxury vehicles.

Hundreds commute between Jaffna and South daily

Hundreds of passengers are now daily commuting between the north and south using road and rail transport with the limited air transport being prohibitively expensive.According to Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh since about the beginning of the month seven CTB buses are daily plying between Jaffna and avuniya/Medawachchiya leaving Jaffna each morning early enough to catch the afternoon Colombo bound train from Vavuniya. The convoy of seven buses return to Jaffna the same day with a full complement of passengers to reach the peninsula by about 8:00 pm. In parallel to these CTB buses five private luxury AC buses are also plying between Colombo and Jaffna daily each taking about 50 passengers through the efforts of Minister Social Services Douglas Devananda, according to Essential Services Commissioner S.B. Divaratne.Due to security reasons, he said this service is exclusively for Jaffna residents and they do not carry passengers going to destinations in between.The cost of a bus ride from Jaffna to Vavuniya is Rs 200 and the train ride from Vavuniya to Colombo is Rs1000. But critics charge that the private AC bus operators were charging an exorbitant fare of Rs 1900 for a single journey between Jaffna and Colombo, which is said to be about four times the fair normally charged by the CTB.When the National Transport Commission Chairman Prof. Amal Kumarage was contacted in this regard he said they had not given authorisation to start a luxury bus service between Colombo and Jaffna to anyone.Meanwhile, with the increase in commerce with the restoration of peace, Jaffna is said to be experiencing some traffic congestion. The GA said that as a relief measure the container trucks that come from Colombo often are asked to unload their cargo in the suburbs or are required to come to the town after 8:00pm.

Hindu Makkal Katchi TN secretary held

Hindu Makkal Katchi State Secretary Annadurai and three others were arrested when they arrived here today en route to Katchatheevu to 'celebrate' the Vinayaga Chathurthi festival as part of their demand for retrieval of the island, ceded to Sri Lanka by India.Annadurai told newsmen that he and his supporters were on their way to Katchatheevu to celebrate the festival but police arrested them at the railway station here when they arrived with an idol of Lord Ganesh.He claimed that Hindu Makkal Katchi activists were taken into preventive custody following their decision to celebrate the festival at Katchatheevu.The activists are demanding that Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka by India under a 1974 agreement, be retrieved to ensure the rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen.

Australian Tamil Congress launched

More than 500 people attended the launch of the Victorian chapter of the Australian Tamil Congress (ATC) on August 15. Dr Sri Srithar told the meeting that the struggle for national self-determination for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka must take a new form. From the 1950s-’80s, the Tamils engaged in peaceful, democratic struggle. From the 1980s to 2009, they carried on an armed struggle. Now, following their military defeat, the Tamils inside Sri Lanka are in a weak position. More than 300,000 of them are imprisoned in concentration camps. It is now up to the Tamil community internationally to take the struggle forward. Srithar outlined the immediate issues the ATC would campaign around, including the demand for unrestricted access to the camps for non-government organisations, the United Nations, and the media; for ex-combatants to be treated according the Geneva Convention; and for the resettlement of the displaced people to their original houses. A number of other Tamil speakers addressed the meeting, and there were performances of Tamil music, dancing and poetry. Trent Hawkins gave greetings on behalf of the Socialist Alliance. He said it would continue to support the struggle for Tamil rights, as it has done in the past. A written message of support from ALP state MP Luke Donnellan was read to the meeting.

Karuna claims TNA muslim members want to work with govt.

With the recently concluded elections in the North leaving mixed results and instilling confusion, it has been alleged that the members of several minority parties are considering crossing over to the government. Speaking to The Nation, Minister of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman said that he was contacted by members of the TNA who were interested in crossing over. “I was contacted by some Muslim members of the TNA, who seem to be interested in working with the SLFP,” he said. “It’s a good sign, we need to garner as much support as we can from the minority community if we are to work for the betterment of our communities in the North and East.” He added that it was important to have a greater representation of politicians from minority parties supporting the government for real change to take place. “Its no point having a few in the opposition benches and others in different parties, we all need to work together.” TNA Parliamentarian Thurai Rathnasingham told The Nation that the TNA has insisted on meeting the President only for the sake of discussing the situation with regards to the IDPs. “During our last meeting with the president, he suggested that we all meet monthly so we can keep abreast of the situation in the North and East and discuss the issues that need to be worked on,” he said. “Our last meeting was on July 2 and we haven’t met since.” He added that Mavavi Senadhirajah recently wrote a letter to the President, suggesting that a meeting be called, so as to continue discussions. However, the TNA is yet to receive a response to it.

Jaffna ready for huge investments
 
Jaffna’s business community is making an earnest appeal to the government to allow it to take a leading role in the post-war development of business and industry in the region.“We are prepared to re-organise and rejuvenate the industry. Give us a chance to be a major part of it – instead of the government going it alone or doing the bulk of it,” pleaded Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, Jaffna Ratnalingam Jeyasegaran in an interview with the Sunday Times FT at the chamber office in the town.“We have the money to invest and we can run the businesses – even those handled by state agencies earlier,” he said referring to the cement, chemicals and salt factories that flourished in the Jaffna peninsula in the pre-war era.During a visit to the peninsula to cover the August 8 Municipal Council elections, there was a buzz in the air about major development taking place but the concern is that the people of Jaffna would be left out in the decision-making that would be guided, facilitated and controlled by the powers that be in Colombo.Mr Jeyasegaran’s views were echoed by many other businessmen, traders and senior citizens. “We need to be part of the development and take a big role in deciding what is right for us,” said one trader, who owns a shoe store but declined to be named.Chamber President Rasiah Janakumar, present at the same interview, said the government should provide an industrial zone to locate all the new industries that would come up. This proposal was also made during a recent meeting with Industrial Development Minister Kumara Welgama who was in Jaffna some weeks back.The Minister had spoken of the need to revive the cement, salt and (Paranthan) chemicals factories among other industries as state entities. The business community however says they would like to be equal partners in this development or are even ready to go alone as privatised entities and find their own partners.Despite the war and deprivation, Jaffna’s economy has been dominated by huge inflows of money from expatriate Tamils which in many ways helped to keep it afloat. Businessmen say this money, used to generally sustain families, would increase with the new-found peace and be a major source of investment.According to Jaffna bankers, at least two private banks in the town have been over many years receiving a daily average of Rs 2 to 3 million (each) as remittances making it at least Rs 5 million per day from these branches in the town, working out to about Rs 2 billion a year in foreign remittances from two branches alone. Economists and money market experts in Colombo say this is a huge sum that could be used to drive investment and private-led infrastructure development.Colombo’s business community is well aware of this sizable cash infusion and moving swiftly to re-establish trade links. Officials from the David Peiris Motor Car Co, dealers of Bajaj trishaws and motorcycles, said that in their first consignment expected to move this week to the region, intended buyers of motor cycles offered upfront cash whereas in Colombo and other areas its on easy payment terms or credit.Jaffna’s economy was build on a sound foundation of seafood -- fish, prawns, lobster, cuttle fish; vegetables and fruits - onions, tobacco leaf, beetroot, banana, grapes, mango and jackfruit; and industry -- cement, asbestos, salt, chemicals, steel buckets, aluminium goods. All this has been destroyed and needs to be revived.

22 August 2009

Restriction on fishing will continue in Jaffna peninsula – SLN

Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh, quoting Northern Region Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Admiral, sent a circular to local media Friday informing that the fishing restriction imposed in areas close to SLN base in Kaangkeasanththu’rai, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZ) and areas along the runways and flight routes of aircrafts will continue. Detailed information about the places where fishing restriction is in force, however, was not given by SLN authorities and the fishermen have to obtain the information from their local SLA and SLN authorities, the circular said. Already, fishermen are not allowed to fish one km from the SLN base in Kaangeasanththu’rai and the vast area from Valveddiththu’rai and Mayiliddi upto Cheanthaangku’lam.Now instructions have been announced that fishermen going fishing in the nights should leave before 6:00 p.m and can only return after 6:00 a.m the following day.The fishermen should have lights on their boats during night fishing and the trawlers should have radar lights, according to the instructions.The sea area near the runways in I’lavaalai and Palaali and the flight routes of aircrafts from these airbases are also forbidden for fishing.The fishing restrictions in the above mentioned areas will be strictly enforced, GA’s circular further said.

Claymore mines, suicide kit found in house in Ratmalana

Police on Thursday detected four claymore mines and an LTTE suicide kit hidden in a house at Kandawala Road, Ratmalana.Two occupants of the house were arrested. Sources said the Police raided the Ratmalana house on information obtained from an LTTE cadre arrested in Vavuniya Welfare Centre.

Case filed against Nedumaran for pro LTTE meeting
   
The Aminjikarai police on Friday registered a case against Tamizhar Desiya Iyakkam leader P. Nedumaran and others for violating conditions of permission granted for a public meeting organised by the Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement here on Thursday. According to police, the participants held flags of LTTE and pinned pictures of its leader Prabhakaran on their shirts. They raised slogans causing hindrance to traffic

JHU out of SPC race

The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) will not contest in the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council elections, nor would it put forward candidates to contest on the UPFA ticket, leader of the JHU Parliamentary Group Ven. Athureliye Rathana told The Island yesterday.The JHU nominated candidates on the UPFA ticket at the recently concluded Western Provincial Council elections.

21 August 2009

I will try to go even further than 13th Amendment

Deputy Foreign Minister Hussain Bhaila, yesterday informed Parliament that when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in January this year, he had agreed to explore the possibility of going even further than the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to find a solution to the national problem."President Rajapaksa assured Minister Mukherjee that it was his intention to move as quickly as possible to implement the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, which followed the India – Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987 and even explore the possibility to go further than these proposals," Minister Bhaila said, tabling in response to a question raised by JVP MP Premasiri Manage. Manage had questioned the details, including the matters discussed by the Indian External Affairs Minister.Minister Mukherjee visited Sri Lanka on an invitation extended by the Government of Sri Lanka, Minister Bhaila said."President Rajapaksa expressed his hopes for future developments in Sri Lanka and stressed that military victories offer a political opportunity to restore life in the Northern Province and throughout Sri Lanka. The President assured the visiting Indian Minister of his intent for both countries to work together to enable Sri Lankans and particularly the Tamil community in the North, to begin leading normal lives as soon as possible," the document tabled by Minister Bhaila said.It said: "External Affairs Minister Mukherjee expressed India’s readiness to participate in the re-construction of Northern Sri Lanka so as to overcome the ravages of the armed conflict and achieve sustainable peace in which all communities in Sri Lanka could feel comfortable. India will work together with Sri Lanka on the reconstruction plan for these areas which involves infrastructure development and other support."

Jaffna IDP resettlement nearing completion

The resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons in some of the Peninsula villages is nearing completion. The area has been cleared of all mines prior to the resettlement. It was essential to get the clearance certificate from the UN before resettling the displaced people in the areas affected by mines, Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda said. He told The Island that as Chairman of Jaffna Special Task Force he had been assigned to resettle a large number of people in Navatkuli, Kaithady and Maravanpulo villages. Minister Devananda said that his aim was to resettle the IDPs in their original places as quickly as possible. For the last 10 years all infrastructure facilities in the area had been destroyed due to a devastating war.During the troubled times the Tamil community suffered untold hardships. The problem of de-mining had been completed in those areas.The Minister pointed out that the security forces had paid attention to help improve the agriculture of Jaffna, paving the way for farmers to re-commence the farming activities. Essential infrastructure facilities such as electricity, drinking water, transport and other facilities would be soon made available to provide a hassle-free environment.Minister Devananda said that he was graateful to President Mahinda Rajapaksa for mitigating the sufferings of Tamil community as they were amidst death and terror.

India ready to help reconstruct North

Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila told Parliament yesterday the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, expressed India's readiness to participate in the reconstruction of Northern Sri Lanka so as to overcome the ravages of armed conflict and also lay the economic and political foundation for a sustainable peace in which all communities in Sri Lanka feel comfortable. The Indian External Affairs Minister in his discussion with the President also stressed the India will work together with Sri Lanka on a reconstruction plan for these areas which involves infrastructure development and other support. The Indian Minister held detailed and productive discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Deputy Foreign Minister said. The discussions held at President's House covered recent developments in Sri Lanka, India-Sri Lanka relations and regional issues of mutual interest. It was agreed that India-Sri Lanka relations are developing strongly and has matured into an abiding friendship. President Rajapaksa expressed his hopes for future development assistance in Sri Lanka, and stressed that the present military victories offered political opportunity to restore normal life in the Northern Province and throughout the country, he said. The President assured the visiting Indian Minister of his intent for both countries to work together to enable Sri Lankans, and particularly the Tamil community in the North, to begin leading normal life as soon as possible. During the discussion, both sides agreed that an early restoration of democratic life in the areas affected by the conflict would be a major contribution to peace and stability. The Deputy Foreign Minister was responding to an oral question raised by JVP MP Pemasiri Manage on the recent visit of Indian External Affairs Minister to Sri Lanka.

Security relaxed in Vavuniya

Security measures in Vavuniya have been relaxed to a great extent with normalcy prevailing in the area since the eradication of LTTE terror. A number of restrictions placed on civilian and vehicular movement have been eased. People were full of praise for the measures adopted from yesterday (20).Forty road barriers, 32 bunkers and six Police posts in Vavuniya and suburbs were dismantled yesterday.According to security sources, certain bunkers were built 25 years ago and most of them were situated in close proximity to military establishments and border villages.They said only suspicious vehicles would be stopped and searched in future and restrictions on parking of vehicles in the town had been lifted.Police and Army used machinery to demolish some of the bunkers since they were deeply entrenched.

Lanka wants LTTE overseas assets
   
The Sri Lankan defence secretary has called on foreign countries to hand over Tamil Tiger rebels and their assets, worth of millions of dollars.The demand by Gotabaya Rajapaksa came weeks after the arrest of the new Tamil Tiger leader, Selvarasa Pathmanathan. Mr Pathmanathan was arrested in a South East Asian nation earlier this month and brought to Colombo in a swift and secretive operation. He is currently being interrogated by Sri Lankan security officials. The Sri Lankan military declared victory over Tamil Tiger rebels in May this year. Mr Pathmanathan is the most senior leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to be caught alive by Sri Lankan security forces. "He's a seasoned man, so he's coming out with information very slowly during interrogation. He was the person who ran a massive network to purchase arms and ammunition for the LTTE for nearly 30 years," Mr Rajapaksa told the BBC.The LTTE had a well-organised overseas network to fund their arms purchases. Its investments abroad are said to range from grocery shops to real estate, from petrol stations to temples, from commercial shipping to financing movies. But most of these activities were carried out under different names as the rebels were banned in many countries. The estimates about the LTTE's assets and investments range from $300m (£182m) to $1bn. Mr Pathmanathan is believed to have substantial knowledge about these assets. "Once it is proved that these assets belong to the LTTE, then concerned countries should hand over the assets as well as the remaining LTTE members to Sri Lanka," Mr Rajapasa said. He said that "if the western world is serious about fighting terrorism" it would not provide safe sanctuary "to a terrorist organisation like the LTTE". The arrest of Mr Pathmanathan is regarded as a significant blow to the LTTE's overseas operations, especially when it was desperately looking for a figurehead to revive the organisation and boost its sagging morale following its defeat on the battleground.

No proof of LTTE funding Tamil Nadu films- Indian Police
   
The Indian police says they have not come across any evidence to prove allegations that the LTTE has been funding organisations, individuals, film producers and directors in Tamil Nadu as was claimed by the Minister for Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services, Risath Bathiyutheen.A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, said, "Though we have been hearing stories of LTTE funding some organisations, individuals, film producers and directors in Tamil Nadu for long, we have not come across even a single case with corroborative evidence to prove this allegation. Also, if at all any producer has received funds from the LTTE, such funding has not led to any security risk in our state. Further, we have also not come across instances of money being routed from the film industry into terrorist network." However, the LTTE, through its frontal organizations, has made huge inroads in controlling distribution of many Tamil films and their DVD rights in some overseas markets. "The overseas Tamil diaspora is a too huge a market for any film producer to ignore. As per our information, the frontal organisations of the LTTE have also been actively involved during the shooting of several movies abroad," said the official. The minister reportedly told Asian Tribune, "The money was not directly sent. Millions of US dollars were given to a London-based Tamilian. He was asked to produce Tamil films in Chennai with top stars like Rajnikanth," (in Kuselar and during the initial days of shooting of Robot, which later changed hands and was also renamed Enthiran,) he claimed and said "the aging super star received the blood money." The minister did not say how much money was paid to Rajni. But merely said he was paid "lavishly."

Top Sri Lanka academic threatened 
 
One of Sri Lanka's most eminent academics has received an anonymous death threat, officials say.The threat in a letter was sent to the home of Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA). He is the latest in a long line of prominent people, mostly journalists, who have received death threats. They have in recent months been threatened, beaten up and in some cases murdered. Nearly all have been critical of government policy. The letter sent to Dr Saravanamuttu threatens him because Sri Lanka stands to be deprived of the European Union (EU) benefits in October, with resultant job losses. It says that much of the information used in reaching this decision was supplied by Dr Saravanamuttu to Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the EU's commissioner for external relations. The letter has been strongly condemned by the CPA. "We unreservedly deplore this despicable attempt at causing fear through the use of threats of physical harm... to stifle free expression, dissent and debate. We are equally concerned over the increasing emasculation of... civil society," the CPA statement said. Police say they are investigating the incident.

Vehicle owned by Tamil Alliance Parliament Member confiscated by police

The Mirihana Criminal Investigation division confiscated the vehicle owned by Tamil National Alliance Parliament Member from his residence. Yesterday evening the said vehicle while was parked in Tamil National Alliance Parliament member Jananantha Moorthy’s residence was taken away by the police. It was accused that the said vehicle had been used for terrorist activities, hence was taken away was according to information. Such information was revealed by an arrested Tamil Eelam Liberation tiger member while interrogation.

Sri Lankan army in refugee call 

Sri Lanka's new army chief says the 250,000 people displaced by the recent conflict - currently in government camps - should be rapidly resettled.Lieutenant-General Jagath Jayasuriya, appointed last month, admitted there were obstacles in the way of this. The new army chief said the country was entering a new post-war era and that even if the military increased slightly in size, it would have to retrain. The remarks appear to be more dovish than much of what has come out lately.

Playing down

Lt Gen Jayasuriya told the reporters that this was a new era of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction and that the army would have to retrain for peace time. He appeared to play down remarks from his predecessor, Gen Sarath Fonseka - now overall armed forces chief - that the military might add up to 100,000 new men. He said between 20,000 and 50,000 might join up but many of these would be to allow others to retire. Describing the army's new role, Lt Gen Jayasuriya said: "Consolidate what is captured and ensure this type of thing won't arise again. So that is the main task. "Then help in government, development and reconstruction. If we increase, it is mostly not the fighting type, it will be other tradesmen like construction, road and building reconstruction - because the army has a lot of tradesmen." Gen Jayasuriya said the Tamil refugees interned by the government in camps should be resettled "as fast as possible". He said the army was more than doubling its demining expertise to help this happen. But, like ministers, he alleged that there were still "hard-core" Tamil Tiger members sheltering in the camps over and above the 10,000 or so who had admitted to being members. Therefore, he said, careful screening of all these refugees must continue for now. The army chief was asked whether he believed that there were still rebel operatives in other parts of Sri Lanka outside of the north. He said he thought some such people had already been sent south "on suicide missions" before the war ended, but that their network had been broken and their leaders killed so they were no longer receiving instructions.

20 August 2009

Sri Lanka Should Release Refugees as Rain Hits Camps, U.S. Says

Sri Lanka should release an estimated 280,000 mainly Tamil refugees from the country’s civil war as rain hit their camps in the north, bringing the threat of disease, the U.S. said. “The basic principle of freedom of movement is at play in Sri Lanka,” Eric Schwartz, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for population, refugees and migration, said in Washington yesterday. “Everywhere around the world, displaced persons make their own judgments about when it is right to go back.” Tents in camps in the Wanni region were flooded last week causing sewage to overflow and heightening the risk of disease, Human Rights Watch said in a report three days ago. The refugees remain in camps after the army defeated the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil in May, ending its 26-year fight for a separate Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka’s north and east. The U.S. and United Nations are pressing President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government to resettle the displaced people, saying camps are overcrowded and lack basic services. “Involuntary confinement is especially a source of concern given the recent rains and given the coming of the monsoon season,” Schwartz said, according to a State Department transcript. “Release from confinement is an issue that friends of Sri Lanka continue to raise.” The potential for communicable diseases increases in temporary shelters, Schwartz said. “When things like rain happen, the latrines get washed away,” he added. The risk from disease is “all the more reason to give people choices about” leaving or staying.

Easier Access

Schwartz, who last month visited the Manik Farm camp in Vavuniya, where most refugees are living, said the government should make access to the camps easier for international aid workers and provide better information to people about what the plans are for their resettlement. Sri Lanka’s Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Rishad Bathiudeen in an Aug. 17 telephone interview from the capital, Colombo, blamed UN agencies for failing to build drainage systems at the camps. The government says, while it aims to have all displaced people returned to their homes by December, it needs to ensure the region is secure and cleared of mines. LTTE terrorists are masquerading as civilians and living among the refugees in camps, Defense Minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told Sri Lanka’s daily Island newspaper earlier this week. Arms, ammunition and explosives remain buried in parts of Wanni, and the rebels will resume attacks if they get hold of the weapons, he said.

Deteriorating Conditions

Refugees should be allowed to leave the camps and move in with friends and host families to avoid the deteriorating conditions, Human Rights Watch said this week. “The government has detained people in these camps and is threatening their health and even their lives by keeping them there during the rainy season floods,” Brad Adams, the New York- based group’s Asia director, said in a statement. “This is illegal, dangerous and inhumane.” The army defeated the LTTE’s last units in a battle near the northeastern port of Mullaitivu, killing the group’s leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his commanders. Kumaran Pathmanathan, the man appointed to replace Prabhakaran, was arrested Aug. 5 in an unidentified Southeast Asian country and brought to Colombo for questioning. The LTTE is designated a terrorist organization by Sri Lanka, the U.S., the European Union and India.

IDP camps: TNA warns of clashes

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) warned in Parliament yesterday of possible clashes between the displaced civilians at the welfare villages in Vavuniya and the security forces stationed there -- because of what the party described as the ‘immense hardships’ faced by  these people. Mavai Senathirajah MP, the general secretary of the TNA, told the House during the debate on the situation in the welfare villages, that these people were undergoing immense mental strain because of what he termed the horrible living conditions in the camps. Mr. Senathirajah said that these people were living in an area enclosed by a barbed wire fence, and it had become soggy and unliveable due to the heavy rains. He said that these people should be allowed to return to their villages as soon as possible.“There is a horrible situation there.  The country will experience the north-eastern monsoon rains next month, and the situation will deteriorate further then. The camp site is impassable for vehicles too. We will not be surprised if the people confront the military. We sound a warning of this,” he said. The TNA MP said   the displaced civilians would not tolerate their children dying of diseases.“Today, doctors advise that the sick children be taken out of the camps for further treatment. Yet, the military will not allow this,” he said. 

Norway's UN ambassador lashes out at Ban Ki-Moon

Norway's ambassador to the United Nations has accused Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a confidential letter of weak leadership, lack of charisma and angry outbursts, the Oslo newspaper Aftenposten reported yesterday.The newspaper published what it said was a letter to Norway's foreign ministry from Mona Juul."At a time when the UN and multilateral solutions to global crises are more needed than ever, Ban and the UN are notable by their absence," the letter read.Juul and her husband Terje Roed-Larsen - now a UN special envoy - had key roles in secretly brokering the now-failed 1993 Oslo peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.Juul wrote that Ban showed "weak handling" of international challenges. She said he was a "passive observer" to Myanmar's arrest of opposition leader and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and she blasted his slow reaction to the civil war in Sri Lanka.Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marte Lerberg Kopstad refused comment on the authenticity of the letter. She referred reporters to Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere's comment to Aftenposten that he had noted the matter, and that he saw Ban as "hard working" and a "good listener".Juul's Norwegian-language letter was published halfway through Ban's term as UN secretary general. He is due on an official visit to Norway starting August 31.She continued: "In other crisis areas, such as Darfur, Somalia, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and not in the least the Congo, the secretary general seems irresolute.""Ban routinely has angry outbursts that even level-headed and experienced co-workers have trouble dealing with," the letter said. Juul added that the mood among Ban's staff is "very tense".South Korean Ban became UN leader in January 2007. Roed-Larsen is his special envoy for implementation of a 2004 Security Council resolution on Syria and Lebanon.

'Theru' Festival in Jaffna held on a grand scale
 
The annual "Theru" Festival of the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple in Jaffna was held on a grand scale with the participation of over 50,000 devotees. The festival commenced on the 27th of July with the flag hoisting ceremony. The Festival starts six days after the arrival of the new moon annually and continues for 26 days. A large number of devotees are participating in the Festival due to the peaceful environment prevailing in the country. The Nallur Chariot Festival was held yesterday, 19 August, and thousands of devotees joined in the procession. The water cutting ceremony took place at 7.00 am today. A special Pooja will be held yesterday. In the meantime, special air services are arranged from Ratmalana to Palaly for those attending the Festival, sources said.

APRC summarized report goes to President

All Party Representative Committee (APRC) Chairman Minister Tissa Vitharana said he handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Sunday at Temple Trees a document which was a summarised report of the recommendations of more than three years of deliberations of the APRC. “We expect a feed back from President Rajapaksa before our next move. He will go through the summary before he gives instructions to the APRC on the next step,” Prof. Vitharana told the Daily Mirror yesterday. Thirteen political parties took part in the APRC discussions during the last three years or so and had basically come to a consensus on a number of key proposals expected to be incorporated in a new Constitution which is aimed at resolving the ethnic problem.  They included a new Constitution, reverting to the Westminster System pruning of Executive Presidential powers, a Constitutional Court, a second chamber of Parliament, a national Land and Water Commission and reviving the Village Committee system President Rajapaksa is on record saying that any proposal to resolve the conflict will be presented to the people prior to it being presented in Parliament. He has maintained that he expects to seek a mandate for the new set of proposals, based on the APRC recommendations, at the next Presidential Election expected to be held in the first quarter of 2010.Prof. Vitharana totally ruled out absolute and unchecked power devolution to the periphery and insisted that the APRC proposes to establish separate State bodies for policy making and monitoring of contentious national issues such as police, land, power and water.“I can give an assurance that in the APRC proposals, the centre not only decides on the policy frame work but also who can exercise control over the implementation of these powers within the provinces according to national needs,” Prof. Vitharana said.“The representatives of 13 political parties - 11 constituent parties of the Government, the SLMC and the Democratic Peoples’ Front - have discussed the key contentious issues and have been able to come to an agreement on many, including the setting up of a Constitutional Court to deal with constitutional issues that are likely to crop up when the new Constitution is implemented.  The problems that have arisen in the past when trying to implement the 13th Amendment would not arise since there is a clear division of power between the centre and the province in the proposed Constitution. By doing away with the concurrent list, the centre and the province can exercise the powers without interference by the other, Minister Vitharana stressed.Further, adequate funds will be provided through a suitable mechanism to enable the proper exercise of powers vested with the provinces, he added. Minister Vitharana also maintained that there are clearly defined powers that will give adequate financial and administrative support to the local government level together with the implementation of the Village Committee system. This will help to strengthen the local government bodies, he said.“To strengthen local government, the Village Committee system will be restored. The Divisional Secretariat is to be made the executive arm of the Pradeshiya Sabha,” he said.It is expected that through a uniform system that benefits the people in all parts of the country the grievances of the Tamil speaking people in particular would be addressed. Suitable changes will be made to ensure that the undue concentration of power which has been a feature of the Executive Presidential system will be suitably diluted, Prof. Vitharana emphasized.It is speculated that the passing of the new Constitution incorporating the APRC proposals will not be a difficult task for the Government as the main opposition UNP has already pledged its support to the Government to obtain the required two thirds majority.“The military victory over the LTTE under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has removed the biggest obstacle to resolve the national question,” Prof. Vitharana said.  “The door is now open to collectively work out a political solution that is acceptable to a vast majority of our people. We do this in a sensible and a cooperative manner to ensure the danger of separation is removed for ever and we could live together as one Sri Lankan people within an undivided country, Prof, Vitharana emphasized. The APRC was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on July 20, 2006 and has held 178 sessions prior to coming to a consensus on a range of recommendations ranging from the abolishing of the executive Presidency and reverting to the Westminster system of Parliamentary democracy.However, only 13 political parties took part in the APRC deliberations conducted up to the end. The main opposition UNP, JVP, TNA, JHU and the MEP abstained from taking part in the APRC deliberations.

Tangalle Navy centre to shift to Hambantota after completion of harbour construction

The Sri Lanka Navy is expected to shift its Tangalle operations from to Hambantota once the Hambantota harbour is operational towards the end of next year, Minister of Media and Information Lakhsman Yapa Abeywardena said, when he visited the Hambantota harbour work site on Monday.The construction of the harbour at Hambantota will cost Rs. 39,080 million with a Chinese aid component comprising Rs. 33,218 million. Minister Yapa in response to a query said that the SL Navy which played a pivotal role against Sea Tigers would have to play a new role as the international shipping lane was about 500-600 meters off shore. A naval source said that all ports come under the International Shipping and Ports Security Code. The enforcement authority of this code is the Navy of a nation. With the commissioning of the Hambantota Port, new responsibilities would fall on the shoulders of the SL Navy in compliance with the International Convention on Piracy at High Seas which had become a menace in busy shipping lanes. It also had to combat terrorism, providing security to administrative complexes and ancillary facilities. Violators of maritime regulations and conventions would be liable to be prosecuted in Sri Lanka Courts.

No one left to take over LTTE - Karuna

Rebel-turned-politico Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, speaking to Daily Mirror online, said that there is no one left to take over the reins of the LTTE, following the capture of Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) and that now the outfit was virtually extinct.Mr. Muralitharan said that he did not think there were any more LTTE cadres capable of running the outfit, as KP was the last one who had any control over the international network.Meanwhile, in an apparent effort to assure the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora that all was not lost with the arrest of Pathmanathan, the outfit’s new leaders declared on Monday, that the ambitious bid to form a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TNGTE) was still on, the Express Buzz reported.Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, the convener of the committee for drafting the constitution of the TNGTE, said that his panel would come out with a Q and A on the subject by the end of the month.The US-based lawyer, who has been a legal expert for the LTTE, said in a statement published in www.puthinam.com that the panel would also give details of the working committees in each country. These committees would propagate the idea of the TNGTE, he said. Rudrakumaran appealed to those interested in the concept to give their ideas and suggestions to the committee by e-mail.He said TNGTE would be a directly elected body and would be working within the laws and constitutions of the countries in which it would be operating, it added.

Jaffna gets international stadium 
   
Senior Presidential Adviser and Parliamentarian, Mr. Basil Rajapaksa,  announced the setting up of an international stadium  with funding assistance from India, under the 'Uthuru Wasanthaya" (“Northern Spring") programme.The Alfred Duraiappa Stadium, named after the popular former Mayor of Jaffna, the late Mr. Alfred Duraiappa, who was the first to be gunned down by Velupillai Prabakaran in 1975 when he emerged with his family from a  kovil,  will be transformed into a stadium with the highest  international standards.

UK dealers 'sold ex-Soviet arms' 
 
UK-based arms dealers may have been selling former Soviet weapons from Ukraine to blacklisted countries, a cross-party group of MPs has warned.The MPs said they were "extremely concerned" the UK government had not been aware of a list of arms dealers licensed by the Ukrainian authorities. Foreign Secretary David Miliband has ordered an investigation into the alleged transactions. The MPs are calling for tougher restrictions on arms exports. The MPs - known as the Committees on Arms Export Controls - describe how they alerted Mr Miliband to a list of UK dealers granted licences to export small arms from the Soviet weapons stockpile. They say this information was handed to them by Ukraine's deputy foreign minister on a fact-finding trip to Kiev. "We were alarmed to see that the end users on the list included countries for which there are Foreign and Commonwealth Office restrictions on the export of strategic goods," the MPs write. The list did not say whether the arms were exported directly from Ukraine to the end users or whether they were shipped via the UK first - and did not indicate the value or type of weapons. But the MPs said there were ongoing concerns about ex-Soviet weapons "ending up in undesirable locations". Mr Miliband wrote to the MPs to say HM Revenue and Customs and the Export Control Organisation had launched an investigation but asked them not to publish details of the Ukrainian list "as it would alert the companies to the fact that we are investigating, and might lead those who have committed an offence to try and cover their tracks". The MPs are calling for British embassies in major arms-exporting countries to obtain better information on Britons involved in the trade.

'Responsibility'

The report says all UK residents and British citizens overseas should obtain licences before trading any goods featured on the "military list" of weapons and equipment. Committees chairman, Labour MP Roger Berry, said: "The UK has a responsibility to ensure that its arms export industry, and individual UK citizens working overseas, are not engaging in the illegal arms trade." The MPs welcomed Mr Miliband's decision earlier this year to revoke export licences to Israel. The revoked licences are reported to cover spare parts for Israeli boats which allegedly fired missiles and artillery shells into Palestinian territory during the invasion of Gaza last year. In their report, the MPs said the government must do more to ensure equipment is not being used against civilians in war zones and highlighted concerns arms exported from the UK have been used against civilians in Sri Lanka's civil war. Britain and other EU countries are reported to have sold arms to the country's government in the final three years of its conflict with the Tamil Tigers. The MPs say they are concerned weapons and equipment exported to the country during a ceasefire may have been used against civilians when hostilities escalated in 2006.

'Full review'

The MPs say applications for licences for arms exports to Israel and Sri Lanka should continue to be assessed case-by-case. Britain, which is one of the world's biggest arms exporters, has been involved in efforts to set up a global arms sales treaty and since December has been subject to an EU-wide agreement, although campaigners say it is ineffective as enforcement is down to individual countries. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "The government shares the committees' concerns regarding military exports fuelling conflict in countries such as Sri Lanka. "As a result of the intensified fighting in Sri Lanka earlier this year, the government launched a full review of export licensing decisions to Sri Lanka. In particular, whether there was a need to revoke any licences that were now in breach of the criteria governing export controls. "This review is nearing completion, and the outcome will be reported to Parliament." He added: "Overall, we are pleased that the committees endorse our policy of case-by-case assessment for assessing export licences." The Committees on Arms Export Controls is made up of members of four different select committees: business and enterprise, defence, foreign affairs and international development.

Army promotions

Temporary Lieutenant Colonel N. D. S. P. Niwunhella was confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with effect from 04.08.2008.Lieutenant Colonel D. D. M. Tennakoon, Lieutenant Colonel N. D. S. P. Niwunhella, Lieutenant Colonel T. J. Kodituwakku , Lieutenant Colonel H. P. Ranasinghe, Lieutenant Colonel A. P. I. Fernando, Lieutenant Colonel C. D. Weerasuriya, Lieutenant Colonel L. W. H. Gamage, Lieutenant Colonel N. L. K. Samarasingha, Lieutenant Colonel J. A. T. D. M. Jayasuriya, Lieutenant Colonel T. D. Weerakoon, Lieutenant Colonel A. A. S. P. Tilakarathna were promoted to the rank of Temporary Colonel with effect from 01.08.2009.Major D. N. P. K. Jayaweera was promoted to the rank of Temporary Lieutenant Colonel with effect from 01.08.2009.

India likely to demand KP's extradition
   
Indian investigating agencies are likely to demand the extradition of Kumaran Pathmanathan, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief now in police custody in Sri Lanka, to uncover the “real story” behind the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.  Pathmanathan, one of the senior-most surviving leaders of the LTTE, is learnt to have played a pivotal role in providing logistic support to the conspirators involved in the killing of the former prime minister at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in 1991. “He had visited Tamil Nadu many times and supplied arms and ammunition to LTTE cadres,” sources said.Interpol declared Pathmanathan a proclaimed and wanted offender after India and Sri Lanka issued warrants against him. India wanted Interpol to apprehend the LTTE leader on charges of criminal conspiracy, arms smuggling and violation of Indian territory and explosives laws. When asked about the Indian interests in Pathmanathan, Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said the Tiger leader was wanted in India. On the question whether India would seek Pathmanathan’s custody, Pillai said there was no immediate hurry.  “He is in Sri Lankan custody. He is not running away,” Pillai said indicating that it could be done in due course. He also said the ban on the LTTE would continue even though it was no longer a threat to India. Popularly known as KP, Pathmanathan allegedly played a role in financing and providing arms, explosives and communication equipment to the killers of Rajiv. It is reported that it was KP who provided the RDX-and-C4-based suicide vest worn by suicide bomber Dhanu and the AK-47 pistol and a Czech 9-mm pistol possessed by Sivarasan.

Govt. contradicts its own figures on LTTE cadres – Kirielle

The Government, having proclaimed that the LTTE was down to less than 3,000 cadres in its final weeks, now speaks of 15,000 suspected ‘Tigers’, who have been detained at a northern camp, UNP Parliamentarian Lakshman Kirielle said yesterday. He told ‘The Island’, that the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government was full of contradictions and the latest was with regard to the number of suspected LTTE cadres in its custody."We have no objections to Tiger suspects being interrogated or separated from the other Internally Displaced Persons, from the North. But, how an earth did their numbers suddenly swell from less than 3,000 to 15,000?"The hallmark of the Rajapaksa administration, he said was its contradictory nature, which has permeated into every aspect of governance.The inhuman treatment of thousands of IDP’s in northern refugee camps, indicates the governments scant regard for human rights, Kirielle said.Discriminatory policies, have even spread to humanitarian issues, he observed. "Opposition MP’s, also have a right to help their Tamil brothers and sisters in distress. But, only UPFA MP’s, are allowed to visit the northern refugee camps, where nearly 280,000 internally displaced persons are being kept."

Many flock to Kallady grave in search of 'dissapeared'
    
As a grave in Kallady in Batticaloa of the east was exhumed many relatives who have lost their loved ones flocked to identify the remains. The Batticaloa Magistrate B Ramakamalan instructed the judicial medical officer to further analyse available evidence for identification purposes.Human remains, clothing, spent bullets and keys were unearthed. According to local police authorities the land where the grave was found previously belonged to a police constable who was allegedly shot by the Tamil Tigers.

18 August 2009

Karunanidhi wants pressure on Lanka over IDP situation
   
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi today asked the Centre to exert "diplomatic and political pressure" on Sri Lanka to address the plight of Tamils lodged in various camps in the neighbouring country, saying the recent incessant rains added to their miseries.In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said the displaced persons were reportedly huddled in houses lacking basic amenities and have no access to medical facilities.Karunanidhi, whose party is a constituent of the UPA government, said floodwaters had entered the houses of displaced Tamils adding to their miseries and problems."It is needless to point out that we have to step in to end the sufferings of displaced families in Sri Lanka. I feel it is high time that the Central government exerted diplomatic and political pressure at appropriate levels on the government of Sri Lanka at least on humanitarian grounds. I hope I can expect early action in this regard," he said.

India gives more relief

Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad yesterday handed over to the UN Resident Representative Neil Buhne, the fourth consignment of relief goods from India meant for the IDP population in northern Sri Lanka. The 600-ton consignment, which arrived in Colombo on August 8 and valued at over USD 3 million is a symbol of India's continuing concern for the welfare of the IDPs, said a press release issued by the Indian High Commission yesterday. The consignment consists of more than 600,000 packages of grocery items, utensils, plastic mats, clothing materials including children's clothing, footwear, jerry cans and personal hygiene items. Almost all the items in the consignment are sufficient to cover the needs of 80,000 families, i.e. nearly the entire IDP population in the north. "The Government of India wishes to express its appreciation to the Government of Sri Lanka for facilitating the arrival and clearance of this important consignment. It also wishes to thank the UNHCR and the UNWFP for undertaking the distribution of these relief materials to the IDPs as well as to those families that are expected to be resettled in the coming weeks and months," the release added.

US urges Sri Lanka reconciliation 
 
A senior US diplomat has warned that the Sri Lankan government's failure to share power with the minority Tamils could lead to renewed violence.Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake told the BBC a delay in devolving powers might create new opportunities for the rebel Tamil Tigers to regroup. Sri Lanka's government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers three months ago. Mr Blake also urged Colombo to resettle swiftly the hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians displaced by the war. This would have a bearing on US aid for reconstruction and resettlement, he said.

Dialogue

The warning by the US assistant secretary of state is a clear sign that Western nations are getting increasingly frustrated with the delay in the political reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. There was optimism that the end of the conflict between the majority Sinhalese-led government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would pave the way for a power sharing agreement with the minority Tamils. But the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, recently said any political solution could come only after his re-election, which may happen next year. The delay has not impressed many in the West, including Mr Blake. "There is a possibility that they will alienate the Tamil community further, and again exacerbate the divisions and perhaps even give new opportunities for the LTTE to organise," he told the BBC. "So, it is very, very important for Sri Lanka to engage in their own dialogue with the Tamils not only inside Sri Lanka but also outside Sri Lanka, and again to hasten the process of reconciliation," he added. The senior US official also appealed for the rapid resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians displaced by the war and now confined to government-run camps in the north. Mr Blake said the condition of these internally displaced people (IDPs) was linked with Washington's financial aid to Sri Lanka. "Our ability to provide money for reconstruction and for resettlement and livelihood and other activities will depend a lot on the progress that Sri Lanka makes in terms of abiding by its commitment to resettle the IDPs as quickly as possible," he said. "Secondly, on the progress it makes towards political reconciliation and devolution of power." The Sri Lankan authorities say they do plan to let civilians return home, but must screen them first to identify rebel fighters. Any reconciliation process, they say, should be approved by the majority and reaching a consensus on this issue takes time.

Tamil-Canadian student leader got the 'VIP tour' from Tigers

Photos of a former Toronto student leader handling and firing guns at a rebel camp have been unsealed by United States prosecutors in advance of his sentencing on terrorism charges.Sathajhan Sarachandran was once national president of the Canadian Tamil Students Association but the photos show him holding a machine gun and aiming a rifle while uniformed Tamil Tigers rebels look on.RCMP officers found the pictures during a search of Sarachandran's residence in Scarborough. The search was conducted at the request of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which was investigating his involvement in a rebel arms smuggling ring.The 29-year-old computer science student has since pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism and conspiracy to buy surface-to-air missiles for the rebels, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE. He faces a possible life term at his sentencing on Oct. 6. Another Canadian, Nadarasa Yogarasa, is also scheduled for sentencing that day. Sahilal Sabaratnam, the former communications director of the Canadian Tamil Congress, is to be sentenced on Nov. 13. Three more Canadians have been charged and are awaiting extradition to the United States Documents written by federal prosecutors in preparation for the sentencing hearing detail the results of the RCMP's search of Sarachandran's home for the first time. In one of the photos seized in Toronto, Sarachandran is seen aboard a ship that is flying the flag of the Sea Tigers, the rebel navy. The Mackenzie Institute's John Thompson identified the weapons in the photos as a .22-calibre training rifle and a Soviet or Chinese PKM medium machine gun. He said Sarachandran did not appear to be training but rather "getting the VIP tour."The RCMP search also turned up Tamil Tigers propaganda and documents, a desktop computer, laptop, jump drive and a letter in which Sarachandran, alias "Satha," identified himself as the Canadian coordinator of the Tamil Youth Organization, which the prosecutors said was controlled by the Tamil Tigers. "During the search, the RCMP found substantial evidence of Satha's provision of material support to the LTTE," U.S. Attorney Benton Campbell wrote.The prosecutors also released transcripts of several recorded conversations in which Sarachandran appeared to speak candidly about the Tamil Tigers support network in Toronto. "Money is not a problem," Sarachandran said during a July 31, 2006, meeting in Long Island, N.Y., with an informant posing as an arms dealer. Later, he discussed methods used to raise money in Canada. "More or less in all the shops they have a percentage system," he said. "They have collected a lot of money from a lot of people in that manner."He said that in Canada, there were "covert people" unknown to intelligence officials, whom he called the "four letters," possibly in reference to CSIS or the RCMP. "The four letters in our country is not a problem; four letters meaning the intelligence people don't know about these guys."These are covert people and not the flag holding type. They are backstage. They are not connected to anything at all; just employed in very good jobs or professional fields like electronics, engineering, etc...

"They are everywhere."

But he said there had been "problems" since April, 2006. That was the month the Conservative government put the Tamil Tigers on Canada's list of outlawed terrorist organizations. Also that month, the RCMP raided the Montreal and Toronto branches of the World Tamil Movement, a suspected rebel front. "They searched the premises of the organization," Sarachandran said.Toronto was once a major support base for the Tamil Tigers, separatist guerrillas fighting for independence for Sri Lanka's ethic Tamil minority. A secret Canadian intelligence report released in July called Canada one of the rebels' top sources of funding, providing up to $12-million a year.But while the rebels had until recently controlled a quarter of Sri Lanka, they suffered a decisive defeat in May at the hands of the Sri Lankan military, which captured their strongholds and killed their top leaders.

Sri Lanka Keeps Interest Rate at Three-Year Low to Boost Growth

Sri Lanka’s central bank kept its benchmark interest rates at a three-year low to help stoke an economic revival after the end of the island’s 26-year civil war. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka held the reverse repurchase rate unchanged at 11 percent for a second straight month and maintained the repurchase rate at 8.5 percent, according to a statement on the Colombo-based bank’s Web site today. Governor Nivard Cabraal last month raised the central bank’s 2009 growth forecast to as much as 4.5 percent from an earlier estimate of 2.5 percent, citing increased investments and reconstruction projects. Cabraal on July 21 predicted inflation this year at 5 percent. “The central bank will probably watch inflation next month in keeping with a cautious monetary policy stance,” said Anushka Shah, an economist at Citigroup Global Markets in Mumbai. Consumer prices in the capital, Colombo, rose 1.1 percent in July from a year earlier after gaining 0.9 percent in June. Cabraal said July 31 there is “space for interest rates to come down further,” helping the government reduce the budget deficit in accordance with a $2.6 billion International Monetary Fund loan agreement. Sri Lanka plans to raise $500 million from overseas investors to help rebuild the war-torn island after the IMF loan shored up the nation’s finances, Cabraal said. The IMF’s aid package and improved investor confidence with the end of the civil war have helped attract foreign flows and eased local borrowing costs, the central bank said July 23.

Budget Deficit

The central bank had this year reduced the repurchase rate by 2 percentage points and lowered the reverse repurchase rate from 12 percent. In return for the IMF loan, Sri Lanka has agreed to reduce its budget deficit to 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2011 and maintain flexibility in the exchange rate in order to build foreign reserves to cover 3 1/2 months of imports and bolster the economy. Cabraal expects an average $150 million to be spent by the government, companies and foreign aid agencies each month over the next several years to rebuild roads, schools and hospitals in the country’s northern region, which was the last bastion of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The IMF expects Sri Lanka’s economy to grow more than 3 percent this year and accelerate in 2010. “Easing interest rates remains essential in order to spur consumer demand, given the central bank’s ambitious growth forecast,” said Bimanee Meepagala, an analyst at Eagle NDB Fund Management Co. in Colombo.

17 August 2009

Tamils in Jaffna long for normality

The ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) may claim it won a crucial election in the minority Tamil-dominated town of Jaffna, but frustrated residents say the government is far from being able to provide peace with dignity.“It is a long way before people will get their freedom and peace. We want to be treated with dignity, not live like second-class citizens,” said a retired lawyer who, like many others who spoke to The National, did not want to be named.From journalists, public officials and businessmen to the ordinary man on the street, residents of this town, once the seat of Tamil nationalism and the cry for a separate homeland, are reluctant to speak to the media for fear of upsetting the authorities.At the nearby Nallur Hindu temple, which this month is expecting Tamil expatriates from across the world for its annual festival, devotees were uneasy even talking about the festival, its origins and significance. “Please don’t quote me,” said a young man going towards the temple.Hindus are the majority community in Jaffna, which has a small Christian and Muslim population. Across Sri Lanka, Tamils, who represent 12 per cent of the population, are mostly Hindus.While the end of the war in May this year brought relief to many Sri Lankans, the life of the Jaffna resident has not changed much apart from the end of food shortages. Hundreds of troops are spread across the northern region, there are some items still banned in Jaffna, and going to Colombo, about 400 kilometres to the south, is a bureaucratic nightmare.“They charge us 19,500 rupees (Dh623) per return flight for a one hour journey [one way] when it probably costs the same to go to Malaysia and back from Colombo,” said an angry resident. Travel to Jaffna is mainly possible through two or three daily flights by a private airline, and for the past two weeks, the air force, which has been operating commercial flights. Travel is still restricted along the main north-south motorway, which is open now mostly for military transport. A few passenger buses and goods lorries are allowed on the road, with security checks taking a long time.A trader said it takes as long as eight hours to travel from Colombo to Jaffna by car. “Lorries are held up sometimes for three days at security checkpoints further south of Jaffna. Often these lorries, which carry fruits and vegetables, arrive here with rotting or spoilt stuff,” he said. Another shopkeeper said transporting goods by lorry cost 100,000 rupees per journey compared with 10,000 rupees in 2002-03 when the road was open without restriction during peace talks between the government and Tamil rebels.However, with lorries carrying consumer goods into Jaffna, compared to goods being transported by ship during wartime, essentials and other goods are available and in some cases, like medicines, cheaper than in Colombo. “The drug companies want to capture this market. So they are offering huge discounts which we are passing to the consumers,” said a pharmacy owner.In the first polls held since the Tamil rebels were defeated by government troops, the ruling party won elections to the Jaffna Municipal Council. However, the win by the UPFA, which claimed that the victory reflected faith in the government by Tamils, was largely due to the presence of the government minister and former rebel commander Douglas Devananda.Mr Devananda, whose party supports the government, told the media yesterday, two days after the election, that his party would have won a bigger victory if he had his way. He said it should not be perceived as a victory for the government, which faces many problems. High among them is reforming an education system that is in shambles. A once-proud system – Jaffna district had the best results after Colombo in any secondary examinations – has been shattered by the war.Education officials here say Jaffna, part of the northern province, which is at the bottom among Sri Lanka’s nine provinces, now ranks 18th among 25 districts. “We have not only lost infrastructure but also skilled people. Dozens of teachers have gone abroad due to the war and it’s hard to get replacements,” a senior official said. Teachers are also unable to get updated on new teaching methods and school curriculum as the training and workshops are held in Colombo, which for most of the past three to four years has been inaccessible.

Implement the 13 Amendment by Niranjan Dias Bandaranayake

Now that the war is over the question that comes to mind is in what way we can rebuild this country which has been affected by an ethnic cum terrorist conflict for over three decades. From a political perspective, the Government should fully implement the 13 Amendment to the Constitution. For this to take place problematic areas with regard to the implementation of the 13 Amendment need to be looked into. In an exclusive interview about the 13th Amendment with Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (alias Pillayan) conducted by Vikalpa in March 2009, Chief Minister Chandrakanthan had expressed his disappointment at the Governments failure to fully implement the 13 amendment. The Chief Minister said “At present we are unable to even obtain the powers that are due to us. There is also confusion regarding certain issues. It is not possible to discuss certain issues openly. We are unable to legislate for the benefit of the people even after 8 months. The needs and concerns of the people have to be met without delay.”Under the 13 amendment the center and provinces in some instances do not have a clear cut separation of powers and as a result the center can encroach upon the powers of the provinces. This invariably leads to disputes between the center and the provinces. The main points of contention with regard to the 13th amendment are land and police powers. For instance, Chief Minister Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan claims that he does not have powers over the police in the East even though the 13th Amendment is supposed to devolve police powers to the provinces and also provide for the establishment of Provincial Police Commissions. A point of contention with respect to land is that the center has control over the Divisional Secretaries and Grama Niladaris in the PC’s. Therefore, some of the powers of the provinces are exercised by these Divisional Secretaries who in effect are controlled by the center. What the Executive should do is to transfer these public officials to the provincial public service. EP Chief Minister Pillaiyan in the Vikalpa interview has also expressed his disappointment over the Governments failure to establish a Ministry of Law and Order as envisaged under the Eastern PC.The NFF, the JHU and the JVP need not fear the 13 Amendment on the grounds that it might lead to secession as the Central Government possesses adequate powers to dissolve the Provincial Councils if the need arises. In the 1990 case of Varatharajah Perumal and the Northeast PC declaring unilateral independence, the Premadasa Government was able to dissolve the PC without difficulty as the powers reserved by the Central Government was more than adequate to deal with such situations. Even though the North and the East provinces was de-merged by a Supreme Court order in 2006, the 13 Amendment has been a part of our constitution for the past 22 years and if implemented in full will to a good degree satisfy the aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Diaspora living abroad and all non-LTTE Tamil militant groups such as EPDP, PLOTE, TELO, EROS, EPRLF, ENDLF and others which gave up its weapons under the Indo-Lanka accord and joined the democratic process.In the sphere of foreign relations it will no doubt satisfy the following: the Government of India who this time around was supportive of the Sri Lankan Governments bid to finish off the LTTE, most if not all Tamil Nadu politicians who have been agitating for devolution to Sri Lankan Tamils and Western Governments especially the USA and the EU which are the two biggest markets for our garments and who have also been consistent in its advocacy of devolution of power to the Tamil minority. As the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Geneva, Dayan Jayathilleke has stated in an article titled “National security, the national interest and the 13th Amendment”- “The implementation of the 13th Amendment is not a give away or dilution of our military gains. It is the necessary political accompaniment of them and the guarantee of the consolidation of our military victory.” (Daily News 3 July 2009, www.dailynews.lk)President Rajapakse, the SLFP and the old left it seems is prepared to address contentious issues with regard to the full implementation of the 13 Amendment. In an interview with CNN-IBN on Tuesday (April 28) at Temple Trees, President Mahinda Rajapakse was asked the question “What is your political vision in the post-conflict phase? How will you assure the Tamils that their political rights are protected in this country?” President Rajapakse had replied by saying “What we are trying to do is implement the Indo-Sri Lanka treaty and the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment was introduced and even Prabhakaran signed it agreeing to it and then suddenly he changed his mind. The 13th Amendment is a part of our Constitution but unfortunately it was not implemented because of Prabhakaran and his crowd, because of the LTTE. So now we will have to implement that. And we have I have categorically said that it will be 13 plus 1.” (www.priu.gov.lk)The end of the war has brought in a new chapter of hope and opportunity for Sri Lanka in relation to its economy. Even though the country is expected to register a low GDP growth of between 3.5%-4.5% in 2009, HSBC Singapore based primary economist for Vietnam and Sri Lanka Prakrit Sofat opinioned at a recent business community meeting in Colombo that Sri Lanka would record a healthy GDP growth of 6% in 2010. The predicted rise in GDP growth could be attributed to the end of military hostilities together with other domestic and international factors that could drive investment and growth. The good news is that Sri Lanka’s trade deficit has been gradually declining and foreign remittances in the first quarter of 2009 are estimated to have reached one billion US dollars. However, in terms of foreign direct investment Sri Lanka received US $ 889 million in 2008. This is a comparatively small figure when compared with other countries in the Asian region. But it is hoped that with the end of hostilities and the rebuilding of roads and infrastructure facilities in the North and East the country could once again see the inflow of FDI in the coming years to areas that have been neglected for many years. The Jaffna peninsula to my knowledge has never had a garment factory producing apparels for export to western countries. Perhaps the reason for this is that since the 1970’s the peninsula has not received any substantial foreign or local investment due to terrorist activity. Therefore, with the return of normalcy and the opening of the A-9 road industries such as garment manufacturing could be established in the peninsula on the lines of the setting up of Brandix Lanka’s apparel factory in Punani in 2008 which is said to employ 220 people from all ethnic communities.In the area of tourism, Sri Lanka receives an estimated 450,000 tourists per year on average. Once again this figure is tiny in comparison to other countries in the Asian region. The industry in the past employed about 100,000 people directly and indirectly in parts of the country outside the North and East. It is hoped that the industry which was badly affected due to the instable situation in the North and East provinces in the past would show an improvement with tourists once again been able to visit the beaches of the East Coast such as Arugam Bay, Kalladi, Passikudah, Vakarai, Alles Garden, Nilaveli, Kanniyai and Kumburupitty. Towards this end the Eastern PC is considering the establishment of a Tourism Promotion Board through a provincial statute. Tourism and garments are two industries in which Sri Lanka can compete internationally.Long term economic development can take place only in an environment of peace. In my opinion, to create a peaceful environment in the North and the East as well as the rest of the country Tamil political grievances need to be addressed sincerely and the only way in which this can be done is by resolving contentious issues regarding the implementation of the 13 amendment. This country may not be able to post high rates of GDP growth, attract substantial FDI or hope to get large volumes of tourists as long as there is a politically discontented Tamil community living in the North and the East and also in other parts of the country. The fears of the NFF and the JHU which are a party to the government and the JVP which now sits in opposition that devolution of power would lead to secession are unfounded. Any shortcomings in the PC system relating to the costs involved in maintaining PC’s and wastage of funds can and need to be put right. However, the PC system is not fundamentally flawed and it has and continues to provide a service to the public.

Lanka’s reputation at stake: Ranil

Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe over the weekend warned of the possibility of  Sri Lanka’s reputation being sullied due to the worsening living conditions in displaced people’s camps in the Wanni and the spread of diseases in the wake of monsoonal rains. At a gathering of UNP electoral organizers on Saturday, Mr. Wickremesinghe said that although President Rajapaksa assured the United Nations that the Sri Lankan government would settle at least 80 per cent of the displaced people by the end of this year only a few had been resettled so far. He said monsoonal rains would continue to fall from October this year to February next year and it would be difficult to resettle any of the refugees during this time. Mr. Wickremesinghe said nobody would fault the security forces for wanting those suspected of having links with the LTTE further detained and questioned. He said though there might be some 25,000 suspicious people at the camps there might be more than 250,000 people who might be innocent and asked why such people were not be allowed to leave the camps and resettle in their villages. Mr. Wickremesinghe said he would ask the government to tell parliament how the government hoped to handle this situation and once again requested the government to provide correct statistics on the refugees being held at the northern camps and to allow parliamentarians to visit these camps. He warned that by continuing to hold the refugees in camps and delay their resettlement would further fan the flame of hatred in their minds and hearts.

Human remains recovered in abandoned land in Batticaloa

Kaaththaankudi police Saturday evening unearthed a fertilizer bag with human remains from an abandoned land located opposite the office of the Department of Irrigation in Kalladi in Batticaloa district. A group of boys while playing in the land had seen some thing buried in the land and immediately brought the matter to the notice of the police. A police team rushed to the site and unearthed the bag with the human remains inside it. Civil society sources said they suspect that the remains could be of a person reported to have been abducted and later gone missing in the area.

Pillayan wants EP Governor removed

Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan and four other provincial ministers have reportedly sent a petition to President Mahinda Rajapaksa asking for the removal of Eastern Province Governor Mohan Wijewickrama.According to highly placed sources, the letter has been sent on July 15, but no action had been taken in this regard. The Chief Minister and four other Ministers have accused the governor of meddling with the affairs of the council unnecessarily sidelining the elected members.

Pillayan wants

Sources said these members had requested the President to replace him with a person who could maintain a good rapport with the council in running the affairs of the province. “The governor is trying to run the show alone. He is not a person supportive of power devolution.  This can be the first time in history where the provincial council members have demanded the removal of a governor,” sources said. The Provincial Council was established in 2008 following the liberation of the province from the grip of the LTTE. Attempts to contact both Mr. Chandrakanthan and Mr. Wijewickrama in this regard failed. There had been much wrangling between the two for a long time over the issues of the Provincial Council.

Mannar cop arrested for cheating

A police constable has been nabbed for allegedly collecting money from people in the Mannar area to build water tanks for IDPs in government welfare camps. The police said the suspect had been arrested last Friday (August 14) on a tip off. The police also recovered a set of documents from the suspect which implicated him in the racket. Sources said that the policeman had received a transfer to Mannar from Udumalala police a few months ago.

Govt. washes its hands of IDP sewage

Disaster Management Minister Rishard Bathiudeen said yesterday the break down of the sewage and drainage system at displaced people’s camps due to flooding could not be blamed on the government.Mr. Bathiudeen said it was the UN agencies, which constructed the drainage system and set up flood preventive measures.“So how can you blame the Government for the blockage in the drainage systems and the overflow of sewage during the floods,” he said. Mr. Bathiudeen said only about 400 refugees in ‘Zone 4’ were affected by the flood the matter was attended to no sooner it was reported to the authorities.He said the refugees were provided with meals, accommodation, and healthcare facilities.When contacted the UNHCR said it would be making a statement on the situation at the IDP camps.

Decomposed bodies of two youths found in Gampaha

Biyagama police Sunday morning recovered decomposed bodies of two men, aged between 20 and 35 in Sapugaskanda, Biyagama, Gampaha in the western province. According to the police the bodies of the two victims were partially eaten by insects. The police believe they died at least four days ago. The police have launched immediate investigation to find out the identities of these youths and how they met with their death.

Govt. warns of move to have Tigers posing as civilians freed

Dismissing UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s criticism that nearly 280,000 displaced persons had been held at camps in the Vavuniya region against their wish, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa accused the Opposition of playing politics with essentially a security issue. The Defence Secretary warned that LTTE terrorists masquerading as civilians, now taking refuge among the displaced, could resume attacks if the government gave in to internal and external pressure and released them. He said that there were a lot of explosives, arms and ammunition buried in the Vanni, particularly in the eastern part. Had they been given an opportunity to lay their hands on them, they would resume attacks, he said. In an interview with The Island, over the weekend, he said that the opposition and a section of the press had conveniently forgotten that the LTTE collapsed a few months ago. He said that there had not been a single attack since the army had wiped out the LTTE leadership on the banks of the Nanthikadal Lagoon last May due to existing security measures. "If we loosen up security measures and bombs starts exploding, the same crowd will demand the resignation of the government," he said.Wickremesinghe recently urged the government to expedite the release of civilians and also inform Parliament of the steps taken in this regard. Addressing UNP organisers, the UNP leader, flanked by his deputy Karu Jayasuriya and UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, strongly criticised the government for detaining innocent people.SLFP dissident Mangala Samaraweera, MP recently joined what the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (Mahajana Wing) called a collective of concerned citizens to make representations to Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna regarding Sri Lankan IDPs. The group urged India to pressure the Sri Lankan government to ‘demilitarise administration of all IDP camps and the rehabilitation process.’ The Defence Secretary said that after failing to throw a lifeline to the LTTE, the Opposition and a section of the international community had now launched a fresh campaign to exploit the IDPs situation. "This is most likely to be their last triumph card,"he said pointing out that recent statements attributed to various individuals and organisations had shed light on their plan.He said that those who did not utter a word when the LTTE held over 300,000 people at gun point on the Vanni eastern front were now interfering with a legitimate government operation. Recalling resettlement of the displaced in the Eastern Province as the army was battling to liberate the region, he said that a section of the international community and the Opposition strongly opposed Sri Lanka’s efforts to expedite the process. The resettlement of people in the East had been subject to UNHCR conditions, he said adding that the government had carried out the operation in keeping with the UN agency’s standards. Now that the LTTE had been wiped out, ‘international busybodies and their local henchmen’ were playing a different tune, he said. According to the UNHCR, the resettlement of people in a particular area should be preceded by clearing of mines and also provision of water and other basic facilities required to recommence their livelihood.The Defence Secretary said that though some had forgotten, the government could not ignore that the Vanni population had been in the clutches of the LTTE for almost 30 years. He said that there could be many LTTE sympathisers and operatives masquerading as ordinary civilians accommodated at welfare camps. Acknowledging shortcomings at welfare camps, he said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had wanted to provide the best possible housing facilities for the IDPs but those foreigners who now shed tears for them had opposed that. The President’s directive followed after his visit to a Chinese province devastated by an earthquake, he said. Although the President believed that every effort should be made to provide housing facilities, others opposed the move fearing an effort was being made to settle IDPs permanently outside their villages. Others had gone to the extent of claiming that the proposed housing units would be handed over to Sinhalese once the Tamils returned to their villages, he said.

Govt establishing authenticity of KPs disclosures

The Government is in the process of establishing the authenticity of various details that self proclaimed new leader of the LTTE remnants, Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP , currently in Government custody, has revealed to the Sri Lankan authorities about several local individuals and organisations that have reportedly supported the LTTE and their terrorist movement, Defense Spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the Daily News yesterday. Rambukwella said, they want to confirm the veracity of Pathmanathan's disclosures about these individuals and organisations that supported the terrorist outfit before they round them up." They will be apprehended no sooner than we are able to find reliable evidence," he said. "On being interrogated by the authorities, KP had revealed some of their names. He had also revealed about their international links and how they purchased arms and smuggled them to Sri Lanka," the Minister said. Asked if the arrest of Pathmanathan could mean the end of the LTTE's international links, Rambukwella said, the arrest of KP has the worst kind of impact on those LTTE remnants who function from various centers in other countries. "It could mean that their functions can come to a halt with the defeat of the LTTE and their expectations which have manifested around KP as their new leader and international arms smuggler," he added. Besides, the arrest of KP means a huge step forward in the fight against terrorism internationally. He is wanted by Interpol for various criminal offenses, Rambukwella said. Asked if the Government would hand over Pathmanathan to Interpol or any other countries to be interrogated over his criminal activities, he said the Government is prepared to arrange such investigations on the request of any such interested party. Meawhile, KP remains in the custody of the Government while investigations are continuing to unveil the LTTE's international network.

Solving N-E people's problems through democratic means

The problems faced by North-East Tamil people could only be solved through a democratic course of action and not by resorting to an armed struggle, said Social Services and Social Welfare Minister and Secretary General of Eelam People's Democratic Party Douglas Devananda. He was speaking at a function held for celebration of the "Golden Jubilee" of the Jaffna Nurses Training School as the Chief Guest. Minister said the Tamil people are stuck in problems like a piece of cloth entangled in a bush of thorns and that they should be carefully disentangled from the mess. Therefore it's of necessity to maintain a healthy relationship with the Central Government for all the problems to be settled amicably and to get the Central Government's help for proceeding with the development activities of the North and also its important to bear in mind that no development work could be done in the absence of assistance from the Central Government. The people have now realized the truth and have begun to march with him. However some politicians with vested interest are trying to tarnish their image for their political mileage, the Minister said.

16 August 2009

Deal key to relief package: India

India on Saturday conveyed to Sri Lanka that a “broad-based political settlement” of the ethnic conflict would enable the Rs.500-crore relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation package for the nearly three lakh war displaced to be utilised in a more effective and efficient manner.In his message to coincide with the 63rd Independence Day, published in a special supplement in the local media, High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Alok Prasad said New Delhi looked forward to working with Colombo for quick and effective disbursement of the package.India’s desire for a “broad-based political settlement” along with the resettlement of the war displaced assumes importance as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, since the end of Eelam War IV on May 19, has been focusing on the need for relief and rehabilitation to take precedence over a political solution.In his interview with The Hindu on June 30, in response to a question on the political solution — the 13th “Amendment Plus” — he had in mind, Mr. Rajapaksa had said “even tomorrow I can give that — but I want to get that from the people.” He insisted that all parties, especially the Tamil National Alliance representatives, should participate in the discussions on the political solution. “I am waiting but it will be after my [re]election [as President].” Indications are Mr. Rajapaksa could order a presidential election by the end of 2009.Mr. Prasad said India had always been committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and restoration of peace through a political settlement that met the just aspirations of all elements of Sri Lankan society.“The true quality of friendship was evident during the recent difficult times when India stood steadfast by Sri Lanka’s side. We will continue to support Sri Lanka’s commitment to heal the wounds of the past, to build a caring society which ensures a life of equality and dignity to all its citizens,” said the message. The message also said India was supplying material for construction and would be willing to augment such assistance as the resettlement proceeds.Independence Day was celebrated in the morning on the lawns of India House. Mr. Prasad unfurled the Tricolour in the presence of around 600 Indian expatriates.

APRC awaits President’s response

The much anticipated final summary of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) proposal has been submitted to the President early this week, according to Professor Tissa Vitarana, Chair of the Committee. Prof. Vitarana told The Nation the Committee is currently awaiting a feedback on the changes to be made, if necessary. He declined to comment on the specifications of the summary since a response from the President was still pending. Prof. Vitarana in the recent past has cited that all 13 political parties represented in the APRC had reached an agreement on all issues. Speaking of the changes, he said some of the issues that were worked on were the establishment of the Constitutional Council, which would serve as an apex body to discuss Constitutional matters. He also said there were to be changes in the government system, which included going back to the Westminster Model. He said that a decision had been taken to change the Executive Presidency. “Then everyone came back to the Westminster Model, based on a Cabinet headed by a Prime Minister, which should have both legislative and executive powers and needs to command the majority in Parliament,” he added. Speaking on the electoral system he said, “The basic idea is that there should be a mixed system; neither the complete Proportional Representation system nor the First-past-the-post system as existed in the past.Instead, to have a mixed system with a certain number of representatives elected from individual electorates under the First-past-the-post system and others on a proportional basis depending on the number of votes received by the political parties. “Currently the United National Party (UNP) is not participating. They withdrew. They have indicated that once the parties that are now in the process – there are 11 parties which are aligned with the government and two parties which are in the opposition; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Democratic People’s Front – once we reach a consensus, the UNP is ready to come into the process.”

Presidential election first, predicts political strategistsParliamentary elections to quickly follow

A presidential election will precede a parliamentary election early next year according to confidantes of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is believed likely to invoke the constitutional provision enabling him to seek re-election four years after he was sworn as president for a six-year term on Nov. 19, 2005.The president can under the constitution issue a proclamation seeking re-election any time after November 19 this year although he has two more years of his term to serve and present indications are that he will utilize this opportunity to ride the crest of the wave of popularity he currently enjoys.The holding of the presidential election following the issue of the necessary proclamation is under the Presidential Election Law, a separate statute, which prescribes the timeframes for the various steps such as calling for nominations, receiving nominations and fixing the polling day.An election can be held by end January – early February next years but it is up to the president to decide when he would want the election held, well informed sources said."He can hold it any time he wants to once the four years are up, timing his proclamation accordingly,’’ a legal authority explained.As parliament was elected on April 2, 2004, the next parliamentary election is due only in April 2010 but the president may dissolve the existing legislature prematurely after it had been sitting for one year.Well informed political sources said it made sense for the president to dissolve parliament and call for fresh elections if he is comfortably re-elected as his party will be able to take maximum advantage of the president’s popularity."The gap should not be too long between the two elections,’’ a political strategist said. ``That was a mistake that President Chandrika Kumaratunga made in having 11 months between a presidential election she won and the parliamentary election.’’

Hunt on for all LTTE funds

Following the explosive revelations of Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP), the LTTE’s new leader who is now in Government custody, all LTTE assets and funds handled by him are now under the microscope. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told the Sunday Observer that the Government, while continuing its hunt for the remaining LTTEers abroad, will go after LTTE’s assets and all monetary collections handled by him. He said that though there was no concrete estimate on the wealth of the LTTE yet, the Government was now pursuing these aspects. Minister Bogollagama, who announced the Government’s plans to hunt KP and the LTTE’s funds three months ago, said that the wealth he possessed was illegally collected and stolen. “Investigations are going on and some of the facts he revealed cannot be discussed in public”, he said, adding KP’s arrest will break the LTTE’s international network. Appreciating the international support gained to fish out KP, Minister Bogollagama said that the notorious arms dealer of the LTTE would be dealt with under domestic laws first and if necessary they will consider other requests. It was earlier reported that prominent international investigating agencies including the CIA and the FBI have requested the government to interrogate KP, who is an important member of the global network procuring arms and ammunition. But the Foreign Minister said that there was no such formal request from any of those agencies so far. Outlining the steps taken by the Foreign Ministry to get the whereabouts of the remaining LTTEers and their supporters overseas, Minister Bogollagama said that his Ministry was now pursuing international support to destroy all LTTE links abroad. Even before the LTTE was completely defeated on May 19 after killing the LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran, the government planned and targeted to destroy the terrorist outfit internationally. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who had an hour long discussion with KP last week, has stated that the government would go after other LTTEers following clues given by KP. He has said that if there were some LTTEers overseas, they would be taken into custody with the help of intelligence units of the respective countries.According to reliable sources, the questioning of KP has yielded useful information on how the Tamil diaspora had behaved during the last months of the LTTE. A large amount of money has been raised from the Tamil diaspora by raising the issue of civilians in Puthumathalan. According to sources, the huge sum of money raised by the Tamil diaspora during this period was not handled by KP but some others in the Tamil diaspora had misused the money. The sources said that KP’s wings were clipped for six years since 2002 and Prabhakaran had appointed ‘Castro’ to play KPs’s role. He never underwent military training but was instrumental in opening several front organisations for the LTTE while being the livewire in all secret deals to purchase weaponry, illegal businesses like drugs and also the secret shipping business of the terrorist organisation. Although he was based in Malaysia, he had over 13 passports under different fake identities and travelled to over 48 countries in his secret missions for the LTTE. Sources added that the LTTE acquired a huge amount of arms, explosives and ammunition through KP’s smuggling operations and also he is the man who provided the LTTE most of the sophisticated fighting weapons and machines like anti-tank weapons, advanced defence systems, sniper rifles, mortars, RPGs, night vision devices, and modern communication equipment and the LTTE’s first aircraft.

Sri Lanka call to free refugees 
 
Two of Sri Lanka's most senior Roman Catholic clergy have spoken out against the continued detention of nearly 300,000 Tamil war refugees.The Archbishop of Colombo and the Bishop of Jaffna were addressing tens of thousands of pilgrims at a shrine close to camps housing the refugees. Jaffna bishop Thomas Saundaranayagam, himself a Tamil, said the refugees were being held "like prisoners". The government says they have to be vetted for links to the Tamil Tigers. Government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers in their last stronghold in the north earlier this year, bringing the country's civil war to an end. Sri Lanka's Roman Catholics revere the statue of Our Lady of Madhu at the shrine in north-west Sri Lanka and 15 August is a major festival. This is the first time since 2005 that the government has given permission for Catholics to visit the shrine in large numbers. Until last year the area was controlled by the Tamil Tigers. The warring sides used to make arrangements to allow pilgrims to visit on 15 August.

'Behind barbed wire'

The BBC's Charles Haviland is in Madhu and says well over 100,000 pilgrims have visited the shrine in recent days. In his sermon, the Archbishop of Colombo, Malcolm Ranjith from the majority Sinhalese community, said this was a beautiful occasion. However he said it would have been more so had the people of this area being held in camps been able to come, he said, referring to the lack of Tamils. Bishop Saundaranayagam said most local people were "confined to camps, behind barbed wire fences, like prisoners". Father Joe Xavier, who has officiated at this shrine for 15 years through war, ceasefire and peace, estimated that as many as 90% of the devotees this year were Sinhalese people who generally could not visit during the long years of Tamil Tiger control. He said that many Tamils were being held in camps, while others did not want to come this year. "When we are talking to them they feel their feelings are being hurt," Father Joe said. "When our brothers and sisters are now in the camp we just cannot come and celebrate the feast here." The main Menik Farm refugee camp is very close by. Our correspondent says that although security has been tight for the Madhu festival, President Mahinda Rajapaksa cancelled his planned visit out of security concerns.

India to help restart farming in Lankan areas freed from LTTE

With de-mining of north Sri Lanka gaining momentum, India is sending a team of agriculture experts there to assist in activation of farming in the areas that have been freed from the LTTE control.The team, to be led by a crop scientist of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), is expected to travel to Sri Lanka by the end of this month.The agriculture experts will assess the soil condition, irrigation facilities and weather conditions among other aspects to determine how farming could be started in the areas freed from LTTE control, sources told PTI here.The timing of the visit has been chosen in view of the coming crop season.

More than 20,000 have escaped from IDP camps?

More than 20,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) residing in camps in Vavuniya have gone missing, and a census into the disappearances is now nearing completion. A senior official at the Vauniya Kachcheri said yesterday, “There is a significant and glaring number of missing people from all IDP camps, somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 are no longer there.” He said the findings of the census will be out by next Thursday. According to him, it’s unclear how so many people had made their getaway as there had been a steady decline in numbers, and nothing concrete to investigate on. Unofficial sources claimed that some Tiger top rebels who had also been hiding among civilians in the camps have made their getaway, and have reportedly bribed officials with sums running to millions of rupees. The source added that most of the IDPs have occasionally left camps saying they required treatment from hospitals, especially during some epidemics. Most of them, however, have not returned when they were expected to do so. The senior official said the number of visits to hospitals has been drastically reduced and humanitarian workers are required to see that the needs of IDPs such as medicines are met. Senior Deputy Inspector General in Charge of Vavuniya and Jaffna Nimal Lewke, however, maintained that such massive number was too high to be true. There had only been few cases and those responsible have been reprimanded.

Bodies of 2 Up-Country Tamil women found in canal in Colombo HSZ

Bodies of two females of young age were found Saturday morning in a canal along Bauddhaloka Mawatte in Colombo. The area is located in the high security zone. A special police team rushed to the site on receipt of information and began investigation into the deaths of the women and to identify the victims. The bodies were identified as Sumadi and Jeewarani of Maskeliya in Nuwara Eliya. As the initial investigation is in progress police were tight-lipped to tell whether they were shot dead or strangled and to divulge their ethnicity.According to preliminary investigation held so far it was revealed that the victims were employed in a house in the area.These two girls came to Colombo four months ago and were employed as domestic aids in the same area.

Sri Lankan Tamil party offers three conditions for government

Sri Lanka's main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance has offered three conditions to support the Government in future. Speaking to the media, parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said TNA would support the government if it is ready to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) before the upcoming rainy season. The other two conditions are to remove all the military camps in Jaffna and formulate political solution to the country's ethnic problem. The MP said that they will discuss the three conditions with the government if it gives an opportunity for a special meeting. According to the TNA they expect a solution beyond the 13th amendment for the Tamil's problems. MP Premachandran pointed out that the main reason for the government's defeat in Vavuniya Urban Council election was the welfare camps still present even after the conclusion of war three months earlier.Political analysts however doubt whether the government would agree to remove the military camps from Jaffna. Resettling over 280,000 people before the rainy season begins in November will be a logistically impossible task, they say.The government is already considering extensions to the 13th amendment to provide more autonomy to the Tamil population in the North and East.

15 August 2009

Rain cause IDP life difficult   
 
Heavy rains have caused difficulties to the IDPs in the Manik Farm camp in Vavuniya.Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian for Wanni district, Sivasakthi Ananthan told Sandesaya that displaced people called him in desperation and requested them to be moved to better shelter. “They don’t have facilities to cook and living in tents has become impossible as the area is flooded”, said Ananadan.He further said it is very unlikely that the government would be able to resettle the displaced within 180 days as pledged Responding to concerns expressed, Minister of Resettlement, Rishard Badurdeen said that about thousand displaced people affected have been moved into another temporary accommodation within the camp. “We have provided the displaced people with bread and we hope to resume cooking by tomorrow”, minister added.Minister Badudeen said that the government has already started resettling the displaced and assured majority of them would be resettled.

Rs.311090 million for ministries while Rs.89500 million for development       
 
The budget for year 2009 reveals that maintaining 23 ministries cost four times more than the annual allocations for development. The government with the mega cabinet spends Rs.311090 million (recurrent expenditure) for the maintenance of 23 of its ministries. However, only Rs.89500 million (capital expenditure) has been allocated for development. The recurrent and capital expenditure allocated for these ministries for the year 2009 is Rs.400600 million. Only 22.34% (Rs.89500 million) would be used for development. The expenditure of the Ministry of Internal Administration is Rs.86380 million while money allocated for development by the ministry is only Rs.2500 million.

KP spilling beans in Colombo

The arrested leader of the LTTE, Kumaran Pathmanathan, aka KP, is revealing the financial deals of the vanquished terrorist reorganization to his interrogators in Colombo, the government news agency reported.During interrogations KP has revealed that the LTTE maintained thousands of bank accounts in countries across the world. At least 1,582 bank accounts were maintained by LTTE, KP has told his interrogators.KP is being extensively questioned by the government on various assets the LTTE has held overseas to the tune of billions of dollars. He has disclosed some details on the various organizations and individuals who have directly and indirectly contributed to LTTE coffers. According to the defence spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella legal actions would be taken against the contributors.KP also revealed that the LTTE had two international wings namely, the 'KP' Department and the 'Aiyanna' Group, which were active across the globe.Interrogations have revealed that KP who had extensive contacts in various governments learned about Sri Lanka's military purchases beforehand.

Large crowds at Madhu Church   
 
For the first time, after the military defeat of LTTE, over two hundred thousand devotees from various parts of the country participated at the Vespers Service at the Church of Our Lady of Madhu on Friday.The mass was conducted by the former Archbishop, Fr. Oswald Gomis.Farther Damien Fernando speaking from Madhu Church said the atmosphere there was peaceful and serene.“People were keen, very confident and supportive”, he said. He said that there was tremendous support from the security forces for the devotees who are arriving in Madhu to take part in the final ceremonies on Saturday and Sunday. Farther Damien Fernando said facilities except for a shortage of drinking water are available to devotees.“Rain on Friday made the environment little difficult but the situation has now improved”, Farther Damien Fernando added,.

Eelam cause washed away- V Suryanarayan

Speaking in the Tamil Nadu Assembly recently Chief Minister and president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), M Karunanidhi, pointed out that in the post-LTTE era, attaining the goal of Tamil Eelam was not a realistic goal. He advocated the pursuance of a ‘flexible policy’, where the Tamils should avoid critical comments against the Sinhalese ‘out of anger and hatred’, because it may have an ‘adverse effect’ on their well-being. The need of the hour, he underlined, is for the Tamils to carry on their struggle ‘for equal rights, equal status for their language and devolution of power at the regional level’.Discerning students of Tamil Nadu politics, especially those analysing the role of the state in Sri Lankan ethnic conflict, are intrigued by the transformation that has taken place in the DMK perception on Sri Lanka. It may be recalled that following the communal holocaust in Colombo in July 1983, Karunanidhi and Anbazhagan resigned their seats in the assembly to protest against New Delhi’s lukewarm response to the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils. On August 27, 1983, the DMK passed a resolution, which stated that a ‘separate Tamil Eelam shall be the only remedy and paramount solution’. Speaking on Marina Beach the next day, K Anbazhagan demanded Indian ‘military intervention’ to put a halt to the ‘genocide’ taking place in the island.The DMK, in the long years when it was in the opposition, used to be severely critical of the policies and programmes of the Centre and used to accuse the AIADMK government of sacrificing the interests of the Tamils across the Palk Strait. While in power, in ’89, Karunanidhi did not have the courtesy to welcome the Indian Peace Keeping Force, which returned from Sri Lanka. He accused the Indian army of committing ‘atrocities’ against the Tamils.As the Lankan military offensive gathered momentum, the war against the Tigers degenerated into a war against Tamils. The hapless Tamil civilians were caught between the Sinhalese Lions and the Tamil Tigers and hundreds of them lost their lives. Instead of trying to evolve an international mechanism, acceptable to both the Tigers and the Lankan government, to rescue the Tamil civilians from the war zones to refugee camps, the response of the Government of India, backed by Tamil Nadu, was only to express ‘concern’ at the increasing number of civilian casualties. The maximum that Karunanidhi could accomplish after his brief hunger strike was an assurance from the Lankan president that the military offensive would be suspended for three days.How does one explain the paradigm shift in the New Delhi-Chennai equation? Was it due to the ‘coalition dharma’ of the Centre, where the DMK is an important ally? Was it due to Karunanidhi’s desire for stronger relations with Sonia Gandhi when sections within the Congress were toying with the idea of extending an olive branch to Jayalalithaa? Was the policy dictated by the chief minister’s desire to ensure important Cabinet berths to his near and dear ones in New Delhi?The role played by Tamil Nadu in fashioning India’s Sri Lanka policy is a subject matter of great controversy. The Sinhalese have maintained that Tamil Nadu was invariably the villain in the deterioration of India-Sri Lanka relations. Prof K M De Silva, a Lankan historian, has written that the separatist movement in Sri Lanka ‘was fostered, nurtured and protected in Tamil Nadu’. Strangely this argument has also its supporters among powerful sections in New Delhi. Explaining the reasons why India adopted an interventionist policy towards Sri Lanka, ambassador J N Dixit explained that if New Delhi did not positively respond to the demands put forth by Tamil Nadu, the Tamils would naturally raise the question: ‘Is there any relevance of our being part of a larger entity, if our deeply felt sentiments are not respected?’ Dixit, therefore, concluded that it was a ‘compulsion’ that could not be avoided by the Centre.In the years of one-party dominance, New Delhi had often sacrificed the interests of Tamil Nadu in the name of good neighbourly relations  — the conclusion of the Sirimavo-Shastri Pact in October 1964 and the signing of the maritime boundary agreements in 1974 and 1976, which ceded Kachchativu to Sri Lanka and sacrificed the traditional rights of Indian fishermen, are two examples. It should also be pointed out that when New Delhi, at the end of July 1983, decided to pursue the dual policy of mediation and support to the Tamil militants, it was done without any inputs from Tamil Nadu. The volatile politics of Tamil Nadu after July 1983 can be explained only against the backdrop of competitive politics between the DMK and the AIADMK. Equally relevant was the Congress’ attempts to rebuild itself in Tamil Nadu by lending support to the Lankan Tamil cause. Those who completely identified themselves with the Tigers constituted a minuscule minority. The electorate decisively rejected Nedumaran and S D Somasundaram, who contested the 1989 state elections on the Tamil Eelam platform. The overt and covert support extended by the political forces in the state to the LTTE cause continued till the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and the publication of the Jain Commission report. After that the DMK and the AIADMK made a sudden somersault; each started accusing the other of supporting the Tigers. The formation of coalition governments in New Delhi, wherein the AIADMK, DMK, MDMK and PMK became coalition partners at different times, brought about a qualitative change in the Centre-state equation with reference to the Lanka policy. The result was double edged, the regional forces, on certain occasions, made their inputs into the policy — the inclusion of the Sethusamudram project in the Common Minimum Programme, the non-conclusion of the defence agreement between India and Sri Lanka, the dropping of the idea of construction of a land bridge between India and Sri Lanka, the decision not to resume the shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo and Rameshwaram and Talimannar — are illustrations where one can discern clearly the influence exerted by Tamil Nadu. What is more significant is that the central leadership has persuaded the DMK, especially the chief minister, to broadly conform to New Delhi’s policy towards Lanka.Simultaneously, the DMK carried on its opportunist politics to checkmate the opposition on the Sri Lankan issue. The tragedy of the situation must be underlined; the Sri Lankan Tamils became pawns in the electoral politics of the state. What is more, their struggle for justice, equity and dignity has been pushed back by several decades. A long winter of discontent is ahead of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Cong MP blames DMK for ‘betraying’ Lankan Tamils

The DMK, which claims to espouse the cause of Tamils worldwide, has failed to serve the Tamil cause in Sri Lanka and missed a great opportunity to secure them a homeland in the island republic, according to Congress member of the Rajya Sabha, Dr EM Surdarsana Natchiappan. Dr Natchiappan heads the Standing Committee on Law and Justice that went into the question of giving 33 per cent reservation of seats to women in parliament and state legislatures. Though DMK was a prominent partner of the Congress-led UPA government and an electoral allay for the last six years, Mr Natchiappan minced no words in charging the Dravidian party with “betraying” the Sri Lankan Tamils. Explaining his contention in an interview to The Statesman here, the Congress member said that under the UN system, one has to fulfil three conditions to make a claim for a separate country. First there must be a recognisable territory, second it should be inhabited and third there should be an authority ruling the territory which has the support of the people. “All the three existed for the LTTE in 2001 when it was in the control of the North and East of Sri Lanka and had the support of the people living there. The territory was independent of the government in the sense that no revenue from various taxes was going to Colombo. The writ of LTTE ran in the areas. It was a virtual government. The LTTE failed to exploit the situation to move the UN for recognition. In India the BJP-led NDA government was in power at the time and all the LTTE supporters ~ DMK, MDMK and PMK were sharing power at the Centre. What did they do? There was a similar situation in East Pakistan during December 1971 at the end of the Indo-Pak war. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi acted in time and recognised the authority in Dhaka. In a matter of days, most of the world, including the UN recognized the new nation Bangladesh,” he said. He also spoke of an “alarming demographic change” in the post-LTTE Sri Lanka. “There is an alarming situation. Where are all the Tamils who used to live in Sri Lanka?’ he asked. He said hundreds of thousands of Tamils have gone to USA, Europe, Canada and Australia and even India since serious hostilities broke out in 1983. There are an estimated 3.66 lakh such Tamils. “How can you fight for the Tamil rights when they are not there? It’s a serious situation and must be addressed by the civilized world without delay,” he said. In the name of de-mining of erstwhile LTTE-controlled territories the Sri Lankan armed forces are destroying sites of excavations in Tamil areas that bore evidence of control of the areas by Tamil Kings from the Chola, Chera and Pandya era going back 1000 years, Mr Natchiappan added. Asked if LTTE could revive itself and fight for an independent Eelam, the Congress MP said that it would be “very difficult” under the current global situation. “I am sorry to say LTTE squandered all the opportunities in the past to achieve its goal. It should have accepted what was given to them and then gradually build on it to reach its goal. One would have been happy if it was able to get a separate homeland for Tamils,” he said. Dr Natchiappan, 62, shot into national prominence when he defeated Mr P Chidambaram, now home minister, in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. ;RC Rajamani

14 August 2009

Norwegian coming forward as the new LTTE leader?
   
A Tamil resident of Norway is being discussed as a possible new leader of the LTTE, the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported. The government has said that if the news is true they will request Norway to arrest him and hand him over. The man being tipped to be the new LTTE leader, according to Aftenposten, is a resident of the Tamil Vestlan area. The LTTE is listed as a terrorist organization in the EU, USA, India and several other countries, but not in Norway.

Sri Lanka Marxist party asks President to abolish Executive Presidency as promised

Sri Lanka's Marxist party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa has no moral right to hold another Presidential election as he had already pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency before his term ends. Sending a special letter to President Rajapaksa, the JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that he has neither moral right nor any possibility of holding another Presidential election according to the mandate received at the Presidential election held in 2005. The JVP has also recalled the MoU signed with the JVP at the Temple Trees on the 8th September, 2005 publicly by the President, as the then Prime Minister of the UPFA government and its candidate for the presidential election over this issue.According to this MOU, President Rajapaksa has accepted the abolishing of Executive Presidency, which has seriously harmed democratic process in Sri Lanka, and has agreed that the Executive Presidency would be abolished before the 6th term of the Presidency ends. Additionally on page 84 of the 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' presented by President Rajapaksa as an election manifesto for the presidential election, under the chapter 'Constitutional amendments', it too states that the Executive Presidential system would be abolished, JVP reminded. The JVP has requested the President to abandon the idea of holding another presidential election and take steps to abolish the Executive Presidency as promised by signing an agreement in public and respecting the mandate he received in 2005.

Lankan President has not kept promise on Tamil rights: Swamy  

Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Thursday alleged that the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse had failed to keep his promise to confer equal rights to Sri Lankan Tamils on par with the Sinhalese.Speaking to reporters here, he said political parties in Tamil Nadu had raised the Tamils issue only for elections but were keeping silent now."There is no justification for the so called pro-Tamil parties remaining silent on the Lankan Tamils issue now," he said and flayed parties like AIADMK and MDMK.He said the Union Government and the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu should press for providing equal right for Tamils.On electronic voting machines, he said there was scope for their manipulation and they should be redesigned in such a way that the electorate get a print out of their vote.Voters could be asked to deposit the receipts in a separate box to maintain secrecy of the vote,he said.The Election Commission should also answer why it was not possible to produce EVMs that can generate receipts.

The war in Sri Lanka has ended but the suffering continues
 
Any health system would have difficulties responding to the needs of over 260,000 people who recently came out of a war zone. And so, facilities in the Sri Lankan IDP camps are overstretched. People sometimes need to wait days before they can see a doctor for treatment and at night non-medical people decide who gets referred to a hospital and who does not. The suffering continues.  For the past three months, Ati* has been living in a camp in Menik farm with her husband and three children. Two weeks ago, her five year old son had a fever and was barely responding. She carried him to the clinic in the camp at 5am and queued to see a doctor until 6pm. Like many others that day, she did not get to see a doctor and returned to her tent with her sick child and no treatment. She went back the next day and again failed to see a doctor after waiting for another 13 hours. It wasn't until the third day that she finally managed to see a doctor who gave her some antibiotics.

300 patients a day

Even if the services are gradually expanding in the camps with Ministry of Health clinics in all the camps and the medical staff doing what they can, the needs are vast and the facilities are overstretched. Some doctors are seeing 200 to 300 patients a day, there is little capacity to carry out tests or follow up patients and only the most urgent cases get transferred to hospitals outside the camps. Maruthani,* a 24 year old woman, arrived in Menik Farm at the end of May and is badly disfigured since a fragment of bomb shell cut her lips, cheeks and chin during the conflict. Her mouth is always open, her tongue is badly affected, she can barely drink and cannot speak. She is in need of reconstructive surgery, something impossible to get inside the camp. When her wounds became infected, she went, in pain, to the clinic in the camp. There they were unable to do anything for her and she was not transferred to a hospital outside the camp because she was not considered to be an emergency case. She spends her days lying in the sand outside her tent, waiting for the day to pass.Some emergency cases in the camps are referred by the Ministry of Health staff to the MSF hospital outside Menik Farm where MSF medical teams are mostly treating patients for conflict related trauma, respiratory tract infections and skin diseases. The problem comes at night. “In many camps if someone gets sick at night they have to rely on the soldier at the gate of the camp to take the decision on whether they get referred to a hospital or not”, explains Karline Kleijer, MSF emergency coordinator. “This works for those who are obviously ill, fitting or with a bleeding wound, but when it is a dehydrated child with a fever, the average soldier will not see that they are in urgent need of medical attention because they are not easy things to diagnose.”

Breakfast at night

Another concern for those in the camps is access to clean water and food. In most camps people do not cook for themselves but rely on community kitchens and rations distributed daily by the government or NGOs. “Sometimes, especially in the newer camps, the food doesn't get delivered until late in the evening and the first meal of the day is at ten o'clock at night”, says an MSF aid worker. Every day MSF distributes high energy porridge to 23,000 children under five, pregnant and lactating women and people over 60 in 11 of the camps. “It is difficult for our staff to turn people away when they do not fit into our target group."Outside of the camps, hundreds of people are still hospitalised receiving treatment for injuries they incurred during the conflict. Working with Ministry of Health staff in Pompaimadhu hospital, MSF is treating 180 patients with spinal cord injuries, fractures that did not heal and infected wounds. The MSF surgeon does an average of 16 to 20 surgeries a week and physiotherapy is a big component of the programme. “To see someone walk again thanks to the physiotherapy is amazing” says MSF surgeon Tim Pruchnic.

Traumatised

Traumatised by what they experienced during the conflict, many of the patients in hospital are struggling to cope with their grief and worry about their future and the fate of their loved ones. “A young mother admitted in Pompaimadhu has lost her husband, her parents, her sister, her sister's husband and children”, remembered an MSF worker. “She is alone now in Pompaimadhu hospital recovering from her injuries, she is the sole survivor of her family and she is pregnant. She feels very lonely and is still in shock, it has only been two and a half months since she lost everything and everyone. She worries about how she will cope as a single mother. As long as she stays in Pompaimadhu she can get help, but when she is discharged to the camps she will no longer get any support.”In the camps, people are dealing with the trauma experienced in the conflict and it is difficult to rebuild any semblance of a normal life. There are very few job opportunities inside the camps, the people are not allowed to leave the camps and parents worry about their children's education. People have difficulties to search for relatives, make plans or take control of their own future. With nowhere to go there is little to do other than walk from one distribution to another. The uncertainty of how long they have to remain in the camps is difficult to live with. There is therefore a huge need for psychological support for people living in the camps and currently none is provided.

Ready to start

In addition to the high energy porridge the MSF teams cook and distribute in the camps, MSF has the capacity to scale up activities and provide medical support to the Ministry of Health staff inside the camps. “We have two whiteboards in our office,” explained Karline. “One with a list of planned activities for the coming weeks: supplementary feeding, surgery, etc. And another is a list of activities waiting for approval, including mental health, basic health care and physiotherapy in the camps… We are ready to start!”MSF continues to pursue discussions with the authorities in Colombo.

Japan helps IDPs in Vavuniya

The Japanese government and the people of Japan were happy to provide of Rs. 117 million to be utilized to improve the sanitary and health conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Vavuniya and this special project was an important one not only domestically for Sri Lanka but also internationally, since the world community pays attention to the welfare of the IDPs in the North, Ambassador of Japan Kunio Takahashi said yesterday. He made these observations after exchanging a Memorandum of Understanding for the special welfare project between the two governments at the Local Government and Provincial Councils Ministry, Colombo. The Local Government bodies and Provincial Councils played a very important role and rural development was vital to improve the development of the whole country. The Japanese Government would support this effort, Takahashi said. He also said a team from Chiba Prefecture, Japan with Noriaki Sanda, Akiro Doi and the other members of the JICA had worked tirelessly, visited Vavuniya and assisted in implementing this project for IDPs and it would improve the health conditions and empower the people in the North. The aid package will provide much needed equipment for transportation of garbage, water and waste water and will include 26 tractors, four tipper lorries, two loaders, a backhoe loader and two pick up trucks. Funds will also be used to improve roadside drains in the IDP camp sites. It is to be implemented soon by the Local Government and Provincial Council Ministry. Local Government and Provincial Council Minster Janaka Bandara Thennakoon said the Japanese Government and its people had always helped Sri Lanka whenever the need arose and this gesture was for an extraordinary problem that the government of Sri Lanka had to face suddenly with a large number of IDPs after the war. The Japanese government was the highest single donor nation that had helped us to face the IDP problem so that we could ensure their well being and rehabilitation. The Minister said the government treated the IDPs as citizens who had equal rights with other groups of people and we are not prejudiced or biased against any of our people based on their ethnicity.

SP arrested over LTTE links

A Superintendent of Police attached to Gampaha Division was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TID) and is being interrogated on his alleged involvement with the LTTE. TID officers who arrived at the Gampaha Police station on Wednesday evening took him away stating that they wanted to record his statement.According to Police sources the SP is alleged to have helped the LTTE. They were acting on information that he had connection with the LTTE.

Malaysia gives US$ 100,000 for IDPs

The Malaysian Government donated US$ 100,000 to the Sri Lankan Government for the welfare of the Internally Displaced. The presentation of the donation took palace at the Foreign Ministry yesterday. Accepting the donation on behalf of the Government from Malaysian High Commissioner Rosli Ismail, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama placed on record the appreciation of the Government for the symbolic gesture of the strong friendship between the two countries and stated that the Malaysian government has consistently been supportive of Sri Lanka's efforts, especially in the fight against terrorism. He stated that the donation from the Malaysian Government would go directly to the people concerned. High Commissioner Ismail congratulated the Government of Sri Lanka on the defeat of LTTE terrorism after over 30 years and referred to the defeat as a "big achievement". He also emphasized the Malaysian Government's willingness to participate in the economic development of Sri Lanka and assured that Malaysia would continue its economic assistance to Sri Lanka.

Boat carrying 77 Tamils intercepted near Australia
   
A Boat carrying 77 suspected Sri Lankan Tamil asylum-seekers has been intercepted by border protection authorities 21 nautical miles north of Christmas Island, Australia. The boat -- the 18th to arrive this year -- was intercepted early yesterday by the patrol boat HMAS Pirie after being spotted by an RAAF P-3 Orion. Those on board are thought to be Sri Lankan Tamils, sources told The Australian. They have been taken to Christmas Island, where they will be subject to health, character and security checks. On board were 75 adult males, one woman and one minor. They will join 660 asylum-seekers already on the island. ASIO is believed to be subjecting arriving Tamils to an unusually rigorous screening process after the defeat of the Tamil Tiger separatist movement in May. It is understood to be concerned at the prospect of ex-Tamil fighters passing themselves off as refugees. The last three boats to arrive have been carrying Sri Lankan Tamils. They are understood to have arrived courtesy of a people-smuggling syndicate operating out of Malaysia. The Tamils fly from Columbo to Kuala Lumpur then sail north around the northern tip of Sumatra into international waters. The route by-passes the heavily trafficked Malacca Straits, where they would be subject to interception. Yesterday, Tamil community leader the Reverend John Jegasothy said there was great consternation within the Tamil diaspora at the fate of Sri Lankan Tamils.

China building a dependency port in Lanka- Indian Navy chief
   
China is helping build strategically located "dependency ports" ports in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan to gain access to the Indian Ocean and to be present in larger numbers in that area, the Indian media quoted the Indian Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sureesh Mehta as saying."Today the Indian Navy is the weak area for China. We are in the Indian Ocean and it is not easy for them to come inside. They are not happy and concerned about this", he told reporters in India.To a query on China building its military might, Mehta said India has no intention of catching up with China on numbers. However, he stressed the need for India to possess smarter and more sophisticated weapons."Even if there are 10 ships with us, they should be smarter and better", he said, adding technology should play a active role in ensuring this.

13 August 2009

SLMC, TNA move SC against Elections Amendment Bill

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance yesterday petitioned the Supreme Court against the Bill Titled ‘Parliamentary Elections (Amendment)’, gazetted on July 20, 2009.The petitioners challenged in particular, Section 6 (6) of the Bill, which states that a political party shall not be entitled to be treated as a recognized political party if, in the opinion of the Elections Commissioner, its name signifies any religion or community. This limitation is arbitrary, discriminatory and breaches the freedom of speech and expression. This provision is inconsistent with Articles 12 (1), 12(2), 14(1) (a) and 14(1)(C) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.The petitioners requested the Court to declare that this Bill could be passed only with a special majority in Parliament or with a referendum.The Attorney General has been cited as respondent.SLMC General Secretary M. T. Hassen Ali, M. S. Senathirajah and Gajenkumar Ponnambalam of the TNA were signatories to the respective petitions.

Sri Lanka launches mobile network in former warzone

A Malaysian telecom group said on Wednesday it had launched a mobile phone network in Sri Lanka's former warzone, becoming the first international company to operate in the area.Dialog Telekom, a unit of Malaysia's Axiata Group Berhad and Sri Lanka's biggest mobile operator, said it had set up base stations in northern areas previously held by the rebel Tigers."We now have a mobile footprint into areas that did not have cellular coverage before," Dialog's chief executive, Hans Wijayasuriya, told reporters.The northern expansion drive is part of Dialog's network plans to install 60 base stations in the war-torn areas at a cost of up to 10 million dollars this year, Wijayasuriya said.The government declared the end of fighting with Tamil rebels after crushing the guerrilla leadership in mid-May following a decades-long ethnic conflict.The mobile connections will initially benefit hundreds of Sri Lankan troops deployed to maintain security, build infrastructure and clear mines, said Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, the army's chief signals officer.Samarasinghe said more cellular towers will be allowed when the government begins to resettle some 300,000 people who were displaced during the last stages of the fighting.Home to 20 million people, Sri Lanka had 11.5 million mobile phone users at the end of April, according to Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).Sri Lanka became one of the few South Asian countries to offer third generation services commercially in 2006. It was the first in the region to introduce cellular phones when it unveiled an analog network in 1989.TRCSL chief Priyantha Kariyapperuma said the government is encouraging firms to expand into the former rebel-held areas after ending nearly four decades of ethnic conflict.Dialog has initially moved into former rebel areas Kilinochchi, Elephant Pass, Pooneryn, Mankulam and Thunukkai.

EPDP member demands Jaffna Mayor post

The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) candidate, who got more preferential votes than Ms. P. Yogeswari who had been proposed to the post of Jaffna Mayor by Minister Douglas Devananda, is said to demand being appointed as the Mayor, sources in Jaffna said. Apputhurai Manuel Mangaleswaran alias Nesapriyan, the member in question, had obtained 1394 preferential votes while Yogeswari had only polled 1250 preferential votes attaining fifth rank, the sources added. Mangaleswaran, who had been elected to Jaffna Municipal Council as a member in 1998, had declined to participate in a lunch hosted by Douglas Devananda Wednesday, the sources said. The minister had gone in person to Mangaleswaran’s house to bring him to the lunch after having called him twice, the sources added.Meanwhile, Mangaleswararn had to be admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for treatment when he was allegedly attacked by Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) persons during JMC election, the sources said.

Ex-Army chief dead

Gen. G. D. G. N. Seneviratne VSV, the former Commander of the Army (1985-1988) passed away yesterday morning (12). He was the 10th Army Commander.His funeral with full military honours will take place on Saturday (15) at the General Cemetery, Borella. He was seventy-eight years of age. He was commissioned on 30th July 1953 as a Second Lieutenant and promoted to the ranks of Captain (1958), Major (1963), Lieutenant Colonel (1971), Colonel (1977), Brigadier (1981), and Major General (1985). He took over the duties as 10th Commander of the Army on 11th February 1985 and retired from the Army on 16th August 1988. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General on 1st August 1986 while he was serving as the Commander. He held a number of senior appointments in the Army before he assumed duties as Commander. He served as Commander for then 54 Force  Headquarters in Jaffna from 15th January 1984 until he was promoted to the rank of Major General to become the 10th Commander of the Army.He was the Commander for Support Forces from November 1982 until January 1984. During 1977-1981, he served as Commander, Engineers Group after he completing his tenure as Commanding Officer 1 Field Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) (1971-72). He also acted as Commanding Officer for 1 Field Sri Lanka Engineers between 1970-1971. After his retirement from the Army on 16th August 1988, he was promoted to the rank of General on 1st October 2007 following a directive issued by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces.

US hold discussions with Tamil Diaspora on political reconciliation in Sri Lanka

A high ranking official of the US State Department met with the representatives of Tamil Diaspora in the US on Tuesday in Washington to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.A State Department press release on Wednesday said the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake and U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Sri Lanka James Moore from Colombo through a video link met with 16 representatives of U.S.-based organizations representing members of the Tamil Diaspora to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka and prospects for political reconciliation on August 11. The US officials welcoming the opportunity to meet with the American Tamil Diaspora community said much remains to be done regarding the internally displaced in Sri Lanka despite the Sri Lankan government's efforts to ease camp congestion and other steps taken to address the humanitarian needs.Assistant Secretary Blake and Chargé Moore urged the Sri Lankan government for "safe and speedy return of IDPs, continued access for international humanitarian organizations, and the registration and provision of national identification cards to IDPs, to help promote freedom of movement." The US officials underscoring the importance of political reconciliation said the Sri Lankan government must promote justice and political reconciliation for all parties and involve the Tamil community, both inside and outside the country to bring a lasting peace. The government must dialogue with all parties on new mechanisms for devolving power, and improve human rights, they said.Assistant Secretary Blake and Chargé Moore recommended that the Government of Sri Lanka and the American Tamil diaspora community seek opportunities to engage one another on political reconciliation and the reconstruction of Sri Lanka, the press statement said. The US officials have encouraged the Diaspora representatives to continue the dialogue with the State Department officials.

President to reduce Sri Lanka's jumbo cabinet

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is hoping to reduce the size of his government's cabinet of ministers in his next government, President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga said. Addressing a special meeting with several government officials in Kurunegala District President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga said the President Rajapaksa would certainly do this in the future. According to Weeratunga, President is also in the view that the current number of ministers is very high. The reason for this situation was the political crossovers by the parliamentarians who represented various parties in the country. The President had to welcome those MPs with several ministerial portfolios, Weeratunga added. The current number of ministers in Sri Lanka's Cabinet including deputy ministers has reached 128.

President holds secret discussion on government’s defeat in Vavuniya
 
The President and several of his closest advisors had recently held a secret discussion on the government’s defeat at the Vavuniya Urban Council elections.They have discussed the reasons for the government’s defeat in Vauniya even after completely defeating the LTTE and killing its Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.The President and his advisors have been shocked that the people of Vavuniya had not voted for the government even after it had got the people of the Wanni released form the LTTE clutches and pledging to bring them permanent peace.It was then discussed that although the LTTE has been destroyed, the results of the Vavuniya election indicated  that the LTTE’s ideology was still very much alive among the people. Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse had said that given the present circumstances, special attention needed to be paid to the northern areas, as the election results in those areas would be very crucial at future elections.

12 August 2009

MPs must be allowed to visit IDPs

The main opposition yesterday called on the Government to provide all Members of Parliament access to visit the IDPs in the North.Speaking at a press conference UNP MP Jayalath Jayewardene pointed out that Members of Parliament have a legal right to visit and meet convicted criminals in jail, but they haven’t been given the opportunity to visit the IDPs in the North, who are legal citizens of the country. “They are not prisoners and these camps are not jails. So why is the Government not allowing the elected representatives of the people, the Members of Parliament to visit these citizens?”Stating that the members of the Opposition must be given the right to visit the IDPs and ensure they have their democratic rights, he remarked that Sri Lanka is not a one party country. “We are a main stream political party and despite the challenges and lack of state resources we will be represented in the North and East to ensure that the people have a democratic choice.”The UNP’s mandate will be the welfare and rights of the people, he informed. “We have a fear that the country is going towards a dictatorship,” he said, “From the Press Council which has been reactivated so the Government can indirectly suppress the media, to the lack of law and order in the country, we see the need to strengthen our fight on behalf of the people.” He said that recent incidents involving the son of SSP Vas Gunewardena indicated that there was a dire lack of law and order in the highest authorities. “We see that no adequate steps have still been taken regarding this matter.”He called on the Government to establish the 17th Amendment adding that State Services and the Police are now run on the whims and wishes of top officials. He added, “The Government is celebrating their election victory but through their conscience they know that it isn’t a true victory when there are no independent commissions to monitor the process.”He declared that the recently concluded local government elections in the North were conducted in a, ‘difficult and suppressive environment’. The UNP members had to pay for their air fare to Jaffna, and transport their campaign paraphernalia by air as well. “We weren’t given access through the A9 road, and even to reach Vavuniya we, including UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya and Party Secretary Tissa Attanayake had to obtain permission from the Defense Ministry and then request the Madhavachchi Checkpoint’s approval.”He said that the UNP went ahead despite the odds, because securing the democratic rights of the people was their main priority. “We are a mainstream political party and the people of the North had to have a choice of policies.” He said that the low turnout at the elections indicated that despite the Government’s victory, the majority did not agree with their views.“The Government was asked to postpone the elections which they refused. The turnout of 18% of registered voters in Jaffna and only 45% of voters in Vavuniya, indicate that the majority did not agree with the government and their policies.”

Patkunam Yogeswary appointed Mayor of JMC

Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) in Jaffna said in a press release Tuesday that Ms. Patkunam Yogeswary has been appointed as the Mayor of Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC), and its senior member Thurairajah Illango, alias Regan, as Deputy Mayor by Social Service Minister Douglas Devananda. Civil society sources in Jaffna, however, said Ms. Yogeswary was appointed Mayor though Thurairajah Illango had polled more preferential votes than Ms. Yogeswary, mainly to due to pressure from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), one of the coalition member party in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Ms. Yogeswary, 52, a teacher and a social activist, had served in her profession for a long time in schools in Ki’linochchi, Colombo and Jaffna, EPDP press release said. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and other members of EPDP will soon assume their posts, the release further said.

Blake can’t speak for the Tamils: Keheliya

The government, today, questioned the right of Mr. Robert Blake, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, to speak on behalf of the displaced Tamils in the North, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the Tamils were happy and that the people handling the subject knew this -- not those speaking from outside the area of activity.Robert Blake was quoted in the international media as saying that he was disappointed that Sri Lanka would not pursue political reconciliation until after the presidential elections in 2010, and that the Tamils must be made to feel that they are a part of the political process in the island.Mr. Rambukwella said: 'It is irrelevant, as it is the right of the Sri Lankan people to decide on what makes them happy as a nation … I am sad to note that a senior diplomat of the calibre of Robert Blake would comment on this.'Blake had told Associated Press that there was some progress on the matters concerning the displaced people in the North -- including the government’s allowing about 10,000 displaced people to leave the camps, and its pledge to let another 40,000 leave this month and to release the majority by the end of the year. But, he had said, the people in the camps were being “held against their will.”

No rest in hunt for LTTE remnants - Dr. Kohona

Foreign Secretary Dr.Palitha Kohona said KP's arrest will not relax Sri Lanka's hunt on LTTE remnants operating in the international front. "No, we are not going to relax until we get all of them," he said when asked if the arrest of the LTTE's International Head and Chief Procurement Officer Kumaran Pathmanathan better known as KP gave some breathing space for the Sri Lankan officials because they have got their 'prize-catch'. 'They are involved in gun running, people smuggling, drug dealing and fund-raising for terrorism," referring to the LTTE operatives overseas, he added. Dr.Kohona stressed their vigorous campaign to wipe out the LTTE will continue at the same pace despite the arrest of the new Tiger Chief. Asked about the reports of requests from the foreign states to grill KP, he said the Government has not received any formal requests from foreign states or intelligence agencies to question KP, so far. Newspapers reported yesterday that the Indian RAW, Russian KGB, Britain's MI 5, America's CIA and FBI and certain other countries struggling with the scourge of terrorism have sought to interrogate KP who had been frequenting these countries in line of duty as the chief procurement officer of armaments and head of LTTE shipping fleet. KP is also wanted by the interpol for gun running charges and the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Commenting on the LTTE's demand for an inquiry and intervention by the international community as to how their leader was apprehended and ensure proper legal representation for KP, the Foreign Secretary said he could only laugh at this request by a terrorist organisation. "Provoking laughter is not a specialty of the LTTE but on this occasion they have done it," he said.

Special trains for Madhu feast

The Railways Department announced it will operate a special train service from today for the Madhu Feast. The first train will leave Negombo at 7.45 a. m. and reach Medawachchiya at 1.43 p.m., the CGR said.The special train service would operate from August 12 to 14. The second train would leave from Moratuwa on August 13 at 7.15 a.m. and reach Medawachchiya at 1.43 p.m. On August 15, a train would leave Medawacchchiya for the return journey at 3.15 p.m. and reach Moratuwa at 9 p.m. The fourth will leave Medawachchiya at 4.15 p.m. on August 15 and reach Negombo at 10.53 p.m.Samarasinghe said that in addition to these services, a special train would leave Matara on a daily basis at 9.30 a.m. and reach Medawachchiya at 7.43 p.m. A special train is scheduled to commence its operations from Colombo Fort at 5.45 a.m. and reach Medawachchiya at 10.00 a.m. Another train would leave Medawachchiya at 03.52 a.m. and reach Matara at 2.26 p.m. A train would leave Medawachchiyaya at 4.15 pm and reach Colombo Fort at 8.30 p.m. A special train would leave Medawachchiya at 12.25 p.m. and reach Colombo Fort at 7 pm.He said that the night mail train would start from Colombo Fort at 10.00 p.m. and reach Medawachchiya on the following day 04.29 a.m. The same train will leave Medawachchiya at 10.35 p.m. and reach Colombo Fort at 04.35 a.m. on the following day.Samarasinghe said that in addition to the special train services, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) had arranged a special CTB bus service for the convenience of devotees. The SLTB buses were available for hire from any depot at Rs. 32,000 to Rs.40,000 for two days and each could carry 50 persons. He said that the special bus service would be available commencing August 12 to 15. charge per bus from Moratuwa would be Rs. 40,000, from Negombo Rs. 37,000, Wennapuwa 36,000, Chilaw Rs.35,000 and Puttalam Rs.32,000.

20 claymore mines found inside van

Twenty claymore mines were uncovered by the police on a tip-off yesterday, foiling a possible attack. Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said that, acting on information from detained LTTE suspects, the Army detected 20 claymore mines - each weighing 5 kg - fitted inside a van in northwestern Mannar. The Army started looking for the van after questioning the LTTE suspects held from Mt Lavinia. The van laden with explosives was to be sent to Colombo for a “suicide bomb attack”, a police official said, adding the vehicle was seized in the Uppukulam area in Mannar. The Muttur Police recovered one hand-grenade and an 81mm mortar shell in a search operation conducted in the Amarnagar area in Muttur yesterday. Meanwhile, Eravur Police also have recovered one hand-grenade in a search operation conducted in the Eravur area on the same day.

Govt. may give LTTE cadres in city chance to surrender

The Government is exploring the possibility of arranging for LTTE cadres, taking refuge in the City and suburbs, to surrender to the authorities, Defence sources said on Monday.A senior officer of the Defence Ministry said intelligence sources were well aware that key Tiger cadres and others who infiltrated Colombo and other areas on suicide missions targeting VIPs and top military personnel are now mingling with the public pretending to be ordinary citizens."The security forces have launched an operation to apprehend them but the Government may provide them an opportunity to surrender to the security forces or the Police," he said.

Ex-LTTE child soldiers sit for A/L exam

Over 200 000 candidates including 1300 children from internally displaced camps (IDP) in Vavuniya and 166 former child soldiers commenced their Advanced Level exam yesterday. According to the Examinations Department 248,100 candidates will take the examination in 1,828 examination centres established throughout the country. Among the candidates, 1,263 internally displaced students living in the welfare camps of Vavuniya are also sitting for the exam at 10 examination centres.The Examinations Department has deployed around 70,000 teachers and other officers to conduct the exams island wide. The exam will continue until September 5, 2009. “This year, a total number of 248,100 candidates will be sitting for the examination, including 198,755 students and 43,336 private candidates,” said Examinations Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe. The Commissioner also said that some 1,300 candidates from IDP camps will be facing the examination and added that they will be facilitated to sit for the examination within the camps. “The examination crew, including the invigilators, is comprised of officials from the Vavuniya Education Zone,” he added. The department also for the first time in history became involved in issuing identity cards for these students as a special measure to ensure that they would be able to sit for the exam. According to the Examinations Department, except in the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi Districts, some 1,830 examination centres will be operating countrywide, as well as 270 coordinating centres and 33 regional collecting centres. Edirisinghe also said nearly 70,000 teachers and other officials would be involved in conducting the A/L examination as invigilators at the examination centres. Examinations Department officials are due to enlist 12,000 teachers including university lecturers to mark answer scripts.

Indian Red Cross relief ready for Vavuniya distribution

The cargo of humanitarian relief goods, sent by the Indian Red Cross in the Ship ‘Captain Colorado’ for distribution to IDPs in the North, is currently being cleared at the Sri Lankan Customs in Colombo. Pursuant to a request by the SLRCS, Customs duty and other taxes will be settled by the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development in respect of the cargo."We are hopeful and optimistic that clearance procedures will be completed and we would be able to commence transportation of goods today," Deputy Director GeneralSurein Peiris said.The goods in 27 of Forty-foot Containers will be transported to Vavuniya for distribution through the Vavuniya branch of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society in consultation and advice from the Government Agent in Vavuniya.A team of officials of Sri Lanka Red Cross is in Vavuniya discussing distribution plans.

KP arrest 'violated international law'
 
Human rights activists have accused Malaysia of violating international law by handing over new Tamil Tiger leader to Sri Lanka.Amnesty International's Asia Pacific Director Sam Zarifi told BBC Sandeshaya that if any country arrests LTTE members the detainee should face charges in the country that they had been arrested. He was commenting on the recent arrest of new LTTE leader, Selvarasa Pathmanathan in Malaysia, according to media reports.Malaysian authorities have neither confirmed nor denied reports that he was arrested in the country.

Govt. response

"International law prohibits sending someone, including a criminal suspect, back to a country where they face real possibility of torture and ill-treatment and Sri Lanka does have a poor track record of torturing and poorly treating detainees," Mr. Zarifi said. "So there are some real questions about how KP was taken to Sri Lanka."Tamil Tigers new leadership and the UK based British Tamils Forum (BTF) have urged Sri Lankan authorities to immediately produce him in a court of law. "Mr Pathmanathan must be given access to legal representation according to international laws," the BTF statement issued on Tuesday said. The Sri Lanka government says it is taking actions to charge Mr. Pathmanathan in a court of law.Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told BBC Sandeshaya that those organisations that "raise baseless alegations" will soon be aware of more details when KP is produced before a court.

Minister Karuna

The Amnesty International also calls on Sri Lanka produce and charge, if appropriate, nearly 10,000 former LTTE cadres currently held in detention camps. Not only the new LTTE leader, says Sam Zarifi, but Minister Karuna (Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan) should also face a fair trial for his alleged human rights violations. "We want to see proper justice with proper due process for KP, for any of the LTTE members detained, for Karuna as well as for any member of the government accused of human rights violations," he told BBCSinhala.com. Minister Samarasinghe, however, says that in regard to Minister Karuna not only Sri Lanka but also international community has failed to take action. Karuna Amman, who served a short prison sentence in UK, was appointed a parliamentarian and later a minister by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.  

Inside story of Operation KP

“The way I operated 25 years under cover, I never thought that I will be caught. But I was. During the final stages of the battle in the north of Sri Lanka, Prabhakaran wanted me to approach the international community on behalf of the LTTE leadership to force the Sri Lankan government to agree to a ceasefire. Therefore V. Prabhakaran has appointed me International Relations Head. I was able to persuade Norway’s Minister for International Affairs (Erik Solheim) to approach the USA to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government to stop the military operations. Prabhakaran had told me that if the war continued, it would be the end of the LTTE as the Sri Lankan military was stronger than they had anticipated and the Tigers were getting weaker. He further stated that the tactics of the military adopted  by  General  Fonseka  is  the end  of LTTE. I  had spoken with Vija Nambiar, Chief of  Staff of UN Secretary General as  well as Western diplomats and some VVIPs ,  Kumaran Pathmanathan had told the intelligence sleuths interrogating him in Colombo adding that Prabakaran had instructed to use any amount of LTTE funds to stop the war.  KP also added that together with USA based V. Rudrakumaran, he had lobbied the international community and human rights groups to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan Government for a ceasefire.A separate group based overseas had continuously lobbied the foreign media and on his instructions had separately contacted and entertained journalists to carry out propaganda, KP had told the interrogators. “I heard that most of those I used to contact in Sri Lanka are no more in the island,” he had told them. “The Eelam War IV was the toughest time. After over 30 years our leaders’ armed struggle was wiped out on May 18,” a dejected KP had added. KP is to spill more beans to the skillful intelligence officers currently interrogating him.
 
KP: The emerging LTTE leadership nipped in the bud

Now held within a confidential and highly guarded Sri Lankan defence establishment, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s (LTTE) chief weapons procurer and international financial head Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingham – also known as Kumaran Pathmanathan or just by his initials ‘KP’, has his wings clipped. Aspiring to lead the LTTE after its founder leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed by the Sri Lankan military last May 18, KP had vowed to deviate from an armed struggle and instead form a ‘Trans-National Government (TNG) of Tamil Eelam, incorporating the widely spread Tamil diaspora around the world.

Intelligence rapport pinpoints KP’s location

The main architect behind the success of the Sri Lankan intelligence services in apprehending KP has been none other than Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa built a strong rapport with the foreign intelligence services by making official visits to countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, where he had explained the importance of tracking down KP. In addition, when the then Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka took over the helm as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, he realised the importance of the intelligence service and revamped the entire network. He handpicked several officers to lead vital sections. This led to the neutralising of several high profile LTTE intelligence operatives in and around Colombo. One such person who is currently heading the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) who had coordinated work regarding the apprehending of KP deserves a promotion as a Major General, sources indicated to this column.During the height of the Eelam War IV, the Sri Lankan security forces recovered several satellite phones belonging to high profile Tiger leaders. The intelligence services had monitored each and every call that had originated or had been received by those phones. When Velupillai Prabhakaran’s satellite phone was recovered after he was killed on May 18, intelligence officers found that the last call he had made was to Kumaran Pathmanathan. Almost at the same time, Sri Lanka’s State Intelligence Services (SIS) too had been monitoring KP’s telephone calls with the assistance of certain foreign intelligence services. Each and every bit of information, however insignificant, was routed to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Through these tracking, the Sri Lankan intelligence services zeroed in on the possible locations where KP usually frequented, mostly in Malaysia. Once zeroed in on the possible location, a special team of intelligence officers visited Malaysia. Due to the sensitive nature of this classified information, this column will desist from naming who these officers who flew to Malaysia were. This team met with the Malaysian counterpart, the Malaysian Special Branch (MSB). The Malaysian officials readily agreed to send KP to Sri Lanka if and when arrested. 

How KP was apprehended

An official from the Malaysian Special Branch told this column exclusively on conditions of anonymity their unit had images of KP from the interview that he had given to the UK based Channel 4 TV network. The network stated that KP was interviewed at an ‘undisclosed location.’ Later, the MSB sleuths had utilised computer technology to modify, identify and verify that it was in fact KP who had been interviewed. “Though Channel 4 said the location was ‘undisclosed’, we easily identified the location”, added the MSB official.KP is around 5 feet 7 inches in height, weight around 70kg. He walked into Tune Hotel and submitted one of his bogus passports and checked into the hotel on July 29 and he had told the receptionist that he would stay one week or two.  KP was occupying a room in Tune Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. He had booked a room for a week’s duration at US dollars 51 per day. On August 5 around 8.30pm, Kumaran Pathmanathan, dressed in a T-shirt and trousers, came to the lobby of the hotel to receive some guests from the United Kingdom. Both guests were LTTE sympathisers. He accompanied them to the hotel’s restaurant for a meal. They ordered a vegetarian dinner for KP while for the guests it was crabs, jumbo prawns, seer fish and vegetables with a bowl of rice. While they were thus enjoying a sumptuous dinner, some Malaysian Special Branch officers in plain clothes were monitoring their every move. They were even video taping KP and relaying the images to their headquarters for matching. The images were found to tally with their earlier images and KP’s identity was confirmed. After dinner, when the trio was eating fruits for dessert, an MSB officer called KP on the mobile telephone number they already possessed. KP answered his mobile phone immediately to find the call being cut off. This was additional confirmation. After KP accompanied his guests to the hotel’s main entrance and bid them goodbye and turned to retire to his room, the MSB officers showed their identity cards and apprehended him.

Questioning KP begins

Subsequent to the arrest, the MSB began questioning KP regarding his connections with extremist Hindu groups sympathetic towards the LTTE. A senior MSB officer said that the main such group of Malaysia, the Hindu Rights Action Force was a potential threat to the country’s sovereignty and integrity as well as security.“We are in possession of evidence that KP has had close links with Hindu extremist Rights activists. He has had lengthy discussions with this group and also with a senior Chief Minister in one of the provinces of Malaysia. Our intelligence is apprehensive that KP will resort to supplying weapons to this group and also utilise Malaysia as a hub for his drugs trafficking, just the way he did for the LTTE,” a senior MSB officer said. The Hindu extremist Rights activist’s organisation is banned in Malaysia and this group is sympathisers of the LTTE.When the Sri Lankan government was informed of KP’s arrest, a special flight was dispatched to Bangkok airport immediately. Though it landed at the Bangkok airport, the Malaysian authorities and civil aviation staff were very cooperative in keeping the details under wraps, so much so that hardly anybody knew of the arrival or departure of this flight. In the early hours of August 7, when the special flight landed at Colombo, a car with heavily tinted windows was waiting on the tarmac with a few security officers. The vehicle was heavily escorted by army and they whisked KP away to an undisclosed place where he is still being detained. 

Who is KP?

Propelled by his friendship with LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran, KP saw a phenomenal rise within the organisation. Born in Jaffna on April 6, 1955 he entered the University of Jaffna in the mid 1970s and by the late 70s, had been involved with terrorist groups. He is said to have enjoyed immunity from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) which supported the LTTE from August 1983 to July 1987. He took this opportunity to associate with Indian intelligence officers and this also helped him build a solid network which would come in handy later on.Some of the names attributed to him are: Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingham, Tharmalingam Shanmugan Kumaran, Kumaran Pathmanathan, Kutti Master, Kutti Siri - LTTE code names, Thambiah Selvaraja and Kuldi – the last name being used for arms procurement negotiations.  KP operated under a dozen aliases, using multiple passports, including Sri Lankan, Indian, Swiss, Malaysian, Thai and Egyptian. Since the early 1980s, he has operated from India (Madras and Bombay), Malaysia (Penang and Kuala Lumpur) and Thailand (Bangkok and Chiang Mai), Cambodia. He also has visited the U.S, Europe and the Middle East to procure weapons and dual-use technologies. As the LTTE is a well-known terrorist group, KP operated through three dozen LTTE fronts, covers, and sympathetic organisations.

11 August 2009

Sri Lanka's failure to share power with Tamils could lead to renewed violence: Robert Blake

"Sri Lanka's failure to share power with minority Tamils following the end of a bloody 25-year civil war in May could lead to renewed violence," says Robert Blake, the top US diplomat for South Asia. In an interview Monday with the 'Associated Press,' Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake expressed disappointment that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has indicated he will not pursue political reconciliation until after presidential elections are held, probably in January."The government needs to find a way to move more quickly than January 2010, because the risk, of course, is that people will become disaffected and that will give new impetus to terrorism," Blake told AP. He said the government must make Tamils feel like they are part of the political process after a civil war that killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people. Blake also said that Sri Lanka should allow more freedom of movement for the nearly 300,000 Tamils displaced by the war and confined to government camps. Some aid groups fear the camps are actually military-run internment centers designed to indefinitely hold the displaced.Blake while noting some progress on the matter, including Sri Lanka allowing about 10,000 displaced people to leave the camps said, the people in the camps were being "held against their will." "They're not allowed to leave," Blake told AP. "It's important for them to have this freedom of movement." The United States said Monday that it was donating $15 million in food aid to help Sri Lanka resettle some of the Tamils displaced by the war. The USAID, U.S. Agency for International Development said the aid will provide those returning to their homes with a six-month ration of essential foods.Commenting on that Blake said, Washington will not put conditions on humanitarian aid, but he said, "longer term reconstruction assistance really will be dependent on the progress that they make" on resettling displaced people and in power sharing efforts.

SLMC & TNA merge at Vavuniya       

SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem and TNA leader R. Sampanthan will meet to discuss the support of SLMC to TNA to administer Vavuniya UC. General Secretary of TNA Mavai Senathirajah has already contacted Mr. Rauff Hakeem and according to him Mr. Hakeem has responed positively.  The TNA won five seats at the Vavuniya UC election held on Saturday while the PLOTE won three seats and the UPFA two. SLMC won one seat and this single seat won by the SLMC would tilt the balance in the council. Mr. Hakeem has said SLMC would support TNA to administer the Vavuniya UC adding that he would have discussions with Mr. Sampanthan with a view to arriving at a working arrangement between the two parties.

KP exposes LTTE friends

Vital information relating to persons and organizations here and abroad who had provided assistance to the LTTE in an extensive scale during its hey day have been revealed by LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP who is now in Sri Lanka's custody, said Foreign Employment and Welfare Minister and Government Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday. Pathmanathan who is now under intense interrogation has also divulged clues about LTTE arms procurement, narcotics trade and gun running activities, Rambukwella said. Addressing a press conference at the Polgolla National Cooperative Development Institute yesterday, Minister Rambukwella said names of certain individuals and organizations including NGOs who had helped the LTTE in numerous ways by withholding their identities for fear of detection have also come out during interrogations. He said if India needed to question Patmanathan about his role in the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi it could do so by sending a team of interrogators to Sri Lanka. "As Sri Lanka was acting according to international agreements there was no possibility of handing over Pathmanathan to India," he said. Certain sections which tried to glorify the cowardly Prabhakaran as an invincible hero tried to do the same to Kumaran Pathmanathan too after Prabhakaran's death but our alert Intelligence officials had thwarted that attempt by capturing Pathmanathan, the Minister said. "Our Security and Intelligence Forces which defeated Prabhakaran and his cohorts including K.P. would never allow LTTE terrorism to raise its head again in whatever form in the future," Rambukwella said.

Dancing Queen joins Douglas Devananda

The infamous Ankayatkanni Selvarajah k/a Dancing Queen have joined the Minister Douglas Devandand’s Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) recently. Resident of London, backed by controversial political history, Ankayatkanni is said to be one of the street campaigners propping up the LTTE in London until recently.Closely connected to the LTTE’s former international Finance Head Emden Seevaratnam who manages the resourceful Muththumari Amman temple in Tooting in London, Ankayatkanni was emotionally attached to the LTTE until its military defeat. She expressed her trauma following the death of the LTTE’s political spokesperson Suba Thamilchelvan in the Tamil media in London.According to news reaching from Jaffna, Ankayatkanni was heavily involved in the anti-LTTE pro-EPDP election campaign in Jaffna in the municipal elections. The EPDP website gave heavy publicity for her campaign work for the party.Angayatkanni is said to be indebted to many landlords including the one and only Tamil Community Housing Association in London and it is expected that she will not return to London and will follow a political career with the EPDP. She went on to upset one of the indebted landlords who in sheer frustration of not tracing her wrote to Tamil organiations in London name calling her a ‘Dancing Queen’

People can leave relief camps after rebels identified: Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan government has said the displaced people living at the relief camps in the country's north would be allowed to leave only when the members of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels hiding at these centres are identified.The attorney general in a written submission to the Supreme Court said Monday the officials are in the process of identifying the members of former rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The official told the court that the displaced people would be released from the camps only after the rebels are identified. His submissions came in response to a complaint filed by the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a rights group, urging the release of displaced people from the relief camps run by the government in the northern districts of Jaffna and Vavuniya. Around 300,000 Tamil civilians, a minority group in the country, were displaced during the final battles between the Sri Lankan soldiers and the LTTE in the northern part of the country. The government had pledged to resettle the displaced people within 180 days, starting May. The LTTE had been fighting for more than two decades to carve out an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country for more than two decades before they were defeated in May.