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30 June 2006 Supreme Court halts Admiral Sandagiri's Deputy Secretary Post The Supreme Court today orders the government to immediately stop former Chief of Defence Staff, Daya Sandagiri from functioning as Deputy Secretary of the Defence Ministry. of this nature.CJ further said that the petition has been filed with the public well being in mind and added that two commissions had been appointed to probe whether irregularities had taken place and as the matter comes under the purview of the Defence Ministry, it is inappropriate to appoint such a person o a high post in the Defence Ministry. When state counsel Indika Dewamuni De Silva said that she was representing the Attorney General, the Chief Justice pointed out that as these allegations had been made by the Attorney General and are of very serious nature such a thing could not be allowed. Sri Lanka suicide bomber was a waiter Investigations into Monday's bomb attack which killed Lieutenant General Parami Kulatunga has revealed that the suicide bomber had been working at a hotel in Godagama for more than seven months. Police sources claimed that this suicide bomber had joined this hotel as a waiter in November last year, from which point it was likely that he had been monitoring the activities and the whereabouts of the late Lt. Gen. Kulatunga. Police are also investigating to find out whether this LTTE suicide bomber had received any sort of assistance from other hotel employees to carry out his duties. Lt. General Kulatunga and two other army officers were killed on Monday morning at Pannipitiya at around 7.45 a.m., when a LTTE suicide bomber traveling in a motor cycle rammed into the vehicle in which the Army officers were traveling in. General Kulatunga who was also the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army reportedly died instantly following the attack. Kalmunai Municipal Council's first meeting held "We should administer the newly created Kalmunai Municipal Council as an example to show the unity of Muslims and Tamils in the town," said Deputy Mayor Mr.I.L.Kamardeen addressing the first meeting of the council Thursday morning. The Mayor Mr.Abdul Rahim Asmir did not attend the meeting due to illness, sources said. Nine members of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), six members of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchchi (ITAK), two members of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and the only member of the Muslim National Alliance (MNA) participated in the first meeting, sources said. All councillors were received at the commencement of the meeting. Thereafter the Deputy Mayor hoisted the Sri Lanka national flag. ITAK councillors did not attend the national flag hoisting event. The Deputy Mayor appealed to all councillors to work for the betterment of the town with dedication irrespective of race and religion.The Deputy Mayor at the end of his address submitted a programme for developing Kalmunai town. Mr.Henry Mahendran, TELO Deputy Leader and leader of the ITAK councillors said as far as Tamils are concerned they want to promote harmony and unity between the two communities in the town. He said that one third of the councillors are from the ITAK and the administration should be mindful of the need to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of services to all communities, he added.He said no room should be allowed for political and outside interference in the council administration at any stage.Several other councillors also spoke, sources said. Tamil language made compulsory for public employees A proposal to make Tamil a national language, one of the root causes that gave rise to the protracted ethnic problem, has been presented to the Cabinet by Constitutional Affairs Minister Dew Gunasekara and granted approval by the cabinet.Under the 13th amendment introduced in 1987 the official language should be made trilingual, but the non-implementation of it is a violation of the constitution, Gunasekara told today's Cabinet press briefing. A decision has been taken to implement the proposal from tomorrow itself and making it mandatory for the public sector employee to have knowledge in Tamil, the Minister explained. In the same way Tamil becomes compulsory in government establishments in the South, Sinhala becomes compulsory in the pubic sector institutions in the North and East and special incentives will be paid for public sector employees for learning these languages and this will be a great relief to the Sinhala people living in the North and East and the Tamil people living in the South, who have become oppressed due language related issues. LTTE must reconsider position -Nordic Countries Sri Lanka breakaway ex-rebels vow to keep up attacks- Reuters While Sri Lanka's government and Tamil rebels teeter between war and peace, a deadly conflict is raging in the island's east, where renegade guerrillas are locked in a do-or-die battle with former comrades.Blindfolded bodies are often found dumped by the road, hands tied behind the back, in the eastern "shadow war," which rages alongside naval battles, ambushes and air strikes further north between government forces and mainstream guerrillas.The renegades, who call themselves the TMVP, say they are not party to the fraying 2002 ceasefire between the mainstream Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and the government. "The ceasefire was between two sides -- the LTTE and the government," Prathep, a senior renegade rebel, told Reuters in the eastern town of Batticaloa late on Wednesday. "To protect our own bases, we must attack them (the LTTE). It is not to destroy the ceasefire agreement or bring war to the country."With more than 700 people dead so far this year, mediators are desperate to restart a peace process between the government and the LTTE.But repeated attacks on the LTTE by the ex-rebels, led by a man named Karuna, are seen making matters worse, and many diplomats suspect the military is backing them. The government denies it, saying Karuna is an internal LTTE problem. In February, they initially promised to disarm armed groups in their territory but truce monitors say they then did nothing. The Tigers pulled out of talks and violence soared.After years as one of their top commanders, Karuna Amman split from the LTTE in 2004. The rebels retook his eastern territory, but he has since rebuilt his forces and started the TMVP, based in the army-held town of Batticaloa.Few in the area talk openly about the internecine Tamil fighting or the government's role in it. But many fear that unless violence is checked, the two-decade civil war that has already killed some 65,000 people will resume in earnest. ENDING TIGER DICTATORSHIP? "We are very afraid. Someone is gunned down but you cannot say who did it," rickshaw driver Thampyiaher Debadass, 48, said standing next to a lamp-post scrawled with the blood-red letters TMVP. "You cannot blame particular groups. All are doing it."The TMVP says that although the Tigers claim to fight for a separate homeland for minority Tamils, rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has turned them into a brutal dictatorship prejudiced against eastern Tamils in favor of their northern brethren.Fighters loyal to Karuna had killed 230 Tiger fighters since 2004, Prathep said, for the loss of 57 of their own men. If the Tigers did not change and pursue peace, the TMVP would destroy them without military help. "If there is no peace then we can bring an end to the dictatorship of Prabhakaran," he said in Tamil as unarmed Karuna loyalists brought cola drinks and cream cakes. "We can, but we go step by step. We have no need of support from the military."But Karuna is seen to have a few hundred fighters at best against an estimated 10,000-20,000 Tigers.The TMVP does not say how many men it has, but admits its members are based in jungle camps between government and Tiger territory. But some residents say they are in reality close to or even part of army camps."Without any doubt there is government support," said Janes' Defense Weekly analyst Iqbal Athas. "Karuna parted company two and a half years ago. How is he managing to maintain himself in terms of ammunition? But I don't know at what level of government they are conscious of that interaction." LTTE denies apologising for Rajiv murder - Ndtv.com A Tamil Tiger spokesperson has been quoted in several Tamil dailies as saying that their chief ideologue Anton Balasingham never really apologised for Rajiv Gandhi's assassination on NDTV or owned responsibility. Balasingham, the group claims, merely regretted the killing. Some pro-LTTE Tamil papers have also claimed that NDTV edited and thereby distorted the interview. However, NDTV would like to clarify that no section of the interview was tampered with. For clarity, this is the text of Balasingham's interview in which he regretted Gandhi's killing. LTTE olive branch to India missed – Tamil Guardian The text of the Tamil Guardian’s editorial follows: The Liberation Tigers’ call this week for India to put the past behind and to take a fresh approach to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka has understandably sparked a frenzy of media interest and not a little controversy in India and elsewhere. The LTTE’s extending of an olive branch to Delhi comes at a crucial time for Sri Lanka and an anxious one for the region; there is little doubt that Sri Lanka is edging towards a resumption of its bloody decades-long war. There were several key messages in the comments by LTTE’s theoretician and chief negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham aired on NDTV this week. The first, which has drawn the most media focus, is his characterisation of the 1991 assassination of former Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi as “a great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy.” This has, perhaps understandably, dominated headlines and commentary, both in India and elsewhere. Although a reiteration and elaboration of comments made by the LTTE leader, Vellupillai Pirapaharan, in 2002 during his landmark press conference in Kilinochchi, it has been interpreted and misinterpreted by different observers. Some have characterised it as an admission of responsibility. Others have characterised it as an evasion of responsibility. Still others have said it is neither, but a clever ploy to deliberately confuse. A few astute observers have, however, seen it for what it plainly is: a considered and heartfelt expression of regret for a prominent and devastating moment in a long and traumatic period of Tamil-Indian relations, one characterised by thousands of deaths – including Indian soldiers, LTTE fighters and, especially, large numbers of Tamil civilians. These observers have also grasped the significance of the other messages in Mr. Balasingham’s comments. One is the LTTE’s pledge that “under no circumstances will we act against the interests of the government of India.” The implications of this statement must be considered against a prominent assumption that remains problematically unquestioned: that the LTTE and Tamil political aspirations are inevitably at cross-purposes with India and her national or geopolitical interests. This is not to say that these are identical, but to point out that a just and lasting solution to the Tamil question also equates to regional stability. Another notable LTTE message is for India to get actively involved in resolving the Tamil question. This call for diplomatic and political intervention is a deliberate and radical departure from the uncompromising rejection of Indian involvement that prevailed in the wake of the IPKF fiasco. Some, observing the developments through the distorting prism of political orthodoxy misunderstood the LTTE’s logic, characterising its olive branch as a desperate measure to curry favour in the wake of the European Union’s ban. This not only unjustifiably gives primacy to a desire for international legitimacy over all other considerations; more importantly, it ignores the LTTE’s own history, that the movement has almost always been internationally alienated. Even the limited contacts of the post-2002 era have more to do with realpolitik (the obvious unavoidability of the LTTE) than with any solidarity with it. The point here is, the LTTE has grown from a handful of fighters to the semi-state it is today despite not having a single international sponsor or ally. Save one, briefly: India. But as Mr. Balasingham pointed out this week, India’s preparedness in the early 1980s to train LTTE fighters, stemmed primarily from a desire “to protect our people from [Sri Lankan] state oppression.” Now, twenty years later, India is again intervening (albeit diplomatically this time) to protect the Tamils from the Sri Lankan state. In the wake of the extra-judicial and indiscriminate killings of hundreds of civilians, especially in the past few months, a government in Delhi is again pressuring a government in Colombo to restrain its armed forces. Following the killing of a top Sri Lankan General by a suicide bomber this week, there can be no doubt that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s cotorie of Sinhala ultra-nationalists are straining to lash out again with airstrikes and artillery. But they dare not, for fear of antagonising India, which only last week delivered a blunt warning against such violence. It is in this context, where India again has to increasingly intervene in Sri Lanka to restrain a Sinhala government from savaging the island’s Tamils, that the LTTE, explicitly hailing Delhi’s efforts in this regard, has called for a new beginning, one that can lead to a just and lasting solution and stability in the region. In short, securing the island’s Tamils and ensuring their rights are restored and safeguarded is a goal behind which both the LTTE and India are separately, but simultaneously, once again aligned. Sri Lankan President takes control over ruling party President Mahinda Rajapakse has become the leader of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), taking it over for the first time from the Bandaranaike dynasty. Rajapakse was named the head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) without a contest, ousting former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the daughter of two Prime Ministers - S W R D Bandaranaike and Sirima Bandaranaike. Earlier, Kumaratunga had resisted moves to oust her from the leadership of the party launched by her late father, but the rank and file at a key meet here yesterday supported replacing her with Rajapakse. Rajapakse is the first from outside the Bandaranaike family to take control over the SLFP. Even though he won the November presidential elections and emerged the most powerful man in the country, Kumaratunga had resisted moves to hand over party leadership to him. Mahinda’s election: Jeyaraj walks out End of Bandaranaike era While President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected the new SLFP leader unanimously, several party stalwarts expressed reservations and some even walked out of Wednesday’s Central Committee meeting in protest, party sources said. Heading the dissenters was Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle who said it was not proper to change the leadership when party leader Chandrika Kumaratunga was out of the country. He said it was not good for the party to take an important decision at this time partly because the country was faced with bigger problems and Ms. Kumaratunga was not present for the meeting. Minister Fernandopulle walked out of the meeting around five minutes before the Central Committee met at Temple Trees. Ms. Kumaratunga, celebrating her 61st birthday in London however came to know about Minister Fernandopulle’s walkout no sooner it happened. She telephoned her brother Anura Bandaranaike who was in the dark about what transpired at the meeting and informed him yesterday about Mr. Fernandopulle’s walkout, the sources said. Minister Bandaranaike had skipped Wednesday’s meeting, instead writing to the President saying it was tough for him to choose between the President and his sister. “For me to choose is a Herculean task. Whatever side I take they will say that I betrayed my sister or one of my oldest friends, whose best man I was. No other person had this most difficult choice to make. My deep friendship for you has not lessened anyway, neither has my affection for my sister”, the letter said. Mahinda’s election: Jeyaraj walks out Meanwhile Anuruddha Ratwatte’s objection was hardly noticed during the meeting. Mr. Ratwatte too said this was not the right time yet he seconded the move when Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva proposed Rajapaksa as the new leader. The Daily Mirror learns that Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva who reportedly vowed to go to courts against the change of leadership, during a phone conversation with Ms. Kumaratunga a couple of hours prior to Wednesday’s meeting, vociferously supported Rajapaksa’s leadership at the meeting. With the exception of Minister Fernandopulle, the majority of the members led by Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon supported Rajapaksa’s leadership. Sri Lankan Paramilitary Organizations Accused of Targeting Civilians As Sri Lanka threatens to slide back into all-out civil war, much talk is focused on paramilitaries - armed groups accused of carrying out attacks on civilians. Both the government and the Tamil Tiger separatists deny any links to paramilitary organizations, and blame the other for such groups' actions. Meanwhile, civilians are caught in the middle. Raj Rajarammohan is a Tamil businessman and the head of the Chamber of Commerce in Trincomalee, in eastern Sri Lanka. The town is made up primarily of Tamils, Sri Lanka's largest ethnic minority. But it is also home to Muslims - and to Sinhalese, the largest ethnic group, which dominates the central government in the south. That makes Trincomalee a lightening rod for conflict between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - the Tamil Tiger rebels. Both claim they want to save a 2002 cease-fire, but deadly violence erupts almost daily, and civilians like Rajarammohan are often the ones who suffer. More than 800 Sri Lankans have died of violence in the past six months, many of them in what some call the country's "shadow war" - attacks against civilians that appear to be orchestrated by one side or the other.That is what Rajarammohan says happened in April when a bomb went off in central Trincomalee. The bomb prompted a "riot" - which he says appeared to be very well organized. "Soon after the bomb blast, within five minutes, hundreds of people - a mob - they already had these cans of fuel, and guns, and, you know, swords and clubs," said Raj Rajarammohan. "They just came in. I mean, they were targeting all the Tamil businessmen, that is how we feel. Because all the 32 shops that were gutted down, were Tamils'. And Sinhala shops and the Muslim shops... there was no damage whatsoever." Sri Lanka's civil war dates from 1983, when the Tamil Tigers began their campaign for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority. More than 60,000 died before a cease-fire, brokered by Norway, was signed in 2002. For a time, the violence all but disappeared. Last year, it began again in earnest. There have been several recent clashes that fall into the category of conventional war - battles at sea between the rebels and the Sri Lankan navy, and bombing raids by the Sri Lankan air force in retaliation for suicide bombings attributed to the rebels. The perpetrators of other incidents, like the attack described by Rajarammohan, are more difficult to pin down. The rebels charge that the perpetrators are groups backed by the government. The government denies this, and independent European ceasefire monitors say they are not sure who is telling the truth. One group accused of violence against civilians is a splinter faction of the Tigers. In 2004, the rebel group, which had been known as a highly disciplined organization, split into two factions along geographic lines. Fighters from the east charged that the leadership, based in the north, was using them for the heaviest fighting. The rebel leadership says the government orchestrated the split, and now use the eastern splinter faction to carry out violence against civilians. That way, the rebels argue, the government can claim that the Tamil Tigers are to blame for exacerbating tensions. Ellian is the alias used by the Tamil Tigers' regional political chief outside Trincomalee. He says the rebels recently captured two paramilitary soldiers who confessed that they were trained by the Sri Lankan army, and given safe-haven in government-controlled territory. He says the paramilitaries are undergoing training in an army-controlled area, so how can the government say there are no links? He says the army is keeping its mouth shut, but everybody knows it is only with the connivance of the army that the paramilitaries can operate. Thorfinnur Omarsson is the spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, the European ceasefire monitors. He says there is some evidence to support the claim that the paramilitaries have freedom of movement in government territory."There have been some indications, and we've already reported them," he said. "There are indications pointing towards [that], but on the other hand, we hear many stories, and sometimes we are 99 percent sure, but we don't have the complete evidence for it.The Sri Lankan government vehemently denies any links to paramilitary organizations, which they consider to be a tactical ploy by the Tamil Tigers. The peace monitors and other experts also point out that the rebels too, may be using paramilitary organizations in certain circumstances. Again, the goal is to hide the identity of the perpetrators of violence.Rajarammohan, the Trincomalee businessman, says for civilians caught in the cross-fire, who is at fault is beside the point. "It is a cold war, which is very ruthless," he said. "It is much worse than conventional war. Because people who are getting killed are innocent civilians. The people armed are quite safe, very safe."Rajarammohan says he would prefer to see the civil war declared again. Then, he says, the government and the Tamil Tigers could start targeting each other, and maybe leave civilians alone. Millionaire boys in scam Four young Sri Lankans residing in Britain were taken into custody while holidaying at a hotel in Negombo for allegedly misappropriating millions of rupees from state and private banks using bogus credit cards.Three of them are said to be the sons of multi- millionaire businessmen in Sri Lanka. Three suspects are students in Britain. The fourth is a Sri Lankan Tamil residing in Britain.2,700 bogus credit cards and two million rupees were found by the police in their hotel room.In addition a laptop computer in which data relating to 5995 credit cards had been stored.The suspects had come to Sri Lanka in April this year. On questioning it was revealed that they had obtained nearly ten million rupees from state and private banks in the country using bogus credit cards. 29 June 2006 Lanka navy lose patrol craft, five sailors in clash with LTTE "One patrol craft caught fire and the navy requested air force support to beat back the attack," a military official said.The Navy and the Tamil tigers clashed in the same area earlier this month in a major sea battle that killed more than 50 people. In another incident, one soldier was killed and six people, including three civilians, injured when Tigers mortared military positions in the restive Northeastern district of Trincomalee early today, prompting the military to launch retaliatory mortar attacks against the rebel positions, according to the defence ministry. Meanwhile, panic gripped the Sri Lankan capital after threats of bomb attacks against schools in the city. The threats came ahead of the funeral of top Amy General Parami Kulatunga, who was killed in a suicide bomb attack on Monday. General shut down paralyzes Trincomalee The normal life in the Trincomalee town was completely disrupted following a general shut down observed Wednesday in response to an appeal by the Trincomalee District Tamil Resurgence Forum condemning the terror unleashed by the State armed forces on the innocent Tamil civilians in the North East and the militarization of the Trincomalee district civil administration by appointing retired army and navy personnel for the key civil posts such as the Governor of the North East Provincial Council and the District Government Agent, sources said. Rear Admiral (Rtd) Mohan Samarawickrema holds the post of NE Governor and Major General (Rtd) Ranjit Silva has been appoint Government Agent from June 1st, sources said. Offices of the Trincomalee Urban Council (UC), North East Provincial Council, international and national non-governmental organizations, schools, branches of state and private sector banks, shops and markets, sources said.Transport services to and from Trincomalee came to a standstill as passengers did not turn at bus terminals. Roads were deserted without civilian movement, sources said.Security of the town was beefed up by deploying more soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy at strategic points in the east port town, sources said.Meanwhile four Tamil speaking public servants were arrested Tuesday evening by the SLA soldiers for allegedly possessing pamphlets announcing the Wednesday general shut down call and they were later handed over to the Trincomalee Police for further action, sources said. Bomb scares close Sri Lanka's schools Telephone calls to schools and parents about bomb threats in schools triggered panic in the country today as the government had to step up security in schools.The threats came ahead of the funeral for the Sri Lanka Army’s slain Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Parami Kulatunga. Following calls, parents rushed to schools in the Colombo city, Galle and Gampaha areas to bring their children home. An Education Ministry spokesperson said there was a sharp drop in attendance and authorities had to close several schools in Colombo.Meanwhile, the government’s defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella called on the public not to panic over rumours. “We have beefed up security at every school with deploying additional troops,” he assured. Claymore explosion kills three Mannar civilians Three Tamil civilians were killed in a claymore explosion Wednesday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. while transporting sand in a tractor from Kallaru located in the Liberation Tigers controlled Musali division in Mannar district, civil sources said.S.Jacob, 51, Suthakar, 22, and Sebamalai Suresh of Kokupadaiyan area in Musali DS division were returing with their loaded tractor to Kokupadaiyan when their tractor hit a claymore mine buried along the road by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army. The tractor was destroyed in the explosion. All three occupants died on the spot, civil society sources said. Their bodies were taken to Silavathurai hospital, hospital sources said.The site where the explosion took place is located about 30 km off Mannar town. Who removed security personnel of assassinated Major General? There is mounting speculation among Army top brass that the assassination of Major General Parami Kulatunga was made possible due to the removal of 30 personnel detailed for his security.A group of 30 body guards deployed for the security of Major General Kulatunga, an officer much loved and respected by the rank and file of the Army for his commitment to service, had been withdrawn last April on a written order. Though serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and the 3rd ranked officer of the army at the time of his demise, he was virtually acting as Army Commander as Army Commander Lieutenant Genera Sarath Fonseka is away in Singapore for medical treatment and Chief of Staff and the 2nd in command, General Nanda Mallawaarachchi was on retirement leave. Even though he was due to retire on 8th October, it is reported that discussions had taken place to grant him a service extension with a view to appoint him the next commander taking into account his 35 year long service following health concerns of the Army Commander and the retirement of Army's Chief of Staff Nanada Mallawaarachchi.Against this backdrop, the reason for the removal of Major General Kulatunga's security has become a hot topic. 3 Tamil youths shot dead in Batticaloa Unknown gunmen who arrived in motorbikes, shot and killed 3 youths, using military-type 9mm pistols, on their way home in Mylambaveli, 7 km, north of Batticaloa town, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., said Eravur police. The killings took place 250 meters from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp at Mylambaveli on the Batticaloa-Trincomalee road.The gunmen after killing the youths poured gasoline and set the bodies alight, local residents said.The victims - Sinnaiyah Mahesh Vasanthakumar, 26, from Puvaththegawittiya, Kegalle, Navaratnam Arunasiri, 22, from Vipulananthapuram, Mylambaveli, and Muththukaruparan Krishnakumar, 21, also from Vipulananthapuram were temporarily residing in the house and were masons by profession.Several Tamil refugees from Pullumalai recently settled down in Mylambaveli fearing army harassment. If war breaks out again no country on earth will bail out Sri Lanka Senior Tamil politician and General Secretary of the Akhila Ilankai Tamil United Front (AITUF) K. Vigneswaran, has emphasized that in the event another war breaks out, no country on earth is going to bail out Sri Lanka. "That is the reality. And, if a war does break out, it is the civilians who would bear the brunt of it," he declared recently. Delivering a speech at the 17th death anniversary ceremony of Dr. Colvin R. de Silva conducted by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party, the former Tamil Parliamentarian and ex-advisor to Eelam Peoples Democratic Party leader Douglas Devananda advised the political leadership of this country to adopt a different approach in dealing with the ethnic conflict. "There is indeed a power that could help to bring about permanent peace and to rein in the LTTE. Past Governments of Sri Lanka have overlooked that power. That power is the Tamil people. If the Government would only win the confidence of the Tamil people, the Tamil people would become its best ally in its search for peace," Dr. Vigneswaran noted. While emphasising that despite the Ceasefire Agreement being in place for more than four years and the country facing a 'no war, no peace' situation on ground, the Sri Lankan Government must initiate parallel negotiations with other parties with the intention of arriving at a permanent solution. "In fact, many parties and intellectuals are ready to help the Sri Lankan Government in this matter. What is worked out during such parallel negotiation could be presented to the LTTE to have its say within a specified period of time. Parliament, and probably the country, should thereafter give approval to that solution," he said. Dr. Vigneswaran also stressed that such an initiative will not only win the hearts and minds of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, but even of the expatriate Tamils who are the main financiers of the LTTE. The AITUF General Secretary did acknowledge the argument of some who claim that the LTTE would not allow any solution to be implemented on the ground. "Yes, I do agree that the LTTE is likely to prevent implementation of the solution on the ground. But, may I ask, wouldn't the LTTE do the same in respect of any solution that is not to its liking? Even in such a situation, the Government's only hope would be the Tamil people. If the Tamil people would consider a solution to be just and fair, then their will would prevail, and not the will of the LTTE. In such a situation, the Tamil people would call the shots, and not the LTTE," Dr. Vigneswaran noted. He concluded his speech by reiterating that permanent peace could be a reality in Sri Lanka, if only the Sri Lankan Government would take a bold initiative to win the confidence of the Tamil people by presenting a political solution to the ethnic problem based on the federal principle. For that, a two-track negotiation has to commence without delay. Killer bike: Who owned it last? Investigations are on to trace the last owner of the motor cycle used by the suicide bomber who assassinated Major General Parami Kulatunge, police sources said. Its original owner had gone abroad.Over 25 persons have been questioned and vital information has been obtained from them, according to SSP Lugoda who said three teams were investigating the killing.He said the information obtained could not be revealed to the media as it would hamper further investigation. The Government Analyst’s report is expected to reveal the type of explosives used to carry out the assassination. ‘We welcome India but...’- MNA In a letter to the Indian Prime Minister released to the media, Secretary-General of the Muslim National Alliance (MNA) Nazeer Ahamed said his party would welcome India if it wishes to play a role in bringing about peace in the country.Ahamed said he believed that India’s involvement was vital to settle the ethnic conflict that has plagued Sri Lanka for over two decades. Addressing the Indian Premier, he said, ‘Your country’s possible involvement will give you a historical opportunity to right the wrongs that have been committed in the past and to help find a fair and just solution to the sufferings of the Muslim community.’ He reminded the Indian government, how in the past it gave them (the LTTE) not only a safe haven and succour, but also provided them with arms and ammunition, enabling them to wage a horrible war against a democratically elected government."He also pointed out the plight of Muslims who were subjected to atrocities by the armed militant groups which got worse with the 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord which required the merger of the North East, reducing the population of Muslims to a mere 17% from a powerful 37% it enjoyed in the east by before the accord. He added that Muslims were further victimised by the Indian Peace Keeping Forces (IPKF) who showed no concern for their just political rights.The whole Muslim population in the North and the border villages of the North-East were penalised by all parties to the conflict, including the then J. R. Jayewardene government, for no reasons at all. ‘It seemed that we were an expendable commodity. We were betrayed by all parties and asked to pay a heavy price for our loyalty to the country,’ he lamented. Sri Lanka Inflation Rate Probably Accelerated for Second Month Sri Lanka's inflation rate probably accelerated for a second month in June as higher fuel prices offset lower food costs stemming from increased farm output. The key inflation gauge compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics will show consumer prices rose 9.9 percent in June from a year ago after gaining 9.4 percent in May, according to the median forecast of six analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The report is due tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Colombo. Ceylon Petroleum Corp., Sri Lanka's state oil company, on June 11 raised fuel costs for the second time this year to ease the government's subsidy burden amid rising global oil prices. The inflation rate, which increased for the first month in nine in May, may rise as violence between the military and separatist Tamil rebels threatens a truce in the South Asian island's two- decade civil war in which more than 60,000 people have died. ``The fuel price hikes kept inflation on the rise, but the central bank may not adjust interest rates again immediately as borrowing costs and growth would be affected,'' said Mahinda Godakandaarachchi, assistant general manager at Seylan Bank Asset Management Ltd. in Colombo. The central bank on June 16 unexpectedly increased interest rates for the first time since December to combat inflation fanned by rising fuel costs and an accelerating economy. The Colombo-based bank raised the repurchase rate at which it drains money from the banking system by a quarter point to 9 percent. The monetary board's next review is on July 14. Fuel Imports Sri Lanka, which imports all its oil, is likely to spend almost 38 percent more to buy fuel this year, the finance ministry said May 18. Sri Lanka spent 26.1 billion rupees ($251 million) on fuel subsidies last year, up from 14.7 billion rupees in 2004, according to the finance ministry. The government has said it will limit fuel subsidies this year to 3 billion rupees. The government plans to stop paying Lanka IOC Ltd., the fuel retail unit of Indian Oil Corp., subsidies and allow it to set commercial prices, treasury secretary P.B. Jayasundera said on June 9. Rising fuel prices might push inflation above the central bank's 8 percent forecast for this year, H.N. Thenuwara, director of its economic research department, said on June 12. Sri Lanka's $24 billion economy has recorded uninterrupted expansion since a February 2002 cease-fire halted a two-decade civil war. Sri Lanka is targeting growth of 7 percent in 2006, the fastest in almost 30 years, as the South Asian island's government boosts spending on roads, ports and other infrastructure, incoming central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said on June 22. Tsunami Damage The South Asian economy expanded 7 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, the central bank said on June 16, citing an estimate by the Department of Census and Statistics. Sri Lanka needs to rebuild roads and homes destroyed by the December 2004 tsunami which killed about 35,000 people and left half a million homeless. Growth of 7 percent this year would be the fastest since 1978, when the economy expanded 8.2 percent. Violence in Sri Lanka, including a suicide bombing outside the capital, Colombo, June 26 that killed an army general, is threatening a return to civil war in the South Asian island nation. The violence increased after the government and rebels held their first talks in three years in Geneva in February to boost their 2002 cease-fire. ``If the violence curtails business and affects inflation, the central bank may have to act again soon and raise rates,'' said Vajira Premawardhana, director of research at Lanka Orix Securities Ltd. in Colombo. Table of forecasts ----------------------------------------------------- 28 June 2006 LTTE apologises for Rajiv's assassination In a virtual admission of guilt, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas have expressed "deep regret" over the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and sought a "new relationship" with India so that it plays an "active role" to resolve the island's ethnic conflict.In an interview to a private news channel, Anton Balasingham, the ideologue of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), described the May 21, 1991 killing of Gandhi by a Tiger woman suicide bomber as "a monumental historical tragedy". "As far as that event is concerned ... I would say it is a great tragedy ... a monumental historical tragedy ... for which we deeply regret, and we call upon the Government of India and people of India to be magnanimous to put the past behind ... and to approach the ethnic question in a different perspective."The LTTE had initially vehemently denied any involvement in the killing of Gandhi, who was blown up at an election rally at Sriperumbudur near Chennai by a LTTE woman strapped with explosives. Once Indian investigating agencies proved that the LTTE was very much involved, the Tigers changed track. At the April 2002 press conference by LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in Kilinochchi, Balasingham called the Gandhi killing a "thunbiyal" (sorrowful event).This is the first time anyone as senior in the LTTE as Balasingham, one of the oldest confidants of Prabhakaran, has virtually admitted the Tigers' role in the killing of Gandhi. Asked if the LTTE could promise that it would not commit such acts again, Balasingham went on: "We have made pledges to the Government of India that under no circumstances we will act against the interest of the Government of India." Tamil Nadu parties slam radar sale to Sri Lanka Political parties in Tamil Nadu Tuesday rapped India's sale of radars to Sri Lanka, saying the government would use them in its crackdown against the country's Tamil population."There are reports that the Indian government is providing radars to the Sri Lankan government, which is waging an undeclared war on Tamils in the island nation and carrying out attacks on civilians," T. Thirumavalavan of the Dalit Panthers of India (DPI) said.The DPI, which has called for a protest rally July 8, said several "like-minded organisations" would take part in it. The DPI, an ally of the AIADMK, and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) are known sympathisers of the LTTE and Sri Lankan Tamils. Pattali Makkal Katchi, an ally of the ruling DMK, also criticised the radar sale Tuesday. Its leader S. Ramadoss urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the sale."This partisan action of the central government is against the sentiments of the people of Tamil Nadu," Thirumavalavan said, adding that it amounted to "abetting the killing of Sri Lankan Tamils".He alleged the government was "toeing the US line" on the Sri Lankan issue. LTTE extends hand of friendship to Karunanidhi In an effort to mend fences with India in the context of its growing international isolation, the LTTE has not only expressed "deep regret" over the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, but has also extended a "hand of friendship" to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.While the LTTE's chief spokesman Anton Balasingham told NDTV in London on Monday, that India should be "magnanimous", put the past behind, and play an active role in restoring peace in Sri Lanka, the outfit's political commissar, SP Tamilselvan, told the Singapore-based daily Tamil Murasu that it was ready to extend a hand of friendship to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. "If one looks at it from one's individual interest, there will be no close relations between the LTTE and the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. But looking at it from the point of view of the people's welfare, we will surely extend a hand of friendship," Tamilselvan said.The chief of the political wing, said that the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces against the Tamil minority had created a wave of sympathy among Tamils in all parts of the world, including Tamil Nadu. "Conditions have made the Tamil Nadu government join the voices in our support," Tamilselvan said.When Tamil Murasu asked him to comment on LTTE chief Prabhakaran's statement that he was ready to go to India to have peace talks, Tamilselvan said that so long as the LTTE was banned in India, going to that country was not possible."But conditions may change," he added. Tamilselvan pointed out that the media of the majority Sinhala community in Sri Lanka had been saying that the Sri Lankan government was acting against the Tamils with the support of India.He appealed to India to recognise the Tamil liberation struggle led by the LTTE and give it "moral support"."This is the wish of the LTTE and the Tamil people also," he said. Protest fast held in Pesalai church More than five thousand residents participated in the one day fast organized by the Inter-Religious Forum held Monday in the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Pesalai condemning the killing Tamil civilians sought refuge in the church Tuesday, civil society sources from Mannar said. Netherlands Ambassador in Sri Lanka also paid a visit to the site, sources said. About twenty five Parish Priests in the Mannar district and leaders of all religious faiths participated in the protest fast. Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) visited the church and observed the situation. Mr.V.Visuvalingam, Mannar Government Agent and Ms Stanley de Mel, Mannar District Secretary also attended the concluding event of the fast, sources said.Five civilians including elderly woman were killed in the attack launched by a group of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy following a firefight between the LTTE and SLN in Mannar Sea. UN Special Representative to send adviser to Sri Lanka to look at abuse against children-Source: United Nations News Service Warning that the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are continuing to “recruit and use child soldiers” in Sri Lanka and highlighting allegations of “grave violations” against children by all parties in the conflict, the United Nations Special Representative for Children affected by armed conflict said today she was appointing a Special Adviser to undertake a fact-finding mission to the island. The LTTE militant group “continues to recruit and use child soldiers and the office has also received reports that the Karuna faction has abducted and recruited children under the age of eighteen,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Special Representative said. “Besides recruitment of child soldiers, there are also allegations of other grave violations against children by all parties to the conflict,” she added, expressing deep concern about the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka, where separatists and Government forces have been fighting for two decades. Ms. Coomaraswamy is appointing Ambassador Alan Rock of Canada as Special Advisor to conduct the fact-finding mission, according to a UN news release that added the dates would be finalized in consultation with Sri Lanka’s Government, UN partners and others. Ambassador Rock has served as the Canadian Ambassador to the UN from 2004 to June 2006. During this period, he was involved in setting up the UN Human Rights Council and the Peacebuilding Commission. Increasing violence in Sri Lanka has led to repeated calls by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other high-level UN officials for both sides to return to the negotiating table. Yesterday, in response to the killing of four people in a suicide bomb attack, Mr. Annan said that “no cause can justify such acts of violence.” An attack on a bus on 15 June reportedly killed 62 civilians and injured more than 40 others, including school-aged children, while on 13 May, 13 Tamil civilians were killed on the island of Keyts in Jaffna, including an infant and a young child. There have also been other recent incidents despite a ceasefire agreement of February 2002 aimed at ending the fighting between the Government and separatist forces that has claimed some 60,000 lives. Renegade ex-rebels say kill 4 Tamil Tigers : Srilanka Four Tamil Tiger fighters were killed in an attack by a rival group of ex-rebels in Sri Lanka early on Tuesday and a soldier was shot dead overnight, officials said, amid growing fears of renewed civil war. The attack in an area controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the east came a day after a suspected Tiger suicide bomber assassinated the army deputy chief of staff. A wave of attacks on the island has now killed around 700 people so far this year, straining a 2002 ceasefire between the military and the Tigers. Police Deputy Inspector General Nihal Karunaratne and a spokesman for the renegade Karuna group said four Tigers had been killed in the attack on their camp in the Batticaloa district. The Tigers said they lost only one fighter, and blamed the army. Fighters loyal to former Tiger eastern commander Karuna Amman have been clashing with the mainstream rebels in the east since 2004. The government and Karuna deny any links but diplomats and analysts believe there is support. The Karuna group warned of more attacks on the Tigers, whom they accuse of ignoring eastern Tamils. "Wherever their camps are, we will search and attack them," said Karuna group spokesman Thuyawan. "We know the Tiger strategy because we were once part of the Tigers." Thuyawan said Karuna spies had been watching the small Tiger camp for some time. Fighters attacked it at dawn, he said, destroying everything and taking weapons. A military spokesman said a soldier had been shot dead by suspected Tigers in a separate incident in the district of Trincomalee, further north. He also said troops had found three fragmentation mines primed for an ambush. The Tigers, for their part, listed on their official website -- www.ltteps.org -- a series of abductions and killings of Tamil civilians that they blame on the army. Three Thamil civilians missing in Trincomalee Three Thamil farmers of Bharathipuram in Killiveddy village located in the government controlled Serunuwara police division in Trincomalee district have been missing since Monday morning.Their family members said at about 10 a.m. they went to Aathiamankerni area in search of their cattle. Three villagers are Nallathamby Gnaneswaran (46) of Bharathipuram, Paththakutty Thiraviyaraja (40) and Ampalavanapillai Sathisivam (45) of Lingapuram in Killiveddy. Trincomalee district parliamentarian K. Thurairatnasingham has brought this incident of missing to the notice of the Police and Sri Lanka Army officials in Trincomalee district to trace them immediately. These villagers went to elsewhere as refugees two months back leaving their houses because of violence. On Monday they came to Bharathipuram and went to Aathiamankerni in search of their cattle that they left when they moved to other place. All killings cannot be blamed on LTTE - UNP All killings could not be attributed to the LTTE, UNP National Organiser S.B. Dissanayake said yesterday. Addressing a media conference at the Opposition Leader's Office in Colombo, Dissanayake said: "One cannot place all killings at the doorstep of the LTTE. Our side too has weaknesses. President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Government too have weaknesses. In solving the ethnic problem both the President and Prabhakaran should act sincerely," Dissanayake said. While condemning the assassination of Major General Parami Kulatunge the main opposition UNP yesterday called upon the Government to ensure protection of the country's top military leaders. UNP Assistant General Secretary Tissa Attanayake urged the Government to go for a General Election since it has failed to keep the promises made to bring about peace and prosperity. Dissanayake said the time was opportune for the Government to take a direct stand on the National Issue. "The President is saying one thing, the PM is saying something else and the ministers are uttering different versions. Where is the cohesiveness of the Government," Dissanayake queried. "Since independence political parties both in the South and North have used the National issue as a tool for political gain. When one party tried to solve the issue the other engaged in sabotage. In 2002 for the first time both main parties came to an understanding to devolve power within a united country and using this as a catalyst the UNP was able to forge ahead with the peace process bringing peace and stability to the country," Dissanayake said. According to Dissanayake the present Government has got stuck with its rhetoric and is unable to move forward because of divergent stands within its fold. "The President should take a stand without fear or compromise. The UNP has always stood for a peaceful solution and would support any endeavour of the Government without conditions if it helps to bring peace to the country," Dissanayake said. "The Government should have a concrete plan to address the issue. We are ready to help the Government and also assist within the All Party Conference to obtain a viable solution. However the Government should stop passing the buck and assume responsibility to arrest the problem immediately," Dissanayake added. Extradition of Lankan murder suspect to UK Colombo High Court Judge Upali Abeyratne ordered the Registrar to take necessary action with the Foreign ministry, to extradite a Sri Lankan, Sivapragasam Rajesh Kanna alias ‘Kanna’ who had fled the United Kingdom (UK) after allegedly committing a murder. The accused was charged with the murder of Maheswaran Ganeshan, killed on January 12, 2004. On behalf of the government of UK, the Crown Prosecution Service of UK, had requested Interpol’s intervention to locate the accused, who had lived in Chilaw, prior to seeking asylum in the UK in 2002 According to Interpol, the murder had taken place at Heighman Road, London, where the accused had allegedly assaulted the victim with a cricket bat. He fled the country when he learnt about the death of the victim. The victim had succumbed to his injuries at the Neurological Hospital in London. The reason for the murder has yet to be ascertained.The accused had entered Sri Lanka and gone into hiding in Mulaitivu, where the police located him. The government of UK had requested the Foreign ministry to extradite the accused in terms of section 6 of the Extradition Law of 1977.Shantha Herath appeared for the accused, Senior State Counsel Parinda Ranasinghe appeared on behalf of the Attorney General. Maj. Gen. Shaman Kulatunga appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Shaman Kulatunga RSP USP ndc psc, Commandant Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Forces has been appointed by the Commander of the Army to overlook duties of the Deputy Chief of Staff, who was killed in the suicide bombing on Monday (26). In addition to the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Kulatunga will also overlook duties as Adjutant General until further notice, the Army Headquarters announced yesterday. Enlisted to the Army on 5th April 1973, he was commissioned to the rank of Second Lieutenant on 31st March 1974. He was promoted to the ranks of Captain (1979), Major (1983), Lieutenant Colonel (1990), Colonel (1994), and Brigadier (1995) respectively. He served as Staff Officer, Officiating Commandant (ACSC) in Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Welioya and Anuradhapura before he was appointed as the Commandant, Regimental Centre, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps in 1994. After he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier in 1995, he was appointed as Deputy General Officer Commanding in 21, 55, 11 and 52 Divisions in Pompemadu, Mirusivil, Panagoda and Varani areas respectively. Following his promotion as Major General in 2001, he was posted to the office of the General Officer Commanding for 52 Division in Varani before he was appointed the Security Coordinating Officer at the Presidential Security Unit. Major General Kulatunga served for a brief period as Deputy Commander, Security Forces Headquarters in Jaffna in 2004. On 3rd January 2005 he was appointed as General Officer Commanding the 22 Division in Trincomalee. Major General Kulatunga who has followed several courses in India, Bangladesh, USA and Pakistan was appointed Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Forces on 6th January 2006. He has been serving the Sri Lanka Volunteer Force until he relinquished his duties to take over the Deputy Chief of Staff appointment. Sri Lanka: Protect Witnesses in Trincomalee Killings The Sri Lankan government must ensure the safety of witnesses in the case of five Tamil youths summarily executed in January allegedly by state security forces, Human Rights Watch said today. Tomorrow, a magistrate in the eastern town of Trincomalee will review eyewitness testimony against a dozen security force personnel implicated in the case. An unofficial report by the special investigator for Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission alleges that the security forces were responsible for the killings. Human Rights Watch remains deeply concerned that the only prosecution witness willing to testify so far, Dr. Kasippillai Manoharan, has for months been the target of deadly threats. His son Ragihar was among those killed."Dr. Manoharan has courageously come forward to testify about the brutal killings of these five young men," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Sri Lankan government should show a fraction of his courage and take urgent measures to control its security forces and protect the doctor and other witnesses who may wish to testify." On January 2, 2006 at about 7:30 p.m., seven youths, all 20-year-old graduates of Sri Koneswara Hindu College, chatted among themselves near the seafront in Trincomalee. According to eyewitness accounts, a grenade thrown at the youths from a green three-wheeler (or motor trishaw) exploded and injured three of them. Soon thereafter, 10 to 15 uniformed officers allegedly with the elite police Special Task Force arrived in jeeps. The officers put the wounded youth into their jeeps, beat them with rifle butts, and then pushed them onto the road. The officers then allegedly shot the young men, killing five and wounding two. The army commander in Trincomalee initially reported to the media that seven members of the armed opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had been killed or injured when grenades they had been carrying exploded accidentally. The LTTE has been responsible for numerous attacks on military personnel and civilians in the Trincomalee area.A government post mortem later determined that the five had died from gunshot wounds. Three had been shot in the head, while two had died from shots to the chest and abdomen, apparently received while trying to flee. At the time of the incident, Manoharan received a short mobile phone message from his son, who said that he and his friends were pleading with security forces personnel not to shoot them. Manoharan immediately tried to go to the nearby place where he knew his son was, but he was stopped by the security forces at a checkpoint. Manoharan testified at an inquest on January 10 that he heard the young men pleading for their lives and the gunshots. At the same time, the security forces had also briefly detained about 300 people at the seafront and made them kneel or sit, and had shut off all the streetlamps, leaving the area dark. To date, only Manoharan has come forward to testify as a prosecution witness; no one else in the vicinity of the killings has been willing to do so. President Mahinda Rajapakse pledged publicly and to the Donor Co-chairs in Tokyo that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, irrespective of rank. A dozen members of the Special Task Force were placed under restraint pending inquiries; they were effectively discharged in April. Since testifying, Manoharan and his family have been subjected to numerous serious threats. On the evening of the inquest, unidentified persons banged on his door and threw stones at his house. Manoharan also received several anonymous phone calls threatening to kill him and his family because of his testimony. Several days after the inquest, a man on a motorbike who kept his head covered sought medical help at his clinic, but left when only Manoharan's wife, who is also a doctor, agreed to treat him. Human Rights Watch is concerned that the death threats appear to be coming from the security forces, who do not want Manoharan or others to testify in the case. As a result of the threats, he has had to suspend his medical practice and his children's education has been severely disrupted. His friends have been warned not to come to his home. According to Manoharan, two policemen on June 12 stopped one of his surviving sons who was traveling to take an exam. On discovering a photo of his deceased brother, the police questioned who he was and then asked, "Are you Dr. Manoharan's son?" After finding on him the card of an international nongovernmental organization, the police said, "Your father is flashing the whole matter at the international level. That is not good for your family. You are going for the exam. You go now, we will see later." The son was too shaken to complete the exam. On June 21, a policeman who recognized Manoharan detained him for half an hour at a checkpoint for no stated reason. During this time the policeman told him, "You are supporting the LTTE and our high officers are supporting you, so how can we do our duty?" The following evening at around 9 p.m., a group of naval officers came to the Manoharan house and offered to provide "protection." The source of the offer, the late hour and references to armed groups not under control of the security forces raise concerns that this was not a genuine offer of assistance but a thinly veiled threat. To date, almost all security personnel prominently implicated in the case remain in Trincomalee, posing a threat to Manoharan and prospective witnesses. A senior police officer cited in the special investigator's report as allegedly being "behind the shooting incident" remains in Trincomalee and was recently promoted. In Sri Lanka, widespread impunity for serious human rights abuses committed by both the security forces and the LTTE is a major, longstanding problem. A successful prosecution of the Trincomalee killings will require meaningful and proactive witness protection measures, Human Rights Watch said. The government must take necessary steps both to protect persons and their families who have agreed to testify, and to create an environment where other witnesses will be willing to come forward. "Summary executions in Sri Lanka will only stop when those responsible are prosecuted to the full extent of the law," Adams said. "But this rampant impunity will end only when the government takes strong steps to ensure that witnesses can safely come forward." 27 June 2006 War and peace: 'no middle path' “We are a party opposed to the war. If the government can find a solution through war, then please go ahead and do it,” Attanayake said.Commenting on the suicide blast that killed Major General Parami Kulatunga and three others, the MP said many Sri Lankans do not believe the customary denial by the LTTE.However, the UNP says the government should also take the blame as it has showed its inability to bring the Tamil Tigers to the negotiations table. “We have always maintained our policy of finding a solution within the framework of Tokyo declaration. But the government is yet to declare their stand,” Attanayake said. UNP-led government and the LTTE have agreed to find a solution within a federal framework at a summit held in Tokyo in December 2002.But rejecting a federal solution, President Rajapaksa says Sri Lanka should find “its own way of devolution”.Attanayake accused the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA)-led government of having no clear policy on solving the ethnic problem.“You cannot have both war and peace at the same time”. Analysis: Sri Lanka's tattered ceasefire -BBC Cost of war The government has a lot more to lose if there is a full-scale war. It would be an economic disaster and certainly deter the tourists who are returning to Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers may have less to lose. They are already facing international opprobrium - especially since the European Union lists them as a terrorist organisation. Their international image is something they have always held dear, a chance to show themselves as leaders on a world stage. Now that has gone, the reasons for holding back may have disappeared. However they still face the problem of the breakaway Tamil Tiger leader Colonel Karuna. Renegade commander Colonel Karuna has turned the Tigers' tactics against them. Despite government denials, there is little doubt he is being supported to some degree by the Sri Lankan military. Injured Karuna soldiers are protected by the military in hospitals. The government has conceded that there has been low-level contact. Colonel Karuna has been able to garner support in the east, and weaken the Tamil Tiger operations there. Going to war with him still operating would be a problem that might make them hesitate. 'Deterrent' The difficulty for the government is how to respond to the suicide bombings and other attacks against the military and civilians. So far it has carried out air strikes after each major incident. The government says these are to act as a deterrent. But if this is the case, the deterrent is clearly not working. A ground offensive is not a realistic option, so Colonel Karuna may well be their ace of spades. What does that mean for Sri Lanka's conflict? Essentially it looks likely it will continue along the current path, which has been described as "low-level war". Some say the current situation is not so far removed from that before the ceasefire agreement was signed in 2002, although it has not yet reached the same degree of intensity. Analysts here say that, instead of aiming for all-out war, the Tigers seem to be trying to provoke a communal backlash where Sinhalese civilians turn on their Tamil neighbours in scenes reminiscent of the bloody days of the 1980s. The difference now is that neither community wants to retread that path. People have been able to get on with their lives and they want to continue doing so. Where the government has fundamentally failed is in convincing the Tamil minority that as the state operator it can and will give protection to Tamil civilians. Scores have been killed and have disappeared in the recent upsurge of violence. The military has been implicated in some of those killings, although its leaders deny it. But whoever is to blame, the government has signally failed to protect Tamils and so persuade them there is a real alternative to the Tigers for obtaining their rights. Until they address that situation the rebels will always find a community willing to believe safety can only be gained within a separate Tamil homeland - something the government has made clear is not an option. Carrots and sticks The current situation also allows the Tigers to routinely deny involvement in the violence by claiming it is Tamils themselves rising up against state oppression. The international community for its part has done everything it can. Carrots, sticks - everything available has been thrown into the pot. Both sides have been told to address the issues or risk international isolation, but either the message is not getting through or it does not matter at this stage. At any rate, there seems little international leaders can do but watch and wonder where this country will stumble to next. India condemns Lanka killing, but unsure how to deal with crisis As LTTE took out yet another high- profile military target in the Sri Lankan army on Monday, when a suicide bomber killed the third highest-ranking military officer, General Parami Kulatunga, India was swift with its condemnation. Yet, as the situation in the island enters a downward spiral into certain civil war, India shows little leadership about how to deal with the crisis. On Monday, MEA spokesperson said India "unreservedly condemns the terrorist bombing incident outside Colombo." As during the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka in April, this time too, India described it as a "terrorist act" but it hesitated at naming the LTTE, though the Sri Lankan government has officially blamed it. The MEA spokesperson said: "This incident is the latest in a series of recent terrorist attacks which are aimed at undermining the ceasefire and vitiate the environment for a political dialogue." There has been speculation that Monday's attack was a reaction to the Sri Lankan president's offer for direct talks with the rebel group. LTTE spokespersons have refused to enter into direct talks with the government insisting on the presence of Norwegian facilitators. Anonymous call hour before General's death An anonymous telephone call warning that there would be a big attack an hour before the suicide blast in Pannipitiya, was received by the National Hospital, police said.The police said that the caller had phoned the staff of the hospital and said to expect extra work for them and they should expect a superior job to carry out. Soon after the call, the hospital has informed the police about the incident.One hour later, a suspected LTTE cadre rammed into the car of Major General Parami Kulatunga killing him along with three others at Pannipitiya. Secretary-General condemns suicide bomb attack in Sri Lanka The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan: The Secretary-General condemns today’s suicide bomb attack in Sri Lanka which killed Major General Parami Kulatunga, the third-highest ranking officer in the Sri Lanka army, and three other people near the capital, Colombo. He expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the bereaved and the Government of Sri Lanka. The Secretary-General reiterates that no cause can justify such acts of violence. The Secretary-General appeals to the parties to redouble their efforts to resume peace talks under the facilitation of the Norwegian Government. EPDP supporter shot dead by unknown men in Jaffna islet A EPDP supporter named Kanthaiya Yogeswaran, 55, was shot dead at about 1.30 p.m. today (Monday) by unidentified men in the Jaffna islet of Velanai.The area where the killing took place is totally under control of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), sources said. The victim was owner of a welding plant in Vankalavadi, Velanai in Jaffna islets.Quoting witness police said the attackers arrived in a motorbike at the garage and shot him. The fled the scene immediately.Yogeswaran, 55, hailing from Nayanmarkattu area in Nallur, was a supporter of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), local people said. LTTE releases 46 under-age youths The Liberation Tigers have released 46 under-age youths, 22 of the youths to their parents and 24 were enrolled with the Education Skills and Development Centre (ESDC) for education. The Tigers, in a new release issued by the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi said that a list containing the names of the youths released was handed over to the UNICEF and the ICRC.The youths, identified as under-age youths upon joining the LTTE between July 2005 and May 2006, were handed over on two occassions, on 18 May and on 03 June, the news release said. Major General Parami Kulatunga Major General Parami Kulatunga was an old boy of the Trinity College Kandy. He joined to the Sri Lanka Army on July 20, 1971 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of the First Battalion, Gemunu Watch on October 14, 1972.General Kulatunga served in a number of staff officer posts - General Staff Officer, Deputy General Officer (Commanding), Director Training at Army Head quarters in 1996 and Head Deputy General Officer for Mirusuvil and Elephant Pass between 1997 and 1998. He also served as General Officer Commanding of 52nd Division at the same time. Kulatunga served as General Officer Commanding for Wanni between 2000 and 2001 and 11th division Panagoda until October 2001 same year.He became the Commander Security Force Headquarters Jaffna in 2003 and served until he took over as Director General (General Staff) Army Headquarters on September 06, 2003.Afterwards he was appointed Commander Security Force Headquarters Wanni effective from August 10, 2004. General Kulatunga was appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army on December 22nd, 2005.He had followed several military education and training programmes in USA and followed Senior Command course in India, Advanced Intensive Course in Singapore and Intelligence Task Course India.Kulatunga has represented several international military conferences including the special operation in the USA. He was a highly decorated officer who was awarded Rana Sura Medal, Riviresa Campaign Medal, Purna Bhumi Medal, North and East Operation Medal, Deshaputhra Medal.General Kulatunga was also the Deputy Commandant of the Kothalawela Defence Academy. MPs, NGOs urge lifting of Batticaloa embargo Batticaloa parliamentarians P Ariyanenthiran, S Jeyananthamoorthy and Ms T Thangeswari, North East Community Restoration and Development Project (NECORD) implementing officer K Sivanantharaja, and other NGOs,Monday at 9:30 a.m., met the Batticaloa's military-civil coordinating officer Maj. Gen. Wetty Perera at a conferenceed by Batticaloa Government agent S Punniyamoorthy held in the Batticaloa Kachcheri, to appeal against the military-imposed economic restrictions in the region. The burdens caused by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) restriction on transport of building materials and the taking of all types of vehicles to non-military controlled areas in Batticaloa, were taken up at the meeting. The NGO delegation complained to Maj.Gen.Perera, that the military has placed severe limitations for the transport of cement and wire fences to build permanent homes, for tsunami affected residents in LTTE controlled Vaharai region. For building hundreds of homes for the tsunami affected coastal villagers, the military only permits 50 bags of cement which is not enough to build even a couple of homes, charged the delegation. Jeyananthamoorthy told the conference that the SLA restrictions have also triggered a dangerous price hike in the region and the building of tsunami homes have been further hampered.The parliamentarian demanded the Major General to lift the economic blockade on the area. Maj. Gen. Wetty Perera told the delegates that he will inform the defence ministry in Colombo and the matter will be taken up at the government's security related meeting on Friday. 26 June 2006 TELO Leader and Vani District MP Mr.Selvam Adikalanathan to visit Norway TELO Leader and Vani District MP Mr.Selvam Adikalanathan will pay a brief visit to Norway June 26-06-2006. The main purpose of the visit to apprise the Norway leadership of the situation in Sri Lanka, said TELO sources. He said, "The peace process will dominate the agenda. The visit may be seen as part of the continuing high level political dialogue between Norway and TNA on matters of mutual interest. Sri Lanka Army’s Deputy Chief of staff killed in bomb explosion Bomb explosion this morning, killed Deputy Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army, Major General Parami Kulkathunga. It was revealed that a suicide car bomb exploded this morning around 8.00 am targeting security personnel.According to reports, the car bomb exploded at Moraketiya junction in Pannapittya,15 km southeast of Colombo. The explosion set the car ablaze also killed three army personnel including Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. Passengers in a pick-up truck, a taxi and a van were also taken to hospital after the explosion, reports said. Sri Lanka has been gripped by growing conflict between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in recent weeks. Sri Lanka Army suspects it to be the work of the Tamil rebel outfit – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. LTTE: No direct links with Govt. The history of the peace process in Sri Lanka, says Pulidevan, has proved that the parties lack confidence on each other to bring the process forward.The LTTE categorically denied Sri Lanka media reports that Head of political wing SP Thamilselvan responded to an offer by the President to engage in direct talks.“President Rajapaksa tried, but we informed the Norwegians of our intention to keep them as our official channel,” Pulidevan told bbcsinahala.com. War unavoidable if Norway suspends monitoring function - Thamilchelvan The Liberation Tigers Political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan, when asked what LTTE's reaction would be, if Norway, on 29 June, chose to suspend the monitoring role, responded that a such decision would signal an end to the already fragile ceasefire and plunge the island into war. Mr. Thamilchelvan further said that the Tigers responding to the questions posed by the facilitator Norway, had replied that they were fully prepared to continue providing diplomatic immunity to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) as a mission coordinated, facilitated and led by the Royal Norwegian Government. The LTTE Political Head said that the transition period of six months to replace the monitors from EU Member States, as initially suggested by Norway, was too long considering LTTE's desire to sustain an "absolute neutral" composition of the SLMM.However, the Tigers have agreed that they were prepared to extend their initial suggestion of one month transition period, taking into account the practical difficulties, Mr. Thamilchelvan said. Asked if LTTE had conveyed the consequences of SLMM composition prior to the EU ban, he said that the LTTE had repeatedly conveyed their reservations in advance to the Norwegian facilitators. "The EU countries were well aware that LTTE will not welcome members of EU as part of the SLMM after the ban," Thamilchelvan said.Colombo has been changing their stand every day after they responded with "affirmative" answer to all five questions posed by Norway, Mr. Thamilchelvan said. "Today, they have again changed their stand. The Sri Lankan government is now saying Norway cannot go ahead with the changes in the composition of the SLMM," Mr. Thamilchelvan said adding that the LTTE observed with patience and tolerance when Sri Lankan Government wanted to change a previous SLMM head. "Recognition of the concept of Tamil Homeland is a pre-requisite for any successful engagement between the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) that can lead towards peace. Therefore, the Government of Sri Lanka and not the LTTE that needed to change first, the LTTE Political Head said. "When the Southern polity recognizes the concept of homeland and is prepared to recognize the sovereign rights of our people, allowing us to chart our own political destiny, just peace will prevail and the whole island would benefit," Mr. Thamilchelvan said. LTTE-linked soldier names Confirming reports that some government security forces members are believed to be on the LTTE’s payroll, the Military Police arrested a soldier, serving in the Forward Defence Line at Kalyanapura in Welioya for alleged links to the LTTE.A senior military police official told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the soldier was arrested along with a satellite phone, by his colleagues at the Kalyanapura army camp. “Suspicious of his behaviour and his high-tec phone, his colleagues informed the head of the camp, who monitored the soldier’s behaviour for some time and made the arrest”, the official said. Initial investigations revealed that the arrested soldier had been providing information to the LTTE for a long time, using the satellite phone. “It was only after the arrest, that we came to know it was a satellite phone. It is believed to have been provided by the LTTE”, he said. It was also revealed that the soldier, a resident of Gomarankadawala in Trincomalee, had been married to a Tamil woman, who has relatives holding high ranking positions in the LTTE. Soon after the arrest, the soldier pretended to be mentally deranged but later, he admitted that he had links with the LTTE and gave the names of another five army officials with LTTE connections. “We are going to arrest them as soon as possible”, the military official said. The arrested soldier will be handed over to the CID for further interrogation. Anti-rebel party PLOTE member shot dead in northern Sri Lanka A member of a political party that opposes separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka - was shot dead Sunday in the country's troubled north, a party official said. The Tigers later accused PLOTE and other groups of collaborating with Sri Lanka - 's military, calling them ``traitors'' and often attacking their offices and members. At least 65,000 people including security forces, rebels, party members and civilians died in the conflict before a 2002 cease-fire. With peace talks to build on the truce all but abandoned, a wave of violence since April has killed at least 700 people, more than half of them civilians. Switzerland Thamil shot dead in Valaichenai An expatriate Thamil who came to Valaichenai, 29 km northwest of Batticaloa, from Switzerland on a 2-weeks vacation to see his family, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Sunday afternoon at Kannankiramam, Police said. The incident took place at about 3.15 pm when the victim, Vadivel Puvendran, was attending a birth day function of his one relative near 3rd cross junction Kannankiramam.Three unidentified men entered the house and took him away who later shot him to death, according to relatives of the victim who could not say anything about the killing but said a brother of the victim, known as Mama, is a long time cadre of PLOTE. PM urged to withdraw Kachatheevu pact Puthiya Tamizhagam (PT) today appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the withdrawal Kachatheevu agreement entered into with Sri Lanka, as recently the island nation had deviated from the agreement and 'arbitrarily' drawn an international border line in the sea restricting the Indian fishermen from fishing. Talking to reporters here, party leader Dr K Krishnasamy said the Indian fishermen, who were not aware of the border line, were harassed and tortured by the Sri Lankan navy. "Why the Sri Lankan government is restricting the Indian fishermen now when fishermen from both the countries were fishing freely in the waters of each others as per the agreement earlier?" he asked.He also wanted to resolve the issue of giving citizenship to 30 lakh Tamils settled in Sri Lanka. The Tamils were fighting for the cause of separate Eelam nation, he said.The party would organise rally and demonstration here on July 1 demanding the Prime Minister to announce withdrawal of the Kachatheevu agreement, he added.During the rally, the PT would also urge the Prime Minister for using international pressure on Sri Lankan government to negotiate and find a solution to the ethnic problem there. Government to oppose Norwegian SLMM head The Government says it will oppose any moves to re-appoint a Norwegian as the head of the SLMM and further raised suspicions over the actual motives behind the LTTE demanding the removal of cease-fire monitors from EU member countries.Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella says the appointment of a Norwegian to head the SLMM will be “unethical” as Oslo already acts as peace facilitator between the Government and the LTTE. Former SLMM head Hagrup Haukland, a Norwegian, was replaced by the present Swedish head Ulf Henrikson, after the new government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly opposed Norway playing the dual role of facilitator and heading the monitoring group as well.“It seems that the LTTE wants only Norwegians in the SLMM. If EU monitors are removed, the majority of the monitors will be from Norway and a few from Iceland. Putting a Norwegian as SLMM head will be unethical, as they already are the facilitators,” Minister Rambukwella told the Daily Mirror. Meanwhile, the head of the Government peace secretariat Dr. Palitha Kohona told the Daily Mirror that the Government will not agree to any unilateral changes to the composition of the SLMM, as there are two signatories to the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA) – the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE.“We have not come to the stage where we think about who heads the SLMM, because, firstly, the changes cannot take place without our consent. We are part of the CFA, so, we have to be consulted as well. That is the international norm,” Dr. Kohona said. The Nordic countries represented in the SLMM will meet in Oslo on Thursday, to decide on the changes to the composition of the SLMM, with the LTTE giving the facilitators time till September, to make the necessary changes.Following disappointment expressed by Oslo, the rebels stepped down from their earlier demand that the changes to the SLMM, including the removal of EU monitors, take place within three weeks.Minister Rambukwella, meanwhile, said it seemed that the LTTE was acting with the “sinister” motive of removing the SLMM as a whole, in order to nullify the CFA and resume hostilities. “We must look at the modus operandi of the LTTE. It seems, they are trying to send a message to the SLMM that they want all the monitors to pack their bags and go, so then, they can resume a war,” the Minister said.He also echoed Dr. Kohona’s views, saying the Government will not entertain any unilateral changes to the SLMM but reiterated President Rajapaksa was still committed to reaching a negotiated settlement to the conflict and will pursue all possible means to achieve peace. CID to grill senior cop on release of Tiger operative The CID will soon question a senior police officer accused of ordering the release of an LTTE operative taken in for questioning immediately after the recent abortive bid to target the Colombo port. The CID is also expected to check on the officer’s finances, amidst allegations that several police officers are on the payroll of the Tigers. The released man was shot dead near St. Jude’s Church, Negombo Wednesday night. He was subsequently identified as the wealthy boat owner taken in for questioning by police, immediately after the recent abortive bid to attack the Colombo port, but given police bail. The killing came in the backdrop of the CID taking over the investigation. 'This is a real poncy government', Mahinda himself is fed up with Mahinda Chintana "As I am President everything is thrust upon me, I cannot do anything I want. This is a poncy government", President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said. The President’s angry outburst has come at a meeting with Electricity Board officials, its trade unions and JVP representatives on the proposed Electricity Board Reforms Bill. When the President made the above remark, JVP representatives and CEB officials had looked at each other. JVP trade union leader parliamentarian K.D.Lalkantha too was present at this meeting. Furthermore the President has now started criticizing Mahinda Chintana too. When a reference was made to development programs initiated under Mahinda Chintana at a recent meeting held at Temple Trees with a group of loyalists Mr. Rajapaksa has quipped that "...people might be saying Mahinda's mother's Chintanaya when prices are mentioned of commodities". "Now they have started saying Mahinda Chintanaya, Mahinda Chintanaya for everything. Nothing is being done. I know what these people are doing". An angry President has said. Another trawler in custody Negombo police on Saturday took into custody a trawler found in the Negombo lagoon believed to have been used by the LTTE to transport explosives and sea tigers to attack the Colombo port.After a joint operation conducted by the CID and the Negombo police, the vessel had been taken into custody.Inquiries have revealed that the 40 foot trawler is owned by Koti Christy of Beach road, Negombo and the LTTE had purchased it for Rs. 6 million.Police say that although the trawler was checked nothing was founding in it. The police have so far taken two trawlers into custody from Negombo.Further inquires are pending. Offer Indian model - V. Anandasangaree Corporal buried with full honours found in jungle The residents gathered at the arms giving ceremony of an army corporal who was buried with full military honours were shocked when they heard that the corporal was still very much alive. On June 15, the Army had informed the wife of Corporal U.G. Senaratne attached to the 2nd Special Battalion in Vavuniya that he was killed on June 13 in a bomb attack by the terrorists. After the wife with family members identified the body, the army had handed it over to them at their Rattota home. On June18, he was buried with full military honours at the Galekotuwa public cemetery, Rattota. After the alms giving was over on June 23, his wife received a telephone call saying that her husband was still alive. Matale police said the corporal believed to be dead was found in a jungle in Vavuniya and is being treated at present at the Anuradhapura hospital. 25 June 2006 Mahinda has no option but Ranil's path-High Commissioner Mangala Munasinghe There is no other option for the LTTE issue other than the path elected by Ranil Wickremesinghe and even though Chandrika Kumaratunga began internationalizing the issue with Norway she was unable to finish it off and when Ranil tried to find a solution Chandrika did not allow him to do it and though Mahinda wants to follow Ranil's path, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the Hela Urumaya and other racist parties are disrupting his efforts, former High Commissioner to India and Great Britain, Mangala Munasinghe said. Munasinghe, a grand child of Anagaraika Dharmapala who is highly appreciated by patriotic and anti terrorist movements began his political career from the Lanka Samasamaja Party and ended up at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and later became a career diplomat and is known for his moderate views. In an interview with a weekend newspaper Munasinghe has explicitly explained how President Rajapaksa has become a prisoner of racist and chauvinist forces and quipped even though the President wants to find a solution to the ethnic issue, there are no brainy persons in the government to be sent to talks. "...who went to Oslo talks? The issue is related to the ethnic problem and those participating should be moderate diplomats who have expertise on the matter. Even if politicians participated they should not be narrow minded who seek to score a few points. But those who went there were racists with war mentality. Others were dim-witted politicians. That's why they promised to disarm paramilitary groups operating in the North and East. "...at the instigation of the JVP and the Hela Urumaya, the government always put forward for talks the people with racist and chauvinist attitudes. What is the meaning of this? No important country is supportive of communalism and militarism. I just can't understand why this is not understood by Mahinda Rajapaksa. "...the JVP and the Hela Urumaya still try to make use of the Kebitigollewa incident to push the people and the government towards war and to instigate people to rise against Tamils as they did in the eighties. Even though they did not directly state this, it is evident from what they say and do". "...posters have come up everywhere saying enough is enough. So what do they ask the people to do? It simply means to attack. That is why I can't understand as to why the President wants to have close relationship with the JVP and the JHU." "...Due to his close contacts with the JVP and the JHU, there is an opinion among international leaders that Mahinda Rajapaksa is a racist who does not want to resolve this problem through negotiations with the LTTE. I still meet a lot of ambassadors and diplomats. They also say the same thing and I had to explain to them that Mahinda is not such a person." "However it is sad that the government lacks a program or individual who could convince the international community that Mahinda is not a racist leader". "What I feel is that there is no other option other than following the path adopted by Ranil. Mahinda and Ranil should get together. Mahinda should be allowed to proceed along his path. There where the answer lies for the North East problem." LTTE extends EU monitors’ deadline The Tigers initially gave peace broker Norway a month to replace the 37 monitors from EU members Sweden, Finland and Denmark, out of a total of 57 — far short of the six months the mediators say they need. The monitors said the deadline had now been pushed back to Sept. 1, which means they now have a little over two months, still less than they need. Sri Lanka government yesterday said the Tamil Tigers had laid down a “hostile deadline” after the rebels said European Union (EU) nations should quit the nation’s truce monitoring mission within one month. The rebel demand, made after the EU officially branded the Tigers a terrorist group, would force out 37 of the 57 monitors now in Sri Lanka to observe the country’s increasingly shaky ceasefire signed in 2002. In a statement the government urged the Swedish-led mission, known by its acronym SLMM, to continue operations. “The government of Sri Lanka urges the SLMM to continue to carry out its mandate despite the unreasonable stance of the LTTE ,” the statement said. “The time period of one month insisted on by the LTTE for effecting changes in the composition of the SLMM is tantamount to the imposition of a hostile deadline by the LTTE,” it said. “The LTTE’s demand that SLMM monitors from EU countries be replaced is deeply regrettable and will weaken the SLMM in a critical period,” Norway’s top peace envoy, Erik Solheim, said earlier in a Norwegian government statement. Colombo on Thursday agreed to a six-month transitional period for monitors suggested by Norway, calling the one-month Tiger demand impractical. But in its new statement the government refused to be left out of negotiations over the composition of the SLMM. “We have extended the period according to a request from the Norwegian facilitators,” S. Puleedevan, head of the Tigers’ peace secretariat, said by telephone from the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi. “Norwegian ambassador Hans Brattskar discussed with us the deadline, saying they needed more time,” he added. “That’s why we extended the period.” Norway has said 20 monitors from non-EU states Norway and Iceland are not enough, and analysts fear it could create a vacuum at a time when increasingly frequent ambushes, shootings and clashes are stretching the 2002 truce to breaking point. Nordic foreign ministers are due to meet in Oslo on June 29 to discuss how to replace the EU monitors. More than 700 people more than half of them civilians have been killed so far this year, and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes. About 3,000 Tamils have paid smugglers to ferry them to neighbouring India so far this year. Some 200 people fled this week alone after four fishermen in the north-western district of Mannar were shot dead and one woman was killed, and dozens of people were injured when a grenade was thrown into a church, in attacks residents blamed on the military. The violence continued yesterday, when two soldiers were shot dead while they were searching roadside scrub for landmines along the road to Mannar. The military blamed the attack on the Tigers. Further north in the army-held enclave of Jaffna, a suspected rebel group ordered shopkeepers to keep their stores shut in protest at killings of Tamil civilians the Tigers blame on the military and the desecration of an LTTE war memorial in government territory. Public transport was at a standstill, Jaffna’s streets were empty and banks were closed. “Today it’s OK, being a Saturday,” said retired irrigation technician Nawan Kunathasan. “But next week, if there is going to be a boycott, it’s our own people who are going to be badly affected. Jaffna will be crippled.”“It looks as though both parties are provoking each other,” the 61-year-old added. “Before sitting for peace talks, violence must come to an end.” As Sri Lanka boils, India faces daunting challenges Four years after Norway brokered an unprecedented truce, India is battling major strategic and foreign policy challenges, with Sri Lanka seemingly sliding towards an inevitable war.Indian policymakers at various levels are still not sure if a full-scale conflict will break out again between Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and are hoping it doesn’t happen.But no one has any doubts that a deadly proxy war is already on, claiming over 800 lives since December, and that an all-round conflict will result in enormous suffering for the island nation, with resultant consequences for India. Faced with the obvious, India shed its inhibitions and did some plain speaking to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera here Thursday as part of not-so-covert pressure building on Colombo by the international community.Samaraweera, who came on a previously unscheduled overnight trip while on his way from London to Colombo, was told that India expected Sri Lanka to rein in its military to stop the killings of innocent Tamils while battling the Tigers and to accelerate plans to devolve autonomy to the island’s minorities. The thrust of the message was: If you cannot do these two things, you can never win the war against the LTTE.It is not the first time New Delhi has referred to devolution of powers. But it was the first time Colombo was told about the urgent need to prevent civilian deaths. In April, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had spoken to President Mahinda Rajapakse on similar lines but with specific reference to the attacks on Tamils in Trincomalee.India also noted Samaraweera’s request for increased Indian naval patrolling in the Palk Strait, a strategic strip of sea dividing the two countries where the LTTE’s naval wing Sea Tigers operates. India’s worry stems not only from the fact that a large part of Sri Lanka is controlled by one of the world’s deadliest insurgent groups but that any renewed fighting would lead to the LTTE possibly extending control over Jaffna peninsula, just across Tamil Nadu.Also, Tamil civilians facing attacks by security forces in Sri Lankan north and east are fleeing to Tamil Nadu, raising emotions there. Tamil groups sympathetic to the LTTE have staged protests in the state. More demonstrations are expected. No one here, however, believes that the LTTE can seize full control of Sri Lanka’s northeast, the sprawling area the Tigers regard as their Tamil Eelam, or that Colombo can reclaim this territory.In other words, the military stalemate Sri Lanka found it impossible to untangle by the 1990s, leading to international intervention, still continues.This has made the task of resolving the long-running conflict all the more difficult for the international community, which does not want to see Sri Lanka being split up, a la the Taliban/Northern Alliance Afghanistan. Canada and the 25-nation European Union outlawed the LTTE this year, joining the ranks of India, the US and Britain. Japan pledged to do so if the LTTE remains wedded to terror tactics. Calls are being made for the LTTE to decommission its weapons. But all this has its limitations. In any case, the Tigers will not demilitarize without a political solution being in sight. After taking steps against the LTTE, the international community feels it is time for Sri Lanka to go beyond platitudes and work for a genuine power sharing arrangement. This is, however, easier said than done. Can Sri Lankan leaders do this? Can the island nation overcome decades of mistrust and bloodshed?Some Western players feel this is possible, despite the many difficulties ahead. And they want India to play a larger, if not key, role in the process. By dramatically escalating violence, Colombo and the Tigers may have inadvertently woken up New Delhi, which after the 1991 assassination of former premier Rajiv Gandhi almost washed its hands off Sri Lanka. Unlike in Nepal where New Delhi does not mind doing indirect business with Maoist guerrillas, it is constrained from dealing with the LTTE for a variety of reasons.However, if the messages given to Samaraweera are any indication, India may be asserting itself, in close touch with Norway the peace facilitator now battling to save a virtually lifeless ceasefire agreement of 2002. President moots secret pact with LTTE President Mahinda Rajapakse has moved to strike a secret deal with the LTTE to halt all violence for a two-week trial period with a pledge to contain the Karuna group.The President has made his move bypassing the Norwegian facilitator and called for absolute secrecy from the intermediaries used.The President sent his proposal to the LTTE through the Editor, Uthayan newspaper, N. Vidyakaran and its Publisher, E. Saravanabhavan. The Sunday Leader learns the President had on Tuesday, June 20, met with Vidyakaran and Saravana-bhavan at Temple Trees and made his proposal.President Rajapakse had told them that both the LTTE and the army were poised for war and that the economy would be severely affected if full-scale war erupts.The President has further said the people too would have to pay a heavy price if war breaks out and it would have far reaching consequences to all communities. President Rajapakse has further said that without depending on Norway, if the two parties could come to an initial agreement to halt all violence for two weeks, they could build on that achievement for further progress.The President had also said he will ensure the Karuna group also does not carry out any attacks during that period.Rajapakse further requested the LTTE to respond with their demands to come to an agreement on the two-week ceasefire proposal. The Sunday Leader learns the President’s proposal was communicated to LTTE Political Wing Leader S. P. Tamilselvan on Wednesday.Tamilselvan, it is learnt, had informed Vidyakaran, the LTTE would make known its reaction to the President’s proposal within a few days.Informed sources said Vidyakaran had communicated Tamilselvan’s response to President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga on Wednesday, June 21. Hartal in Jaffna A Hartal to protest against alleged excesses by the armed forces brought life to a standstill in the Jaffna district yesterday with shops closed and transport paralysed.The A9 highway linking Vavuniya to Jaffna through guerrilla-controlled areas was closed though some vehicles proceeded from Vavuniya to Kilinochchi. The hartal was organised by a group calling itself the National Awakeners’ Organisation—believed to be an LTTE front—to protest alleged attacks by the security forces on LTTE cemeteries in Kopay, Velanai and the destruction of a cut-out of LTTE war hero Thileepan in Nallur.The organisation has asked Jaffna’s public servants to stage a protest tomorrow. SL Police officer shot, injured in Mandur Unidentified gunmen shot and injured Police officer in Mandur, Batticaloa at 7:30 p.m. Saturday near the Batticaloa-Amparai border area, security sources said. The incident took place near the Vellavely Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, according to sources. Two gunmen were involved in the attack, sources said.The injured police officer was admitted to Kalmunai Hospital in critical conditio | ||
