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31 December 2007 Curfew in Jaffna to be relaxed for New Year Sri Lanka vows victory against Tigers in 2008 Sri Lanka's top military commanders have vowed to win the decades-old war against Tamil separatists in the new year, a state-run daily said. Army chief Sarath Fonseka said he hoped government forces would be able to dislodge the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the line of bunkers guarding their de facto mini-state in the north of the island."We can bring the war against the LTTE to a turning point once we are able to destroy the LTTE capabilities to operate in bunkers and forward defence lines," Fonseka was quoted as saying in the Daily News.The paper also quoted both navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda and air force commander Roshan Gunatilleke as saying they were "confident" of defeating the Tigers in the new year.The LTTE has been leading a drawn-out campaign for an independent homeland for the island's ethnic Tamil minority since 1972. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict.Karannagoda said the guerrillas were starved of supplies after the navy sank their fleet of gun-running ships in 2007, but the rebels continued to receive some items from neighbouring India."The arms and ammunition they receive at present come only across the Palk Straits from Tamil Nadu" in southern India, the paper quoted Karannagoda as saying.Government forces wrested control over the east of the island in July, and have since focused attention on dismantling the mini-state in the northern Wanni region."The Tri-Forces commanders yesterday expressed confidence that 2008 would be a decisive year in their effort of eliminating terrorism... they were already on course towards accomplishing this task," the Daily News said.On Sunday, the state-run Sunday Observer said the military planned to "eliminate" the Tamil Tigers -- and their estimated 3,000-strong army -- in the next six months.And on Saturday the brother of the island's President Mahinda Rajapakse and its powerful defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, said the government should formally pull out of a now-moribund truce brokered by Norway in 2002.The ceasefire, he said, has "become a joke."The air force carried out strikes against rebel-held territory in the north on Monday, following heavy clashes at the weekend, military officials said.The defence ministry said troops killed at least 33 members of the LTTE and wounded another 38 in the latest battles in the district of Mannar. The ministry placed its own losses at six soldiers wounded, but the Tigers said they had killed at least 20 government soldiers and wounded another 40.Both sides regularly make sharply differing claims about the number of casualties and independent verification is rarely possible. Journalists are not allowed into rebel-held areas in the north. 4 Sri Lankan soldiers injured by rebel attack At least four government soldiers were injured when Tamil Tiger rebels triggered a claymore mine targeting a convoy of military buses in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, said the military. Military Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said three Navy sailors and one Army soldier were injured in the attack in the Mannar district around 12:30 p.m. local time (0700 GMT). The injured have been rushed to the Anuradhapura hospital, with one victim in critical condition, hospital officials said. Defence officials said the convoy of buses were carrying unarmed security forces personnel going on leave for the New Year holiday. Mannar and other parts of the Northern Province are now the major battlefield between government troops and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after the military said in mid-July that the entire Eastern Province had been free of rebels. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the new wave of violence since the end of 2005, making the Norwegian brokered ceasefire agreement exist only on paper. Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east. Sri Lanka's LTTE orders NGO workers to leave Mullaitivu The deadline given by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for workers of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to vacate the Mullaitivu area of Sri Lanka's Northern Province expires today. The Voice of Tigers, the radio operated by the LTTE, claimed that the organization came to this decision after considering the safety of NGO workers amidst the developing conflict in the region. However, others sources reveal another reason for the decision. According to them, the LTTE’s Intelligence Wing has raised suspicions over possible leakage of inside information to the Sri Lankan security forces through NGO workers. The LTTE has not ordered NGO workers to leave Kilinochchi, even though they also face the same volatile situation in that district. Sri Lanka media watchdog slams president over unruly minister Incredible turn The FMM statement said it expresses serious concern and alarm at the "incredible" turn of events that have occurred in the aftermath of the incident, where the government was hounding television workers and not acting against the errant minister. The FMM said it believes Silva's behaviour, both on well-documented previous occasions in which he abused the media, as well as the latest case, "is prima facie cause for summary dismissal under any democratic dispensation." It said the responsibility lies squarely with President Rajapakse who made Silva a minister and appointed him to parliament as a National List member. "However, the President appears to have adopted an attitude wholly at odds with the public revulsion Minister Silva's conduct has provoked throughout Sri Lanka," the FMM said. It quoted news reports and reliable sources as saying Rajapakse had berated the TV station's management for having allowed the live telecast of last Thursday's events and launched a police probe against the journalists. "Astoundingly, the President has not shown the same commitment to accountability with regard to his own Minister, against whom no disciplinary action whatsoever has so far been taken, in a trend that would seem to indicate no action will be taken in the future either." Silva has earned notoriety for abusing and assaulting journalists and has also been alleged to have links with the underworld and drug dealers, charges he denies. Hounding The FMM said Rajapakse's inaction against Silva and hounding of journalists "is cause for grave disquiet in respect of the freedom of expression, media freedom and independence, and the integrity of democratic institutions and democracy in Sri Lanka. "The FMM, together with all Sri Lankans committed to liberty, human rights and democratic institutions, is appalled by the course of conduct adopted by the President in which he has now become the focus of attention in respect of bad governance, maladministration, and of defending the indefensible." It said it was at a loss to understand how the President can, with good conscience, persecute journalists of the SLRC whilst shielding his errant Minister, in blatant violation of every applicable democratic ethic. "FMM emphatically calls upon the President to desist from the persecution of journalists and instead devote his efforts to discipline Minister Silva forthwith." It also urged the government to free the state print media from its control and to "re-establish state broadcasting institutions as truly public service broadcasters. "Air force destroys rebel training camp, clashes in northern Sri Lanka kill 15, says military Sri Lanka: Air force jets attacked and destroyed a Tamil Tiger training camp Monday in war-torn northern Sri Lanka, while two days of infantry clashes killed at least 15 combatants, the military said.Fighter jets bombarded the training camp in Oddusuddan village of the rebel-held Mullaithivu district early Monday, the defense ministry said in a statement. Pilots confirmed the camp's destruction, but reported no casualties.Separately on Monday, suspected Tamil rebels set off a roadside bomb targeting a bus carrying troops in northern Vavuniya district, a defense official said on condition of anonymity, citing government rules.The blast wounded three sailors and one soldier, he said.Also on Monday, soldiers attacked a rebel bunker along the front lines in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, killing four insurgents, the official said. Troops suffered no casualties.On Sunday troops stationed in Parappaankandal village in northern Mannar district came under rebel mortar attack, killing one soldier and wounding four others, the official said.The violence followed the military's announcement Saturday that it had captured part of Parappaankandal village from the rebels.The two sides fought two more battles in neighboring Vavuniya district Sunday, killing five rebels and a soldier, the official said.A separate clash broke out in Mannar district, leaving four rebels dead, he said.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be contacted for comment Monday.Government forces and the rebels have been battling for months over territory in the country's north, where the rebels have set up a de-facto state that the army has vowed to destroy. A spike in clashes there followed the government's announcement in July that it had driven the guerrillas from eastern parts of the country.Ambushes, clashes and airstrikes have become frequent in areas surrounding rebel-held territory.The rebels have fought the government since 1983 to create an independent homeland for the country's ethnic minority Tamils after decades of discrimination by the state. More than 70,000 people have been killed in nearly 25 years of fighting. Lankan team skips Bhutto funeral Contrary to reports published Saturday no high powered government delegation represented Sri Lanka at the funeral of assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto at Ghari Khuda Baksh in the Sindh Province.It is reliably learnt that following security warnings from Sri Lanka High Commission in Islamabad and Consul General in Karachi, both Minister Ferial Ashraff and Western Province Governor Alavi Moulana cancelled their visit. They were scheduled to represent Sri Lanka at the request of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Widespread violence by angry mourners paralysed much of Pakistan yesterday and triggered alarm around the world. 30 December 2007 India gets tough, calls Sri Lanka’s bluff! India has categorically warned Sri Lanka that its Prime Minister will not visit the island to partake in the country’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations on February 4, 2008 if the President Mahinda Rajapaksa led government fails to announce a political package to resolve the ethnic conflict. Sources said that the Indian government has urged Sri Lanka to at least prepare an interim proposal before February next year. “India is demanding that Sri Lanka pressure the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) to bring out at least a draft package before Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits the country in February,” sources claimed. The Nation learns that the strong Indian message was delivered during several discussions held during the past few weeks, especially when a government minister met with the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, Alok Prasad this month. “India wants to see how sincere the Sri Lankan government is about its rhetoric and so has given the Rajapaksa led administration a virtual ultimatum. India believes that everything cannot happen in one-go but something positive must be done, which is either to fully implement the provisions on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, or to at least announce an interim political package as a solution to the ethnic problem,” sources noted. According to sources, Manmohan Singh’s visit must derive something worthwhile bilaterally or else there will be no point in India attending Sri Lanka’s diamond jubilee of independence. “If Sri Lanka fails to please its ‘big brother-India,’ its neighbour will openly express its displeasure by not attending the Independence Day celebrations,” sources added. EPDP forms anti-Tiger alliance The Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) has proposed to jointly contest the local polls in the East with other Tamil political parties, EPDP sources said. Early this week the party extended an invitation to the People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) and Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF - Pathmanaba wing) for a discussion in this regard. The meeting was to be held yesterday in Batticaloa. The government announced the dates for the local election in Batticaloa last week. Polls are to be conducted to elect members to eight Pradeshiya Sabhas and Batticaloa Municipal Council. The government is planning to receive nominations from political parties and independent groups from January 4 to 21. The TMVP has already announced that it would contest the elections. Meanwhile TELO Jaffna district parliamentarian N. Srikantha told Lalbimanews that the party would file a case in the Supreme Court in the event of government going ahead with the polls. “We will file a case on the grounds that right to franchise is an essential ingredient of sovereignty of the country as enshrined in the Sri Lankan constitution. A paramilitary named Pillayan group is running riot in the Eastern province.” Bush signs budget act, barring military aid to Sri Lanka Sri Lanka troops surround LTTE stronghold, military says Sri Lankan Army troops have occupied the LTTE's Forward Defence Lines and surrounded the Wanni LTTE bases from all directions, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said today.In an interview with the 'Sunday Observer’ newspaper the Army Chief said that the LTTE could not prevent losing their remaining 3000 cadres and there is no assurance that the LTTE leader would survive for the next six months as the Sri Lankan Air Force plans to attack all the LTTE bases.Meanwhile the Defense Ministry reported that at least 33 Tigers were killed and another 38 were wounded yesterday when security forces made decisive in-routes towards non-liberated Parappakandal area in Mannar. "Troops advanced into Parappakandal West in the non-liberated areas of Mannar, 800 metres forward and took control over a total area of one square kilometre at the moment," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told media. Three Tigers were killed and another three were injured in a confrontation yesterday in the Killali, Jaffna. Five soldiers were also reportedly injured in the incident, defense sources said.A soldier was killed in Mannar last night in a grenade attack launched by the Tigers while two soldiers were injured in mine explosions in Vavuniya. India a major factor in Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa India is 'a major factor' in any resolution of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict and Sri Lankans must realise this, says Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.Asked about India's role in finding a solution to the dragging conflict, Rajapaksa told the state-run Sunday Observer: 'India is a major factor and we have recognised it from the very beginning.'Lots of people talk about the international community but we believe that India is the major factor in our problem.'We have to realise the importance of India because it is becoming a superpower,' he added.Rajapaksa, a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, added: 'It is true that India has concerns over us. When they are powerful, they have to think about their security. It is natural they should be concerned about what is happening around them. So we have to be concerned about their concerns.'Whatever steps we are taking, we are briefing them. We do not have anything to hide. We have won their confidence. We do not want to do anything that will harm their security and their concerns.'They know that we are not against the Tamil community and we are doing all these only to defeat terrorism,' he said. Mano flees for safety Parliamentarian Mano Ganesan has decided to leave the country fearing for his life after the government drastically pruned down his security mid this month.Ganesan told The Nation that he had decided to ‘temporarily’ leave Sri Lanka within the next few days because he feared that he may be dealt with the same fate that befell TNA MP N. Raviraj.“I am convinced by these actions, that the stage is set for my assassination,” he charged. The MP, who is also the convener of the Civil Monitoring Mission, had in a letter, also appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is Minister of Defence, to take steps to re-instate his security. Although the letter was sent mid last week, Ganesan had yet to receive a response to it at the time this edition went to press. A letter had also been sent to the Inspector General of Police, Victor Perera, where issues with regard to his safety were highlighted, quoting police intelligence who had disclosed that his life was under continuous threat from many elements. Ganesan lamented that the present dangerous scenario had compelled him to leave the country at least temporarily, as he had no other choice. On December 18, the security given to Ganesan was reduced from ten to two and his backup vehicle was also withdrawn. No reasons were given for the sudden action. No TV show for stripping of CBK residence While the country was glued to the Rupavahini, watching the live drama at the state-owned TV on Thursday, with Labour Minister Mervyn Silva getting a taste of his own medicine, another silent drama was played out at No. 27 Independence Avenue, the official residence of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.Sources said that in an operation lasting about six hours, officers from the office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa painstakingly removed various moveable and immoveable items from Ms. Kumaratunga’s office after taking a careful inventory. This was in keeping with a May 3rd Supreme Court judgment which declared that she was not entitled to a luxury residence and an office at Independence Ave. at tax payers’ expense.Coincidentally or not, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga moved to implement the Supreme Court decision only on September 30, five months later, by issuing a “without delay” quit notice to Ms. Kumaratunga soon after the much publicized grand reception she threw at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel for her only daughter Yasodara and her newly married husband Englishman Dr Roger Walker. No one from the country’s first family had been invited to that reception.After the takeover of furniture and fittings from her office on Thursday, the last remaining employees of that office too have been reverted to the Public Administration Ministry. At the time of the serving of the “without delay” quit notice at the end of September her office had a cadre of more than two dozen state employees. US Tamil group to take Gota, Basil and Fonseka to courts A United States based organisation called ‘Tamils for Justice’ has launched a massive fundraising project to de-proscribe the LTTE and to bring to justice the three US citizens holding power in Sri Lanka for allegedly committing gross violations of humanitarian laws, and crimes against Tamils.According to ‘Tamils for Justice,’ Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s two brothers, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa and Army Commander Gen. Sarath Fonseka are clearly subjected to US law and jurisdiction and are believed to be guilty of gross violations of humanitarian laws, crimes against Tamils and other serious offences such as money laundering.The endeavour has been named the ‘Bruce Fein Project,’ which hopes to retain the services of Bruce Fein, an Attorney in the United States Bruce Fein, who has served as associate Deputy Attorney General in the Department of Justice; as counsel to then Congressman Dick Cheney on a joint House-Senate Investigating Committee; and, is also an author, newspaper columnist and broadcast commentator on every significant issue confronting the United States and the international community for four decades.He specialises in constitutional and international law.The group expects, by hiring Bruce Fein, to achieve statehood for Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka. According to them, Bruce Fein’s extensive network in the media, Congress, Senate, and Executive Branches of the US Government, would aggressively persuade everyone to understand and support Tamil statehood, which for half a century has never been advocated effectively.They also pointed out that Fein’s international experience is unsurpassed, especially in the area of federalism or new statehoods, for example, Kashmir, Cyprus, Spain and Sudan. ‘Tamils for Justice,’ is expected to raise US$ 90,000 for the first phase of the Bruce Fein’s project. No paper trail of Karuna’s passport Documentation and letters leading to the granting of a diplomatic passport to Karuna Amman - and his subsequent flight to the UK - have “disappeared” from Sri Lankan files, an investigation by Lakbimanews has revealed. Despite the absence of documentation on the Sri Lankan side, British investigators have now found sufficient and concrete evidence of the Government’s involvement in procuring a diplomatic passport for Karuna and in facilitating his visa. This includes a completed passport application form that was forwarded to the Department of Emigration and Immigration with a request from the Presidential Secretariat that Karuna be granted a diplomatic passport under the name of Kokila Dushm-antha Gunawardena. Inflation, high interest and debt recovery key in 2008 Political instability, high inflation, low investments, increasing lawlessness and possible strikes by JVP-led unions in 2008 are the main concerns of Sri Lankan businessmen and economists.Commerce chambers are hoping against hope that the situation would improve in 2008 compared to 2007 when the conflict hurt business and investments. A few remain optimistic however about the New Year. President of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka Kulatunga Rajapakse said he hopes that the country will be on the right path in 2008. His chamber is concentrating on the development of exports and Rajapakse said the export of industrial products is the only way the country can develop. He said he has been working closely with authorities and negotiating to solve the three main points of contention for exporters, those being cargo space, bank interest charges and the high cost of electricity. "We have been working on this repeatedly," he said. "This is purely for sustainability. The balance of trade has to be improved." President of the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries A.K. Ratnarajah is concerned about inflation and the impact it will have on the public, in particular employees who will face serious problems with the escalating cost of living and the ability to cope and be productive. He said the war has to end and a solution to the problem must be found by both parties. "It is far too costly on the country," Ratnarajah continued. "Terrorism has to be wiped out but at the same time, it is too costly." He said it not possible to make progress in bringing down the cost of living, interest rates, increasing investment and tourism in the country if the conflict continues. Lead economist at Lirneasia, Dr. Harsha de Silva said 2008 will bring greater political instability with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) wanting to assert themselves and the President attempting to balance the situation between them and the rest. "I foresee increased trade union action, strikes and the like," he said. "The JVP will go overboard to show the country that they are most unhappy with the government with respect to economic management now that they got egg on their face after the budget vote." Tax expert N.R. Gajendran believes the biggest challenge is how the government will be able to raise the billion of rupees targetted from taxes next year.Among the challenges are high interest rates of over 20 % compared to 10%, 18 months back; businesses run on borrowed money and four months credit (in reality) against two months earlier; and difficulty in recovery. “This is besides other things being normal,” he said, adding that an escalation of the war would further aggravate the situation. Asked how listed companies and banks still show huge profits despite ‘dismal’ economic conditions, he said one of the reasons was that these were not ‘fair valuation profits’ which is slowly coming into the books now. “Once fair value is used in the computation of profits, then the numbers would be different,” he said. Economist de Silva said that unless the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CB) tightens monetary policy by increasing rates, which are already the highest in Asia, and engage in sustained mopping up of liquidity in the market, inflation will continue to remain high, ridiculing CB Governor Nivard Cabraal's undertaking to bring inflation to single digits by end 2007 as per the ‘monetary policy road map.' De Silva feels that there is no question that the CB has been 'captured by the President's men and monetary policy has become a tool of fiscal policy.He said the recent statement made by Minister of Trade, Marketing and Consumer Affairs, Bandula Gunawardena, that there is no option but to print money shows how bankrupt the government is, not only in terms of cash but more importantly, in terms of 'plans to get out of the mess we have been put in by them.' He feels that changing the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) to show a lower level of inflation will only drive a wedge between the trade unions and the government and sooner than later, the credibility of the CB and the Department of Census and Statistics inflation number will be seriously eroded. "Interest rates will continue to be sky high until inflation is brought down," de Silva forecasted. "The rupee appreciation will not continue unless further short term bonds are raised or limits on foreign purchases in treasury bonds are increased. However, this is absolutely disastrous, like a reverse bungee," he continued. "We saw the rupee appreciate after the massive US dollar inflow after the tsunami aid which did not have to be repaid but in this case, we are adding on unsustainable short term US dollar debt. We will suddenly come to a point where our repayment will just inundate us." Laugfs Holdings Managing Director Thilak De Silva is however positive about 2008 in which the group expects to expand. “We are in a very positive frame of mind for 2008 and also optimistic that all political parties will shed their differences at least for the sake of finding a solution for ethnic problem and also to strengthen further, democracy, freedom of expression, human and fundamental rights,” he said. Professor M. T. A. Furkhan, Chairman Confifi Group, said that while the tourism industry still lives in hope it is also distinctly aware of the challenges in 2008. “There will not be much investments in tourism, but we have some hope,” he said. He noted that it is a positive development that the Ministry officials are working closely with the industry stakeholders. “They are putting a special effort and it is an encouraging change in the right direction,” he added. Hiran Cooray, Managing Director, Jetwing Hotels had the same sentiments. “It is a testing year for tourism and our wish is that peace will dawn. Till there is a cessation to the hostilities we will not have a good year.” However he said that the company is going ahead with their plans. “We are going ahead with our plans such as product development and marketing strategies but we will not start any new investments,” he said. Ramal Jasinghe, CEO Asian Alliance Insurance said that 2008, while being seen as a challenging year will also present opportunities in the light of those challenges that are thrown. “The economy will be very challenging for insurance companies in terms of the regulatory environment, the budgets and the economic backdrop that we are going into in 2008,” he noted. He reiterated that the industry will have to innovate in order to survive in 2008.Another insurance industry expert said that it will be a difficult year in 2008 as consumer spending power has shrunk considerably. “Any business for that matter including the insurance sector will thrive on consumer spending power. We are entering 2008 when the consumer spending has deteriorated due to escalating inflation and this will affect companies in a negative manner,” he added. He noted that the ‘confidence issue’ will prevent companies from venturing into new businesses. Minister blocks implementation of 13th Amendment A top government minister appears to be blocking government moves to implement the 13th Amendment, The Nation learns. The minister, a senior Tamil politician, has voiced his disapproval against President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to appoint seasoned former Parliamentarian V. Anandasangaree to head the Northern Council. “The Tamil minister has objected to the appointment and has instead demanded that he be given control of the council once it is established,” sources said. According to the sources, objections raised by the minister have caused the delay in implementing the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and to gazette the setting up of the Interim Councils for the North and East Provinces.“This politician cannot head the Council for the simple reason that when you are a minister, the Constitution does not permit you to get into the provincial set up,” they noted. The Nation reliably learns that India has expressed support towards the Northern Council being led by a non-LTTE moderate politico, who is neither a pro-LTTE nor anti-LTTE. Supporter, but maintains a moderate outlook. The Nation early this month, reported that President Rajapaksa is likely to announce the full implementation of the provisions of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution shortly.Rajapaksa is expected to implement this before the scheduled visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Singh is expected to attend Sri Lanka’s Diamond Jubilee of independence on February 4 next year as chief guest. Successive governments failed to implement the provisions of the 13th Amendment fully, enabling the provinces to administer their areas as separate entities.The government is now planning to devolve the areas of law and order to the two provinces, which have hitherto been under the control of the central government. 29 December 2007 Why Tamils are struggling for Tamil Eelam? Tamils are the original inhabitants of Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. This is the story of the Tamil people in the second half of the last century.In 1948, the very year that the British handed over the Ceylon Government to the Sinhalese majority on a platter without any safeguards for minorities, the Sinhalese-dominated government passed a law rendering half the Ceylon Tamil population stateless in the land of their birth. Under the Ceylon Citizenship Act, of the nearly two million Tamils in Ceylon, over one million Upcountry Tamils, who had lived in Ceylon for generations, were deprived of their citizenship. To make matters worse, the Sinhalese government disenfranchised these Tamils by depriving them of their voting rights by passing the Ceylon Elections Amendment Act.The Upcountry Tamil leaders launched a peaceful satyagraha to protest against this racist policy, but it was ignored by the government. The first Prime Minister of Ceylon, D. S. Senanayake -a scheming racist, set the dangerous precedent for others to follow.Subsequently, there was massive land grabbing forcing a planned colonization of the traditional homeland of the Tamils in the Northeast by settling Sinhalese from the South. Indigenous Tamils were uprooted and Sinhalese criminals made to reside in Tamil-dominated villages. All protests by Tamils and their leaders were scrupulously ignored.In 1956, the Sinhalese government passed the Sinhala Only Act, making Sinhala the only official language, divesting official status of the Tamil language. The Tamil language spoken by Tamils and Muslims was the mother tongue of one-third of the people of Ceylon, but it was suppressed. This cultural attack was carried out by Prime Minister Mrs. Bandaranayake.Furthermore in 1956, Sinhalese mobs attacked and drove out Tamils from their villages in the Gal Oya Valley in the Batticaloa district. This was commencement of Sinhala mob terrorism against unarmed Tamils. The police was ineffective and remained mute spectators.The next step in the genocidal programme was to stop employment to Tamils. Those already in the government service were deprived of their increments unless they passed the Sinhala proficiency tests.In 1957 Tamil leaders signed the Bandaranayake-Chelvanayagam Pact with the Sinhalese government, to devolve power to regional councils, but it was soon unilaterally and dishonestly abrogated. Again in 1965, Tamil leaders signed the Chelvanayagam-Senanayake Pact to devolve power to district councils was also abrogated.In 1958 Sinhalese mobs and criminals unleashed terror against the Tamils all over the Sinhalese provinces. Tamils were massacred, their houses burnt, people burnt live, women raped and tortured. Rendered defenselss, over a 100,000 Tamils fled to their traditional homelands in the Northeast.In 1970, by a scheme of standardization, Tamil students were discriminated and barred from higher education. Tamil students were required to score higher marks than the Sinhalese for admission to higher studies.In the early sixties of the last century, Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranayake indulged in mass deportation of the stateless and disenfranchised Upcountry Tamils to India. The Indian government colluded with the Ceylon government in this move by signing the Srimavo-Sashtri Pact in 1964. Half a million Tamils were forced out of Ceylon to India.In 1974 the Sinhala state unleashed police violence against the Tamils who had gathered to hold the Tamil Research Conference in Jaffna, killing nine and wounding many. In 1976 the Sinhalese police opened fire at a mosque killing many Tamil-speaking Muslims.In 1977 the UNP government of Prime Minister J.R. Jayawardena unleashed mob violence against the Tamils particularly in the plantations, killing hundreds of innocent people. Nearly 40,000 Tamils were made refugees and destitute and many fled to India. Nearly 100 Hindu temples were destroyed with the active involvement of Sinhalese politicians. In 1978 the Sri Lankan Parliament enacted the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act and armed forces were given a free hand to kill Tamil youth. Torture camps were set up and Tamils disappeared involuntarily in large numbers. The government unleashed the Sinhalese and Muslim home-guards to oppress Tamils.In 1981, the Sinhalese armed forces rampaged in Jaffna, killing and setting fire to buildings including the historic Jaffna Public Library containing 94,000 invaluable books. This act of cultural genocide was carried out by two Sinhala ministers, Athulathmudali and Cyril Mathew, who were present in Jaffna at the time of attack. The Sinhalese government chased out Tamils from their villages in large numbers in the Northeast and replaced them with the Sinhalese from the South. Plantation Tamils, who had taken refuge in Northeast due to Sinhala terror, were forcibly put into buses and dumped in the Central Province. Tamil students in the University of Peradeniya were also attacked. Tamils were arrested in large numbers and held without trial for long periods. Many were tortured and many disappeared, obviously involuntarily. In the Welikade jail, many Tamil prisoners were killed in July 1983.This reign of terror continued during the tenure of J.R. Jayawardena, Premadasa, and Chandrika Kumaratunga. The Sinhala armed forces continued a reign of state terror. Mass arrests, killings, disappearances, torture, rape, burning of houses, destruction of schools, hospitals, businesses, shops, temples and churches rendered Tamils destitute. Tamil villages were bulldozed and the army followed a scorched-earth policy in the Tamil homeland.In the village of Manalaru, where the Tamils were uprooted, it was renamed Welioya, and Sinhalese convicts were settled. Jaffna, Palali, Nedunthivu, Manalaru, Valvettiturai, Kilali, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kokkadicholai, Mannar, Bidunuwewa, Kanchirankuda have suffered the most. Tamils were massacred and buried in mass graves in Chemmani. It is disgusting to note that some of the gross violators of human rights have been rewarded with ambassadorships.The Sinhala government imposed economic embargo on Tamil provinces preventing supply of food, clothing, and medicines, building materials, fuel and other basic necessities. People were dying, but international bodies were denied access.According to an estimate, some 800,000 Tamils have fled from Sri Lanka to India, U.K., Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. One million Tamils have been displaced internally and most of them have become homeless. A large number of children have been orphaned and many more have been maimed.Even after years of cease-fire, Sinhalese armed forces are occupying Tamil homes, hospitals, schools, places of worship and public places in many provinces. The Sinhalese police and army are also guilty of sadistic torture of Tamil girls and women. There has been forced sterilization of Plantation Tamils. Due to abject poverty, a large number of Tamil children are employed in Sinhalese homes as domestic servants and are subjected to abuse. The culprits escape punishment due to state patronage and biased judiciary.The devastation to the Sri Lankan Tamil people caused by the Sinhalese pogrom has reduced the Tamil population to 30 percent of what it was in 1948. It is time that the Sinhalese accused are tried for genocide and crimes against humanity. (S. Makenthiran is a graduate of the University of Ceylon, Colombo and a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants of UK. He has served in Sri Lanka and different countries in Africa including Zambia, Malawi and Botswana. He was a World Bank Project Finance Officer, before immigrating to Canada. In Canada he works as an accountancy, financial and tax consultant. He may be contacted at makenthiran@yahoo.com) 'Tamil issue can be taken up after truce is scrapped' Sri Lanka's Secretary of Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has said that the government will begin addressing the issues faced by the minority Tamils after the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the Tamil Tigers is scrapped and the terrorist outfit banned."The government can make a fresh start to addressing the Tamils' grievances once it officially scraps the Ceasefire Agreement signed with the LTTE," the government-run Daily News quoted Rajapaksa as saying on Saturday.The CFA signed in 2002 is now virtually defunct with an undeclared war going on for the past two years."I think the most sensible thing is that we must end this Ceasefire Agreement by officially declaring there is no Ceasefire Agreement and ban the LTTE, since it is a terrorist organization and we are fighting them," the defence secretary said."We should not give solutions to the LTTE, which is a terrorist organization. Solution should be given to the Tamil people," he stressed."Military victories will definitely pave the way for a peaceful solution of the north-east problem as successive governments had failed to combat terrorism though they had genuine political solutions," Rajapaksa said. Asked if the LTTE would be given time before a ban was clamped, he said: "It should be given an opportunity to mend its ways." JVP will oppose attempt to bring federal proposals The JVP has decided to oppose any attempt to bring federal proposals as a solution for the national question said a spokesman for the party. The political Bureau of the JVP had met during the last weekend and has taken the decision to defeat all attempts to bring in federal proposals.However, Dr. Tissa Vitharana, Chairman of All Party Representative Committee (APRC) had told the media that a devolution package would be presented within two months. Also, according to sources Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh is to be invited as the chief guest at the 60th Independence celebrations to be held next year and the government has planned to bring forward a devolution package to solve the national question that would satisfy India before the arrival of the Indian PM. Advisors to the government have pointed out that Indian support was vital amidst the political instability that has emerged. Hence, the government has planned to get a set of proposals through Minister Tissa Vitharana that would satisfy India say these sources. However, the JVP spokesman pointed out that a devolution package by the government would be a betrayal of the victories achieved by the heroic Security Forces and would affect the ongoing operations to liberate the innocent civilians in the Wanni. He also pointed out the package would be a boost for the tiger terrorism which is being defeated by the heroic armed forces and would give the terrorists an opportunity to raise their heads again. He said it would give the international forces sympathetic to tiger terrorism and separatism an opportunity to launch their interventions with new vigour. Woman gang raped in Vadamaraadchi Armed men in military uniform abducted a woman Saturday early morning from her house in Imaiyaa’nan close to the Jaffna-Point Pedro road at in Vadamaraadchi, Jaffna, and gang raped her in a shrub land near her house, according to a Women Welfare volunteer Organization. The woman was found lying unconscious by relatives, and was rushed to Manthikai hospital first and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching hospital for further treatment, sources in Jaffna said. The officials of the Women's organization expressed their wish to remain anonymous due to fear for their lives from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries who are accused of committing sexual violence on women in Jaffna peninsula. The said Women Welfare Organization has confirmed the incident to media in the peninsula but wishes not to disclose the name.The woman was alone at home bathing at the well in the backyard before going to the temple where her husband and children had gone to attend December early dawn Thiruvempaavai prayers.Relatives of the woman, searching for her in the morning, found her lying unconscious with severe injuries of sexual violence and had rushed her to Manthikai hospital.The abduction and gang rape of the woman and the alleged involvement of SLA and SLA-backed paramilitaries have alarmed peninsula residents already living in a climate of fear.The SLA high authorities in Jaffna have repeatedly refuted allegations directed against their men despite many instances of sexual violence on women taking place during curfew hours when SLA troops patrol most areas of the peninsula.The list of recent victims include a 16-year-old girl student and a lady teacher in Jaffna, a family woman in Maalichchanthi in Vadamaraadchi, an elderly woman in Neerveali, and a school girl raped, killed and dumped in a well in Pungkudutheevu. US, Russian training for armed forces Instructors from the United States Marine Corp, and the Ukrainian and Russian Air Force are scheduled to arrive in the country to conduct a series of separate training sessions for the Sri Lankan forces, a top defence official said Friday. He said the team of US Marine Corp will arrive soon to train the Sri Lanka Army Special Forces and the Special Boat Squadron of the Sri Lanka Navy. “These teams will be here as part of a military cooperation between Sri Lanka and these countries,” the official said. Two separate teams from the Ukrainian and Russian Air Force are also due in the country to train Sri Lanka Air Force personnel in several areas. In mid-December, a high level Russian military delegation led by Colonel General Vladimir Moltenskoy held talks with Sri Lankan military officials on purchasing military hardware for the Army. A six-member medical team headed by Colonel William Howard at the Medical Department of the US Army also toured Sri Lanka recently and explored avenues for facilitating rehabilitation programmes and further medical assistance for soldiers undergoing treatment. The US military medical team visited military hospitals to asses the available medical facilities. In the recent past, Russia and Ukraine provided military hardware including supersonic jest for the use of Sri Lanka Air Force. LTTE and breakaway faction continue to recruit children: UN Mr Elango appointed as the new Head of the Tamileelam Police Tamil National Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on November 19, 2007 appointed Mr K Elango as the new Head of the Tamileelam Police. The Tamileelam Police was created by the Tamil National Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran exactly 16 years ago. Tamileelam Police has been rendering in valuable service in maintaining law and order and through this ensuring justice and equality in Tamileelam for the last 16 years. U.K. group urges protection for Sri Lanka's rights defenders A U.K-based Rights Group, Tamil Information Center (TIC), in a report released this week expressed serious concern "over the plight of human rights defenders in Sri Lanka, who are facing persecution and threats to life from [Sri Lanka] government authorities," and said the situation requires "urgent intervention by the International Community." The report urged the "Government of Sri Lanka to bring to an end a cycle of cumulative disregard for human rights in general and for abuses against human rights defenders in particular and to accept the offer of the international community to establish a human rights monitoring mechanism." Human rights defenders need stronger international protection The report said, "[T]he latest victims are three Members of Parliament – Mano Ganeshan, leader of the Western People’s Front (WPF), N Sri Kantha, MP of TELO and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and T Maheswaran, MP of the United National Party (UNP). Mr Ganeshan is also a founder member of the independent Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), which has been actively campaigning against government-inspired abductions, killings and disappearances. "The Ministerial Security Divisions, which assigns security to MPs comes under Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the President’s brother. Mr Ganeshan has been receiving death threats for several months. The Chairperson of the CMC Siritunga Jayasuriya narrowly escaped physical injury when government inspired armed thugs attacked a peace rally organized in Colombo by the CMC in January 2007. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem’s security was removed after he blamed the police Special Task Force for the massacre of eleven Muslims in Pottuvil in September 2006." The report added that when the "Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) withdrew support in Parliament in August 2007, the government withdrew the security provided to the CWC members," and that the "government reduced the security of Sunday Times journalist Iqbal Athas after he exposed highlevel corruption in government involving defence purchases."The Rights group noted that the "liberal space for expression of opinion has shrunk substantially and they [Rights defenders] are increasingly exposed to death threats and attacks. They are facingsevere retaliatory measures over struggle against abuse of authority, breach of the rule of law, corruption and impunity.""Poor governance, corruption, nepotism, severe political tension in the country and lack of accountability remain the main facilitators of human rights abuses," the report pointed out. TIC has received reports that New Left Front leader Dr Wickramabahu Karunaratne and veteran film maker Dharmasiri Bandaranayake have been subjected to threat and intimidation for their forthright and unswerving stand on the conflict in Sri Lanka.The main perpetrators of the recent spate of human rights abuses are the "agents of the State including the police, army, and other law enforcement agencies...The intelligence services and other shadowy groups operated by senior government officers are also resposible for abuses. These violations are mainly arbitrary arrest, torture, disappearances and murder," the report said.The report said are the LTTE, paramilitary groups operating with the security forces, individuals or groups linked to armed criminal gangs, parties of the ruling coalition or the opposition, and mercenary gangs hired by local politicians are also some other perpetrators of abuses against human rights defenders.Even the "NGOs maintaining a position independent of the government in defense of human rights have also been frequently harassed and attacked," the report added. On media freedom the report said, "[D]uring the past two years twelve media personnel have been killed in Sri Lanka. President Rajapakse, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse and the army commander have summoned meetings of media representatives on several occasions to warn them against criticizing the war on the grounds that it will affect national security and the morale of the security forces. The Uthayan newspaper which reports the conditions of ordinary people in government-controlled Jaffna has lost five jounalists.The report accused the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka also to be complicit in promoting impunity to the Security forces on rights violations. "The courts, particularly the Supreme Court, are hostile to the defenders," the report said, adding, "The Chief Justice himself has threatened human rights defenders during court proceedings, that he would suitably deal with them if they brought human rights cases before the Supreme Court against the security forces." Congress seeks ban on meetings held in support of LTTE CHENNAI: Congress in Tamil Nadu today demanded that the Tamil Nadu government should take stern action against the supporters of outlawed LTTE and ban the meetings held in support of the organisation.“The LTTE continued to be a banned organisation and the supporters of the outfit should be dealt firmly by the government,” senior party leader and former Union Minister S R Balasubramaniam told reporters here.He also wanted the political parties to refrain from supporting the organisation.On the power shortage in the state, Balasubramaniam said industrial towns like Coimbatore and Tiruppur were worst affected by it. The state should take steps to overcome the shortage, he said. Fate of Mervin Silva, a politician, thug and a clown December 27th mark historic day in Sri lankan politics and media freedom. The incident involved with minister Mervin Silva in the premises of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation is sending strong signals to both political and judiciary circles in the country that people of this country is not satisfied and no longer willing to tolerate their inability to curb violence unleashed by politicians in the society. Political history Mervin Silva entered into politics under the patronage of Mahinda Rajapaksa in Hambanthota district. However, later he left SLFP and joined hand with UNP. He used to be an keen critics of CBK. He used harsh and abusive words to criticize her. But soon after CBK won the presidential election, this shameless political clown got back the membership of SLFP after knelt down and asking for forgiveness in front of CBK in public.In the general election in 2004, Mervin Silva contested in Colombo district and people of Colombo rejected Mervin Silva and made him the last in the list with only less than 3000 votes from the entire district!However, by that time, he had managed to add his wife into the National list and defeated Mervin Silva somehow convinced CBK to enter his wife in to the parliament. Later Mervin entered into parliament using this national list seat which was allocated to his wife.It is said that National list is there for intellectual and professionals to enter into the legislature. However it is unfortunate that national list was used by this clown to enter into the parliament.It was great shame that president Rajapaksa appointed this crook as the minister of Labor, the same portfolio that president held for some time. The working class of this country believes this appointment as an insult for them. History of thugery In September 2007, Chaminda Serasinghe, brother of UNP Western Provincial Councilor Sujeewa Serasinghe, was beaten up by Malaka Silva who is beloved son of Mervin Silva at a night club down Duplication Road. The victim claims that Malaka Silva, along with ten of his bodyguards, assaulted him when he visited a popular latino dance club, to have dinner with a German lady. The lady is believed to be the reason for the brawl, since she had once had an intimate relationship with Junior Silva.In November 2006 Malaka and two of his bodyguards pleaded guilty for attacking Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers, who were on a drug raid at a night club in a five-star hotel. On that occasion, Colombo High Court Judge Upali Abeyratne ordered each of them to pay compensation of Rs. 10,000 and enter into a bond of Rs 100,000 each, to be in good behavior for a year. Malaka Silva is widely believed to be a dealer in the banned substance.In another incident, both Mervyn and Malaka jointly ran amok and destroyed property at another Colombo night club in 2004. On that occasion, Junior got into a fight at Clancy’s night club and Senior came along with his goons for support. Before long, severe damage was caused to the Clancy’s night club and the Soprano’s Karaoke Bar in the same building. A security guard who witnessed the whole incident told police that it was Mervyn Silva, along with his goons, who had damaged the property of the club. However, a few days later, the security guard had changed his story, presumably under political pressure and gave an affidavit retracting his earlier statement to police. The courts, meanwhile, dismissed the case for the lack of evidence. Mervin and media Whenever his sons are at play, Mervin Silva is always there to defend them and his finger is always pointed against the media personals. He has verbally abused media personals in public in numerous occasions. Over the years Sirasa, Swarnavahini and Divaina had been targeted by this clown politician. However the state media had blind eye in all those incidents over the years. It is in this backdrop that Mervin Silva came to question the director of news of Rupavahini Corporation for not telecasting of his petty speech in the opening ceremony of the ‘Mahanama’ bridge in Matara.It is a comic of his own fate that at last, this bankrupt thug got his due place in the premises of state owned Rupavahini Corporation itself. Though he entered to play the role of a thug, he has to leave the place just like a clown after beaten up by the staff and fellow journalists. When the justice is not evident If the past cases involved with minister Mervin Silva and his sons got the due justice and the culprits are penalized in the judiciary system, this incident would never ended in violence. However, when people do not see the justice, it is natural for them to take the law in their hands.In the last general election people made him the LAST in the preferential list. Still the political helm preferred to select him as a minister. Now people themselves have curbed his thugary and exposed his true clown face. What more people should do to convince the political helm that Mervin is a rejected politician ?The question begging for answer is does the government and particularly president Mahinda Rajapaksa is willing to amend mistake of appointing a political clown as a minister. If not, the government may have to play heavy political price in the next election. 28 December 2007 India does not favour unitary system in Sri Lanka India has told a group of Tamil politicians from Sri Lanka that it hopes Colombo will not go for a unitary system of governance when it unveils a power sharing formula to end the ethnic conflict.National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan told the delegation here Thursday that India had repeatedly told Sri Lankan leaders that it was vital to grant substantial autonomy to the island's Tamil areas, informed sources told IANS.Narayanan conveyed the Indian government views to V. Anandasangaree, D. Sitharthan and T. Sritharan just before they ended a six-day visit to New Delhi where they met senior officials and opinion makers.Anandasangree heads the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), Sitharthan the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOT) and Sritharan is from the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Varada group).Among the others the three met included Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.Amid a costly war that rages between the military and the Tamil Tigers, Sri Lanka has been battling within over how much autonomy it must grant to Tamils as well as Muslims to give them a sense of power sharing.While most people among the minorities and sections of the Sinhalese majority are for a federal system of governance, influential groups in the government and in allied groups insist that Sri Lanka's unitary system must stay.Some in Sri Lanka fear that federalism or substantial autonomy may trigger separatist tendencies one day. India does not share this view.At their 40-minute meeting, Anandasangaree, Sitharthan and Sritharan gave a detailed assessment of the military and political situation in Sri Lanka, where government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) appear to be headed towards a decisive showdown in the island's rebel-held north.Violence raging since late 2005, primarily in the country's northeast, has killed thousands and left many more homeless.According to the sources, the Tamil leaders urged Narayanan to pressure Sri Lanka's badly divided political establishment to come to a consensus on issues of governance. Without this, they argued, there could be no peace.The delegation also emphasised that there was an urgent need to spread the values of pluralism in the LTTE-controlled region which the group rules supreme.They urged New Delhi to play a more active and direct role to provide help to the thousands forced to quit their homes in the eastern province because of fighting.According to the delegation, while the Sri Lankan government was doing its bit for the displaced Tamils, particularly in Batticaloa, a lot more had to be done.Other Indian officials also told the delegation that New Delhi continued to favour a merger of Tamil-majority areas in Sri Lanka's north and east to form a single administrative unit.There seemed to be differences in perception among Anandasangaree, Sitharthan and Sritharan on what can be achieved by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), which the government wants to come up with a nationally accepted devolution package.The understanding in official circles here is that India will wait for the APRC report before taking up the issue with Sri Lankan authorities. But New Delhi is clear that without genuine autonomy to the Tamil-speaking minorities, prospects of peace in Sri Lanka will be dim. 'Arrest all suspects' police ordered The Judiciary in Sri Lanka has expressed dissatisfaction over police investigations into an alleged attack on journalists by minister Mervyn Silva.Chief Magistrate in Colombo, Mackie Mohamed, warned the police to be more serious in their approach while investigating an incident that was "witnessed by the whole country". Labour minister Dr. Mervyn Silva and his aides are accused of assaulting the news director of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) at the SLRC premises. Derogatory remarks The minister was angry that the SLRC did not telecast his indecent remarks at a rally in Matara, in which President Mahinda Rajapaksa was also present. Demanding an apology, the SLRC workers have taken the controversial minister hostage for nearly three hours after the alleged assault. Minister Silva, who is accused of abusing and threatening journalists in the past, was assaulted by angry workers as he left the SLRC premises escorted by army commandos. Live telecast The SLRC has telecast the whole episode live but journalists say the tape was removed from later news bulletins by the authorities.Police informed the court that Udaya Nuvan Gunathilake, a suspect arrested on the incident, has been admitted to the hospital.Questioning as to why only one individual was arrested after such a serious incident, the magistrate said the judiciary could not accept police reports on the incident. Public will throw stones at judiciary if police reports are accepted, judge Mackie Mohamed told the open court.The judiciary ordered the police to arrest all suspects and postponed the hearing till 11 January.Suspect Udaya Nuvan Gunathilake was also remanded in custody until 11 January. Sri Lanka says kills 35 Tamil Tigers, rebels deny it Sri Lanka's military said on Friday troops had killed 35 Tamil Tigers in a series of land clashes in the island's north in 24 hours as the death toll from renewed civil war climbs inexorably higher.The army said troops battled the rebels in the northern district of Vavuniya on Thursday killing 25 rebels.The military said it had also killed 10 rebels on the Jaffna peninsula, in Vavuniya and in Welioya town on Friday. It said one soldier was wounded in a mine blast in Jaffna.The rebels denied any of their fighters were killed in Jaffna. There were no independent accounts of what had happened, and analysts say both sides tend to overstate enemy losses and play down their own amid a parallel propaganda war.Later on Friday, the air force said it bombed a rebel position in the north but gave no details of casualties or damage."Air Force jets pounded a meeting place of LTTE terrorists in Puthukudiyirippu in Mullativu," said Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Priyantha Weerasinghe.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are seeking to carve out an independent state in north and east Sri Lanka, said in and email statement they had prevented military infiltration attempts in the Jaffna peninsula on both Thursday and Friday."One SLAF (Sri Lanka Armed Forces) personnel was killed and at least five others sustained injuries... The LTTE front liners suffered no casualties," said Tiger military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan.However the rebel statement made no reference to fighting in Vavuniya and were not immediately available for comment on the air raids.The violence came after the military said it sank 11 rebel boats in a clash off the island's northern tip on Wednesday killing around 40 insurgents, and after the air force bombed a suspected rebel naval wing base in the northeast on Thursday -- the latest in a litany of confrontations.The military has vowed to wipe out the Tigers militarily, and is seeking to drive the rebels out of the northwestern district of Mannar after evicting them from vast swathes of jungle terrain they controlled in the east earlier this year.More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between the military and Tigers since early 2006 alone, taking the death toll since the war erupted in 1983 to around 70,000.Military analysts say there is no clear winner on the horizon, and fear the war could grind on for years. A massive protest before the Rupavahini Corporation Media and civil organizations today staged a massive demonstration in front of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation this afternoon urging the President and the government to take stern action against the Minister of Labor Mervin Silva who broke into the SLRC premises and physically assaulted the News Director.The victimized News Director T.M.G. Chandrasekara also took part in the demonstration while Jathika Hela Urumaya Media Secretary Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe flanked with two Buddhist monks was another notable participant.Slogans were chanted against Minister Mervin Silva and his name was tagged with the heroine dealings as well. Police let thugs of Mervyn Silva escape Sri Lankan Air Force pounds rebel target Body of sunken FAC’s commander found after Delft sea battle Four Tamils go to court PHILIPSBURG--Four men from Sri Lanka, claiming to be asylum seekers, launched an injunction Thursday against the Lt. Governor in a bid to obtain their freedom. The four men were arrested at Princess Juliana International Airport on November 24 because they were travelling with false passports. The men came from England and France and were attempting to travel to Canada via Guadeloupe and St. Maarten. The men, one aged 55, the others in their 30s, all belong to the Tamil minority, said their lawyer Denicio Brison. Many Tamils in Sri Lanka feel they are being discriminated against by the Singhalese majority in their country. This resulted in a demand for federalism, which in the 1970s grew into a movement for an autonomous Tamil country. The situation deteriorated into civil war in the early 1980s. A ceasefire in effect since 2002 broke down in August 2006 amid shelling and bombing from both sides. The four Tamils applied for asylum in England and France, one as early as 2004. However, they were afraid their requests would be turned down. Fearing that they would be persecuted in their home country they attempted to travel to Canada. According to their lawyer, they fell in the hands of professional human smugglers who provided them with falsified passports, but their efforts stranded in St. Maarten. Brison said it was not the first time the four were arrested here. They were also arrested on July 25 for the same crime. They were then released from detention after eight weeks, pending a temporary solution for their problems. According to Brison, this solution was never found and the injunction filed was in an effort to find some kind of arrangement for his clients. He explained that under international law, rejected refugees are to be returned to the country they came from, in this case to France. This is also the position taken by the Lt. Governor in this case. Government lawyer in this case, Richard Gibson Jr., told Judge Willem Jan Noordhuizen that the Lt. Governor wants the four Tamils to be sent back to France. Brison said there was an easier solution than to send the four back to France. “France is only a ten-minute drive away. However, up till now the authorities here have not tried to involve the authorities in St. Martin in this case. This injunction was intended to force the Lt. Governor’s Office to do something for my clients.” Brison said the Tamils are currently being held at the Police Station. “But they are no criminals. Their detention is a violation of international human rights,” said Brison. The judge will give his decision on January 7 SRI LANKA: Tsunami aid "missing", says anti-corruption group Over US$500 million in tsunami aid given to Sri Lanka has gone "missing", an anti-corruption organisation has charged. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) said its investigations had revealed a gap between the amounts disbursed by foreign aid agencies and what has been spent on relief and recovery projects since the 2004 tsunami. "The difference between the disbursed and the expended (amounts) has been a controversial issue that does not have a credible explanation," said TISL in a statement released to mark the third anniversary of the disaster. "There is no precise evidence to explain the missing sum of Rs 53,597,253,625 (about US$535 million)." The government, however, has consistently said its recovery programme has been a notable success. Government spokesman and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said last week that Sri Lanka had performed better than other tsunami-stricken nations, and that there had been "an overall 80 percent success" rate. According to figures TISL said it obtained earlier this year from the Development Assistance Database (DAD) - an official website which tracks tsunami aid inflows - donor agencies gave about $1.2 billion (having initially pledged about twice as much). Of this approximately $1.2 billion, the amount spent on tsunami projects is Rs. 68,533,124,662 (about US$685 million), according to the DAD. TISL said it had reason to believe that some of the funds "have been utilised by the government for other purposes", but did not elaborate on to what these "other purposes" might have been. Government dismisses allegations A government official overseeing tsunami recovery dismissed the allegations: He said the figures were misleading because they were entered into the database by bilateral and multilateral agencies themselves. "The government has no check on what figures have been entered into the database because the donors enter the figures themselves," Shanthi Fernando, a presidential adviser on post-tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation affairs, told IRIN. "This is not money that the government has received directly." No government audit of tsunami aid TISL said there had been no government audit of tsunami aid since an interim report issued in 2005. "Thus, the overall picture on finances is ambiguous and left for speculation," its statement said. However, presidential adviser Fernando said individual ministries which had undertaken tsunami projects had conducted their own financial reviews and, as such, there was no need for the government to conduct an additional review. Among the other issues raised by TISL were political interference in the allotting of housing and allegations of corruption against village level officials which have yet to be investigated. "Large-scale reconstruction processes… need a system to receive complaints relating to corruption," TISL said, recommending that the government establish a formal complaints procedure. 27 December 2007 Sri Lankan Minister Held Hostage After Storming Television Station Sri Lanka's Labor Minister Mervin Silva tries to close the door of his vehicle, while a policeman puts his arm around him protectively, outside state-run Rupavahini television network, 27 Dec 2007 A Sri Lankan government minister has been held hostage by employees of a state television station after he and others stormed its offices and assaulted its news director.Labor Minister Mervyn Silva barged into the Rupavahini television station Thursday complaining that a speech he gave a day before was not aired. Journalists became enraged and managed to trap Silva and others in a small room, where they were held for several hours. He was not released until he issued a public apology. Police took him from the scene as journalists and others jeered and cheered.Television footage of his departure showed the minister covered in red ink and staffers throwing stones at his car.Silva has previously been accused of brawls with the media. Sri Lankan military says its jets have destroyed Tamil rebel base in embattled north Sri Lanka: Sri Lankan air force jets destroyed a Tamil Tiger naval base in the country's north Thursday, a day after a fierce sea battle and a wave of infantry attacks killed at least 66 rebels and 14 troops, the military said.Separately, a bomb blast blamed on the rebels killed four civilians in the north, the military said.There were no immediate details on casualties from the airstrike, which came amid weeks of heavy fighting between the military and ethnic Tamil separatists in the dense jungles of northern Sri Lanka.President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he aimed to crush the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate Tamil homeland for more than two decades, before he will enter a new round of peace talks."We are for a political settlement, but there is no point in talking about a political settlement without first defeating terrorism," Rajapaksa said Wednesday, according to a government Web site. As part of its offensive against the rebels, who control a de facto state in the north, air force fighter jets bombed and destroyed a naval training camp in the rebel stronghold of Mullaitivu early Thursday, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said.Also Thursday, a roadside bomb blast killed four civilians including a 10-year-old child, near the northern town of Vavuniya, Nanayakkara said. Six others were wounded, he said. He blamed the Tamil rebels.Another bomb blast, also blamed on the rebels, killed a police officer in eastern Sri Lanka, the site of sporadic attacks six months after the government routed the rebels there, he said.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan did not answer a phone call seeking comment on the violence. In a statement e-mailed to reporters, he said Tamil Tiger fighters killed at least one soldier Thursday when they repelled a military offensive against rebel areas along the front lines in the northern Jaffna peninsula.Nanayakkara said he did not have details of the fighting.The two sides often give widely divergent death tolls, exaggerating their enemies' casualties while undercounting their own.According to the government, the sea battle Wednesday was one of the most intense in months. It began when naval patrol boats attacked a rebel flotilla transporting weapons off the coast of the northern Mannar district, said Nanayakkara.The navy sank nine of the 16 rebel boats, killing 40 guerrillas, Nanayakkara said. The body of one officer was found, and 11 others were missing and presumed dead, he said.The rebels said their fighters sank one naval craft and damaged two others and claimed only four Black Tigers, the rebel group's suicide fighters, were killed, according to an e-mailed statement from Ilanthirayan.The rebels maintain a significant navy they use for attacks and for smuggling weapons into areas they control in parts of the north. The Sri Lankan military said earlier this year it had sunk nearly all the rebels' 10 large smuggling ships, badly damaging their sophisticated supply network.Ground battles in the north Wednesday also killed 26 guerrillas and two soldiers, according to the military.The Tamil Tiger rebels have been fighting since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority after decades of discrimination from governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. An estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting. Sri Lanka ethnic crisis, a lesson for India: experts The Sri Lankan ethnic crisis should be taken as a lesson by the South Asian countries, and particularly India, feel experts."Politicians should not create sectarian identity among people, which ultimately tears the country," according to S D Muni, an expert on Sri Lanka.He was speaking at a function to mark the launch of a book, 'Sri Lanka: A land in search of itself', authored by Mohan K Tikku, a journalist, here on Wednesday."Particularly India should take lessons from the crisis as ours is a plural society and the violence is increasing here, and threatening the world's largest democracy," H K Dua, an eminent journalist, said.Talking about the present Sri Lankan crisis, Muni said, "The two main political parties, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and main opposition the United National Parties are also responsible for the present plight of the people in the island nation as they talk of minority welfare during election campaigns but forget to implement when voted to power.""And unless the two main parties come out with a positive approach and do not sandwich the Tamils in the process, the countries' ethnic crisis can not be resolved," he said.Dr P Wingnaraja, Co-chair, Indo-Sri Lanka Track-II, said that solving the economic problem of the people and thereby bridging the gap between rich and poor is the most important requirement for solution of any crisis, especially of ethnic basis. "The Nepal peace process is an example for us and shows that it is possible to bring peace in any part of the world," he said, adding that a vision is also required for building a foundation for solution of a crisis, particularly Sri Lanka."Warning the political class for avoiding short-cuts in Politics, Dua, said,"our political class should realise that shortcut to power is no way of nation-building."We should look at future for the solutions as digging the history will not only derail the process but even destroy it," he said.About his book, Tikku said that 'Sri Lanka: A land in search of itself' gives an insight into history, politics and culture of Sri Lanka while also touching upon the problems that afflict the island nation in the contemporary times. SLFP General Secretary condemns Mervyn Silva for assault Devananda gives set of proposals to Prelate EPDP leader and Minister Douglas Devananda yesterday said that there is no possibility of finding a lasting solution to the national problem as long as LTTE leader Prabhakaran is alive.Handing over a memorandum containing a set of proposals aimed at resolving the national crisis to Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhita, Mahanayake Thera of Asgiriya Chapter, Mr. Devananda said: “Prabhakaran will never entertain the idea of establishing democratic rule in the North, because he fears that people will happily rally round another leader to escape from his clutches. Therefore, it is essential to defeat Prabhakaran completely if a political solution is to be reached.” He also said democracy and peace should be restored to people in the North soon.Receiving the set of proposals from Minister Devananda the Ven. Buddharakkhita Thera noted that the government is carrying out military operations to wipe-out terrorism. “It is necessary to find a political solution to the national problem soon after combating terrorism. I think this set of proposals could be useful in this regard,” Ven. Thera said.In his proposals Mr. Devananda has suggested that an interim Executive Council should be established for North and the East under Article 154 of the Constitution to aid and advise the President and governors of these two provinces.Minister Devananda later met the Mahanayake of the Malwatta Chapter too. 3 EPDP paramilitaries, girl killed in Claymore ambush A Claymore attached to a bicycle, parked by a woman in Kuruma'nkaadu in Vavuniyaa exploded targeting an EPDP paramilitary vehicle at 1:45 p.m. Thursday, killing three paramilitary men and a girl. The ambush has taken place 200 meters from the paramilitary camp, Police said. A police and five others were rushed to Vavuniyaa hospital with injuries. The attack has taken place near the Kuruma'nkaadu junction, 25 meters close to a Sri Lanka Army post. The vehicle was transporting the newspaper, Thinamurasu, issued by the paramilitary group-cum-political party. Asgiriya Chapter expels two monks The Venerable Mahanayake Thero of Asgiriya, Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha in a statement issued yesterday 26, said that two members of the Supreme Council of the Asgiriya chapter (Karaka Maha Sangha Sabha of the Asgiriya Chapter - were expelled from the Supreme Council.All privileges granted to the two monks as members of the Sangha of the chapter were withdrawn, he said.The two members of the Sangha Alawattegama Sobhitha, Chief incumbent of Kotakedeniya Raja Maha Vihare in Gelioya and Arattana Raja Maha Vihare of Hanguranketha and Upadyaya Hunupolagama Vijirasiri, Chief Sanghanayake of Wannihatpattu and Chief Incumbent of Migalewa Resvehera Raja Maha Vihare, Grikarawa Raja Maha Vihare and Hantana Raja Maha Vihare.The Mahanayake Thero had said in the statement issued to the media said the decisions were effective from 07.10.2007.This step has been taken after holding inquiries into the allegations against the two monks, the statement said.The Mahanayake Thero has informed all members of the Sangha and laymen to take note of the decision taken by the Karaka Sangha Sabha for the well-being of the sasana in accordance with the code of conduct of the sasana. Indian Coast Guard to counter LTTE threat The Indian Coast Guard is planning to set up an Air-Station in Tamil Nadu or Puducherry to deal with any threat from the LTTE, a top coastguard officer said in Mandapam. After reviewing the coastal security in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Straits from the Coast Guard Liner base following reports of LTTE activities, he said negotiations were going on with Air Force station officials at Thanjavur and other officials at Puducherry and Tuticorin. Once permission is granted to establish the station, the Coast Guard would deploy its aircraft, Dornier or the like, Inspector General and Commander Coast Guard, Eastern Region, Rajendra Singh told reporters. "We are still in the stage of identifying an ideal location," he said. Coast Guard had submitted prospective plan for 2007-08, and for 15 years from 2007-22,in which it had requested the Centre to establish two coast guard stations, one in Tamil Nadu and the other in Orissa, he said. "We will choose either Nagapattinam or Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Gopalpur has been chosen for Orissa," he said. They had requested the State government to provide land for the facility, he said. The full-fledged station would help coast guard operate bigger ships, interceptor vessels and others.A Communication centre would also form part of the Station. The Commander said five acres of land would be required for the establishment of the Station. 26 December 2007 TNA to go to courts against polls in East The Tamil National Alliance yesterday vowed to take legal action against moves to hold local government elections in the East on the ground that there is no conducive atmosphere in the province for people to exercise their franchise freely and fairly. TNA and TELO Jaffna district parliamentarian N. Srikantha told the Daily Mirror the party took a unanimous decision to file a case in the Supreme Court, because the climate was not conducive at all for holding free and fair elections in the East where a certain group roams in the area brandishing weapons and committing various crimes. Mr. Srikantha said the right of franchise was not a ‘joke’, but an essential ingredient of the sovereignty of country as enshrined in the Constitution. He said he believed the sole idea of holding an election now was to perpetrate a political fraud on the people of Batticaloa who are at the receiving end of the Nature’s fury as well. He said that there is a ‘sinister design’ in this case, and the TNA saw it with due seriousness. “It is going to be a big political and electoral fraud,” he said recalling that three of its members representing Batticaloa were unable to exercise their franchise during the third reading of the budget following threats from this armed group.He also said the East had been liberated from one armed group to be handed over to another. The government has already planned to receive nominations for local government polls from January 4 to 21 next year from recognized political parties and independent groups fielding candidates to eight Pradheshiya Sabhas and the Batticaloa Municipal Council in the East. The Pradheshiya Sabhas are Manmunai Pattu, Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu, Porativu Pattu, Manmunai South-West Pattu, Manmunai West, Koralai Pattu, Eravur Pattu and Koralai Pattu-North. Meanwhile, the TMVP yesterday said it would contest the local government election in the Eastern province and look forward to filing nominations for the nine local government bodies. TMVP spokesman Azath Maulana told the Daily Mirror that they were trying their best to get the Party registered with the Elections Commissioner’s Department early next month before the filing of the nominations begins. “We will hold discussions with the other political parties like the TULF, EPDP and EPRLF to see whether there is a possibility of forming an alliance to contest the upcoming local government election,” Mr. Maulana said. Sri Lanka Navy lost Dvora Fast Attack Craft and 12 sailors missing Sea Tigers lost 6 boats and 24 cadres in sea battle Sri Lanka's Navy battled a flotilla of Tamil Tiger boats off the island's northwest tip on Wednesday, sinking 6 rebel vessels including two suicide boats, the military said."They were involved in arms smuggling," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara."Altogether 16 Tiger boats were observed. The navy destroyed four boats, and two suicide boats rammed a navy fast attack craft, which was badly damaged."It was not immediately clear how many people were killed in the clash, the latest in a series of land and sea battles. There were no independent accounts of what had happened and the Tigers were not immediately available for comment.The rest of the rebel boats sped back to Tiger-controlled territory, Nanayakkara said. According to Tiger sources, Sri Lanka Navy’s two more Dvora FACs sustained damage and retreated to Kaankeasanthu'rai (KKS) port, one of them damaged beyond repair. The clash that began at noon was still continuing at 2:30 p.m. The Tigers are yet to release details of the clash. However, analysts say both sides tend to exaggerate enemy losses and play down their own.President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has vowed to destroy the Tigers' military assets and to clear the rebels from territory they control in the island's north after capturing their eastern strongholds earlier this year.Military analysts say there is no clear winner on the horizon, and fear a war in which around 70,000 people have been killed since 1983 could grind on for years. Govt. begins to take revenge on SLMC Sri Lankan military investigates Indonesian ship on suspected involvement with Tamil rebels The navy detained an Indonesian-registered vessel off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka - to investigate suspected involvement with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, the military said Wednesday. The vessel was detected about 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the island's eastern coast Tuesday morning and navy troops had boarded the ship for an investigation, a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Tamil Tigers have been known to smuggle arms aboard ships during the two-decade conflict against government forces. In September, the navy claimed it sank three rebel ships packed with weapons and carrying light aircraft, nearly destroying what remained of the separatists' smuggling fleet. Tamils left out in Lanka's tsunami rehab plans Anton Balasingham memorial in London Expatriate Tamils in London held a one year memorial event Sunday for Mr. Anton Balasingham, the LTTE’s former theoretician and Chief Negotiator, who passed away in December 2006 after a brief battle with cancer. Mr. Balasingham with his wife Adele Balasingham in Geneva in February 2006, while attending the Geneva I talksTraditional bharathanatyam dancers were amongst the performers who marked the event at the Walthamstow Assembly Hall in Northeast London.Mrs. Adele Balasingham lit the lamp of remembrance before a thousand mourners from the different regions of London filed past a portrait of Mr. Balasingham and paid their respects by placing flowers in front of it. They included many of London’s Tamil councilors.The keynote address was delivered by Mr. N. Vithyatharan, the editor of the Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper. In his hour long speech, he reflected on Mr. Balasingham’s wide-ranging political abilities and experience and the veteran negotiator’s personal qualities Mr. Balasingham represented the LTTE at five peace processes with the Sri Lankan state, including the ‘Geneva 1’ negotiations in early 2006. Long a diabetes and kidney patient, he was compelled by ill health to retire shortly afterwards. He passed away from cancer on December 14, 2006.The LTTE leader, Vellupillai Pirapaharan, in his condolence message described Mr. Balasingham as a "source of unwavering strength in the political and diplomatic efforts of our freedom movement." In recognition of Mr. Balasingham’s enormous contribution to the Tamil struggle for self determination, the LTTE conferred the title ‘Voice of the Nation’ on him. 25 December 2007 'Release' French journalists 'No media accreditation' He told BBC Sandeshaya that the group the journalists are now held in custody under the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TID), after being transferred to Colombo from Ratgama police. The journalists have failed to get media accreditation to work in Sri Lanka, according to police speokesman.Fifteen people including two workers of the bus in which they travelled were detained in the police overnight.The video journalists are to be produced before the court on Wednesday, FMM convenor Sunanda Deshapriya told BBC Sandeshaya."Videoing a road block is not a crime to keep whole family and two journalists over night in a police station. There are so many instances that road blocks are filmed for various purposes including news reporting. Making a film on a family is not a crime either. FMM views this as another attempt to intimidate foreign media covering conflict related issues in Sri Lanka," a statement issued by the FMM said. 'Operation carpet arrest' Deploring the police action to deprive the peoples right to know, the FMM urges authorities to "speed up the investigation and release the journalists in detention without further delay". Over 400 Tamils, majority of them of Indian origin, were detained in the Boossa detention camp after the security forces detained about one thousand Tamils in Colombo after two bomb blasts. Colombo district Tamil parliamentarian Mano Ganeshan described the move as 'operation carpet arrest' as the hundreds Tamils were arrested without a valid reason. The joint search operation was carried out after Tamil Tigers are accused of a series of bomb blasts in the capital killing at least 20 people. Deputy Minister P Radhakrishnan told BBC Sandeshaya at the time of the arrest that over 400 of those arrested were sent to Boossa camp. Some of them were later released by the authorities but many still are detained in the camp.The French journalists were filming the journey from a lodge in Colombo to down south of a Tamil family who visited their relatives detained in the camp. FMM says the TV crew was not allowed to enter the camp and was arrested by the military as they were waiting in a nearby restaurant. 54 killed in Sri Lanka, Army captures part of Thampane At least 52 LTTE militants have been killed in gunbattles between security forces and the rebels in Sri Lanka's embattled north, where the Army captured a portion of the rebel-held Thampane area.Elsewhere two civilians also lost their lives in attacks by suspected tiger rebels, the army said today."We on Monday night moved in about one km inside Thampane and one of the camps which was taken control of could accommodate 300 LTTE militants," a ministry spokesman said.In two other areas of Thampane, the troops moved in about 300 metres and 500 metres respectively, the spokesman said, adding this was the fourth major success for Army during the last few days.Last week, the Army said it had captured a key LTTE post named 'Vitenam Base', hours after taking control of two defence lines in the region.Delayed reports today said during the capture of Uyilanakulam LTTE entry-exit point on Saturday at least 22 militants were killed, the army said "This information has been confirmed through intercepted LTTE communication", it said.Five rebels were killed today when troops confronted a group of tiger militants in Vilatikulam in Northern Vavuniya.In Kallikulam, troops confronted a group of tigersand killed three rebels, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said.Two soldiers sustained injuries in an Anti Personal Mine explosion in Periyathampanai in Vavuniya this evening, it said. Two civilians were shot dead by unidentified gunmen near the sluice gate at Ragendrakulamtam tank in Vavuniya yesterday.A LTTE local leader was killed in Vinayagapuram in Eastern Ampara yesterday, the MCNS said.Two rebels were killed in a confrontation with Army troops at Kandaperiiyakulam in Mannar yesterday.Five militants were killed in three separate incidents ---Pokkaravani, Paripittanmodai and Narikkulam-- in Vavuniya-Mannar border yesterday, the Defence Ministry said.Ten LTTE rebels, including two regional leaders of the outfit, were killed yesterday in confrontations with troops at Kandaperumakulama, Pokkaravani and Navatkulama areas in Vavunia, it said.In Mannar region, security forces attacked a bunker manned by the LTTE in the south of Adampan area, killing two LTTE cadres yesterday, the ministry said.In another incident, troops destroyed two bunkers in Kilaly and Nagarkovil in Jaffna, killing two tiger cadres, it added.The pro-rebel Tamilnet website, meanwhile, claimed that a Sri Lankan soldier was killed and 28 troops injured in three separate clashes in Mannar on Sunday."According to reports received from Mannar operations commanders of LTTE, no casualties among LTTE cadres were reported," it said. JVP to agitate against any kind of solution to the ethnic problem Intelligence sections have informed the Government that the JVP was preparing to launch mass agitations country wide, similar to the 1989-90 period against any kind of solution proposed to the ethnic problem.The intelligence reports have pointed out that the protests of the university students and the upcoming strike series by the JVP trade unions are precursors of the move.The unique development is that the two factions of the JVP, supporting armed struggle and the cohabitation with the Government rspectively, have consented to the campaign.Police revealed through investigations that the damage done to the University Grants Commission (UGC) gate was not students act but a work of a special gang of thugs called in this purpose. Intelligence sections have revealed that there was a conspiracy to take the UGC Chairman hostage at an agitation of the students of the Applied Science Faculty of the Sabaragamuwa University. UGC Chairman Gamini Samaranayaka was an insurgent in 1971 and he was held in jail for more than a year.All Party Representative Committee Chairman Prof. Thissa Vitharana has announced that the solutions for the ethnic problem will be put forward within the next couple of months. JVP hates Thissa Vitharana’s Chairmanship and Vimal Weerawansa has said that he was self-appointed. Trinco Urban Council to be upgraded to Municipal status Ministry of Local Authorities and Provincial Council has appointed a three-member committee to report on the upgrading of the Trincomalee Urban Council to Municipal Council, sources in Trincomalee said. Mr.K.Godage, the chairman of the committee, is currently the Chairman of the East Provincial Public Service Commission. The other two members are Mr.K.Kunanathan, Trincomalee Regional Assistant Commissioner of Local Government, and Mr.S.Sathiananathan, Trincomalee's Assistant Superintendent of Surveys. Mr.Kunanathan is also the secretary of the committee.The Local Authorities and Provincial Councils Ministry has directed the committee to submit a report regarding the boundaries of the proposed council, the number of members, and the revenue expected to the council.The committee has now decided to call for written representations from the people, public institutions and other related agencies to submit their views about the proposal to upgrade the Trinco UC to municipal status within twenty-one days from the date of official announcement. People are also given time to make verbal evidence before the committee, media reports said.Local authority system was introduced in Trincomalee 123 years ago in the year 1884 with the establishment of an institution called " Local Board". It was later upgraded as Trincomalee Urban Council from 1.1.1940. Since then the urban council is administering Trincomalee town. Sri Lanka's militarism keeping tourists and investments away By Lee Salter. Sri Lanka figures intermittently in the British news media, but the coverage does not really prepare first-time visitors to the country like me who usually get a different sort of information in universities and the media.A week travelling across the country recently brought to me the reality of Sri Lanka's conflict-ridden everyday life. As a white Westerner, I was immediately absorbed by the many Colombo-based NGO workers, or 'internationals', as they refer themselves.The internationals are just that - international, from all corners of the (rich) world. Furthermore, each seems to be a world citizen: born in Hong Kong, schooled in Switzerland, teeth cut in Afghanistan, or thereabouts.The internationals are to be the only outsiders I meet in Sri Lanka. Many of them swept in with the 2004 tsunami, others trying to mitigate the effects of the civil war.Sri Lanka is a confusing country. The tranquillity and warmth of the inhabitants seems odd in a country in its 25th year of civil war. This is one place where the gap between media coverage and reality seems stark as ever.It is a shock, therefore, to hear the explanation for the explosions I hear on my first night in Colombo: 'Is that the war?' I ask. 'No, it's probably the bloody Freedom Party celebrating the passage of the war budget' is the almost contemptuous response of a security specialist.My confusion was compounded on hearing that Buddhists and Marxists are amongst those perpetuating the conflict. This is not the sort of information that circulates in British universities - at least not in my experience.Ordinary Sri Lankans contrast starkly with the soldiers who overwhelm the main roads north and east of Colombo. Pillboxes and checkpoints seem to be ubiquitous and appear to be manned by two types of soldiers - the young and nervous and the young and battle hardened, with the latter in the majority.As we depart Colombo to travel around the country, I am somewhat relieved that as white Europeans we are waved on without interference at every checkpoint. Our driver cannot disguise his relief at this little bit of racism.If the impact of the war on ordinary Sri Lankans is not immediately apparent, its impact on tourism cannot be hidden. Hotels in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Kandy are empty and the main tourist sites in the centre of the country eerily quiet.Reasons for this absence abound in my mind, so I am driven to enquire. Perhaps the hotels were empty because it is out of season?Taking supper in the bar of one of Kandy's most popular hotels, again empty, I ask: 'When do tourists normally come?' 'Now', replies the barman, 'this is tourist season'.He explains that this particular hotel had not seen significant numbers of guests for nearly two years. He goes on to tell me, with the resignation that animated so much discussion of the conflict, that 'it's the conflict ... very bad for hotel'.It seems strange that while all of the Sri Lankans I meet, Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim, are unhappy about the effects of the war, none appear to be enthusiastic opponents of it.Ordinary people seem powerless in the face of the combatants, despite the fact that Sri Lanka is a functioning democracy, albeit with significant faults. Perhaps this explains why there is so much enthusiasm for the cricket, and the possibility of dealing a blow to the old colonial ruler, England.Naturally, I had been following the news about Sri Lanka in the months before my arrival - mainly from the BBC. It seemed that the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) were making some progress, especially with its audacious bombing raids on military airstrips around the country.A different story greeted me on my arrival. An arch-sceptic Colombo-based human rights officer had informed me that the war is now confined to the northern tip of the island. His source? Well, it seems general knowledge to those who live in the country, who seem, despite their better judgement, to be overly influenced by the government's proclamations.Having passed through one of the biggest military bases in Sri Lanka near Polonnaruwa, and having attempted to dodge the hawkers long enough to admire the town's ancient Buddhist remains, we retire to a delightful hotel nestled in the hills above a lake.Again, we are among only a few guests and as the evening goes on we have the run of the hotel. Long after the last barman leaves we sit sipping our cocktails, putting the world to rights and admiring the moonlit vista, when flashes of light in the night sky illuminate the extent of the war.'Jesus, a bomb!' I exclaim. 'No', says my friend, 'the war is only in the north.' 'Ah, must have been lightening', I reply. 'But it did come from a northerly direction', I venture.His reassurance works until I point out a number of flares and explosions in rapid succession to the southwest. 'Ah. can't believe the government', admits my friend as we chat over the sound of distant machine-gun fire.As if to confirm our observations in Polonnaruwa, on our return to Colombo we are greeted by two bombs attacks, one of which is an assassination attempt, and the other an unclaimed attack at a shopping centre.For Sri Lanka, the immediate future seems bleak. With both sides intent on prolonging the war, the country is likely to continue to suffer.Certainly tourists will stay away, as indicated by the 22 percent decline in tourist arrivals between August 2006 and August 2007. Unfortunately this downward trend is unlikely to change until the government realises that its devotion to militarism is keeping tourists (and investment) away. Nominations for eastern polls begin Jan. 18 More Tamil asylum seekers to Norway A larger number of Tamil asylum seekers have arrived in Norway this year, compared with last year. Most of them are not allowed to stay, a higher proportion than last year. Around 6200 foreign citizens have applied for asylum this year, an increase by 700 from 2006. When more non-Srilankan foreign citizens are allowed to stay compared with earlier, it is because a higher proportion has a real need for protection, says Ida Boerresen, head of the Immigration Directorate (UDI). The criteria are just as strict as before, Boerresen says. Almost hundred of Tamil asylum seekers including one School Tamil Students activist also waiting there deportation dates to srilanka. Sri Lanka's main opposition party UNP says there cannot be any solution to the Sri Lankan conflict without the participation of India Sri Lanka's United National Party has said that Sri Lanka's national problem could not be solved without the assistance of India. UNP's National Organiser and former Minister Mr S.B.Dissanayake speaking on behalf of the party has told the Sri Lankan Tamil daily "Veerakesari" that the government should not bow down to the racist ideas of the JVP. India, he said, has come forward to assist us in finding a solution to the national problem and we must make use of this opportunity. There cannot be any solution to the conflict without the participation of India, he added. Elaborating further, Mr Dissanayake said that the idea of a unitary state is dead after the 13th amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution and decentralisation of powers relating to judiciary, police, education etc at the provincial level should be fully implemented. Along side decentralisation at the provincial level, he said, some powers in the centre should be shared with the minorities. He suggested that five Tamils should be included in the central government cabinet. Govt. trying to rob Tamil votes in east – Rauff Hakeem Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem alleges the government is trying to rob Tamil votes in the eastern province.The accusation came after a decision to hold elections to nine local government institutions in the east after a lapse of 13 years.Hakeem told BBC Sandeshaya that the government is trying to win the elections at any cost. However, the SLMC would contest the elections, he said. Minister of Local Government Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said that nominations would be called from January 18th to the 25th for these local government bodies. Minister Tennakoon said that the situation in the east has improved making it possible to hold elections "possibly in February".Minister Tennakoon added that the government intends resettling the displaced in the area before the elections. Woman raped, killed, 3 men slain in Vavuniyaa Unidentified armed men waylaid and shot dead two wood cutters Monday around 10:00 p.m at Raseanthiraku'lam tank bund area in Vavuniyaa while an an armed man in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) uniform and another in civil clothes shot dead a family man calling him out of his house at Chekkaddippi'lavu in Vavuniyaa around 8:30 p.m Monday, Vavuniyaa police said. Meanwhile, a woman reported missing since Friday from Suntharapuram area in Vavuniyaa, was recovered dead Saturday evening at Katku'lam jungle close to her village, and later found to have been raped and strangled to death in the postmortem examination held in Anuradapura hospital. The wood cutters shot killed Monday were identified as Paramasamy Baskaran, 38, and Aiyampillai Sathananthan, 54, both residents of Ma'niyarku'lam.The family man shot dead at Chekkadipi'lavu was identified as Kanthasamy Subramaniam, 44.The armed man in SLA uniform and the other in civil clothes called Subramaniam out of his house, took him around 100 m away and shot him dead.One of them spoke broken Tamil while the other was fluent in Tamil. They took away Subramanian at gun point though his daughter had fell at their feet and begged for her father's life, her relatives said.Meanwhile, 22-year-old Subanayaki Singarasa had gone missing Friday from her house at Suntharapuram area in Vavuniyaa was found dead Saturday evening at Kattku'lam jungle area close to her village by local residents who handed over her corpse to Vauniyaa police.Her body was transferred to Aunuradhapura hospital and postmortem examinations reports revealed that Subanayaki had been raped and strangled to death, her relatives said.Vavuniyaa police said they were interrogating a suspect in connection with Subanaki's rape and murder. Jaffna Bishop in Xmas msg. asks govt. to give “acceptable solution” In a Christmas message, Bishop of Jaffna, Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Saundaranayagam has called upon the government to put forward an acceptable solution that can create understanding and unity among communities. “Please start the stalled peace talks without any delay," he called on both parties, and told them to seek reconciliation and peace.“We are facing this year’s Christmas in an environment of fear. Arbitrary arrests, abductions, killings and death threats have instilled fear amidst our community. Ominous dark clouds of war hang over our heads.”"We are constantly traumatized as we contemplate ways to seek safety for our immediate family and relatives in a climate of fear, and unknown dangers that threaten lives of everyone in Jaffna.”The Jaffna Bishop also appealed to his diocese to "celebrate Christmas this year as a deeply spiritual, solemn, and meaningful festivity.” 24 December 2007 Is it a crime to be a Tamil in Sri Lanka? by Yenmozhi “In the end anti black, anti female, and all forms of discrimination equivalent to the same thing- anti humanism”-Shirley Chisholm-American Politician, the first African-American to win a seat in the United States Congress I like to share the daily experience of being a Tamil in Sri Lanka. The Tamils who are living in North and East of the country are subjected to various forms of discrimination. They feel utterly helpless due to fear. The civilians in these areas lead a horrible life beyond our imagination.Tamils who are living in Colombo for decades are not exempted from discrimination by various walks of life; may it be security forces or fellow workers or neighbours. Recently I drove to a five star hotel in Colombo to meet a foreign friend of mine. I was stopped at the main entrance of this particular hotel. The security guard who stopped me asked “where I was driving to?” I replied that I was going to see a friend of mine who is a guest of that hotel. Then he asked me for his room number. I told him his room number. As I approached the next entrance of the hotel, I was stopped again and asked the same question by the door man. I replied the same and moved on. I went and had a seat in the lobby of the hotel. As soon as I sat down, a lady waiter of the bar came and asked me “why I was waiting?”. Then I repeated my reply to her. I sent a text to my friend to inform that I was waiting in the lobby, and I continue to wait despite the spreading of suspicion. After few minutes another male waiter asked the same question, when I repeated the same reply, he said that I have been waiting there for long time. I wondered for a while and asked him whether there is any time restriction imposed to be in the lobby. He did not answer my question and he left the place. When I told about the incident to my friend, he was shocked and confused. He said that, “it is an absolute discrimination, which cannot be tolerated”. I was dressed in pants and t-shirt; I was not dressed as a Tamil-wearing a saree or shalwar kameez and keeping a pottu on my forehead; but I was not dressed glamorously; I carried a back-pack. If I was dressed glamorously and lavishly I may have got a special treatment such as helping me to walk with my high heel shoe to the ball room.Another day I was waiting for a local friend of mine in another five star hotel in Colombo. The manager of the hotel asked me in Sinhala “why was I waiting?”. I told him that, I was waiting for a friend of mine. Then after some time another security person of that particular hotel came and asked me the same question. The reply was the same. Later he brought another four males and kept asking the same question. They were rude in their language; and they were uncivilized in their looks. It made me annoyed and angry. I had no choice, except to complain the matter to the Chairman of the hotel. Some of my Tamil friends who left the country twenty years ago have come to Sri Lanka recently on holiday. When I met them after two decades, they mentioned to me how the attitude has changed tremendously. They also mentioned to me that, they do not look Tamils because they are fair. Most of the Tamil Diaspora who visits Sri Lanka does not want to show their national identity cards, because it can cause problems. The birth place is mentioned in Sinhala and Tamil in the national identity cards of the Tamils, where the foreign passports have the birth place is in English. They feel comfortable to show their passports instead of identity cards wherever and whenever its needed.It reminds me of few incidents taken place recently, where if a Tamil person is dark in complexion he or she is suspected of a LTTE cadre. They go through the mental torture of answering and repeating the same reply to various people, who question them with suspicion.Another recent experience was at a well-known restaurant in the city of Colombo. When asked politely about the parking space. I was told that, there is no parking space available for that restaurant. Then I had to park the car at my own risk. But later on I witnessed the customers for the particular restaurant was provided with parking. When inquired he tried to give many unrelated answers. The first question asked at the checkpoints now a days is “are you a Tamil?” If a Tamil is stopped, he or she gets a different treatment, such as where was he or she born?, and can he or she speak Sinhala? If he or she was born in North or East of the country, then they get completely different treatment.Nobody can be astonished by such behaviours, because discrimination had been in existence for several decades in Sri Lanka. Discrimination led many Tamil men and women to take up arms in their teenage to fight for their rights and of the fellow Tamils.I do not dare to loose my identity, which I am proud of. As Martin Luther King Junior says “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Church seeks Christmas truce from today The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has called for a temporary ceasefire in honour of Christmas from today. Bishop of Mannar Rt.Rev. Rayappu Joseph said the Church had asked for a temporary ceasefire from both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the LTTE to enable the people in areas where there are hostilities to engage in religious activities during Christmas. “People have been experiencing bombing and shelling in many areas and we have decided to ask for a truce to enable the people to be in peace at least during Christmas,” he said. The Bishop had made this request from the President through Archbishop of Colombo Rev. Oswald Gomes. “I have also made the same request from the LTTE as well,” he pointed out. According to sources no response has been received from both parties up to date but the bishop was confident that there would be positive response. “There is one more day for Christmas and we hope that the ceasefire could be worked out,” he said. Both the LTTE and the Government have observed temporary ceasefire during Christmas and also observed a similar truce for Easter in April this year. TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham was gunned down during the Christmas mass in 2005 when a ceasefire was on for Christmas. Meanwhile Archbishop Oswald Gomes had already stated through the media that the Church would be a mediator between the Government and the LTTE to bring about a cessation of hostilities. Large number of political parties to be de-listed Military says 21 more combatants killed as fighting rages across northern Sri Lanka Soldiers and Tamil separatists fought gunbattles across embattled northern Sri Lanka - , leaving 19 insurgents and two soldiers dead, the military said Monday. Troops killed 10 Tamil Tiger rebels in confrontations in three villages in the Vavuniya district on Sunday, just south of rebel-held territory, a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak the media. One soldier was also killed. Separate battles in nearby Mannar district left eight insurgents and one soldier dead, and another rebel was killed on the northern Jaffna peninsula, the official said. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment. It is impossible to independently verify the military's claim because access to the area is restricted. Both sides often exaggerate their enemies' casualties while undercounting their own. Including the latest clashes, a total of 41 rebels and three soldiers were killed along the northern front lines over the weekend, according to military figures. Fighting has escalated in recent weeks along the front lines surrounding the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto state in the north. The military push is aimed at crushing the separatist movement and ending nearly a quarter-century of war on this Indian Ocean island. The rebels began fighting in 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of discrimination under governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict. A 2002 cease-fire between the Tamil Tigers and the government broke down two years ago. IMF urges more flexibility for Sri Lanka rupee Sri Lanka May Keep Benchmark Rate at Highest Level in Asia Sri Lanka's central bank will probably keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the highest level in Asia in a bid to contain inflation without threatening economic growth. Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Nivard Cabraal will leave the repurchase rate at 10.5 percent for a 10th straight meeting, according to nine of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News. Two economists expect a half point increase. The decision is due on Dec. 26 at 7:30 a.m. in Colombo. The central bank forecasts the economy will next year expand between 7 percent and 7.5 percent, the fastest pace in 30 years, as the government spends money to rebuild the eastern region captured from Tamil Tiger rebels in July. Cabraal said last month that borrowing costs at a five-year high were sufficient to bring inflation below 10 percent next year from about 20 percent now. ``The central bank will look to fuel growth as much as possible,'' said Geeth Balasuriya, an analyst at HNB Stockbrokers Pvt in Colombo. ``Although inflation is a risk, the government won't want its borrowing costs to go much higher.'' Cabraal is under pressure from the government to refrain from raising rates, which would swell the nation's debt-servicing costs. President Mahinda Rajapaksa aims to narrow the island nation's budget deficit to 7 percent of gross domestic product next year from 7.2 percent in 2007. IMF's Recommendation A government representative, Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera, sits on the four-member monetary policy board. Some analysts and institutions recommend the central bank raise interest rates to achieve single-digit inflation. Consumer prices in the capital Colombo rose 19.6 percent in November from a year earlier, matching the increase of the previous month, the Department of Census and Statistics said Nov. 30. ``Further monetary tightening in the near term is warranted in view of the current fiscal risks, strong growth of credit and inflationary pressures,'' the International Monetary Fund wrote in November. ``The central bank needs to raise policy rates to indicate their tight monetary policy more strongly,'' said Vajira Premawardhana, head of research at Lanka Orix Securities Pvt. in Colombo. ``There are concerns about growth, but unless rates are increased, inflation will overwhelm us.'' Civil War Economic growth accelerated to 7 percent in the third quarter from 6.4 percent in the second. ``While the central bank is committed to reducing inflation to a single-digit level by 2008, we expect inflation trends to remain in a double-digit range given that oil prices and politics remain threats,'' Citigroup said in a Nov. 26 report. The government needs to keep spending on its military budget as long as fighting between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam continues after two failed attempts at peace talks in Geneva last year. The following tables shows estimates for the change in the repurchase rate and the reverse repurchase rate. Kinniya-Moothoor land route re-opened Kinniya-Moothoor road along Trincomalee-Batticaloa A 15 highway was reopened last Friday for public transport after seventeen years by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Ferries have been put on service to connect the three causeways, Upparu, Gangai and I'raalku'li that separate Moothoor and Kinniya along A 15 highway. The strip of road was closed since 1990 due to security reasons by the SLA, sources said. The Sri Lanka Army has allowed public transport service between 8 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. daily on the new route.The reopening of the strip of road has helped commuters travelling between Trincomalee and Moothoor by sea due to the breakdown of Seruvila-2 passenger vessel.A-15 highway starts from Trincomalee town and goes through Kinniya, Upparu, Gangai, Ir'aalkuli, Moothoor, and from there straight to Batticaloa via Verugal.The road was reconstructed at a cost of about 4 million rupees allocated by the Ministry of Nation Building and Infrastructure Development Ministry on the recommendation of the East Provincial Governor Mohan Wijewickrema, sources said. Moves to scuttle APRC with foreign jaunt? Steps are underway to send the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) to Northern Ireland and Spain to ‘study’ the system of governance adopted in the two countries.The move comes from very powerful quarters, The Nation learns, and Tamil political sources have expressed skepticism over the move, charging that it could also be an attempt to scuttle the process by delaying the committee from reaching an agreement. The APRC, led by Chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana, has been holding marathon meeting sessions in an attempt to reach a consensus and hand over a report to President Mahinda Rajapaksa before end January. “The plan to send the committee representatives to Northern Ireland and Spain to study the asymmetrical devolution adopted in the two nations does not make sense, for the simple reason that one did not have to wait to send the committee abroad to study their systems of governance just weeks before the committee is set to wrap up its sessions,” well-placed political sources noted. They also emphasised that if one wanted to learn the system of governance of a particular country, there was absolutely no necessity to travel to that country to study it as one could refer reading material which gives in-depth details on such systems.The Nation reliably learns that arrangements for the possible impending visit are being organised by a Non Governmental Organisation close to the government. However, the trip is yet to be finalised. Egg sellers, street vendors, laundry men are among the SL Foreign Mission According to the Foreign Ministry information Deputy High Commissioner of Chennai has been granted the rank of Ambassador deviating from the existing practice and overlooking the officers senior to him with the ranks of Deputy Chief of Mission. Of course, his previous appointments as Chief of Protocol and later as the Deputy High Commissioner have also become highly controversial issues since these two posts are normally held by senior officers. Many seniors were uneasy about these undue promotions and appointments. Deputy High Commissioner of Chennai has joined the Foreign Service in the mid 1995. He has just completed 12 years in the Foreign Service. Usually, an officer should have completed at least 15 years of service with sufficient Mission experience to be considered for the rank of Ambassador. However, he has served only in two countries prior to his appointment as Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai. According to the Foreign Ministry information, presently there are 6 officers in the immediate senior batch of Deputy High Commissioner of Chennai serving as the Deputies in the Missions abroad with over 16 years of service experience. Additionally, two officers senior to him from his own batch are also working in Washington and Saudi Arabia as Counsellors. Strangely, these officers have not been considered for any promotion. In the past, these kinds of ad hock promotions based on political affiliation have never been done. In addition to a large number of political appointees being appointed as Heads of Mission, the Government has now established a practice of ignoring the seniority of the Foreign Service too. At the moment more than 70 percent of the Head of Mission posts in the Missions abroad have been filled with political appointees. Before their appointments as envoys some of these political appointees were egg sellers, street vendors, laundry men and paint businessmen etc. In the case of Deputy High Commissioner of Chennai, obviously there is a very special reason to award this promotion. The one and only reason is that Deputy High Commissioner has been a humble servant of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. According to his colleagues and his past records Deputy High Commissioner does not possess any outstanding educational or professional qualifications than the officers senior to him and he has not even displayed any remarkable ability in terms of diplomacy other than his political affiliation to the ruling family. Similarly, three more junior officers of his batch with the same political patronage are scheduled to be promoted in the same manner within next few months. Undoubtedly, this kind of ill-advised decisions on promotion of Foreign Service officers would be seriously affecting the integrity of the service and would probably unleash pent-up frustration of the senior officers. This promotion is violating the fundamental rights of the officers senior to him and it is also against the existing rules and regulations. As a result some officers are exploring the possibilities of filling an F/R case against this promotion. Yet, it is doubtful whether the Government would be serious on taking any corrective measures. MILITARY ASSISTANCE : US out, enter Russia In the wake of the United States Senate slashing military assistance to Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation has stepped in to fill the vacuum, sending the first ever top level military delegation to Colombo to discuss military cooperation. A high level Russian military delegation led by Colonel General Vladimir Moltenskoy last week met Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Army Commander Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka and Air Force Commander, Roshan Goonathilake and had visited several major military installations in the island. Gen Molpenskoy, a veteran combat General in the Russian Army was formerly the operational commander of the Russian Forces in Chechnya.A diplomatic source touted the visit by the Russian delegation as a precursor to stepped up military cooperation with Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Air Force uses a large array of Russian aircraft, but procures them from the Ukraine due to the cheaper prices offered by Kiev. Earlier, Russia offered to sell MIG 29 Air Superior fighter jets, but the deal was stalled due to budgetary concerns. It is not only the Russians, who are making a foray into the Sri Lankan arms market. Pakistan has increased its annual military assistance loan by US 31 million dollars. This will increase the total annual Pakistani assistance to US 80 million dollars. Meanwhile, India has also offered US 100 million dollar credit line to Sri Lanka for the procurement of military supplies from India. India, however, keeping to its policy on not selling lethal weapon systems to Sri Lanka, has restricted Indian supplies offered under the credit line to military and civilian vehicles and air defence systems. India earlier provided several low flying detecting Infra II radar systems to Sri Lanka. India discounts Prabhakaran injury in air raid Prabhakaran had not been injured -Ilanthirayan The Tigers last week rejected government claims that their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been injured in an air force raid.The LTTE military spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan said that Prabhakaran had not been injured in any attack nor had his bunker been targeted. "There is nothing like that. These claims are baseless. There were reports that his bunker was also damaged. These are fabricated stories. We do not know how they come up with them," he said."We do not know how and why these stories come out. We do not know who is behind these claims," he added.The government last week claimed it received intelligence reports that LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran suffered minor injuries in an air force attack. Sri Lanka army, rebels claim heavy losses in fighting Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan troops fought fierce battles in the north at the weekend, leaving several combatants dead or wounded, according to conflicting statements from both sides Sunday. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they resisted a 10-hour military push on Saturday into the district of Mannar, killing at least 17 soldiers and wounding 54.The guerrillas said they lost three of their fighters. But the defence ministry said the military killed eight Tigers for the loss of one soldier on Saturday.Three more Tiger rebels were killed in another clash in the same region Sunday, the ministry said adding that troops did not suffer any casualties.The ministry said troops had smashed a front-line position of the Tigers in Mannar and also captured another base in the adjoining Vavuniya district on Saturday.Further north in the Jaffna peninsula, the military said in a statement that it killed eight guerrillas on Sunday morning but did not suffer any casualties. It also said three more Tigers had been killed in the same area on Saturday.The claim of more rebel casualties brings the number of Tamil fighters killed since December 1 to at least 385, according to the defence ministry.This compares with a handful of government troops reported dead.Both sides are known for making sharply differing claims about casualties and independent verification is rarely possible, with the press barred from front-line and rebel-held areas.Tens of thousands of people have died on both sides since the LTTE launched its armed struggle for a Tamil homeland in the majority Sinhalese nation in 1972. A Norwegian-brokered 2002 truce began to unravel in December 2005. British police launch probe into pro-LTTE rally LONDON: A rally organised by supporters of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) here last month and attended by two Asian Labour MPs, Keith Vaz and Virendra Sharma, has become the subject of a police investigation following protests from the Sri Lankan High Commission over the presence of ruling party MPs. Material A spokesperson told The Hindu that material from the event was being “assessed” to ascertain whether any criminal offence was involved but declined to confirm a Sunday Telegraph report that Mr. Vaz had been “contacted by the police” as part of the investigation. “We don’t discuss who we speak to in an investigation.” The material includes speeches and video footage of LTTE chief Prabakaran’s “Heroes’ Day” address urging the “entire Tamil-speaking world to rise up.”Mr Vaz, who chairs an all-party parliamentary group for Tamils, said at the rally: “I can totally understand the demand of some Tamils for an independent state. These calls will only get louder and louder unless there is just peace.”Mr. Sharma was more vocal in his support for the LTTE’s aims, reportedly saying he had “long supported the Tamils’ demand for their rights”.A third Labour MP, Joan Ryan, supported the Sri Lankan Tamils’ “struggle” for an independent homeland. The Sri Lankan High Commission accused the MPs of being “partisan to a proscribed terrorist group.” Condemned Mr. Vaz, whose Leicester East constituency has a large Tamil presence, said he had attended at the request of his constituents. He condemned all forms of terrorism.The rally, organised by the Tamil National Remembrance Foundation, to pay homage to LTTE activists killed in clashes with security forces, also reportedly received messages of “support” from London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes. 22 December 2007 India to play key role in oil quest India will be a key player in the Sri Lankan oil and gas exploration in the Cauvery Bay of the Gulf of Mannar which is set to begin in March next year. As many as 18 oil and 11 gas reserves have been identified on the Indian side of Cauvery Bay and exploration will begin in March next year,Infomation and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said. Experts estimate the sites may contain millions of barrels of crude oil for which both India and China are competing for overseas oil and gas reserves to meet soaring energy demand. The international arm of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, OVL Ltd, paid one million dollars to Norwegian seismic survey group - TGS NOPEC- a few weeks ago for acquiring data in the Mannar Offshore Basin in Sri Lanka, according to Sri Lankan petroleum ministry officials. The Mannar Basin, located between southwestern Sri Lanka and Indian coastline in water depths ranging from 50 metres to more than 3,000 metres, lies to the south of Cauvery Basin in Indian waters - known for both oil and gas production. Sri Lanka currently, relies on imports to meet all of its crude oil demand of around 42,000 barrels a day and fifty per cent of its products demand of about 70,000 barrels a day. Sri Lanka had offered to give OVL 5,000 to 6,000 sq km of exploration area in the Mannar Offshore Basin on a nomination basis. This is in lieu of assistance in training their professionals and assisting them in demarcation of the exploration and production (E&P) blocks. One block was also offered to China on nomination basis.Sri Lanka has eight exploration blocks in the Mannar basin, three of which are up for tender and one each already offered to China and India. The decision on the rest of the blocks will be taken later. Artillery duel continues in Jaffna The heavy artillery and rocket fire exchanges between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the Foward Defence Line areas in Mukamaalai and Nakarkoayil Thursday night which let-up Friday morning began with equal vehemence Friday evening. Artillery fire was heard from Nakarkoayil seas too.No information was available about casualties or injuries on both sides.Parts of Jaffna peninsula kept reverberating with the heavy artillery firing. APRC rejects Devananda’s proposal The All Party Representative Committee (APRC), which was assigned the task of working out a political package for the resolution of the ethnic conflict, has rejected the proposal put forward by EPDP leader and Minister Douglas Devananda for an interim council for the northern and eastern provinces. Mr. Devananda had proposed the establishment of an interim council, during a transitional period, for these two provinces and fully implementing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which provided for the establishment of provincial councils.The minister proposed that this council be governed by a board of ministers appointed by the President.However, the APRC, headed by Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitarana, declined to accept this proposal, on the grounds that the committee should work out a ‘tangible power devolution arrangement’.“The EPDP leader wanted the APRC to recommend his proposal, but we are giving prominence to a full power devolution package,” a committee spokesman said.The APRC has conducted 55 sessions so far, and it will meet on five more occasions before the end of January next year, to finalize its interim report. The President has also instructed the Committee to finalize this report, in anticipation of the proposed visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to participate in Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations on February 4.The Committee spokesman said that India had been insisting that some progress be made towards working out a political solution to the North-East conflict before the Indian Prime Minister’s visit. Forget peace talks: S.Lanka militant-turned-minister Holding talks with the Tamil Tigers' shadowy leader would be a blunder and there will be no peace unless he is killed, Sri Lankan militant-turned-minister Douglas Devananda has warned.Social Services and Welfare Minister Devananda, a minority Tamil vehemently opposed to the Tigers, says he has escaped more than a dozen assassination attempts.The last was on Nov. 28, when a female bomber officials say was sent by Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran made her way into his ministry in central Colombo.Devananda was watching closed-circuit TV footage of visitors in the ministry's offices and hallways when the woman blew herself up, killing one of his aides."Prabhakaran ... is anti-human," Devananda told Sri Lanka's Foreign Correspondent's Association late on Thursday, after showing journalists a recording of the attack. "You have to compare (him) with Pol Pot or Hitler ... He has to die.""As long as Prabhakaran is alive, he won't allow anyone to solve the problem (conflict) amicably," he added. "If the president goes again for talks, it's a blunder."Prabhakaran is infamous for his use of suicide attackers as part of his campaign to create a separate state for Tamils in the island's north and east.Devananda himself took up arms against the state with other militant groups in the late 1970s and 1980s. He remains at the top of the Tigers' hit list.President Mahinda Rajapaksa says the door is open to peace talks with the rebels, but his government has also vowed to wipe out the Tigers military.Thousands have died in renewed fighting since early last year after a 2002 ceasefire pact broke down. The last round of a series of abortive peace talk initiatives fell apart last year.Since 1983, about 70,000 people have died in the two-decade civil war and many hundreds of thousands have been displaced. FUTURE CHIEF MINISTER IN NORTHEAST? Devananda heads the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and analysts say he has close ties with a renegade former Tiger commander who analysts say helped the government drive the mainstream rebels from their eastern strongholds.He wants to be the future chief minister for north and east Sri Lanka."I have the right to be the chief minister of the north and east," Devananda said.He also wants the government and other political parties to decentralise power to provincial councils, rather than wait for divided parties to try to reach an elusive consensus on devolution."The Tamil people have grievances. They should be dealt with with a political package," he said.Devananda, who adopted the alias Douglas because it was his karate teacher's name, laughs as he recalls a series of attempts on his life.He was once forced to dive into the Palk Strait separating Sri Lanka from India in 1996 to escape a rebel attack and spent the whole night in the sea.The minister, who founded the militant Eelam People's Revolutionary Front (EPRLF), which later morphed into his political party, has no regrets about his own violent past.He says killings he was responsible for were in self-defence. He also jokes about his former militancy and rivalry with the Tigers in the 1980s, when they were both fighting the state -- and often each other."If the LTTE killed anyone from my organisation, I balanced that when I was in EPRLF," he laughed.Ironically, it is precisely through agreeing to peace talks that Prabhakaran could torpedo his foe Devananda."If tomorrow Prabhakaran comes genuinely for negotiations, I will give up politics and go, because I don't want to be an obstacle," he said."But the reality is Prabhakaran won't come, and I won't go." UNP candidate in Jaffna shot dead Unidentified gunmen following a prominent member of United National Party (UNP), shot him dead Friday around 5:30 p.m as he was riding on his motor cycle in Chuzhipuram area in Valikaamam. Muthukumar Sivapalan, was rushed to Moo’laay hospital with serious injuries and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, sources in Jaffna said. During the last election campaign, Mr. Sivapalan had strongly worked against the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Douglas Devananda, a cabinet minister in the present Sri Lanka government, Tholpu’ram residents said. The victim, Muthukumar Sivapalan alias Babiyaan, 30, is a father of one child and a resident of Vazhakkamparai, Tholpu’ram in Valikaamam.Sivapalan was Jaffna district general election candidate for the UNP in 2004.He had contested two elections in Jaffna District as a UNP candidate under T. Maheswaran, UNP Jaffna district parliamentarian. Polls in East likely in February The government will announce next week the date of the local government polls to be held in the East, Ministry Secretary Cashian Herath said yesterday.During the budget debate subject Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said most likely the election would be held in February, next year. Soon after the East was liberated the government proposed that elections to nine local councils including the Batticaloa Municipal Council be held at the end of this year.The Ministry Secretary told the Daily Mirror they were currently planning the logistics and the date would be announced definitely next week and foresaw no practical difficulties in conducting the polls in the East.Last year, the government also enacted amendments to the ‘Local Government Act’ to provide for the cancellation of nominations called for these bodies earlier.Notably, the LTTE break away group TMVP will also contest the elections to these nine local bodies.Meanwhile the SLMC said it would contest the elections though these local bodies covered predominantly Tamil areas. Cabinet approves MoUs between Sri Lanka and Iran Sri Lanka Cabinet yesterday approved the Memoranda of Understandings signed between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Sri Lanka by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama following President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Iran last month.The MoUs approved yesterday are for the construction of Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project, the expansion of Oil Refinery Capacity in Sri Lanka, increased media cooperation between the Ministry of Mass Media and Information of Sri Lanka and Iran Broadcasting. Also approved was a MoU between the Board of Investment (BOI) of Sri Lanka and the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic Revolution of Iran to facilitate financial and technical cooperation.Sri Lanka and Iran signed eight MoUs on expansion of mutual cooperation between the two countries on Nov 27th during President’s visit to Iran. The MoUs also included expansion of mutual cooperation on shipping, customs formalities, construction of multi-purpose water and energy projects. War crimes inquiry into Tamil rebel living in UK A Sri Lankan guerrilla leader living in London is being investigated for possible war crimes charges, The Times has learnt. Karuna Amman, who has been implicated in atrocities over two decades, entered Britain on a diplomatic passport. The Crown Prosecution Service is looking into whether there is sufficient evidence to bring him to trial under international laws on war crimes, torture and hostage-taking. Any prosecution would risk a serious rift with the Sri Lankan Government. His rebel group is alleged to be backed by government forces. On Tuesday the Sri Lankan High Commissioner was called to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to explain how Mr Karuna obtained the diplomatic passport. He entered Britain in September and is believed to have claimed asylum after his arrest in London last month on suspicion of immigration offences. Mr Karuna had led the Tamil Tigers in the east of Sri Lanka until March 2003 when he left to form his own group, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal. Among his alleged crimes are the massacre of 600 Sri Lankan police who had surrendered to him and atrocities against the Muslim minority. In May Kim Howells, a Foreign Office minister, told the Commons that the Government believed “Karuna and his faction to be responsible for extrajudicial killings, abductions, intimidation of displaced persons and child recruitment”. The Foreign Office had a “great deal” of concern about the Sri Lankan Government’s link to him. The Foreign Office said that at Tuesday’s meeting “we expressed our concern about how Mr Karuna was able to obtain a diplomatic passport. The Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service are looking at number of options. Because of the legal issues we are unable to discuss this any further.” The High Commission said: “The Sri Lankan Government is unaware of any diplomatic passport or any application for a visa to enter the UK.” Mannar Bishop discusses situation with LTTE Political Head Bishop of Mannar, Rev Rayappu Joseph, met the Head of LTTE Political Division, B Nadeson, Thuresday, 20 December, from 1.00pn to 2.00pm in Kilinochchi.The discussion centred around the humanitarian plight of the Tamil people living in the homeland and the military offensives of the Sri Lanka Government. Chinese Investment Zone to be set up in Mirigama The Bureau of Investment has allocated 160 acres in Mirigama in the Gampaha District for an Investment Zone for Chinese investors, on a directive of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama. This follows discussions with Minister Dr. Amunugama had with Chinese Ambassador Ye Dabo at the Ministry Office at the World Trade Centre Colombo on Thursday. The Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Ministry said nearly 100 Chinese investors are due to set up large scale industries in the proposed zone. Already 40 investors have agreed to set up industries in this zone. These industries will provide employment opportunities for a large number of people. During the talks Dr. Amunugama promised maximum possible tax and other incentives under the country’s existing laws and regulations to the Chinese investors setting up industries here. At the request of Dr. Amunugama the Chinese Government agreed to provide Rs. 1,000 million needed for the development of infrastrutive facilities in the zone. The long-standing friendship and bilateral economic relations between the two countries were highlighted by the Chinese ambassador during the talks. The Ambassador said China was always ready to extend its hand of friendship to Sri Lanka. Several BOI and Chinese Embassy officials were present at the talks. SLFP (M) meets ex-service chiefs The ex-service commanders who met President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe recently, yesterday held talks with the SLFP (M) and reiterated the need for all concerned to work in unison to find a political solution to the North-East conflict.At yesterday’s meeting, the ex-service chiefs pointed out that the country was at crossroads in the economic, social and international fronts, and therefore called for political unity in overcoming these challenges.Besides, they reiterated the importance of working out a political solution to the problem citing it as the only way out of it. Even if the LTTE hierarchy is eliminated, the ex-service commanders said, the conflict could not be resolved permanently without a political package.However the SLFP (M) said it told the delegation comprising former Army Commanders Rohan Daluwatte, Jerry Silva and former Air Force Commander Paddy Mendis, that there was no need for the SLFP (M) to discuss matters with President Rajapaksa.The party said the President should instead put forward his policy for the resolution of the conflict.“We also stressed that the President should cut down the size of the Cabinet to at least 35 members while taking action to curb corruption and fraud,” SLFP (M) sources said. The SLFP (M) delegation comprised Mangala Samaraweera, Sripathi Sooriyarachchi and Tiran Alles. New Australian High Commissioner Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, has confirmed the appointment of Kathy Klugman as Australia's new High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, with non-resident accreditation to the Republic of Maldivies. She will succeed Dr. Greg French who has been High Commissioner since December 2004, Klugman is expected to take up her appointment in February 2008, states an Australian High Commission press release. Klugman is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is currently Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Branch. Overseas, Klugman has served as Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore (2005-06) and Third Secretary in Vientiane (1993-95). Klugman has previously served as Deputy High Commissioner in Colombo from 1998-2001. Klugman has held a range of positions including Assistant Secretary, Mainland South-East Asia and South Asia Branch (2004-05) and Director, East Timor Section (2001-03). She has also worked in the Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation Branch (1995-98) and the Counter-Terrorism Compliance Section (1992). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney. 21 December 2007 MPs security withdrawn The security provided to TELO MP S. Srikantha and UNP MP T. Maheswaran had been slashed by the government with immediate effect despite these members calling for additional protection under the present volatile situation in the country. As for MP Srikantha, the government had withdrawn four out of nine security personnel attached to his personal security from the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) since Sunday. However, three police personnel attached to his security still remain intact.In the meantime, the army and police personnel attached to the security of Mr. Maheswaran had been reduced from 18 members to two on Tuesday.The UNP MP told the Daily Mirror yesterday that he was compelled to cancel his visit to home town Jaffna yesterday because of this situation.“The soldiers who guarded my Jaffna residence have also been removed,” he said. He also wrote to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa saying that he was shot at close range in the run up to the 2004 General Election, and as a result his security was enhanced. “Now the annual temple festival is in progress in my home town Jaffna and I had arranged to fly to Jaffna today. But due to the inadequate security personnel, I have cancelled today’s arrangement of traveling to Jaffna,” he said in the letter. Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission Downgraded New York (HRW) The recent downgrading of Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by an international committee highlights the need for independent international monitoring of the human rights situation in the country, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. Recently the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights -- the international body that regulates national human rights institutions -- reduced Sri Lanka's NHRC to the status of an "observer" because of government encroachment on its independence. As a result, the commission no longer has the right to vote in international meetings and is not eligible to stand for election to the international coordinating committee. "Sri Lankan government claims that its Human Rights Commission is a strong and independent institution ring hollow," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Unfortunately, Sri Lanka lacks credible domestic institutions to address human rights violations." The international coordinating committee downgraded the Sri Lankan NHRC on two grounds: first, because of concerns that the appointment of its commissioners was not in compliance with Sri Lankan law, which meets international standards; and second, because of doubts that the commission's practice was not "balanced, objective and non-political, particularly with regard to the discontinuation of follow-up to 2,000 cases of disappearances in July 2006." In May 2006, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa personally appointed five commissioners in violation of the Sri Lankan constitution. Article 41B of the constitution specifies that appointments to the NHRC can be made only after a recommendation from the Constitutional Council, a multi-party body established by the constitution. The NHRC has failed to adequately address the hundreds of reported cases of new "disappearances" in Sri Lanka over the past two years. In a note dated June 29, 2006, the secretary of the commission said that it had decided to stop inquiring into these complaints "for the time being, unless special directions are received from the government." An internal NHRC circular dated June 20, 2007 imposed a maximum time period of three months in which complaints must be filed with the commission, even though no there is no such limitation in existing laws or regulations. More than three months after an incident, the commission will only investigate complaints at its discretion. The need for independent monitoring of human rights has become more urgent since mid-2006, as human rights abuses against civilians escalated in line with increased fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The NHRC has been absent and inactive rather than taking a proactive role in investigating these abuses and reporting its findings, Human Rights Watch said. Given the failure of domestic institutions to address continuing human rights abuses by all parties to the conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch again urged the Sri Lankan government to accept a United Nations field operation with a strong monitoring mandate. "The commission's lack of independence has reduced it to a mute witness of rising human rights abuses in Sri Lanka," said Pearson. "To address the intensifying abuses by all sides in Sri Lanka's war, the government should welcome a United Nations human rights monitoring mission." Is the Eastern Province under military rule? 250,000 civil defense personnel have been recruited for the security of the Eastern Province in addition to the three armed forces, police and home guards, said Media Minister Lakshman Yapa at the cabinet press briefing yesterday (20). The Government provides salaries, firearms and ammunition to these personnel who work attached to temples and village offices etc. As Lanka-e-News learns, almost all the Buddhist temples of the Eastern Province have been used for military purposes. Such temples have been provided a pick up vehicle and a walkie-talkie and 40 armed personnel of Civil Defense Force are attached to the temple. A Civil Defense Personnel is entitled to Rs. 13,000 salary, a mobile phone and Rs. 300,000 loan to build a house.A freelance journalist who travelled in the Eastern Province recently revealed these facts to Lanka-e-News. No one is allowed to photograph these areas that are under strict control of Army.The total population in the Eastern Province is 1.5 million. Therefore, one per each six persons is in Civil Defense Force. 28 rebels killed in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan troops have killed 28 Tamil Tiger rebels in a series of clashes in the island's north in 24 hours, the military has said. Four rebels were killed in two clashes in the northern Jaffna Peninsula on Thursday morning, while 24 were killed in three confrontations in the northern districts of Mannar, Vavuniya and Jaffna on Wednesday, the military said on Thursday. "Troops went forward and attacked two bunkers in Kilali (on the Jaffna Peninsula). Two Tigers were killed and two soldiers were injured," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. "Also in Nagarkovil in Jaffna, troops saw two Tiger rebels coming towards the frontline defense line and opened fire, killing them," he added. More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between troops and Tamil rebels since early 2006 . LTTE attacks SLA infiltration unit in Ma’nalaa’ru Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) waylaid and attacked an infiltration unit of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Thursday around 1:45 p.m in Ceylon Theatre area in Ma’nalaa’ru in Vanni, inflicting heavy injuries to the SLA troops. The SLA group retreated carrying the injured, sources in Ki’linochchi said. LTTE recovered 2 Claymore mines, 2 hand grenades, 2 Claymore detonators, a role of wire, and an AKLMG link.No LTTE combatants was injured, according to the same sources in Kilinochchi. 2 SLA killed in Naakarkoayil FDL clash - LTTE Two Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed and a fresh attempt by the SLA to advance towards the Forward Defence Line of the Liberation Tigers at Naakarkoayil in Vadamaraadchi East was thwarted Thursday around 1:00 p.m., according to the Northern Front Operations Command of the LTTE. The Tigers recovered a SLA dead body. One T-56-2 rifle was among the military accessories seized in the counter-attack, the LTTE said. The body of the dead SLA soldier, located in the clearing mission after the counter-attack, was in highly decomposed state and the Tigers buried the body with military honors, the LTTE said. There were no Tiger casualties. Sri Lanka rupee closes higher on equity flows, money spikes Former service chiefs met Racist JHU Ten retired armed forces chiefs met the Racist JHU yesterday(20) in Colombo, to discuss the current political situation. The focus of the talks were on defeating terrorism and devolving power. Most of them were of the view that LTTE terrorism had to be dealt with first. The Ven. Ellawala Medhananda told the officers that the current crisis was mainly a terrorist problem. JHU MP Ven.Kotapola Amarakiththi Thero, Ven.Ranpathwila Wimalarathana Thero, Ven.Rajawaththe Wappa Thero, Ven.Hadigalle Wimalasara Thero and JHU Policy Maker Minister Champika Ranawaka were participated from the JHU side. General Rohan Daluwaththa (Retired Army Commander), General C.Sri Lal Weerasooriya (Retired Army Commander), General Gerry H. Silva (Retired Army Commander), General Denis Perera (Retired Army Commander), General Siril Ranathunga (Retired Army Commander, Former Defence Secretary), General Hamilton Wanasingha (Retired Army Commander), Air Vice Marshall D.K Perera (Retired Air Force Commander), Admiral Daya Sandagiri (Former Navy and security chief of staff), Air Vice Marshall P. Mandis (Retired Air Force Commander) were also participated at the meeting. The retired officers will also meet leaders of other parties as well. Military exercises in south may be aimed at containing terrorism India will hold military exercises in its southern peninsula next year, a move defence analysts said is aimed at controlling terrorists such as Tamil Tiger fighters operating from neighbouring Sri Lanka.The military plans to extend exercises to the far south, Mahesh Upasani, a spokesman for the Indian Air Force, said in New Delhi. Aircraft, naval vessels and troops ended manoeuvres last week near Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad, the ministry of defence said in a statement.“The navy is spreading its wings by going to the southern part of the country,” Bharat Karnad, a defence analyst at the Centre for Policy Research, said. “One of the aims of the military exercise could well be dealing with the menace posed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).”India, Sri Lanka have increased naval patrols in the Palk Strait to combat LTTE. India and Sri Lanka have increased naval patrols in the Palk Strait between the countries to combat LTTE, which is fighting for a separate state in areas of Sri Lanka it controls. The Indian Navy said LTTE changed its arms smuggling operations in response, state-run broadcaster Doordarshan reported on 26 November. An estimated 60,000 Sri Lankans are in camps in Tamil Nadu that lies about a two-hour boat ride across the waters, the United Nations says.French-made Mirage-2000s, Russian-built Su-30s, Mi-8 helicopters and unmanned aircraft were involved in last week’s exercise, the ministry said in the statement. Fighter jets simulated “friendly and hostile forces” over long aerial ranges and air-to-air refuelling units were used.The navy and coastguard provided rescue ships and the army deployed troops and manned a communications network. Satellite images provided analysis of the simulated attacks on targets, the ministry said. The exercise was aimed at protecting sea lanes and air space, Upasani said.Next year’s training will be “the first time that such a peninsula-based exercise of a tri-service nature is undertaken by the army, air force and navy in the southern states,” said Dipankar Banerjee, director of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. LTTE has an estimated 12,000 fighters in its land forces and a 4,000-member naval unit known as the Sea Tigers. It unveiled an air wing when light aircraft bombed areas near Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, in March and April. “One worrying factor is the aerial capability of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,” Banerjee said. “It poses certain challenges to the Indian coast.”The conflict between the Sri Lankan navy and rebels is also on the rise, Banerjee said.“Concerns have widened in recent years,” he said. “This exercise is a response to the changing situation.” LTTE is moving operations to Kerala from Tamil Nadu, Doordarshan cited vice- admiral Sunil Damle, who heads India’s Southern Naval Command, as saying last month. The Indian Navy in February began round-the-clock patrolling of its waters off Tamil Nadu and coastguard vessels are monitoring the International Maritime Border.Thirteen nations, including Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, are participating in a military gathering in January in Port Blair, naval spokesman Neeraj Sinha said from New Delhi. Gotabhaya assasination attempt The CID yesterday informed the Chief Magistrate of Colombo that the investigations into the attempted assassination of the Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa was not over and to detain further the suspects M. Naufer, S. Zakeer, A. L. Naseer, T. Shiran Farook, and M.F. Mohamed Fiyaz .The special investigation Unit of the CID filing a report in court submitted that the suspects were arrested by the Police on a complaint made by the security guards of the Korean Embassy at Dharmapala Mawatha alleging that the suspects were around the place at the time of the incident on Decemer 01, 2006 at the Pittala Junction Drarmapala Mawatha. The CID further said that they would seek the Attorney General’s opinion in respect of the on-going investigations.The case was postponed for January 2. SLA artillery injured Mannar IDP, dies An Internally Displaced Person (IDP), who was injured in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire on 26.10.2007 on the IDP camp at Periyamadu in Mannaar, succumbed to the wounds Thursday early morning in Muzhangkaavil hospital, hospital sources said.The IDP was identified as Suppaiah Mohanraj, 29, a father of two children, originally from Chilaavaththu’rai, Maruthamadu in Mannaar.He is one of the civilians displaced from Maruthamadu due to SLA offensives.Mohanraj, after being seriously injured in the SLA artillery fire on the IDP camp, was rushed to Muzhangkaavil hospital, and later transferred to Ki’linochchi hospital where he was treated.Paralysis due to injuries below his hip forced doctors to transfer Mohanraj back to Muzhangkaavil hospital.He succumbed to his wounds in Muzhangkaavil hospital Thursday early morning. Sri Lanka to explore oil in the North Sri Lanka government plans to explore for oil in the sea off the Jaffna peninsula, Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa revealed yesterday.The Minister said the government has approved the petroleum ministry to begin exploration in the Sri Lankan side of Cauvery Basin which lies between India and Sri Lanka to the north of Jaffna Peninsula. Oil companies will be invited to explore both on land and in sea off the shore in the new areas. Studies conducted by an international company have indicated possible oil and gas resources in the seabed off the northern and western coasts of Sri Lanka. The government has identified eight blocks for oil exploration in the Mannar Basin. China and India's state oil companies have already been promised two of the Mannar basin's five blocks. Don't treat everyone as an LTTE suspect - Judge The Police should not arrest people on suspicion and brand all of them as members of the LTTE without any strong evidence against them. Most of the people come to Colombo for their day to day business activities from distant places. Police arrest people and produce them before court and move for remand pending investigations without ascertaining their real purpose to come to Colombo, observed Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge Mohamed Makie granting bail for a suspect produced before him by the Cinnamon Gardens Police. The Cinnamon Gardens Police producing a suspect, Meera Careem Abdul Careem of Samanthurai, told court that the police arrested the suspect on suspicion while he was near the Rupavahini Corporation. The Police filing a report submitted to court that the investigations against the suspect is not complete and moved court to remand the suspect pending the completion of the ongoing investigations. After lengthy submissions by the Counsel for the suspect and the Police the Judge released him on surety bail in a sum of Rs.50,000 and directed him to appear in court on March 7, 2008. 20 December 2007 'Safeguard' humanitarian workers Red Cross workers killed "The environment in which aid workers operate has become increasingly difficult. We believe it is important that the essential work of humanitarian organisations is supported and that their staff are safeguarded," it said. The EU has urged Sri Lanka government to investigate the killings and to "ensure that those responsible are brought to justice".Thavarajah is the third Red Cross worker to be killed in Sri Lanka within six Months.Two Sri Lanka Red Cross workers were found killed in June, this year.The government launched an investigation though the culprits are yet to be brought into justice. Sri Lanka downgraded The EU condemnation was issued as Sri Lanka was downgraded to Grade B in terms of human rights by an international monitoring body. The decision by International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights to downgrade Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) means the NHRC has reduced to a mere observer in international meetings, watchdogs said. As a result, the commission no longer has the right to vote in international meetings, New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. Sri Lanka's permanent representative at the UN, Dr. Dayan Jayathilake admitted the situation is regrettable and disadvantageous for Sri Lanka. However, Ambassador Jayathilake accused the LTTE of being responsible for the deterioration of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. SL deselected for receiving MCC funding Sri Lanka strips British airline chief of work permit The British head of Sri Lankan Airlines faces dismissal after the national carrier refused to bump passengers off a flight from London to make way for the President of Sri Lanka.The Sri Lankan Government, which owns 51 per cent of the airline, said today that it was cancelling a work permit for Peter Hill, who has been the carrier's chief executive, based in Colombo, for eight years.It cited the airline's refusal to clear 35 seats for President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his entourage on a flight from London via the Maldives to Colombo on December 13.Mr Rajapaksa, accompanied by his wife and several aides, had been on a private visit to Britain to watch his son, Yoshitha, passing out from the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.The President eventually returned to Colombo on December 14 on a charter flight with Mihin Air, a budget carrier that was set up this year and is wholly owned by the Sri Lankan Government.Opponents of Mr Rajapaksa say that the incident illustrates the increasingly autocratic and arbitrary behaviour of the President, who won an election in 2005 promising a harder line against the rebel Tamil Tigers.Since then, he has made himself head of the ruling party and Minister of Finance and of Defence, as well as Commander-in-Chief, and allocated a ministry to each of his three brothers.Together, the Rajapaksa brothers now control more than 70 per cent of Sri Lanka's budget, according to local economists. “Put it this way: it's getting pretty hard to say no to the President,” said one Western diplomat.The Government says that it requested the seats on the Sri Lankan Airlines flight in advance and that the airline promised that they would be made available. “We have recommended the cancellation of a work permit issued to Peter Hill,” said Dhammika Perera, the chairman of the Government's Board of Investment. “They said they have enough seats ... and finally when the day comes, they said there were no seats for the delegation.” The airline, however, says that it turned down the request because its flight was fully booked, mostly by tourists heading for their Christmas holidays in Sri Lanka or The Maldives.Sri Lankan Airlines runs 12 flights a week between London and Colombo. Chandana De Silva, a spokesman for the airline, said: “They made a request for 35 seats, presumably at short notice, but the flight was full unfortunately. “We have no clear-cut policy on this. If the Government as the majority shareholder had officially directed Sri Lankan Airlines, it would have been different. For something like this, the CEO would have to make the call. The buck stops with him.”Mr De Silva said that he had seen the Board of Investment chief's announcement on television, but the airline had yet to receive any official communication about Mr Hill's work permit.He also suggested that the move could be linked to the negotiations with Emirates, the Dubai national carrier, which owns 43.6 per cent of Sri Lankan Airlines and has managed it under contract since 1998.Mr Hill used to work for Emirates and was appointed by the company to head Sri Lankan Airlines.Emirates' management contract expires at the end of March, but talks on renewing it, scheduled to resume next month, have so far been inconclusive.Local media say that the Government wants a bigger management role and believes that the existing contract is tilted in favour of Emirates financially.But Mr Hill has said that the negotiations have been dragging on for too long. “The negotiations between the Government and Emirates have been going on for 18 months. I would have liked to have seen them resolved by now,” he told reporters in New Delhi last month.Mr Hill has also blamed a recent fall in profits on the escalation in Sri Lanka's separatist conflict over the past two years, which has put off many tourists.Sri Lankan government officials declined to comment further. Suspects in Raviraj murder offer confession JVP splitting from top to bottom, says Nandana Former Presidential candidate and ex-JVP politburo member MP Nandana Gunathilaka says that the party will split unless it changes its political path. Gunathilaka said to 'Lanka-e-News' that a group led by a politburo member and several Central Committee members is in the line of taking the party back to armed struggle and they are in the forefront of current agitations. When 'Lanka-e-News' enquired if there are MPs also among those who are in that stance, Gunathilaka smilingly said that he did not like to name people. However, he said that they are in the top tiers of the party.Although the group is not majority, they are attempting to establish their ideology in the party, said Nandana Gunathilaka. He said that the party was in armed struggle line in the past and the remnants of it still haunts in the party. He further said that the people who are attempting to be unnecessarily defiant in students and workers' agitations belong to that category. He said that the one who attempted to assault him in the parliament is one in that line. He says that the attack was not personally on him, but on the party.When 'Lanka-e-News' enquired why they attempted to assault him, Gunathilaka said that several articles to a newspaper, a speech in the budget debate and the ideas expressed at a television program criticizing both Government and the JVP triggered their wrath.Kegalle district MP Anuruddha Polgampola and Polonnaruwa district MP S.K. Subasinghe attacked Nandana Gunathilaka in the parliament. National list MP M. Musammil was also with them at the moment. Gunathilaka who was the coordinator for Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts at the 1994 general election said that S.K. Subasinghe who had recently released from jail then refused even to give his name to the list of nominations. He said that later he brought him to become an MP. Those who left the party in difficult situations are the present day heroes, said Nandana Gunathilaka. Gunathilaka said that he struggled in the party to establish the ideology that the party should use elections creatively and strategically since the revolution is far in the scene. "The party was performing well in that line till those sectors derailed it. We should have joined the Rajapakse Government and move forward keeping state power in hand," he said. Gunathilaka replied that he was trying to change the party line when 'Lanka-e-News' asked about the rumors that a new party is in the formation. Emphasizing that the strength of a party is measured through the power in democratic institutes, Gunathilaka said that the JVP alone could win only the Thissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha and not even the Thissamaharamaya electorate. Gunathilaka said that the JVP should bargain a better portion of power at a future coalition and if it failed to do so, a large faction would split definitely aiming to create something new.When asked if he was ready to lead them, he said that there are such people in JVP top tiers too. LTTE could raise its head again-Ex-service commanders Ex-service commanders met UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday and stressed the need for the main opposition to work together with the government to formulate a political solution to the national question.The ex-service commanders pointed out that, though the LTTE could be suppressed for the time being, it could raise its head again in the absence of a political solution to the problem.The UNP delegation, led by Mr. Wickremesinghe, replied that they were considered ‘pariahs and traitors’ by some elements because they had offered a political solution and, therefore, it was the duty of the ex-servicemen to convince the government and the country at large of the necessity for a political solution.The UNP also requested the ex-servicemen to issue a statement clarifying their position with regard to the resolution of the national question. The opposition delegation also told them that the UNP was willing to discuss the power devolution proposals to be put forward by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) if they were acceptable to all segments concerned.Mr. Wickremesinghe also briefed the ex-service commanders on the current status of the problem in the international context.After the meeting, the UNP delegation also met some representatives of the European Union.According to party sources, the EU members had noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved. The delegation comprised Mr. Wickremesinghe, party chairman Rukman Senanayake and MPs Ravi Karunanayake, Lakshman Seneviratne, Lakshman Kiriella and Sagala Ratnayake. Ranil should resign - Mano Wijerathna "We as a group are happy today that we were able to offer crucial support to the government to get through the 2008 budget" said UNP democratic group member minister Mano Wijerathna yesterday (19) at a press conference in Colombo.Briefing the press he also said so,As you all would have observed that the battle line for the budget was clearly drawn between the patriotic forces on one hand and the reactionary force and the LTTE proxies on the other. Now having humiliating defeat Ranil is working on postmortem to pacify the UNPErs. His speech at the convention was a pathetic confession of a most unfortunate leader.At Every convention he has gone before as defeated leader. A leader who has brought humiliation to the party.With his behavior what he has done is to bring down the UNP to LTTE proxy. He has done the greatest damage to the party.The UNP should now think of seriously for the Alternative leader. We are ready to talk with them if they are ready.Ranils latest call for good governance and strengthening parliament is another Hoax. It is nothing but deviationary tactics to over come the rising tide against his leadership in the party.All his previous moves to topple the government has now come to a grinding halt.He received a severe blow at the budget debate with passage of the budget. 'Janarala - Rataevari Perata Warev' all have lost steem.He had a great hope that with Mangala Sripathi combination that he will be able to get the required numbers to topple the government. But it has now become dream and both Mangala and Sripathi have become a liability as most of the UNP are against their behavior.What has Mangala brought to the UNP? Unfortunately poor Bandaranaike played in to their hands.Ranil needs something to survive in his two positions which he enjoys very much.He has come up with this new slogan to strengthen parliament and good governance. He feels that in the present political climate that he will prolong his survival on this issue. He is master in game.He says that according to the constitution that the parliament is supreme and the president should be held responsible to the parliament. He also wants the cabinet of ministers to collectively be responsible to the parliament. The parliament should have the full control of the finances.His final point is the most important request in the context of is provisions under the public security ordinance should be subjected to parliamentary control a provision, which he himself flouted openly and blatantly during his time.We can remember how he signed the ceasefire agreement with LTTE. Nobody new till it came into effect. Neither the parliament no did the cabinet knew about it. The president of the country was in the darkness. Not even the parliamentary group of the UNP new anything about it. This agreement had far reaching implications on the security of the country. The consequence of which we are today paying a big price.So is this the person now advocating the supremacy of the a parliament.We must say that we as a group in the UNP fought for these things and for restoring internal democracy of the country.That is why at that we proposed UNP joining the government on a basis of a national government so that we could implement those things. Our strategy was to strengthen the government and push forward reforms. But he backtrack on that.His slogan of media freedom is a yet another smoke screen. We very well know how he handle the media with handful of people with in his office. It was known as 'Ralahamige Madya ekakaya' He had his people to subtly intimidate journalists and editors to his views into the columns. His overlooked his media minister As result we lost very honest politician for politics. Mr. Bakeer Maker.The person who is advocating good governance in his county has not brought good governance with in two UNP Government is setting stage for my elimination says Mano Ganesan MP Mano Ganesan, founder of Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) and a Rights award winner from the U.S. Government, in a press release issued Wednesday said that Sri Lanka Government has withdrawn eight of the ten Security personnel, and that he fears Sri Lanka Government is creating a climate for getting him assassinated. Pointing out that the official organ of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), has described him “as an arms supplier to the LTTE, drug trafficker and collaborator with the under world criminals,” Ganesan said, Colombo is orchestrating attacks against him from communal elements. Full text of the media release follows: Government is setting stage for my elimination by first publishing lies and then withdrawing security-CMC convener Mano Ganesan MP Government has withdrawn since 8 PM of 18th December the additional security provided to me aftermath of the killing of my co-founder of Civil Monitoring Commission Nadaraja Raviraj almost a year ago in Colombo’s high security zone. Government’s latest move is amidst my request for enhancement of my security due to the increased threats to my life. Eight out of the team of ten MSD security personnel have been called back with their weapons and security back-up vehicle. This is contrary to the view of MSD intelligence division which has repeatedly told me on increased level of threats to my life. I believe by this vindictive act government is setting the stage and paving way for my physical elimination says Western Peoples Front leader and Civil Monitoring Commission convener Mano Ganesan MP. Ganesan said further to the media, Government’s anger over me has increased manifolds since I was nominated to the Freedom Defender runner-up award the by US secretary of state Condeliza Rice on behalf of her government. This award is an acknowledgment to our human rights campaign and confirmation to the existing deplorable human rights condition in this country. Ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s official organ “Dinakara” in a front page story in its latest edition published on December 16th, 2007 has come very hard on me. It has described me as an arms supplier to the LTTE, drug trafficker and collaborator with the under world criminals. I have today written to the IGP to initiate immediate investigations on the criminal accusations attributed by the official organ of SLFP. The police can take action against me if the SLFP provides evidences, if any. I have also handed over this subject to my lawyers for initiating legal action. The very serious criminal nature of the accusation evidently indicates the fury of the political leadership of the government. This fabricated utter falsehood story is made deliberately with malicious intent to destroy my reputation as well of the government of United States of America . The hint in the story published by SLFP official paper is obvious. It is faulting United States of America for choosing me for the award, thereby gives an impression that US government supports all the criminality pinned on me. I cannot speak for USA . It is for the US government to make its responses. Government’s game plan is very clear. First, it publishes utter falsehood on 16th December, 2007 in its official party paper. This fabricated story orchestrates direct threat to my life as my personal security is being endangered by ‘LTTE arms supplier label’ attributed to me. It could bring hatred from unsuspecting innocent people and could be used by communal elements against me. Next, two days later on December 18th, 2007 it withdraws my security and puts me into a vulnerable situation. This is against the known fact that I have been living under severe threats to my life due to my human rights campaign as the convener of Civil Monitoring Commission involved in monitoring involuntary Disappearances, Abductions, Extra Judicial Killings, Extortions and Arbitrary arrests and detentions in Sri Lanka. Statement Released by Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne “This brutal terror against a defender of human rights and a member of Parliament, by the state which supposed to protect people should bring horror to all democratic people. We condemn this intimidation and demand that the state take all responsibility of protecting Mano Ganesan.” - Dr Vickramabhu Foreign Minister in China Sinhalese, Tamils divided on peace process A public opinion survey by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a Colombo-based think-tank, has brought to the fore the deep divisions among the majority and minority communities of Sri Lanka on the ongoing undeclared war in the island nation.The 27th in the series of such surveys conducted since 2001 shows that 48.5 per cent of the Sinhala community feel that the war can be ended and peace restored in the country only by the government defeating the LTTE. However, in the other three communities (Tamils - 62.3 per cent, Upcountry Tamils - 96.7 per cent, Muslims - 85.2 per cent) the option chosen was to stop the war and conduct peace negotiations.However, when asked if they feel that a political settlement is essential to end the conflict, majorities in all four groups (Sinhalese - 35.6 per cent, Tamils - 67.1 per cent, Upcountry Tamils - 40.3 per cent, Muslims - 71.0 per cent) state that a political settlement is essential. The objective of the survey was to gauge the level of public confidence in the peace process and capture the public mood on the politics in the nation. It covered the Sinhala, Muslim and the Upcountry Tamil communities in the areas outside North and East. A “booster” sample from the Tamil community in the East is also included in the survey, using a non-random sampling technique.As per the survey, 42.6 per cent of Sinhalese feel that the country is somewhat close to a settlement to the ethnic conflict. The same question, when posed to the other three communities, elicited a different response. Separately, the Human Rights Watch in a statement released here on Monday, said that the “recent downgrading” of Sri Lanka’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by an international committee highlights the need for independent international monitoring of the human rights situation in the country. The statement said that recently the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights reduced Sri Lanka’s NHRC to the status of an “observer” because of government encroachment on its independence. 19 December 2007 Lanka faces international curbs for poor rights record Sri Lanka may be heading towards serious difficulties, with the US Congress proposing stringent conditions for arms aid to it, and a key international human rights body downgrading its national rights organization after citing major lapses. According to reports from Washington, the US Congress has stipulated that the Secretary of State will have to certify that the Sri Lankan government has taken certain specified steps towards ensuring human rights in the war-torn country before military aid is given. Earlier, the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights - the world body that regulates national human rights institutions - reduced Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the status of 'observer' because the government had encroached on its independence and the commission had neglected its duties. If the US Congress passes the $500 billion plus defence allocation bill this week, and President George W. Bush signs it, Sri Lanka will not get any appreciable military aid from America unless the Secretary of State certifies that it has prosecuted military personnel alleged to have helped recruit child soldiers and committed extra-judicial executions; and provided humanitarian groups and reporters access to the Tamil areas of the country. The US also wants to know if Sri Lanka had agreed to allow the UN to establish a human rights monitoring office in the country.Observers say that Sri Lanka will find it hard to meet these conditions. It has consistently denied the involvement of its armed forces in child recruitment and extra judicial killings. Even now, humanitarian groups find it difficult to function in the war-affected Tamil areas because they are constantly accused of clandestinely aiding the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Even a visit by Unicef's country head, Phillipe Duamelle, to the LTTE's headquarters in Kilinochchi recently, to talk about the release of child soldiers, came under flak from the government because he had not taken prior permission from the foreign ministry. The Sri Lankan government has time and again categorically rejected calls for the setting up of a UN rights monitoring office in the country, saying that it will mean an erosion of the country's sovereignty and the devaluation of its own institutions. As for the official National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), its claims to independence 'ring hollow' said Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a press release Monday. According to HRW, the international committee downgraded the NHRC because the appointment of its commissioners by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in May 2006 was not according to Sri Lankan law. The NHRC had, without any good reason, stopped follow up action in as many as 2000 cases of disappearance in July 2006. It had refused to adequately investigate 'hundreds' of new cases of disappearance in the past two years.In a note dated June 29, 2006, the secretary of the NHRC had said that it had decided to stop inquiring into these complaints 'for the time being, unless special directions are received from the government'. In June 2007, the NHRC issued a circular saying that only cases which had been filed within three months of the incident in question should be taken up, when, in fact, there was no such legal stipulation, the HRW pointed out. 'The commission's lack of independence has reduced it to a mute witness of rising rights abuses in Sri Lanka. To address the intensifying abuses by all sides in Sri Lanka's war, the government should welcome a United Nations human rights monitoring mission,' the HRW said. LSSP: 72 years of principled politics The Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) can look back with pride on 72 years of principled politics in the interest of Sri Lanka and its people. It started the fight for independence through the Suriyamal Movement and its leaders were jailed by the British. Complete independence was achieved through the Republican Constitution drafted by one of our leaders Dr. Colvin R de Silva. The LSSP also led the fight for welfare measures, such as free education and for the trade union and political rights that our people enjoy today. The fight to eliminate poverty and injustice continues. While recognising that these objectives can be fully realised only in a socialist society throughout the world, in the interim the LSSP continues the fight to minimise poverty and injustice and to defend human and democratic rights. Sri Lanka is a capitalist society within the framework of global capitalism dominated by Imperialism, led by the USA. The economy of the world is controlled by the multinationals, most of which have their roots in the USA and other developed capitalists countries like Britain and Japan. The growing crisis of capitalism has led to the US Empire seeking to increase the exploitation of Third World countries like Sri Lanka on the basis of "neoliberal ideology". The World Bank, IMF and WTO are conniving in this, together with the local agents of the US Empire, the UNP led by Ranil Wickremasinghe in the case of Sri Lanka, along with local comprodore forces. The latter include major sections of the capitalists class, bureaucrats and other elitist elements. The privately controlled media are also playing a major disrupting role. The strategy of the neoliberal forces is to install a Government that would further their interests by any means, through the democratic process or outside it, to implement the "Re-awakening of Sri Lanka" policy of the 2001 - 2004 UNP government. Such a Government would weaken the role of the State and strengthen that of the private sector, foreign more than local, and let the market forces that the multinationals control to take charge of the economy. Profit making rather than the benefit of the people will be the basis for decisions. Our economy, even natural resources like water, will be sold to foreign multinationals and we will be more dependent on imports. The rising cost of living and unemployment, together with the loss of land, will increase poverty and widen the gap between the rich and the poor. The conspiracy to defeat the present government, making use of the rising oil and food prices, and restore the UNP to power to carry out these policies must be defeated. The 2008 budget has clearly discarded the neoliberal policies and continued the progressive nationalist economic objectives of the Mahinda Chinthanaya. Development to reduce poverty and regional disparities are combined with increased welfare measures, and active intervention by the state to reduce the cost of living. The LSSP must join with the other parties in the Socialist Peoples Front (SPF) to ensure that these policies are properly implemented. For example the revived cooperatives should be controlled by the consumers, and not just by the managers. There must be a drive to reduce corruption and waste at all levels. Besides the introduction of new technology, such as computers, to improve the efficiency of the public service, the proposals of the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) to frame a new Constitution that gives power, funds and administrative support to the village and institutions of local government must be supported and implemented. The people's participation through Jana Sabahas in the village and Advisory Committees in the work places has to be increased. Science and Technology which are essential for economic development have to be promoted, in particular Nanotechnology and the Vidatha programme. The LTTE which has been weakened by the counter attacks of the military is turning increasingly to terrorism and this in turn can disrupt civil life and the economy. The Tamil people should not be alienated and driven into the hands of the LTTE. The APRC proposals should address the grievances and meet the aspirations of the Tamil speaking people, as well as the Sinhalese. If this is supported by the UNP and the SLFP then the Tamil people will have the confidence that it will be implemented, whichever Government is in power. If then the LTTE persists with its separatist agenda, without coming seriously to peace talks causing more and more suffering, the Tamil people will move away from the LTTE, and it will be isolated, and it is then that it can be successfully defeated militarily. The LSSP and the SPF have to play a leading role in ensuring that the APRC proposals are accepted by the people and properly implemented. The responsibility for solving the national question in this way and ensuring a lasting peace once again falls on the LSSP, which suffered so much in its efforts to prevent the conflict in the past. The LSSP has to strengthen its Trade Unions, Youth, Students and Women's organizations and draw in the masses on the basis of its correct political programme to meet and overcome the tremendous challenges that lie ahead in the coming year. I am convinced that with its proud history the LSSP will grow and indeed succeed. The writer is the leader of the LSSP and Minister of Science & Technology Sri Lanka 'dangerous' for media Special Projects Minister fears his woman servant linked to terrorism Karunanidhi is directly supporting the LTTE: Jaya Accusing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of directly supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asked the Centre to take stern action against him for having 'facilitated the release' of an LTTE supporter, arrested on the charge of supplying boats to the banned outfit, on bail.In a statement issued to coincide with Karunanidhi's visit to New Delhi to take part in the Chief Ministers' Conference on Internal Security on December 20, she said following a tip-off from central agencies, one Vanniyarasu, belonging to ruling DMK's ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal, was arrested by police.Within few hours the news appeared in the dailies, VC president Thol Tirumavalavan called on Karunanidhi. On the same day, Vanniyarasu was released on bail, she said."Though, it may appear that they are two different incidents, those who are well-informed can realise the truth. By releasing Vanniyarasu on bail, Karunanidhi is directly supporting the LTTE," she charged.Jayalalithaa further said, "It is my duty to remind the central and state governments, particularly the prime minister and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi [Images], that the LTTE was banned for assassinating former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on the Tamil soil.""Even eight years after the Supreme Court confirmed the death penalty for the assassins of Rajiv, the relevant files are still sleeping in the name of mercy petitions. Why has the Congress-controlled Home Ministry not brought this to light? Why is this silence? Is Sonia Gandhi not keen on implementing the death sentence of those who gruesomely killed Rajiv? Isn't the Centre aware that the open support to the banned LTTE by some political leaders, including the chief minister who had taken oath under the Constitution, is against the Indian sovereignty," she asked. Withdraw Indian defence delegation to SL: Thirumavalavan, Vaiko The Indian Government should revive the stalled peace talks in the island instead of extending defence cooperation to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL), said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) during a press meet in Chennai, Monday that was reported in sections of the Indian media. Meanwhile, Vaiko, leader of the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) wrote a letter to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday urging him "to stop forthwith any form of military assistance or guidance to Sri Lanka."Urging the centre to respect the sentiments of 6.5 crore Tamils, Thirumavalavan demanded the immediate withdrawal of the middle level delegation from India to discuss defence cooperation with Colombo. He called upon Centre to pressurize the GoSL from carrying any further air raids on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and emphasized that this gesture would be reciprocated by the Tigers who were equipped with an air wing of their own.Thirumavalavan urged union ministers and parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu to meet the Indian President, Prime Minister and Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi to effect the withdrawal of the Indian delegation to Colombo.The VCK leader said that the GoSL was trying its level-best to weaken the struggle for independent Eelam by spreading baseless rumours that LTTE leader Velupillai Pirapakaran has been injured in an air attack. He said he was unable to comprehend why the Indian Government continued to support the GoSL that kept killing Indian fishermen and bombarding Tamil civilians in the northern parts of Sri Lanka.Vaiko, in his letter to the Indian prime minister, strongly condemned the decision to send military experts to advice and assist Colombo's "diabolical genocidal military attacks against the Tamils". He alleged that "some of the top-level officials of the Indian Government have been all along working hand-in-glove with the GoSL" by carrying out disinformation campaign and giving menacing guidance to the Indian Government.The MDMK general secretary pointed out that though the Indian Government had not inked the defence cooperation pact with Colombo in 2004, it was "clandestinely" providing all military assistance to GoSL in the ongoing confrontation that has so far claimed the lives of thousands of Tamils.He warned that if the "Indian Government continued to arms supply and logistics support it will sow seeds of rancour, anger and despair in the minds of the Tamil people in the long run, which may not be visible at present."Vaiko reminded Manmohan Singh that India had grievously failed in its duty to condemn the GoSL for brutally killing 61 Tamil schoolgirls at the Senchcholai orphanage on August 14, 2006 and the killing of 17 Tamil employees of Action Against Hunger in Muttur on August 8, 2006. He also termed as "unforgivable," India's act of permission refusal to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to transport food and medicine collected in Tamilnadu to the affected Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Tiger rebels claim smashing Sri Lanka army outpost Govt. prepares for referendum for extension of term Security of Mano Ganeshan withdrawn The Government has withdrawn the 10 security personnel and the security back up vehicle provided to MP Mano Ganeshan of Western People's Front since 8.30 PM yesterday (18).Mano Ganeshan left Sri Lanka after the killing of MP Nadaraja Raviraj near a camp of security forces and he was provided with special security after his return based on intelligence reports. The security of MPs Anura Bandaranaike and Rauf Hakeem was also withdrawn similarly after they crossed over to the opposition. MP Mano Ganeshan was awarded 'Human Rights Defender' honor by US State Department in recognition of his service rendered as the Convener of Civil Monitoring Committee. Bomb attack on a train US Envoy says genuine devolution of power will greater say to all communities Robert Blake Jr, the US ambassador to Sri Lanka stated in Colombo that genuine devolution from the national level to the province,district and local levels would provide all of Sri Lanka’s communities with a greater say . He also emphasised the importance of the on going APRC process.Ambassador Blake made these remarks at a book launch ceremony of Sri Lanka Economic Association’ held on Dec 18th . The text of the US envooy’s address is reproduced below Professor Indraratna, Members of SLEA, Authors, Ladies and Gentleman It is an honor for me to join you today for your annual book launch, and to congratulate both the authors and the Association for their work in bringing greater focus to these important subjects. I am certain that both of these books are well worth a detailed read, and that they maintain the high standards that we have come to expect from SLEA publications. I’m also particularly happy to see them issued in hard copy. Despite living in a digital age, publishing books in printed form is, and will continue to be, an important way to share facts, opinions, and ideas. By that I mean that there are still a few vital topics that cannot be handled by text message or Blackberry!Speaking of Blackberries, I was perusing the internet last night for something erudite to say about economists. The best I saw was a remark that economics is the only profession where two people can win Nobel prizes for saying exactly the opposite things. I think that gives me sufficient cover to proceed with my speech. Since I am no economist and any attempt to comment on price theory would quickly expose my deep ignorance, I’d like to focus my remarks on the book Inequity, Poverty, and Development, which grew out of SLEA’s August 2007 conference of the same name at the BMICH. I know that the editors, Professor Indraratna and Dilani Hirimuthugodage, the SLEA staff, and all the contributors worked very hard to produce this book as both a record of that event and as a continuation of the discussion that occurred at the conference. This is a timely book containing many fine essays. The book provides a detailed look at how inequity and poverty affect development, and how the links between the three are clear and obvious. As Governor Cabraal highlights in his chapter, the distribution of global gains is extraordinarily unequal. Although there has been some improvement throughout the past century in the conditions in which mankind lives, inequalities continue. These inequalities affect people living in the developing world far more seriously than they affect residents of developed countries. They exist at a macro-economic level, but are felt and best understood on a micro scale. For example, it is unfortunately the poorest of the poor within Sri Lankan society who continue to suffer the most from poverty, inequity, and inequality. Development will continue to be hindered until greater efforts are made to combat these issues. In Sri Lanka, perhaps more so than in some other countries within Asia, the links between poverty, inequity, and development-whether stemming from the consequences of history or the ethnic conflict-are readily apparent. For example, residents of the Western Province have experienced a decline in poverty and a dramatic increase in growth and development-at a rate double that of other provinces-within the past 10 years. That progress was not matched in other regions, where development was comparatively low and poverty remained high.In her essay, World Bank Country Director Naoko Ishii highlights the phenomenon of “inequality traps.” This phenomenon, if I may quote from Ms. Ishii’s paper, occurs when “an unequal distribution of wealth and power in a society..leads to the creation of institutions that systematically favor the interest of those with more influence,” thereby perpetuating inequalities. She goes on to highlight three ways in which Sri Lanka can combat inequality traps: by investing in human capacities, expanding access to infrastructure, and by focusing on institutions that support a higher growth trajectory. Her comments, combined with the detailed research of Swarna Jayaweera & Chandra Gunawardena, Raja Korale, and others in this book not only help explain the relationships between inequity, poverty, and development, but also give a partial roadmap for improving the current situation. I’d also like to note a related hindrance to development which several of the contributors touched upon: corruption. The cost of corruption is difficult to quantify, but there is little doubt that it has dramatically negative economic as well as political consequences. Corruption damages economic development and reform, impedes the ability of countries to attract foreign investment, hinders the growth of democratic institutions, undermines rule of law, concentrates power in the hands of a few, and erodes public confidence in its leaders. Many polls have shown that the Sri Lankan public feels that corruption is one of the highest priorities the Government should address. Of course, corruption is not a uniquely Sri Lankan or American phenomenon. It is a worldwide phenomenon that affects all of us. The United States experiences its share of corruption, just like others do. But my country also has strong, independent institutions that work to improve legal, administrative, and societal mechanisms needed to prevent and prosecute corruption. I invite all of you to look at the website of the famous FBI. It does not just focus on terrorism, drug smuggling, and violent crime, as you might expect. It also lists anti-corruption as a major priority, and cites many investigations and busts that prove the FBI is serious about this mission. Sri Lanka has taken several important steps in the struggle against corruption. Your country enacted a bribery and corruption law. You have established a Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. You have also enacted an Assets and Liabilities Declaration Law, put in place a law to control money laundering, and signed the U.N. Convention Against Corruption. Following the example of India and others, Sri Lanka also would benefit from the passage of a Right to Information Law to give its citizens the right to know how their taxes are being spent by government agencies. Properly implemented, and with the true will of the government and parliament, these initiatives can make a difference in the rate of corruption, and ultimately in the development of Sri Lanka and the alleviation of poverty. The last month in Sri Lanka has seen a period of political drama. With the budget now passed, the government has an important opportunity to focus its attention on addressing poverty and inequity. One of the best ways it can do so would be to complete the APRC process and thereby lay the basis for a negotiated solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict. The All Parties process offers a significant chance not only to effect meaningful power-sharing with the regions as an essential component of constitutional reform, but also to build peace through development and by reducing regional poverty inequities. Genuine devolution of power from the national level to the provinces, districts, and localities will give all of Sri Lanka’s communities a greater say in how resources they are allocated should be spent and the issues they want their elected representatives to give greater focus to. One region that must be an early priority is the East. Sri Lanka has a significant opportunity to stabilize and develop the East in a manner that would demonstrate to all Sri Lankans, but particularly Tamils and Muslims, that they have a bright future within a united Sri Lanka and that the Government is serious about ensuring their rights and providing opportunities equitably within a pluralistic state. In short, a successful transition in the East can be an important confidence builder and a building block for a future negotiation process. Conversely, the government faces significant risks if it fails to seize its opportunity in the East. Specifically, a failure to effect an orderly transition from military to civilian control, a failure to consult elected representatives of the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese communities on the development and other programs now being devised for the East, and a failure to rein in paramilitaries are all likely to destabilize the East and harden minority attitudes and even spark violence. The government wisely has pledged to promote development in the East as one of its priorities in the budget that just passed. The United States is already elping in this respect, and is ready to do more. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will implement two major new projects over the next five years: the Sri Lanka Conflict Response Program and the Connecting Regional Economies program.The Sri Lanka Conflict Response Program will implement governance and communication programs that support a resumption of the peace process to resolve Sri Lanka’s long standing conflict. The Connecting Regional Economies program will address the disparity in economic development between the North and East and the rest of Sri Lanka. This disparity is a major driver of Sri Lanka’s ongoing ethnic conflict. The program also offers a major opportunity for us to engage the private sector as a partner in our efforts through establishing public private partnerships.In conclusion, there is no doubt that a peaceful solution to the conflict will enhance and encourage development for all Sri Lankans-be they Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslims, or others-living in this wonderful country. This book positively focuses attention on the current roadblocks to greater equitable development. I personally look forward to reading it in-depth, and recommend it to policy makers here in Sri Lanka.I congratulate you once again on this momentous occasion, and I wish you all a healthy, prosperous, and safe 2008. 18 December 2007 S.Lanka president may ban rebels if attacks go on Red Cross worker in Jaffna hacked to death Fears for missing Sri Lankan woman Beds Police are concerned for the safety of a 21-year-old woman who went missing on Wednesday.Mithula Nallaratnam, who is from Sri Lanka, was last seen in Easingwold Gardens at 1pm on December 12, where she was staying with family. The young woman has only been in the UK for two weeks and has no friends in the area. Mithula does not speak English and has no money with her. Beds Police are urging anyone with information about Mithula's whereabouts to come forward and speak to them urgently. She is described as 5ft tall, wearing blue jeans and a jacket. PC Mick Collard, in charge of the investigation, said: "We need to trace Mithula quickly - it was very cold last night and Mithula does not have any money to pay for shelter and will be unable to communicate with people if she is lost." If you have seen Mithula or know where she is, contact PC Collard at Luton police station on 01582 401212. Hakeem gets I scream, you scream treatment Moral support to Tigers not a crime –Thirumavalavan Extending moral support to the Liberation Tigers, on seeing the Tamils' sufferings in Sri Lanka was not a crime in any way, said Thol. Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of the Tamilnadu-based Viduthalai Chiruthhaika'l Kadchi (VCK, the Liberation Panthers party) according to news reports published in The New Indian Express, Monday. He added that providing moral support to the Tamil Tigers was not an offence even in countries like the UK, the US and Canada, where the organization is banned. "Tamils in these countries are conducting rallies, unveiling Pirapaharan's portrait and also running a radio service in their favour," he said.He also pointed out that there was nothing wrong in supporting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as the Government of India has not extended the ban on the LTTE this year. India imposed a ban on the LTTE in 1991, following Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by a Tamil woman suicide-bomber and the ban was being extended once in two years since then. The VCK leader alleged that the Central Intelligence authorities were creating a wrong impression that the LTTE cadres are moving through Tamil Nadu in a bid to justify the further extension of the ban.He also criticized Congress leader E.V.K.S. Elangovan's appeal to the Tamil Nadu government to arrest LTTE supporters in the state. Elangovan, is incidentally the grand-nephew of 'Periyar' E.V.Ramasamy Naicker, the father-figure of the Dravidian movement who had even demanded a separate homeland for the Tamils in India.Mr. Thirumavalavan reiterated that his party did not have any direct or indirect connection with the LTTE but had been only extending moral support to the organisation. Tamil leaders ask India to help end Sri Lanka conflict Leaders of three Sri Lankan Tamil political parties who are to visit India from Wednesday are urging New Delhi to 'do something' to help bring about a solution to their country's unending ethnic conflict. D. Sitharthan, T. Sritharan and V. Anandasangaree plan to spend about a week here meeting government officials, ministers, MPs, political leaders and other opinion makers to give their perspective of the situation in the island nation.'India must do something to bring about a solution (to the conflict),' Sitharthan of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOT) told IANS over the telephone from Colombo. 'This is our mission.'He added: 'We want people to be made aware of what is happening in Sri Lanka so that it can be taken out of the present mess.'Sritharan represents the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) and Anandasangaree heads the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). It will be the trio's second visit to New Delhi after September 2006.All three parties - PLOT, EPRLF and TULF - are opposed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) but strongly favour a political settlement to the Tamil demands for greater autonomy within Sri Lanka.A former MP, Sitharthan said he realised that the LTTE would never accept 'any solution within a united Sri Lanka.'But the government cannot be relying only on a military approach to end the conflict. What about the Tamil people? The government has to draw a line between the LTTE and the Tamil problem.'According to Sitharthan, the situation in Sri Lanka - where thousands have died in escalating violence since the end of 2005 - was 'really bad' and the government was under pressure from Sinhalese nationalists to wage war.'We know there can be no easy solution but the government appears to increasingly think that they can capture Wanni,' he said, referring to the vast area in northern Sri Lanka the LTTE controls. 'People in the government feel the LTTE can be weakened considerably by the military even if Wanni cannot be captured.'Our reading is that no other country can play a role at this juncture except India. We want to convey this message to people we meet. India has to do something.'Sitharthan, who knew LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran intimately in their younger days, added that there was a lot of resentment among the people in Tamil Tiger territory against the seemingly unending suffering caused by the fighting. This, he said, included opposition to recruitment of children by the LTTE.'We keep talking to (Tamils) who come from Wanni and we know what is going on,' he added.Sri Lanka's war has taken a messy turn this year, with the military finally taking control of the entire eastern province after driving away the LTTE from the areas it controlled for years. The military is now trying to take on the Tigers in the north.The planned visit by Sitharthan, Sritharan and Anandasangaree comes amid reports that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may attend celebrations to mark Sri Lanka's 60th anniversary of independence in February next year.If that happens, he will be the first Indian prime minister to make a bilateral visit to Colombo after Rajiv Gandhi in July 1987. India favours a political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community within a united Sri Lanka. The LTTE says New Delhi must depart from this stand. India readies to counter LTTE threats Against the backdrop of enhanced threat perception emanating to India's security from its vast southern coastline and sea borne intrusions, the Indian Armed Forces are planning a series of joint exercises next year in the southern peninsula. "This is for the first time that the country's military planners are focusing on threats to the country from the southern peninsula," defence sources told the Times of India.Frontline fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force, along with warships from the Navy and coastguard, and Army formations dedicated to sea borne assaults would be engaged in these exercises designed to ensure safety of vital sea lanes. The war games have also been planned to deal with threats of intrusions from air and sea lanes by terrorist groups and to deal with sea hijackings, the sources said. Though the Armed Forces had earlier repeatedly sought to play down possible threats from the LTTE for their acquisition of air assets, the series of joint military exercises are planned to cope with such attacks, the sources said. The holding of such exercises comes close on the heels of Indian Air Force along with Coast Guard and Navy having undertaken the first combat war games to test preparations to meet with possible such threats. Early last week the Indian Armed Forces carried out a military exercise in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The exercise which has been codenamed Operation Dakshin Prahar was aimed at protecting oil tankers, nuclear installations and ports against air raids particularly from "non-state actors" - a reference to groups such as the LTTE or Al Qaeda. India keeping an eye on LTTE activities: NSA National Security Advisor M K Narayanan on Monday said the Centre was 'careful' about the activities of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.Emerging from a 30 minute meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, he said, "We are always careful about LTTEs activities in Tamil Nadu or anywhere else in India."He said a strict round-the-clock vigil was being maintained all along the coastline.The National Security Advisor was responding to questions about reports of increased LTTE activities in the state.Asked whether they was any move for joint patrolling between the Indian and Sri Lankan navies in the Indian ocean, he said there was only coordinated patrolling, wherein both navies were patrolling in their respective areas.Narayanan said Tamil Nadu had dealt with the Naxal problem much better than other states. "I think Tamil Nadu has dealt with the Naxalite problem much better than most other states. We have the National Development Council meeting and the Chief Ministers' conference on Internal Security. The prime minister wanted me to come and brief the chief minister on some issues that will come up at the meeting as he is participating," he said. 17 December 2007 Sri Lanka's Economy Likely Cooled as War, Rates Curbed Spending Sri Lanka's economic growth probably slowed in the third quarter as the highest interest rates in Asia and renewed violence in the island's civil war curbed consumer spending. The South Asian economy expanded 6.2 percent from a year earlier, compared with 6.4 percent in the second quarter, according to the median estimate of 10 analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. The statistics department is due to release the data Dec. 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Colombo. Governor Nivard Cabraal has kept the benchmark interest rate at a five-year high of 10.5 percent for nine meetings to cool inflation at double the central bank's target. Cabraal expects growth in the $27 billion economy, constrained by the worst fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels since a 2002 truce, to slow to 6.7 percent this year from 7.4 percent in 2006. ``The slowing growth scenario will continue until the cost of living is arrested,'' said S. Jeyavarman, who helps manage about $25 million as chief executive officer of National Asset Management Ltd. in Colombo. ``There need to be drastic steps to rebuild confidence through the ongoing war situation.'' Fighting between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam intensified last year as two attempts at peace talks in Geneva failed. Sri Lanka said on Nov. 29 that two attacks that killed at least 18 people in the capital a day earlier may be the start of a bombing campaign by the LTTE in response to rebel military defeats. President Mahinda Rajapaksa vowed in his Nov. 7 budget speech to ``eradicate'' terrorism and lifted defense spending by 19 percent. Roads, Ports Investing in roads, power and ports and developing the eastern region captured from Tamil Tiger rebels in July will increase the island's growth to 8 percent, Rajapaksa said in his speech. Sri Lanka is seeking $1.8 billion in aid and investment in the next five years to rebuild the eastern province. Monetary policy will be kept ``tight'' to deal with record oil prices and to help drag inflation down below 10 percent next year, Cabraal said in November. Consumer prices in the capital Colombo rose 19.6 percent last month from a year earlier, matching gains in October. Sri Lanka's interest rates and inflation pose risks to the island's financial stability, the central bank said Dec. 5. ``Two key factors that will likely prevent the central bank from aggressive tightening include worries about derailing growth and higher debt-servicing costs,'' Citigroup said in a Nov. 26 report. ``Double-digit inflation remains a major concern.'' Interest Rates The central bank needs to raise interest rates to contain price gains, the International Monetary Fund said last month. The Washington-based IMF expects an economic expansion of 6 percent in 2007 and 2008. Growth unexpectedly accelerated in the three months ended June 30 as increased overseas shipments and farm output made up for slowing domestic demand. Sri Lanka's exports rose 19.2 percent in September as sales of textiles and clothing to the U.S. and Europe climbed, narrowing the island's trade deficit.``Agriculture and exports have continued to be drivers,'' said Danushka Samarasinghe, research manager at Asia Securities Ltd. in Colombo. ``Investments have been stagnant due to interest costs.'' Unrest also discourages private investment and hinders the flow of goods to and from the north and east of the island, where the fighting is taking place. Sri Lanka may sell about $300 million of bonds in its second offering to overseas investors to help repay debt, Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera said on Nov. 30. Sri Lanka's overseas debt sales are aimed at easing local rates and reviving the nation's war-ravaged economy, Cabraal said in an interview last month. The following table shows economists estimates for growth in gross domestic product from a year earlier. SLN conducts war-exercise in northern seas More than 1500 Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Army (SLA) troopers participated in a war exercise along northern seas and land from Katkoava'lam to Manatkaadu Friday, Saturday mornings, and again on Sunday morning from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLA command has constructed new watch towers and sentry points along northern shores stretching from Tho'ndamanaaru to Manatkaadu.The new sentries facilitate SLA troopers to conduct long-range observations, according to informed sources Dissident Marxist MP Nandana says his life under threat Marxist party, JVP dissident MP Nandana Gunatilleke has made a Police complaint claiming that his life is under threat allegedly from some elements of the JVP.He has lodged the complaint with the Parliamentary Police, following an alleged attempt to assault him by JVP Kegalle district MP Anuruddha Polgampola last week in the Parliament.Parliamentarian Gunatilleka voted for the government during the last Friday Budget. 'Extremists' dragging JVP to jungle 'Extremists' in Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) still believe in the armed struggle to gain power, a former senior member of the party said.JVP's candidate in the 1999 presidential elections, Nandana Gunathilake, told BBC Sandeshaya that those elements do not tolerate dissident opinion within the party. "Recently, a member of this extremist group tried to assault me at the parliament but others prevented it," he said. Assault in parliament Kegalle district parliamentarian Anurudhdha Polgampola tried to assault Gunathilake at the parliamentary complex on Thursday, media reports said. Gunathilake has lodged a complaint with the police saying his life is threatened by certain members of the JVP.He said the threat was not the first incident since he was removed from the party hierarchy a few months ago."I think this is more than a threat about the future direction of the party than a personal threat to me," Gunathilake, who is currently very close to Mahinda Rajapaksa administration said. Budget vote The JVP that voted against the budget at the second reading on 19 November, abstained from voting at the third round on Friday.The JVP's tactical move resulted in preventing few others from the government crossing over to the opposition, the main opposition claimed. Nandana Gunathilake who abstained from voting in the earlier round voted with the government at the vote for the third reading."This small group, in which that MP is also a member, is trying to drag the party back to the jungle," Gunathilake told BBC Sinhala.com. The JVP that advocates a military solution against the Tamil Tigers twice took arms against the state in 1971 and late 80s.The uprisings were crushed by the state as the then government and the JVP are accused of killing tens of thousands of Sinhala youths. JVP armed struggle "There is still a group in the party that believes in the armed struggle to gain power. A few members in the Political Bureau and the Central Committee are also of the same view," Nandana Gunathilake said. The Sri Lankan state is accused of killing JVP's founding leader Rohana Wijeweera and other senior leaders.JVP's current leader Somawansa Amerasinghe who survived the crush down has admitted that the party has killed at least 6000 people during late 80s. Gunathilake and the JVP currently support military crush down against the LTTE.Army Commander, General Sarath Fonseka, has recently told that attacks on civilians in and around Yala were carried out by Sinhala groups sympathetic to LTTE. Sri Lanka's Bank Expands Operation In India, Britain Sri Lanka (AHN) - The Bank of Ceylon (BoC), a Sri Lankan commercial bank, is going to expand its operations in India and London aiming to attract more foreign investment particularly for the capital markets in the South Asian country. The BoC Chairman Gamini Wickremasinghe told The Sunday Times FT, a local newspaper, that they will introduce new products and financial instruments to South Indian customers through the bank's Chennai branch after fulfilling the adequacy requirement of Indian authorities.The BOC also plans to set up small branches and ATM centers under its financial operation expansion initiative in India. The BoC chairman said that these measures would help the bank to expand the scope in various financial segments in South India. He added the bank is negotiating with British Financial Service Authority to expand operations of the BoC's London branch. The branch now operates only as an exchange house for lending and trade financing activities. Sri Lankan expatriates in European countries will be encouraged to invest in the country's capital market, as Sri Lanka is a good place to make investments, the BoC chairman observed. All parties in Parliament agree to citizenship being granted to Sri Lanka refugees in Tamilnadu Lankan Tamil journalists receive training in Chennai Journalists from Sri Lanka, who recently completed a six-month training programme, received their diplomas and special awards from Union Minister for Textiles E.V.K.S. Elangovan and Sri Lanka Deputy High Commissioner P.M. Amza at a function in Chennai on Saturday. Denmark-based International Media Support (IMS) and Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) had selected 20 Tamil journalists for training at SRM University's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. They all work in Tamil media in Sri Lanka's 'mofussil' areas - the term used in Sri Lanka is outstation - and were only familiar with Tamil. Most of them had joined the media straight out of school with no training. Historian and dean of the journalism school S. Muthiah recalled that the syllabus they had drawn up for the fledgling school was not entirely suited for the needs of these journalists with two to 25 years of experience. Elangovan said that journalism was the moving force of contemporary events, and that it had the duty of safeguarding freedom. SRM University Chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu said journalism was one of the pillars of democracy. Amza said that it was incumbent on journalists to be impartial and report both sides of any story. Tamil is one of the official languages of Sri Lanka - it lives and flourishes there, he said. Former Central Vigilance Commissioner of India N. Vittal said journalism should reflect society faithfully, monitor trends, and mentor change to create history. The most poignant words were reserved for Sri Lankan journalist Prem, whose article from the lab journal Mr. Vittal quoted: "The course gave us the grammar of what experience had taught us. It laid the foundation for journalistic practice beyond war and contradictions." The SRM School for Journalism also plans to offer short-term courses for Tamil journalists who would like to hone their skills, vice-chancellor P. Sathyanarayanan said. The school is now offering a Bachelor's of Arts programme in journalism. The IMS is co-funded by the Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Governments to help improve professionalism in media across the world. The SLPI runs Sri Lanka's only school of journalism, a press complaints commission, and a media and advocacy unit. This programme was conceived to make a change from within the media, especially as this generation has grown up in the midst of conflict of which the media has also become a part, said Ranga Kalansooriya, Director-General of SLPI. Three TNA MPs’ relatives released The relatives of three TNA MPs who were abducted by an armed group, had been released on Saturday night, a day after the crucial budget which the government won by a majority of 47 votes. The TNA charged in Parliament last week there was a government hand involved in this abduction case. Abductors had demanded that these three MPs namely P. Ariyanethran, S. Jeyanandamurthi and Thangeswari Kathiraman, should refrain from voting during the budget. Party leader R. Sampanthan even held the government responsible if any harm was caused to the lives of the relatives of these members in the event of them exercising their franchise freely during the budget vote. During the second reading of the budget, the TNA had a similar problem because son-in-law of its MP for the Batticaloa district T. Kanagasabai was abducted, and released later after the vote in a similar fashion. Mr. Kanagasabi was absent from voting during second reading, and similarly three MPs who met with the same tragedy this time followed him suit in the final vote. However, the government, last week in Parliament, denied its involvement in the abduction case. Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle noted that the ruling coalition had a clear-cut majority required for winning the budget, and as a result there was no need to influence anyone to exercise his or her vote in favour of it. Commenting on the situation, TNA leader R.Sampanthan said that all the relatives had been severely warned not to make any statement to the media. Mr. Sampanthan, however, added that the abduction had taken place despite the security forces being stationed throughout Batticaloa and, therefore, it must have been done with the ‘tacit and explicit’ approval of the government. Young girls 'slept with UN troops for $1.15' IN THE latest sex scandal to tarnish the United Nations, at least 114 Sri Lankan troops have been expelled from the stabilisation mission in Haiti for sexual exploitation of women and girls. The expulsion follows allegations that: ■Girls as young as 13 were having sex with UN peacekeepers for as little as $A1.15. ■Five young Haitian women who followed soldiers back to Sri Lanka were forced into brothels or polygamous households. They have been sent home to warn others of the danger. ■The young mother of a peacekeeper's child had to send the toddler to live with relatives in the country after other children and parents taunted him. Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, has endured repeated occupation, each time suffering instances of statutory rape and economically coerced sexual relations.But this time the troops were sent to protect them. The UN had taken measures to stop such abuse after revelations three years ago that its troops in Congo were having sex with girls in exchange for staples such as eggs or token sums of money.When the abuses in the Haitian capital were brought to the mission's attention in August, a unit of the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services was deployed to investigate. Its report to the UN remains confidential but commanders repatriated 111 soldiers and three officers last month. Mission spokesman David Wimhurst said all violators of UN ethical policies were swiftly punished."The rules are very strict and very clear. There's a zero-tolerance policy," he said. "You can't have sex with anybody under 18 or with anybody in exchange for money, services, promises or food."The internal UN action has prompted Haiti's fledgling feminist organisations to demand reparations from Sri Lanka and an investigation by Haitian authorities of other suspected abuses Sri Lanka hit hard by lack of night fighting capability Sri Lanka's air force is now able to raid Tiger-held areas in the island's north and return to base safely, but even now it is unable to counter rebel air raids at night because it lacks the capability to do so. The Sri Lanka Air Force's (SLAF) ability to pound areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is in sharp contest with the past when the Tigers would down air force planes with air missiles. Efforts are on to equip SLAF aircraft with night fighting capability but these are yet to bear fruit because of the expenditure involved and the reluctance of countries to part with the appropriate technology, a military expert told IANS.The LTTE's nascent air wing has conducted two air raids against military and strategic targets in and around Colombo this year. Both raids took place at night.Ground-based scouts spotted the raiders well in time for SLAF aircraft to take off for interception. But no aircraft took off because they had no night fighting capability. The flying Tigers in their slow moving Czech-made single engine, propeller driven aircraft could get away over a distance of 500 km up and down without suffering any damage.India, which supplies only 'defensive' equipment to the Sri Lankan armed forces, would not be able to equip the SLAF fighter bombers and attack helicopters for night operations. The other option is Pakistan, which has a close relationship with SLAF. But Pakistan can do little because the Pakistan Air Force and SLAF do not operate the same kind of aircraft. The Pakistanis use American aircraft while the SLAF uses Russian/East European MiG jets and choppers as well as out of date Israeli Kifr fighter bombers. 'It will be like trying to fit a Mercedes' carburettor in a Nissan vehicle,' the defence expert said.However, both India and Pakistan are keen to help out Sri Lanka to improve its air defence. India recently conducted an exercise codenamed 'Dakshin Prahar' to defend military, strategic and economic targets in south India against air attacks by regular and rogue air forces like the LTTE's air wing. India may like Sri Lanka's cooperation in any system it may put together in the near future. It is in this context that the current visit of an Indian military delegation to Sri Lanka assumes significance.'Among the issues which will be discussed is air defense,' an Indian high commission spokesman said, while downplaying the visit as a 'routine one' meant to discuss administrative and other issues related to defense cooperation. The spokesman said the Indian radars given to Sri Lanka were working 'extremely well'. However, both India and Sri Lanka recognise that it is important for the SLAF to acquire night operational capability if air defence is to be meaningful and fool proof. 16 December 2007 Britain stands by what Chilcott said The British High Commission yesterday defended its envoy Dominick Chilcott’s controversial statement made earlier this week, as the envoy was set to take a new posting in Washington next month.“The High Commission is standing by the statement. It is not a personal comment,” spokesman John Culley told the Sunday Times. Delivering the Dudley Senanayake memorial speech on December 10, Mr. Chilcott made several comments and among them “I am not saying that the political aspiration for Eelam is illegitimate” created disagreement in Parliament. On Thursday in Parliament, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the government’s displeasure over the statement made by British High Commissioner would be conveyed to the British Foreign Office.However, there is no indication that this has been done. Mr. Chilcott will be taking up duties as the Deputy Ambassador at the British embassy in Washington early next month. Mr. Culley told the Sunday Times the decision to move Mr. Chilcott to Washington was taken six weeks before he delivered the Dudley Senanayake lecture in Colombo.“He has received a promotion,” Mr. Culley said.Mr. Chilcott assumed duties as High Commissioner in Colombo in April 2006 and has served in that post for the past 20-21 months. Colombo was his first posting as head of mission and also his first in South Asia. On Thursday, Foreign Ministry Secretary summoned Mr. Chilcott to the ministry where the government expressed deep concern over the comments he made during the lecture. Dr. Kohona said the statement was unacceptable to the Government of Sri Lanka, given the British government’s categorical rejection of the creation of a separate state in Sri Lanka. Additionally, at a time when the painstaking process of evolving a negotiated political settlement was underway, such sentiments would have a negative impact and send confusing signals, the government said in a statement. It also said Mr. Chilcott categorically confirmed that the British government did not support in any way the establishment of a separate State in Sri Lanka. Neither did he personally. The statement said the British High Commissioner by way of explanation stated that what he meant was that political aspirations could be expressed through legitimate methods, just as much as the aspiration for independence for Yorkshire. Top level Russian military delegation here A top level Russian military delegation arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday as the government plans to procure a major consignment of Russian weapons. The Russian delegation is led by Deputy Chief of the Russian Army , Gen. Vladimir Molpenskoy. They held talks with Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Army Commander, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka and Air Force Commander Air Marshal, Roshan Goonetileke.The Russian delegation is expected to visit the Jaffna peninsula and the strategically important Trincomalee harbour.The government earlier negotiated with Russia to procure Russian built MIG 29 Air Superior Fighters. However, the deal was scuttled after the government eyed for Ukraine mainly due to cheaper prices. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic has offered to provide anti aircraft missiles to the Sri Lanka Air Force to counter the threat posed by Air Tigers. The offer included the supply of state-of-the art AA missiles and training for local military personnel. Meanwhile, the SLAF is expected to take delivery of several Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, which will boost air reconnaissance capability, which was seriously reduced by the Tiger air raid of the Anuradhapura airbase.Four Israeli made Searcher MK II UAVs will join the SLAF. Several MI 35 Crocodile helicopters of the 9th Attack Helicopter Squadron will be upgraded with all weather day night attack capability. The SLAF is also planning to procure three more Mi 35 gunships Canadian visa embargo on Tamil MPs The Canadian High Commission in Colombo has issued a visa embargo on several Tamil parliamentarians, including Tamil National Alliance MPs and LTTE sympathisers. Highly placed sources told The Nation that the Canadian High Commission has made an informal announcement not to issue visas for TNA parliamentarians or any other persons identified as LTTE sympathisers.It is learnt that a senior academic from Jaffna who recently applied for a visa from the Canadian mission in Colombo was rejected on grounds that he was a LTTE sympathiser. Meanwhile, a TNA MP who had travelled to Canada a few months back is reported to have obtained his visa from the Canadian mission in Malaysia and had travelled to Canada.The parliamentarian had used his diplomatic passport and had told the mission in Malaysia that he had to travel to Canada on an urgent matter and had requested them to issue him a visa. The mission was not aware of the embargo issued in Colombo and had issued the visa from there. The Canadian High Commission in Colombo had been annoyed following this development, and has now blacklisted the TNA parliamentarian. It is also reported that the mission in Colombo has issued a circular to all its missions abroad instructing them not to issue visas to this MP in the future. Basil thanks JVP for saving Govt. The government on Friday thanked the JVP for abstaining from voting at the third reading of the budget in order to help pass the 2008 budget.Senior Presidential Advisor, Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse soon after the third reading vote concluded extended a special thank you to the JVP for abstaining from voting during the third reading vote that helped the government pass the budget with a majority of 47 votes.The JVP whichconsistently said there would be nochange in the party stance changed its decision at the last hourafter the crossover ofNational Heritage Minister Anura Bandaranaike fearing the Government would be defeated leading to a general election.The CWC Friday morning informed UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe the party will oppose the budget if any SLFP ministers cross over to the opposition.The CWC leadership also informed Bandaranaike they will follow him to the opposition friday afternoon.The Sunday Leader learns withBandaranaike's crossover and the impending crossover of the CWC the Government would have been reduced to 108 votes resulting in its defeat . Informed sources said that fear prompted theJVP to change their earlier decision to vote against the budget.Following the last minute change, it is learned, JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansha and Politburo member KD Lalkantha indicated their decision to abstain to Prsidential Advisor Basil Rajapakse who immediately communicated it to Minister Armugam Thondaman.It is after the JVPdecision was communicated to Thondaman at around 4.35 pm that the CWC decided to votewith the Government and informed of their change of heart to the Opposition.The UPF, CWC, the UNP dissidents, JHU, JHU dissident Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero and JVP dissident Nandana Gunathileka voted in favour of the budget along with the government while the UNP, SLFP (M) group, TNA and the Western People's Front voted against it.The 37 members of the JVP and Parliamentarian Wijedasa Rajapakshe abstained from voting.The budget was carried by a total of 114 votes.Rajapakse told The Sunday Leader that he was thankful to the members who voted for or abstained from voting for the budget as they have 'done their duty by the people.'Rajapakse said that the budget this time was also a decisive factor for the country's future as it was presented at a time the country was engaged in fighting terrorism. He said that apart from being a budget presentation, it was also a vote that helped encourage the armed forces engaged in fighting terrorism.Rajapakse also said that unlike in previous years, the third reading of the budget was filled with much uncertainty."Usually, after the second stage of the budget is passed, it flows to the third stage, but this time around it was different. After the second reading vote, there was a lot of uncertainty," he said.The uncertainty that surrounded the third reading vote was caused due to speculation on the final decision of the CWC and the JVP.JVP's parliamentary group leader speaking hours before the vote said that the JVP would make a decision that would benefit the people of the country and not the government or the main opposition UNP.He also said that there was no need for the JVP to change its stance on the budget as no one could consciously vote for the budget presented by the government.However, he said that there was also another side to consider. That was the fact that successive governments that governed the country since independence had worked for their own gain and not for the benefit of the people.He finally said that the JVP would make its decision known during the vote.Finally, when the vote was called, JVP Parliamentarian Ajith Kumara who was the first to cast the vote from the JVP was informed to abstain from voting.After much speculation, CWC decided to vote with the government . JVP, Basil in hush-hush pre-Budget meeting A closed door meeting in Parliament at 2 p.m. on Friday between the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Parliamentary hierarchy and Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa had led to the JVP announcement that they JVP would abstain from Friday’s crucial Budget vote, The Nation learns. During the closed door meeting, the JVP had reached an ‘understanding’ with Rajapaksa on several vital issues, which reportedly centered on the number of cabinet ministers, the All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) and on the British High Commissioner in Colombo, Dominic ChilcottHowever sources noted that with the government now winning the Budget, it did not necessarily mean that the government would concede to the JVP’s demands. SLMC suspends Baiz, Nijamudeen The SLMC High Command, which met under the leadership of Rauff Hakeem yesterday, decided to suspend two national list MPs of the SLMC, K. Baiz and S. Nijamudeen, with immediate effect. The MPs have been suspended from party membership and all positions held within the party for acting against party decisions to leave the government and to vote against the third reading of the Budget.Baiz had already lost the position of national organiser of the party following a report of intimidation from Puttalam. The party decision was communicated to the party by SLMC General Secretary Hassan Ali. Lankan HC dodges British summons Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Kshenuka Senewiratne, was summoned to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a meeting on Tuesday over issues relating to renegade Tiger guerrilla leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna entering Britain with official backing from the Government of Sri Lanka.She, however, did not turn up. FCO sources said she had not intimated to the FCO her inability to turn up on that day. Other sources here said her absence was due to her not receiving instructions from Colombo on the official position of the Government and the position she should take up. The only official account the Sri Lanka Government has given is from the Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila. The deputy minister said the government was unaware of matters relating to Karuna’s entry to Britain. He told Parliament the diplomatic passport issued to Karuna (No: D 1944260) was non-existent and the Controller of Immigration and Emigration was unaware. British Foreign Office sources told The Sunday Times they wanted to convey to High Commissioner Senewiratne their complete displeasure over official backing for Karuna to enter Britain. Whilst demanding an explanation over the move, the officials were also to tell her about the measures Britain proposed to take in this regard.Karuna entered Britain on September 18 on a diplomatic passport. His visa has been issued by the British High Commission following a third person note issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The note urged the British High Commission to issue a visa to Kokila Dushmantha Gunawardena of “Diloo Court,” Malabe. This was the fictitious name given to Karuna. The third person note gave his profession as Director, Wild Life Department. The purpose of travel was listed as attending a conference on climate change. The passport had been issued on August 18, 2007. The visa application sent together with the Foreign Ministry’s third person note had been made on August 18 this year. Despite posing off as Kokila Dushmantha Gunawardena, the diplomatic passport issued to Karuna carried his own photograph.British Police, Immigration and Intelligence authorities have interrogated Karuna who is under detention. Immigration sources said he had made a statement giving details of the events leading to his arrest and detention. He has named an official of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Paris, holding a sensitive position, who had travelled to receive him at Heathrow Airport. In Colombo, the subject of third person notes (TPN) from the Foreign Ministry to the British High Commission to facilitate the issue of visas has become a hot topic. Last week the High Commission received a series of these TPN from the Foreign Ministry on behalf of persons accompanying President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He left for Britain to take part in the passing-out ceremonies of his son Yoshitha from the Dartmouth Naval Academy. The applicants included friends of Yoshitha. After clarification with the Foreign Ministry, most of the visas were issued. In one instance, a third person note recommended the visa for a businessman. He was designated as an aide to first lady, Shiranthi Rajapaksa. This application was first rejected. However, British High Commission officials declined to say whether a visa was thereafter issued.Asked how many third person notes were received from the Foreign Ministry in Colombo, a High Commission spokesman said, “I can’t remember how many TPNs we have received from the Foreign Ministry in Colombo. We don’t maintain records. However, this year up-to-date we have sent more than 500 replies to third party notes. Most of these TPNs are seriously boring ones.”Asked whether the visit of President Rajapaksa and his entourage to Britain was an official one, the spokesman said it was a private affair.“The Sri Lanka Government made a request that the President’s visit to Britain for the passing out parade of his son to be considered an official one though it was a private visit. As he is the President as well as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces he was allowed to take part as the chief guest at the event,” the spokesman said.Among those in President Rajapaksa’s entourage was Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda. Unlike President Rajapaksa who flew from Tokyo to London, the navy chief flew from Colombo to be on hand at the Royal Naval Academy in Dartmouth for Subaltern Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s passing-out. SLMM accuses TMVP of murders and abductions The SLMM last week once again accused the TMVP of murders and abductions, including children and said that the security situation had deteriorated in the east during the first week of December."The SLMM is concerned about the situation in the Eastern Region (ER) where a total of 22 civilians, including seven children, have been abducted according to reports received this week. According to information received by the SLMM Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) was involved in 18 of the cases," the SLMM said in its latest situation report.The TMVP however denied the accusations and said that the monitors were making arbitrary charges against it without checking with party officials. "The SLMM has to give us details of where and when these so called incidents take place," TMVP spokesperson Azad Moulana told The Sunday Leader. "Before they put these reports out they should check with us, they never do that."The SLMM report gave details of one murder and several abductions that the monitors said were carried out by the TMVP. "On 3 December the police recovered the body of a civilian male (53) reportedly summoned by members of the TMVP office in Mylampaveli, about 11 km north of Batticaloa," it said."On 4 December a boy (17) was abducted by four TMVP cadres on motorbikes and taken to the TMVP office in Karathievu. The same day another boy (17) was reportedly abducted by TMVP cadres in Vinayagapuram," the report said adding, "on December 6 TMVP members reportedly abducted a boy (17) in Komari, 41 km south of Ampara. The same day a child (12) was abducted by two persons suspected to be TMVP cadres in Sungankerny, about 30 km north of Batticaloa."The SLMM last month said that the TMVP had released around 20 young cadres including seven minors after Pillayan took over the leadership. Moulana also confirmed the releases but the monitors said that they had received information that there were 55 minor cadres in TMVP offices in the east before the Pillayan led putsch. Eelaventhan loses membership in SL parliament Tamil National Alliance (TNA) national list parliamentarian M.K. Eelaventhan was not allowed to take part in the third voting of the 2008 Budget in the Sri Lankan parliament Friday. Sergeant At Arms at the Sri Lankan parliament asked the senior Tamil MP to leave the parliament as he had lost his membership in the House due to his nonattendance for more than three months, parliamentary sources said.Mr. Eelaventhan had taken three months leave and had informed the speaker that he would be out of the country. He overstayed and failed to return on time, but was allowed to enter the Sri Lankan parliament and take part in the debate during the third reading of the budget without objections. On Friday, he was not allowed to participate in the voting. The Tamil National Alliance would consider another candidate after allowing Eelaventhan to appeal for regaining his membership in the parliament, informed sources said. Avoid Lanka: UN union tells staff The United Nations Staff Union is expected to advise its 13,000 members worldwide to avoid assignments in Sri Lanka because it is "among the world's most dangerous places for aid workers." "Recent attacks and accusations are affecting the ability of the United Nations to carry out its mission," warns the Staff Union's Committee on the Security and Independence of the International Civil Service.After a visit to Sri Lanka last August, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes expressed similar sentiments, incurring the wrath of the government. One senior minister hit back at Holmes calling him a "terrorist" in the payroll of the LTTE.Expressing "great concern at recent events in Sri Lanka that represent a breach of the independence of the international civil service," the Staff Union says, "this growing trend of deliberate attacks is affecting the ability of the United Nations to carry out its mission, and "undermines the fundamental principle that allows the Organization and its staff to cooperate.''More worrisome is "the lukewarm response by UN officials in supporting their own staff," says the Union, in a statement due to be released next week.Pointing out that there has been a series of accusations directed against the UN and its Funds and Programmes, the union says Sri Lanka has called for "appropriate action" against UNICEF staff members who participated in a "peaceful protest" to condemn the killing of two Red Cross workers."It should be noted that the killing of the two Sri Lankan Red Cross workers was universally condemned by all UN agencies and the international community." Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned "the brutal killings and voiced his deep concern about the security of civilians and aid workers in Sri Lanka."Justifying the participation of UN staffers in the controversial demonstration, the union says: "While cognizant that UN staff must remain neutral and refrain from actions that jeopardize their status as international civil servants, the union believes that actions in these circumstances do not warrant such a response."Instead of targeting the UN and its staff, the union says the government should spend its time and efforts in a thorough investigation of the events surrounding the abduction and killings of these Red Cross workers, and the murders of 17 Action Contre la Faim aid workers who were killed in 2006. The killers have still not been brought to justice. SLMC withdraws support at PC level The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has decided to withdraw its support to the government in the provincial councils as well. It is learnt that this decision was taken at a SLMC high-command meeting held after the crossing over to the opposition of SLMC parliamentarians led by Party Leader Rauf Hakeem. The SLMC councilors in the North Western Provincial council have decided to sit in the opposition at the next meeting of the council in the first week of January. It is further learnt that a similar decision has been reached by the party's urban councillors in the Puttalam U.C. Tigers induct top commanders to FDLs north of Vavuniya The Tigers have inducted top commanders to the forward defence lines north of Vavuniya.The Defence Ministry last week said that top LTTE commanders, Banu and Jeyam were leading the fighting in the Adampan area in the Mannar District. However, the Tigers did not comment on the strengthening of the FDLs but stated that there was no change in its military strategies.LTTE military spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan told The Sunday Leader that its military activities and strategies had not been changed. Ilanthirayan stated that the threats of destroying the LTTE by the government could not be taken seriously as earlier governments had also made similar statements. "Gotabaya's elder brother is the fifth President our leader has seen. Previous government's had made more serious threats to the LTTE. They did not work out," he said. 15 December 2007 Sri Lanka wins military budget vote Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has survived a crucial budget vote, fighting off a strong opposition challenge. If the budget was not approved, it could have frozen an escalating military offensive against separatist rebels. The outcome remained in doubt until the vote Friday evening as lawmakers in the coalition and outside the government changed sides in a swirl of political gamesmanship. One powerful minister resigned his post just minutes before the vote. Had the government lost, it would have been forced to call new elections, likely paralyzing political activity in the country for months. Over the past few weeks, Rajapaksa's ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party worked to shore up its razor-thin coalition by offering opposition lawmakers lucrative ministerial positions. Budget vote lost 'because of JVP' 'Pro-public' party "We did play our role. Now the country knows that only UNP represents the general public in Sri Lanka," he told BBC Sandeshaya.National heritage minister Anura Bandaranaike crossed over to the opposition just hours ahead of the crucial vote.The government won the vote for the third reading of the budget with a 47-majority.The JVP that voted against the budget for the second reading on 19 November, abstained from voting on Friday."What is the policy of the JVP ?" Tissa Attanayake questioned. JVP 'now patriotic' JVP's last minute decision to abstain from voting was a hailed as a 'patriotic move' by Buddhist monk -led Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). JHU leader Ellawala Medhananda thero thol BBC Sandeashaya that individuals or parties amy change their policies and strategies from time to time. JHU strongman, Environmental Affairs minister Champika Ranawaka, accused the JVP of supporting 'Tamil Tiger agenda' after the party voted against the budget on 19 November. But the JVP's latest move can be described as a patriotic one, Medhananada thero said."Todays' victory, I must emphasise, was a strong slap on the face for international and all other unpatriotic conspirators," the thero told BBC Sinhala.com. Government's saviour The JVP, meanwhile added that the party still oppose the budget proposed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as Finance Minister. But the party decided at the last moment to defeat 'political conspiracies' by abstaining in the vote for the third reading, JVP legislator Vijitha Herath said. "We noticed many in the ruling party joined with the conspirators in the opposition," he said.The former JVP minister denied the party acted to protect Rajapaksa government because many JVP parliamentarians were worried about their pensions had the government was forced to call for fresh elections. Sri Lankan parliamentarians are entitled to pension only after completing five years in office. 'Unpatriotic conspiracies' Vijitha Herath also categorically denied the party's action resulted in government emerging victorious in the vote."We did not have to save the government because they had 114 votes," he said.But the UNP General Secretary said many legislators were waiting to support the opposition had the JVP voted against the budget."There has been a strong change in the parliamentary power structure just because JVP changed their stance at the last moment " Tissa Attanayake said. Political parties representing minorites, including the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Up Country peoples Front (UPF), were reported to be ready to vote against the budget had the JVP joined the opposition. 5 members abstained at budget vote Five members abstained at the vote on the third reading of Budget 2008 yesterday (Dec. 14th). National Heritage Minister Anura Bandaranaike was absent at the House during the ballot.TNA’s M.K. Elavendran, K. Tangeswari and S. Jeyanandamoorthi whose relatives and the private secretary were abducted a few days ago, as well as P. Ariyanethran were also not present.The budget was supported by 114 members from the SLFP, the JHU, the CWC and the UPF. Opposing it were 67 members of the UNP, the SLFP Mahajana Wing, the TNA, the SLMC and the WPF.The 37 JVP members and UPFA MP Wijayadasa Rajapakse who crossed over earlier, refrained from voting.JVP’s independently-functioning Nandana Gunatilake voted for the budget. Sri Lanka applauds India's "tremendous" contribution to SAARC Applauding India's "tremendous" contribution to South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation(SAARC) under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sri Lanka has said it was hoping that the Indian leader will make "two visits" to the country next year. "We are hopeful of two visits by Indian Prime Minister to Sri Lanka in 2008. One in the capacity as the SAARC Chair as the 15th SAARC summit which will be held in Colombo next year and the other for bilateral relations. We hope obviously that it will be under two different roles," Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama said in Colombo, Indian national TV news portal reported here yesterday. On Singh being invited to be the chief guest at Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Anniversary celebrations, Bogollagama said: "We have extended an invitation to the Indian Prime Minister and it is under consideration." He said the next South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in Colombo will coincide with the country's diamond jubilee Independence Day celebrations. The SAARC Summit was allotted to Sri Lanka as Maldives, the original host, would be pre-occupied with its national elections in 2008, the minister said, adding the 16th SAARC Summit will be held in that country. Bogollagama, also said Sri Lanka will contribute 34 million dollars for the 300 million-dollar SAARC regional development fund, for which India has pledge 100 million dollars. The Sri Lankan foreign minister lauded the "tremendous" contribution of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in imparting new dynamism to SAARC. He said SAARC leaders also appreciated the role of Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee in this regard. Pirapaharan pays homage to Anton Balasingham Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam, Friday payed homage to late Anton Balasingham, the theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), commemorating the first death anniversary of the former chief negotiator and political advisor. The LTTE leader, in his tribute to Mr. Balasingham last year, had described his relationship with him as "a platonic relationship par excellence, that was shaped by history and matured with time." Anton Balasingham was bestowed with the title "Voice of the Nation" by Mr. Pirapaharan.Bestowing the title, as a recognition for his service for the Tamil freedom movement, Pirapaharan had noted: "There is a permanent place for Bala annai in the development and growth of our expanding movement. As elder statesman, as ideologue, as philosopher, above all as my intimate friend, he gave me inspiration and encouragement; gave advice and support. He shared my feelings and my burden. From the very inception of our movement he shared with me burdens of all the trials, tribulations, challenges and difficulties. He stood as the protagonist in the forefront of our political and diplomatic maneuvers.""I am proud to bestow on Bala annai the title of great honor, Voice of the Nation, as a recognition for his immense service to our movement by his superb performance in political and diplomatic spheres, thus establishing our independent struggle in the international arena in a manner that Eelam Tamils are proud of.""Bala annai has, in truth, not departed from us. He will remain in our stream of consciousness as an enduring memory, forever." Anura also crossed over Minister of National heritage Mr. Anura Bandaranaike crossed over to opposition and sat on opposition Leaders seat.He brought to opposition by Opposition Leader Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe and Mr. Ravi Karunanayaka. Opposition MP's clapped when minister Bandaranaike taking seat on opposition.When second reading of the budget, Mr. Bandaranaike said that he vote to the budget, due to his parents.Mr. Bandaranaike was highly criticized the government's foreign policy. 14 December 2007 President will dissolve if Govt. destabilised While claiming that the SLMC Leader left the government over an issue regarding government institutions, the Government yesterday said that if it was destabilized, President Mahinda Rajapaksa would not hesitate to go for a general election.Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, addressing the weekly Cabinet press conference, said: “If the Government feels there are moves to cripple the state, it will urge the President to go for an election.”However, he said that nothing would change and the Government would win the Budget vote by a big margin today.Cabinet Spokesman Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem and others left the Government over an issue regarding a state institution and not over any Muslim concerns.“What I feel is, he just decided to cross over because of a state institution, not Muslim concerns,” said Mr. Anura Yapa. He said that it was strange that, at the second reading of the Budget, they had voted with the Government and approved the proposals but had suddenly realized that the Government had not done much for the Muslim community. “How can they come to that sort of a conclusion within three weeks? They first voted for, and now they are opposing the Budget, saying that the government had failed to do anything for the Muslims,” he said.He added that, at this decisive moment, the main aim of any party should be to support the Government against LTTE terror, militarily and politically and “not provide oxygen to the LTTE by defeating the Budget.” Sri Lanka clashes with diplomats over rights demands Sri Lanka's militaristic government said Friday it had hauled in the envoys of countries calling for UN human rights monitoring of the island's increasingly dirty war against Tamil rebels.The foreign ministry in Colombo said it had conveyed its "serious concern" that Sri Lanka, which has categorically rejected the presence of foreign monitors, was being subjected to escalating international criticism.A truce between the government and the Tamil Tigers was brokered by Norway in 2002, but both sides in the long-running conflict have since returned to all-out war and have been accused of gross human rights violations including hundreds of disappearances.The ambassadors of the United States, the European Union, France, Korea and Sweden were summoned for a dressing down by foreign ministry secretary Palitha Kohona, the ministry said in a statement.Diplomats from Canada and the Netherlands will also be summoned Friday, the ministry said, adding a complaint over remarks made at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva this week will also be forwarded to New Zealand's New Delhi-based envoy.Colombo also expressed its "deep displeasure" to Britain's high commissioner to Sri Lanka, Dominic Chilcott, over comments interpreted as being sympathetic to the rebels' demand for an independent Tamil homeland.The foreign ministry "drew attention to the high commissioner's comment, 'I am not saying that the political aspiration for Eelam (separate Tamil state) is illegitimate' and expressed the government's deep concern," the statement said.Chilcott had also warned the government, which insists it now has the upper hand in the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), should clean up its human rights record or risk sanctions."At a time when the painstaking process of evolving a negotiated political settlement was under way, such sentiments would have a negative impact and send confusing signals," the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said.The government insists it is working on a political package aimed at addressing the demands of ethnic Tamils, but at the same time says it wants to totally "eliminate" the LTTE and seize their mini-state in the north. President says he will not dance to tunes of minority parties Security curtailment a malicious move, says SLMC Western Union to tap USD 4 billion remittances market in Sri Lanka After making deep inroads into India, the Western Union is expanding its money transfer operations in Sri Lanka to tap inflow potential in the Island country that is estimated to touch 4 billion dollars in 2008."We see an opportunity to grow in Sri Lanka," the Country Director of Western Union for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Ratheesh Kumar said here yesterday."While Sri Lankan expatriates annually remit around Rs 2.8 billion (Sri Lankan Rupees) back to the country, an equal amount is being channelled to the country though informal methods, Kumar said.In India the Western Union has expanded its presence to 33,000 agent. Locations include 8500 post offices and 14,000 branches of leading banks.It provides money transfer in minutes subject to agent's hours of operation and does not charge any receiver fees. The transaction also does not require any bank account by the sender.According to the Director of Aitken Spence Group Ltd and Managing Director of MMBL Money Transfer, Dinesh Mendis Sri Lanka is targeting USD 4 billion of foreign remittances next year. The target set for this year was USD 3 billion.Kumar attributed the high remittance transfer through informal methods in Sri Lanka to inadequate rural banking network.Western Union services in Sri Lanka are offered via 1,500 outlets through banks and financial institutions. Kumar said globally the company is in the process of educating expatriate workers on the advantages of seeing money through official channels. Govt disappointed with UK High Commissioner Govt. attempts to remove TNA’s Elavendran from MP post EU concerned on kidnappings Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamils and Muslims worst affected in country’s human rights crisis One year since the Sri Lankan government promulgated tough anti-terror laws the country’s human rights situation has hit a new low, resulting in serious violations against ethnic Tamil and Muslim minorities, Minority Rights Group International says in a new briefing paper. “The anti-terrorism laws fed into the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka that has resulted in hundreds of killings, abductions and disappearances, mostly of ethnic Tamils and some Muslims,” says Ishbel Matheson, MRG’s head of policy and communications. “The last two years have seen the government more vigorously pursue its ‘war on terror’ which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and mass displacement of minorities,” she adds. Since the tough counter-terrorism laws were promulgated in December 2006 large numbers of ethnic Tamils have been arrested and detained on suspicion of links with the Tamil Tigers – the militant group fighting government forces for a separate state in the country’s north and east. Checkpoints have sprung up across the country and the military often conducts large-scale search operations where Tamils face harassment and risk being arrested. On 1 December 2007 following two suicide bomb attacks in the capital Colombo the government arrested over 1000 people. According to the MRG paper human rights in Sri Lanka reached a crisis point in 2007 with numerous reports of extra-judicial killings, disappearances and abductions. Many such cases go unreported, but according to Sri Lankan human rights groups some 662 people have been killed and 540 people have disappeared between January–August 2007. A vast majority of them are Tamils and some are Muslims. “It is clear that on every front it is minorities who are facing the brunt of Sri Lanka’s worsening human rights situation. The figures available only represent the reported cases and still the numbers are shocking,” Matheson says. The briefing paper also points out the human cost of Sri Lanka’s ‘war on terror’ in 2006–07: at least 3500 civilians were killed and close to 290,000, mostly Tamils and Muslims, were displaced. The government has also been responsible for forcibly returning people to their places of origin and barring thousands of Tamil families from access to their homes by creating special High Security Zones. “Under the cover of the ‘war on terror’ the state is engaging in human rights violations against Tamils and Muslims that range from illegal arrest to land grabbing,” Matheson says. The briefing paper also accuses armed groups such as the Tamil Tigers and their splinter group the Karuna group of perpetrating large scale human right violations against minorities including killings, abductions, disappearance, extortions and the recruitment of child soldiers. “The gravity of the situation in Sri Lanka cannot be underestimated. It demands urgent international attention. Serious international pressure must be brought to bear, if the violence is to be contained and peace talks are to be put on track,” Matheson adds. The paper recommends that Britain, the European Union and the US pressure the Sri Lankan government to accept international human rights monitors. It also calls on the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers to cease violence and return to peace talks. UNICEF Head pays courtesy visit to Head of LTTE Political Wing Newly appointed head of UNICEF-Sri Lanka, Philippe Duamelle, paid a courtesy visit to the Head of LTTE Political Wing, B Nadeson, at the LTTE Political Head Quarters.The UNICEF Head said that his visit was an introductory meeting with the Political Head. Among the topics discussed were the work of United Nations in general in the Tamil homeland and the program of releasing under-18 persons in the LTTE.Nadeson assured UNICEF of the continued cooperation of the LTTE with UNICEF in all aspects of the work of the UNICEF and urged UNICEF to do its part in this partnership.The discussion also included the LTTE work in ending under-18 persons in the organization. Pointing to the delay by UNICEF in completing its part in this program, Nadeson called on the UNICEF Head to ensure that UNICEF carry out its part in verifying the under-18 persons released by the LTTE and also in doing its part to reunite the released children with their families. Nadeson informed the Head of UNICEF that by the end of this year LTTE will announce that there are no more under-18 persons in the organization and UNICEF must be ready to do its part to complete its role in this program so that it too can remain in sync in its statement. The children being killed and injured by the aerial bombing and claymore attacks of the Sri Lanka were also discussed at the meeting.Both expressed the opinion that the meeting was very constructive Hakeem explains why SLMC quit government “The Government is actively giving patronage to the armed groups in the East, and allowing them to act with impunity. Many Muslim civilians have gone missing in several months” said Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.The leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem met the journalists in Colombo at “Thaarusalaam”-party headquarters on Thursday after crossing over to the Opposition in Parliament on Wednesday. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has taken a decision to resign from the government and quit their ministerial portfolios over a slew of issues. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has decided to support the Government from January 28th 2007 onwards. The three members who crossed over along with the leader Rauff Hakeem were General Secretary of the party Hasan Ali, Chairman Bashir Segudawood and Ampara District Member of Parliament Faizal Cassim. Two other members and Deputy Ministers K. A. Baiz and M. Nijamudeen remain in the Government. The four members of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress were welcomed to the Opposition by thumping the desks and shaking hands by the Members of Parliament of the United National Party and Tamil National Alliance. United National Party Member of Parliament Lakshman Kiriella offered his front row seat to Rauff Hakeem. He further clarified his party’s stand on crossing over to the journalists:“My great leader used to say that, our party makes things happen. We like to see a paradigm shift in solving the national problem, not only the Muslim issue: and also of those Tamils. The issues pertaining to Northern and Eastern Muslims remain unresolved. There are huge issues pertaining to land, security, economic interest and our rights to exercise our religious freedom. The Government is trying to change the demography of the East through settlements and land grabbing. We resigned from the government with dignity. People who have mandated us are happy about our decision. We will not join the Government again; we are ready to face any challenge. Truth is the first victim in a war. Stamped as traitors We were called nationalists when we were with the Government, the moment we withdrew our support we are stamped as traitors. The Tamil National Alliance Members of Parliament are threatened. Recently relatives of the three Tamil National Alliance Members of Parliament went missing. My security was withdrawn soon after I resigned along with my fellow members. When I was in the Government I had 14 guards from Ministerial Security Division with vehicles, and 6 Special Task Force personnel. It was reduced to two few hours after I crossed over to the Opposition. I made a complaint and I have 5 guards from Ministerial Security Division. Each of my fellow members who resigned from the Government is provided with only two Police constables. Removing the security is a violation of human rights. Muslims have to go back to Saudi Arabia It’s noted with deep regret that a Venerable Buddhist monk made a statement recently stating that the Muslims are not citizens of this country. And we Muslims have to go back to Saudi Arabia. Today, I stand before you to tell the truth about the doubts that I and members of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress had been entertaining during the past twelve months, as ministers and members of the ruling coalition. Parted ways on principles However I should emphasize the fact that it is with no malice or acrimony that I present my case and that my party will continue to maintain very healthy ties with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ministers and members of the Government even in the future despite our decision to leave the Government. There are no hostilities between us. We have only parted ways on principles. We behaved in the most diplomatic manner in the process of leaving the Government. As we promised, we have given adequate advance notice on our decision to quit expect the Government too to respond to our departure in a similar mature manner and take it in the spirit that we made the move. All of you are aware the circumstances under which we became part of the Government. The decision was more to do with keeping the unity of the party than out of conviction that there would be room within this Government with its assortment of parties for us to get the basic demands of the Muslim community met. As the leader of the party I had serious misgivings about the capability of this Government with its far right wing slant to address the grievances of minorities both Muslims and Tamils from the very outset. Doubts and dilemmas shared My friends in Parliament and outside are witnesses to the fact that even on the day that I joined the Government-January 28th 2007 to be precise, I shared my doubts and dilemmas with them. I told them that my stint in this Government is not going to last long and it is to prevent a split in the party that I was joining the Government. If one peruses the media interviews given by me during the last twelve months it will become clear that I have been maintaining this stance in almost all my media comments. Despite all these uncertainties about the manner the Government would approach Muslim grievances we were dignified enough to abide by the collective responsibility. We defended the Government in the House and outside throughout our stint even putting the party’s credibility at stake on many occasions. Finally at the second reading of the Budget we kept our word and voted for the Budget. While we were dutifully playing our part as an ally of the Government we were very much conscious of the growing restlessness among our own constituents. The delicate politics in the East is such that everyday new issues keep cropping up. There is slew of issues pertaining to land, security, and economic interest. In the case of land issues our people are facing problems that they have never faced before, making them feel that they are outcasts in their own lands. Fear psychosis On the other hand the Northern Muslims who have been languishing in Puttlam and neighbouring areas fro 17 long years are now expected to return to their places of origin without any security guarantees due to a fear psychosis among some members of the Government that a long term presence of my people in Puttlam would disturb the traditional demographic pattern of the area. Besides the infringement of religious rights in the form of new noise pollution regulations is becoming a rancorous issue. The interpretation by my community was that the regulations were in violation of the core traditions of Islam. Our repeated request to remedy the situation have fallen on deaf ears. No sympathy towards the minorities My party was coming under tremendous pressure from my community to withdraw our support to the government. There was absolutely no hope in the horizon for the community under the present regime. The unpalatable reality about the Government is that its composition and power alignment are such it can make a very little progress in addressing the grievances of the minorities. Not only Muslims equally those of Tamils. Even though a few make some genuine efforts to resolve some of the issues those moves too are doomed to fall apart due to the imbalanced configuration.”Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem made a statement to the House on Wednesday Dec 12th, announcing the reasons which led to his party’s decision to resign from the Government. He quoted a famous American writer Mark Twain “when in doubt tell the truth”. Raising a privilege issue in Parliament today regarding reducing the security entitled to him and three of his fellow members, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem vowed to go international on the matter if the security is not restored. “The government is sponsoring illegal militant groups in East and the withdrawal of security has put the people’s representatives’ lives in jeopardy” Rauff Hakeem said. 13 December 2007 Will Sri Lanka government win the budget despite SLMC's crossover? Sri Lanka government's Chief Whip, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle says that the government is still stable and it is also going to win the budget on this Friday despite the crossover of four SLMC MPs. Minister Fernandopulle made these comments speaking to the government information department officials yesterday. The Minister revealed that the actual reason for Minister Rauff Hakeem to cross over to the opposition was the government's refusal to place the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission under the Post and Telecommunication Ministry which was headed by Minister Hakeem. Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) is the institute that has the authority to give license to the electronic media and telecommunication services in Sri Lanka which bring more money to Sri Lanka. Minister Rauff Hakim's has argued why it was not under the Telecommunication Ministry.The Minister also noted that Mr. Hakeem has asked 1,000 acres of land in Pothuvil to be handed over to Muslims. However, he said that a date was given to look into the matter since the government cannot release land without studying the situation. One political analyst told ColomboPage "Rauff Hakeem was talking about his Ministry and he was speaking for Muslim people. Because of that, both reasons given by Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle may not be correct." "These kind of political games will destroy our country and all the politicians are responsible for that," the analyst further noted. However, analysts say loss of SLMC’s four votes at the final voting to approve next year’s budget will not be sufficient to defeat the budget. The first approval took place last month with a majority of 16 votes with 102 members against and 118 in favor. Akashi mulls new approach to address ethnic issue Muslims motherland is not in east but in Saudi Arabia, says Chakrawarthi Medhananda Thero Jathika Hela Urumaya leader Puraviya Chakrawarthi Ellawala Medhananda Thero says that the Eastern Province is not the motherland of the Muslims and their motherland is in Saudi Arabia. The Thero made this statement to the Weerakesari newspaper yesterday (12). He says that the Eastern Province Muslims have taken over land after demolishing over one thousand Buddhist shrines and a new ethnic crisis will erupt there due to the racism spread by some Muslims. He further says that Eastern Province is not the motherland of the Muslims who came here for trading. "The Kandyan King settled the Muslims in the Eastern Province temporarily when they are under the siege of the English colonialists. Muslims were banned purchasing land during the colonial period. However, now they live all over the country. The capital of the Ampara district is Ampara. But the Muslim groups attempt to make Akkaraipaththu the capital of the district through opening Government sub offices there. We cannot allow the bargaining attempts of some Muslim parties," the Thero further said. Men in army uniforms robs Jewelry shop in Wellawatte A group of armed men clad in Army uniforms robbed cash and gold jewelry valued over Rs. 3 million from a jewelry shop at Wellawatte, a suburb in Colombo yesterday afternoon. According to the police the group had entered the shop pretending to be army soldiers and told the shop owner that the shop need to be searched. They had then threatened the shop employees showing T-56 riffles and collected the money and Jewelry and fled the scene, police said. The robbers had also taken the shop’s security cameras with them, police added. Wellawatte is an area which is known as “Little Jaffna” since a large majority of residents in the area are Tamils. Warring sides in Sri Lanka give competing versions of fighting Sri Lanka: The two versions of the battle that raged through the dense jungles of northern Sri Lanka were mirror images.The government said it drove back a rebel assault Tuesday that left 20 guerrillas and three soldiers dead; the rebels said they fended off an attack by the military that killed 20 soldiers and three rebels.The contradictory versions of the fighting underscored the near impossibility of getting accurate information on the daily battles in the 24-year-old war in this Indian Ocean island nation."You can't get precise hard data with regard to casualties and fatalities," said Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, executive director of Center for Policy Alternatives, a Colombo-based think tank.Both sides were using false casualty figures to raise their supporters' morale, he said, but the illusion that each has its enemy on the run was making any talk of a compromise to end the conflict nearly impossible."If your public believes you are winning, and you are providing statistics that suggest that, then coming up with proposals for peace negotiations can be seen as politically difficult, even suicidal," he said.International observers say they have no way of obtaining accurate information on the latest fighting in the war that has killed an estimated 70,000 people here.Delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross, which repatriates the bodies of those killed inside enemy territory, cannot gather firsthand information because of security concerns, said ICRC spokesman Davide Vignati.The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, a group of Nordic delegates that documents violations of an all-but defunct 2002 truce, said it also has no comprehensive information on the fighting."The SLMM registers what the parties report to us in addition to the information we acquire ourselves, with no expectation that this is the complete picture," said spokeswoman Pia Hannson.Much of the battle area is a restricted security zone, which prevents independent observers from documenting the fighting firsthand and forces journalists to rely on the warring sides — who inflate enemy casualties and understate their own — to provide details.Their versions of the fighting almost always conflict, but rarely as perfectly as the descriptions of the fighting Tuesday near Adampan, along the nation's northwest coast.The military said the fighting started about 11:30 a.m. when rebels attacked military positions southwest of Adampan. The military fought back, killing 20 rebels and losing three soldiers before it drove the attackers back at 3:30 p.m., it said. A day later the military revised its death toll, saying 32 rebels had been killed.The separatists, who are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils, accused the military of launching "a large-scale, two-pronged push" into rebel territory at noon, according to their spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan. After a large battle that killed 20 soldiers and three rebels, the army began to withdraw about 3:30 p.m., he said.Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman, said the Tamil Tigers were trying to create the illusion they were not suffering from the military pressure on the rebel heartland in the north."I think they are desperate and are giving false and misleading information," he said.Ilanthirayan said the government needed to lie about the fighting to distract from a bruising budget battle and other political difficulties."They make this kind of misinformation, misrepresentation of battlefront news in order to (present) a good political face in the south," he said. He claimed the Tamil Tigers were completely open about their casualties, even announcing them on the radio."We have nothing to hide, but the Sri Lankan side never practices that kind of transparency. So they can hide their casualties, as they have done for the past three decades," he said.In both versions of the fight at Adampan, huge numbers of combatants were killed in their enemy's territory, but the Red Cross had not been contacted by either side about sending the bodies back over the front lines to their homes, Vignati said."It's strange," he said. Lankan army cautions against LTTE `ice-cream sellers` Muslim Congress MP Nijamudeen disappeared Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) national list MP and the Deputy Minister of People's Estate Development S. Nijamudeen has been disappeared since yesterday (12) night. A SLMC spokesman said to Lanka-e-News that the party leader Rauf Hakeem failed to contact MP NIjamudeen since yesterday. Political analysts guess a conspiracy behind his disappearance and the crossover of four SLMC MPs. SLAF bombers attack civilian settlements in Mullaiththeevu Two civilians were wounded Wednesday noon when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked civilian settlements in Mulllaiththeevu district, at A'lampil and Chemmalai. A 19-year-old youth and a 33-year-old man were wounded in the attacks. Students attending GCE Advance Level exams were disturbed by the air attacks as they were forced to leave the examination hall and seek shelter inside bunkers. There were a number of students who were unable to continue with the exams due to trauma from the air raids, an official at Mullaiththeevu Zonal Education Office told media. A 33-year-old man, M. Kesavan, the father of two, was injured when the Kfirs dropped bombs close to a settlement of Tsunami refugees at A'lampil.The 19-year-old youth wounded in the attack was identified as S. Mathavan.The SLAF bombers attacked A'lampil twice, before attacking Chemmalai.The first attack was reported at 12:10 p.m. Ranil charges Pillayan abducted TNA MPs’ relatives Abduction story a lie- TVMP Denying charges levelled against the TMVP of abducting relatives of three TNA Parliamentarians in Batticaloa, a TMVP spokesman said the whole story was a mere fabrication created by the TNA to avoid the wrath of the LTTE in the event the TNA voted in favour of the Budget this Friday.TMVP spokesman Azad Maulana said: “We strongly reject charges that we abducted TNA Parliamentarians’ relatives and threatened them to vote in favour of the Budget. We had a discussion with the TNA MPs before the second reading vote and expressed our stand on the Budget.There had not been any discussion in that regard after then and anyway why should we threaten them to vote for the Budget?”“In fact, we got to know that they are either going to abstain from voting or vote in favour of the Budget. But then they will come under the wrath of the LTTE. Thus, they are saying that the TMVP abducted their relatives and therefore they were compelled to take that decision,” he charged.However, well informed military sources from the East speaking strictly on condition of anonymity said that the relatives of the TNA Parliamentarians were in Pillayan’s custody in the East. N Korea may have aided Hezbollah, LTTE: US 12 December 2007 Hakeem quits government The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has decided to quit the government, putting Friday’s crucial budget vote in further balance. SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem told The Bottom Line that the decision was taken to preserve dignity and to respect the wishes of the Muslim community. The decision is sequel to a crucial high command meeting which was held last evening. All six SLMC members in parliament are expected to crossover to the opposition today. The Bottom Line reliably learns that the SLMC Leader had come under severe pressure from his fellow members during the past week. They had urged Hakeem to pull out of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa led administration owing to the government’s failure to address burning issues concerning the Muslim community.“The party leadership has been under immense pressure from both the SLMC stalwarts and representatives from the grass root level. Those carrying grievances have highlighted that the government has failed to deliver regarding the issues of the Muslim community. They point out that these issues regarding Muslims continue to be overlooked,” sources said last night. It is reliably learnt that despite several meetings between SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem and Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, the party had been forced to quit the government in the absence of a breakthrough in discussions. The government’s failure to return 5000 acres of land belonging to Muslims, which were taken over by the Environment Ministry and the failure to amend laws on the ban on noise pollution along with issues relating to portfolios have been identified as some of the problems which have been plaguing the Muslim community. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that two more parliamentarians would cross over to the opposition today. CWC says not decided 2 relatives & secretary of TNA MPs abducted Mahathma Gandhi's granddaughter in Sri Lanka to broker peace World Religious Conference General Secretary Dr. William F. Windley and Deputy Secretary Kiyoichi Sugitho said at a press conference yesterday (11) at Colombo that Japan' Special Peace Envoy for Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi would arrive in the island on Monday and fly to Jaffna today morning. The delegation of world religious leaders that tour in Jaffna includes Sri Lankan religious leaders, Buddhist monks of Japan and Kampuchea, Hindu and Muslim clerics of India and Pakistan, Christian clergy of Norway and Western countries. Mahathna Gandhi's granddaughter Ela Gandhi participates in the tour representing the African National Congress of the South African parliament. They will hold two public seminars from 8.30 AM to 8 PM on December 12 and 13 at the auditorium of Jaffna library. Akashi will not travel to Kilinochchi this time but he is expected to exchange ideas with the LTTE leadership. His tour at this juncture of LTTE's cutting off all international relations is analyzed as crucial. Prof. Bellanwila Wimalarathana Thero and Iththapana Dhammaloka Thero will also take part in the Jaffna tour with Akashi. Dr. Windley said that Mr. Akashi will discuss with the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse and other leaders on the situation in Jaffna and the peace process. Kiyoichi Sugitho said that the Government did not permit their tour until the last moment. He said that they had determined to proceed to Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Kilinochchi also. World Religious Conference leaders said at the press conference that they came here to assist to make peace in Sri Lanka that is in trouble in 25-year conflict. National Peace Council and the Religions for Peace (Sri Lanka) coordinate this tour. Sri Lankan rebels deny heavy battles losses, say army suffered large casualties Tamil separatists said they killed more than two dozen soldiers in heavy fighting in northern Sri Lanka, while denying government reports that their own fighters suffered heavy casualties. The contradictory versions of the battles highlights the difficulty in getting accurate, independent information on the fighting deep in the jungles of the north, where the government strongly restricts access. The military announced Tuesday that it had killed at least 32 rebels in a series of fierce battles in the area, while five soldiers were killed. The worst of the fighting broke out Tuesday afternoon when rebels attacked military positions near Adampan in the Mannar district just south of rebel-held territory, said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman. Soldiers fought back in a battle that killed 20 Tamil Tiger fighters and three troops, he said. The rebels' version of the fighting contradicted the military's account. In an e-mail to reporters late Tuesday, rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said the army started the fight at Adampan by trying to cross into rebel-held territory. The Tamil Tigers fought back with artillery, mortar fire and heavy weapons, forcing the army to pull back from a battle that killed 20 soldiers and three rebels, he said. A further six soldiers were killed in other fighting, bringing Tuesday's death toll to 26 soldiers and three rebels, Ilanthirayan said. The battles came amid a major escalation in fighting in recent weeks. Senior government officials say they aim to capture rebel-held territory and crush the Tamil Tigers in a bid to end more than two decades of warfare on the Indian Ocean island. The rebels have fought since 1983 for an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils after decades of discrimination under governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict. APRC finalises central govt. proposals Mano Ganeshan receives US human rights award The US government has decided to recognize Sri Lankan Mano Ganeshan for his contributions towards defending human rights. Ganeshan is the Convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee and Leader of the Western People’s Front.Ganeshan told ‘Lanka Dissent’ this afternoon (Dec. 11th) that the US Embassy in Colombo had just informed him that the American government had decided to award him the ‘Freedom Defender Worldwide Award for 2007.’ The declaration was made by US secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington yesterday on International Human Rights Day. After LTTE air strikes in Lanka, IAF tests defence in South In the first military exercise in south India after the LTTE carried out aerial strikes in Sri Lanka, the Indian Air Force (IAF) practiced scenarios to protect commercial targets against attacks by "non-state actors" in the region. The week long war games - codenamed Dakshin Prahar - tested India's capabilities to protect "high value" assets like oil tankers, nuclear installations and ports against air raids. "The exercise practiced rapid deployment of air defence systems, radar units and portable anti-air missiles to counter specific threats. Scenarios like protecting an oil tanker under attack by a hostile aerial force were also played out," an IAF officer said. The Coast Guard and the Army's air defence units were also roped in for the exercise. "The Army facilitated communication networking and troops for exercise," the IAF spokesperson said. Insiders confirmed that the unnamed high value targets included an oil tanker operating close to the Sri Lankan coast. During the exercise, the IAF also deployed its Travelling Radar Units (TRU) in the region to detect low-flying aircraft. The IAF had moved two TRU's earlier this year to boost radar coverage over Chennai and the Kalpakkam nuclear facility after the LTTE carried out its first aerial strike in Sri Lanka. While the IAF deployed top end fighters like the Mirage 2000, Sukhoi 30 and Jaguar, the Navy and the Coast Guard participated with their warships. Meanwhile, the IAF, for the first time, openly declared that it used space-based assets during the exercise. "A satellite covered specified targets on the ground and it sent back high resolution imagery for analysis before and after the attack. This was supplemented by photographs and live imagery relayed by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles," the spokesperson said. Nadesan calls for attitudinal shift in rights approach The Government of Sri Lanka remained unperturbed despite severe criticism from U.N representatives who had visited the island and confirmed the large-scale violation of human rights against Tamils, because it continued to receive military and monetary aid from those who actually condemn the human rights violations, charged Liberation Tigers Political Head B. Nadesan, Monday, on the International Human Rights Day. Declaring that the human rights violations by the GoSL in SLA-controlled areas was nothing short of a "systematic genocide of the Tamils," he called upon the International Community to use "severe pressure" against Colombo to put an end to the flagrant violation of human rights.Events to mark the International Human Rights Day in Vanni were organized by the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR) at the Ki'linochchi Cultural Hall on Monday. Rev. M. X. Karunanandam, head of NESoHR presided over the function.Addressing the well-attended gathering, Mr. Nadesan recalled that the Tamils were a distinct nationality in a separate nation before the colonial powers, at last the British colonialists, with their military might attempted to forcefully integrate Tamils with the Sinhalese. The aggression and genocide Tamils face today was an aftermath of this futile exercise, he said."After the British left in 1948, all the basic tenets of the Tamil nation – the right to language, culture, education, livelihood and even the citizenship of Up-Country Tamils – were denied , and the simmering discontent over the denial of human rights has transformed into a major liberation struggle today," Nadesan said.He pointed out that Tamils were stripped of all their fundamental rights following the anti-Tamil pogroms orchestrated in 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983; and when they demanded their legitimate rights through peaceful means, the GoSL unleashed genocide on the Tamil people."In SLA-controlled areas in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vavuniyaa, Jaffna, and Mannar, Human Rights violations have blown-up to such a massive proportion that it is nothing short of a systematic genocide by the GoSL to completely eliminate all the Tamil people," Nadesan declared.The everyday occurrences of abduction, killings and disappearances have made these human rights violations appear commonplace, he added. Pointing out that the human rights violations against Tamils were not restricted to SLA-controlled areas, he said that even in Vanni, school students, places of worship, religious leaders and innocent civilians were indiscriminately killed through Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombings and landmines. He labeled the denial of basic survival needs such as food and medicine to the Tamils as an extreme instance of human rights violation and added that the armed struggle spearheaded by the Tigers sought to put an end to this.The LTTE political head also sought to expose the double standards of the Sri Lankan state: on the one hand, the SLA was responsible for civilian disappearances; on the other hand, the GoSL acted out its "concern" for human rights in the U.N. General Assembly. He noted that this mask had been torn due to the international community's condemnation of the human rights violations unleashed on the Tamils by the GoSL.He said that the GoSL was unperturbed despite severe criticism from U.N. representatives who had visited the island and confirmed the large-scale violation of human rights against Tamils. Their pleas to put an immediate end to the killing of Tamils had fallen on deaf ears.The GoSL has "never bothered about verbal concerns expressed by the International Community" and added that the continuing killings and abductions were testimony to this. Because the GoSL continued to receive military and monetary aid from those who actually condemned the human rights violations, it continued to behave in this manner.He noted that there were countries that continued to support Sri Lanka even though the GoSL had unleashed on the Tamils all the human rights violations that were mentioned in the United Nations Charter on Human Rights (UNCHR).He also pointed out that it was easy to condemn Human Rights violations, whereas it was difficult to actually put an end to such behavior. The International Community should seriously reconsider its approach towards Colombo.The International Community should have immediately recognized the legitimate struggle of the Tamils, if it was genuinely interested in human rights.He called upon the Tamil people to struggle to win their rights and pointed out the example of America, Vietnam and South Africa where the people managed to attain freedom through a long and laborious struggle."Today, we the Tamil people have been denied all rights. We have rallied together to fight for our rights. It shall be the duty of the International Community to recognize our struggle," he added. TMVP to expand political activities in the east The TMVP has sent two teams to Sampur and Thopur to assess the situation in the areas in order to open its offices.TMVP media Spokesperson, Azad Moulana said the two teams were still in Sampur and Thopur and would get back to the TMVP with the ground situation in the area, soon."We still have not heard anything from them. However, we will be having discussions with the groups as soon as they return," Moulana told The Morning Leader.Moulana said the party would expand its political activities in the east."There are reports that the TMVP is active in the north. It is not so. We are only in the east and are concentrating on expanding our political activities in these areas," he said.He also stated that the TMVP demonstration held on Monday (10) against the LTTE and the TNA was its first since its inception."We have plans of having similar demonstrations in the future," he added.He said around 15,000 people had participated at Monday's demonstration."The demonstration was held for three reasons. We wanted to bring out the issues faced by the displaced persons, we also wanted to show that we were the sole representatives of the people in the east and to show our displeasure over the activities of the LTTE and the TNA," he added. Sri Lanka tops world rankings for disappearances Sri Lanka has the highest frequency of disappearances reported to the UN the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said this week joining the latest chorus of international watchdogs who have renewed calls for UN backed rights monitoring mission in the country."Sri Lanka has the highest frequency of cases of disappearances in the world reported to the UN. Under these circumstances the Sri Lankan government's refusal to allow any international HR monitoring into the government and LTTE amounts to sanctioning of the prevalent levels of violence in the country," it said in a statement to mark World Human Rights Day on December 10. The AHRC however did not give any statistics."The present situation requires immediate scrutiny and action on the part of the UN and the international community. And the international community must examine whether it is justifiable to remain inactive purely on the grounds of the government's unwillingness to allow intervention to stop the high levels of violence in the country," it added.Calls for the setting up of a field presence of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights were renewed last week by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International who wrote the UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour. The UN Human Rights Council is in session this week and similar calls are likely to rise. The government for its part has steadfastly refused to widen UN participation in rights monitoring from capacity building and technical assistance. Calls for the setting up of such an office were first made in August 2006.The AHRC also said that the country has returned to a pre-ceasefire environment, a sentiment expressed by the ceasefire monitors as well. "In Sri Lanka, the last months have seen a return to the situation prevalent before the ceasefire agreement in 2002. The result is arrests of thousands of people purely on the basis that they are Tamil, and on the other hand both parties to the conflict, the armed forces and LTTE, have engaged in attack of civilians killing many. Virtually no investigations are taking place concerning violations of rights in any part of the country, either under the control of the government or the LTTE. The Presidential commission appointed for inquiry into gross violations including disappearances have proven to be a farce," it said. 11 December 2007 Eeelam is Not Illegitimate, but LTTE Methods are Unacceptable-British High Commissioner ‘Let me be clear. I am not saying that the political aspiration for Eelam is illegitimate, any more than I would argue that the Scottish National Party’s goal of an independent Scotland is illegitimate. Similarly, I see nothing illegitimate in some crackpot demanding that Yorkshire or some other English county should become an independent state. What is crucial, however, is what methods are used by the SNP or the LTTE to achieve their goals. And the LTTE’s methods are simply unacceptable.’The full text of his address is reproduced below: DUDLEY SENANAYAKE MEMORIAL LECTURE-10 DECEMBER 2007: Mr Desmond Fernando, chairman of the Dudley Senanayake Foundation, Mrs Sagarica Delgoda, country representative of the Friedrich Nauman Stiftung “fur die Freiheit”, members of the board of directors of the foundation, distinguished invitees, ladies and gentlemen. When Desmond Fernando asked me to give the tenth Dudley Senanayake Memorial Lecture, I little realised the heavy responsibility and the signal honour that entailed. I subsequently found out that previous speakers were drawn from the A list of liberal politicians in Europe and this country. So I am very conscious this evening of standing in a tradition which started in 1989 with Lord Steel, the former leader of the Liberal Party in Britain, and includes Count Lambsdorff, a past President of Liberal International, as well as at least two former Prime Ministers and many other luminaries in contemporary political and academic life. Thank you, Desmond, for inviting me to join that distinguished list of liberal thinkers. The right way to start this lecture is to pay tribute to Dudley Senanayake. He was clearly no ordinary politician. In fact, his integrity of character and his probity in public life would make him a very unusual politician judged by the standards of today. But I suspect that, even in the 1950s and 1960s, the decades in which he was Prime Minister of this country on four separate occasions, Dudley Senanayake’s qualities set him apart. It is a well known ruse that politicians who seek high office often protest that they do not do so, but are willing to serve if the country needs them. Chilcott, making his final public In almost all cases, this is bunkum. Politicians are usually astute enough to know that admitting to their over-vaulting ambition would harm their cause. But in Dudley Senanayake’s case, it appears that he had genuinely to be asked to become Prime Minister, the first time, on his father’s unexpected death. For Dudley Senanayake was not motivated primarily by personal ambition, nor by the thrill of exercising power. He was a man of principle who lived by the values he espoused. The President of the Methodist Church in Ceylon described him, at his death, as a man whose “deep humanity and sense of fair play and justice endeared him to all communities”. It has been said of him that his respect for democratic institutions was carried to a degree that sometimes weakened his own political base. Again, the contrast – for better or worse - with Sri Lankan politics these days is striking. How would Dudley Senanayake view today’s politics? As someone with a strong attachment to the principles of good governance, he would, I judge, be concerned at some aspects of contemporary political life. I am sure he would have welcomed the adoption of the 17th amendment by Parliament in September 2001, mainly at the initiative of the People’s Alliance and the JVP. As you know, its aim is to depoliticise key public institutions by creating independent commissions to administer the Police, Judiciary, Public Service and Elections. Despite its limitations, the law was widely hailed at the time as a move towards a corrupt-free, merit-based system of public administration. So the fact that the 17th amendment has been inoperative, for some time now, would be a matter of regret and concern to him. Similarly, Dudley Senanayake would be disturbed at the many allegations make these days about corruption in politics. He would be pleased at the existence of a parliamentary committee to investigate corruption but surprised that 22 of its 30 members are government ministers. It must be the only oversight committee in the world that consists mainly of ministers. This is not to cast aspersions on any of the individuals concerned. But the conflict of interest involved must undermine the credibility of such a committee. He may have thought the position of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee actually worse than that. Because, in many cases and this is no secret, MPs have been made ministers, not because there is a job for them to do, but because it buys their loyalty to the government. I think Dudley Senanayake would have disapproved of this sort of politics. He would have seen the risk that using the perks of ministerial office-official vehicles, bodyguards, fuel allowances etc-to persuade MPs to cross the floor would corrode standards of political life. He believed the principle purpose of becoming a minister was to serve the people, not to feather one’s own nest. No country that is governed by human beings will be free of corruption. It affects all of us. The important thing is for countries to have effective institutions in place to catch and punish people for corruption. That at least provides some deterrent. Nothing makes corruption spread faster than a sense of impunity. That’s why bodies like Parliament’s anti-corruption committee matter so much. Dudley Senanayake is usually described as being a liberal. Lord Steel said “he was a man who put liberal principles first.” Count Lambsdorff called him “a person whose primary desire was the enlargement of the content of individual freedom” and that such a man “is, of course, a liberal”. In Sri Lanka, the contemporary picture of liberalism is pretty confused. There is a Liberal Party here but its voice on human rights, individual freedoms and accountable government-core liberal values-is silent. This is a major handicap at the present time. Surveys by the World Bank on good governance and by other bodies, for example Transparency International’s index of perceptions of corruption, tell the same worrying story. Sri Lanka is not, by any means, the worst country in the world for governance and corruption. It sits in about the middle of the country rankings. But in recent years it has begun to slide backwards, albeit not dramatically, relative to other countries. Liberals need to speak up and reassert their values. Good governance matters. Dudley Senanayake saw that. He understood too that good governance fostered more development. Daniel Kaufman, the director of global governance at the World Bank Institute, argues that surveys reveal the value, in development terms, of good governance-what he calls the ‘development dividend’ of good governance. He has been bold enough to put a figure on it-about 300 percent. In other words, a country that has today $2,000 per capita income per year today can attain $6,000 per capita income per year in the long term if it improves its rule of law, controls corruption and increases government effectiveness. Of course, it is not easy to speak out against corruption, graft and the lowering of standards of public life. It takes courage. Many people feel that the space within civil society to express dissenting views is under great pressure. One of the unintended, but nonetheless, observable effects of the resurgence of the internal conflict has been to polarise society. There is a tendency to put people into one of two camps-either one is an uncritical supporter of the military campaign against the LTTE or one’s loyalty to the Sri Lankan state is considered suspect. That’s a dangerously false dichotomy. There are a million shades of grey (and many other colours) between the black and white over-simplification of being pro-war or pro-LTTE. Traditionally it is people of liberal views who are in the vanguard of speaking up for those intermediate colours. Let their voices be heard. There is one other aspect of Dudley Senanayake’s life that I wish to mention, the agreement he signed with the moderate Tamil leadership in 1965. This agreement addressed three key issues for the minorities: language, devolution and land. It was an agreement that could have re-enfranchised the Tamil-speaking minorities. Dudley Senanayake’s failure to muster sufficient support for it in the South had tragic consequences for the country. Had it been implemented, it is quite possible that Sri Lanka today would have been a vibrant, prosperous, multi-ethnic country at peace with itself. This episode showed Dudley Senanayake’s strength and weakness. He had the insight to understand what was needed to reach an accommodation with the minorities. But he did not have the political skills or muscle to convince his fellow Sinhalese. Ladies and Gentlemen, My lecture this evening is titled “the new diplomacy for the new century”. Sometimes diplomacy can be seen as a sort of timeless stately minuet. All this Excellency-calling, the big cars with flags and the VIP treatment doesn’t convey an image of dynamism and change. But the practice or method of diplomacy is not set in stone. On the contrary, it is changing, and changing quickly. I shall try to set out what those changes are and what their significance is. Sir Harold Nicholson, a British historian, professional diplomat, MP, journalist and man of letters, gave a series of lectures at Oxford University in 1953, which were later published in a book called “The evolution of diplomatic method”. In those lectures, Sir Harold described several different kinds of diplomacy-ancient Greek and Roman, renaissance Italian, 18th century French and what he called egalitarian or American diplomacy, championed by President Woodrow Wilson after the First World War. Sir Harold describes how many of the rules of the older schools of diplomacy are no longer practised. For example, any person claiming to be an ambassador in ancient Athens, without having been given the proper credentials by the Assembly first, was liable to be put to death. Fortunately for one Sri Lankan national, currently in detention in the UK, that practice does not apply in modern Britain, otherwise the penalty for reportedly entering the UK on a diplomatic passport with a false identity might be very severe indeed. In 15th century Italy, Venetian ambassadors seemed to have had a particularly hard time. They were forbidden to take holidays during the period of their diplomatic missions. Their wives could not accompany them, since they might gossip. And ambassadors were expected to take their own cooks to lessen the risk of being poisoned. These days we bring our wives, who presumably gossip less than 15th century Venetian women, but hire our cooks locally. The serious point Sir Harold makes is that as the world changes, the way of carrying out diplomacy changes with it. My point is that the world, in the half century since Sir Harold’s book, has changed very fast indeed. And we are seeing the way states deal with one other, the diplomatic method, change quickly too. It is a cliche, but nonetheless true, that the world is now a much smaller place. We inhabit a global village. In Britain, our cut flowers come from East Africa, our computers are made in China and run software invented in the United States, our clothes come from Sri Lanka and so on and so forth. We are able instantly to communicate with people all over the world whether by phone or email. Cheaper flights allow us to travel to foreign countries more often. If the image of the cold war period was of the Berlin Wall and division between different political systems and ways of life, the image of the modern world is of the internet and the billions of connections being forged between people all over the world. We now inhabit a world in which we can rightly talk not just of the wealth of nations, but of the wealth of networks. Humanity is no longer divided into clearly defined and distinct groups-Western, Communist, Non-aligned, Third world or whatever labels one liked to use-with barriers keeping the different kinds of societies apart. Although some governments try, it is pretty difficult to prevent the spread of knowledge and ideas via the Internet. And as we travel and communicate more, we create lots of new links between different peoples-links based on trade or migration for jobs or education or many other things. Of course, most of this international activity is not carried out by governments. It is conducted by ordinary people, flexing their own economic and communications muscles. At the same time, as countries and peoples are drawing closer to one another, with or without the support of governments, the distinction between domestic and foreign affairs is becoming blurred. Almost all home government departments in Britain have an external affairs division. Law and order is an international business because criminal organisations these days are international in character. Protecting the environment requires collective, international action. Education involves marketing British universities and colleges to attract foreign students to study at them. And so on. Another change is that international affairs are no longer exclusively about what happens between states. When domestic issues have an international dimension, those domestic affairs can be important for relations between states. So diplomacy is increasingly concerned with what happens within states as well as what happens between them. An obvious example of this is the drugs trade. 90% of the heroin on the streets of Britain comes from Afghanistan: so the political stability and economic prosperity of Afghanistan-resting on crops other than the poppy-will have a profound effect on British towns and cities. More dramatically, since 9/11 and in the context of the threat from Islamic extremism, what happens in Afghanistan and in the tribal areas of Pakistan has a direct bearing on the safety and security of western countries, particularly the UK with our large British-Pakistani community. We have a direct stake in whether of not the Taleban succeeds in winning support amongst Afghans and Pakistanis. We can’t afford to treat this as the untouchable internal politics of foreign countries. In a less extreme way, internal events in Sri Lanka affect Britain. The conflict here makes waves in the UK. For example, as the conflict worsens, we get more asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. It becomes more difficult to manage the movement of people between our countries. More Sri Lankans try to get into the UK illegally. The numbers of those overstaying their visa also increases. We suffer other law and order problems associated with the conflict in Sri Lanka. LTTE fundraisers extort money from Tamil business people. There are Tamil gangs fighting one another on the streets of London. British politicians, particularly those in constituencies with large South Asian populations, become concerned about human rights violations, the creation of new refugees and the overall suffering of the people caught up in the conflict. They debate the issues in Parliament and demand action from the British government. South Asian affairs have become very much part of British political life. So for those reasons, as well as others, Britain has a direct interest in the end of the conflict here and the establishment of a fair and lasting peace. But how Sri Lanka’s conflict affects Britain is only one example of how humanity is becoming more inter-related and more inter-dependent. Last month, Britain’s new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, made a major foreign policy speech, addressing some of these issues. Our Prime Minister is well known for his seriousness of thought and his strategic vision. Mr Brown identified six new global forces, unique to our generation, which showed humankind’s growing interdependence. These six forces were: violence and instability in fragile states; the spread of terrorism and the risk that terrorists could acquire destructive weapons; global flows of capital and global sourcing of goods and services; climate change; global pandemics such as Avian flu; and world-wide migration. He also argued that the Internet empowers ordinary people. In the old order, governments affected people but could not be easily affected by them. The Internet gives once powerless people the potential to be heard and see their impact in places far away. And because the world is so interconnected and so interdependent, Mr Brown thinks it is possible for the first time in human history to contemplate and create a global society that empowers people. Pursuing the self-interest of nation states can no longer be carried out in isolation. It must be pursued in cooperation with other countries, overcoming shared challenges. And the underlying issue for any country becomes how together, in this new interdependent world, we renew and strengthen our international rules, institutions and networks. As we become increasingly aware of the common challenges mankind faces, we become more conscious too that all humanity is really in the same boat. We float or sink together. We have to face up to issues, such as global warming, that affect us all and which can only be tackled by collective world action. This awareness, I believe, is the beginning of a wider and more general understanding of the commonality of humankind or what Mr Brown calls the global society. And because of the empowerment of people through the Internet, that global society will expect its governments to take a global view of issues. The Rwanda genocide of 1994 is nowadays considered to be a stain on the international community’s conscience. Despite international news coverage of the violence against the Tutsis and moderate Hutus as it unfolded, most countries declined to prevent or stop the massacres. In a period of about three months, more than half a million people were killed. What is so shocking, a decade later, is not just the serious attempt at genocide, but the attitude of the international community, at the time, that the killings in Rwanda were not its business. The international community may not be able to stop all attempts at genocide in the future. And the right response may not be military intervention. But I don’t think we will ever again regard genocide, wherever it occurs, as not our business. This sense that a great injustice committed against a people in one part of the world is somehow an injustice committed against all humanity itself can be seen at work in the British courts. Philippe Sands, a British professor of law at University College, London reckons that the arrest of General Pinochet in London in October 1998 was a milestone in the general public’s interest in international law. You may remember the details. Pinochet was arrested while recuperating after back surgery in a private London clinic. His arrest followed a request from a Spanish criminal prosecutor for Pinochet’s extradition to Spain to face criminal charges for violating international laws when he was president of Chile. Consideration of the extradition request took a long time. The most difficult issue was whether Pinochet enjoyed immunity from prosecution for actions carried out as head of state, a position originally upheld in the High Court. But the House of Lords overturned that view and ruled that a head of state could not claim immunity from the jurisdiction of the courts of another country to avoid facing charges that he had committed the international crime of torture. In the end, as we know, Pinochet was deemed too unwell to face trial and so was not extradited to Spain but returned in ignominy to Chile. But the aftershocks of the House of Lords’ decision reverberated around the world. A further landmark case occurred in Britain, seven years later, in July 2005 when a court found an Afghan war lord, Faryadi Zardad, guilty of heinous crimes of torture and hostage taking, while carrying out a reign of terror at checkpoints on Afghan roads between 1991 and 1996. It was the first time a foreign national had been convicted in a British court for crimes committed abroad and where neither defendant nor witnesses were British subjects. So international law is not standing still. The political and social sense of a common humanity is beginning to be reflected in our courts. I welcome the fact that judgements like these make it less easy for serious criminals, however important, to find safe havens. The British courts are strengthening the sense that one day people who commit really foul crimes, whatever nationality they and their victims are, will be held accountable for them somewhere. Within my country I regard it as my business if a stranger is attacked or hurt. One has a natural empathy for one’s fellow countrymen. But I also want to live somewhere safe, somewhere where the rule of law is enforced, where criminals are punished according to the law and where society looks after the victims of crime and the most vulnerable. If I feel like that about my country, why shouldn’t I have similar feelings about my world? I don’t want to live in a world where fragile states or oppressive governments abuse human rights and get away with it. This is partly because I feel a natural empathy for my fellow human beings, wherever they may be. And partly because the world will be a safer place for me and those I love if the rule of law obtains throughout and if criminals do not enjoy impunity. Those who argue for the inviolability of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a country are swimming against the tide of history. In the last 50 years, states have voluntarily bound themselves together in a net of international treaties and conventions covering even the most sensitive internal issues, such as human rights. Treaties are agreements made between States: and human rights treaties are like any others in this respect. A State’s obligations under human rights treaties are owed not only to the individuals present in the State’s territory but also to all other States Parties to those treaties. As both the UK and Sri Lanka, for example, are party to all six of the core UN human rights treaties, in the hypothetical case that either the UK or Sri Lanka failed to comply with any of the provisions of those treaties, it would be in breach of obligations owed to the other country (and to the other States Parties to the treaties concerned). Sri Lanka or the UK would then be well within its rights, according to the Vienna Convention, to take action to defend its interests in seeing those human rights standards upheld in the other country. So the sense of human rights being a common interest in a global society is underpinned by international law. And if it is a mistake to view something as sensitive as human rights as a purely internal matter, there can be few subjects that from now on should be regarded as beyond the general interest and purview of our global society. Sir Harold Nicholson described how diplomatic method had changed from the time of the ancient Greeks until the 1950s. But the international institutions set up after the Second World War for 50 or so countries in what became a bipolar world during the Cold War are not suitable for an interdependent world of over 200 states where flows of commerce, people, information and ideas defy borders. We have to refresh these institutions so that they can play the role that public opinion in our global society demands of them. In particular, we have to find a way to make the UN more effective at dealing with fragile states. Some people argue we need to develop a doctrine of liberal interventionism. Some of our philosophical problems with the concept of liberal interventionism start with our unspoken commitment to the ideas that grew out of the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia which helped create the idea of non-intervention in the affairs of other states. But the modern world is very different from 17th Europe. As I have argued, we are now so interdependent that we cannot continue with the idea of absolute sovereignty. The problem we face now is how we translate our legitimate concern for fellow human beings in other countries into action that is proportionate, generally acceptable to our global society and effective. Obviously, one doesn’t want a situation where one or two powerful countries act in the name of the international community in an arbitrary way. Nor should liberal intervention be thought to mean military action every time or even most times. There are many non-military interventions that a country can make-from arguing and persuading, to economic and political sanctions. I am not arguing for a return to the raw power days of international affairs when the mighty decided what was right. But nor will well-informed and empowered public opinion be content for us to sit on our hands if action is blocked at the United Nations, as it can be under the present system. The excuse that the fate of other people who are facing genocide or humanitarian catastrophe is not our business will not run. UN reform will be central to solving this conundrum. The debate at the UN has begun. At its 60th anniversary world summit, in September 2005, over 150 heads of state embraced the concept of “The responsibility to protect” or R2P for short. The idea of the responsibility to protect emerged from work carried out by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. The authors argued that sovereignty needed to be reassessed in light of today’s greater sense of the commonality of humankind. Sovereignty should be firstly about responsibility rather than power. In the report’s own words: “The starting point is that any state has primary responsibility to protect individuals within it. But that is not the finishing point: where the state fails in that responsibility, through either incapacity or ill will, a secondary responsibility to protect falls on the wider international community.” One task of the new diplomacy is to find a way to give effect to the exercise of this secondary responsibility, R2P, that is generally acceptable to all those states who assented to the concept at the world summit. This year, the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain, is an apt moment to think about such concepts as the doctrine of liberal intervention or the responsibility to protect. Because, as the British peer, Lord Solely, pointed out, in a speech at Chatham House this June, British action to disrupt the international slave trade was not only one of the first liberal interventions, but also entirely illegal. In international law at the time, the slave trade was legal. It was illegal to interfere with the ships of other nations on the high seas other than in the cases of war or piracy. However, the British Parliament judged that morality should be allowed to take precedence over international law. And history has been on Britain’s side. Who now regrets the position Britain took? Who does not support those illegal actions designed to end the slave trade. And whose side would modern lawyers have been on? Ladies and Gentlemen, In case any reassurance is needed, let me say immediately that the international community has no plans to intervene in Sri Lanka to exercise the responsibility to protect. The government here is quite capable of carrying out that responsibility for itself. But, as I am shortly to leave this country, on completion of my mission, I would like to finish this speech with some thoughts on the current situation in Sri Lanka. I do so from the perspective of someone who has been intensely involved in Sri Lankan affairs for the past 20 months, drawing on an experience of politics and diplomacy going back 25 years. In the relatively short time I’ve lived in Sri Lanka, I’ve learned that making predictions about the future is a mug’s game. There is always a surprise around the corner. Each week seems to be absolutely critical to the future of the country. And yet issues that seemed so important last week are quickly forgotten as people and politicians get caught up in this week’s crisis. But paradoxically, despite all the political fireworks and scandals and controversy and crises, little seems to change. For a number of weeks and months, Sri Lankan politics have been caught up in the vortex of the budget debate. The survival of the government has been at stake. That has neither helped keep tempers cool, nor public statements rational. There has been a lot of playing to the nationalist public gallery. I hope that, once the budget is out of the way, public discourse will become rather calmer. After the budget, there should be a largish window of opportunity for sensible discussion and for the government to take some progressive steps. The budget debate could be equally fraught next year or it could be a calmer affair as in 2006. We’ll have to wait and see. But there are no elections due until the Provincial Council elections in the autumn of 2009. With the possible exception of next year’s budget, that suggests a period of 18 months’ relative stability. The international community will expect the government to make the most of it. How will we detect if things are calming down? Well, here are a few indicators. We should see fewer attempts to demonise UN agencies, NGOs and their staff on the basis of wholly unsubstantiated allegations. For example, the government should make clear it does not support the JVP’s campaign against UNICEF. Similarly there should be no further equating support for human rights and the rule of law with support for the LTTE. This is a particularly ironic position, in any case, as the LTTE show no understanding of human rights norms and they rule by fear and terror. Being critical of the government’s record on human rights does not mean you support the LTTE. For the record, let me say again, the British government, which outlawed the LTTE in 2001, unreservedly condemns the LTTE’s terrorist activities. It would also be good to see greater recognition that there is no contradiction in being a peace campaigner and a patriotic Sri Lankan. In fact, there are plenty of ways of being a patriotic Sri Lankan and being a peace campaigner is one of them. If this calmer and more rational atmosphere is achieved, it should be possible for the parliamentary committee, the APRC, to produce its final report on devolution. We would then look forward to the President’s endorsement of his vision of the country’s future, presumably based on the APRC’s work. The APRC’s work, under Professor Tissa Vitharana’s leadership, for which I have the greatest respect, has been slow and drawn out. But although progress has seemed glacial, the time has not been wasted. The APRC process has moved thinking on devolution along. In the end, of course, what matters is what the President is prepared to endorse. After all, he has got to sell any new arrangements to the South. And, just as importantly, for the proposal to be credible, he has to ensure that it appeals to moderate Tamil opinion. I say moderate Tamil opinion because I don’t believe the aim of the government’s devolution offer should be to put something on the table that will engage the attention of the LTTE. Prabhakaran, the LTTE leader, dismissed the idea of negotiations with the government in his 2006 Heroes’ Day speech when he said the LTTE was “not prepared to place (its) trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path”. In the present circumstances, I see little prospect of the LTTE responding to anything from the government that did not offer them separation. It would be nice to be proved wrong on that but I don’t expect to be. I have serious doubts as to whether the LTTE leadership would be sincere about reaching a negotiated settlement that reinforces democratic values within a united Sri Lanka. They have never accepted that anyone else should be able to speak for the Tamil people, a fundamentally anti-democratic position. But unless and until they embrace democratic, non-violent methods, they will exclude themselves from any future peace process. This year, Prabhakaran’s Heroes’ Day speech was critical of the international community for not putting more pressure on the government over its share of responsibility for the suffering of the Tamil people in the conflict. It is not a baseless charge. But Prabhakaran conveniently ignored the international community’s wish to see movement from the LTTE on the key issues of democratisation and the pursuit of political goals through non-violent means. Let me be clear. I am not saying that the political aspiration for Eelam is illegitimate, any more than I would argue that the Scottish National Party’s goal of an independent Scotland is illegitimate. Similarly, I see nothing illegitimate in some crackpot demanding that Yorkshire or some other English county should become an independent state. What is crucial, however, is what methods are used by the SNP or the LTTE to achieve their goals. And the LTTE’s methods are simply unacceptable. It follows from the fact that I believe the government offer on devolution should be addressed to moderate Tamils that I don’t believe that a future peace process should be based on talks exclusively between the government and the LTTE. Obviously, such bilateral talks are probably necessary to arrange a cease-fire. But the political process needs to be more inclusive and also more demanding of the participants. In Northern Ireland, the peace process included all political parties and some other groups who had a legitimate interest in the future of the province and who could establish that they represented a significant group of Northern Irish people. I think there were ten such groups in all and their representatives were elected to the peace negotiations. But, in order to get through the door into the peace talks, all the groups had to commit themselves to democratic standards and to the non-use of violence to pursue their political goals. So I think the international community’s focus, after the budget, will be on encouraging the government to come forward with an imaginative proposal on devolution that is capable of meeting the aspirations of moderate, democratic Tamils and Muslims. The government acknowledges that it cannot win by military means alone. The international community would like to see that acknowledgement backed up with a political vision of how Sri Lanka can be reunited and its different communities reconciled with each other. A word of caution is necessary. Realistically, constitutional change is not going to happen quickly. It would require a two-thirds majority in Parliament plus a positive referendum result to pass the law to bring in new devolution arrangements. The usual suspects will oppose them. As Dudley Senanayake found, those Sinhalese forces opposed to devolution and power-sharing with the minorities are powerful. The only time that constitutional change was adopted to address the country’s internal question was the 13th amendment. Then President JR Jayawardene had total dominance in parliament, the resignation letters of his MPs in his pocket and the Indian army on the point of taking unilateral action. That conjunction of circumstances is unlikely to recur soon. But even if constitutional change seems a long way off, it will still be important for the President to set out his vision. Meanwhile, there are plenty of steps the government can take to establish its bona fides, within the existing constitution, by addressing the grievances of the minorities. It could make more use of the Tamil language in the public administration in areas where there are significant Tamil-speaking populations. I see that the government has taken significant steps to teach Tamil to Sinhala speaking civil servants. More can be done. It can make the East a model of development that benefits all communities without discrimination. This is a big challenge but it is essential that government should achieve this if it is to win the hearts and minds of the minorities. Unless it does, the conflict will never end. As an interim step, the government should explore how to implement the 13th amendment in a way that gives real power to the provincial councils in the North and East of the country, as well as in other provinces. The government should make clear its determination to uphold the rule of law and protect human rights by taking public steps to bring to justice those who violate human rights, particularly on behalf of the state. Institutional racism. In 1999, a report into the murder of a black teenager in London accused the Metropolitan Police of “institutional racism”. This was defined as “the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin”, which “can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, and racist stereotyping which disadvantages minority ethnic people.” To their credit, the Met Police acknowledged the problem and have since put a huge effort into eliminating racism within the service. It seems to me that in Sri Lanka the agencies of the state, including the police, need similarly to take a step back and make an honest assessment of whether they are institutionally prejudiced and what steps they need to take in order to ensure that they treat all Sri Lankans equally fairly. The government needs to think how to develop policy on the internal conflict in a bipartisan manner. We would not have brought peace to Northern Ireland had the government and opposition of the day, whichever parties they were, tried to score party political points on Northern Ireland. Unless there is a bipartisan approach in the south between the two main parties, peace efforts are very unlikely to succeed. Let me say a word or two about the conflict. The sooner it ends, the better. The conflict causes too much direct suffering-to the combatants and to the civilians. And over time, it erodes the quality and standards of public life and undermines good governance, as well as holding back development and economic growth. But the government has the right to take steps to defend itself against the threat posed by the LTTE. It is not realistic to expect that an organisation like the LTTE could co-exist peacefully alongside or within a democratic society. That situation is inherently unstable. The LTTE has to change its ways. Given the lack of trust on both sides, sadly the prospect is for the conflict to continue. In those circumstances, we expect to see the distinction between combatants and non-combatants upheld as well as other international humanitarian law and human rights law. If there has to be a fight, and given the LTTE’s attitude to democracy and peace negotiations it is hard to see how one is avoidable, then it should be fought in a manner that minimises the suffering of civilians. I cannot tell whether the government armed forces are capable of defeating the LTTE on the battlefield. But Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland and plenty of other conflicts tell us that winning the peace is more difficult than winning the war. Without resolving the underlying issues, even if the LTTE are badly beaten in the Wanni, the conflict will continue in a different guise. The social and political issues, which caused the alienation of so many Tamils in the first place, cannot be left unresolved if there is to be a lasting peace. Ladies and Gentlemen, The British government would like to continue to help the Sri Lankan government find the way forward to peace and development. We shall continue to take steps against the LTTE in the UK, to prevent public demonstrations of support for the LTTE and to disrupt fund-raising. We shall encourage all parties to look at what worked in Northern Ireland’s peace process. We believe there are lessons that apply in Sri Lanka, though we don’t expect the experience of Northern Ireland to be translatable in total. We shall encourage the government to come forward with a suitable proposal on devolution and to that end share our experience of devolution in Britain with people here. We shall promote the safeguarding of human rights and the rule of law as key elements to finding a solution, not as problems to be by-passed. We shall encourage the government to work with international bodies, such as UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and in the UN Human Rights Council, in a constructive, not a combative, way. We shall continue to fund our modest peace-building strategy projects in cooperation with the Sri Lankan authorities to help address the underlying causes of the conflict. We shall work with our partners in the international community to maintain our constructive engagement with Sri Lanka, despite all the frustrations. It is important that the EU and the Commonwealth should have sensible policies towards Sri Lanka. Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot be certain what Dudley Senanayake would think of the challenges inherent in the new diplomacy. I expect he would be keen to see any new doctrine was founded on liberal principles of good government, human rights and humanitarian concern. But I think he would welcome the networks and contacts that are bringing people together across the world. He would also, I judge, see the potential for those networks to do good: to spread the truth, to empower ordinary people and to create a sense of our common humanity in place of division and difference. For those of us who are forging this brave new world, we could do a lot worse than remind ourselves of Dudley Senanayake’s life, his principles, integrity and values. Whatever shape the future world order takes, humankind will still need men and women faithful to those qualities. Thank you very much. Sri Lanka's Tamil party for political solution to ethnic issue 'Release' Tamil detainees 361 Tamil detainees Another 102 suspects, the report said, are remanded in custody by the judiciary.A lawyer representing the petitioner, Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), informed the courts that the suspects are required to pay lump sums when they are released on bail. He requested the courts to release them on lenient bail conditions, as many suspects are still in custody as they could not afford the bail money. CJ Sarath Silva said he would order the relevant magistrates courts to release them on more lenient bail conditions. 'Operation carpet arrest' Nearly one thousand Tamils were arrested in cordon operations in Colombo by the security forces after two bomb blasts in the capital. At least 20 were killed and many more injured in the suspected Tamil Tiger bomb blasts.International and Sri Lankan human rights groups condemned the government action to arbitrary arrest ethnic Tamils after the attacks. Leader of the Western Peoples Front, Mano Ganeshan, MP, described the operation as 'operation carpet arrest'. Lanka seeks access to top LTTE agent in Indian custody Although India has overlooked previous requests for access to LTTE operatives in her custody on, what a senior official called, domestic political reasons, Sri Lanka is confident that a chance to question Jayakumar (34) alias Gowrishankar, a senior Sea Tiger in Indian custody wouldn’t be denied.Jayakumar, believed to be one of the highest ranking LTTE operatives arrested in India after the Norwegian-arranged CFA came into operation in February, 2002, is widely believed to be a central figure in the LTTE arms procurement ring. Under interrogation, he has revealed the financial support received from the UK based LTTE organisations in support of the operations in Sri Lanka. A resident of Valvettiturai, Jayakumar is believed to have joined Sea Tigers in 1995 and has some close relatives living at Thanjavur.India didn’t allow SLN to question three LTTE operatives arrested along with two Indians on February 13, this year and six others, believed to be a special squad deployed for arms smuggling operations arrested by her Coast Guard on April 11. Although India signalled that it could arrange two Sri Lankan intelligence personnel to meet investigators who interrogated the suspects, it never materialised. India also blew up the vessel seized in February, 27 nautical miles South West of point Calimere claiming that it carried about 2,000kgs of high explosives and posed a danger to Chennai port. Eyebrows were raised when a section of the Indian officialdom claimed that the explosives laden boat was on a suicide mission on Kankesanturai port.The Island learns that Sri Lanka has sought access to Jayakumar shortly after Indian Police revealed the arrest on Sunday. Interrogation of the suspect taken at the parking lot of Chennai International Airport terminal on Saturday night revealed that he had received funds from a London based LTTE operative identified as Karuppiah to procure a large trawler. Investigators have recovered the boat at Mallipattinam in the coastal Thanjavur district. Jayakumar had entered India last March illegally. An Indian identified as Ravikumar (42) and another LTTE operative James (46) alias Raja have been arrested along with Jayakumar. The arrest was made as James was about to confirm his air ticket to return to Colombo. James, a resident of Mannar had travelled to India thrice this year on valid travel documents. Authoritative sources revealed that he had procured computer spare parts, swimming accessories (goggles and pads) and GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and had hidden them among a beedi consignment and smuggled it to the Vanni. The sources said that James had Indian Rs 478,290 to procure another trawler. The money has been confiscated. Chennai City Q Branch also recovered Sri Lankan Rs 4,140 and four cellular phones. He had last visited India in October.An authoritative security official said that they haven’t come across a case in which an LTTE operative had acknowledged receiving money from a supporter based in the UK in support of procurement. He expressed the belief that India would give Sri Lankan intelligence services an opportunity to interrogate Jayakumar who had direct access to a top level UK based contact. At least a section of the officialdom believes that the Central Government is sincere in its attempts to curb LTTE activity, particularly in Tamil Nadu.The SLN attributed the attempt to purchase Indian boats to a severe shortage of large craft available for smuggling of urgently needed arms, ammunition and equipment to the Vanni and also to avoid further trouble in Tamil Nadu by seizing Indian vessel as in the case of Sri Krishna and at least three other trawlers sunk by the SLN while being commandeered by the LTTE. The Maldivian Coast Guard rescued the Indian Captain of Sri Krishna commandeered by the LTTE while the SLN, too, rescued an Indian late last year.The SLAF has successfully targeted LTTE boat building facilities in the Vanni over the past two years. No infiltration of terrorists in TN: army officer Naxalite activities have been reported in Tamil Nadu but the state was free of infiltration of terrorist groups, a top Army official has said.“There is no infiltration of terrorists in Tamil Nadu,” Commander of Southern Army Command, Lieutenant General Nobel Thamburaj said here last evening apparently referring to reports about movement of LTTE cadres and a recent e-mail threatening of bomb explosions in some areas of the state.Talking to reporters here, he, however, said there was “movement” of Naxalites in the state. “State police is keeping a strict vigil and conducting combing operations in sensitive areas, particularly border areas of the state like Vellore,” he said.His comments come even as a prominent Andhra Pradesh-based Maoist leader Pandurangan Reddy and his wife were arrested last week in Chennai.Referring to incidents of firing on Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy personnel, he advised the fishermen not to cross into Sri Lankan waters while fishing. This would help them avoid coming under firing, Mr Thamburaj, a native of Ksasam village near Katpadi here, said.The Lt Gen, on maiden visit to his native place after assuming charge as the Commander of the Southern Army Command, said he would take steps to set up a sainik school here.Noting that Vellore District had been sending a number of people to the Army, he said it was high time sainik school was set up for the benefit of children of ex-servicemen and those in service.Earlier, Mr Thamburaj arrived here accompanied by his wife, Ms Anitha by an IAF helicopter from Coimbatore. Crowds at Batti stadium for demo against LTTE The TMVP strongly denied claims of having forced civilians to participate in a demonstration in Batticaloa yesterday where thousands turned up to protest the atrocities committed by the LTTE and demand the withdrawal of the TNA from the east.More than 10,000 people, transported in more than 40 state buses from various places turned up for the protest march which concluded at the Weber Stadium amid heavy police and STF presence while TMVP provided security to media personnel from Colombo.Speaking at the rally TMVP political head Pradeep Master said the people in the east were happy with the policies of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government and would fully support the President. “This is a good opportunity to chase the LTTE from the East. If the people in the North support the government then the LTTE can be wiped out completely. The TMVP is a political outfit and does not need weapons. We will get rid of our weapons once we feel our security is guaranteed,” Pradeep Master told the Daily Mirror and added that the TMVP hoped to enter mainstream politics soon.Representatives of civil groups, the chief incumbent of a Buddhist Temple in Batticaloa and others also spoke or attended the event at the Weber stadium which was decorated with the national flag although the TMVP flag was not seen in the vicinity.A petition was also handed over to the Batticaloa AGA K. Mahesan to be forwarded to the President.The demonstration was not without controversy after reports that some of the families being forced to take part. Sources from the outskirts of Batticaloa said armed TMVP cadres were seen loading civilians into buses last morning to transport them for the demonstration.The LTTE peace secretariat claimed that more than 300 young men and women including children were rounded up and abducted by the TMVP on Sunday night and ordered to take part in the march or face consequences. Pradeep Master however insisted that no one was forced to take part in the demonstration and that none of the TMVP cadres were armed.But TMVP cadres providing security to media personnel were seen with pistols hidden under their shirts. Children abducted to force parents participate in paramilitary march More than 300 young men and women including children were rounded up and abducted by paramilitary group in Batticaloa town and its suburbs on Sunday night. Having abducted the young people the paramilitary group ordered their parents to attend a march against the LTTE organized by the paramilitary group. The parents were warned to be present at the Batticaloa Weber Stadium today morning at 10.00am or else their children will be shot dead.The abductions and the following warning to the parents follows when the Tamil people of Batticaloa town and suburbs paid no attention to a call by the same paramilitary group for a march against the LTTE. American Tamils observe Tamils Memorial Day Several hundred expatriate American Tamils from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut attended the Tamils Memorial Day was held in Edison, New Jersey on Sunday December 9th to pay tribute to those Tamils who gave their lives in the struggle for Tamils national self determination. Attendees observed a minute’s silence and filed past two memorials set up as monuments to place flower petals as a mark of respect for those who gave their lives. Later they watched traditional dances and other cultural events staged by young performers in the American Tamil Diaspora. “We are neither terrorists nor separatists, we are only fighting back to regain our lost freedom” said Mr. S. Nagarajah, Attorney at Law and former mayor of Jaffna who now a resides in New Jersey in the welcoming speech. Tamils have the right to reclaim freedom for their traditional homeland and restore the sovereignty that was lost to the foreign invaders which must be restored, he added.Highlighting the historical aspects of the non violent nature of the Tamil struggle for self determination and recalling how state violence is being unleashed upon them amidst inaction by international community, he said the “Tamils now have no other choice than accepting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as their sole representatives to regain the lost freedom.”He emphasized that the events marking the Tamils Great Heroes’ Day in November are similar in importance to that of the Veterans Day or Remembrance Day observed by countries such as United States, Canada and England.Dr. Mani Vannan, Ph.D, President of Ilankai Tamil Sangam, introduced the Guest speaker Dr. Ellyn Shander to the audience. Dr. Shander, is an American physician who went to Sri Lanka and volunteered services in the North, 6 weeks after the tsunami. “I fell in love with the people for their love, courage; they invited me in to their homes and shared their grief, I left a piece of my heart when I returned,” she said.Dr. Ellyn Shander dedicated her speech to all of those who have died for peace and dignity for all people in Sri Lanka. She added that, “the Tamils are being bombed, abducted and starved and I will not stop fighting for peace and justice for them.”Dr. Shander drew attention to the current plight of the Tamil children and women who are lacking nutrition and health-medical facilities and facing the threat of starvation due to Sri Lankan government sanctions. She expressed fears that the medical repercussions will be felt for generations. Addressing the international community, humanitarian and media organizations in her speech seeking their attention, she queried, “I ask the governments of the civilized world, What is this madness?” Dr. Shander brought to their attention that only the government in Darfur, the former government of Saddam Hussein, the government of Burma and government of Sri Lanka are those who kill their own citizens and civilians. Closing of schools and denial of continuing higher studies for medical students and others, creating high security zones amidst deep fishing and farming areas and destroying an entire generation of people all amount to a cultural genocide of Tamils she said. The collective trauma being inflicted on the Tamil people is much like that of what was done to the Tibetans by the Chinese authorities, Dr. Shander added.She said the denial of self determination for Tamils is a violation of human rights. Posing a question for the Sri Lankan government she asked, “If you don’t want to treat the Tamils equally, then what is wrong with the two state solution? Two states in Peace, is better than one state in war.” The LTTE' s International Legal Advisor, Mr. Viswanathan Rudrakumaran speaking at the Tamils Memorial day said that lack of consensus in the South is the obstruction to the solution to the Tamils struggle. The Tamils eagerly anticipated that the engagement of the international community will bring about a just solution through the peace process. But just as the LTTE leader said in his Great Heroes' day speech, the international community has been hoodwinked throughout the peace process and peace talks by the Sri Lankan southern political parties, Mr. Rudrakumaran said. Award winning Norwegian Documentary "My Daughter, the Terrorist" featuring two young female elite LTTE soldiers was also screened at the New Jersey Tamils Memorial Day.Tamils Memorial Day events were held in US also in Los Angeles, California, Colombus, Ohio and, Queens, NY and Florida also in the recent days. Get ready for polls, says JVP The JVP yesterday called on the people and the working class in particular to be prepared for a general election by next April to replace the Mahinda Rajapaksa government which he claimed was one of the most corrupt and inefficient administrations in the country’s history.Delivering the keynote address of the 10th annual convention of the ‘Lanka Postal Services Union’ (LPSU) at Pradeepa Hall in Maligawatte, JVP trade union leader and Parliamentarian K.D. Lalkantha charged the Rajapaksa government was using the war to cover up its inefficiency, corruption, mismanagement and oppressive policies.“The entire political hierarchy and the top officialdom are infested with corruption and mismanagement. The government does not make an attempt to contain them. As revealed by the COPE report billions of rupees have been lost due to financial irregularities at 26 semi government establishments. The government did little against the politicians or the high officials who had been accused by the COPE report for misappropriations,” Mr. Lalkantha alleged. “The country must find a clean, true and trustworthy political leader to handover the country after the next general election,” Mr. Lalkantha said.“The government asks not to launch strikes or any other trade union actions to win demands of the working class as the government is engaged in a war against the LTTE. The corruption, financial mismanagement, inefficiency have been institutionalized under Rajapaksa administration. The main topic in the country is corruption and inefficiency but nobody could stop it or prevent it,” he said. I Commenting on the high cost of living and the escalation of essential commodities, Mr. Lalkantha said the government was preaching a new concept to subdue the anger of the public on ever escalating prices.“In the past prices of goods rose only by a few rupees and remained in that level. Today the prices of goods are rising without a stop. According to the new economic theory of the government it is good for the coconut mudalali when coconut prices are going up. It is good for tea small holder and fisherman when tea prices and fish prices are escalating,” he said. What about the six million employees in the state and private sector who draw a fixed salary every month? Their purchasing power is decreasing daily, Mr Lalkantha said.“The demand for a pay increase of Rs 5000 must be intensified in a more concerted manner after the final budget vote on December 14,” Mr. Lal;kantha said.Commenting on the third reading of the budget he predicted that the government would win the vote after giving into more and more demands of collation party leaders.“The government cannot continue to survive on the military victories alone. There will be a day when the masses take to the street against the government soon,” he said.He also said opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was not in a position to form a government if President Rajapaksa invited him to form a government if the budget was defeated on December 14, largely because the JVP would not extend its support.LPSU General Secretary Rohana Fernando and V. Vivekanandan also addressed the gathering 10 December 2007 MR to Japan with 70-strong delegation President Mahinda Rajapaksa left on a State visit to Japan Saturday with a 70 strong official delegation that included dancers and musicians who will take part in welcoming ceremonies for the President. Also accompanying him were around 60 members of a business delegation who were paying their own way.According to authoritative sources, the “official” number of the President’s delegation is around 50. However, there were also around 20 dancers and musicians who will participate in welcoming ceremonies. It is learnt that organising the visit had been a nightmare because different offices of the Government had been claiming different numbers, names and even dates. There was reportedly a lack of coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Secretariat. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama reportedly insisted on taking his “personal assistants” - wife and son - on the Japan visit. Dakshitha Bogollagama was also taken to New Delhi last week, where his father attended the SAARC Council of Ministers Meeting. He even issued press releases on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, strengthening speculation in diplomatic circles that Minister Bogollagama will sneak him into the diplomatic corps as a political appointee. Meanwhile, in response to an inquiry the Foreign Ministry revealed last week that Bogollagama has so far exceeded his 2007 travel budget by more than Rs 10 million. The estimate for 20077 was Rs 31,200,000 but Rs 41,568,000 had been spent by November 30. By contrast, only Rs 28,739,549 had been expended in 2006 (when Mangala Samaraweera was Foreign Minister). Bogollagama’s travel budget for 2008 has been increased to more than Rs 41 million. Responding to another question, Acting Secretary of the Foreign Minister T B Maduwegedara said Bogollagama has so far paid all expenses of family members that accompanied him during overseas visits. However, he refused to allow access to the bills in order to confirm the fact - despite Bogollagama having instructed him to let us see them. During an interview on November 30, Bogollagama said his family (who frequently accompany him on visits) met their expenses from personal funds. Asked - in Maduwegedara’s presence - whether we could see the bills, he said: “Yes, you can. Go and see anytime.” Chennai Police arrest Sea Tiger, two others An LTTE Sea Tiger and two others who had attempted to procure a boat for the outfit, have been arrested by the police in Chennai. Police also seized Indian and Sri Lankan currency worth Rs 478,000 from them. A boat, kept ready at coastal Mallipattinam in Thanjavur district to be sent to the LTTE, has also been seized, the Q branch of Chennai Police said yesterday. The Tiger cadre was identified as Jayakumar (34) of Velvettithurai, Jaffna and his accomplices as James alias Raja (46) from Chinnakadai, Mannar and Ravikumar (42) a resident of Subbarayan Nagar, Choolaimedu, Tamil Nadu. The trio were spotted at the parking lot of Anna International airport terminal on Saturday night. When questioned on suspicion, Jayakumar, belonging to the naval wing of the LTTE, confessed that he had come to India clandestinely by a boat in February this year. On the instruction of LTTE ‘naval wing’ leader Susai, he had stayed in Thanjavur in March and had received Rs 480,000 from another LTTE man, Karuppaiah, residing in London. With the money, he had procured a boat and handed it over to James to be sent to the LTTE. James, belonging to Mannar area in the island nation, had visited India thrice this year using his passport. His last visit was in October last. He had earlier procured computer spare parts, swimming gear and GPS equipment and smuggled them to LTTE-controlled areas in Sri Lanka, along with beedi packs. The third person, Ravikumar, was said to have assisted James in procuring material for the LTTE. Besides Indian and Sri Lankan currency, two cellphones were also seized from the arrested. Did suicide bomber visit private hospital? Intelligence Unit findings reveal that the Tiger suicide bomber prior to the failed attempt on the life of Minister Douglas Devananda is alleged to have met another person at a private hospital in Narahenpita (Colombo). Going by the information available to the unit, the investigators inspected the security video tapes installed at various locations of the hospital, but had not come across any scene exposing the visitors’ parlour where the LTTE suicide bomber was suspected to have met the other person. The video tape covered every nook and corner of the hospital but not the part from the entrance to the visitors’ parlour. Since the area around this particular hospital is well-known for LTTE cadres frequenting investigators are continuing to look out for footage of the alleged meeting Ranil gives copies of proposals to JVP MPs The UNP circulated copies of its proposed sweeping constitutional reforms for good governance, among the JVP members in the Parliament lobby last week.UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe gave copies of the discussion paper on the proposed reforms to JVP MPs Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Wasantha Samarasinghe and a few others, when he encountered them in the lobby.Mr. Wickremesinghe said that, at this point, the proposals were for discussion among those concerned, and requested the JVP MPs to come up with their views on them.The UNP leadership, at a function held last week, proposed these reforms, which aim at curtailing the power of the Executive President while strengthening the parliamentary system. Mr. Wickremesinghe also pointed out, in his proposals, that the presidential staff should be made answerable to Parliament.Asked to comment on the matter, UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella said that they were ready to discuss these proposed reforms with all political parties in the future.Mr. Kiriella said that they were also willing to accept positive amendments made by anyone concerned. Has Hindraf got links with LTTE? Malaysian police have begun investigations to find out if the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) that is demanding equality and fair treatment for minority Indians living in Malaysia, the largest percentage of whom comprises Tamils, has links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, reports from Malaysia said. “I am very much pained at the way in which Tamils in Kuala Lumpur were treated by the police of the Malaysian government on Sunday.It is learnt that Tamils organised a protest rally in Kuala Lumpur against the marginalization of the ethnic Indian minority in Malaysia. “You are aware that Tamils constitute the largest percentage among the Indian minority in Malaysia” Tamilnadu chief Minister Karunanidhi said in a letter to Indian Premier, Manmohan Singh. In a harsh response, one of the Malaysian ministers told Karunanidhi to “mind his own business”. “This is Malaysia, not Tamil Nadu,” Malaysia’s de-facto justice minister Nazri Aziz was reported to have said. “This has got nothing to do with him ... lay off.” In the meantime, the founder leader of Hindraf P.Waythamoorthi who visited Tamil Nadu recently to muster support for their efforts from the politicos there told an Indian newspaper that Malaysia would become another Sri Lanka. 09 December 2007 Police powers for NE interim councils President Mahinda Rajapaksa is likely to announce the full implementation of the provisions on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution shortly.Highly placed sources told The Nation that the President is poised to do this before the scheduled visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Singh is expected to attend Sri Lanka’s diamond jubilee of independence on February 4 next year as chief guest. An invitation has already been extended to him in this connection.The Nation reliably learns that Premier Singh will not undertake to visit Sri Lanka for the forthcoming diamond jubilee, unless the government announces a political package to resolve the ethnic conflict. Informed sources said that Sri Lanka was now ready to obtain Indian endorsement for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was introduced under the stewardship of former President J.R. Jayewardene, and under which the provincial council system was introduced in Sri Lanka.However, successive governments failed to implement the provisions of the 13th Amendment fully, enabling the provinces to administer their areas as separate entities.The government is now planning to devolve the areas of law and order to the two provinces, which has hitherto been under the control of the central government. Under the proposed scheme, President Rajapaksa will immediately Gazette the setting up of the interim councils for the North and East Provinces.The Northern Council will be headed by seasoned former Parliamentarian V. Anandasangaree, while Minister Douglas Devananda will play a pivotal role in the Northern Council. Though there is no person nominated to the Eastern Council so far, it is likely that a top Tamil politician will be appointed to the top post, while Sinhala and Muslim personnel will handle the second tier of the council.It is also learnt that Pillayan will play a dominant role in the Eastern Council, since 2008 is most likely to be an election year. It is learnt that Pillayan will play a more effective political role to eclipse Tamil members of Parliament in the Eastern Province who have been identified as proxies of the LTTE. Lanka rejects UN monitors again The government yesterday rejected fresh calls by the United Nations and leading human rights organisations to set up UN field operations with a strong mandate to monitor the human rights situation. The call came ahead of the sixth sessions of the Human Rights Council in Geneva next week and coincides with Human Rights Day tomorrow.UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour made the appeal along with the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the London-based Amnesty International (AI). However, Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe reiterated yesterday the government rejected the establishment of such mechanisms and the position would be conveyed to the human rights groups.“The government has its own mechanism to monitor human rights violations and there is no need for UN monitoring teams,” Mr. Samaraisnghe said. The HRW and the AI made the demand for the establishment of the UN monitoring mechanism on Friday in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa while Ms. Arbour called for the establishment of such mechanism in a letter to Mr. Samarasinghe.Mr. Samarasinghe in a response to Ms. Arbour ruled out the setting up of such mechanisam and instead asked her to support the national structure to deal with the situation.“The Government does not perceive the necessity for a ‘fully-fledged presence of OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) in the country at present,” Mr. Samarasinghe said in his letter.“We would accordingly welcome action on your part to strengthen the senior Human Rights Advisor’s (SHRA) advisory capacity to enable SHRA to advise and assist the national reporting structures to ensure credible, reliable and objective reporting that you have stressed as essential,” he added.Mr. Samarasinghe’s office did not release the letter sent by Ms. Arbuor, but said “other matters you refer” to in relation to the Human Rights Commission were being looked into by the Government. Nandana to form JVP breakaway party A new JVP faction is currently in the making under the leadership of former JVP presidential candidate and senior party member Nandana Gunathilleke.It is now learnt that this new JVP faction would be formed under Gunathilleke after the vote on the third reading of the budget on December 14. Formation of the new party is expected to take place as soon as December 15.Gunathilleke was removed from the party several months ago due to an internal conflict. However, he remained as a parliamentarian without resigning due to requests made by President Mahinda Rajapakse and brother Basil Rajapakse.The Rajapakse brothers after recognising Gunathilleke's potential to form a new political front, an alternative to the JVP, requested him to remain in politics in order to give the necessary leadership to the new JVP faction.The decision to promote another party from within the JVP follows the party's decision to vote against the budget.Informed sources said the controversy surrounding the JVP's decision to vote against the budget pushed Basil Rajapakse to call Gunathilleke for several discussions, where it was finally decided to launch a new JVP under Gunathilleke's leadership following the budget vote on December 14.The first step in the campaign is for Gunathilleke to vote in favour of the budget on December 14.Meanwhile, it is learnt that Gunathilleke has already held secret discussions with several provincial leaders of the JVP to muster their support for the new political movement.Rajapakse has also agreed to provide several breakaway members of the JVP with top jobs in the state sector and create employment opportunities for at least 1,000 of their supporters. Will Chilcott talk on Karuna? British High Commissioner Dominick Chilcott will deliver the 10th Dudley Senanayake memorial lecture tomorrow where he is likely to talk on the controversial arrest of LTTE renegade leader Karuna Amman in London. During his lecture on ‘The New Diplomacy for the New Century’ he may also publicly press the government for its stand on the issues that are threatening to strain the relations between Sri Lanka and Britain. Since he is likely to talk on Dudley Senanayake, he may delve into the internal politics of Sri Lanka, deviating from normal diplomatic niceties. Chilcott is also very likely to put some punches on the Sri Lankan administration.Sri Lanka’s open confrontation with United Nations agencies may also be taken up tomorrow. Western diplomats are expecting Chilcott to do some straight talking that would address their concerns. Western countries are perturbed about what is happening in Sri Lanka, and are pressing the government to act according to international conventions, to which Sri Lanka has been a signatory. Meanwhile, Chilcott is likely to relinquish his duties as the High Commissioner in Sri Lanka in January and take up a new posting as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington. Budget heading for photo finish The final vote on the budget scheduled for December 14 is expected to be a photo finish with both the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Ceylon Workers' Congress expected to decide how they would vote early this week.The government won the second reading registering 118 votes while the opposition registered 102 votes. The UNP, JVP and the TNA have already announced they will vote against the budget on December 14.The Sunday Leader learns all 22 TNA MPs will be present for the vote on December 14 including the two MPs who were absent during the last vote with SLFP dissident Wijedasa Rajapakse also expected to vote with the government giving the combined opposition 105 votes.It is also learned the JVP dissident MP Nandana Gunatilleke who abstained during the vote on the second reading will vote with the government on December 14.However the SLMC which has six MPs and the CWC which also counts for six MPs are to review their decisions based on the government's response to a number of proposals they have submitted and announce how they will vote early this week. Both the CWC and the SLMC gave their 12 votes in favour of the budget on the November 19 second reading vote.The SLMC Working Committee, which met on Sunday, December 2 overwhelmingly, called on the party MPs to vote against the budget due to the government's failure to address grievances of the Muslim community.SLMC General Secretary, Hasan Ali confirmed to The Sunday Leader that the working committee decided that the party should vote against the budget but said a final decision will be taken early this week.Meanwhile the CWC too has decided to review its position in view of the harassment meted out to upcountry Tamils following the arbitrary arrest and detention of several persons.Following decisions reached at a high level meeting of the CWC, Minister Arumugam Thondaman boycotted Wednesday's cabinet meeting with the entire CWC parliamentary group boycotting parliament during the emergency debate vote.A top CWC source said the party would take a final decision on how they will vote on the budget before December 12.Meanwhile the government is independently attempting to lure several opposition MPs to crossover before December 14 while the opposition is in discussion with six MPs of the ruling UPFA.Informed sources said Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle last week told President Rajapakse to postpone his visits to Japan and England in view of the delicate balance of power leading up to the December 14 vote. Sources close to the President said the President had refused to do so informing Fernandopulle that the government parliamentary group should know to secure its numbers.The President is expected to leave for Tokyo early this morning. Minority parties engage in major budget politics With five days to go for the decisive final vote on the budget and vote patterns swinging both ways, three key minority parties appear to be making use of the situation of the crisis by putting forward various demands to the government. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) General Secretary Hassen Ali said the party had put forward several demands to the government before taking a decision on how to vote when the third reading of the budget is taken up on Friday.He said the Eastern Province Mosques Federation had sent letters to all Muslim MPs of the province, including SLMC MPs, requesting them to vote against the budget. The federation has also written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, but had not received a concrete reply on issues such as acquisition of lands occupied by Muslims, restrictions on the use of loudspeakers in mosques and the appointment of Moulavi teachers, he said.“Moulavi teacher appointments have not been given since 1994 and there is a huge issue where Muslims in war-affected villages are requested to leave and their lands are being acquired forcibly for different purposes. It is impossible to put a ban on the call for prayers in Muslim populated areas,” Mr. Ali said. However the cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal by SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem to bring amendments to the proposed noise pollution laws to ensure that religious observances are not interrupted. However, that was the only assurance the party had been able to get regarding their demands, Mr. Ali said. He said the matters would be further discussed with Muslim religious leaders and then taken up with senior ministers as President Rajapaksa was in Japan. The SLMC was hoping the senior ministers could give some assurances on behalf of the President, he said.“We are not going for dissolutions or planning a conspiracy to oust the government. But we need a positive reply from the government,” he said. MP Ali said that the SLMC would reveal its stance before the vote. In a related development, the Up Country People’s Front leader P. Chandrasekaran has held discussions with Presidential advisor and influential MP Basil Rajapaksa and put forward 14 proposals.“We have got a positive response to all the demands,” a spokesman for the party said. Among the demands are the setting up of an estate university, a plantation education trust, promotion of education among the plantation community, collection of data on Indian origin students in universities and creating Additional Divisional Secretary Divisions to cover plantation sectors.Meanwhile, the Ceylon Workers’ Congress’s position is swinging both ways with party leader Arumugam Thondaman recently filing a fundamental rights petition against the arrest of Tamil civilians. Reconsider supporting govt. Mosque Federation tells Muslim parties The Eastern Mosque Federation, which has failed to receive a positive response from President Rajapaksa to several of its requests, has strongly recommended that the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) reconsiders its support to the government.The federation last week wrote to President Rajapaksa requesting him to take appropriate action to prevent certain government institutions from grabbing lands from the Muslims in the east. However, it is learnt the President has not acted according to the expectation of the Muslims to date, and has only chosen to acknowledge the letter.Annoyed by the President’s indifferent attitude, the federation has called upon the SLMC to reconsider its support to the government, and to hold a one-to-one discussion with the President and question him on this issue.Meanwhile, the SLMC high command, upon a request made by the federation, met in Colombo on Friday (7) to discuss the course of action to be taken in this regard. The high command, which deliberated for nearly three hours, finally decided to meet the representatives of the federation and the Eastern Province Jamiyyathul Ulamas (clergy) today in Colombo.Today’s meeting, expected to be a decisive one, might conclude in a decision to vote against the government at the third reading of the Budget scheduled for December 14, certain SLMC sources believe. Be ready for elections warns President President Mahinda Rajapakse last week called on government members to be prepared to face an early general election.The President informed the ruling party MPs to be ready for early elections at the parliamentary group meeting on Monday, December 3.He has said that although there was no doubt of a government victory at the third reading vote on the budget on December 14, the government members should be prepared to face an election in the event the budget was defeated.This was the first occasion the President has requested the government members to be prepared for an early election."We will win on December 14. Our votes will be higher than what we received on November 19. The problem is that there is talk in the country that we are afraid to face an election. If we by chance lose on the 14th, we may have to go for an election. In case that happens, everyone has to be prepared to face an election. We would not have a problem even if we go for an election. The present situation would help us win. Don't think that there would not be an election. Therefore, work with the intention of winning," the President has said. Heavy fighting along northern FDL Heavy fighting erupted along the volatile Vavuniya-Mannar forward defence lines right through last week and continued into the weekend, the military and the Tigers said. Six hours of fighting was reported in the Admapan area, about seven km from the Mannar coast. The Tigers said that a large number of government troops broke out of the line at Manthai, west of Adampan on Friday, December 7 morning around 9 am. They were backed by artillery, multi-barrel, mortar fire and helicopter gun ships, Tamilnet said. It said that the fighting had lasted six hours but the government advance had been stopped. No details of causalities were available in the report.Meanwhile the Army claimed that 17 Tigers, including six female cadres had been killed in fighting in the Mannar District on December 7. "Seventeen LTTE cadres were killed and over 18 injured in pre-emptive strikes launched by the Army in the Narrikulam general area," the Army said.It said troops had not suffered any casualties. The Defence Ministry also reported fighting in the Palamootai area and Periyatamapani on the same day. It said four Tigers and a soldier were killed.In an operation on December 1 and 2, the military said that it had captured the first bunker line along the Tiger defences at Adampan. Heavy fighting during the operation and an ensuing attempt by the Tigers to recapture the line left over 40 Tigers dead. The Tigers denied the Military claims and said the troops withdrew after suffering heavy casualties.LTTE Military spokesperson Rasaiyah Marshall told The Sunday Leader the army tried to infiltrate at Kurisuddakulam and was forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties. He said at least 10 soldiers were killed and a large number injured. Marshall further claimed bodies of soldiers were handed over to their families through the International Red Cross. He also said the LTTE suffered no casualties in the offensive but recovered a large haul of small arms and ammunition.Marshall also claimed the LTTE thwarted an army attack in Karukkalum with the security forces retreating after suffering heavy casualties. He said one Tiger was killed in the attack.The Tigers have also deployed cadres in large numbers and bolstered the defences along the FDL north of Vavuniya following sustained government offensives and skirmishes. The line of control is usually manned by three bunker lines on either side. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said that the Tigers had moved Vidusha the military head of the female Tigers into the Vavuniya -Mannar front line area to bolster the moral of female cadres stationed in the area. She is the head of the Malathi brigade, named after the first female Tiger to die in battle. The Charles Anthony Brigade too has been active behind the Tiger forward line. LTTE aircrafts piloted by an Australian An international intelligence service has informed to Sri Lanka that the LTTE used two aircrafts in each air raid and the first one piloted by an Australian guided the second that dropped bombs. They have also pointed out that the bombing craft cannot shoot the bomb but drop them using a lever system. They say that the aircrafts are airlifted from water and LTTE does not maintain a runaway. The aircrafts are parked in a reservoir hidden in vegetation. Meanwhile, the said intelligence service says that the Government responded less to the information they provided. They pointed out that they alarmed on the attack on Anuradhapura Air Force camp on October 16 and the LTTE launched the attack on October 21. The intelligence service further says that the competition of the Sri Lankan bank agents provide ample opportunity to the LTTE to send money despite restrictions of the European countries. Navy Chief grilled on torture by Aussie court Sri Lanka's Navy Commander Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda last week denied to an Australian Court under cross examination that Sri Lanka used torture to extract evidence. Karannagoda who was a key prosecution witness made the denial under cross examination in a Melbourne Magistrates Court in a terrorism case against three Tamils accused of raising funds for the LTTE. The Navy Commander appeared by video link in the Melbourne Court on December 4. The three Tamils, Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 33, Sivarajah Yathavan, 36 and Arumugam Rajeevan 41 are facing a committal hearing and are charged with being members of a terrorist organisation, making funds available to a terrorist organisation and channelling funds to a proscribed entity. While Vinayagamoorthy and Yadavan are also charged with intentionally providing resources or support to a terrorist organisation the prosecution alleges the three men funneled AUD 1.9 million in donations from Australian Tamils to their homeland to support a terrorist campaign. Questioned by Defence lawyer Phillip Boulten SC, Karannagoda denied ever hearing of widely reported allegations that Sri Lankan authorities had tortured former members of the LTTE during interrogations. Karannagoda also said in evidence that much of the sworn material evinced in court by him were as a result of interviews conducted with Tamil Tiger cadres who had fled the LTTE's command and sought assistance from the Sri Lankan government. The Navy Commander's statement contained details of LTTE leadership and recruitment and detailed a large number of atrocities. Meanwhile the appearance of Sri Lanka's Navy Commander in an Australian court of law has raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles as such an appearance, they say, tantamounts to Sri Lanka subjecting itself to the domestic laws of another sovereign state. Legal experts speaking to The Sunday Leader said this may amount to Sri Lanka waiving its sovereign immunity to be a witness in a foreign court and may tantamount to a violation of Sri Lanka's sovereignty. Diplomats however point out that Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona being a citizen of Australia may have been a persuading factor. The Prosecution was led by Mark Dean SC and the committal hearing before Magistrate Peter Reardon is continuing. Czech Government pledges support to demolish LTTE air power Czech Republic has offered military and technical support to Sri Lanka to demolish the air power of the LTTE. The assistance offered include provision of missiles and training to use them. The SLIN 143 aircrafts used by LTTE are made in Czechoslovakia. LTTE has purchased these aircrafts via a flying organization in Canada. Czech Republic pledged military support on any ground to Sri Lanka when a delegation led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Palitha Kohona visited that country in early November. Czech Republic has offered to supply personnel to shoot missiles if necessary. 08 December 2007 Lanka: No truce talks with Tigers Colombo will be willing to talk to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for a political roadmap to resolve the decades-old ethnic conflict in the island nation but issues like ceasefire will not be discussed, visiting Sri Lankan foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama said in an exclusive interview to this newspaper."We will not speak in terms of ceasefire or any of those things. What we are speaking in terms of if they are prepared to understand the political issues ... they can very well be part of a dialogue and there is nothing stopping us from speaking but at the same time we will deal with terrorists as they deserve to be dealt with," he said. He said that the process of finalising proposals for a greater degree of devolution of powers will pick up momentum after December 17. "We have entered the final phase of the All-Party Representative Committee proposals and it will be soon getting concluded and with that in mind, we'd like to see that the unrolling of political map will take place," he said after holding bilateral talks with minister of external affairs Pranab Mukherjee. Mr Bogollagama visited New Delhi for the 29th Saarc Council of Ministers meeting.He said that the government headed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is not looking at a military solution to the ethnic conflict but he maintained that Colombo also has to combat terrorism. "There is nothing hidden in terms of that ... countering terrorism is an important factor [but] at the same time we are trying to pursue a goal of political solution," he explained.Does that mean Colombo will retain the military option? "Obviously," Mr Bogollagama replied, "terrorism needs to be countered only through military means. He, however, hastened to add that "way is open for them (LTTE) to look at the political side of matters" and that Colombo is trying to encourage a pluralistic, democratic environment that will satisfy all sections of the Sri Lankan society.The minister sought to justify Colombo's approach by saying that sovereign states take decision based on domestic requirements and compulsions. "When you are being confronted at your doorstep, when your children are getting killed when they are going to school, that is the confrontation ... that is prevalent in the country," he reasoned, adding that "we have to go after terrorists in order to see that terrorists do not go after our civilians." On Tamil Nadu chief minister Karunanidhi's poem eulogising the slain LTTE leader S.P. Tamilselvan, Mr Bogollagama said that Colombo sees it from a wider perspective and not necessarily as endorsement of terrorism."Poetry is a major gift, everyone cannot write poetry," he said, adding that one must value the DMK patriarch for his "creativeness".Mr Bogollagama said that he apprised Mr Mukherjee of the political proposals pending with the APRC and reviewed the Indo-Sri Lanka bilateral ties. He welcomed the communication and coordination between the navies of the two countries for maintaining maritime security in and around the Palk Straits. Sri Lanka military says kills 24 rebels in north Sri Lankan troops killed 24 Tamil Tiger rebels in clashes in the north of the island, the military said on Saturday, days after dozens of people died in rebels bombings of a bus and a shopping centre.The latest clashes took place in the northwest district of Mannar, where the military launched an offensive earlier this year to evict the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, and the Jaffna peninsula in the north.One soldier was killed in another clash in Vavuniya, a spokesman at the Media centre for National Security said.The Tigers, who are seeking to carve out an independent state in north and east Sri Lanka, were not immediately available for comment.Analysts say both sides tend to overstate enemy losses and play down their own.A roadside bomb, suspected to have been planted by the rebels, killed 17 people in a bus in a central province on Wednesday, a week after a parcel bomb killed 19 people in shopping centre in a Colombo suburb.More than 70,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka since the war erupted in 1983. Two groups call for UN human rights monitoring in Sri Lanka Two top human rights groups jointly asked the United Nations Friday to press Sri Lanka to establish a human rights field operation with a “strong monitoring mandate”. The resumption of war between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has led to deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians in violation of international humanitarian law, Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in an open letter.The two organisations faulted both the government and the LTTE for human rights violations in their letter which anticipates the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on December 10. Sri Lanka is a member of the top UN human rights body. Fifty civilians were killed in the last two weeks of November alone, said AI and HRW in their letter. “Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemn the mass arrests of more than 1000 Tamils by the Sri Lankan police on 2 December 2007, allegedly in response to the Colombo bombings on 28 November 2007, which the government has accused the LTTE of committing,” they said in the statement. “The failure of the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, including customary law relating to the methods and means of warfare, and to take all feasible measures to protect civilians from harm, has encouraged a cycle of abuses against civilians with impunity,” they added.Sri Lanka has turned down previous calls for setting up a UN human rights monitoring mission in the country. “The Government of Sri Lanka has denied the severity of the human rights situation for far too long,” said HRW and AI in their joint letter.“Rather than investing considerable efforts in trying to downplay the gravity of the situation, the Government of Sri Lanka should live up to its international legal obligations to take real and effective measures to protect the civilian population. Abuses by the LTTE are no excuse for government inaction,” they said. War planes bomb Tamil Tigers rally point SRI Lankan war planes bombed rebel-held territory in the island's north-east as 11 guerrillas were killed in ground battles, the defence ministry said.Jet aircraft hit a "gathering point" of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Mullaitivu on Thursday, the ministry said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.The ministry said the military killed 11 Tiger rebels in ground attacks on Thursday, adding that one soldier was wounded in the clashes.There was no immediate word from the Tigers. There is no independent verification of battlefield casualties and the two sides are known to offer wildly contradictory figures.Tens of thousands of people have died since the Tamil Tigers launched their bid for an independent homeland in the majority Sinhalese nation in 1972.A Norwegian-brokered 2002 truce began to unravel in December 2005. Karuna 'still our leader' - TMVP Karuna and Pillaiyan "The split between Karuna and Pillaiyan is a mere media fabrication," Dheeban told journalist RG Dharmadasa.The TMVP is to launch formal political activities from January next year, he added. The former senior LTTE leader who was a close confidante of Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran split from the main organisation in April, 2004. The breakaway group, widely known as Karuna faction, is accused of gross human rights violations including abductions, taking ransom, killing civilians and child recruitment. Dheeban however denied any attacks aimed at civilians. Human rights violations The TMVP only attacked Tamil Tiger members but did not harass civilians in the east, he said.In an exclusive interview with BBC Sandeshaya after meeting journalists at his office in Trincomalee, Dheeban said his cadres only carried weapons to protect his office. He added that the TMVP will be registered as a political party with the Elections Commissioner, next week.Karuna who fled away to the United Kingdom earlier this year is currently held in custody in an immigration detention centre.International human rights groups have called on British authorities to charge him for alleged war crimes. MP in charge of anti-terrorism scrutiny speaks at event linked to Tamil bombers-Source:The Times UK The MP who heads the parliamentary body scrutinising Britain’s counter-terrorism laws addressed a rally at which a plea for support for suicide bombers was broadcast, The Times has learnt. Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, addressed the annual Tamil rally in the ExCel centre in East London.He spoke after partipants watched a televised address by Velupillai Prabhakaran, the commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a terrorist organisation banned by the Home Office. Mr Vaz, the MP for Leicester East, was joined by a fellow Labour MP, Joan Ryan. Their presence drew an angry response from the Sri Lankan High Commission, which released a statement claiming that the event was a “clear violation of the UK terrorism laws”. The rally was organised by British-based Tamils on the birthday of the Tamil Tiger leader. In his address, Mr Vaz told an audience of more than 10,000 people: “I understand the demands made by some for an independent Tamil state. They will grow, unless there is justice.” Ms Ryan, the MP for Enfield North, told the rally: “I am sorry to have to remember the 70,000 innocent Tamils who lost their lives in the struggle. We must pursue the aims and values for which they lost their lives.” Earlier in the day, Mr Prabhakaran, in full military dress and in front of the LTTE flag, appeared on six giant screens calling for “the entire Tamil-speaking world to rise up for the liberation of Tamil Eelam”. In a reference to the LTTE’s use of suicide bombers, he said: “The immeasurable dedication and sacrifice of our heroes is delivering a message to the Sinhala nation.” The Sri Lankan High Commission accused Mr Vaz yesterday of being “partisan to a proscribed terrorist group” and claimed that the event was organised by apologists for terrorists. “This event was organised by a front organisation of a terrorist group for fundraising and propaganda purposes,” a spokesman said. When told of the contents of the LTTE leader’s speech and of the criticisms of the Sri Lankan Government, Mr Vaz, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils, responded: “I’m not really interested in [the contents of Mr Prabhakaran's speech].I was there to deliver a message from the all-party group, which is what I do. I was there to deliver a message from my constituents. I have many Tamil people in my constituency.” Mr Vaz said he was unaware that the Tamil leader was going to speak. Under the UK Terrorism Act, the Tigers are banned from raising funds, holding property or operating in any form. It is an offence to glorify their activities, or incite others to support them. Ms Ryan also said that she did not realise that Mr Prabhakaran had spoken. “I told the meeting that we need to find peace through peaceful means and, as is the case in all such conflicts, a negotiated settlement needs to be found urgently,” she said. As well as watching a speech by the Tamil Tiger leader, people at the event displayed LTTE symbols, and remembered LTTE suicide bombers. The Sri Lankan High Commission alleged that the rally served as a fundraising event for the group. On arrival all guests, including a reporter from this newspaper, were approached and asked to purchase a single glorylily (the LTTE “national” flower) for £5. A Times investigation earlier this year discovered that Tamil shopkeepers were being asked to contribute up to £50,000 towards the cost of “the final war”, with threats made against relatives in the country if they failed to comply. The date of the rally, November 27, Heroes Day, is linked with the LTTE. It falls on the birthday of Mr Prabhakaran, and it is marked by Tamil Tiger sympathisers around the world. Mr Prabhakaran’s speech from the Sri Lank | ||
