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28 February 2010 No room for minorities in DNA? Going through the personalities coming forward on the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) National List that appeared on ‘e-davasa,’ there is a gaping hole for the want of minority representation. Although some big names of well-known professionals from various fields have appeared, there is no one from minorities in the DNA List. Have those minority groups who showed tremendous faith in the Swan faded off completely or have they been left out deliberately. Whatever be the objectives, the DNA’s efforts at showing confidence in the minority groups lies at zero level. General Fonseka who got votes from the North and East seemed to have forgotten the minorities already. Tamil votes go all over in North, East The Tamil National Alliance and Democratic National Alliance led by General Sarath Fonseka could face a severe blow at the coming general election in the North and East as nearly one million voters who voted at the last presidential election out of 1.9 million registered voters are split in thier loyalties, between several parties.Meanwhile, political analysts were of the view that the TNA would possibly be reduced to around 10 MPs from its earlier 22 MPs due to the split in the party , as former TNA MPs are contesting in four groups. The Democratic National Alliance led by Sarath Fonseka could lose votes en mass in the North and East as he got 571,067 votes of the TNA, SLMC, JVP and UNP defeating President Mahinda Rajapaksa who secured only 345,221 votes from the North and East provinces. The split Tamil votes ensures only JVP votes for his alliance this time.The North and East provinces have 31 seats altogether i.e: Jaffna district - 09 seats, Vanni district - 06, Trincomalee district - 04, Batticoloa district - 05 and Digamadulla (Ampara) - 07. The TNA had 22 members in parliament at the 2004 general election i.e: 08 from Jaffna, 05 from the Vanni, 04 from Batticaloa, 02 from Trincomalee, 01 from Digamadulla and 02 from the national list. At the 2004 general election, the LTTE directly supported the victory of the TNA and sent hundreds of thousands of Tamil people in buses and tractors to polling centres in Omanthai and Muhamalai. But this time around the TNA doesn’t have the upper hand it had in the Eastern province at the 2004 general election as the Tamil people of the East have shown a tendency to move away from the Northern Tamil political parties who have joined Vinayagamurthi Muralidaran (Karuna) and Shivaneshthurei Chandrakanthan (Pilleyan). In addition, former MPs of TNA, Shivanadan Kishor and Kanagarathnam will be contesting on the UPFA ticket while Shivajilingam will be contesting from the New Democratic Front, Raja Kuganeshwaram as an independent candidate and Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam and Pathmini Sidambaram from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress. The EPDP, Athaulla faction, and the All Ceylon Muslim Congress which supported President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 2010 presidential election, will contest with the UPFA. Meanwhile, the TMVP and the Democratic People’s Liberation Party and TULF leader Anandasangaree will contest separately. The UNP will have the support of the majority of Muslims since the Muslim Congress has joined the UNP to contest the elections. Thus, there’s a possibility that the UNP MPs selected from North and East will be from the Muslim Congress. Nine journalists in the fray for General Election Apart from the popular sports and film figures, nine journalists will also contest the forthcoming General Election to secure seats in Sri Lanka’s seventh Parliament. The media personalities have joined in the fray under the main parties - the UPFA and UNP as well as the TNA and two Independent groups. Three of the media figures will contest from the Colombo district while two of them have handed over nominations to contest from Jaffna. The rest are from Nuwara Eliya, Ratnapura, Batticaloa, Ampara and the Matara districts. The UPFA has fielded two journalists, former Rupavahini CEO Karu Paranavithana who received nomination to contest from the Ratnapura district and ITN Deputy Director Sudharman Radaliyagoda will be contesting from Colombo. MTV Director Susil Kidelpitiya, representing Colombo, Virakesari News Editor Sri Gajan (Jaffna), MTV presenter Sri Ranga (Nuwara Eliya) and Buddhika Pathirana (Matara) will contest under the UNP led UNF. Managing Director of the Uthayan and Sudar Oli publications E. Saravanabhavan will be in the fray representing the Jaffna district under the TNA. Lake House and ITN local correspondent Jaufar Khan will lead an Independent group, the United Democratic People’s Alliance in Batticaloa while Lake House local correspondent for Kalmunai M.M. Jesmin will also contest under an Independent group. The two main political parties have fielded new faces in their Nomination Lists for the April 8 poll that will elect 225 members including 29 under the National List. Sri Lanka soldiers remanded over rape of 9-year old Tamil girl Six Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were taken into custody for allegedly molesting a nine-year-old Tamil girl at Ki'raan Vaazhaichcheani in the eastern Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. The victim identified one of the perpetrators during an identification parade held in Batticaloa Magistrate Court. Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) reported that the soldiers of the Digiliwatiya camp had threatened the protesting villagers, and the body of one protester was recovered in a pond near the SLA camp after the protests. The victim "was returning home in the company of two of her friends when soldiers bathing near a well chased after her and raped her. The girl was admitted to a hospital and the medical reports confirmed that she had been sexually abused. It is also reported that the girl who is still being treated at the hospital is being questioned constantly by commando officers," AHRC report said.The alleged incident happened on the 12th of February. The suspects have been remanded by the Batticaloa Magistrate until 3rd of March, legal sources in Batticaloa said.When the issue of rape by SLA soldiers was raised by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Sri Lanka's Defense Ministry website carried a refutation, saying "such sadistic allegations are far from the existing realities: far from the truth," and added that "there was no basis whatsoever even to suggest Sri Lankan forces had involved in such gross violence during its three-year humanitarian campaign."British weekly, The Observer, in December 2009 said that "Tamil women interned after escaping the horrors of the civil war in Sri Lanka were sexually abused by their guards who traded sex for food," reporting on an interview with Vany Kumar, a British medic who was released from internment in September from the camps run by Sri Lanka military."Systematic rape of Tamil women in custody and in areas under control of Security forces, and sexual abuse of LTTE women cadres caught during combat, had occured from as early as September 1996 when Krishanthy Kumarasamy, a 17-year old highschooler, was murderd after being stopped and raped at an SLA sentry point at Kaithadi, Jaffna. Horrendous videos showing Sri Lankan soldiers abusing women cadres stripped naked have routinely surfaced," said activist for a Washington-based pressure group.The link between maintaining international peace and security, and preventing and responding to sexual violence used as a tactic of war to target civilians was first laid out in last year's United Nation's Security Council resolution 1325.United Nations charged 114 Sri Lankan soldiers who were on peace-keeping missions to Haiti in March 2008 with sexual exploitation and abuse against children. After an investigation into pending charges against Sri Lankan troops in Haiti, the UN's Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) concluded that “acts of sexual exploitation and abuse [against children] were frequent and occurred usually at night, and at virtually every location where the [Sri Lankan] contingent personnel were deployed.” STF security for Chief Minister Pillayan The Thamil Makkall Vaduthalai Puligal (TMVP) yesterday denied that the government had withdrawn the security of its leader, Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) of the Eastern Province, explaining that 40 army personnel in the chief minister’s security detail had been replaced with STF personnel.This was consonant with the government decision that the military will not provide security to politicians, the spokesman explained.There had been reports that Chandrakanthan’s security had been withdrawn as a result of the TMVP deciding to contest on its own steam in Northern and Eastern districts as well as at Polonnaruwa.Judy Devadason, TMVP’s Trincomalee district leader, yesterday called for an attitudinal change among politicians saying that until such a change occurs or there are some necessary compromises, there will be no solution to the problems that the people face.She rejected TNA leader R. Sampanthan’s call for the Tamil people to unite and vote against majority forces saying this was not a constructive approach."The Tamil people have not achieved anything by repeatedly voting against the majority," she said. "They are only promoting racism."She called for a practical approach saying that they were living in a country under majority rule and their plans for the Tamil people should be realistic."Tamils who are realistic and wished to live with all other ethnic groups in the country must be constructive and vote for the TMVP at the forthcoming elections," she said. Chandrika playing safe Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who backed General Sarath Fonseka in a last minute bid to boost his chances of being elected as the President is keeping silent over the impending general election. Even in the 2005 Presidential election she did everything possible to have Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated, after giving him the nomination. This time her favourite Mangala Samaraweera is contesting under the UNF from the Matara District, while her Presidential choice Sarath Fonseka is now with the comrades. Yesterday and on Friday we tried to get her views on the April 8 election, but those who answered said she was not available for comment. Her assistant, who answered the phone last evening after a consultation and taking our number down, told our correspondent that she will be in touch soon. Maybe she has not yet decided which side of the opposition split to back. Breakthrough in Lasantha probe A serving Army Major General, now on an overseas posting, has been re-called to Sri Lanka as CID detectives continued their investigations into the murder of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunga.They want to question this senior officer, who had been dealing with intelligence matters, over evidence that has surfaced so far on the killing. He has been told to remain in Colombo until the process is completed. The Sunday Times learns that a group of soldiers have been placed under “close arrest” at an Army camp, 58 kilometres east of Colombo. This means these soldiers cannot leave their camp.According to authoritative sources, the CID has traced five mobile phones used to mount surveillance on Mr. Wickrematunga and to carry out his murder. They had been obtained under the name of a resident of a tea estate in the hill country. However, he had neither produced a copy of his National Identity Card (NIC) for the purchase nor used them. Mr. Wickrematunga was killed while he was on his way to work around 10.30 a.m. on January 8, 2009. Four gunmen riding motorcycles blocked his vehicle before breaking open the window of his car and attacking him. Despite a three-hour surgery by a team of surgeons, he succumbed to his injuries.CID detectives are also investigating the abduction, attacks and attempts on the lives of other journalists. “We are making significant headway,” a detective said yesterday. TNA is open to dialogue with any govt., says Sampanthan By Satarupa Bhattacharjya The Tamil National Alliance which backed opposition common candidate General (retired) Sarath Fonseka at last month’s presidential election is going it alone at the upcoming parliamentary elections after the party overcame an internal crisis which saw close to a dozen former parliamentarians being denied nominations. In a telephone interview with the Sunday Times, the 77-year-old Rajavarothiam Sampanthan who led the TNA in Parliament for a decade, said, he was confident of the alliance’s performance in the coming election. Speaking from his political base in Trincomalee, an electorate he represented for 33 years, Mr. Sampanthan, also said he was open to dialogue with the Government on the Tamil issue, but his party was “not prepared to be taken for a ride”.Sampanthan also said he was not convinced that General Fonseka’s arrest was “justified.” Excerpts: Q: What is the TNA’s outlook for the upcoming parliamentary elections? We are confident of doing reasonably well. Our people have reposed their faith in us. They are convinced that the TNA’s position with regard to finding a political solution is good for them. Our people believe that the TNA will not compromise on their future or on their desire for a lasting political solution. Q: Are you prepared to engage with President Rajapaksa’s government after the poll? I cannot predict now about what might happen after the election. But we are willing to engage with any government. With regard to Rajapaksa, any talks depend on what his government wants to give us. This will depend on how his government wants to engage us. The TNA has planned to play constructive politics and we are willing to be constructive partners of the government in finding a solution to the Tamil question. However, I must add, we are not prepared to be taken for a ride any longer. Q: Are you expecting a solution based on the 13th Amendment or would you insist on a policy re-look? I cannot comment on the matter now. Q How do you view General Fonseka’s arrest given that the TNA had supported his candidature at the presidential election? Well, I am not convinced that General Fonseka’s arrest is justified. I am not convinced that it is not for political reasons. I am not in a position to advise the government on what it should do in this regard, but, like I said, I am not convinced. Q: Why were 11 of TNA’s 22 members in the last Parliament denied nominations this time? We took the decision to field new people at the elections because some of the former MPs are either out of the country, some of them are not well and some did not want to contest this election. But we have found the best possible candidates to represent the Tamil people at April’s general elections. The changes were necessary because the Tamil people should believe that the TNA is not cheating them. Q: Two former TNA MPs -- M K Sivajilingam and Nallathamby Srikantha of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) -- have been shown the door. Does this indicate cracks within the alliance? The TNA is not a divided house. Our decision on the new list of nominees was evolved on the basis of maximum consensus among political parties representing the alliance. TELO is very much a part of the TNA. TELO leaders Selvam Adaikalanathan and S Vino Vinothakaralingam are among TNA candidates contesting from the Wanni district. Q: Prior to the presidential election, media reports had suggested that the TNA dissidents had been influenced by the ruling party. What is your response? No comments. Q: The dissidents had earlier remarked to the media that the TNA leadership looked towards New Delhi for directions. What is your response? India has not been influencing us that way. Although, Indias role in finding a political solution to the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka is both acceptable and inevitable, it must be said at the same time that India is not laying down the TNA agenda. Q: What is your view on the Government’s resettlement and rehabilitation programme for the displaced, eight months after the war? People are still suffering. Most Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have not been resettled in their places of origin. Neither have they been rehabilitated. Nothing actually has been done for the IDPs. Q: In the last Parliament, you had spoken about what you called the increased militarisation of the north and the east. Has the Government allayed your fears? I had raised the matter in Parliament some time ago. I had also taken up this matter with President Rajapaksa and his political advisor Basil Rajapaksa. Nothing has been done on that front as well. But the TNA will continue to hold more discussions in this regard. Q: Your critics say that after the annihilation of the LTTE leadership, the TNA’s politics is lost on itself. What is your response? I don’t think those people even know what they are talking about. I could do more for my people - Ex-TNA MP Ms. Thangeswari by Ananth PALAKIDNAR Ms. Thangeswari KATHIRAMAN Former Eastern Province Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian has now decided to contest on UPFA ticket at the forthcoming polls. She says the TNA could hardly deliver anything to the people in the North and the East. Thangeswari, an arts graduate of the Kelaniya University whose forte is archaeology says she could do more for her people by joining hands with the UPFA Excerpts of her interview: Q: You made your entry into Parliament through the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). As the parliamentary polls are round the corner why did you exit from the party? A: The very people including the leader of the TNA R. Sampanthan who supported me during my parliamentary days have now changed. I still do not understand why they sidelined me from the TNA. I worked hard to maintain the integrity of the party and was even appreciated by the party leader for my role in Parliament and in my constituency. However, the TNA bigwigs R. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathiraja and Suresh Premachandran decided to keep me away from contesting the Parliamentary polls this time. But I cannot keep away from serving my people. I represent the people who still have problems with regard to their socio-economic issues. They supported me immensely during the previous Parliamentary polls. With the return of peace to my region I believe I could do more for my people under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and I decided to contest in the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Q: The Tamil National Alliance was known as the proxy of the LTTE. How do you see the present state of the TNA? A: Well, I would say it’s messy. Apart from me several other members who stood by the party have now lost their confidence over the leadership of the party. The decisions are taken without discussing the issues properly with the party members. Several colleagues of mine and I were ousted from the party for no reason. Party leader Sampanthan, Suresh Premachandran and Mavai Senathiraja who decide on party matters have included several new faces to contest the parliamentary polls this time. Compared to myself and my other colleagues in the TNA, the newcomers have hardly done anything when the party faced challenges. Therefore, I am thoroughly disappointed with the attitude of the TNA leadership at present. Q: What made you join the UPFA and contest as a candidate? A: I feel that more than the present day TNA, the UPFA must have realised the importance of my political career. The UPFA leadership invited me to contest on their ticket. I realised that by accepting the invitation I could continue to serve my people who have been greatly neglected for the past several decades. Now that the war is over in the North and the East the People of these two war-torn regions have paid a heavy price to breathe the air of peace. Ofcourse there are important political issues to be addressed. However, the need of the hour of the people in the North and the East is rehabilitation and reconstruction. Therefore, we cannot simply hang on to political issues without attending to the immediate needs of our people. The UPFA’s agenda to rebuild the war-torn North and the East and the country at large is promising and therefore I decided to join hands with the UPFA. Q: How do you see the new TNA team which has been named to contest the forthcoming polls? A: I wonder whether they could gain the popular support of the people in the North and The East. Without proper consultations and understanding the pulse of the people whom the TNA represent, the new candidates have been chosen. Even Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) has fallen out with the TNA leadership. The ACTC is one of the oldest Tamil political parties in the country. Hence I think the new TNA candidates are not the favourites of the people of the North and the East but the men of the TNA hierarchy are driving the party on the wrong track. Q: What is your view on the developments that are taking place with the end of war in the North and the East? A: I would say there are plenty of constructive things that have come up with regard to rehabilitation and reconstruction activities. People had been confined to IDP camps for several years without having any access to their original areas. The situation has now changed. We do not hear the sounds of the guns any more. We still have a long way to travel to rebuild the war-torn region. Political and economic issues have to be addressed. However, I am confident that the new Parliament led by the UPFA would pave the way for more development activities in the North and the East. Q: How do recall the days when the TNA remained a pro-LTTE faction and you were part of it? A: The TNA leadership did not play any role in showing the LTTE the right political path. Anyway now it’s all over. The past is past. What I expect is a new era where all citizens of this country could live in peace without leaving room for any divisions. We have learnt a bitter lesson in the past and we should not allow history to repeat itself. Q: Since you are a politician from the East what is your view on the entry of Sivanesathurai Chanthirakanthan alias Pillayan and the Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna into the political mainstream? A: The two ex-LTTE cadres reforming themselves as moderate politicians is somewhat remarkable. One being the Chief Minister in the Eastern Provincial Council and the other the Minister in the National Government is appreciative. However, they should grab every opportunity to serve the people and be in their good books. Q: What have you got to say about the pro-LTTE activities abroad? A: The so-called LTTE activists abroad should realise the ground realities. With the end of the three decades of deaths and destruction, people in the island and the innocent civilians in the war torn North and the East want to live in peace by exploring greater economic vistas. We have to solve the unresolved issues through healthy democratic means. Therefore, Sri Lankan expatriates should lend a helping hand instead of toppling the apple cart. Q: What sort of political arrangement do you expect to fulfil the political aspirations of the people in the North and the East? A: First of all we should have amicable talks to deal with our issues. A greater devolution of powers is vital to address the grievances of the Tamils in the North and the East. They should live in dignity as equal citizens in this country. I am confident that President Rajapaksa will do his best to fulfil the political aspirations of the minorities in the country. Q: What is your impression of the UNP? A: The party has already seen its waterloo at the Presidential poll last month. Its leadership and policies are all shaky. I doubt the party could deliver anything good for the people in the future. At the Presidential poll the party backed Sarath Fonseka and now for the Parliamentary polls it is focusing on Ranil Wickremesinghe. They are nothing but a bunch of jokers. 27 February 2010 1867 candidates contesting in North-East A total of 1867 candidates are set to contest the up coming April eight Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka’s north and east where 31members will be elected to the SL Parliament. The candidates will contest in the districts of Jaffna, Vanni, Batticoloa, Trincomalee and Digamadulla. The total includes those from eight recognized political parties while the rest are independent and from smaller parties that will have no actual bearing on the outcome of the results. The number of candidates in Ampaa'rai district is second highest with 660 candidates, next to Colombo district with 836 candidates from 22 political parties and independent groups. In the Jaffna District there are 324 candidates contesting from 15 political parties and 12 independent groups. There are 306 candidates contesting from 18 political parties and nine independent groups in the Vanni district. In the Batticoloa district there are 360 candidates from 17 political parties and 27 independent groups contesting in the elections. There are 217 candidates from 17 political parties 14 independent groups in the eastern port city district of Trincomalee. 660 candidates are contesting in Ampaa'rai district from 17 political parties and 49 independent groups. ACTC contests Trincomalee electoral district All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) submitted its list of candidates contesting Trincomalee electoral district Friday, sources in Trincomalee said. Meanwhile, former parliamentarians Gajendrakumar Kangkesar Ponnambalam, Ms. Pathmini Sithamparanathan and Selvarajah Gajendran along with representatives of public organizations as a new alliance are contesting under bicycle symbol of ACTC in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, according to Selvarajah Gajendran. The name of this alliance will be announced Sunday in a press conference. The names of the ACTC candidates contesting Trincomalee electoral district are: 1. Shanmugarasa Gowri Muhunthan – Chairman, Trincomalee Town Council – chief candidate. 2. Thangavelautham Kantharoopan – president of Trincomalee town and environs, Provincial Council. 3. Umakanthi Ravikumar – opposition leader of Kuchchave’li Regional Council. 4. Ms. Kanmani Amma Rathinavadivel – social worker. 5. Pilippaiah Johnson – registered contractor. 6. Thilaiyambalam Haristan – pensioner. 7. Konamalai Thiraviarasa – pensioner. Sri Lanka's pro-government Tamil party contests Jaffna under ruling alliance Sri Lanka's pro-government Tamil party, Elam People Democratic Party (EPDP) and the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance are to jointly contest for the Jaffna District at the upcoming General Election to be held on the 8th of April. EPDP Secretary General and Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda yesterday handed over the party's nominations to the District Secretariat Speaking to the media reporters after handing over the nomination EPDP Secretary General Douglas Devananda said, his party is contesting the election in conjunction with UPFA in order to solve all the problems of Jaffna people through reconciliatory politics.The other candidates from the EPDP include former parliamentarian Chandrakumar Murukesu, EPDP Jaffna District Organizer Silvester Alantine Udhayan, Valikamam Zonal Organizer Pasupathi Sevaratnam (K.Pee), Thenmaratchchi Zonal Organizer Alexander Susaimuthu Charles, Island Organizer Kandasamy Kamalendiran (kamal), Vadamaratchchi Organizer Iyyathurai Srirangeswaran (Rangan) and former Heartly College's principal Murukupillai Sripathy are the candidates of EPDP and Ramanathan, Sri Saravanapavan, Sinnathampy and Muhamud Ameen.A total of 324 candidates from 15 recognized political parties and 12 independent groups have entered the foray from Jaffna for nine slots in the parliament.ACTC submits own list of candidates to contest Jaffna electorateAll Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) party which had quit Tamil National Alliance (TNA) submitted Friday its nomination list at Jaffna Secretariat with Sinnathurai Varatharajan, a teacher of economics, as its chief candidate, sources in Jaffna said. Many prominent people in the peninsula as well as the Jaffna University community are said to be supporting ACTC in the forthcoming parliamentary election in Jaffna district electorate. ACTC nomination list consists of the following names: Sinnathurai Varatharajan, economics teacher – chief candidate. Vijayaratnam John Manoharan Kennedy – former lecturer of Eastern University. Kanthasamy Thirulogamoorthy – Doctor. Santham Theepan – fisherman. Nadesu Thurairajah – registrar of marriages. Nagalingam Kulanthaivelu – teacher. Visvalingam Manivanan – student. Francis Vincent de Paul – trader. Sellathurai Subramaniam – retired teacher. Ms. Pathmini Sithamparanathan - former MP Selvarajah Gajenthiran -former MP Gajendrakumar Kangkesar Ponnambalam - Lawyer, Gen. Secretary ACTC. Meanwhile, Nallathamby Srikantha and Kanakalingam Sivajilingam who were thrown out of TNA have submitted a list of candidate under Leftist Front with Nallathamby Srikantha as its chief candidate.Ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) submitted its nomination list to contest Jaffna electorate Friday.UPFA list has Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) Douglas Devananda as its chief candidate while EPDP members Chandrakumar Murugesu, Sylvestri Alentin Uthayan, Pasupathy Seevarathinam, Allexander Soosaimuthu Thas, Kanthasamy Kamalendran, Aiyathurai Srirangeswaran, Murukupillai Sripathy are also included in the list.Of the total 12 candidates of UPFA 4 are from Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and their names are Ramanathan Anthayan, Sri Saravanapavan, Sinnathamby Nadarasa Yogarasa and Mohamed Ameen.The nomination lists tendered at Jaffna Secretariat are being scrutinized by the Assistant Election Officer for selection Friday after 12 noon. Only Police security for MPs in future: Gota The Defence Ministry yesterday announced that Army security would no longer be provided to politicians, in an attempt to de-politicize the Army. Speaking to DM Online Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said in future politicians would be given the protection of the Police and the STF.“In order to de-politicize the Army the security of the MP’s and Ministers will be transferred to the Police and the STF,” he said. He reiterated that only those within the close security circle would be given military protection. “In future only the President, Defence Secretary and those involved in defence matters will be given Army protection,” he said. The Secretary made these statements in response to a question posed by DM Online on the removal of security for Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP Leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan. “His security has not been removed. It has just been transferred from the Army to the Police. And this has been applied not just to him but to all MP’s and Ministers,” Rajapaksa told DM Online. “This is a step to bring in discipline to the Army and distance it from politics,” Rajapaksa said. Pillayan stripped of security The military security provided to Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP Leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan has been withdrawn with immediate effect, TMVP sources told Daily Mirror Online.The TMVP is unaware of the reason behind the security withdrawal and is expected to write to the Police DIG of the area to seek security for the Chief Minister’s residence, TMVP sources added.The move comes after the TMVP recently decided to contest the upcoming General Election independently and not with the ruling UPFA government. The TMVP had last week decided to contest in the north for the first time and stated that they were confident of a victory in the Jaffna peninsula.However party members had added that they were facing obstacles from opposing parties who were contesting in the district and due to this they were expecting some clashes just before the polls. “We are expecting some clashes in the north but we are ready for the challenge,” TMVP members had stated. Sri Lankan government voices anger as UK MPs address Tamil group The diplomatic rift between London and Colombo has widened after Gordon Brown and David Miliband met delegates from a new worldwide Tamil union despite "strong protests" from the Sri Lankan government.Miliband, the foreign secretary, used his address to the inaugural conference of the Global Tamil Forum at the Commons yesterday to urge the Sri Lankan government to embark on a "genuinely inclusive political process".He also repeated calls for an investigation into allegations that both the Sri Lankan state and the Tamil Tigers violated international humanitarian law during last year's fighting.The British government's decision to engage with the GTF has provoked "deep concerns" in Sri Lanka, which claims the organisation is a front for the defeated Tamil Tigers (LTTE).The British acting high commissioner in Colombo, Mark Gooding, was summoned before the island's foreign minister yesterday and urged to tell Miliband to cancel his address.A spokesman for the Sri Lankan government said: "[Rohitha Bogollagama] … emphasised that foreign secretary Miliband, by participating at [the] GTF meeting in London, would unfortunately lend credibility to an organisation which is propagating the separatist agenda of the LTTE, and would be acting in a manner inimical to the national interest of Sri Lanka and its legitimate government."However, not only did Miliband go ahead with the address but Brown also held a private meeting with a group of delegates in the Commons.A Downing Street spokeswoman confirmed the meeting had taken place but declined to comment further.A Foreign Office spokesman said Miliband's participation was part of the government's ongoing efforts to bring about peace in Sri Lanka."The GTF publicly states that they are committed to the principles of democracy and non-violence," he said."The UK will continue to engage with all Sri Lankan communities focused on achieving a lasting and equitable peace through non-violent means."The already-strained relations between the two countries deteriorated further last November after the UK and Australia blocked Sri Lanka from hosting the next biennial commonwealth heads of government meeting in 2011 in protest at Colombo's military repression against the Tamil population.Earlier this month the EU suspended preferential trade benefits to Sri Lanka over concerns about its human rights record.In his address to the Commons conference, Miliband urged the newly-elected Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to use his mandate to bring about a political settlement between the island's Sinhalese majority and its Tamil minority and take lessons from how other divided countries had healed their differences."If history is buried, reconciliation never happens," he said. "That is why we continue to call as a government for a process to investigate serious allegations of violation of international humanitarian law by both sides in the conflict."If credible and independent, such efforts could make an important contribution to reconciliation between Sri Lanka's communities."He also praised the Tamil diaspora for renouncing the violence and "countless atrocities" committed by the Tamil Tigers, adding: "The road ahead no doubt will be long and hard … but I think the founding commitment not just to a fully inclusive political process, but to support non-violence as the means to achieve it, is something that speaks to the deepest values of the Tamil people."The UN estimates that around 7,000 people died in the final months of the fighting that culminated in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.More than 250,000 Tamils were interned in government-run camps, where around 100,000 remain. A further 11,000 are being held on suspicion of rebel links.The conference also heard from a number of MPs, including Simon Hughes, Ed Davey, Keith Vaz and Virendra Sharma.Davey, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, also called for an investigation into allegations of human rights violations and war crimes.He warned the government in Colombo that it would be judged by the international community on its political and judicial reforms and the way it treated the media."The Sri Lankan government must reach out and recognise their mistakes from the past," he said. "We believe that what we believe are war crimes should be investigated."The shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, who closed the conference, said "meaningful political reform and reconciliation should be an urgent priority" for the Sri Lankan government, and called for the release of the internally-displaced Tamils still held in camps.The GTF, is led by Father SJ Emmanuel, a 75-year-old Catholic priest. He said the organisation was a democratic and non-violent organisation and adhered to "the principles of emancipation promoted by Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King".It is dedicated to winning Tamil self-determination and finding and bringing to justice those responsible for "the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity" that had been perpetrated against the Tamils.A spokesman for the GTF said Colombo's reaction to its meetings with the British government was typical of the Sri Lankan state's attitude."It obviously shows that they are not serious about finding a peaceful solution," he added. 26 February 2010 TNA (TELO,ITAK and EPRLF)submits candidates’ list to contest Vanni district Tamil National Aliance (TNA) submitted Wednesday its list of candidates to contest Vanni district in the forthcoming parliamentary election at Vavuniyaa Secretariat, sources in Vavuniyaa said. Meanwhile, United National Party (UNP) is expected to submit Thursday its list of candidates contesting Jaffna district with Ms. Vijayakala Maheswaran, wife of late Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, former Colombo district parliamentarian, as its chief candidate.TELO President Selvam Adaikalanathan is the chief candidate in the TNA list along with Sivasakthy Anannthan, S. Vino Vinothakaralingam, D. S. Soosaithasan, Perumal Palaniyandi, Dr. T. W. Jeyakularajah, lecturer S. Selvarajah, Lawyer S. Siraiva and retired accountant Logasountharalingam. Altogether there are 9 contestants.Late Thiyagarajah Maheswaran’s brother Thuvarakeswaran is expected to contest Jaffna district in UNP ticket while his another brother Parameswaran is said to be contesting as a candidate of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).Eelam People’s Democratic Party has decided to contest with Betel Leaf as its symbol in Jaffna district with 8 candidates along with three Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) candidates and a candidate of Rizad Badudin’s Muslim party, sources in Jaffna said. LTTE defeat could lead to bombings in Canada, report says Canadian security officials are concerned that last year's defeat, the LTTE could trigger attacks like the 1985 Air India bombings, says a new report, by Stewart Bell, in the National Post. An International Crisis Group study quotes unnamed Canadian law enforcement officials saying that supporters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam might resort to terrorism. "While there are no signals yet that the rump LTTE is planning a terrorist act, it only takes a handful of committed cadre in the diaspora bent on violence to have a deadly impact," the report says. "For example, Canadian law enforcement officials have been concerned that, if left unchecked, LTTE activities could result in an event similar to the terrorist bombing of an Air India jet in 1985, which was planned and funded by Sikh separatists in Canada." Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman David Poopalapillai called that "pure speculation" and said that "we as Canadian Tamils and we as Canadian Tamil Congress are opposed to any form of violence, not only in Canada, anywhere, any part of the world." The report says the defeat of the rebels has left the diaspora feeling "powerless, betrayed by the West, demanding justice and, in some cases, wanting revenge." An unnamed Canadian security official was quoted in the report saying that, "Because of what we learned from Canada's connection with Khalistan we're compelled to look at issues concerning the LTTE here differently. "As much as it's a law and order issue in some regards, we also are compelled to treat the LTTE as a national security issue because we don't want another Air India disaster." The comments are attributed to federal enforcement officials in Toronto and says that French, British and American officials had expressed similar concerns during interviews. The report says while the diaspora remains committed to an independent homeland, there is little appetite for a return to fighting in Sri Lanka itself, where Tamils are exhausted by war and focused on rebuilding their lives. It says, "until it moves on from its separatist, pro-LTTE ideology, the diaspora is unlikely to play a useful role supporting a just and sustainable peace in Sri Lanka." IMF delays third tranche of $2.6 bln Sri Lanka loan The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday it is delaying the third tranche of a $2.6 billion loan to Sri Lanka after the government missed its 2009 deficit reduction targets.IMF officials told a news conference that Sri Lanka's domestic budget borrowing -- consistent with a budget deficit target of 7 percent of gross domestic production -- was exceeded by a substantial amount."The third tranche will be delayed and completed when the budget is formulated after the election," said Brian Aitken, the IMF mission head to Sri Lanka.The third tranche is worth just below $2 billion.The central bank had earlier acknowledged that the $40 billion economy likely missed last year's budget deficit goal of 7 percent set by the IMF as a condition for the loan.Analysts and economists believe the budget deficit may have exceeded 8.5 percent, close to the 9 percent recorded in 2008. The $2.6 billion loan was granted to Sri Lanka to avert a balance of payment crisis following the global economic crisis on condition that it get its spending under control.So far, the IMF has released around $650 million to the government based on the fiscal performance of the Indian Ocean island following the end of its long 25-year civil war last May.The IMF has set an even tougher target for Sri Lanka's budget deficit this year at 6 percent of GDP.Central bank chief Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Reuters on Tuesday that it would be challenging to meet that level due to high government spending required for post-war reconstruction.Sri Lanka's newly re-elected president vowed earlier this month to regain the progress lost in the quarter-century war with Tamil Tigers separatists by boosting the country's economy and unifying its people.Mahidna Rajapaksa was re-elected by a landslide on Jan 26.Sri Lanka will hold legislative polls on April 8 and the president has postponed the presentation of the budget until those elections are over. Sri Lanka Says General Fonseka to Face Civilian Court Sri Lanka said General Sarath Fonseka, the defeated opposition candidate in January’s presidential election being detained for violating military law, will face additional charges in a civilian court. Charges will be filed “within the next two weeks” under the country’s penal code, the government said on its Web site. “He will be accused of fraud, condoning fraud, plotting against the government, creating unrest within the army and keeping army deserters under his protection,” the government cited G.L. Peiris, the minister of export development and international trade, as saying late yesterday. Fonseka was the main challenger to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was re-elected in the first national ballot since the defeat of Tamil Tiger separatists last May ended a 26-year conflict. The former army chief was arrested Feb. 8, a move that prompted opposition protests and accusations the government intends to prevent him from participating in general elections scheduled for April. Fonseka, 59, who led the military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also will face charges under the Exchange Control Act for violating foreign exchange laws, Peiris said at yesterday’s briefing in the capital, Colombo. The charges involve excessive foreign currency deposited in banks which is being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department, Sri Lanka’s Daily News reported, citing the minister. Election Candidate Fonseka has signed nomination papers as a candidate with the Democratic National Alliance to run for a seat in Colombo District in the April 8 general elections, the government said. He remains in military custody while the attorney-general decides whether he’ll face a court martial for acting against the government while serving in the Army. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this month called on Rajapaksa to ensure the due process of law is respected on Fonseka’s case. The general’s arrest mustn’t lead to violence that harms national reconciliation in Sri Lanka, Ban said. Rajapaksa, 64, and Fonseka fell out after the president moved the general to a ceremonial post and accused him of plotting a coup. The president called the general election after winning 58 percent of the vote in the Jan. 26 election, compared with 40 percent for the former army chief. Rajapaksa is trying to capitalize on an economy boosted by tourism and agriculture industries rebuilt since the war’s end. The central bank forecasts the economy will grow as much as 6 percent this year, after expanding about 3.5 percent in 2009. General Fonseka was only member of national Security Council who opposed early re-settlement of IDPs Gotabhaya Rajapaksa interviewed by Inderjit Bhadwar-courtesy: Tehelka Inderjit Bhadwar: Under what specific charges did your government arrest Gen. Fonseka? Gotabhaya Rajapaksa: I cannot talk about specific charges because the summary of evidence preceding the charge sheet is now being prepared by the military authorities under specific rules of procedure that guarantee due process and a fair trial. That is the work of the prosecutor. Q: But because there are no specifics so far, this has the appearance of a personal vendetta. A: Not at all. Most people are probably unaware of the damage done by the general to our military while he was in uniform, particularly in the way he entered politics. Q: You mean, he should have stayed out of politics and not challenged the President in the election? What is this damage you speak of? A: Of course he has that right in a democracy. But he misused his office to pervert the process. Most people tend to simplify this story into three parts – a)he fought a successful war, b)he was the army commander, c)he was arrested because he challenged the president in the election. The real issue is the damage he did is what led to his detention. He politicised the military. We share a proud tradition with India as the only two countries in the region that can boast about a neutral military, but when that tradition was subverted in Sri Lanka Lanka by Fonseka there was no option but to take action against him. Q: As a war hero he has many admirers who urged him contest… A: He should have had a clean break from the military and then entered politics. In his utter greed for power he used his position and contacts for his own benefits. He did this while he was chief of defense staff (CDS), and also when he was army commander. He used the army commander’s bungalow to conduct political activities and kept military resources made available to him in his official capacity for personal political use. Q: What do you mean by political activities? And why the seeming haste to arrest him? A: While he was CDS he was talking to commanders, senior officers, and there were complaints of a few soldiers saying he was asking them to work for him. He was clearly using the military for political purposes. If we did not act on this we would be signalling that in future others can get away with this. The tradition of a neutral military so precious to us – and to India—would have been destroyed. Q: Can you be more specific about your phrase “using soldiers”? A: Soldiers at lower levels manning roadblocks were stopping vehicles and seeking votes for the general. Most of them were very young people recruited during the last three years, and when their own commander contests they’re in a very confused state. In fact he tried to gather support even among army deserters to whom he gave shelter. He was actively doing this while he was CDS. He was using officers and soldiers to conduct surveys and compute vote percentages to measure his support within the army, and this started while he was still army commander. That is why, when we found out, we acted swiftly against 15 senior army officers who were sent into compulsory retirement. Q: Aren’t there other very serious allegations that the general was planning a coup and assassination of the President and his family? A: Well, those are covered under civilian law and are the subject to procedures of criminal investigations which are a separate procedure. The general’s arrest is in connection with offences he committed while he was in uniform. Q: But why was it necessary to surround his hotel with troops after the election results were announced? A: He created that situation. He booked 70 rooms in the Taj hotel, another 70 in the Cinnamon. What for? We sent security around the hotel because we wanted to avoid post-election violence. During that time (former Prime Minister) Ranil (Wickremesinghe) spoke to me and I told him “we have not arrested you or him, you are the people who booked that hotel.” We later found out that the security officer at the hotel, a former army army person, erased all the CCTV recordings and then altered his own attendance registry to cover up. Q: The world, particularly the Western media and human rights groups are highlighting his arrest and charges of a vendetta. A: I’d like to know why they didn’t highlight his public statements during the election when he was openly saying he would arrest the President if he is elected and put him and his ministers in cages. Q: There were corruption charges against him when he was army commander that he was using his position to influence officers in the army to purchase arms from his son in law Danuna Tilekeratne’s company HiCorp International. Why didn’t you arrest him then? A: Well, the details are only now coming out because there’s been a falling out among the suspects. Q: His supporters say the general is being punished because he spoke out on a quick political solution to the Tamil issue, on war crimes, and the speedy resettlement of the IDPs (internally displaced persons). A: I wish more journalists would do their homework. Why don’t you simply analyse his speeches while he was still in uniform immediately after the end of the war, and those he made when he became a candidate? His first speech to soldiers was that they had not lost their lives and shed their blood just to allow politicians to implement political solutions, “we will not allow this.” Is this not an attempt to mobilise the military against the political system? An Indian army commander making this kind of statement would have been sacked immediately. Q: But then he entered politics. A: His tactics changed from planning a direct military takeover to attempting to grab power through political means. Q: How do you react to his allegations that you ordered your troops to shoot down in cold blood LTTE leaders who were surrendering with white flags? A:Again, study the record, do your homework. Earlier, he said something else. He gave a lecture to his old school after the war and told the audience that the political leadership was trying to protect LTTE interests by asking them to surrender “But it was a war situation and they had to be killed.” Now, he reverses his stand, talks about a political solution and says I gave orders to shoot people waving white flags of surrender. Q: What really happened? A: This was supposed to have happened on the last day – May 18, 2010 – the day Prabhakaran was killed. The LTTE leaders were now trapped in an area 400 meters by 400 meters, about 200 of them, surrounded by the military. It is late at night, past midnight. Make a mental picture of this. Can you see them coming out with white flags in this dense jungle in pitch darkness? The situation was that some terrorist cadres counter-attacked. Prabhakaran was trying to break out and escape to the lagoon, his son went in another direction. At the same time 10,000 surrendered cadres came down from one side. In this kind of situation in the thick of battle, can you expect a young recruit, barely a month into battle, to recognise a senior LTTE cadre and make a decision as to shoot him selectively or spare him? Q: The war crimes issue is still being kept alive, do you recognise it as an issue? A: Yes we recognise what a war crime is. If you use the pretext of war for revenge killings, abductions, ransom, if that is done under the pretext of a military operation it is a crime. And we have arrested, tried and punished soldiers for this. We have put officers in jail for this. But there are situations over which we have no control. They claim, for example that we bombed a hospital. If a hospital is marked as a hospital and we deliberately bomb it, that’s wrong. And we did not. But look at the last phase of the war. The LTTE was trapped in an area of one square kilometre, and in this situation of fighting it is difficult to control a stray bullet hitting a hospital. Moreover in a situation like this there’s no question of patients or civilians in the area. One has to understand the ground situation in such close combat. Q: Many western countries are still insisting on a war crimes trial. A: These appear to be the same countries that wanted a regime change in Sri Lanka. Q: Why? And why would they want to back a military man? A: Three aspects to this. First, there is a very powerful and moneyed diaspora with LTTE sympathies that plays a crucial role in these countries, participates in their vote bank politics and media. Second, because Sri Lanka did not tow the line on certain strategic policies; and third, the human rights lobbies pushing war crime trials to which they believed the UNP, supporting the general, would be more amenable. Q: Are the general’s criticism of your government’s treatment and rehabilitation of IDP’s a source of real concern to you? A: The reality is that when he was in uniform the general was the only person on our Security Council who opposed the early settlement of the IDPs – the only person. He kept arguing it was a huge security risk. That’s the only reason that the resettlement of IDPs was delayed. While as CDS he opposed heir release, he later made common cause with the opposition which was using the IDP issue to blame the government during the election. Q: What finally happened? A: My view was that the newly liberated areas like Jaffna, the peninsula, the East were safe and IDPs could be sent back there early. Fonseka had a firm “no.” So I said let them at least go to temporary camps in the eastern province. We released thousands of them but Fonseka ordered them dragged right back to the original detention areas. We were under pressure from the UN and other countries but the general kept arguing “security.” Finally President Rajapakse himself intervened. He said: “What security are you talking about? Here are 300,000 people in these camps, some 20,000 pro-LTTE as well as cadres have already escaped. So where’s the security? I want them resettled immediately!" 25 February 2010 TNA(TELO,ITAK and EPRLF) submits candidates’ list to contest Jaffna district Mavai Senathirajah, General Secretary of Ilankai Thamil Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) along with Appathurai Vinayagamoorthy of All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) submitted the list of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) candidates contesting the general election Wednesday around 11:15 a.m in Jaffna Secretariat. This nomination list has excluded many of the TNA former parliamentarians causing dissatisfaction among several Tamil circles in Jaffna including Jaffna University community, the sources added. The following persons are the candidates in the TNA nomination list: Mavai Somasuntharam Senathirajah – ITAK Leader Eswarapatham Saravanapavan is the Managing Director of Uthayan and Chudaro’li dailies and a senior member of UNP executive committee, the sources said.Rasarathinam Sivachandran is a prominent counsellor of ITAK. TNA submits candidates’ list to contest Trincomalee district The president of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK), R.Sampanthan, Wednesday morning handed over the list of candidates fielding in the forthcoming general election to the Trincomalee District Returning Officer at Trincomalee district secretariat. Mr. Sampanthan, who was a Member of Parliament for Trincomalee district in the dissolved parliament has been named as the Chief Candidate in the list. However another ex-parliamentarian K.Thurairetnasingham who is a resident of Moothoor east did not contest this election due to personal reason. Instead three candidates from Moothoor east are included in the list. In the 2004 general election the I.T.A.K. polled highest number of votes in the Trincomalee district. R.Sampanthan polled highest number of preferential votes under the PR system got elected. Mr.Thurairatnasingham polled second highest preferential votes in the list and was elected to the bonus seat, allocated to a party that polled highest votes in the district The names of the candidates in the list follow:- R.Sampanthan UNP fails to woo Fonseka; Lanka polls to witness 3-cornered fight Sri Lanka's main opposition UNP has failed in its last-ditch effort to convince detained ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka to contest the April 8 parliamentary poll under the front led by it, setting the stage for a three-cornered fight also involving a JVP-dominated alliance and the ruling UPFA.Fonseka's position was conveyed to the UNP-led United National Front (UNF) of ex-premier Ranil Wickremesinghe by the General's wife Anoma, who had a meeting with the chief of the main opposition party yesterday. Wickremesinghe had urged Anoma to ask the general to reconsider his stand on contesting the polls under the Marxist JVP-dominated Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and instead become a UNF candidate. The UNP supremo told Anoma that the UNF "can accommodate general Fonseka and that he should consider the offer," Mano Ganesan, leader of the Democratic People's Front (DPF) and an ally of DNA, told PTI."The response from Gen Sarath Fonseka to Ranil Wickremasinghe's offer has not been positive and this has been conveyed to UNF by Madam Anoma Fonseka," Ganesan said. Fonseka was the candidate of the joint opposition in the January 26 presidential polls and was defeated by incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa. The former army chief has also signed his nomination papers as a DNA candidate, sources close to Fonseka said, adding the General will lead the JVP-dominated alliance. The sources said Fonseka's nomination papers from the Colombo district constituency would be filed tomorrow. Fonseka's decision could lead to people witnessing a clash of the Titans in the Colombo district, from where Wickremasinghe and Wimal Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front — an ally of the ruling coalition United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), are also expected to Contest the polls. The DNA had said on Monday that there was still time for UNP to reverse its "unjustifiable" decision to contest the parliamentary polls under its 'Elephant' symbol. JVP spokesman Vijitha Herath said that there was still time and space for a unified opposition alliance. "We are still open for discussions," he said. Nominations for the Parliamentary polls would close on Friday. Herath said the DNA would contest from all the 22 electoral districts, including Jaffna, Wanni, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Sri Lanka protests British Foreign Secretary addressing Global Tamil forum Sri Lanka strongly protested British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's address today at the inugural meeting of Tamils from all over the world that campaign for self-determination in Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama summoned the Acting British High Commissioner in Colombo Mark Gooding to the Foreign Ministry today to express Sri Lanka's protest against Miliband's opening speech to the Global Tamil Forum in London today.The Foreign Minister pointing out to Gooding that GTF is an umbrella organization of several LTTE front organizations based mostly in the western countries said the Foreign Secretary Miliband's participation would give credibility to an LTTE propaganda organization.The British Foreign Secretary would be acting in a manner inimical to the national interest of Sri Lanka and its legitimate government, Bogollagama said. The British Foreign and Commonwealth office defended Miliband's address to the GTF, which may further harm the already crossed relations with Sri Lanka, said the UK believes that the only way to achieve lasting and equitable peace in Sri Lanka is through genuine national reconciliation.Minister Bogollagama further noted that the GTF was formed in order to launch the so called "Provisional Trans-National Government of Tamil Eelam", and hence poses a 'direct threat' to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.Bogollagama asked the Acting High Commissioner to convey that he urged Foreign Secretary Miliband to change his decision to address the GTF Meeting today in London, if the Foreign Secretary is genuinely interested in supporting the legitimate government elected by the people of Sri Lanka to achieve peace and reconciliation among all communities.Defending Miliband's address to the GTF, which may further harm the already crossed relations with Sri Lanka, the spokesman of the British High Commission in Sri Lanka said Miliband will re-emphasise that a peaceful, political solution is the only way to produce a lasting answer to Sri Lanka's conflict.The Foreign Minister urged the British Government to encourage the Sri Lankan Diaspora to give up the LTTE's monolithic separatist agenda and to work constructively with the Sri Lankan government towards an inclusive peace. The non-participation of Foreign Secretary Miliband in today’s GTF meeting in London would be the best way to convey this message, he noted. Britain defends Foreign Secretary Miliband's address to Tamil forum The British government today defended its Foreign Secretary's decision to address the inaugural meeting of the Global Tamil Forum in London.A British High Commission spokesperson confirming that the British Foreign Secretary would address the GTF said the Foreign Secretary David Miliband in his speech to the Global Tamil Forum will re-emphasise that a peaceful, political solution is the only way to produce a lasting answer to Sri Lanka's conflict.It is for all Sri Lanka's people to decide what that solution should look like, the spokesperson stressed. "The UK firmly believes that the only way to achieve lasting and equitable peace in Sri Lanka is through genuine national reconciliation. The UK will engage with all members of the Sri Lankan community who share this goal, whether overseas or in Sri Lanka," the British High Commission spokesperson added.Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly meet with members of the Sinhalese, Muslim, and Tamil communities in the UK to discuss this and other developments in Sri Lanka, the spokesperson noted.William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary of British parliament, is to make the closing address at the Global Tamil Forum. Several British MPS are expected to attend the event showing cross-party support for Sri Lanka's Tamils in the UK.Miliband's address to GTF is seen as a move to give credibility to the proposed LTTE government in exile. The British government's participation in the forum is threatening the already strained bilateral relations between the two nations. Political observers in the UK say the British parliamentarians are trying to woo the large number of Tamil votes in their localities ahead of Britain's upcoming general election this year. 24 February 2010 UNF invites Fonseka again The United National Front (UNF) today once again invited General Sarath Fonseka and his wife Anoma Fonseka to join the alliance to contest the upcoming General Election under the elephant symbol.United National Party General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka told Daily Mirror Online that UNF Leader Ranil Wickramasingha, in a meeting with Mrs. Fonseka this morning, had requested her to join the alliance and also requested her to convey the invitation to General Fonseka. “Mr. Wickramasingha has invited both the General and his wife to contest with us and we are hopeful that they will join us,” Mr. Attanayaka said.The UNF has also invited the JVP to form an alliance and contest under the elephant symbol in a bid to continue the group which was formed during the Presidential Election. However according to Mr. Attanayaka, General Fonseka, his wife and the JVP are yet to respond to the request.The newly formed Democratic National Alliance (DNA) led by retired General Sarath Fonseka had on Monday said that the doors were still open for the main opposition UNP to join the DNA and contest the April general election under its ‘Trophy’ symbol.Anoma Fonseka in a news conference that same day said that she was hopeful the UNP will change its stand and join the DNA in a bid to free Sri Lanka from the grip of nepotism and return it to the people who are the rightful owners.JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva had also said at the same conference that at the presidential election the opposition political parties had stood together to achieve one goal but the UNP’s decision to contest the general election under the elephant symbol had hampered efforts to project a united front. US asks Sri Lanka to focus on reconciliation, power sharing With the end of the war with Tamil Tigers, the US wants Sri Lanka to quickly complete resettlement of displaced people, pursue national reconciliation and power sharing and deal with the issue of possible war crimes."In our view I think one of the highest priorities now is first, to complete the resettlement of the internally displaced people," Robert O. Blake, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs told BBC World News Monday, noting about 180,000 have been sent back from the camps, but approximately 100,000 still remain. "I think it's important for them to be allowed to return to their homes and villages in the north as quickly as possible," he said when asked about his view on the respect now being shown for the Tamil minority eight months after the end of the war. "Secondly, I think it's important for the government to pursue as quickly as possible this process of national reconciliation and power sharing, particularly with the north," Blake added. "Then as part of that national reconciliation process, to begin a process of accountability for many of the human rights abuses that may have occurred during that war." "And third, to again talk about the larger issue of possible war crimes that may have occurred. Again, that will be an important part of the larger reconciliation piece." Asked about the treatment meted out to defeated opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, Blake said: "So far I think it has been less than we might have hoped for, but we've certainly encouraged the government of Sri Lanka to ensure that he is charged promptly... and that everything is handled in accordance with Sri Lankan law as they move forward." Blake said he could not comment on the charges against Fonseka as "we haven' t yet seen what the charges are". But "we've encouraged the government to make public as quickly as possible what those charges are. "But I think that Sri Lankans themselves have spoken about the manner in which General Fonseka was arrested. Several monks, for example, several Buddhist monks have noted that this was handled in a very unprofessional and undignified way." Sri Lanka's Supreme Court refuses to free Fonseka Sri Lanka's Supreme Court refused Tuesday to order the release of detained opposition leader and former army chief Sarath Fonseka as it deliberates a petition challenging his arrest by the military.Fonseka, 59, has been held at a naval detention centre since his arrest on February 8, sparking international condemnation and violent protests two weeks after he was trounced in presidential polls by President Mahinda Rajapakse."The request for interim relief by way of his release was rejected but the court said immediate family and lawyers can visit him," a court official said.A further hearing has been scheduled for April 26.Fonseka's wife had filed a petition challenging the legality of his detention, and asking the court to order his immediate release pending a judgement.Tuesday ruling means he will remain in custody until the court makes a final ruling.The government has yet to specify the charges Fonseka will face, but Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse -- the president's brother -- said he had been plotting a military coup.The United States, the European Union and the United Nations, among others, have asked Colombo to ensure due process is followed and that democracy is not undermined.As the battlefield architect of the victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels last May, Fonseka had been hailed as a national hero for finally crushing their 37-year campaign for an independent Tamil homeland. War ends rape begins :a schoolgirl the victim –body of a villager who went to the camp to protest found in a pond. US not happy with Lanka A top Obama Administration official said the US is not satisfied with the manner in which the Sri Lankan government has handled the issue of former Sri Lankan Army chief General Sarath Fonseka's arrest and hoped that Colombo would follow the rules of the land in this case. "So far I think it has been less than we might have hoped for, but we have certainly encouraged the government of Sri Lanka to ensure that he is charged promptly, as you said, and that everything is handled in accordance with Sri Lankan law as they move forward," the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake told BBC. Blake, who was the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka earlier, refrained to make any comment on the charges against General Fonseka saying that he has not seen them. "We have encouraged the government to make public as quickly as possible what those charges are," he said. At the same time he said Sri Lankans themselves have spoken about the manner in which General Fonseka was arrested. Several monks, for example, several Buddhist monks have noted that this was handled in a very unprofessional and undignified way, Blake said. "In our view, I think, one of the highest priorities now is first, to complete the resettlement of the internally displaced people. About 180,000 have been sent back from the camps, but approximately 100,000 still remain. "So I think it's important for them to be allowed to return to their homes and villages in the north as quickly as possible," Blake said. Responding to a question on Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, Blake said it is important for the government to pursue as quickly as possible this process of national reconciliation and power sharing, particularly with the north. "Then as part of that national reconciliation process, to begin a process of accountability for many of the human rights abuses that may have occurred during that war. "And third, to again talk about the larger issue of possible war crimes that may have occurred. Again, that will be an important part of the larger reconciliation piece," Blake said. Observing that Sri Lanka has a very proud democratic tradition, Blake said "One aspect of democracy, of course, is respect for human rights. I think there can be, there needs to be improvements in that area. We have spoken particularly about the importance of greater respect for freedom of the media and freedom of the press." TNA leadership responsible for the deaths of Tamil civilians under LTTE - Sivajilingam "TNA is controlled by three forces. They are the former MPs: R. Sambanthan, Suresh Premachandran and M Senadirajah, they acted according to the wishes of LTTE terrorists", said TNA rebel MP M.K Sivajilingam recently. He made these comments declaring the formation of a breakaway faction of the TNA to contest in the forthcoming general elections. M.K Sivajilingam and N. Srikanth declared that they had decided to leave the TNA-proxy politico arm of the LTTE- accusing the latter for betraying Tamil civilians. "The TNA leadership is solely responsible for the death of thousands of Tamils brutally tortured and executed by the LTTE terrorist outfit", Sivajilingam was quoted as further saying. TMVP submits candidates list in Jaffna Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) political party led by Eastern Province Prime Minister Pillayan submitted its list of candidates contesting Jaffna district in the forthcoming parliamentary election Tuesday in Jaffna Secretariat, sources in Jaffna said. Four of the twelve candidates are women and the chief candidate in the list is Kanthiah Arumailingam. Meanwhile, Pillayan who had come to Jaffna did not enter Jaffna Secretariat but chose to wait in his vehicle outside Jaffna Secretariat on the occasion due to security reasons, the sources added. The names of the four women candidates are Ramani Thangarajah, Subramaniam Bawani, Cithravadivel Sivananthi and Nallasekaram Sarojadevi.Kanthaiah Arumailingam (chief candidate), Muthu Kaneshalingam, Manohar Hariharan, Thinakaranpillai Pirasith, Muhamathupillai Karathas, Subramaniam Yoganathan, Vadivel Rameshkumar and Sunthararajah Saundrarajah are the eight male candidates of the total twelve.General Secretary of TMVP, R. Kaileswaran submitted the list of candidates.Four independent groups had already paid deposit money to contest Jaffna electoral district and TMVP is the first political party to submit its list of candidates in Jaffna Secretariat. TMVP field nine for Vanni Nine candidates handed over nominations to contest the Vanni electorate on behalf of the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal Party (TMVP) yesterday.TMVP leader and Eastern Provincial Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, aka Pillayan was present when the nominations were handed over to the Vanni District Returning Officer Mrs. P. M. S. Charles.The following candidates handed over the nominations: (1)Edwin Silva Kaileswara Raga, (2)Letchumanan Dewapradeepan, (3)Nawasivayam Sridharan, (4)Shanmugam Atputhalingam, (5)Ganesh Jeyakumar, (6)Selvam Jeyakumar, (7)Ms.Nesarajah Kayalvili, (8)Agasthin Amaladasan and (9)Thiyagarajah Ranjithkumar. NFF to field 17 candidates Seventeen candidates will contest the upcoming general election from the National Freedom Front, NFF leader, Wimal Weerawansa said. He also said, “As our party gave its unstinted support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to liberate the country, the people will be grateful to the NFF and cast their vote for our candidates. This is the last chance for Sri Lanka to make a big change for the betterment of the country’s future. Hereafter all of us have to work for the development of the country in all sectors such as health and education.” He said certain people try to point out the dangers of a two thirds majority to one single party. But this is necessary to make changes for the good of the country. It is necessary to reduce the number of ministers and also there is a need to create certain changes in the democratic setup. Therefore as a party which supports the President in the path of development we will give our fullest support to him to create a better Sri Lanka. We will never allow any foreign force to create problems in our country, he added. The Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora after the LTTE For the past quarter-century the Tamil diaspora has shaped the Sri Lankan political landscape through its financial and ideological support to the military struggle for an independent Tamil state. Although the May 2009 defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has dramatically reduced the diaspora’s influence, the majority of Tamils outside Sri Lanka continue to support a separate state, and the diaspora’s money can ensure it plays a role in the country’s future. The nature of that role, however, depends largely on how Colombo deals with its Tamil citizens in the coming months and on how strongly the international community presses the government to enact constitutional reforms to share power with and protect the rights of Tamils and other minorities. While the million-strong diaspora cannot regenerate an insurgency in Sri Lanka on its own, its money and organisation could turn up the volume on any violence that might eventually re-emerge. Following the defeat of the LTTE, the mood in the diaspora has been a mix of anger, depression and denial. Although many had mixed feelings about the LTTE, it was widely seen as the only group that stood up for Tamils and won them any degree of respect. The Tigers’ humiliating defeat, the enormous death toll in the final months of the war and the internment of more than a quarter million Tamils left the diaspora feeling powerless, betrayed by the West, demanding justice and, in some cases, wanting revenge. A minority in the community is happy the LTTE is gone, since it directed much of its energy to intimidating and even killing those Tamils who challenged their rule.Funding networks established by the LTTE over decades are seriously weakened but still in place. There is little chance, however, of the Tigers regrouping in the diaspora. LTTE leaders in Sri Lanka are dead or captured and its overseas structures are in disarray. Clinging to the possibility of victory long after defeat was inevitable damaged the LTTE’s credibility and weakened its hold on the community.Nonetheless, most Tamils abroad remain profoundly committed to Tamil Eelam, the existence of a separate state in Sri Lanka. This has widened the gap between the diaspora and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Most in the country are exhausted by decades of war and are more concerned with rebuilding their lives under difficult circumstances than in continuing the struggle for an independent state. There is no popular support for a return to armed struggle. Without the LTTE to enforce a common political line, Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka are proposing substantial reforms within a united Sri Lanka. Unwilling to recognise the scale of defeat, and continuing to believe an independent state is possible, however, many diaspora leaders have dismissed Tamil politicians on the island either as traitors for working with the government or as too weak or scared to stand up for their people’s rights. Many now reluctantly recognise the need for new forms of struggle, even if they would still prefer the LTTE fighting. New organisations have formed that are operating in more transparent and democratic ways than the LTTE and that aim to pressure Western governments to accept an independent state for Tamils. These include plans for a “transnational government of Tamil Eelam”, independent referenda among Tamils in various countries endorsing the call for a separate state, boycotts against products made in Sri Lanka and advocacy in support of international investigations into alleged war crimes by the Sri Lankan state. The new initiatives, however, refrain from criticising the LTTE or holding it responsible for its own crimes or its contribution to the shattered state of Sri Lankan Tamil society.So long as this is the case, most Western governments will remain sceptical of the diaspora’s post-LTTE political initiatives. All have kept the transnational government of Tamil Eelam at arm’s length given its resemblance to a government-in-exile, even if the group does not claim this status. Western governments will have little choice but to engage with the dominant, pro-separatist Tamil organisations, even if officials would prefer to deal only with the handful of interlocutors with a record of criticising the Tigers. But until it moves on from its separatist, pro-LTTE ideology, the diaspora is unlikely to play a useful role supporting a just and sustainable peace in Sri Lanka.Watching the devastation of the final months of the war and the seeming indifference of governments and the United Nations, many Tamils, particularly the younger generation born in the West, grew deeply disillusioned. Governments with large Tamil communities have been worried this might lead to new forms of militancy. In the last months of the war and months immediately following, there were self-immolations by Tamil protestors, vandalism against Sri Lankan embassies, and increased communal tensions between Tamils and Sinhalese abroad. While such events have grown less frequent, risks of radicalism in the diaspora cannot be dismissed entirely.While Tamils have the democratic right to espouse separatism non-violently, Tamil Eelam has virtually no domestic or international backing. With the Sri Lankan government assuming Tamils abroad remain committed to violent means, the diaspora’s continued calls for a separate state feed the fears of the Rajapaksa administration and provide excuses for maintaining destructive anti-terrorism and emergency laws.To ensure the current peace is a lasting one, the Sri Lankan government must address the legitimate grievances at the root of the conflict: the political marginalisation and physical insecurity of most Tamils in Sri Lanka. Statements made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa since his January 2010 re-election suggest there is little chance the needed political and constitutional reforms will be offered in his next term. Any significant improvement in the political position of Tamils and other minorities in Sri Lanka will thus come slowly and with difficulty, requiring significant shifts in the balance of political power within Sri Lanka as well as careful but tough persuasion from outside. India, Japan, Western governments and multilateral organisations can do much more to assist the political empowerment of Tamils in Sri Lanka and press Colombo to address the causes behind the rise of the LTTE and other Tamil militant groups. There should be no blank cheque for Colombo to redevelop the north and east without first creating a political climate where Tamils and Muslims can freely express their opinions and have a meaningful role in determining the future of the areas where they have long been the majority. Donor governments and the UN should also press more strongly for an independent inquiry into the thousands of civilians, almost all Tamil, killed in the final months of fighting. Their aid should be tied to an end to impunity for human rights violations and abuses of political power that undermine democracy and threaten the freedoms of Sri Lankans from all ethnic communities. 23 February 2010 The Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) announced yesterday that it had decided to contest the upcoming General Elections in the Northern Province as well, and take on the EPDP led by Minister Douglas Devananda head on.TMVP spokesman Azad Moulana, speaking to Daily Mirror Online, said that the party led by Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan would hand over its nomination papers on Tuesday to contest the polls in the Northern Province, first time for the party outside its main stronghold -East.“We will field candidates for areas like Jaffna and the Vanni in the Northern Province where there are a lot of Tamil speaking people including the resettled internally displaced population,” Maulana said.With its decision to contest in the North the TMVP would also compete against another government ally, the EPDP, led by Minister Douglas Devananda which is also contesting the April 8 polls in the Northern Province.The TMVP is contesting the General Elections under the ‘Boat’ symbol after deciding to go it alone at the polls instead of contesting under the UPFA banner with the government. The party had also announced last week that it will include some new faces to contest the elections.The TMVP however had asserted that the decision to contest independently will not dent the relationship between the party and the government. The TMVP contested the Eastern Provincial council elections with the UPFA and also supported President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the recent Presidential elections. Tamil newspaper’s Scarborough office attacked The front window of Uthayan newspaper’s office looked like a “vehicle drove right through it” when Kula Sellathurai arrived at the scene.Overnight, Sellathurai said, the newspaper’s editor received a threatening call and hours later its office on Progress Rd., near Markham Rd. and Highway 401, was vandalized.Police are on scene, but said their investigation is still in the early stages.The threats stemmed from a recent meeting Sellathurai, President of the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council and the United Tamil Council of Canada, had with the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The meeting was covered in Uthayan, a paper widely read by Toronto’s Sri Lankan diaspora, as well as Sri Lankan media and websites. Sellathurai said the call made to newspaper editor Logan Logendralingam said, “your friends went and met the president, now you go and see what happened to your store.”When Logendralingam arrived he saw the damage. The whole front of the store was smashed, Sellathurai said.Neither he nor police could estimate the cost of the damage done.The presidential meeting came about after Sellathurai delivered funds raised by Tamil businesses in Canada for children orphaned and displaced in Sri Lanka. Sellathurai called his meeting with the president “very positive,” and said Rajapaksa vowed to work through the “ethnic issues” in the country.The vandals were “trying to send a message” to Logendralingam to “not carry that message,” said Sellathurai.“(Canada) is a country that we came to live in peace, and if we can’t continue to express our messages … then why are we here?”Sellathurai describes Uthayan as a “neutral” paper that carries news about both the Tamil community and the mainly-Sinhalese Sri Lankan government. “We are not against the Tamil people and their struggle,” he said. Sellathurai said this is the first harm done to the newspaper. However, when the Tamil community held a symbolic vote to create an independent Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka last December, Uthayan was pulled from three GTA stores and replaced with pro-referendum leaflets.Editor Logendralingam said at the time the paper was maliciously pulled because of its limited coverage of the vote. CBI requests more evidence on Prabhakaran's death from Colombo The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked the Sri Lanka government to provide documentary evidence about the death of Tamil Tiger chief, V Prabhakaran, prime accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case of 1991.Prabhakaran is said to have been killed in the third week of May 2009, near a lagoon in north-east Sri Lanka while fighting government troops. His death was formally announced on May 19.India had subsequently asked for a death certificate from Sri Lanka so that Prabhakaran’s name could be struck off from the list of accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.The Sri Lankan foreign ministry had recently handed over a Colombo High Court document – and not a death certificate -- to the High Commission of India (HCI), confirming Prabhakaran’s death. It was a report compiled by the defence ministry here on the assassination of Sri Lankan foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar. It stated that the LTTE leader was killed near the Nandikadal lagoon on May 19. The report claimed that Prabhakran’s death was confirmed following a DNA test.Through HCI, the court document was handed over to CBI’s Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) which is investigating the case.“The CBI has told me that they have received documentation from the government of Sri Lanka confirming the death of Prabhakaran,” Home Minister P Chidambaram had said earlier this month in New Delhi.But sources in Colombo and New Delhi have told HT that the document given by Sri Lanka might not be enough to convince Indian courts to strike off Prabhakaran’s name off the accused list. So the MDMA then shot off another a letter in the second week of February asking for more proof.``We need something more authentic. We have accepted the photocopy of the court document. But will the Madras High Court to accept it?’’ a CBI officer told HT from New Delhi.Sources in Colombo said the CBI request would be taken up with the Lankan foreign ministry. ``The case has to be made stronger (for Prabhakaran’s name to be cut off from the list) in the (Indian) court. The CBI request has been forwarded to the foreign ministry,’’ diplomatic sources said.Indian authorities are possibly waiting for some more medical evidence to close the case; as of now it doesn’t seem anywhere close to that. 18 February 2010 Fox wants Fonseka in civil court British Shadow Defence Secretary Liam Fox, speaking to reporters this evening after meeting Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, said that General Sarath Fonseka should be tried in a civil court where transparency will be paramount. “It is my strong view that the General should be tried in a civil court where the charges against him can be tested through all the vigor that the law can muster,” Fox said. The UK MP stressed that the transparency of a civil court would build confidence within both the local and international community on the jurisprudence of the process. “Transparency will enable both the domestic population and the international community to have confidence in the judicial process,” he said. Fox articulated the damage the Fonseka situation could have on the reputation of Sri Lanka. “The situation surrounding General Fonseka threatens to damage Sri Lanka’s reputation. At a crucial time of this country’s future it cannot afford to have the trail of such a senior military officer portrayed, as an act of revenge,” he said. However the MP explained that no country had the right to pass judgment on the actions of Sri Lanka. “It is not for an outside country or body to say who should or should not be prosecuted. But how trails are conducted will determine how the country is perceived abroad. The law must not only be applied fairly but it must be seen to be applied fairly,” Fox said. He went on to reiterate the need for Sri Lanka to maintain her standing on the international stage. “Reputation means a great deal and this is a country that deserves a high reputation. I hope that all the politicians in this country will work towards this goal,” the MP said. The UK MP was in the country to initiate a new fund for the development of social infrastructure. “Infrastructure requires money- that is why I have brought plans with me to create a new fund to help provide basic social infrastructure that the country will need; if the end of the violence is to develop into a sustainable peace,” he said. SF refuses to cross-examine witnesses in court martial Former Army Chief General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, detained on conspiracy charges has refused to cross examine persons, who would give evidence against him or bring in witnesses to defend him in a court martial. Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe yesterday told The Island that the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) had refused to take advantage of the provisions to question anyone, including military officers giving evidence against him. Responding to our queries, Samarasinghe dismissed recent media reports that the Opposition presidential candidate had refused to give a statement to the Army investigating the conspiracy charges. "We never asked for a statement from him. But we offered him an opportunity to cross examine witnesses and also bring in his own people, which he refused on the basis he could not be tried under the Army Act," Brigadier Samarasinghe said.He said that there was no basis for Fonseka’s position as he had served the Army until November 14 last year. According to him, the Army could arrest any officer or man if he had retired within six months prior to his being taken into military custody.The inquiry is headed by Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General Daya Ratnayake. The Military spokesman said that the inquiry would continue, in spite of Fonseka’s refusal to cooperate. "We are in the process of collecting evidence and recording statements of both Army and civilians at the Navy headquarters, where Fonseka is being held," he said. Once the evidence was handed over to Army Chief Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, he would decide whether his predecessor could be Court Martialled, he said. There was provision for him to appeal to Court of Appeal if he did not agree with the verdict, he said adding that the former Army Chief could move the Supreme Court in case he wasn’t satisfied with the ruling given by the Court of Appeal.He dismissed as nonsensical the assertion that a four-star General could not be tried by officers holding lesser ranks. He said if Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya decided to Court Martial Fonseka, the inquiry would involve either three or five officers.Asked whether Fonseka would be allowed to retain civilian lawyers, the Major General said that the former Army Chief could use lawyers of his choice. He pointed out that regardless of the Military Law, the Army Commander had allowed Fonseka’s family to bring in his food and also medicine.Responding to Opposition criticism that Fonseka had been held in horrid conditions, he said that the Army was using the residence occupied by the present Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe when he was the Chief of Staff to detain the suspect. Sri Lanka opposition launches signature campaign for Fonseka's release Sri Lanka opposition parties toady launched a campaign to obtain one million signatures to secure the release of defeated opposition candidate and former military chief General Sarath Fonseka.The signature campaign commenced at the JR Jayawardena Centre with the first signature from the Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe followed by the signature from Somawansa Amarasinghe, the leader of Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. Addressing the crowd gathered to sign the petition, the opposition leader said the petition is also a measure aimed at restoring democracy which this government is striving hard to destroy. Wickremasinghe accused the President Mahinda Rajapaksa of creating divisions within the country."Mahinda Rajapaksa who always thrived in creating divisions and hatred between the minorities and the majority community is now engaged in driving a wedge into the Maha Sangha too," he said referring to the split views expressed by the country's Buddhist clergy on Fonseka's release.The Opposition leader said after the end of the war the people hoped the government would deliver its promises to solve the country's economic and ethnic problems and usher in peace, prosperity and a lawful climate."But the Govt. on the other hand is plunging the country deeper into crises and chaos through its own terror tactics, lawlessness and riding roughshod on the dire problems of the people," he noted.Leader of Nava Hela Urumaya Sarath Manamendra, Assistant Leader of UNP Rukman Senanayake, Deputy Leader Karu Jayasooriya and UNP Gen. Secretary Tissa Attanayake also signed the petition. US unhappy with State media The US Embassy in Colombo says it is disappointed that the State media recently choose to carry a “provocative and groundless” story without allowing the U.S. to comment on the spurious claims.While rejecting allegations made against the US, the Embassy reiterated that it provided no support to any candidate in Sri Lanka’s presidential election and that any allegations that it did are false. “We thus were appalled by the baseless charge that the U.S. conspired against or in any way threatened the President or his government. We are disappointed that state media would choose to carry such a provocative and groundless story without allowing the U.S. to comment on the spurious claims,” the US Embassy said.The Embassy further said that the United States and Sri Lanka are longstanding partners and so hope that the bilateral relationship will continue to move forward and that the US can contribute to the peace and prosperity of a united and democratic Sri Lanka which is respectful of its citizens’ civil and human rights. Danuna’s mother allowed bail Mrs. Ashoka Tillekeratne, mother of Danuna Tillekeratne, son-in-law of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka was produced by the CID yesterday before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate. Additional District Judge Harsha Setunga enlarged her on Rs. 50 million personal bail with four sureties. She was also directed to appear before the CID on every Sunday, debarred from leaving the country and her passport was ordered to be impounded. She was arrested by the CID after recovering Rs 75 million in three safety lockers hired by her in a private bank at Thimbirigasyaya. The money included foreign currency. The CID examined the lockers on a Court order to ascertain whether there were any documents connected to the ongoing investigations against Fonseka. Firearms seized The Crime Investigation Unit of the Vavuniya Police has seized seven firearms hidden at Vellamulli Vaikkal area by the Vavuniya Police at Tuesday night. Police Spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody stated that the Police have found out six M 97 weapons and one 85 silencer weapon. In addition the group of Police led by CI K.W.R.J. Rohana had found four M 97 magazines and two 85 silencer magazines. The Police are continuing investigations. Meanwhile Baddegama Police have taken two suspects into custody with the carcass of a deer and a 12 bore gun. The Police patrol found the carcass and weapon in a lorry at Gurusinghegoda, Baddegama around 4 a.m. yesterday and are conducting investigations. The two suspects were to be produced before the Magistrate yesterday. According to Police 46-year-old M.A. Udaya Kumara was stabbed to death at Samanalagama, Nawalapitiya on Tuesday evening. He was alleged to have been stabbed by his son-in-law when he interfered in a fight between his daughter and son-in-law. The suspect has been taken into custody yesterday and the Police recovered the knife used in the crime. The Nawalapitiya Magistrate ordered the suspect to be remanded till March 1. The Kirindiwela Police are investigating into an alleged incident that a man attempted to kill his brother at Tuesday night attacking with a hand grenade. It was revealed that the two were not in good terms over a land dispute. The grenade lobbed by the suspect had not gone off and the Police diffused the grenade. The suspect was to be produced before the Magistrate yesterday. Meanwhile, the Kekirawa Police is conducting investigations into a suicide attempt at Ihalagama yesterday afternoon. The deceased was identified as B.W. Lokupaliyakkara of Olukaranda, Kekirawa. 17 February 2010 Lanka polls did not fully meet key benchmarks: Commonwealth The keenly-contested presidential polls in Sri Lanka did not 'fully meet' key benchmarks for democratic elections and the arrest of opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka has increased tension in the country, according to a Commonwealth report. "Even though on the day of the election voters were free to express their will, shortcomings primarily in the pre-election period meant that overall the 2010 presidential elections in Sri Lanka did not fully meet key benchmarks for democratic elections," Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said.He was speaking after releasing the final report of the Commonwealth Expert Team that observed the January 26 presidential election in Sri Lanka."Many of the problems identified reflect the same problems identified during previous elections. These problems -- which have also been highlighted by the country's own commissioner of elections -- will hopefully receive urgent consideration," he said, adding that the Commonwealth was ready to assist.Referring to post-election developments in Sri Lanka, especially the arrest of former army chief and opposition candidate Gen Fonseka, Sharma said 'these developments have increased tension. It is important that the rule of law and due process are applied.' Sharma expressed the hope that Sri Lanka will move towards political and social reconciliation in the aftermath of the first post-conflict elections and in the lead-up to the forthcoming parliamentary elections.The secretary-general said he was encouraged by the report's findings that the administrative arrangements for voting and counting were well conducted.The report said the commissioner of elections and his staff across the country expended great effort to put in place procedures to ensure Sri Lankans were able to cast their ballots. Muslim Congress and SLFP getting ready to contest in Jaffna, Vanni in UPF Alliance All Ceylon Muslim Congress and Sri Lanka Freedom Party are preparing to contest in Jaffna as well as in the Vanni electoral districts, in the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance in the forthcoming Parliamentary General Elections.Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen, Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services speaking to the Asian Tribune said he has already contacted the UPFA leadership and told that he intends to nominate 2 Muslims to contest in the Jaffna Electoral district, and in the Vanni district he will be leading the UPFA team with 4 Muslims and 5 Tamil candidates.Minister Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen further said that in total, there are 30,000 Muslim voters registered as voters of the North and are living in the Puttalam refugee camps.These were the people he said who were chased out of the North by LTTE leader Late Velupillai Prabhkaran in 1990. These Muslims are now languishing in the Puttalam refugee camps and they are all registered voters of the Northern Province. He said that he himself was a refugee living in Puttalam and contested and won a seat from Vanni in the 2004 parliamentary elections.He said out of the 30,000 registered voters, 6000 of them are voters from Jaffna and the balance 24,000 are registered as voters of the Vanni electoral district.In the meantime, Velmurugu Thangarajah, the SLFP Chief Organiser of the Jaffna district, said that they have decided to contest in the Jaffna electoral district in the ruling UPFA ticket.He said along with him he has decided to nominate the leading SLFP Party members of the district to contest from the Jaffna district. Fonseka files FR petition Defeated opposition Presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka filed a Fundamental Rights Petition in the Supreme Court yesterday to challenge the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The 40-page petition cited 22 respondents including President Rajapaksa, Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka, Presidential candidate Sarath Kongahage, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe and Leader of the Jathika Nidahas Peramuna, Wimal Weerawansa.The petition asks the court to scrutinise all the ballots that were cast in the presence of representatives from the Presidential candidates. The petitioner complained that the respondents have been responsible for organised intimidation, misconduct, non-compliance with the provisions of the Presidential Elections Act, corrupt practices, spread of misinformation, falsification of documents, bribery, misuse of state officials and state property. Furthermore, the petition claims that the above malpractices had an undue influence on the electorate and that it unfairly favoured the President. Based on these allegations the petitioner requests that the victory of President Rajapaksa be declared null and void. The petition details incidents on the day of election, where the state media allegedly carried out false news stories on General Fonseka not being qualified to run for the Presidency. Furthermore, it cites instances where counting officers and opposition representatives were chased away by government sponsored thugs. Security of MPs withdrawn The security provided to all Members of Parliament (MP) has been withdrawn with effect from today on the instructions of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mahinda Balasuriya, Police spokesman S.P Preshantha Jayakody told Daily Mirror online.He said the withdrawal follows the recent dissolution of Parliament after which all MPs become ordinary citizens. The police spokesman however added that the security for Ministers and Junior Ministers will remain. He also said that the security will be restored following the General elections in April to all those elected to Parliament. Meanwhile General Secretary for the United National Party Tissa Attanayaka told Daily Mirror online that this was a move by the government to intimidate and disarm the opposition candidates running for the General Election and there were no previous precedents for this kind of security withdrawal for MPs. He added that they hoped to file a Fundamental Rights petition in court as well as have discussions with the Election Commissioner regarding the security removal. Buddhist conference postponed 'Release' Fonseka But the four Mahanayake theras, in a statement, say the meeting has been indefinitely postponed due to the "current situation" in Sri Lanka. "Considering the current situation in the country and the safety of the Buddhist monks and the Buddhists to be gathered at the premises of Temple of Tooth Relic, we hereby inform all Buddhist monks that the proposed conference is indefinitely postponed," it said. In a separate letter sent to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the four Mahanayake theras have urged him to release Gen Sarath Fonseka who is currently under military custody. "Under no circumstances can we approve the arrest of the former army commander Gen Sarath Fonseka and a group of army officers who served the country risking their lives for making certain statements as a rival candidate at the presidential elections campaign and other reasons," the letter sent on 11 February said. "As the government accepted and offered ministerial posts and provided security to Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan (Karuna) and Chandrakathan (Pillayan) who were regarded as brutal terrorists who have assassinated Buddhist monks, destroyed Buddhist temples including the Temple of Tooth Relic and Sri Maha Bodhi tree, killing civilians as well as army personnel, and other serious terrorist activities, we urge you to use your presidential powers to acquit from all charges, release and provide security to Gen Fonseka and the group who served the motherland risking their lives to safeguard the sovereignty of the motherland and save peoples lives." It is not known whether President Rajapaksa has responded to the letter. Australia donates demining machines The Australian Government yesterday donated five demining machines that would further accelerate demining operations in the North. The consignment of de-mining equipment including five "Bozena +4" demining machines and spare parts valued at Rs. 272 million was handed over by Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Kathy Klugman to Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. Twenty four demining machines are in operation and with the latest addition there are 29 machines deployed to rid North of landmines planted by the LTTE during the separatist war. The equipment will substantially increase the Government's capacity to clear mines in the North, enabling displaced people to return at the earliest to their native lands to re-establish their lives. The Australian Government donated the machines following a request made by Senior Advisor to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Resettlement, Development and Security former MP Basil Rajapaksa. These machines, will be deployed in the de-mining operations through the de-mining Unit of the Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry. The Government has already resettled around 180,000 IDPs in their original habitats and another 100,000 IDPs are awaiting resettlement. Prior to resettlement de-mining is a must as the Government always considers the safety of the people as a priority issue, Minister Samarasinghe said. "The Government is not only resettling IDPs but also wants to ensure they live a normal and peaceful life" the Minister added. "De-mining is essential to the resettlement, reconstruction and recovery efforts in the North. Australia has listened carefully to the Government's needs in the area and I am pleased that today we have been able to make this important contribution. equipment will make a real difference to the lives of thousands of displaced people waiting to return to their villages and homes," High Commissioner Klugman said. Passport offices to be set up in Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government is to implement a program to issue passports in the North and East for the convenience of the people in those regions.Controller of Immigration and Emigration P.B. Abeykoon said a program has been implemented through the Post Master General and the district secretaries for the people in the North to obtain their passports by handing over their applications to the relevant divisional secretaries. Passports issuing offices will be set up in the Northern and Eastern provinces soon, the Controller added. India uneasy over Sri Lanka's slide By Sudha Ramachandran BANGALORE - Developments in neighboring Sri Lanka are triggering unease in India. There is growing concern that President Mahinda Rajapaksa will use his second term to marginalize political rivals rather than seek a political solution to the island's ethnic conflicts. The arrest last week of General Sarath Fonseka, former army chief and Rajapaksa's losing rival in the presidential election in January, is fueling fears that the president is focusing on consolidating the already substantial grip of his family over the levers of power rather than on addressing the country's bigger problems. Rajapaksa's convincingly won the presidential election by a margin of 1.8 million votes. The vote was fiercely fought with the two front-runners and their supporters engaging in personal attacks. It was far from the days when Fonseka and Rajapaksa partnered in the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that the Sri Lankan army finally won in May last year. The army chief and the premier both tried to take the credit for the victory, with Rajapaksa attempting to sideline Fonseka by "promoting" him to a largely ceremonial post. This was bitterly resented Fonseka, who decided to enter the presidential race as the opposition parties' main candidate. Both Rajapaksa and Fonseka have long records of getting even with enemies and silencing dissent, it was only a matter of time before they turned on each other. That the victor in the presidential election would show no mercy on the vanquished was evident in the election campaign. Rajapaksa did not even wait for results to be officially announced before he began the witch-hunt, with troops surrounding the hotel where Fonseka and his aides were staying. The general was allowed to leave the hotel the next day, but several former army officers who were part of his election campaign team were arrested. There has been no let-up in the intensity of the crackdown on the Fonseka camp in the weeks since. The president has purged the army of Fonseka supporters. Fourteen senior officers have been forced to retire and around 40 serving and former soldiers arrested. Early last week, troops arrested Fonseka. While the army is yet to press formal charges against him, a government-owned newspaper says that charges could include "conspiracy to carry out a military coup against the government and a bid to assassinate President Rajapaksa". He could face a court-martial if the allegations are proved. Many in Sri Lanka believe that Fonseka and his supporters in the army were plotting a coup and hence deserve to be arrested. Others fear that it is part of a larger strategy to eliminate all opposition to Rajapaksa's rule. Sri Lanka has been one of Asia's most vibrant democracies. But leaders have grown increasingly autocratic and under Rajapaksa the slide towards authoritarian rule has been rapid. This has evoked apprehension in the island and beyond. Several countries have expressed concern over Fonseka's arrest. Neighboring India issued a cautious statement after a day's silence following the arrest. "As a friend and neighbor, we trust that due processes of law will be observed in democratic Sri Lanka," a spokesperson of India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Officials speaking to Asia Times Online on the condition of anonymity said that while India was "no supporter of a general entering politics, it is not happy with Rajapaksa's undemocratic style". During the run-up to the elections, both Rajapaksa and Fonseka seem to have sought India's support or at least a commitment that India would not sway the all-important Tamil vote by indicating its preference between the two candidates. Fonseka made a "private visit" to Mumbai, apparently to open a line of communication with Indian political leaders, while Rajapaksa's brothers, Basil and Gotabhaya - senior advisor to the president and defense secretary respectively - met with top Indian officials as part of a Sri Lankan delegation. They are reported to have briefed Delhi about the steps taken by Rajapaksa to resettle the Tamil Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and to have assured the Indian government of Rajapaksa's commitment to finding a political solution to the long-running ethnic conflict between the island's Sinhalese majority and the Tamils and other minorities. Throughout the presidential campaign India refrained from indicating a preference between the two front-runners. Senior officials told Asia Times Online then that there was little difference between Rajapaksa and Fonseka as both prioritized the military option over a political settlement to deal with ethnic-based problems. "Rajapaksa stubbornly resisted exploring a political solution right through his first term despite India constantly urging him to do so," a MEA official pointed out. "And both [Rajapaksa and Fonseka] showed little concern for Tamil civilian lives through the months of aerial bombardment of Tamil areas." India saw Rajapaksa and Fonseka as presenting "a choice between the devil and the deep-blue sea," but Delhi quietly hoped for Rajapaksa's return to power. "Rajapaksa is a known devil, unlike Fonseka," the official said, pointing out that "as a politician, Fonseka was an unknown entity". A career soldier, Fonseka entered the political arena late last year. But for his political agenda of settling scores with Rajapaksa, little is known of his "vision" for the country. India knew that Fonseka was pro-Pakistan and China. And that worked in Rajapaksa's favor. While Sri Lanka warmed to both Pakistan and China during Rajapaksa's first term, with economic and especially defense ties expanding significantly, "Rajapaksa kept India in the loop right through the war against the LTTE," a fact that was appreciated in decision-making circles in Delhi. Another point that worked against Fonseka was that he is an ex-military man. Fonseka resigned before he stepped into the political arena and hence did not enter politics via a military coup, but India was uneasy with a military man taking over the reins in Sri Lanka. Rajapaksa's victory therefore evoked a sigh of relief in Delhi. Delhi was hoping that with his re-election out of the way, Rajapaksa would quickly settle down to addressing the ethnic conflict. But there have been no signs or statements issued on this matter in the three weeks since his landslide victory. Instead, the government has been preoccupied with clipping Fonseka's wings. Last week, the president dissolved parliament and announced that general elections would be held in April. What can be expected from him and other politicians in the coming weeks is campaign rhetoric on the ethnic issue aimed at wooing voters, not concrete steps towards starting dialogue and consultations with Tamils and other minorities. It is not just Rajapaksa's procrastination on a political solution to the ethnic conflict that is worrying India. Delhi is concerned over Tamil alienation. In the past, LTTE-led boycotts kept Tamils from voting, but even in a post-LTTE environment they have stayed away from the polls, with the turnout in Tamil areas very low in the recent election. Those Tamils who did vote did so in favor of Fonseka, who was backed by the Tamil National Alliance, a pro-LTTE party.The Sri Lanka Freedom Party headed by Rajapaksa and the United People's Freedom Alliance that Rajapaksa leads has a clear edge over the divided and battered opposition. The opposition is expected to focus on Fonseka's arrest in its campaign for April's parliamentary elections. Delhi expects Rajapaksa's party to win decisively. "The president is expected to emerge from the election with support in parliament that will be strong enough for him to push through changes required to resolve the ethnic conflict politically," the Indian official said. But does he have the political will to do so? 16 February 2010 Rajapaksa should empower Tamils: SM Krishna EU to halt Sri Lanka trade preferences amid human rights concern The European Union said on Monday it planned to withdraw preferential trade benefits to Sri Lanka because of concerns about the south Asian island's human rights record.The European Commission, which oversees the 27-nation bloc's trade policy, said an investigation had revealed significant shortcomings in Sri Lanka's implementation of three UN human rights conventions linked to preferential trade tariffs.The trade benefits, worth about 100 million euros ($136.1 million) a year to Sri Lanka, will be withdrawn in six months' time unless EU concerns are addressed, the Commission said."I hope Sri Lanka will sit with us over the next six months in order to agree upon a set of measures that will result in rapid... progress in relation to the human rights shortcomings we have identified," EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement.Sri Lanka benefits from concession in the EU's Generalised System of Preferences Plus (GSP+), an incentive scheme tied to the improvement of human rights and good governance.The scheme offers tariff cuts to support vulnerable developing countries.Brussels has consistently warned Sri Lanka it must meet 27 international human rights conventions to retain its GSP Plus status.The country came under pressure last year from Western nations, including those in Europe with large Tamil populations, because of civilian deaths in the final phase of the war against the Tamil Tigers, which ended with the separatists' defeat.Suspension of the preferential tariffs could hit Sri Lanka's booming textile industry hard. The country earned a record $3.47 billion from exports of clothing to EU markets in 2008, the largest source of its foreign currency earnings. New faces in the TMVP The Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) today decided to include some new faces to contest the upcoming General elections after the party decided to go it alone at the polls, TMVP spokesman Azad Maulana told Daily Mirror online.Maulana said that following days of negotiations within the party and with the ruling UPFA government, the TMVP had today reached a formal decision to contest the General Elections independently.He said that the TMVP will contest under the boat symbol at the April 8 elections and have included several Tamil academics and activists to run for the elections on behalf of the party in the east.Maulana however asserted that the decision to contest independently will not dent the relationship between the party and the government. The TMVP contested the Eastern Provincial council elections with the UPFA and also supported President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the recent Presidential elections.The TMVP had several rounds of negotiations with the government and even met President Mahinda Rajapaksa before reaching the decision today to contest the polls independently. Sri Lanka blast kills two children in Jaffna peninsula Sanath bats for UPFA Former Sri Lanka cricket Captain Sanath Jayasuriya will contest the forthcoming parliamentary election from the Matara District, according to well informed sources.The former St. Thomas’ College, Matara student’s name has been included in the UPFA list of candidates, sources said.Former Sri Lanka World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga contested from the Colombo district and was elected to the former Parliament.The news of Jayasuriya entering the election fray comes in the wake of rumours that several film stars, both male and female, have expressed their desire to contest the parliamentary elections. Fonseka harassed Army officials for personal reasons General Sarath Fonseka harassed several Army officials for personal reasons and now under custody as an act of retribution for his sins, Chamilla Nishanthi Wickramage, wife of Regimental Sergeant Major S.A.S Wijetunga said. She said last year General Sarath Fonseka then Army Commander sacked her husband from his post by framing bogus charges that he was harassing a woman soldier known as Corporal Wijetunga and also selling arms to the LTTE, while serving as a ground force soldier attached to the Gajaba Regiment. She said her husband was honest and faithful to her and he had advised a woman corporal about her some behaviour and subsequently she went and complained to General Fonseka, after that he was transferred to another place. After 21 days he was imprisoned after harassing him. Later we was released from the cell and sack him from the job, she said. Wickramage said she has two children and had to mortgage everything to feed her children and look after their education. Finally she did not have even Rs 25 to give her child for school activity . At least she called General Fonseka and asked some relief but they did not listen to her grievances, she said. Her husband filed a Court case over his removal, which is now pending before the Court of Appeal. “Now General Fonseka’s and his wife are facing the same plight but when she was suffering not a single person came to her rescue, Wickramage said. Ajantha Malpana, wife of deceased Major J.C Malpana said General Sarath Fonseka harassed her following the death of her husband for more than 14 years. She said General Fonseka was very jealous about their unit and their activities on behalf of the welfare of the Army personnel. After the death of her husband he ordered me to vacate the house immediately. She requested few months to occupy the house because of her son’s GCE O/L Examination. While she was occupying the house all utilities including water and electricity supplies were disconnected. Malpana said free facilities were also stopped, which made the life difficult to them. Today, General Fonseka and his wife facing the same plight which she considers to be a retribution, she said. Nishanthi Kuburage wife of deceased Sergeant Ruwan Yakandawela said her husband’s monument was destroyed by villagers soon after the assassination attempt of General Fonseka by the LTTE. ‘Some people accused my deceased husband that he had links with the LTTE to assassinate General Fonseka and therefore the people in the village destroyed my husband’s monument. But incumbent Army Commander took the initiative to repair it,” she said. Army unmoved by growing support for Fonseka A groundswell of support seems to be building up to free the arrested former army chief Sarath Fonseka. But the army is likely to go ahead and initiate court martial proceedings against him, the first four-star general in its history.A board, of three or five members, would be constituted to hear the evidence against Fonseka, accused of planning a coup among other things.The court martial board would be headed by current chief of defence staff (CDS) and Sri Lankan air force chief, air marhsall Roshan Goonetilleke. Goonetilleke was made CDS by President Mahinda Rajapaksa after Fonseka put in his papers in the middle of November to fight the presidential election. Though the air chief is junior to Fonseka in terms of years of service, Fonseka’s resignation made Goonetilleke the highest ranking officer in the Lankan armed forces.Under the Army Act, Fonseka will have the right to appeal to change officers on the board.It was learnt that at present, the army was conducting the “summary of evidence’’ — or collecting evidence — against Fonseka. “We have to do it soon,’’ an army officer told HT.The evidence would then be forwarded to the Judge Advocates office in the army. The JA’s office will decide whether the proof against Fonseka was clear enough to order a court martial. If not, then the summary of evidence would be forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for advice. Sri Lanka Court issues warrant against Fonseka's son-in-law The Colombo Fort Magistrate today issued an arrest warrant for Dhanuna Tillekaratna, former military chief General Sarath Fonseka's son-in-law over the multi-million dollar arms deal by the Hicorp Inc.Tillekaratna, who as the president of Hicorp International and the British Borneo Defence, is accused of earning profits from arms procurement deals of the Army that were awarded to him by the former Army Commander General Fonseka during the war with the LTTE.Meanwhile the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has uncovered 15 million rupees, 100 sterling pounds, and 527,000 US dollars from four safety lockers of a private bank in Colombo that belonged to Tillekaratne's mother.The CID examined the lockers in front of Tillekaratne's mother following a special court order issued by the Colombo Magistrate.General Sarath Fonseka had the authority to approve procurement of arms up to 25 million rupees while he was the Army Commander.Last week, Fort Magistrate rejected a motion requesting anticipatory bail submitted by Tillekaratna, stating that there was a possibility that the applicant may abscond and ordered the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration to prohibit from leaving the country. However, he is evading the arrest. Tamil Eelam dream still raging: Lankan Army Chief Colombo: Despite the killings of top LTTE leaders, including its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, and the decimation of the rebels, the concept of Tamil Eelam has not died out amongst those harbouring it, Sri Lankan Army Chief has warned."Even at present those who had connections with terrorists and the Tamil Diaspora overseas are still discussing the possibility of establishing a state of Eelam according to information we received," Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya has said. During his separate interactions with troops at Kallady, Thoppigala, Vakarai and Punani in eastern Sri Lanka, Lt Gen Jayasuriya recalled the numerous sacrifices made by War Heroes at the risk of their own "lives, blood, sweat, legs and limbs", the Army said in a statement. This is despite the fact that the Tigers' military wing was defeated in May last year, he said during his maiden visits to the Brigades in the Eastern Province last week. Stating that the Army has the responsibility to protect the country, Jayasuriya said a large number of troops in Northern and Eastern areas were deployed not for offensive duties but for observations or intelligence duties. "Specially, if any group takes up arms again as terrorists we must be ready to face such a situation," Jayasuriya said. He said the Army has the duty to help the police maintaining law and order during election time. "I believe that the Army troops would continue their normal duties better in the North and East establishing security in the area during election times," he said. Jayasuriya said that for the convenience of the armed forces, the authorities are planning to establish holiday resorts in the areas where they are not available at present. He said the land has already been allocated in Nilaveli (East) and Yala (South-east) areas for this purpose. Jayasuriya said the salaries and perks for the Army had been increased recently. The Army Chief said special attention would be given to training in 2010 since the newly recruited soldiers during the last two years did not get proper training as they were engaged in Wanni humanitarian operations. 14 February 2010 Share Power with Tamils as promised : Karunanidhi to Rajapaksa Chinese here for cyber censorship Experts from China — which is embroiled in a battle with global search giant Google over allegations of web censorship — will help Sri Lanka to block “offensive” websites.IT experts of China’s Military Intelligence Division will be here within the next two weeks to map out the modalities required for this process.The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) will introduce necessary legislation to make registration with the institution compulsory for all news websites. These websites should obtain the Internet Protocol (IP) addresses from the TRC under new regulations that will be introduced shortly. In addition action will be taken to impose controls on the Google search engine as well in relation to these issues. The four-member National Express Internet Service Advisory Committee which deals with IP addresses and related matters will also handle the proposed new rules, a senior official of the TRC said. Newly appointed TRC Director General Anusha Pelpita, who is also the director of Government Information, said he has not received instructions from the President to impose such restrictions on news websites but he did not rule out the possibility of imposing sanctions and censorship. The TRC has received a grant from the Institutional Development Fund (IDF) under the World Bank to develop its knowledge base and implementation capacity, enabling it to design and implement the second-generation of regulatory reforms in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, official sources said. The TRC intends to engage a consulting firm to assist it in the establishment of a policy and regulatory framework for Next Generation Networks (NGNs). The overall objective of the consultancy is to establish a policy and regulatory framework with a view to facilitate efficient investments in NGN and other new comparable technologies and maintain effective competition among the infrastructure and service providers while safeguarding consumer interest. The Chinese IT experts will assist the TRC in the detailed consultation process in formulating the policy and regulatory framework on NGNs, the sources revealed. The consultancy will also consider the issues relating to both the Internet Protocol (IP) based core networks and their interconnection with NGNs and the issues relating to the IP based Next Generation Access Networks (NGANs) connecting end users to the NGNs. Angry US summons envoy The United States has lodged strong protests with Sri Lanka over the arrest of opposition presidential candidate retired General Sarath Fonseka and remarks attributed to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that the US funded the opposition’s campaign.Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Jaliya Wickremasuriya was summoned to the State Department in Washington to be handed a protest note over the two issues. Robert Blake, US Assistant Secretary for Near East and Central Asian Affairs, told Mr. Wickremasuriya the US Government was deeply concerned over the two issues.US Embassy spokesperson Jeff Anderson declined to comment. “I am sorry I cannot say anything on the matter,” he said yesterday. However, a Foreign Ministry source in Colombo confirmed Ambassador Wickremasuriya was summoned to the State Department to be handed a protest note. The Singapore-based Straits Times quoted Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa as saying that the United States and Norway had funded Gen. Fonseka’s campaign for the January 26 presidential election.In separate statements, both the US and the norwegian Embassies in Colombo denied the accusations. Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama on Friday met Valerie C. Fowler, Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka. Ambassador Patricia Butenis is out of the country. Foreign Ministry sources said Mr. Bogollagama explained the circumstances under which Gen. (retd.) Fonseka was arrested by the Military Police. He has said the General was being dealt with under the Army Act. 13 February 2010 Sri Lanka needs carrot, not stick- The Guardian UK Are Sri Lanka's problems caused by too much democracy? Western analysts were dismayed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa's recent election victory over General Sarath Fonseka, who led the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers. Criticism of Rajapaksa's government increased following Fonseka's subsequent arrest on sedition charges. Such condemnation belies ignorance of the democratisation process and of the Sri Lankan experience.Sri Lanka's political development is incomplete and, viewed from the west, frustratingly slow in delivering our definition of liberal democracy. We naively overlook the inconvenient truth that democracy (at least the liberal kind we demand of friend and foe alike) is only for the tolerant and the trustful. After a lengthy civil war caused by a brutal ethnic and religious divide, it is no surprise that Sri Lankan voters view their political candidates through an ethno-religious prism. As Iraq and Afghanistan also demonstrate, blending democracy with ethnic and religious strife is a recipe for disappointment at best, bloodshed at worst.Sri Lanka's ethnic problems aren't caused by democracy but they are highlighted, and arguably exacerbated, by it. However, the nation's economic and political problems are traceable to the folly of elected officials and the demands of an electorate steeped in democratic practises but not in liberal democratic culture.In Paradise Poisoned, international development expert John Richardson explained that unaffordable bidding wars among Sri Lankan candidates and parties stemmed from "early successes in public health, mass education and provision of basic entitlements [that] conditioned citizens to view government, rather than the market, as the principal source of both benefits and employment".When President Rajapaksa entered office four years ago, fate dealt him a poor hand. He has played it imperfectly, hence his critics' complaints over corruption and nepotism. Clearly, Rajapaksa's winning margin over Fonseka would not have been so large without lopsided state media coverage and a campaign environment intimidating to opposition parties.The thousands of Sri Lankans protesting against Fonseka's detention notwithstanding, it would be wrong to assume that Rajapaksa is anything other than the country's most popular politician. Independent election monitors found no evidence of major fraud in the presidential election. Although Fonseka was clearly the more popular among minority Tamil and Muslim voters, voting along traditional ethnic and religious lines put him at a huge disadvantage, as the Sinhalese majority overwhelmingly supported Rajapaksa's leadership.Looking forward, when one considers the progress made against domestic terrorism, as well as the visible green shoots of economic development, it is once again conceivable that Sri Lanka could eventually become south Asia's Singapore, known more for its pro-business culture than for its suicide bombers.Although difficult for some western progressives to stomach, our contribution to the advancement of human rights (including General Fonseka's) in Sri Lanka, will stem from positioning ourselves as Rajapaksa's pragmatic ally, rather than as his idealistic antagonist. In practice, we should encourage a figurative "neighbourhood effect", that is, encourage Sri Lanka's immersion in the league of politically mature nations whose democratic habits and freedoms, it can be demonstrated, strengthen rather than weaken politicians' security in office.In the west, therefore, our pragmatic position on Sri Lanka's political development should be simply, "Do no harm".That is why, for example, the EU would be wrong to carry through on its threat to withdraw Sri Lanka's valuable GSP+ trade benefits. Economic development is the true catalyst for Sri Lanka's political maturation. By eliminating trade benefits, the EU guarantees not only substantial problems for the Sri Lankan economy in general, but significant economic hardship for the country's poorest citizens. The greater the poverty, the harder it will be for a liberal democratic culture to take root in Sri Lanka.The Sri Lankan conundrum – how to advance political development without punishing the economically disenfranchised – is identical to the one we face in our relations with countries such as Iran and Cuba. And the unappetising answer is the same: we should encourage unfettered trade with all nations because it benefits both our workers and those foreign workers we seek to empower, economically and politically.There may be no such thing as too much democracy, but there is such a thing as too much democracy too soon. Liberal democracy, history teaches us, is an evolutionary development rather than an overnight phenomenon. For those impatient with Colombo, that is a critical lesson. Sri Lanka's chief prelates call for special convention to discuss the political situation The chief prelates of Sri Lanka's four main Buddhist chapters have called for a special convention to discuss the political situation in the country and find a solution to the uncertainty in the country and re-establish the good governance.The top prelates have called all the Maha Sangha in the country to take part in a meeting to be held at the Maha Maluwa of Temple of the Tooth in Kandy on 18 February at 3 pm.In a letter sent to all the Maha Sangha in the country the chief prelates say there is an uncertain situation in the country with regard to the democracy and good governance and that will be disastrous to the future of the country.The top monks say it is their duty to not to be silent at this time as their long time contribution to the progress of the country is now being challenged.The letter has been signed by Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Mahnanayake thero of Malwatta Chapter, Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Mahanayake thero of Asgiriya Chapter, Most Ven. Dawuldena Gnanissara Mahanayake thero of Amarapura Chapter and Most Ven. Weweldeniye Medhalankara Mahanayake thero of Ramanna chapter.The chief prelates of Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters earlier have expressed their concerns over the arrest of the defeated opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka. FM accepts US, Norway rejections Sri Lanka will not pursue the matter of Norway and the United States allegedly supporting the campaign of former Opposition Common candidate General Sarath Fonseka, as claimed by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, beyond the rejections by the respective embassies. “We have received rejections by both the Norwegian and American embassies and won’t pursue the matter any further,” Minister of Foreign Affairs told Daily Mirror Online.The US and Norway on Thursday strongly denied claims raised by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse that both countries had funded the election campaign of former Presidential candidate Fonseka.“Norway has never and will never interfere with other countries’ elections or in any way try to undermine or oust a democratically elected government and president”, the Norwegian Embassy said in a statement. Similarly the Embassy of the United States in a press release stated that there was “no truth to the Sri Lankan Defense Secretary’s claims that the U.S. provided financial support to the opposition candidate in Sri Lanka’s presidential election.”Meanwhile, the Foreign Minister briefed the Diplomatic community on Thursday on the government’s decision to arrest General Fonseka. “The Government had very strong reasons to apprehend that Gen. Fonseka had acted in a manner prejudicial to the responsibilities of the senior posts he held during his service as a military officer,” he told Diplomats. The Minister had emphasized that the Military act under which the General was being prosecuted was inline with British military law. “The Army Act No.17 of 1949 was enacted about 1 ½ years after we gained Independence at the point we were establishing what was then known as the Ceylon Army, it was therefore natural that the structure and concepts behind our Army, including the provisions of the Act governing its setting up, should be modeled very much on the lines of British military law,” he said. The Minister thereafter elaborated on the legal provisions available to the General. “At the time of the arrest, the alleged offences were read to the defendant. As the investigation proceeds, a Summary of Evidence will be recorded, on the basis of all witnesses having to make their Statements of Evidence under oath. After the recording of evidence of each witness, the Statement would be read over to him and his signature would be obtained.The defendant has the right to be present when the Summary of Evidence is recorded on a basic Charge Sheet. He also has the entitlement of cross-examining all of the witnesses. As a further safeguard, the defendant is cautioned that he has the right to make a Statement or to remain silent. He is also entitled to call witnesses to give evidence on his behalf.At the end of the Summary, the officer recording the Summary of Evidence is obliged to state that he has adhered to all of the provisions laid down in the Disciplinary Regulations of 1950. The Summary of Evidence then constitutes the basis of determining whether a prima-facie case prevails for the continuation of the process or not. If there is a prima-facie case, the final Charge Sheet would be framed according to the evidence that has been established. A copy of the Convening Order, a copy of the Charge Sheet, a copy of the Summary of Evidence and a list of witnesses would be issued to the defendant, prior to commencement of the Court Martial.It is important to note that the defendant has the right to retain any number of lawyers of his absolute choice to defend himself during the Court Martial proceedings. The Court Martial itself is governed by the Disciplinary Regulations of 1950 and the Court Martial Regulations of 1950, promulgated under Section 155 of the Army Act,” he explained. JVP will not contest polls under Elephant symbol – Somawansa The JVP was weighing its options, following the UNP deciding to contest the forthcoming parliamentary election under the elephant symbol, its leader Somawansa Amerasinghe said yesterday.He told The Island that the elephant symbol was out of the question, because the JVP was not prepared to use it.Asked what his options were, Somawansa said:"Why not the Swan. It’s a well known symbol now. We are weighing our options. Let’s see what happens."Leader of the SLMC, Rauff Hakeem said the joint opposition alliance that backed Sarath Fonseka at the Presidential Poll, should be kept in tact for the parliamentary election as well."The UNP is the biggest party.So it should be magnaminous and make some sacrifices to keep the alliance going",he said."We should not break up the momentum,that was generated during the Presidential Poll."Asked,what his party would do,now that the UNP has decided to stick with the elephant,Hakeem said "Well,lets wait and see.The SLMC is continuing discussions with all like minded parties." Spokesman for the UNP,Lakshman Kirialle MP,said that any party was welcome to contest under the United National Front banner,with the elephant as its symbol.The UNF presently comprises the UNP,SLMC,SLFP-M and DPF.The UNP Working Committee on Thursday,authorised Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe to negotiate with any party that was willing to join the UNF’s campaign to defeat the dictatorial and corrupt Mahinda Rajapaksa regime,he said. War crimes probe call reiterated HR minister "It seems that everybody was waiting for the election to be over, and so that is what I reminded him," she said."The position that Sri Lanka has the unique office of a ministry for HR I thought places a particular responsibility on the minister of HR should talk to his own government not only on post conflict rights violations but post election rights violations."Expressing "disappointment" that the issue of alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka was not properly addressed at the UN HRC, she said it is an important vehicle on which states can take measures on rights violations of another country. Denying war crimes allegations, the Sri Lanka government says it will not allow any international investigations.In an interview with the BBC, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said he would nto allow any such investigation as “there is no reason.” But the former military chief Gen Sarath Fonseka has said he will testify at an international hearing. EUROPEAN UNION CLOSELY MONITORING THE SITUATION IN SRI LANKA Ms Catherine Ashton, Deputy Chairperson of the European Union has announced that the EU is concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka following the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka. A statement issued by her appeals to the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that the law of the land is given due consideration and the safety of the election candidates assured.It further states that the Government and all stake holders must initiate meaningful and lasting steps towards removing divisions that have existed in the past. A genuine effort must be made towards national reconciliation, the statement adds and outlines that true prosperity and national unity cannot be achieved without a cohesive effort. Sri Lanka HSBC in Jaffna to strengthen financial links A branch of HSBC which opened in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsular will strengthen financial ties with the rest of the country and the world as the area recovers from a debilitating war, officials said.A 30-year war with Tamil Tiger separatists Sri Lanka's north and east ended in May. During the war years tens of thousands of residents in the north and the eastern areas migrated abroad forming a diaspora that still maintain links with family members here. "A decades long conflict is now behind us," Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said after opening HSBC branch in Jaffna, the first by a foreign owned bank. "We believe the too diaspora can play an active part in the development process. They can be an important influence to accelerate investment to these areas and thereby support he expansion of industrial activity and tourism." HSBC which has a 15 branch network in the rest of the country has been in Sri Lanka since 1884. The group also had a presence in Jaffna from 1959 through an affiliate, Mercantile Bank, which it exited in 1973 as Sri Lanka tightened economic controls. "We will connect Sri Lanka's diaspora living in the UK and Canada so that we can handle both sides: remittances and investment," HSBC Sri Lanka chief Nick Nicolau said. The opening of a road to connecting Jaffna to the rest of the country has triggered a boom in fisheries and agriculture as demand increased. The central bank has started a three billion rupees refinance credit scheme for small business at 9.0 percent interest which is being disbursed through existing banks. Governor Cabraal says banks are processing 9,000 small loans amounting to 1.8 billion rupees and about a billion rupees have already been given. A number of Sri Lanka's banks have rushed to open branches in the area after the conflict ended, where only state-run People's Bank and Bank of Ceylon previously dominated. Private listed DFCC Bank, NDBBank has also moved in while others like Hatton National Bank have expanded their network. The HSBC branch in Jaffna's KKS road is also newly built. ""I saw the advertisement for premises and got in touch with the bank." says the building's owner Thambimuttu Selvarajah, businessmen who is now resident Colombo. "This was a vacant land. A long time ago there was an oil mill here." The Central Bank has given the nod for 91 bank branches and extension offices, most of whom are also looking for premises, contributing to the demand for commercial space in the area. Need to improve bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka Hyderabad: There is enormous opportunity to develop trade and investment with Sri Lanka as there is absolutely safe conditions and the government pro-active policies for investors in Sri Lanka.Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FAPCCI) President K Harishchandra Prasad who led a 21-member business delegation to Sri Lanka recently, said here today that "there are large number of areas including IT, agriculture, small and medium scale industries sectors wherein we can invest".The delegation which returned here after a four-day visit met the Sri Lankan prime minister Ratnasiri Wickramanyaka on Wednesday and appraised him the business opportunities in India in general and Andhra Pradesh in particular.Welcoming the FAPCCI delegation, Kosala Wickremanayake president Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka said this is the time that the Sri Lankan economy was opening up after 30 years of war during which time they were not doing too well and now is the time for investors to make use of the conditions available here. 12 February 2010 Sri Lanka opposition leader meets President to urge Fonseka's release Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe this morning met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the President's House to urge the release of former military commander and the defeated presidential candidate General Fonseka.A press statement issued by the UNP said the opposition leader was told by the President that a preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Army against General Fonseka, and when it is over, the Army Commander will take early steps for his release.The President has added that as there is a fundamental rights petition filed in the Supreme Courts in this regard, his release can be made following the Court's decision.The Opposition leader has requested that he be granted special permission to meet the General.The Supreme Court is to take up the fundamental right petition filed seeking his release today. Ex UN spokesman drops a bomb The former UN spokesman in Colombo Gordon Weiss has stirred up controversy by claiming today that as many as many as 40,000 civilians could have been killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war last year.In an interview with Australia’s ABC news, Gordon Weiss also accused the government of saying things which were either “intentionally misleading, or were lies” and that the LTTE was also regularly killing civilians to prevent them from fleeing.Mr Weiss has resigned from the UN after 14 years and returned home to Australia. He’s now free to speak openly about the situation in Sri Lanka, for the first time and does so candidly and unflinchingly in Foreign Correspondent’s return program.He tells reporter ABC news that between 10,000 and 40,000 civilians died during the final, desperate battles - last year - of one of the world’s longest running and bloodiest civil wars.“About 300,000 civilians, plus the Tamil Tiger forces, were trapped in an area of territory about the size of Central Park in New York,” says Weiss. “They were within range of all the armaments that were being used, small and large, being used to smash the Tamil Tiger lines … the end result was that many thousands lost their lives.” Gordon Weiss says his information comes from reliable sources who had a presence inside the battle zone, not Tamil civilians or fighters. "The Sri Lankan government said many things which were either intentionally misleading, or were lies", Weiss tells Campbell. He says that after the war ended, a senior civil servant openly admitted that the authorities had deliberately underestimated the number of trapped civilians “as a ploy to allow the government to get on with its business.” He acknowledges that the Tamil Tiger forces were also regularly and ruthlessly killing people, to stop them from leaving the battle zones. US, Norway deny helping Fonseka The US and Norway Thursday denied Sri Lankan Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa's allegation that they helped former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka during the polls.'There is no truth to the defense secretary's claims that the US provided financial support to the opposition candidate in Sri Lanka's presidential election,' the US embassy in Colombo said in a statement.'The US backed no candidate but strongly supported a free, fair, and credible democratic process,' it said.Rajapaksa's comments were made in an interview published Thursday in Singapore's Straits Times newspaper.In Singapore, the Norwegian ambassador made a similar statement in a letter to the daily.'The accusations made against Norway in the interview are not correct. Norway has never and will never interfere with other countries' elections or in any way try to undermine or oust a democratically elected government and president,' the envoy said.'Norway has already brought up the accusations with the government of Sri Lanka,' he added.The US embassy statement also urged Colombo 'to protect the rights of those who supported the opposition or other candidates in the election and to ensure the safety and security of representatives of the press.'The free expression of opinion and peaceful participation in the political process are fundamental democratic rights, which all citizens of Sri Lanka should enjoy,' it said.Rajapaksa told the Singapore daily that Fonseka, who was arrested Monday on charges of conspiring against the government, got the backing of Western countries during the January presidential campaign.'We are 100 percent convinced that Western countries with vested interests were backing him. Even the US, and countries like Norway, spent lots of money on his campaign,' he said.'They (Norway) have vested interests and used to support the Tamil Tigers in various ways. They also supported Fonseka to try oust the government.' Gota alleges US, Norway role General Sarath Fonseka will face immediate court martial for treason and he can be jailed for up to five years, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said in an interview published today.Rajapaksa, a brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, also told Singapore’s Straits Times that Fonseka had planned to impose military rule and his candidature in the presidential election that he lost was backed by the US and Norway.Speaking candidly but harshly about Fonseka, Gotabaya rubbished claims that Fonseka played a key role in the military victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May last year. “What he achieved we could have done with any other commander. There were better officers.”Fonseka was arrested Monday after being charged with conspiring against the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa, his former friend, and creating rifts in the army. Fonseka’s supporters have denied the charge.The younger Rajapaksa, who as defence secretary oversaw the war against the Tigers, said Fonseka would be charged under the Army Act. “Under the Army Act, any officer can be charged under military act within six months of leaving the military. There are other things we will do under civil code.”He went on: “The court martial will begin immediately after the assembling of the summary of evidence is done. I don’t know how long it will take because that depends on lawyers. But we want to finish it soon. In less than six months maybe. The severity of the charges is very high. He can be put in jail for as long as five years.”Rajapaksa said Fonseka worked with politicians and tried to win them over while holding the Chief of Defence Staff assignment. “This was completely wrong because he was sitting in Security Council meetings. It amounts to treason.”“He was planning military rule… He was completely trying to isolate the politics and take the country on a different path… In his very last stages as army commander he began bringing his people into Colombo and his regiment, positioning his senior regiment people all over… All these things were looking like a military coup,” said Rajapaksa.The president’s brother accused a section of the West of conspiring with Fonseka, who has accused the Rajapaksa brothers of war crimes in the military campaign against the LTTE.“We are 100 percent convinced that Western countries with vested interests were backing him. Even the US, and countries like Norway, spent lots of money on his campaign.“I have proof of the Norwegian government paying journalists to write against the government,” he said. “They have vested interests and used to support the Tamil Tigers in various ways. They also supported Fonseka to try oust the government.”Rajapaksa also linked Fonseka with the chilling January 2009 murder of Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickrematunge.“We know there was no other person (involved). You have to see the circumstances. Some of the media people harmed had never criticized any other person except him or people close to him. Nothing happened to those who had been criticizing me or the president.“We have a clue whom he has used (in the killing). We are very convinced. In fact, I know for sure. He was definitely responsible for five or six cases (of disappearances) where media people were involved. Now I am going after the people who did the executions. The truth will come out very soon.” Parliamentary polls 2010 The ruling SLFP-led coalition is confident that it could muster 138 seats at the forthcoming parliamentary polls-12 members short of a two-thirds majority it needed to implement far reaching constitutional reforms envisaged in the 14-point Mahinda Chintanaya II programme. Among the proposed changes were electoral reforms, including changing the existing PR system as well as revamping Provincial Council and Local Government systems. The President also promised to ensure minority representation in Parliament by electing members on the basis of district cum national percentages.Mass Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardhana on Wednesday (February 11) said that following a thorough analysis of the recently concluded presidential polls, the UPFA was confident that it could comfortably obtain a better percentage at the parliamentary polls. President Mahinda Rajapaksa polled 6,015.934 (57.88 %) against 4,173,185 (40.15%) obtained by the Opposition presidential candidate. "If we obtained a similar percentage of the vote, we can win 131 seats. But due to perceived drop in the percentage the Opposition votes, the UPFA is in a position to win seven additional seats," he said.Responding to The Island queries at the weekly media briefing at the Information Department, Minister Abeywardhana said that a two-third majority was needed to ensure political stability. The non-Cabinet ranker asserted that the number of ministers could not be reduced at the expense of political stability.He said that about 10 per cent of those who had exercised their franchise in support of Opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka would not skip the parliamentary polls. A further 10 per cent would vote for UPFA candidates, he said. The Opposition was in disarray and could not pose a threat to the government.Referring to the criticism of the arrest of the former Army Commander on conspiracy charges, Miniser Abeywardhana said that the situation would have been totally different had President Rajapaksa lost the polls. The Opposition had threatened to detain politicians, officials and top military personnel, including Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga was among 27 Secretaries, who had received letters from the Opposition, warning of dire consequences, the Minister said. A smiling Abeywardhana said that some officials threw their weight behind not because of their love for the President but they really feared for their lives.Asked whether he was addressing the media as the former Mass Media Minister, Abeywardhana said that Ministers and non-Cabinet Ministers could continue in their offices, though the President had dissolved Parliament at midnight Tuesday. He acknowledged that over 100 members could enjoy ministerial perks and privileges regardless of the dissolution. Postal voting applications for Sri Lanka's general elections accepted from next Tuesday Applications for postal voting in Sri Lanka's parliamentary election will be accepted from 16th through 22nd of February, the Election Secretariat announced.Applications for postal voting should be forwarded to the Returning Officers through the Heads of Departments. The applications of the Colombo District should be forwarded to the Deputy Elections Commissioner at Rajagiriya.The lists of postal voters will be exhibited at all District Secretariats. The nominations for the General Election will be accepted from the 19th to the 26th of this month. Elections are scheduled to be held on 8th April. Sri Lanka will never harm Indian strategic interests: Envoy Sri Lanka will seek “step-by-step reconciliation” with the Tamil minority and will never hurt India’s strategic interests, Colombo’s envoy said amid concerns about China’s growing influence in the island nation. Stressing that the end of the Tamil Tiger insurgency had presented a “historic opportunity” to build permanent peace, Prasad Kariyawasam unveiled an ambitious bilateral agenda of engagement with India that includes starting talks on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) and a ferry between Colombo and Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu.“China is an old friend, but India is an older friend. Our relations with India go back 2,000 years. Our political and economic friendship with China will not be at the expense of India,” Kariyawasam told IANS in an interview here.“We will not be a party to any mechanism or effort to harm India’s strategic interests. Harming India’s interests will be like harming our interests,” he said, when asked to comment about concerns in New Delhi over Beijing’s growing presence in Colombo.China has pledged $350 million as post-war financial aid to Sri Lanka and has bagged a large chunk of development projects which are estimated to be worth over $6 billion. India has pledged Rs.500 crore (around $100 million) for rehabilitation of around 300,000 internally displaced people and is also involved in a wide array of infrastructure projects. Stressing that Sri Lanka needs all international partners to spur its development, the envoy underlined that Colombo’s ties with New Delhi were set to acquire more economic and strategic weight in the days to come.“We expect to widen an FTA (Free Trade Agreement) and negotiate a comprehensive economic partnership agreement,” he said. “We have a conceptual understanding on this. We plan to start formal negotiations this year.”India’s FTA with Sri Lanka was the first such pact India has signed with any country. It has boosted bilateral trade, now estimated to be over $3 billion. “We hope to multiply it to $15-20 billion in another 10 years,” he said.Lauding India’s assistance in reconstruction of the war-hit areas, the envoy said New Delhi was involved in many infrastructure projects that included railway lines in the country’s north as well as building the Palali airport and the Kankesanthurai port in the Jaffna peninsula.The envoy said the promised devolution of powers to the Tamils would take place step by step and emphasised that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was waiting for the moderate democratic leadership to emerge before fast-tracking the process.“In the last 25-30 years, the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) had eliminated the moderate Tamil leadership. We now have a historic opportunity for the emergence of the moderate Tamil leadership and to create conditions for reconciliation,” he said.Indicating a lasting settlement with the Tamils who comprise around 12 percent of the population, the envoy said the reconciliation and devolution process would work around the India-backed 13th amendment of the constitution that deals with powers to the provinces.He said there were plans to give more representation to the minorities in the upper chamber in Colombo to “neutralise majoritarian tendencies”.“We, however, can’t give police powers to the northern and eastern provinces as they don’t have the mechanism to absorb them,” he added. The reference was to the war zone where the Sri Lankan military crushed the LTTE in May 2009, ending one of the world’s longest running insurgencies.On resettlement of those displaced by the war, he said nearly 70,000 refugees remained in military camps while more than 200,000 had been sent back to their homes.“Every day 1,000 or so are leaving. It will not be proper to call them camps. It’s like a relief village. The rest will return after the de-mining of the area,” he said. India urges fair trial for Fonseka India urged Sri Lanka today to follow “due process” in its prosecution of Sri Lanka's former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka. “As a friend and neighbour, we trust that due processes of law will be observed in democratic Sri Lanka in this matter,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement.Several western countries and human rights groups have objected to the fact that Fonseka is to be court-martialled rather than tried in a civilian court, reports AFP. India wields considerable diplomatic influence over Sri Lanka, whose 12.5 per cent minority Tamil community has close links with million of Tamils in India's Tamil Nadu state.Fonseka was arrested on Monday - just weeks after his failed bid to unseat his former commander-in-chief, President Mahinda Rajapakse, at the ballot box.He is being detained at a naval detention centre where he is currently awaiting court martial for conspiring against the government.Rajapakse won the January 26 presidential poll with a comfortable 58 per cent of the popular vote.Colombo has yet to specify the charges Fonseka will face, but Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said in comments published Thursday that the retired four-star general had clearly been plotting a military coup. Sinha officer arrested for demanding Rs. 7 mn on pretext of raising funds of MR The police investigating an alleged attempt to extort Rs. 7 million from a wealthy Tamil business living in Wellawatte, have arrested a Captain of the Sinha Regiment, who posed off as an agent of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The suspect who had been a serving officer attached to the Ambepussa Sinha Regimental headquarters and another person are alleged to have demanded money to fund President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidential election campaign. But at the time of his arrest, he had been stationed at an Army camp at Modera.A senior spokesman for the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) told The Island that investigators had arrested the suspects last Wednesday (Feb 10) night. He identified the Army officer’s accomplice as an employee of the businessman concerned. The police official said that the main suspect had told the businessman, in the run-up to the January 26 polls, that the Defence Secretary wanted to collect the money immediately. He had been warned of dire consequences if he ignored the ‘Defence Secretary’s demand’ for campaign funds.The police said that the arrests had been made following a tip off. Initially, the main suspect had claimed that he was no longer in the Army but inquiries had proved otherwise, the police said.The police said that the suspect had once visited the businessman’s residence and fired into the air to force him to pay the ransom. Later, he had agreed to accept Rs. 5 million after the businessman claimed that he could not raise Rs. 7 million. Vasu to contest from UPFA Democratic Left Front Leader Vasudeva Nanayakkara said yesterday that he would contest the upcoming general elections from the Ratnapura district under the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Betel symbol.Speaking to the Daily Mirror he said he would be contesting from the Ratnapura district with the Eheliyagoda electorate as his base .Vasudeva Nanayakkara had earlier contested in the general elections in 2000 from the Ratnapura district and 2004 from the Colombo district under his own party the Democratic Left Front but failed to get elected. Earlier he was a member of parliament on several occasions .Meanwhile, addressing a news conference yesterday the Socialist Alliance leader said they were having talks with Tamil parties in Northern and Eastern Provinces to contest the upcoming general elections.Speaking at the briefing Lanka Sama Samaja Party Leader and Minister of Science and Technology Tissa Vitharana said they had discussions with the leader of PLOTE, EPRLF and EPDP on the views of the people in Northern and Eastern Provinces. “We plan to have a mutual understanding with these parties and look forward to contest the general elections under our party the Socialist Alliance,” he said. Also speaking at the briefing The Communist Party of Sri Lanka General Secretary and Minister of Constitutional Affairs D.E.W. Gunasekara said: “We as the Socialist Alliance congratulate President Mahinda Rajapaksa on his victory.“We have said even before that General Fonseka planned to contest the presidential election was leading the country into military rule but the people have chosen the right person to lead the country to a brighter tomorrow,” he said. The Socialist Alliance asked the opposition to accept defeat and not protest against the election result as the election held this time was held in a free and fair manner than any other elections held in the country.When asked about the arrest of Rtd. General Sarath Fonseka Mr. Gunasekara said that the Law of the land will decide on what should be done and he should be given a balanced hearing. Canada to take in more Lankans Sri Lankans will get an opportunity not only find employment in the New Foundland and Labrador Province in Canada, but also to obtain permanent residency and even citizenship there.This was revealed at a media briefing yesterday by the Minister of Labour Relations and Manpower, Athauda Seneviratne. He was associated with a three-member delegation from Keyin College in New Foundland.Minister Seneviratne said that about 1,000 Sri Lankans could find employment in Canada this year."The agreement will be signed between the Keyin College authorities and the Chief Minister of the Wayamba Provincial Council, Athula Wijesinghe. The Wayamba PC will give a 20-acre block of land, where facilities too would be available for those seeking employment to undergo vocational training and learn English. Recruits could earn more than Rs. 250,000 per month in a five day week," Minister Seneviratne said. He thanked Indith Jayasuriya (A Sri Lankan Born Lawyer) a resident in Canada for initiating the project with Keyin College to find employment for Sri Lankans.Jayasuriya said that the Sri Lankans could find employment in the healthcare and service sectors. He said a certificate needed for employment in Canada could be obtained from the Wayamba Centre.Jayasuriya said that more than 1,000 Sri Lankans could find employment annually in the near future as Canada had openings in the agriculture, fisheries and mining sectors too.He said that after three years,the Sri Lankans employed in Canada would be qualified for permanent residency and thereafter citizenship.Todd Hayden, Career Counsellor at Keyin College, said that he was looking forward to working with Sri Lankans and that the Provincial Minister of Human Resources.M. P. M. Premaratne of Taj Lankan Recruitment Agency is in charge of recruiting the Sri Lankan workers.Brian Caravan (Director of Operations, Keyin College) and Marc Coady (Director, Keyin College) were also present. 11 February 2010 Sri Lanka Says No ‘Vengeance’ Behind Fonseka’s Arrest Sri Lanka’s government said there was no “political vengeance” behind the arrest this week of former army chief General Sarath Fonseka, the defeated opposition candidate in January’s presidential election. The opposition is “trying to obtain petty political advantages by misleading the public” over the arrest of the general, who is accused of violating military law, Minister of Media Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said in Colombo, according to the government’s Web site. Police fired tear gas and water cannons in the capital yesterday when opposition supporters protesting Fonseka’s arrest clashed with backers of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government, the Associated Press reported. Rajapaksa defeated Fonseka in the presidential poll, the first national vote since his government ended a 26-year conflict waged by Tamil Tiger separatists in May. Rajapaksa has called general elections for April 8, trying to capitalize on an economy forecast by the central bank to grow by more than 6 percent this year as the South Asian island nation rebuilds after the conflict. Fonseka’s supporters, who say the government wants to prevent him from taking part in the elections, gathered at the Supreme Court yesterday as an appeal for his release was filed, AP said. The general is being held at a naval base in Colombo, the news agency reported. Divulging Secrets Fonseka, 59, was detained under military law that says even a retired officer can be taken into custody if there are allegations he divulged secrets or acted against the government while serving in the Army, Abeywardena said. The incident doesn’t amount to “political vengeance,” he said. The government said yesterday the attorney general will determine whether Fonseka will face a court martial. He has the right to appeal any verdict handed down, it said. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Rajapaksa two days ago and called on the president to respect the due process of law in Fonseka’s case, according to the UN. Rajapaksa, 64, won 58 percent of the vote in the Jan. 26 presidential ballot compared with 40 percent for Fonseka, who stood as the candidate of the main opposition parties. The president called the election two years before his mandate expired after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ended the group’s fight for a separate Tamil homeland in the country’s north and east. Falling Out Fonseka led the army in the battle against the LTTE. He fell out with Rajapaksa when he was moved to a ceremonial post and the president accused him of plotting a coup. Rajapaksa pledged to establish a united country after the civil war. He said after his election victory he will submit proposals about a political solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic divisions after talking with all parties, and has vowed to spend $4 billion, or almost 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product, rebuilding roads and power plants in the north. Ban, in his telephone call, urged Rajapaksa to uphold commitments made last year to “ensure concrete proposals for a political solution of issues with the Tamil community in the north and to ensure full accountability for any crimes against international humanitarian law or abuses of human rights.” Fonseka’s arrest on Feb. 8 came after reports the general announced he was prepared to testify in an international court on war crimes charges against the Sri Lankan government, Amnesty International said in an e-mailed statement after his detention. UN Chief calls on Sri Lanka President, will send Lynn Pascoe again The United nations Ban Ki-moon phoned Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday morning in Sri Lanka and expressed his concern over the recent developments in the country, a UN statement said.Discussing the arrest of former military commander General Sarath Fonseka the Secretary-General has urged the Government to respect the due process of law and guarantee the personal safety of General Fonseka. The Secretary-General also urged President Rajapaksa to keep his commitment, as agreed in the joint statement, to ensure concrete proposals for a political solution of issues with the Tamil community in the North and to ensure full accountability for any crimes against international humanitarian law or abuses of human rights. The Sri Lankan government confirming the telephone conversation with the President today said the Secretary-General wished President Rajapaksa success in the continuance of his efforts to strengthen peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka, with assurances of UN support for this work.Noting the progress in returning displaced persons to their places of origin, Mr. Ban said more needs to be done in this regard. President Rajapaksa has informed the Secretary-General that infrastructure development was the most needed, both in the liberated areas of the North and East, as well as in other parts of the country. The Government was giving priority to this and would be appreciative of assistance in this regard, the President pointed out.Apprising the Secretary-General of the current political developments, including the dissolution of Parliament, President Rajapaksa reiterated the government's commitment to prevent divisions harmful to democracy, and conduct another peaceful election.The Secretary-General said that he looks forward to continuing his dialogue, both personally and through his Senior Officials. The UN Chief and the President Rajapaksa agreed to a visit by the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, to Sri Lanka soon after the presidential inauguration later this month. SRI LANKA: Arrest of General Fonseka-Comments - Col. R. Hariharan General Sarath Fonseka, former Chief of Defence Staff, and the common opposition candidate who contested the presidential poll was arrested in Colombo last night. A summary of answers to questions put by various national and international print and electronic media on February 8 & 9 , 2010 is given in the following paragraphs. Was General Fonseka’s arrest expected? Actually the government had taken a series of actions to build up a case against him ever since he announced his intention to contest the presidential poll. The irritation brewing up within the ruling coalition against him turned into hostility after his poll decision. First there were media attempts to blacken his reputation in military procurements made during his tenure as army commander. Then during the run up to the election stories of sleaze were expanded and attacks became personal. After the election results were out, security forces and police were deployed around the hotel where the General was staying ostensibly to search for deserters carrying arms holed up there. They were allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow President Rajapaksa. There was also a talk of a conspiracy to assassinate the President. His office was raided and his aides arrested. In all three dozen people, mostly retired servicemen, who were helping him have been arrested. His secretary was hounded and 15 army officers were given walking papers for supporting him. So a strong case of conspiracy to overthrow the government and assassinate the President was in the making. Therefore arrest of Fonseka was not unexpected. But the serious allegations against him and the timing of the arrest, after the parliamentary poll has been scheduled on April 8, does come as a surprise as the action now assumes a political context. What could be the “real” reason behind his arrest? While I am not privy to any official information, I think basically the President’s camp probably sees him as a serious political threat – one who could damage the hard won reputation for defeating the LTTE with allegations of war crimes and human rights violations in the conduct of war. This issue has gathered more mass internationally and the government has become extremely sensitive to it. So arresting him would put a clamp on him during the parliamentary poll. And if allegations of conspiracy and plot against the President are proved it would serve the purpose even better. General’s challenge to the government to arrest him a day earlier probably triggered the process. Having interrogated the detainees, apparently the government has built up enough evidence to back its allegations. So when the General is arraigned before the court when the case comes up there would be enough material to keep him out of circulation. And trying him under Army Act on a very serious charge would make it difficult for him to secure bail. What do you think of the allegations of conspiracy to overthrow the government and plotting to kill the President? The serious allegations would warrant severe punishment under the Army Act. The government spokesman has said the General would be tried by a Court Martial. Court Martial proceedings would be faster than civilian courts. General Fonseka, who had built his reputation as a professional soldier, conspiring to over throw the government and kill the President sounds incredible. Presumably that is why the military spokesman while speaking about the General’s arrest had talked of charging him for “military offences.” In any case the government will have to present a water tight case against him and carry it out in an open manner. So the government will have to present a water tight case against him and carry out the trial in an open manner. It is doubtful whether the government would do this. As a popular personality will be on trial, if it is carried out openly it would carry more credibility. Indian army had been doing this to ensure transparency. Media access has been provided to the proceedings now underway against Lt General Avadesh Prakash, one of the seven PSOs of the Indian army chief. General Fonseka by emerging as a challenger to the President’s re-election for a second term has gained global attention. The U.S. and the European Union which had levelled allegations of human rights violations would be watching the proceedings of the court martial closely. The U.S. State Department spokesman commenting on the arrest has emphasised the need for the government to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, and not to exacerbate it. Already UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to all parties in Sri Lanka and their supporters to show restraint and refrain from violence after the reported arrest of Fonseka. We can also expect the government to gather evidence on allegations of corruption against the General. His son in law is allegedly involved in this deal. What will be the impact of the arrest of General Fonseka on the army? Already loyalty of some of the army personnel had come under cloud over the issue of support to General Fonseka. The sacking of 15 officers including five Generals and two brigadiers carried out earlier would have already created a sense of fear among military personnel. The General's arrest would further increase it. So they would be wary of committing any action that could be construed as anti-government. Increase in the feeling of insecurity within the armed forces could be an unhappy fall out of the arrest. It could affect the homogeneity of army. What could be the political impact of the arrest? What happens to the General’s image as a political personality after the arrest? Politically the arrest substantiates opposition's allegations of witch hunting by the government. General Fonseka’s fortunes were down after his electoral defeat and it was doubtful whether he could have contributed to the sustenance of the JVP-UNP marriage of convenience till the parliamentary elections. However, after his arrest once again he becomes a focal point for opposition parties to come together during the parliamentary elections. From this point of view, by arresting Fonseka the government have provided some common ground for the opposition to come together against the President. But parliamentary polls are qualitatively and quantitatively different from electing the president as many local and personality factors govern the support of people. A fresh bid to accommodate JVP in UNP-led alliance In the wake of Monday’s arrest of defeated Opposition presidential candidate, General (retd) Sarath Fonseka on conspiracy charges, the SLMC and the Western People’s Front (WPF) are vigorously pushing for an electoral pact, which can accommodate the JVP. They are of the opinion that the political alliance, which backed the former Army Chief at the recently concluded presidential polls should remain intact to meet the Rajapaksas’ challenge. Political sources said that SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem, MP, and WPF MP, Mano Ganeshan, had told major players that a split in their alliance would be disadvantageous to them. Sources told The Island that the UNP had said that they would not compromise its decision to field candidates on the UNF (United National Front) ticket or give up the ‘elephant’ symbol. Sources said that as the UNF had not being recognised by Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, the UNF wouldn’t be on the ballot paper. Instead, candidates would be voting for the UNP and the ‘elephant’ symbol, sources said.Sources said that Tissa Attanayake, General Secretary of the UNP, would be responsible for handling nominations of all political parties contesting the parliamentary polls. Sources acknowledged that the JVP wouldn’t find it easy to vote for the ‘elephant’ symbol. On the other hand, the JVP faces an uphill task of securing at least a few seats on its own at the next Parliament. At the last parliamentary election, the UNP secured 39 seats, including three National List slots.Responding to our queries, a politician close to the on-going negotiations told The Island that the National Democratic Front (NDF), through which Fonseka had contested the January 26 presidential polls would not be available for the Opposition at the coming national election. The UNP wouldn’t want to allow a section of the Opposition (Fonseka-JVP combine) to use the ‘Swan’ symbol as it could undermine its overall strategy, sources said.The Military Police swooped down on Fonseka in the aftermath of a crucial meeting the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) had with Mangala Samaraweera, MP at his Rajakeeya Mawatha office, where they discussed ways and means of sorting out contentious issues, sources said. UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is believed to have requested Samaraweera to explore the possibility of having Fonseka to contest the polls on the UNF/UNP ticket.Sources said that the Fonseka-Samaraweera meeting followed a move to field candidates representing Opposition political parties, which backed Fonseka at the presidential polls, on the NDF ticket at the parliamentary elections.Sources said that Wickremesinghe would lead the campaign as the UNF’s prime ministerial candidate. Canada Ambassador opens Heart Treatment Complex in Jaffna Canada Ambassador to Sri Lanka Mr. Pruce Levy Tuesday morning officially opened the newly built Heart Treatment complex in Jaffna Teaching Hospital (JTH) which was constructed by Canadian International Agency and International Medical Health Organization under UN Development Programme at an estimated cost of 63 million rupees, sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh who spoke in the event said that the long standing need for a heart treatment facility is being met with the opening of the new complex, the sources added. The Director of JTH and many others participated in the event.In contrast to other foreign emissaries visiting Jaffna amidst heavy police and military protection, Mr. Pruce Levy was observed to be modest and simple in conducting his affairs in the peninsula, the sources further said. Northern railway reconstruction with Indian help The Sri Lanka Railways will sign a contract with IRCON International Limited of India to reconstruct the Northern railway line from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road at a cost of US$ 81 million. The Northern rail track along this stretch from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road and its railway stations were severely damaged by the LTTE during the war. A Sri Lanka Railway spokesman said the distance from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road is 43 km and the construction is expected to be completed within the next two and half years. The stretch will be reconstructed enabling trains to travel at a speed of 120kmph on the Northern railway line. IRCON International Limited will undertake the construction of the railway track, platforms, bridges, culverts and also the supply of rolling stocks from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road. Two crossing stations in Cheddikulam and Madu Road with one sub station in Neriyakulam Kovil will be reconstructed under this project. Latest technology will be utilized to construct and the track structure would consist of long welded rails and concrete sleepers. IRCON also signed a contract with the Railway Department to reconstruct a 90km railway track between Omantai and Pallai. The company expects to complete the construction within two and half years. It will cost US $ 185 million. As a result of the war, the train services on the Northern rail track were limited to Vavuniya only for the last 30 years. Under the Uthuru Mithuru project, the construction work on the Northern railway line has been accelerated. Trains are now operating up to Thandikulam on the Northern railway track and it would be extended to Omanthai shortly. He said the Railway Department is engaged in restoring the railway line up to Omanthai. The new railway station in Omanthai is now being reconstructed at an estimated cost of Rs 20 million. The spokesman said that 27 railway stations from Thandikulam to Kankasanthurai are to be reconstructed anew by 27 sponsors who have already been found by the Government under the Uthuru Mithuru project. The Army is carrying out de-mining activities to clear the area so that the railway line can proceed northwards, he said. The Government estimates that it would cost nearly Rs 14 billion to restore the entire rail track by 2010 under the Uthuru Mithuru program designed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. BJP seeks release of Sri Lankan ex-army chief Q+A - Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa tests popularity with parliament poll Sri Lanka's newly-re-elected President Mahinda Rajpaksa has dissolved parliament and called elections on April 8, hoping to cash in on his popularity following the end of the 25-year war against Tamil separatists.Here are some questions and answers on the political and economic implications WHY WAS THE PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED NOW? Parliament's term was ending this year, but by advancing the election, Rajapakse is aiming to deny his rivals any time to recover from the Jan. 26 presidential election defeat. Since Rajapaksa's re-election, his chief rival and former army commander General Sarath Fonseka has been arrested on military offences along with his supporters, a move which analysts say will reduce the strength and fighting power of the opposition.A victory in the election will give Rajapaksa the legislative power to make sweeping changes in the country. He needs a two-thirds majority to implement a campaign promise to change Sri Lanka's constitution aimed at a political solution for ethnic minority Tamils and Muslims. But, much will depend on what the changes are going to be. WHAT WILL BE THE FALLOUT OF FONSEKA'S ARREST ? WHAT ARE THE RISKS? The opposition is likely to use the arrest of Fonseka as a rallying point to regroup at the April polls. Road protests, strikes, and labour unrest could have a ripple impact on the $40 billion economy, which is poised to grow over 6 percent this year due to post-war economic optimism and high foreign investments.But Rajapaksa has made clear that he is not shy about using the considerable organs of the state at his disposal, as has been the case with many of Sri Lanka's previous presidents. Also, while Fonseka was a hero to many Sri Lankans for his relentless pursuit of the Tamil Tigers, it was Rajapaksa who won the presidential election with a landslide margin of 18 percentage points. WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMY/FINANCIAL MARKETS? Sri Lanka's booming stock market has been keeping up a record pace since the end of the war in May, gaining 125 percent in 2009 to earn it a spot among the world's best performers. It was resilient throughout the bumpy election campaign and since Rajapaksa was declared the winner, it hit new record highs on almost every day. A lot of that is driven by local buying, since foreign investors are net sellers. Analysts and investors say that since the war is gone, the politics don't make a huge difference. What matters is whether Rajapaksa sticks to pledges made to the IMF to rein in a budget deficit and improve the country's macroeconomic fundamentals.Rajapaksa wants to rebuild the island's shattered infrastructure with the help of foreign borrowing including through sovereign bonds. The central bank expects to issue a 10-year $500 million bond, its third, after the next budget in April when the new parliament is constituted. Breakaway Marxist party to contest Sri Lanka elections under ruling party The leader of the breakaway Marxist party, National Freedom Front, parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa says his party will contest under the ruling party United People's Freedom Alliance at the upcoming parliamentary elections.At a media briefing today, Weerawansa said his party will field candidates for 19 districts and he will contest the general election from the Colombo district under the UPFA ticket.He is scheduled to hold a special discussion with the General Secretary of the UPFA Minister Susil Premajayantha tomorrow regarding the arrangements.Wimal Weerawansa first entered the parliament in 1994 from the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. He was re-elected in 2004 general election with second highest number of preferential votes in the country. He joined the government in 2008 leading a major blow to the JVP and formed his own party. 10 February 2010 Parliament dissolved President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolved Parliament with effect from midnight yesterday under the powers vested in him under Article 70 (1) of Chapter 11 of the Constitution. The present Parliament was elected in April 2004 defeating the then UNP regime led by Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Parliament completes its tenure of six years in April this year. The UPFA came to power after defeating the UNP with 105 seats and the UNP winning only 82 seats. The Tamil National Alliance had 22 seats while the Jathika Hela Urumaya had nine seats. That election had a voter turnout of 75 percent. The UPFA at the last General Election received 4,223,970 ( 45.60 percent) votes, UNP received 3,504, 200 (37.83 percent) while TNA received 633,654 (6.84 percent) and JHU 554,076 (5.97 percent) votes. The UPFA comprised the LSSP, CP, DUNF, MEP, SLMP and JVP in that election. But after President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected in November 2005 he sought the co-operation of the main opposition party, the UNP in defeating terrorism. Accordingly, 17 UNP Parliamentarians including party Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya joined the Government. During the vote on the Budget in November 2007, the main Opposition party (the UNP) made efforts to defeat the Budget in Parliament. For the first time in the history of Parliament over a thousand extra chairs were placed behind the Public Gallery to accommodate a very large number of people, said to be UNP supporters who came in during the time the vote on the Budget was taken. Amidst the tension in the House rumours were afloat that the JVP would vote against the Budget. Anura Bandaranaike crossed over to the Opposition but when the vote was taken the Budget was passed. After President Mahinda Rajapaksa made the decision to defeat the LTTE terrorists, Parliament continued to support the President’s policy with the exception of those UNP members in the Opposition, the TNA and a few individual dissenters. It is likely that the election will be held on April 8 and the new Parliament will meet on April 22,2010. President Rajapaksa dissolves parliament as anger grows over Fonseka arrest Sri Lanka’s President dissolved parliament tonight and announced fresh elections as the opposition called for nationwide protests over the arrest of Sarath Fonseka, the former army chief. Opposition leaders accused President Rajapaksa of ordering General Fonseka’s arrest on fabricated coup charges to ensure that he could not challenge him again in the parliamentary polls. The general led the Army to victory over the Tamil Tigers last year. He was defeated by Mr Rajapaksa in last month’s presidential election. Mr Rajapaksa is disbanding the legislature two months ahead of schedule. Although the independent Elections Commissioner is supposed to decide the timing of the poll, he is widely expect to choose Mr Rajapaksa’s preferred date of April 8.The general’s wife, Anoma, accused the Government of abducting her husband, treating him like an animal, and blocking her from seeing him or giving him medicine. “He was dragged like an animal,” she said. “Is this what he gets for ending a 30-year war? “What I want to tell the Government is, 'Just be reasonable. Treat him like a human being'.” General Fonseka, 59, was arrested by military police at his campaign office last night and is now facing trial in a military court on charges that include plotting a coup against Mr Rajapaksa. The charges could carry a long prison sentence – those involved in the last coup plot in 1962 were jailed for 10 years – or even the death penalty, legal experts say. Sri Lanka has not executed anyone in more than three decades, despite lifting a 1976 moratorium on the death penalty in 2004. But analysts say Mr Rajapaksa appears determined to crush any potential political challenge from the man with whom he shared credit for ending the island’s 26-year civil war. “The President’s camp probably sees him as a serious political threat – one who could damage the hard-won reputation for defeating the Tigers,” said Colonel R Hariharan, a former intelligence chief with the Indian peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka. “Arresting him would put a clamp on him during the parliamentary poll.” The Government is thought to have feared that the general, who won more than 40 per cent of the votes in the presidential poll and is still popular with the 200,000-strong armed forces, could help opposition parties to dent the ruling coalition’s majority. It was also worried that he would follow through on his repeated threats to provide evidence of war crimes in the latter stages of the conflict with the Tigers. General Fonseka has often alleged that Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary who is also the President’s brother, ordered the execution of rebels as they tried to surrender. The BBC quoted General Fonseka telling reporters shortly before his arrest: “I am definitely going to reveal what I know, what I was told and what I heard. Anyone who has committed war crimes should definitely be brought into courts." Sri Lanka’s Government Information Department said in a statement today that those comments proved the general’s disloyalty to the armed forces. “This report of BBC confirms beyond doubt that the retired general was hell-bent on betraying the gallant armed forces of Sri Lanka who save the nation from the most ruthless terrorist group in the world,” the statement said. Fonseka held at Navy HQ meets wife, denies charges General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, who was arrested by the Military Police on Monday evening, has requested that he be permitted to meet his lawyers. High ranking government sources said that he would be allowed that facility.Sources said contrary to a claim by Fonseka’s wife that she had sought ICRC help to trace him, he was being kept in an apartment at the Navy Headquarters and she had visited him there. "The moment she made a request to the Defence Ministry, she was given access to her husband," a senior defence official said.Fonseka was arrested on allegations that he had revealed military secrets and conspired to overthrow the government. When the Military Police attempted to arrest him, Fonseka had, while being seated, kicked one of the officers, sources said. "That prompted soldiers to take him out with his chair." The arrest was made just hours after he challenged the government to arrest him without harassing his supporters. He also declared that he wouldn’t protect anyone, who had given illegal orders to the army during the war though he would stand by his officers and men.During the initial interrogation he had dismissed claims that he divulged military secrets or conspired to overthrow the government, sources said.So far, 40 suspects, including retired and serving Army personnel of various ranks, have been arrested over the same allegations. Sources said he had been provided with all comforts, medical facilities and permission to see his family members. SRI LANKA MILITARY POLICE REFUTE ALLEGATIONS OF HARASSMENT Mixed reactions over SF’s arrest Sri Lanka’s business leaders and top academics have expressed mixed reactions over the arrest of former army chief and defeated presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka on Monday night and warned a possible reprisal from the international community on the country’s economic front. However, almost all the leaders that The Bottom Line spoke to were of the view that law and justice should prevail under all circumstances. “If there is law and order in this country, then that should be implemented at whatever cost. If he was arrested for a fair reason then there is nothing to stop the due process of law taking its course,” one of Sri Lanka’s leading academics on international relations Professor W. I. Siriweera told The Bottom Line.
He added that while some countries will react in a big way others might just shrug it off adding that the international community will not look at it at the way we look at. Mahanayake decries Fonseka’s Arrest The Mahanayaka of the Malawatte Chapter the most Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera said yesterday it was a grave crime to imprison a war hero who had done an immense service to Sri Lanka in its fight to eradicate terrorism. Namal to contest from Hambantota Namal Rajapaksa, son of incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over his applications to contest the upcoming Parliamentary elections to a special UPFA interview panel yesterday. Addressing the media afterwards, Namal said he would prefer to contest from his hometown Hambantota, adding that however the final decision is with the members of the panel.However, a panel member speaking to The Nation said that Namal will contest from the District of Hambantota.When asked whether he believed that he had enough experience to contest for Parliament Namal said that unlike in a presidential election, he believed that experience was not a mandatory factor in a general election.Quickly adding that since he comes from a strong political family background he had had experience in politics and that he hoped to ‘learn by how it goes,’ Namal said that he is looking forward to a carrier in politics though his future will be decided by the party hierarchy.Apart from Namal Rajapaksa other party members who hoped to contest from the districts within the Southern and Sabaragamu Provinces, including controversial Provincial Council member Nishantha Muthuhettigama, handed over their applications on the day.The interview panel comprised Sri Lanka Freedom Party senior members such as Berty Premalal Dissanayeka, senior lawyer Champani Amarasena and C.B. Ratnayake. Court Martial or Civil trial on AG's advice Military Spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said the Sri Lanka Army will decide to hold a trial on the evidence against retired General Sarath Fonseka either at a Court Martial or Civil court after summary of evidence is forwarded to the Attorney General for his advice. Addressing the media yesterday at the Media Centre for National Security, Defence Affairs Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the former Army Commander and Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka was arrested by the Military Police on Monday at around 9.00pm on charges of committing alleged violation of Military law during his tenure as the CDS. The Security Council is the highest body which deals with the most secret national security decisions. Fonseka was a prominent member of the SC when he was the Army Commander and the CDS. "While he was a member of the SC, he had conducted and shared deals with political parties against the Government which he shouldn't have done as a military official," he added. Minister Rambukwella said any officer or a soldier or Army officer who commits an offence during their service time and thereafter he/she is subject to military law and may be taken into custody and kept in military custody by a Court Martial under Article 57(1) of the Army Act. The legal proceedings will be continued after that. There are many others military and civilian who were involved with Fonseka who were also arrested. Some others are yet to be arrested. The CID and police are investigating. Necessary legal action will be taken against them. Answering a question by a journalist whether the law permits the arrest of a retired Army Officer, Minister Rambukwella said if a soldier or an Army Officer breaching the Military code of conduct during service, the military can take action within six months of their retirement. He added there are many charges against Fonseka Major General Samarasinge noted that the summary of evidence collected from the Military and civilians who were involved in alleged military offences with Former Army Comander and CDS General Fonseka, the Military Legal Department will forward to the AG for his advice. The Military will decide thereafter to bring Fonseka before a Court Martial or before a normal Court of Law.. He observed that Fonseka's lawyer as well as his family has been granted unhindered access to the detainee and full medical assistance as per his request. "He was treated as a Former Army General without any discrimination", he added. When a journalist querried about why General Fonseka was not arrested for his offences while he was the CDS, Minister Rambukwella said when a complaint is lodged against a person on allegations there is a legal procedure. Initially evidence should be gathered and verified. "We have credible evidence and information. Besides, Fonseka was a Presidential candidate at that time," he added. 09 February 2010 Rajapaksa’s political rival humiliated, but at what cost? The Times UK Sri Lanka pledges funds for Tamil north Sri Lanka plans to spend $1bn (€730m, £639m) a year to bring the northern Tamil-dominated parts of the country “up to scratch” following decades of civil war that ended last year, its central bank governor told the Financial Times on Monday. Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the money would be devoted to hospitals, schools and government buildings, improvement of north-south roads and restoration of electricity supply. The programme is part of a strategy that focuses on the “immediate needs” of accommodation, infrastructure and livelihood, rather than a socio-political reconciliation process, Mr Cabraal said. Sri Lanka is also in talks with the World Bank to create more private-public partnerships, for example in infrastructure development, to stimulate the economy. “We are encouraging some companies to go and invest in infrastructure on their own too,” the governor said, adding that the Tamil diaspora was being targeted.Tamils displaced in the war who have been resettled are being given loans for smaller projects. “We need to bring them [Tamils] into the economic sphere,” said Mr Cabraal.To help achieve that goal, the central bank has approved the setting-up of 70 bank branches in the north, to help disburse credit. The longer-term strategy focuses on five sectors: ports, aviation, energy, “knowledge” and commerce. “We would like Sri Lanka to be a gateway to India,” Mr Cabraal said.With government debt running at 85 per cent of Sri Lanka’s gross domestic product, the shift from a war economy is likely to prove a challenge. But Mr Cabraal said the government was nevertheless committed to reducing the debt to 65 per cent in the next four years, possibly sooner. Sri Lanka election loser Sarath Fonseka arrested War crimes Gen Fonseka's wife confirmed to the BBC that her husband had been detained after the security presence around his office in Colombo had been stepped up during the day. Gen Fonseka's secretary, Senaka de Silva, was also said to have been arrested. Gen Fonseka was meeting a number of politicians who had supported his candidacy. The Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem told Reuters news agency: "He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes." Mr Hakeem said the action was "authoritarian and vindictive". A spokesman for the People's Liberation Front told Agence France-Presse: "The general refused to be taken away. They grabbed him and virtually carried him away after threatening the others. There must have been over 100 soldiers." The politicians at the meeting said the military police had given no reasons as they made the arrest. Mr Hakeem said Gen Fonseka had complained that because he was no longer in the military he should not have been arrested by military police. Earlier in the day, Gen Fonseka had said he was prepared to give evidence in international courts on any war crimes charges brought in relation to the civil war. "I am definitely going to reveal what I know, what I was told and what I heard. Anyone who has committed war crimes should definitely be brought into the courts," Gen Fonseka said. Our correspondent, Charles Haviland, says the arrest was dramatic but not unexpected and there must now be questions about whether this is the start of a bigger clampdown on the opposition. After the election, the government had accused Gen Fonseka of divulging sensitive information to the public, and of plotting both a coup and to assassinate the president and his family. Gen Fonseka has vehemently denied the charges. He said he feared an assassination attempt against him and had been told that airports would not allow him to leave the country. Analysts had predicted a closely fought election contest between the two architects of the government's victory over the Tamil Tigers. But in the end President Rajapaksa won the vote comfortably - capturing 57% of the vote, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%. US concerned on Sri Lanka arrest The United States on Monday voiced concern about Sri Lanka's arrest of the defeated opposition presidential candidate, fearing it would worsen divisions as the island recovers from war.” We are following the situation closely and we have concerns that any action be in accord with Sri Lankan law," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told AFP."There is a tremendous need for the government of Sri Lanka to work to overcome the fissures that exist within its society," he said.” It has to be very cautious that any actions it takes are designed to heal the split within Sri Lankan society, not to exacerbate it," he said. Troops on Monday arrested Sarath Fonseka, a former army chief who lost presidential elections two weeks ago. State media said he would be charged with unspecified "military offenses.” The January 26 election was Sri Lanka's first nationwide vote since troops last year defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, ending a bloody 37-year ethnic insurgency that was among Asia's longest-running conflicts.” Whatever the government does has implications for how democratic institutions are perceived in the future," Crowley said."It's an unusual action to take right on the heels of an election," he said of the arrest. Another official earlier told AFP that US diplomats had been working behind the scenes to encourage President Mahinda Rajapakse's government to be cautious in its treatment of the opposition.Fonseka holds US residency, although officials said it did not affect their position toward him.Fonseka and Rajapakse each tried to cast himself in the election campaign as the man who defeated the Tamil Tigers. Fonseka also enjoyed support of some Tamil groups who hoped for more conciliatory steps toward the minority. Western governments said they found the election credible, although Fonseka had vowed to challenge the result at the Supreme Court. The firsthand account of the drama leading to Fonseka’s arrest Sarath Fonseka, the unsuccessful Presidential candidate arrested for his military crimesThe scene: office of an important person located opposite the Royal College, Colombo. The time: 10 p m on Monday.The Provo Martial of the Military Police Brigadier Wijesri enters the Office with authority. He is accompanied by Maj Gen S R Manawaduge, Commandant of Western Province and Puttalam, and the Colonel of the Commando Regiment. The police top echelons are also present.The Provo Martial of the Military Police Brigadier has an important assignment on hand, that was already talk of the town. Only the timing was not known and how was not known. The million dollar assignment is carrying out the state’s order—the arrest of the former Army Commander and the Chief of Defence Staff. Sarath Fonseka, the unsuccessful presidential candidate.As the military top brass enter the office, Mano Ganeshan leader of the Democratic Peoples Front , Somawansa Amarasinghe, Leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna, Rauff Hakeem, Leader of the Muslim Congress, and Retired Police Captain Senaka Arnold Haripriya de Silva alias Captain Shah Silva are seated there.The Army asks the political associates who are there to leave the place for them to perform their military duties without any let or hindrance. Nay, it was an order.While the politicians refused to leave the premises, Captain Shah Silva starts abusing the Army officers in filthy language and begins to curse the Sri Lankan President, Asian Tribune learnt.He was arrested and handed over to the police who was wanted by them, as he was evading arrest.At that time Sarath Fonseka was wearing a half sleeves white shirt, Brown color pant and also wearing shoes. Subsequently, the Provo Martial of the Military Police Brigadier Wijesri informs politely to Sarath Fonseka about his impending arrest.Asian Tribune learnt that Sarath Fonseka demands that he should be arrested only by the Police.Even though there are leading police personnel present along with the Army personnel, Brigadier Wijesri, the head of the Military Police says that they have come to make a military arrest and reads out charges against him. • Politicking whilst in uniform • Conspiring against the Commander-in-Chief whilst in Service, • Harboring more than 1,500 deserters whilst on service, • And corrupt practices in relating to military procurements After reading out the charges the Military Police chief requests Sarath Fonseka to follow them to the vehicle to be taken out.As Sarath Fonseka refuses to cooperate with Military Officers who came for his arrest on the orders of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, and started to abuse the officers in utter filth as usual, the Army Officers told Asian Tribune that they had to force carry him to the vehicle.As he is force carried, by the armymen, Asian Tribune learnt that later Sarath Fonseka agrees to walk the distance to the vehicle and so he was allowed to walk.The former Army Commander was taken in a bullet-proof land rover and Asian Tribune learnt ultimately he has been lodged in one of the quarters located at the Sri Lanka Navy Head Quarters. JHU fields Champika to Colombo from UPFA The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday announced that it would field Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka to contest the Colombo district at the parliamentary polls from the UPFA.A statement issued by the JHU said the decision to field Minister Ranawaka from Colombo was based on a wide variety of reasons including his unwavering commitment to national integration over the past twenty five years, his feat of converting the Environment Ministry as a profit making institution from a loss making body after his takeover and his efforts to raise global awareness on sustainable development which saw him being elected the President of the Parties to Vienna Convention in 2008 for a period of three years.JHU Deputy Secretary and WPC Minister Udaya Gammanpila has reminded in the statement that it was Minister Ranawaka who was the ‘philosopher’ behind the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’ manifesto of 2005 as well as ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’ vision for the future manifesto of 2010. Mr. Gammanpila also observed that it was the young JHU minister who played a leading role in the formation of the National Sangha Council (1995), National Movement Against Terrorism (1998) Sihala Urumaya (2000) and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) organizations which provided the ideological backing and also mobilized masses against the LTTE terrorism and preserved the unitary character of Sri Lanka. Lanka to clear allegations with UN The government has decided to meet the UN Human Rights Council Chief Navaneethan Pillai in Geneva tomorrow in order to counter allegations raised by former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka regarding the final stages of the conflict. Officials at the Human Rights Ministry told Daily Mirror Online that Minister Mahinda Samarasingha along with Attorney General Mohan Peiris left the island for Geneva today and would meet Ms. Pillai tomorrow. Minister Samarasingha and AG Peiris will also meet United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres to discuss the allegations by the General.According to the official, Minister Samarasingha will also do the ground work for the Sri Lankan delegation taking part in the next Human Rights Council sessions before returning back to the island on Thursday.The allegations which will be discussed are those leveled by General Fonseka to a weekend newspaper last month stating that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse instructed a key ground commander in the north that all LTTE leaders must be killed and not allowed to surrender in the final stages of the war.General Fonseka said that as an Army Commander, he had no information communicated to him in the final days of the war and that three key LTTE leaders had opted to surrender to Sri Lanka’s armed forces as the battle drew to a bloody finish.Fonseka charged that communications were instead confined between the LTTE leaders, Norway, various foreign parties, Basil Rajapaksa, Member of Parliament and the powerful senior adviser to the President and such information was never conveyed to him as he supervised the final stages of the war. 08 February 2010 Should India Bat for Tamils in Sri Lanka? by S. Srinivasan With Tamils in Sri Lanka beaten on all fronts, the time has come for India to intervene decisively With Rajapaksa’s re-election, both the Tamils and neighbouring India, which plays an inevitable but a hesitant role in the happenings on the tear-drop island, are at the crossroads Somebody once said democracy is the right to choose your dictator. For the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Presidential election in late January presented such a baffling dilemma. Should they vote for the man who ordered a bloody war on their homeland or for the military general who actually led the troops into their fields? In the end, most Tamils stayed home on the poll day unable to fathom who was the lesser evil. Their paralysis helped the political commander. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had gambled by calling a snap election two years ahead of schedule, won a decisive mandate to run the island nation for another six years starting November 2010. The Sinhalese majority rewarded him for vanquishing the once invincible Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a ruthless guerrilla force that led a separatist campaign in the Tamil parts for more than three decades. With Rajapaksa’s re-election, both the Tamils and neighbouring India, which plays an inevitable but a hesitant role in the happenings on the tear-drop island, are at the crossroads. They now have to shift gears and engage the 64-year-old lawyer-turned-politician to find a solution to the festering Tamil problem. At the peak of his power now, Rajapaksa has no political compulsion to listen to them. He has defeated the LTTE, won the executive presidency without the Tamil vote and has won international support, overt or tacit, for his military solution. There is, of course, this small matter of a war crime investigation against him, but he can count on countries such as China to veto any move at the United Nations to penalise him. On the other hand, the Tamils are at their lowest point. With LTTE gone and the moderate Tamil leadership filled with weaklings, they don’t have anybody to send to talk to the President. “The Tamils are confused,” says N. Sathiyamoorthy, director of the Chennai chapter of Observer Research Foundation. “They have very low negotiating power and in fact, nothing to offer.” Rajapaksa has repeatedly asked Tamils to come up with a final solution, which they have been unable to do. For a population trained by LTTE not to think of anything but secession, federal solutions are not easy to grasp. India stopped playing an overt role in Sri Lanka’s affairs in 1991, when LTTE killed its former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. A year earlier, it had also seen the principal adversaries, the Sri Lankan government and LTTE, gang up together to oust India’s peacekeeping force from the island and butcher a peace agreement. Stung by this, India reduced its involvement to occasional behind-the-screen interventions. Rajapaksa’s final war against LTTE did get India’s support, but the latter never wanted to admit it publicly. But now, the time has come for India to get involved deeply and openly. India is the only country that can broker a credible accord between the Tamils and the Sinhalese. Most observers expect a 1987 accord mediated by Rajiv Gandhi to be revived now. India may already be making its first moves. In addition to giving hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild war-ravaged areas, India is also set to open a consulate in the Tamil town of Jaffna. The enhanced diplomatic presence will be crucial in winning the support of Tamils for any solution it may help evolve. India would also want to play a bigger role for its own strategic reasons. China is quite active in Sri Lanka through infrastructure projects and reconstruction aid. “If we don’t step up our presence, we will lose the race to China,” says Professor V. Suryanarayan, senior research fellow at the Center for Asia Studies. The only ray of hope for the Tamils is the upcoming Parliamentary elections. Unlike the first-past-the-post system for the Presidency, Sri Lanka follows proportional representation for the Parliament. So, Tamils will get a certain number of seats and maybe a role in the government. The President will still remain all powerful, but may need Tamil support for any constitutional changes. Time for national reconciliation, Obama tells Rajapaksa President Barak Obama has urged newly re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa to lead Sri Lanka towards national reconciliation in the post-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) era and heal the divisions created by conflict. The reconciliation, the US President added, should have the essential elements of respect for human rights and rule of law. In a congratulatory message to Rajapaksa on the 62nd anniversary of independence, Obama said for the first time on over a generation, Sri Lanka was not under the shadow of terrorism. Obama said: "The recent end of the war creates a historic opportunity for Sri Lanka to heal the divisions of conflict, and build a society that offers equality and opportunity for all. For the first time on over a generation, Sri Lanka is not under the shadow of terrorism." He added: "I urge you to seize this opportunity to provide the leadership that will allow all Sri Lankans to come together and meet their aspirations to live in a country that is rooted in tolerance, respect for human rights, accountability, the rule of law, and freedom of the press- all elements essential for national reconciliation." Though he won an emphatic second term in the January 26th Presidential election, the Rajapaksa regime has been plagued by allegations about the lack of the very aspects that Obama said could make for national reconciliation - violation of human rights in the last phase of the war against the LTTE, clampdown on media freedom and the lack of accountability. In his Independence Day speech on Thursday, Rajapaksa called on minority ethnic Tamils to work with the government to settle their differences. He made it clear however added there would be no self-rule for them. "Hereafter, we will not entertain narrow divisions based on race, religion, language and political ideology in terms of regions," he said. Cry for Self-Rule by Tamils Is Muffled by Reality By LYDIA POLGREEN JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Jaffna is a city of ruins. Some are physical, like the overgrown jumbles of mold-streaked concrete where graceful buildings used to stand. But perhaps the biggest ruin of the Tamil Tiger insurgency against the Sri Lankan government is the very thing the Tigers wanted most: any hope of self-rule.After 26 years of war that ended with a decisive government assault last May, Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority seems no closer to winning a measure of autonomy in a Sinhalese-dominated nation, and Tamil nationalism, the cri de coeur of the Tamil Tiger insurgency, seems all but dead. “All of this armed struggle, so many dead and wounded, for what?” said P. Balasundarampillai, who leads the Citizen Committee in this city on the claw-shaped peninsula of the northern Tamil heartland. “In many spheres of public life our role is very much reduced. Economically we are weak, and politically we are weak.”Just how little power Tamils have was made plain in last month’s presidential election. Though the Tamil Tigers’ war for a separate homeland in the north and east of this island nation has dominated life in Sri Lanka for nearly three decades, the question of how to address the root causes of the conflict — perceived discrimination by the Sinhalese majority against the Tamils — barely figured in the campaign. Instead it was a contest between two men claiming the mantle of war hero for vanquishing the Tigers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his former military chief, Gen. Sarath Fonseka. The main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, cast its lot with General Fonseka, betting that a fragile coalition with disaffected Sinhalese and Muslim voters could dislodge the popular incumbent. The gamble failed, and Mr. Rajapaksa rode to a resounding 17-point victory. Now more powerful than ever, Mr. Rajapaksa has given vague assurances about unifying the country. He has made clear, however, what is not on the table. Federalism, the starting point for virtually every Tamil party, is not acceptable, he said. Nor is he willing to merge the provinces in the north and east to create a large, Tamil-dominated state. Mr. Rajapaksa has, however, said he would cede some powers to the existing provinces, which was required by a constitutional amendment but never fully put into practice. This leaves many Tamils wondering where this shattered community will go from here. The Jaffna Peninsula, the cultural heart of Tamil life, lost hundreds of thousands of residents over the course of the war. About 100,000 are dead, but many more have fled. Far from Colombo’s shimmering seaside skyscrapers, the hollowed-out city of Jaffna seems stuck a generation behind the rest of the country. For every inhabited house stands an abandoned, weed-choked one. Many buildings still bear bullet scars even though the last fighting here was in 1996. Its famous university, once among South Asia’s best, is crumbling. These ghostly vistas are a stark contrast to the camps just south of here where at least 100,000 people live in squalid detention camps, awaiting the government’s permission to go home.A political settlement to what is known here as “the Tamil question” remains as elusive as ever. Professor S. K. Sitrampalam, a historian who is also a senior member of one of the largest Tamil political parties, said that there was “a history of broken promises and missed opportunities” between the government and the Tamils. Part of the problem for the Tamils is that the war left few political leaders standing. Many talented and skilled Tamils fled to exile in Canada, England, the United States and elsewhere. Velupillai Prabhakaran, the ruthless rebel commander and self-proclaimed leader of the Tamil people, was killed in the Tigers’ last stand. Before that, his forces had systematically purged dissident leaders in a series of chilling assassinations. Other Tamil political parties have joined forces with the government, seeing little point in struggling against the majority. Douglas Devananda, a former Tiger who has become a powerful minister in Mr. Rajapaksa’s government, said it was better to work with those in power to gain something rather than remain on the sidelines achieving little. Still, asked what he had achieved for the Tamils, the barrel-chested former fighter seemed at a loss. “It is difficult to say,” he said. “There are a lot of achievements. Ask the people. They will tell you.” But he conceded that the Tamils, having overwhelmingly opposed the president’s re-election, were in no position to make demands from the government. For young Tamils the frustration is even greater. “With the defeat of the Tigers the political power of the Tamil people is gone,” said S. Arihan, president of the student union at the University of Jaffna. Like many Tamils in the north, he said he hoped that international pressure would force the government to act. But such hopes are unrealistic, said Ahilan Kadirgamar of the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum, an organization that is trying to reconcile the country’s ethnic divides. Hard-line nationalists “just keep waiting for the international community, but it is not going to deliver,” he said. Indeed, much of the ideology of Tamil nationalism was formed in the 1970s and ’80s, when Tamils were facing pogroms and fleeing the country by the thousands.An armed struggle for an independent state had a certain logic then, analysts say. But in postwar Sri Lanka the situation is less black and white, and many Tamils are focused on recovering from war. “People have been so battered by the war that the basic issues, like resettlement and jobs, that is what is foremost in their minds,” Mr. Kadirgamar said. “It is not that the desire for a political solution is gone; it just needs to take account for the ground realities of today.” General elections likely on April 9 Parliament is expected to be dissolved at midnight tomorrow and General elections are expected to be held on April 9, a top government official told Daily Mirror online on the condition of anonymity.The final session of Parliament was held last Friday and President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is currently in Russia is expected to sign the papers tomorrow dissolving parliament in order to conduct the General elections, the official said. TULF to go solo The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) is to contest the forthcoming general election without aligning with any alliance.TULF President V. Anandasangaree said that the TULF would definitely contest alone. “We will be contesting definitely. As it is, we are going alone,” he told The Nation. Anandasangaree said that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was misleading Tamils, adding that although the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) of Minister Douglas Devananda was contesting alone, people would not vote for it as they were fed up with extortion and killings committed by armed paramilitary groups. “If the government does not contest, we can win over five seats. I will go to the people with my 15-point manifesto,” he said.According to the TULF’s manifesto, the Indian model should be accepted as the only alternative to a federal solution. This proposal would satisfy those who are opposed to both Federal and Unitary Systems. The TULF is fully convinced that no acceptable solution can ever be found under the Unitary System. It also stipulates that the re-merger of the North and East should not be carried out as it will prove detrimental to the country and to any ethnic group. The TULF calls for acceleration of re-settlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their respective residences and that full compensation be paid immediately for the loss of IDP lives and properties be they Tamils, Muslims, Sinhalese or Tamils of Indian origin. According to Anandasangaree’s manifesto, quick steps would be taken to compile a list of missing and dead persons and other relevant details of those people who lived in the Wanni during the war. Action would also be taken to hand over the 10,000 odd children and youth detained in rehabilitation camps wrongfully branded as Tiger cadres. Measures would be taken to relieve the people of North and East of the armed groups and the activities of the Human Rights Commission be extended to the North to probe into the abductions and killings of innocent people. High security zones would be disbanded forthwith and the houses within the high security zone would be handed over to the owners. All the gold, jewellery and cash recovered in the Wanni would be handed over to the people of the North and East. Youth, who are arrested and detained for very trivial offences, be released under a general amnesty while the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) would be repealed. A University for Wanni would be set up forthwith to accommodate children who missed their admission for various universities during the past few years. The TULF calls on the government to ensure that all sub-agencies and authorised dealerships be given to those dealers who had them before they were displaced and to the business community in the Wanni. Fonseka coalition falls; UNP wants Elephant The coalition of opposition parties that came together to support retired General Sarath Fonseka at the January 26 Presidential Election has collapsed.Its main player, the United National Party (UNP), will go it alone with its Elephant symbol at the upcoming parliamentary elections, though it is prepared to do so under the United National Front banner.“Our district chairmen and party officials have taken a unanimous decision,” party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Sunday Times yesterday. He said the district leaders met soon after the presidential poll to take stock of the situation. The move this week prompted the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to propose the formation of a new alliance. It sent out invitations to other parties to join. They include Gen. (retd.) Fonseka, (with his Swan symbol and New Democratic Front), Mangala Samaraweera (SLFP –M), Rauff Hakeem (SLMC), Mano Ganeshan (Democratic People’s Front) and Arjuna Ranatunga, who crossed over from Government ranks weeks before the poll. Some questions have also arisen about the future course of action of the United National Front. This came after one of the UNF constituent parties, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), announced it would work together with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in seeking a political solution to the national question. However, the SLMC has indicated that it would contest elections in alliance with the UNF.Another UNF constituent, the SLFP (M) led by Mangala Samaraweera, the man who put together the broad front to support Gen. (retd.) Fonseka, has in the past declined to contest under the Elephant symbol. He would thus have to decide whether to change his mind and remain within a depleted, inactive UNF or join the JVP-backed new alliance. Behind the scenes, moves to persuade the UNP to change its stance have failed. The JVP had tried to persuade the main opposition party to continue with the same arrangement that existed when they together supported General Fonseka. This is by rallying behind the Swan symbol. The UNP, the Sunday Times learnt, has taken up the official position that its alliance was limited only to the Presidential poll and not to the impending parliamentary elections. Party leader Wickremesinghe said that other parties in the alliance, including the JVP took up that position then.The UNPs Working Committee, the main policy making body, is to meet next week to endorse its decision to contest under the Elephant symbol. A JVP source, who spoke to the Sunday Times on grounds of anonymity, said if the party’s move to form a new alliance fails, the JVP would field candidates on its own. However, the source said the party propose to discuss a common programme of action with the parties invited to form the alliance. The source also said the JVP would not invite the TNA to join their proposed alliance. ACMC may go solo All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC), a constituent party of the ruling UPFA, yesterday said it would contest in the forthcoming General Elections under its ‘sword’ symbol in certain districts. Party leader Minister Rishard Bathiudeen, however, told Daily Mirror that no finality had been reached in this regard.“We will go solo in some districts while contesting under the UPFA’s betel symbol in other districts. We have not finalized matters yet,” he said.Meanwhile, party’s National Organizer Eastern Provincial Council Minister M. L. A. M. Hizbullah said that he would ‘most probably’ contest the election under the sword symbol in the Batticaloa district as otherwise it would be difficult for the ACMC to secure a parliamentary seat.“In my district, there are 250,000 Tamils votes and 80,000 Muslim votes. Therefore, it will not be easy for Muslim candidates to top the list in preferential votes by contesting under the UPFA’s betel symbol. Most probably, I will contest on the ticket of my party. Anyway, I will discuss this matter with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and MP Basil Rajapaksa,” Mr. Hizbullah said. Kilinochchi 'not ready' for resettlement Abandoned vehicles Rt Rev Thomas Sounderanayagam said on the instruction of the commander in charge of Mullaithivu, army officials took them round the places. “In Thanniyootru and Mulliyawalai area, we were able to see large number of abandoned motor vehicles was parked in rows,” he said. Military officials have collected these vehicles and stacked in one place. He said the military officials told him that these vehicles are under the custody of the Government Agent of the area, and the vehicles will be handed over to the owners once they produce proper documents. Bishop Sounderanayagam said number of priests and nuns are engaged in religious and humanitarian activities in areas where already the internally displaced people (IDP) are resettled. Jaffna electoral register deceptive: Polls Chief calls for fresh census Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake stresses the importance of carrying out a census in the Northern Province, as soon as possible, to establish the exact number of voters living there. He says a survey will reflect the actual number of eligible voters, whereas the current electoral register is outdated.According to him, the Election Secretariat was forced to use the 1988 electoral register due to a decision taken by Parliament, though the actual number of voters living in the Northern region had sharply decreased owing to the war.Addressing the media at the Elections Secretariat on Wednesday (Feb 3), the veteran public servant said his officers and Chief Returning officers should not be held responsible for any discrepancy in the electoral register and the actual voters living in the region. He said many people who had fled the country had been naturalised in many foreign countries, including India. He said that India had provided the necessary data of people living there to enable him to remove people living in India from the electoral register.He said the actual number of voters in the Jaffna peninsula was very much lower than the figures mentioned in the electoral register. He said Parliament should take a decision on this. A sizeable section of the Tamil-speaking population also lived in the South, particularly in the Western Province.According to final results of the Jaffna District at the recently concluded presidential polls, only 185,132 had exercised their franchise, though the registered number of voters was 721,359. The Jaffna electoral district comprises, Kayts, Vaddukkodai, Kankesanthurai, Kopay, Uddupiddy, Point Pedro, Chavakachcheri, Nallur, Jaffna and Kilinochchi electorates.During the first post-presidential election media briefing called by the government at the BMICH, UPFA General Secretary Minister Susil Premjayantha, too, discussed the need to conduct a census. Rejecting claims that voting in the Jaffna peninsula had been extremely low, an irate Premjayantha said that the outdated electoral register did not reflect the actual ground situation.Government sources told The Island that even in the Vanni electorate, which comprises Mannar, Vavuniya and Mullaitivu, the electoral register did not reflect the actual situation.Census and Statistics Director H. R. Gunasekera yesterday told The Island that they would conduct a countrywide census in mid-2011. He said that his department had carried out the last countrywide census way back in 1981 before the outbreak of Eelam war. Although the department had planned to conduct an islandwide census in 1991, the war had thwarted the plan, he said. He said that they had gone ahead with a census in 2001, though it covered only 18 administrative districts, including Ampara. "We covered only parts of remaining Northern and Eastern districts due to some areas being held by the LTTE at that time. But today, we are in a position to carry out a countrywide census thanks to the elimination of terrorism," he said adding that they were at the initial stages of planning. India to be net provider of security in the Indian Ocean and beyond – US The US says that India will be a net provider of security in the Indian Ocean and beyond with the growth of its military capabilities.A report entitled The Quadrennial Defence Review (QDR), released in Washington on Tuesday by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, said: "The distribution of global political, economic and military power is shifting and becoming more diffuse. The rise of China, the world’s most populous country, and India, the world’s largest democracy, will continue to reshape the international system." As economic power, cultural reach and political influence of India increase, India is assuming a more influential role in global affairs, the 128-page QDR report said. "This growing influence, combined with democratic values it shares with the United States, an open political system and a commitment to global stability, will present many opportunities for cooperation," it said."India’s military capabilities are rapidly improving through increased defence acquisitions and they now include long-range maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction and patrolling, air interdiction and strategic airlift," the report noted. "India has already established its worldwide military influence through counter piracy, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts. As its military capabilities grow, India will contribute to Asia as a net provider of security in the Indian Ocean and beyond," report added. The once in a four-year report, which shapes the policy of the Pentagon for the next four years, notes that, while the US will remain the most powerful actor, it must increasingly cooperate with key allies and partners to build and sustain peace and security. "Whether and how rising powers fully integrate into the global system will be among this century’s defining questions and are thus central to America’s interests," it said. On the other hand, the report expressed concerns over the lack of Chinese transparency over its military development. "The US welcomes a strong, prosperous and successful China that plays a greater global role." The report goes on: "However, lack of transparency and the nature of China’s military development and decision-making processes raise legitimate questions about its future conduct and intentions within Asia and beyond," the report said. Police deny release of monk arrested with grenades and guns SF’s son-in-law in hospital, fears arrest Presidential candidate General (retd) Sarath Fonseka’s son-in-law Danuka Tillekeratne has been admitted to a private hospital.He was to be questioned by the CID over an alleged arms deal through US-based firm Hicorp. He was to make a statement to the CID on February 1.Fearing arrest, Tillekeratne moved court for anticipatory bail. His application is due to be taken up on February 8. 04 February 2010 Massive Indian aid package to boost northern development High Commissioner of India Ashok K. Kantha yesterday said that the Indian Government is a friend and close neighbour of Sri Lanka and will give the necessary assistance to develop the infrastructure of the country. He said that India would support Sri Lanka in resettlement of IDPs, reconciliation of ethnic communities and rehabilitation of infrastructural facilities.The High Commissioner, speaking at a ceremony organised to donate galvanised sheets from the Indian Government to Sri Lanka to facilitate the resettlement programme under Uthuru Vasanthaya, said India would assist Sri Lanka in reconstructing the entire railway network in the north.He said the Indian Government would also assist Sri Lanka in reconstructing ports, and airports at Kankesanthurai, Point Pedro and rebuilding Palaly airstrip, Jaffna Teaching Hospital and University of Jaffna.He said that the Indian Government has agreed to donate 2600 metric tons of galvanised sheets valued at Rs. 300 million (US$ 2.60 million) in stages that would benefit Internally Displaced Persons in Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya.The first phase of this donation of 500 metric tons consisting of 71 packs (19x20 containers) were handed over to the Government yesterday.Social Services and Social Welfare Minister, Douglas Devananda, said irrespective of whatever activity we had undertaken, India’s role was of paramount importance. He thanked the Indian government for the unstinting support extended to the country’s recovery.Disaster Relief and Resettlement Minister, Rishard Bathiudeen, thanked the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, for assisting Sri Lanka in the development process in the north and east. He also thanked the Indian Government for supporting IDPs in the Menik Farm with health care and equipment.Bathiudeen also commended the role played by Senior Presidential Advisor, Basil Rajapaksa, in carrying out the tasks of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka opposition protests at 'rigged' election At least 5,000 Sri Lankan opposition supporters have demonstrated against President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government in the capital, Colombo.The protesters alleged that last week's presidential election result, easily won by the incumbent, was fraudulent. Earlier, the election commissioner said he stood by the result. Dozens of military officers and others have been arrested over an alleged plot to kill the president since he defeated former army chief Gen Sarath Fonseka. The opposition denies there is any plot and says the government has launched a witch hunt. Gen Fonseka and President Rajapaksa were close allies during the defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers last May, but later fell out. 'Unclean' vote The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says Wednesday's demonstration was much bigger than rallies usually seen in the capital. Holding banners in Sinhala, Tamil and English, opposition supporters thronged a network of streets in the city centre. They shouted that the election was "unclean" and would have been won by Gen Fonseka, but for what they allege was computer rigging. The crowd also condemned what they said was a government clampdown on media freedoms. The police kept a low profile as the crowd surged to a park where a mixed line-up of opposition leaders addressed them. Gen Fonseka told those present that Mr Rajapaksa had "stolen" their right to elect the country's leader. "The president is not behaving like someone who has won the election with such a big majority," said Gen Fonseka, the Associated Press reports. "His actions and his retribution on opponents suggests that he is nervous." Our correspondent says the opposition leaders' problem is that they have not proved that cheating was on a scale to change the result. Local monitoring groups have not challenged the overall result either. Earlier, Election Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake told reporters that he stood by the election result but was not happy with the way the government side had used state property during the campaign. Mr Dissanayake warned he had no power to ensure similar "abuses" would not recur in parliamentary elections due in March or April. Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment credited with P’karan’s killing Over eight months after the killing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Sri Lanka Army has officially credited the Vijayabahu Infantry regiment (VIR) with the killing of the terrorist leader on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in the Puthukudirippu area. Although the Army had discussed the killing of Prabhakaran at various forums, no particular fighting formation received the recognition of finishing off Prabhakaran and several dozens of his bodyguards until Army Chief, Lt. General Jagath Jayasuriya, recently announced the heroic feat. For the fourth battalion of the VIR (4 VIR) which had been at the forefront of many battles, including all major offensives carried out by the government, the announcement could not have come at a better time as the country celebrates the 62nd anniversary of independence on February 4.Some alleged that Prabhakaran was taken alive and tortured before being shot. Some went to the extent of claiming the LTTE leader was brought to Panagoda cantonment and taken back to Nanthikadal and executed. Of the five infantry formations, namely the Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI), Sinha Regiment, Gemunu Watch, Gajaba Regiment and VIR, formed after the Indo-Lanka Accord is the youngest infantry regiment in the over 200,000-member SLA.The VIR troops involved in the final battle with Prabhakaran had been with the 53 Division, one of the frontline fighting formations assigned to carry out the final operation by the then Army Chief, General Sarath Fonseka. The army cornered the LTTE following a three-year offensive involving several fighting formations, the largest single ground offensive conducted in the Vanni East region in the entire Eelam war. The 53 Division commanded by Major General Kamal Gunaratne fought its way down from Muhamalai and played a critical role in the final battle last May. Lt. General Jayasuriya on January 23 visited the VIR Regimental Headquarters at Boyagane, Kurunegala where he had paid a glowing tribute to the officers and men responsible for killing the LTTE leader. The VIR had trapped a small group of LTTE cadres, including Prabhakaran and his wife as they tried to fight their way through troops conducting mopping up operations in the Mullaithivu theatre.Army headquarters said that the Army Chief had met all officers and men involved in the final confrontation with Prabhakaran during his visit to Boyagane.Brigadier R. V. Samarathunge, Colonel of the Regiment received the Army Chief on arrival at Boyagane. Jayasuriya declared open the newly constructed VIR Administrative building complex, a project which was largely supported by VIR soldiers themselves. It houses all offices of the unit and other logistic needs. During the visit, Jayasuriya had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of men, who had been involved in the Vanni offensive.Addressing the gathering, the Army Chief hailed them as contemporary heroes who had brought fame to the motherland, their Regiment, the Army and to their families. The Army established the 1st Battalion of the VIR on September 26 in 1988 to augment the infantry. Inaugurated by veteran commander Vijaya Wimalaratne, the VIR gradually increased its strength with five battalions joining the formation by 1990. Today VIR comprises 26 battalions.The Army Chief remembered the officers and men of the VIR who sacrificed their lives for the country, the disabled, the wounded and the missing in action. I stand by the voting process - EC Sri Lanka’s authority on elections says that he is totally satisfied with the electoral process in the presidential election where Mahinda Rajapaksa was declared the winner.Speaking to journalists in Colombo on Wednesday Election Commissioner (EC) Dayananda Dissanayaka said, “I am totally satisfied with the voting and counting. The EC made this declaration whereas the opposition has rejected the result as fraudulent. Defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka made representations to the EC on Monday with what he says is proof of vote rigging. Commissioner Fonseka told journalists that investigations will be made.Meanwhile, election monitors say that the election commissioner has a duty to prove the validity of the declared result. 'No faith' Campain for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) Director Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon told BBC Sandeshaya that 90% of the people have no faith in the result. He said that a copy of the final tally from every counting station should be made available to the public.“It is a public document,” said Director Tennakoon alleging that the EC has not honoured several requests made by CaFFE to obtain them. “Agents of the opposition were chased away from several counting stations making the document inaccessible to the opposition” added the CaFFE director. Key SLMC talks in Batticaloa The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress was yet to decide its stand on contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections, said its general secretary Hassan Ali MP.The party would reveal its position after Sunday, he said.Party stalwarts were due to meet in Batticaloa on Sunday and a decision would be taken there, he said. The number of candidates to contest on the SLMC ticket and the districts from where they would contest would be decided on Sunday, he added. Shakthi journalist attacked in Hatton Shakthi TV journalist J. Shri Ranga and a Sub Inspector (SI) giving him security were attacked by an unidentified group in Hatton this evening, police spokesman SSP I.M Karunaratna said. The Sub Inspector sustained injuries but Ranga was unhurt. The vehicle in which they were traveling was also damaged. SSP Karunaratna added that a complaint had been lodged regarding the attack at the Hatton police 03 February 2010 FACTBOX-Five political risks to watch in Sri Lanka Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a landslide re-election on Jan. 26, putting him firmly in charge of the Indian Ocean island nation he led to victory in a quarter-century war in May. Following is a summary of key risks to watch in Sri Lanka: * POLITICS Rajapaksa is proceeding full speed ahead toward parliamentary elections due before April. After he won by a margin of 18 percent over opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka, the opposition is fractured, demoralised and threatening protests over what it calls a stolen election. Few expect the opposition, a collection of diverse parties that unified only for the purpose of beating Rajapaksa, to succeed in challenging the result nor to stick together at the parliamentary poll. Rajapaksa is aiming to get a two-thirds majority in parliament that would give him a free hand to change the constitution to his liking and trim a cabinet of more than 100 ministers to a more manageable number. What to watch: - Whether Rajpaksa can secure two-thirds majority. This would be broadly positive for markets because it would allow decisive policymaking. He is likely to make overtures to some opposition parties to secure this. - The types of parties Rajapaksa keeps in his rejigged coalition, should he win. That will to a large degree show the types of policies he will follow. - How the government deals with a coup plot it says Fonseka's supporters tried to hatch, or any large protests that materialise. If it acts with too heavy a hand, it risks some backlash at home, plus further damage to international ties. * FISCAL REFORM AND MANAGEMENT Although foreign direct investment into Sri Lanka has picked up now the war is over, investors say there are plenty of reforms that need to be made on both the macro- and microeconomic levels -- in particular reducing the corporate tax rate and the bureaucracy for starting a business -- before it starts to gather steam. Sri Lanka has vowed to bring down its budget deficit to 6 percent in 2010 under targets specified in a $2.6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. What to watch: -- Any sign of an erosion in fiscal discipline. Credit rating agencies say adherence to the IMF plan is crucial for international investor confidence in Sri Lanka. -- Progress in efforts to raise revenue collection or rein in public-sector spending. Rajapaksa pledged pay raises to public employees during the election. How he pays for this will be a good indicator of what tack his government will take. -- The official full-year 2009 budget deficit numbers. They will be the first big measure of how well Sri Lanka is doing against IMF targets. * THE RUPEE CURRENCY AND INFLATION Under Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, inflation has fallen from more than 28 percent in 2008 to single digits. He expects it to stay there for the rest of the year. But it has been rising for five straight months and hit 6.5 percent in January. The governor says he is willing to tighten monetary policy to keep it in check, after loosening policy last year to spur private-sector credit growth. Cabraal has also said he expects to revoke most of Sri Lanka's strict currency controls to spur investment and allow the rupee .LKR to float more freely, but appeared to back off during the election. What to watch: -- Any monetary tightening, and the corresponding reaction of both the inflation rate and the rate of credit growth. Both will give a clearer picture of overall economic health. -- Any move to relax the currency controls, and the subsequent reaction of the rupee's exchange rate. * INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Western countries, and groups in the Tamil diaspora, are pressing for some kind of accountability for thousands of civilian deaths at the end of the war. Sri Lanka is adamant its soldiers did not violate international law, and that for now has cost it enhanced European Union trade preferences known as GSP+ worth $100 million a year. However, Sri Lanka's willingness to turn to countries like China and Iran appears to have prompted the West to take a softer line. India remains a steadfast ally, and its influence is likely to help that trend continue. What to watch: -- Whether Sri Lanka can reach a deal with EU to get GSP+ back. The reinstatement of the trade concession would help Sri Lanka's garment industry, its top foreign exchange earner. -- The extent of Western redevelopment aid, versus that from India and China, largest donors since the end of the war so far. * TAMIL RELATIONS The government says 70 percent of more than 280,000 internally displaced people who fled the end of the war against the Tamil Tigers have been relocated from the main refugee camps, but most are still in transit facilities while de-mining work is being completed. This has done nothing to help smooth over the strained relations between the Tamil minority, and the Sinhalese majority to which Rajapaksa belongs. Those were the root of the conflict the Tamil Tigers waged for three decades. Key issues to watch: -- Concrete steps Rajapaksa takes to address Tamil political demands, something he said he would do after elections were over. -- The tack taken by Tamil parties, who now lack a cohesive plan and have softened their approach since the war's end. Indian firm to re-lay rail tracks Sri Lanka Railways has made arrangements to sign a contract with an Indian firm ‘Ircon’ to re-lay rail tracks from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road, a distance of 43 kilometers.The rail track along this stretch was dismantled by the LTTE over a decade ago to build bunkers for their terrorist activities. The cost of relaying the tracks is estimated at US dollars 810 million.The agreement includes the reconstruction of the Madhu Road Railway Station and Nerikulam station in between.After the re-laying of the track to Madhu Road, the same Indian company would construct the track to Talaimannar, which is 63 kilometers from the Madhu Road. The cost for this stretch is estimated at US dollars 143 million.The first phase would take two years to complete while the second would take a further two and a half years, Sri Lanka Railways said. Mannar fishing restrictions 're-imposed' 'Illegal smuggling' This 'punishment' is meted out due to the majority of the fishing community in the north voting for the main opposition candidate, Gen Sarath Fonseka, alleged the fishermen. "If we do not come back before 6pm, we are not allowed to go fishing the next day".As a result of the restrictions, fishermen are facing a lot of difficulties including not being able to keep fresh fish, he added. However, Sri Lanka navy told BBC Sandeshaya that no new restrictions were imposed in Mannar island.SLN spokesman, Capt Athula Senerath said that as Mannar is close to Indian maritime border there is a need to control illegal activities such as smuggling of goods. No independence for UNP Tuesday The opposition UNP has decided to boycott the national Independence Day celebrations in Kandy on Thursday as a mark of protest over the alleged harassment of supporters of General Sarath Fonseka by the government.UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayaka speaking to Daily Mirror online, said that the party had reached a collective decision, to refrain from attending the celebrations at a time when the country was in turmoil. “Where is the freedom? Independence day is supposed to be a day we celebrate our freedom. But instead, today, our people are suffering and are being tortured at the hands of the government. Look at the way the government is treating Sarath Fonseka and his supporters? Our decision to boycott is a mark of protest against the government,” Mr. Attanayaka told Daily Mirror online.He further charged that journalists were being threatened and government servants who had pledged support for the General during the Presidential Election had been harassed. “Where is the freedom in this?” Mr. Attanayaka queried.The UNP met with Buddhist Prelates in Kandy this afternoon and informed them about the country’s situation and the alleged harassment faced by General Fonseka and his supporters.Mr. Attanayaka along with UNP MP’s Karu Jayasuirya, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera and SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem met the Prelates in Kandy. Mayor harassed and hounded The Batticaloa Mayor Ms Sivageetha Prabakaran is facing untold misery in the hands of the goons associated with the paramilitary leader and government Minister Vinayagamoorthy Mualitharan alias Col Karuna.She has been targeted for supporting the opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka at the Presidential election. Mayor Sivageetha joined the President’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) on 8 January 2010 to the opposition side. She publicly campaigned for Sarath Fonseka.Following the announcement of the results the goons have attacked her house in Batticaloa and have threatened to kill her. According to information, Mayor Sivageetha has gone into hiding and cannot be reached for further information about her fate. Canadian HC opens visa application centre The High Commission of Canada in Colombo has announced that applicants from Sri Lanka and Maldives will now be able to use a local service provider, TT Services, to apply for visas to Canada. Their permanent office, located at 51 A, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7, will open today. This will be the first time that the High Commission of Canada in Sri Lanka will be using a service provider to assist with visa facilitation. The primary role of the Visa Application Centre is to provide information, accept temporary resident visa applications and facilitate fee payments. The Centre will forward the application packages to the High Commission of Canada in Colombo for processing. For more information on the Visa Application Centre, visit the website of High Commission of Canada at www.SriLanka.gc.ca. USAID grants US$ 3 million to support Sri Lanka IDP resettlement The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced US$3 million in new funding to support International Organization of Migration's (IOM's) operations of return and resettlement of some 77,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Northern Sri Lanka.The assistance will include transport to allow IDPs to return to their home districts; emergency shelter kits to build temporary housing and transitional shelters; water and sanitation facilities; and the provision of emergency health services across the region, a press release issued by the IOM said. Announcing the funding the U.S. Ambassador to Colombo, Ms. Patricia A. Butenis said the agency focuses on the vulnerable families."Our focus is on vulnerable families, such as female-headed households, the elderly and the disabled. By improving access to shelter, and providing clean water and health care, USAID is providing some of the critical services these people need to begin to rebuild their lives," Ambassador Butenis said.IOM Sri Lanka Chief of Mission Mohammed Abdi Ker said thousands of IDP families are returning to their native areas with very little basic facilities such as shelter, water, sanitation, and basic health services and the IOM plans to meet their most immediate needs.The IOM has recently scaled up its emergency operations at the request of the government to help over 100,000 IDPs return to their homes. The agency has assisted the Sri Lankan authorities in providing emergency shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, and primary health care to thousands of IDPs, mainly in the Menik Farm displacement camp in Vavuniya district. MR loses one year, second term begins on Nov. 19, 2010 President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second term will begin on November 19 this year. The President’s Office yesterday received a communication from the Supreme Court to that effect. Sources said that the President thereby would lose one year of his first term.The Supreme Court yesterday conveyed to the President its interpretation of the reference made to it by the President regarding the issue of his taking oath of office as President for a second term.On Monday President’s Counsel Nihal Jayamanne told the Court that the first term of office of President Mahinda Rajapaksa went on till November 11, 2011, according to the Constitution of Sri Lanka and his second term of office, after re-election, begins only from there. Counsel Jayamanne appeared for Sarath Kongahage, a candidate at the January 26, 2010 presidential polls.He emphasized that the six years must run as the people had decided it was six years and nothing less. President Rajapaksa should take oaths for a second term within two weeks from November 19, 2011, he said.At the outset, Attorney General Mohan Peiris PC told the Supreme Court that President Mahinda Rajapaksa should take oath of office for his second term, as President of Sri Lanka, on November 19, 2010, according to Article 31/3A/d/i, introduced by the Third Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka.The President took oath of office for his first term on November 19, 2005. He went for an early poll at the end of four year. The poll was on January 26, 2010. Hence he should take oath for his second term of six years, on a date corresponding to November 19, on the date of the poll in 2010 or the succeeding year, 2011, whichever date is earlier, he said.Hence, the date for the second term should be November 19, 2010. The first term of office of the President was alive though he had gone for a poll at the end of four years instead of six, the AG said.The President could take the oath within two weeks from Nov 19, 2010.The bench comprised the Chief Justice J. A. N. de Silva, Justices Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, J. de S. Balapatabendi, K. Sripavan, P. A. Ratnayake, Chandra Ekanayake and S. I. Imam. Kebithigollewa suspect arrested A LTTE suspect connected with the bomb attack on a bus in Kebithigollewa in 2006 which killed 64 civilians was arrested by a special police team of the Therunuwara police today. The suspect is now under police custody and further investigations are being carried out. The suspect, identified as Indran, had joined The LTTE in 1990 and was a member of the Charles Anthony Brigade. His real name is Mahilingam Muthulingam and according to a statement given by the suspect eight LTTE cadres were involved in the attack, the police said. TMVP to decide on Saturday The TMVP is to decide next week if they will contest the upcoming general elections with the government or independently. TMVP Spokesperson Azath Maulana told Daily Mirror online that a high level meeting with TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan will be held in Batticaloa on Saturday to decide the TMVP’s stance.Maulana said that the TMVP politburo, the TMVP acting committee, and several high ranking officials will also attend the meeting. “We will take our final decision on Saturday. We have several factors to discuss and we need the advice of some individual officials who will also be attending,” Maulana told Daily Mirror online. When questioned if any government officials would be attending the meeting, Maulana declined saying that the party would meet with the government only after a decision is reached.“We are very good friends with the UPFA. However we will do what is best for our future,” Maulana added.The Daily Mirror online has learnt that a majority of the TMVP members are keen on contesting the upcoming General Elections as an independent party and not in alignment with any political party. Several senior TMVP members have also conveyed their decision to Pilliyan and have stated that going solo during the general election would be better for the party’s future. Maulana said that all angles would be taken into consideration by Pilliyan and the committee members before reaching a decision.“We are well aware that several members want to contest independently. They say it is better for our future. We will do what is best,” Maulana said. Right group urges Sri Lankan government to end detention of LTTE suspects A New-York based human rights group highly critical of the Sri Lankan government today urged the government to end the indefinite detention of LTTE suspects in custody.The Sri Lankan government should end its indefinite arbitrary detention of more than 11,000 people held in so-called rehabilitation centers and release those not being prosecuted, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released today.According to a press release by the HRW, the 30-page report, "Legal Limbo: The Uncertain Fate of Detained LTTE Suspects in Sri Lanka," is based on interviews with the detainees' relatives, humanitarian workers, and human rights advocates, among others.The HRW says the Sri Lankan government has in custody about 11,000 LTTE rebels."The government has been keeping 11,000 people in a legal limbo for months," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "It's time to identify who presents a genuine security threat and to release the rest," he added.The HRW, an organization constantly critical of the Sri Lankan government's conduct, said the government has routinely violated the fundamental rights of the detainees and urged the donors not to provide financial support for the "rehabilitation centers". "In the absence of due process guarantees, support for these centers is support for the government's illegal detention policy. No donor should be associated with that," Adams said. Trio sent $1m to Tamil fighters THREE men accused of funding the Tamil Tigers' failed insurgency in Sri Lanka might have had humanitarian motivations but ultimately assisted in the carrying out of terrorist activities, a court has heard. Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, Arumugan Rajeevan and Sivarajah Yathavan have each pleaded guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court to one count of making money available to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, a proscribed organisation under the UN charter.They are not charged with terror offences.The crown estimates "conservatively" that the trio supplied more than $1.03 million in funding to the Tamil Tigers through Malaysian bank accounts.In addition, Mr Vinayagamoorthy has pleaded guilty to an extra count of making more than $7000 in radio equipment available to the Tigers. The crown alleged Mr Vinayagamoorthy supplied "753 devices to 13 different entities located in Sri Lanka for paramilitary purposes and the detonation of roadside bombs".A joint plea hearing for the accused was played a video seized from the home of Mr Yathavan by the Australian Federal Police on November 23, 2005 that shows Mr Yathavan and Mr Rajeevan taking turns firing a machine gun off a boat in Sri Lanka while surrounded by other LTTE personnel.Crown prosecutor Mark Dean SC told the court that in the case of each of the accused, "there was a component of humanitarian motivation".But he said the three men "ultimately assisted the LTTE in carrying out terrorist activities to advance its cause".The crown alleged the men were senior office holders of the LTTE in Australia.The plea hearing will continue today. Election result gives clear opportunity to Sri Lanka President to find lasting peace, Norway says In a congratulatory message to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on his re-election, Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim said the clear result of January 26th election gives the President a historic opportunity to lay the foundation for lasting peace in the war-torn country."I would like to congratulate President Rajapaksa. Norway and Sri Lanka enjoy close and longstanding bilateral relations. We intend to continue our cooperation with the Government and people of Sri Lanka with a view to promoting lasting peace and development," Solheim said in his message. Solheim expressing concern that there were reports of unrest and violence in the run up to the election, as well as of possible violations of the election law although the election itself was relatively peaceful urged the Sri Lankan government to investigate allegations."We urge that these allegations be investigated in accordance with Sri Lankan law and the country’s democratic traditions,' Solheim said in his statement.Solheim pointed out that to achieve sustainable peace in Sri Lanka, a political solution must be found that safeguards the rights of all the country's minority groups, including the Tamils. "I hope President Rajapaksa will give priority to finding a political solution that is acceptable to all groups," Solheim said.Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has also sent a letter of congratulations to President Rajapaksa. Norway brokered the 2002 ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan Government of then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and the LTTE Tamil Tiger leaders. President Rajapaksa's government abrogated the defunct ceasefire agreement in 2008 and launched a military operation to liberate the North and East from the LTTE.Although Norway has not had a specific role since the end of the war in may 2009, it continues to work for a political solution in Sri Lanka, together with other countries and organizations.In 2009, Norway was one of the major providers of humanitarian aid to the country. The funding of NOK 94 million (USD 16 million) went primarily to assisting the internally displaced in the north and east of the country, Norwegian Embassy said. 02February 2010 Sri Lanka's Tamil alliance expresses willingness to hold discussions with President Sri Lanka's coalition of Tamil parties, Tamil National Alliance says it is ready to hold discussions on power sharing with the re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa if they are given an opportunity.TNA leader R. Sampanthan addressing a media briefing jointly with the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakeem today said he is ready to discuss genuine power sharing proposals in a unitary state if invited by the President. Such proposals would give Tamils more autonomy to determine their economic and political future, he said.Sampanthan called upon the President to hold discussions with the Tamil leadership on maximum possible devolution of power to the provinces without compromising national sovereignty.During the recent presidential elections the TNA extended their conditional support to the common opposition candidate Retired Army General Sarath Fonseka. General Fonseka and TNA leader R Sampanthan have reportedly entered into an agreement to take immediate measures to consider TNA's wishes. According to media reports these wishes include re-merger of North and East, dismantling of high security zones in the North, speedy restoration of civil administration and normalcy in the war-affected areas, termination of Emergency and release of all persons detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.The President stated earlier that TNA put forward these conditions to him in return for their support at the election but the he refused the conditions that would divide the country again.Rajapaksa in an interview prior to the elections said the country and the future of its people were more important to him than gaining few votes to secure his presidency at the cost of the hard-earned freedom from terrorism.The majority of the Tamils in the North and East voted for the opposition candidate indicating their preference for self governing while the President received nearly 60 percent of the support from the rest of the country.The TNA and the SLMC leaders said at the press conference that the people in the North and East have given them a fresh mandate to be their legitimate representatives and they intend to contest the upcoming General Election on a common platform to represent the Tamil speaking population in Sri Lanka. Major changes in Sri Lanka army on coup suspicions Sri Lanka has made major changes in the key positions of the army hierarchy including the dismissal of several high ranking officers on fears of staging a coup against the government by the military personnel loyal to the defeated opposition candidate, former military chief General Sarath Fonseka.Director General of the Media Center for National Security Lakshman Hulugalla said all Armed Forces personnel who were engaged in politics during and after the recently concluded Presidential Election will be sent on mandatory retirement regardless of their rank. In a statement Hulugalla said it has been established that certain members of the three forces have been engaged in political activities politicizing the armed forces.In a major move the government Saturday appointed Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Major General Daya Ratnayake as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army replacing Major General Mendaka P. Samarasinghe who was transferred to an administrative position at the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH).Several officers have been reassigned and transferred in a drastic reshuffle. An undisclosed number have been "sent on compulsory retirement" because they were considered a "direct threat to national security," the Defence Ministry said. The AFP news agency citing military officials said 12 top officers, including three major generals, were sacked to thwart any attempted coup by Fonseka's supporters inside the military. Authorities have revealed an alleged plot to assassinate the President and his family by the military personnel loyal to General Fonseka and take control of the government in a coup following Fonseka's defeat at the presidential election.Meanwhile, the authorities arrested a serving brigadier for the murder of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramathunga in January 2009. Brigadier Duminda Keppitiwalana, who is reportedly a Fonseka supporter has been arrested on Friday night at his home in Panadura. He is the commandant of the combat training school in Ampara. India has confirmation of Prabhakaran’s death: Chidambaram India has got official confirmation that Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, wanted for the 1991 killing of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, is dead, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Monday.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received documentary proof of the death of Prabhakaran in May last year, the minister told reporters here. “The CBI has told me that they have received documentation from the government of Sri Lanka confirming the death of Prabhakaran,” Chidambaram said while presenting the monthly report of his ministry. He did not elaborate. The remark follows a CBI statement last month, in response to an RTI application, that it was yet to get the death certificate of Prabhakaran, the founder leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Prabhakaran along with his intelligence chief Pottu Amman were declared proclaimed offenders after a LTTE suicide bomber blew up Rajiv Gandhi near Chennai in May 1991. India outlawed the LTTE in August 1992. British-based Tamils vote for independent state in Sri Lanka British-based Tamils have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the creation of an independent sovereign state in Sri Lanka, days after the man credited with crushing the Tamil Tigers's 26-year rebellion won a second term as the island's president.Nearly 65,000 members of the British Tamil diaspora turned out to vote in the weekend poll organised by the Tamil National Council.Voters were asked whether they endorsed the principles contained in a 1976 resolution that called for an independent Tamil state in the north of Sri Lanka.Polling took place in 65 booths across London and in major towns and cities throughout the UK. The final count revealed that 64,256 voters (99.33%) backed the resolution, 185 (0.29%) opposed it and there were 251 (0.39%) spoilt papers.Similar votes have already taken place among the Tamil disapora in France, Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Canada.Suren Surendiran, a spokesman for the British Tamils Forum, said the vote underlined the Tamils' commitment to independence."I think it is encouraging to see British Tamils showing their aspirations through the democratic process just as their compatriots around the world have," he said. "The same is not possible for their kith and kin back in Sri Lanka as the constitution prohibits people espousing separation."A spokesman for the campaign group Act Now, which was set up to draw attention to the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, said: "Clearly the British Tamil diaspora believe that independence is the only solution to the Sri Lankan conflict."Last week Mahinda Rajapaksa called for national unity after winning a controversial presidential election, the result of which was immediately contested by his rival.Although Rajapaksa was declared the winner with 57.8% of the vote, General Sarath Fonseka, the former head of the army, who received 40%, said he would begin legal proceedings to have the result annulled. Fonseka has accused the government of wanting to kill him by removing his personal security detail. Last Friday his lawyer said police commandos had raided his client's office and arrested 15 members of his staff.The government denies trying to kill Fonseka and has in turn accused him of planning a coup as well as plotting to kill Rajapaksa. Last Wednesday army troops surrounded a luxury hotel in the capital, Colombo, where Fonseka was staying. The opposition leader later walked out after vowing to go to court to challenge the election.The results of last week's poll demonstrate the gulf between Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority. Despite a resounding victory across much of the country Rajapaksa lost in areas hit hard by war and where Tamils are in the majority.With general elections coming later this year Rajapaksa has indicated he will wait until the next parliament is in place to deal with Tamil demands for greater rights and self-rule in areas where they form a majority.The UN says around 7,000 people died in the final months of the fighting that culminated in the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. More than a quarter of a million Tamils were interned in government-run camps, where some 100,000 remain. More than 11,000 are being held on suspicion of rebel links. ‘Reinvestigate Rajiv Gandhi assassination case’ ERODE: Communist Party of India’s State Secretary D. Pandian has sought reinvestigation into Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.Addressing journalists in Erode on Monday, he said the case needed a reinvestigation but refused to elaborate why.All that he said was, “Read the book authored by Ragothaman, chief investigating officer of the Special Investigation Team, which probed Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, and you will know why.” Asked about Congress leaders opposition to pardon and release Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini Sriharan, he said the matter was sub judice and it was for the courts to decide.Mr. Pandian termed “farce” the recent elections in Sri Lanka and claimed that the Tamil people there would suffer more under President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He demanded that the Union Government announce openly its policy on Tamils and towards the government in the island nation.“The Prime Minister should come out openly and state what the policy is; not National Security Advisor or some official.”He also urged political parties to speak in unison for the Tamils, who, he said, were “suffering” in camps.On the move to introduce genetically modified brinjal, Mr. Pandian asked, “What is the need and who demanded genetic modification to the vegetable.”He said rather than trying to modify the genes of brinjal or other vegetables, the scientists should try to conserve and promote existing, traditional varieties. CJA CONDEMNS TREATMENT OF JOURNALISTS IN SRI LANKA The Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA) is deeply concerned at the disappearance of Sri Lankan journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda and appalled that Sri Lanka's 'democratic' government continues to persecute journalists for committing the 'sin' of criticizing the ruling party.We stand together with Sri Lankan media groups that have justifiably condemned the forced suspension of a pro-opposition newspaper, Lanka, and the arrest of its editor and the apparent shutting down – however temporarily -- of lankaenews.com, the website to which Prageeth contributes.The ugly and oppressive actions make a joke of President Mahinda Rajapaksan's offer to host the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting - an offer that was wisely shelved, though not yet rejected, by Commonwealth leaders at their Trinidad and Tobago summit."The Sri Lankan leadership appears to have only a slim grasp on the concept of democracy," said CJA President Hassan Shahriar. "So let me, as a representative of journalists across the Commonwealth, state the obvious: Any government that subjects its independent news media to such violent and arbitrary actions has no right to call itself democratic. Sri Lanka doesn't even come close to adhering to the most basic principles of the Commonwealth or, for that matter, of basic human rights."Shahriar urged Commonwealth leaders to use all the influence at their disposal to reverse this "vicious" trend."A government that has zero tolerance for criticism is a government that lusts for power for power's sake," he added. "If Sri Lanka's efforts to ingratiate itself with the Commonwealth are to be taken remotely seriously, then Commonwealth leaders need to speak as one in condemning this appalling state of affairs."Shahriar also sent heartfelt wishes to Prageeth Eknaligoda's wife Sandhya and the couple's two sons."We can only imagine the agony you and your family are suffering," he said. "Everyone in the Commonwealth journalists family are praying for your husband's safe return."In urging the Commonwealth to pressure the Sri Lankan government on the issue of press freedom and the safety of journalists, the CJA president also endorsed the following statement from five Sri Lankan media groups -- SLWJA, FMETU, SLMMF, SLTJA and FMM."These incidents show clearly that media suppression is on the increase in post election period. These developments will hamper any informed discussion on the aftermaths of presidential election and the malpractices reported. The result will be the violation of people's right to information. This in turn will seriously limit people's ability to make informed judgments on political developments. We would like to reiterate that in the light of the parliamentary election due in few months time, it is all the more necessary to re establish our peoples right to information without delay by making the media environment free.In this context, considering that press freedom as the expression of people's right to information and freedom of speech, we, the five media organizations in Sri Lanka earnestly urge all democratic forces in the country, diplomatic corps in Sri Lanka, United Nations, International human rights, press freedom and journalists safety organizations to use their good offices to ensure that government of Sri Lanka stop the media suppression and create a free and democratic post election environment..”For further information contact Bryan Cantley, CJA Executive Director at cantleyb@commonwealthjournalists.com. This has also been posted on the CJA website at www.commonwealthjournalists.com. Japan congratulates Si Lanka President on his re-election Japan has sent a congratulatory message on the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's re-election to a second tern at the January 26th presidential elections.In a statement Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Katsuya Okada said Japan hopes that the Government of Sri Lanka will swiftly complete the resettlement of internally-displaced persons, which has made progress since last October, and that the people of Sri Lanka will unite to reconstruct the economy.Japan also strongly expects that, under the leadership of President Rajapaksa, the Government of Sri Lanka will steadily and swiftly carry forward political processes for national reconciliation.The Japanese Foreign Minister reiterated his country's support for the Sri Lankan government's efforts to reach those expectations. 01February 2010 Menon, Karunanidhi discuss Lanka India’s new National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, Sunday, and discussed the resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Hindu reported.India is working with the Sri Lankan government for resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Tamils and devolution of powers in the political arrangement that will satisfy all sections, National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon said after the talks. Talking to reporters after meeting Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at the Secretariat, Mr Menon said it was a courtesy call and both of them discussed various issues of concern. It was his first visit after assuming office. The Chief Minister was kind enough to receive me, he added.Mr Menon said the Chief Minister had expressed his concern over Indian fishermen and their treatment in Sri Lanka and also the issue of the condition of displaced Tamils. "I assured him that the Indian government would do whatever it can on these issues," he said. Help develop Jaffna: Bogollagama Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in his first post-election visit to Jaffna has appealed to the Tamil Diaspora to help the government develop Jaffna into a commercial hub. The visit and his message are to be seen in the backdrop of the fractured verdict in the just-concluded presidential election. Though Mr. Rajapaksa has won with a thumping majority, defeated candidate Sarath Fonseka has polled a lot of votes in most of the districts of North and East as well other parts dominated by Tamils and Muslims. Political and diplomatic observers here of the view that the poll verdict is a clear sign that the island nation continues to be polarised eight months after the military defeat of the LTTE and demise of its leader Velupillai Prabakaran. “To build on the military gains, Mr. Rajapaksa has to reach out to the Tamils with a credible political solution to the ethnic question to address the legitimate aspirations and grievances of the Tamils and Muslims,” a political commentator who did not want to be named told The Hindu. Rehab programme Another batch of 56 ex-LTTE members who have completed rehabilitation programme was handed over to their parents. According to the Defence Ministry, they crossed over to the government-controlled areas and surrendered to the Army during the height of the war and underwent rehabilitation at the Nawasenapura Rehabilitation Centre at Welikande. Meanwhile, media groups charged the government with detaining a pro-Janatha Vimukthi Perumana senior editor and shutting down his newspaper for backing retired General Fonseka. Press owners, editors and rights bodies issued a joint statement saying the closure of the pro-opposition Lanka weekly and the detention of Chandana Sirimalwatte was a “fatal blow to media freedom and democracy”. “Promises made during the presidential campaign to defend press freedom and speed up the investigations into assassinations of journalists have evaporated within days,” it said. On charges made by the Human Rights Watch about the alleged blocking of some of the websites perceived to be pro-Fonseka, Head of the Policy Research and Information Unit of the Presidential Secretariat, Lucien Karunanayake, said, “I am not aware of the sites blocked but the logical question to ask is, which state would give rein to any free media that publishes rumours which are socially corrosive, individually defamatory with the intent of destabilising the state.” Following the outcry of the international rights group accusing the authorities of harassment of critical media, the President on Sunday revoked the decision to cancel the visa of the Swiss journalist who covered the elections. ‘Gota terror’ cannot cow down JVP – Anura Dissanayake Defense Secretary may be under the impression that he could create ‘Gota terror’ by threats and intimidations but the JVP would not be cowed down by such petty moves said Leader of the group of Parliamentarians of the JVP Anura Dissanayake.Speaking at a media conference held at the head office of the JVP today (31st) Mr. Dissanayake said, “The main slogan of the political parties that supported Gen. Sarath Fonseka was establishing democracy in the Motherland. It is evident from the way the government is conducting itself that they are going on an undemocratic path. You would remember that ‘Rupavahini’ showed films on Idi Amin and Hitler. Now they are establishing that administration.‘Lanka’ newspaper has been proscribed and its press has been sealed. Such an undemocratic action against a newspaper occurred only after 40 years when ‘Davasa’ newspaper office was sealed and its press was sealed in the 70s. The reason for proscribing ‘Lanka’ newspapers, according to them, is ‘obstructing terrorist investigations and revealing state matters.’ ‘Lanka exposed frauds and corruption of the government. It revealed violations of human rights and undemocratic moves carried out by the government hiding behind moves against terrorism. This is the responsibility of a media institution. The owners and journalists of the paper carried out their responsibilities in the most exemplary manner. We appreciate their dedication for their mission.Mr. Chandana Sirimalwatta, the Chief Editor of ‘Lanka’ newspapers has been detained for 90 days. The hand of repression is stretching towards other journalists of the media institution as well.Also, the office of ‘Lanka e news’ has been closed down. One of its journalists was abducted. There is no information about him yet. An unknown armed gang is prowling around the media institution. There was hacking and technical obstructions against this web site throughout the past. We have certain criticism regarding this web site.However, throughout the past they exposed frauds of the government. Isn’t this a type of Idi Amin administration? During the presidential election we warned that Rajapakse regime was moving towards a ‘dictatorial frenzy.’ It is that type of ‘frenzy’ that is being carried out now. Now it is being enforced openly. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa threatened our leader Somawansa Amarasinghe by telephone. Gotabhaya may be thinking that he could create ‘Gota terror.’ However, no such minions could terrorize the JVP. The JVP is prepared to build the broadest front for democracy against this undemocratic regime,” said Mr. Dissanayake. Rajiv Gandhi assassination: CBI yet to get LTTE chief's death document Eight months into the death of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, the proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the CBI is yet to receive his death certificate from Sri Lankan authorities According to information accessed under the Right to Information Act, CBI said it was still awaiting the certificate of Prabhakaran's death from the authorities in that country.The agency, in reply to an RTI query, said investigation in the case is "still in progress".Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 during an election rally.In reply to the RTI query, B N Mishra, Superintendent of Police at the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) (under the CBI to investigate the case) said, "the matter is regularly being pursued through the diplomatic channel.""Immediately after coming to know about the death of Prabhakaran, the proclaimed offender in the case, CBI has taken up the matter with authorities concerned in Sri Lanka through diplomatic channels for supplying authenticated copy of his death certificate, which is still awaited," the reply read.The CBI said "both the governments are regularly in touch with each other for expediting enquiries into certain aspects of the case pending with the Government of Sri Lanka." Exercising his right to information, an applicant has asked information about the final status of the assassination case among other details. In reply, the agency said, "The MDMA has been conducting further investigation in RC 9 (S)/1991-SCB/MAS (Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case) after obtaining necessary permission from the designated TADA Court, Chennai u/s 173 (B) CrPC. Further investigation is still in progress."On being asked about the status of culprits, it said "TADA court, vide its judgement dated January 28, 1998 awarded death penalty to all 26 accused. On appeals made by the convicts, the Supreme Court, vide its judgement dated May 11, 1999 confirmed death penalty of four, namely, Nalini, T Suthentharajan alias Santha, V Sriharan alias Murugan alias Thas alias Thas alias Indi Master and G Perarivalan alias Arivu."On mercy petitions filed by Nalini, her death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Governor of Tamil Nadu in 2004. The mercy petitions of remaining three death convicts are still under consideration with the President of India," it said.The CBI said, out of the four life convicts, 3 -- Nalini, B Robert Payas and S Jayakumar -- and three death convicts T Suthentharaja, V Sriharan and G Perarivalan are lodged in Vellore Jail."The remaining one convict, namely, P Ravi Chandra alias Ravi alias Pragasam is lodged in Madurai Jail," it said in reply to the RTI application. Government sponsored Tamil paramilitary parties betrayed President Rajapaksha By T.C.Rajaratnam Tamil militants who were conveniently allowed to register political parties have yet again betrayed the President. They did not canvass for votes as they thought that they would not be able to win the Parliamentary General elections under their own parties. The most controversial factor now, the test case is that of Douglas Devananda whose reputation is gloomy in any case. Even if he had canvassed, it would have been of no use. His double standards are popular. I read a report in a state owned newspaper that he was blaming the foreign media. What a reason? All the votes, President Mahinda Rajapaksa could have obtained from the people of the North were shattered when the President was seen together with Douglas Devananda. The Tamil militant of questionable repute will never be accepted by the decent Tamil community, that too from the North. The Tamils do not want substitutes for Pirabaharan. They need President Mahinda Rajapaksa but they were terrorized by the militant parties.Although the majority of the people and politicians may have forgiven child soldiers, militant leaders who brutally killed policemen and Buddhist priests, and white bearded Tamil militants who abducted Tamils, extorted money assassinated Members of Parliament, the innocent civilian Tamils will never forgive them and they would keep away from such political parties who patronize them.If the SLFP and the UPFA can keep these Tamil militant hooligans masquerading as Tamil Leaders away from the SLFP and the UPFA in the North and the East, we the SLFP and UPFA Tamils could have obtained the majority of the votes for the President. The Tamils have confidence in President Mahinda Rajapaksa but not the Tamil Militant Politicians ! We must keep the SLFP and UPFA clean from these militants who can never reform.
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