30 June 2010

Rajapakse can't afford to ignore Tamils

The military conflict is over, but the battle for hearts and minds is only just beginning History is past politics and politics is present history. Judging by the recent sequence of events the past may, by all accounts, come back to haunt Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been militarily wiped out, but the Tamil question reverberates from Jaffna to Kilinochchi and beyond that to the Tamil inhabited areas in India, Toronto, London and Australia. This is a scenario that the current Sri Lankan government has to live with and address.The single-minded commitment of the Sri Lankan military to blasting the LTTE into extinction has paid dividends, but there is another power that shapes thoughts and actions: the power of ideology. In the case of the LTTE, and thousands of Tamils, the idea of a separate homeland will never die. A movement that was once based on terrorist activity and violence has now entered a new phase through fund-raising, growing political consciousness and commitment to the Tamil cause beyond the shores of Sri Lanka. It is a softer doctrine but one that is capable of gathering momentum over a period of time, chipping away at Sri Lanka's image as a democracy and its policy towards human rights. It could affect the island nation's status in a global context.The onus is on Rajapakse's government to address the plight of the Tamils sooner rather than later. The thousands displaced from their homeland need to know that they belong to Sri Lanka and not in refugee camps, facing an uncertain future. For the minorities, participation in the country's political process should be treated as an immediate priority. Rajapakse's government should not waste time in doing the right thing. Efforts to provide basic living amenities such as jobs, housing, electricity, water and education for children are as important as giving Tamils the right to vote. It's time to look at the bigger picture.

Fonseka 'ready to talk' with UN panel   
 
The detained former military commander in Sri Lanka says he is prepared to meet the special panel appointed to advice the UN chief on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka.Gen Sarath Fonseka told BBC Sandeshaya that even President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed with the UN to investigate alleged human rights violations during the last phase of the war. The UN secretary general has set up a panel to look into alleged human rights abuses during the final stages of Sri Lanka's civil war in 2009. Ban Ki-moon's spokesman said the three-man panel would advise on how to deal with alleged perpetrators. Rights groups accuse both sides of war crimes - a claim which has been denied. "I think this committee is a result of that agreement with President Rajapaksa," Gen Fonseka told BBCSinhala.com.He stressed that any country should take steps to resolve issues with the international community if there are any question marks over the conduct of the said country. Rejecting the appointment of the panel, the government said the panel members will not be allowed to visit the country.In an interview with Times of India newspaper, President Rajapaksa has dismissed the panel."We should not try to get involved in a conflict with the UN," Gen Fonseka said."As a citizen of Sri Lanka, if I get an opportunity to support such an inquiry, I think we shouldn't hesitate to do that."The former military commander who is facing two military trials says that the conditions imposed by the European Union to extend the GSP+ facility are fair. "I don't think it is an intervention in internal affairs," he said."The EU has demanded the release of political prisoners which includes me," Gen Fonseka added.

KP-Diaspora programme operated by SL Military Intelligence: Doctor Arudkumar

Sri Lankan Director of National Intelligence, Major General Kapila Hendawitharana, the longest serving intelligence officer of the military, is in charge of the covert and overt programme of dividing and conquering the Tamil diaspora, alludes British Tamil doctor Velauthapillai Arudkumar, who visited the island recently as part of a ‘Tamil diaspora visit’ organised by Colombo through Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias KP. TamilNet releases an exclusive video interview with Dr. Arudkumar taken two days ago, in which he reveals the details of the trip. SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Maj. Gen. Hendawitharana and External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris, all spoke in a well-synchronised way. Military counterinsurgency and 'post-war development' are intertwined aiming at Tamil subjugation, the doctor infers in his interview. Dr. Arudkumar was one of the nine diaspora Eezham Tamils who visited the island from 6 countries between 15 June and 20 June. KP and his associates in the diaspora played a crucial role in mobilising this diaspora group to have talks with the Sri Lankan government on post-war rehabilitation of civilians and former LTTE cadres in detention. The doctor says he made the decision as an individual to explore the opportunity to help the uprooted civilians, people incarcerated and those held in detention camps. Earlier, he had served the people of Vaakarai in Batticaloa for four weeks after the 2004 tsunami catastrophe. "I am not a politician. I only wanted to help," he said.But, after sensing the intentions behind the Sri Lankan military intelligence, the foreign minister and the defence secretary, and experiencing the restrictions put in place, his decision was not to succumb to the tactics of Colombo. They will only bring their mindset into you, attempt to divide and destroy you. They will misuse your intentions for their advantage, especially in convincing the West that the Tamil diaspora is now cooperating with them, the doctor said. KP told the diaspora visitors that one should be satisfied with what is being offered and should look after the civilians and the former cadres. He was sounding 'spiritual' and was criticising the political initiatives of the diaspora. The TNA speaks only about political solution and Tamil Nadu leaders are jokers (koamaa'lika'l), is the opinion reflected in the speeches of Kapila, Gotabhaya and KP, says the doctor. The visitors were told of outside interests in the land of the North and East. When asked who were those outsiders, the reply pointed at India.Dr. Arudkumar thinks there is an intention in the Sri Lankan side to bring in a rift between Eezham Tamils and India / Tamil Nadu."Even if you can't, we will bring the diaspora to cooperate," the visitors were told with arrogance and confidence. Tamils have no right to ask for political solution and they should accept whatever that is given, was the attitude of the government side, and it was like treating Tamils as slaves, says Arudkumar, adding that when such was the attitude he felt embarrassed to see KP’s gesture of embracing Gotabhaya at the meeting.The terms like transnational, united, federal, etc, are sensitive terms and they should be avoided. From South Africa to Japan, countries have so many other models. One should go to the grassroot to find the solution, professor G.L.Peris told the visitors. One should not talk about the 'past' or 'history', but should cooperate to build the country together. Mahinda has got a mandate from the [Sinhala] people, was the response from the government side when the visitors began talking about political solution. When KP was asked about his arrest, he told the visitors that he was arrested by the Malaysian authorities, interrogated for two days and was flown to Colombo with Sri Lankan intelligence officer Sam, a subordinate of Kapila Hendawitharana. Sam was also present at the meetings.Kapila Hendawitharana in his conversations mentioned that he had met KP back in 2006, says Dr. Arudkumar, who describes the intelligence chief as the 'master mind'.KP was giving details of different personalities in various countries and was talking about properties and money associated with them. When Arudkumar asked why couldn't the Sri Lankan government release the frozen TRO money for the use of the resettlement of civilians, Kapila Hendawitharana responded by saying that the visitors should first start bringing in the diaspora money. The number of people to be rehabilitated varies from one government agency to another, between 190,000 to more than 300,000. Perhaps the needs are different for them to cite different numbers, politics on one hand and money on the other.The visitors were taken to Palaali military base and were briefed by the commanders there before being taken to Raamaavil in Thenmaraadchi where they met resettled families. But, there were intelligence operatives. Visitors were not allowed to meet civilians in Ki'linochchi. When visiting Cheddiku'lam internment camp in Vavuniyaa, the visitors wanted to see Zone-4 of the camp, but they were only taken to Zone-2. While talking to the families in the camp we were able to detect that some people had been planted among the IDPs to interact with us, the doctor said. When there are already a number of organisations working for rehabilitation what was the need for Tamil Rehabilitation Centre (TRC) initiated by KP, asks the doctor, reasoning that it was to show the outside world that the diaspora is now politically with the government.Even while we were on our visit there was talk that many more diaspora groups were going to come. What I tell them is that it is of no use. KP can do very little, Dr. Arudkumar said.Maj. Gen. Kapila HendawitharanaDuring Chandrika Kumaratunga's presidency, Kapila Hendawitharana was in charge of the military intelligence. He played a crucial role in getting the renegade LTTE commander Karuna to work with the Sri Lankan military intelligence and in launching covert operations against the LTTE, resulting in a series of assassinations. His unit was mainly responsible for the serious violations of the clause 1.8 of the Ceasefire Agreement by deploying paramilitary operatives against the Tigers. After repeated complaints from various actors, he was transferred and posted to Thailand as Defence Attaché. Later, when Rajapaksa came to power, he was made the intelligence chief to coordinate with Gotabhaya and Fonseka. As the Sri Lankan diplomatic establishments across the world are extensively militarised in recent times, diaspora circles fear that a major covert operation against diaspora Eezham Tamils is already in progress and that the KP programme is only a tip of the iceberg.

Sri Lanka denies deal with 'rump Tamil Tigers'

 The Tamil Tigers were defeated in May last year Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has denied reports that the government is forming an "alliance" with the "rump" of the Tamil Tigers.The rebels, known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), were defeated by the army last year after more than two decades of war.Mr Rajapaksa told the BBC that he had recently met a group of "pro-LTTE" diaspora Tamils in Sri Lanka.He said that the talks had passed off successfully. Mr Rajapaksa said that a detained senior LTTE leader had helped to arrange the visit. A diaspora representative has confirmed that the group suddenly got an opportunity to visit Sri Lanka and discuss issues of humanitarian concern.

War crimes
 
Mr Rajapaksa said the visitors were a group who realised there was no purpose in continuing to confront the Colombo government and that they now preferred to work with it for the benefit of the Tamil people "We want to work with as many groups as possible," he said.The visitors had gone to the former LTTE strongholds of Jaffna and Kilinochchi and held discussions on "all the improvements, the good and bad things", he said. Mr Rajapaksa said that detained LTTE leader Selvarasa Pathmanathan - also known as KP - co-operated with officials to contact the diaspora delegation.He said diaspora members were also active in initiating the trip. He said they met Mr Pathmanathan but denied that Mr Pathmanathan accompanied them on their visit to northern Sri Lanka. There have been some claims that Mr Pathmanathan is even being groomed for government office or is no longer in detention. Last week a government spokesman said the authorities were considering using him as a pro-government witness in case charges of war crimes were levelled against them.But Mr Rajapaksa has denied he is moving about freely. Yet one of the diaspora visitors, Charles Antonidas of the Tamil Health Organisation, told the BBC Sinhala service that Mr Pathmanathan was playing a leading role in helping with the "reconciliation process" after the end of the war. The biggest Tamil party in Sri Lanka, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which is traditionally pro-LTTE, has sharply criticised recent developments.One of its MPs, Suresh Premachandran, said it was "a shame" that a government which had described Mr Pathmanathan as a "wanted terrorist" now sought to have him defend its own actions. But Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said the visit showed that some of the diaspora wanted to invest in rebuilding and continuing a dialogue.

A new war : SL backed KP vs India backed TNA-Daily Mirror

In India too , there are speculations that the Sri Lankan  Government . is to appoint KP as its  candidate for the post of Chief Minister at the Provincial Council (PC) elections in the North . Though it is beyond comprehension that KP will enter politics , yet the Sri Lankan  Government  must be seeking to use him and win the North Provincial Council  elections. It is reported that KP is a very popular figure among the Tamil Tigers in the camps. By meeting them he is making efforts to banish their despair and change their mindset. Hence, the government  is thinking of winning over the pro Tamil Tiger sympathizers  at the North  elections  by employing him. It is perceptible that India with a view to implementing the 13th amendment of the constitution in Sri Lanka , wishes that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) captures power at the North  Provincial Council elections. India and TNA are closely working together towards this objective. The Sri Lankan government. may be aiming at using  him in its campaign and defeat the TNA , even if KP does not contest the elections. What measures and strategies the TNA is going to adopt to meet the situation is yet obscure. Though some are waiting in expectation for the release of  KP alias Kumar Pathmanathan, it was a long time  since he had been  released. The fact that he was freed came to light officially when he recently toured the North East along with the leaders of the Tamil Diaspora. This tour was wholly organized by KP. He made the entire arrangement as the unofficial Chairman of the of the Tamil Rehabilitation Centre. Although he was not officially appointed as the Chairman, yet, he did act unofficially as the Chairman of the TRC.  To eradicate a tree in the forest, it is another tree in the thick of the jungle that must be used, is an old adage. Like how Prabhakaran’s armed wing leader Karuna was used by the government to annihilate the armed might of  Prabhakaran, the government. is now using KP who built up Prabhakaran’s International network, to destroy that same international chain – a splendid effort indeed by the government!KP has been the official leader of the Tamil Tiger Organization after the death of Prabhakaran. Although there was a divergence  in  opinion among the Tamil Diaspora over his becoming  leader, following his appointment no one challenged his leadership. Likewise , after KP was arrested, no one was elected as leader. It is therefore discernible that the Sri Lankan government projecting and propelling KP as the current Tamil Tiger leader is utilizing him to destroy the Tamil Tiger  Diaspora . It is learnt  that the first move of KP after his release was the invitation extended  to the Chief of the Tamil Tiger transnational Govt.  leader Rudrakumaran too to participate in the tour of the North and East organized for the Tamil Tiger Diaspora leaders. But, Rudrakumaran had rejected this invitation stemming from his conviction that the Sri Lankan government is trying to use KP to destroy the Tamil Tiger Diaspora, despite the fact that there exists close and cordial relations between KP and Rudrakumaran. Initially,  the Sri Lankan  government  exploiting the ties between KP and Rudrakumaran sought to sow the seeds of dissension between Rudrakumaran and the Tamil Tiger Diaspora hardliners. KP  urged the Sri Lankan  government on several occasions earlier  to discuss with Rudrakumaran , with this objective in view. But, because the Sri Lankan  government did not evince much interest in this direction, it did not materialize. However, after America intensified its pressure on the government to initiate discussions with Rudrakumaran, the government became apprehensive, and became reluctant to  give him an official welcome. KP while helping the government to destroy the Tamil Tiger Diaspora is trying to portray himself as an independent individual. But, the government is aware that if he is to be used, he must be released and such release must be vindicated. It is on this account, the government  is making the announcement that KP is going to be a future witness for the government in the Courts against the Tamil Tigers. By this, what the government is trying to demonstrate is that during the final phase of the war , the truth about the ‘white flag’ episode among the surviving leaders of the Tamil Tigers is  known only to KP. He can therefore be made use of as a witness to lead evidence in support of the government. Some sources say, KP may come before the Truth Commission appointed by the government and lead evidence in its favour. Nevertheless, there are reports that KP is averse to engaging  in such an action, for it will trigger resentment among the Tamil Diaspora, and may provoke them to cry foul that he betrayed them. Consequently, he would not be able to do whatever service he wishes to do for the Sri Lankan  government he had pointed out.In India too, there are speculations that the Sri Lankan government is to appoint KP as its  candidate for the post of Chief Minister at the Provincial Council (PC) elections in the North . Though it is beyond comprehension that KP will enter politics, yet the Sri Lankan government  must be seeking to use him and win the North PC elections. It is reported that KP is a very popular figure among the Tamil Tigers in the camps. By meeting them he is making efforts to banish their despair and change their mindset. Hence, the government is thinking of winning over the pro Tamil Tiger sympathizers  at the North  elections  by employing him.It is perceptible that India with a view to implementing the 13th Amendment of the constitution in Sri Lanka  wishes that the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) captures power at the North  Provincial Council elections. India and TNA are closely working together towards this objective. The Sri Lankan  government may be aiming at using  him in its campaign and defeat the TNA, even if KP does not contest the elections. What measures and strategies the TNA is going to adopt to meet the situation is yet obscure. In case KP takes the initiative to defeat  the TNA, that will constitute more a defeat to India than the TNA. India with a view to establishing  democracy in the North and East has chosen the TNA to secure a political solution  for the Tamil population, because the TNA which is not linked to the Tamil Tiger armed campaign however are sympathizers of  the Tamil Tigers. The Sri Lankan  government has on the other hand chosen to defeat the TNA by using the Tamil Tiger militant leaders of the Tamil Tiger armed campaign, Karuna, KP and former Tamil militant leader Devananda.Who will win in this competition is unpredictable.

Lankan CID chief, hotel staff held for Chennai man's murder

CHENNAI: An Indian national from Chennai, Thennarala Selvaraja (24), who went to Colombo earlier this month to work as a chef, was murdered over the weekend and his body thrown into the sea. Acting on a tip-off, the Colombo police arrested Chandana Pushpalal Silva, chief inspector of investigation department (CID), and Mariyana-yagam Leslie Rajkumar, manager of the Big Banana restaurant in Wellawatte, in connection with the murder. The accused were arrested at Mundalama after a villager alerted the police and gave them the number of the vehicle in which the suspects were travelling. The police said the villager called after he saw the suspects throwing a body into the sea at Kandathoduwawa in Mundalama. The police believe the victim was strangled, though the suspects claimed the man had committed suicide and they merely attempted to dispose of the body. Diplomatic sources at the Sri Lankan deputy high commission in Chennai told TOI, "The murder looks to be a fallout of a relationship and we are in touch with Colombo on the issue. A clearer picture will emerge only after a couple of days." It is also not known yet as to which part of Chennai Selvaraja belongs to. Indian diplomats who confirmed the murder told TOI from Colombo that the Sri Lankan police on Monday briefed the Indian high commission about the investigation. A Sri Lankan journalist covering the case told TOI, "This looks like a passion crime and promises to be a big story in the coming days since the chief inspector of CID was himself caught disposing of the body." The police said Selvaraja had arrived in Sri Lanka on June 11 and joined the staff at a restaurant managed by Rajkumar. Selvaraja, who was employed as a cook, went missing earlier this month and a complaint was made on June 26 by Rajkumar's wife Sivakumaran Shiwani. The police, who carried out a search of Rajkumar's residence, also arrested Shiwani along with her husband and the CID chief.

Ex-presidential security chief jailed in Sri Lanka 
 
A former presidential security chief was jailed Tuesday for four years on a conviction of threatening a fellow police officer during an election rally nine years ago, a court official said. Nihal Karunaratne, a former police deputy inspector general, was an influential figure during the 1994-2004 presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga. A high court in the central Kandy district found him guilty of threatening the officer in charge of a police station and interfering with the work of the police.

24 June 2010

Sri Lanka rejects UN's war crime advisory panel

Sri Lanka on Wednesday blasted the U.N. chief's naming of a panel to advise him on war crimes at the end of a quarter-century separatist war, a decision that has full U.S. support, as a violation of its sovereignty.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday named a three-member panel chaired by Indonesia's former attorney general, Marzuki Darusman, to advise him whether war crimes were committed in the final months of Sri Lanka's war last year. The government had been urging Ban not to appoint the advisory panel, saying it had its own commission to investigate possible human rights violations at the end of its quarter century war with the Tamil Tiger separatists in May 2009."Sri Lanka regards the appointment of the Sri Lanka Panel of Experts as an unwarranted and unnecessary interference with a sovereign nation," Sri Lanka's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement."This interference, moreover, has potential for exploitation by vested interests hostile to the process of reconciliation taking place in Sri Lanka," it said, a reference to members of the Tamil diaspora it says are Tiger supporters.U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, welcomed formation of Ban's panel, saying in a statement that Washington "supports a robust accountability process." She also urged the Sri Lanka's leaders to take the U.N. panel seriously."We strongly urge the government of Sri Lanka to take advantage of this U.N. panel's expertise," Rice said.U.N. officials say the world body is interested in the progress of the "Commission on Lessons Learned and Reconciliation" President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed last month to look into the last seven years of the war. "For the UN to have a parallel probe is to pre-judge and undermine a process that Sri Lanka has begun as part of its national reconciliation and establishing lasting peace," Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said in a statement.

VISAS DENIED?

The U.N. has said that the panel is not a formal investigative body and would be available to advise the Sri Lankan government should Sri Lanka be interested.That is highly unlikely. Diplomats say there are already rumblings from the government that they will not grant visas to allow the panel to come to the island.The panel's chairman, Darusman, has previous experience with Sri Lanka. He served on a panel of international monitors observing the work of a Sri Lankan commission that investigated a series of major human rights violations.The observers quit, saying the commission did not meet international standards and had been interfered with politically. The commission produced no substantive results, as has been the case with most such Sri Lankan probes for decades.Ban's panel also includes Yasmin Sooka, a South African rights expert who participated in the truth and reconciliation commission there, and Steven Ratner, a U.S. lawyer who advised the U.N. how to bring Cambodia's Khmer Rouge to justice.Rights groups took advantage of the anniversary of the war's end in mid-May to push for an international probe into what they say are tens of thousands of civilian deaths. Sri Lanka is under pressure from the West over its rights record.The European Commission on Tuesday said it would still withdraw a trade concession for Sri Lankan exports unless the Indian Ocean island nation makes a written commitment to improve its human rights record.

Indian official arrives

Showing India's keen interest to assist in the North and East reconstruction drive, the Indian Government yesterday sent a key official to Colombo to discuss the implementation of 50,000 housing project funded by India. India announced assistance to construct 50,000 housing units for the people displaced by terrorism in the North and East during President Mahinda Rajapaka's official visit to India recently. Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on behalf of the Government met Indian External Affairs Ministry's Chief Financial Advisor K.N. Shrivastava and had discussion over the construction of 50,000 houses for the people affected by the terrorism in the two provinces. The discussion was held at the Presidential Secretariat.

Sri Lanka in port expansion deal with China

The Sri Lanka ports Authority has signed a contract with a Chinese firm, China Harbour Engineering Company, to start the second phase of a new port in Hambantota on the south coast, a statement said.Phase two would start in November this year with the completion of the first phase of the port project, the SLPA statement said.The agreement was signed by SLPA chairman.Priyath B. Wickrama and the chairman of the China Harbour Engineering Company Sun Ziyu.China will also provide concessionary finance for the second phase of the port project.The first phase of Hambantota port is also being financed by Chinese loans and built by Chinese firms.The SLPA statement said construction work on the first phase is ahead of schedule with much of the infrastructure work almost completed.Phase two of the project will include further excavation of the site for the harbor basin and dredging of the approach channel a well as building berths for ships..

JVP admits difficulty in preserving HR during times of war

The JVP yesterday said that Sri Lanka could have avoided foreign intervention had it adopted tangible measures to improve the human rights situation at least after the conclusion of the war in May last year.The JVP warned the recent moves by the UN and EU directed against Sri Lanka could cause economic chaos and political instability unless the government acted prudently.Addressing the media at party headquarters, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva, while acknowledging the difficulty in preserving human rights during a military campaign accused the government of failing to change its attitude even after the war. Silva alleged that government had failed to handle post-war issues, particularly the war displaced, ex-LTTE cadres in military detention and human rights abuses, thereby paving the way for foreign intervention.Commenting on the controversial UN decision to appoint a three-member panel to advice UN Chief Ban ki-Moon on accountability issues regarding human rights violations during Sri Lanka’s war against LTTE terrorism, the JVPer said the international community had stepped in for want of government action.JVP General Secretary Silva faulted the government for increasing the defence allocation for 2010, though the LTTE no longer posed a conventional military threat. He asserted that the government was bent on strengthening the military at the expense of re-building the national economy following a 30-year war.While criticizing Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for interfering with the right of the JVP to engage in politics in the north, JVP General Secretary Silva said that a section of the international community was continuing its agenda, though it had failed to realize its objective through the LTTE’s military power. He pointed out that the likes of Special Japanese envoy Akashi, while promising more funds for the government, continued to espouse separatist sentiments.The JVPer said that the country faced the risk of full implementation of the 13th Amendment as revealed by Ambassador Akashi following a recent meeting with President Rajapaksa.JVP General Secretary Silva criticized the government for failing to adopt a sensible foreign policy. Some government leaders, Silva said acted like village thugs and challenged the international community, though they go on bended knees pleading for massive loans.Referring to a $ 2.6 billion loan sought by Sri Lanka from the IMF last year, he said that the government was struggling to meet the conditions laid down by the international lending agency ahead of the forthcoming Budget. He warned that the government would never be able to present a people’s friendly Budget due to poor economic management, waste, corruption and irregularities. A rapidly widening budget deficit had caused severe difficulties with the government now going for short-term measures to raise revenue, he said. The JVP asserted that in the face of dwindling income vis-a-vis expenditure, the government would have no option but to impose new taxes, increase existing taxes and drastically cut down on welfare measures.The JVP alleged that President Rajapaksa should be ashamed for failing to at least provide milk food to the children, though he is called the father of the liberated nation.The JVP General Secretary said that the people were struggling to make ends meet, while the government offered tax concessions to the rich and the influential. He also claimed that the country had not benefitted from the recent Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) ceremony in Colombo, though the government spent a staggering Rs 1,100 million. There had not been any political or economic benefits contrary to claims by the government, he said

Beware Of KP ‐ Sangari Warns Government

The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader Anandasangari criticized the government for allowing LTTE leaders including Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) to take part in the rehabilitation and reconstruction process in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces. “A delegation of former LTTE sympathizers domiciled in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Britain, France and Australia met Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris in Colombo in connection with the Sri Lankan government’s peace efforts.” he said.“The government will find itself in hot water if KP and the other LTTE sympathizers use the rehabilitation process to turn against us. Our lives will all be endangered if it happens,” he said further.

23 June 2010

MR holds urgent meeting

External Affairs Minister G.L Peiris, speaking to reporters a short while ago, said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called him to attend an urgent meeting this evening but did not elaborate on what the meeting was about.The Minister who was attending the launch of a website said that he had to cut short his participation at the event as he had to attend an urgent meeting with the President.The meeting comes amidst the EU announcing a set of conditions and a deadline in order to extend the GSP plus trade facilities to Sri Lanka and also moves by the UN to create an expert panel to advice the UN chief regarding human rights issues in the country. The EU said today it has informed the Government of its readiness to propose to the Council of the EU to maintain GSP plus preferences for Sri Lanka for a limited additional period if some conditions are met and a written commitment is given by 1st July. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is going ahead this week to name an expert panel which will advice him on issues relating to Sri Lanka despite strong objection by the Sri Lankan government

EU puts conditions for GSP

The European Union (EU) says it has informed the Government of Sri Lanka of its readiness to propose to the Council of the European Union to maintain GSP plus preferences for Sri Lanka for a limited additional period if some conditions are met and a written commitment is given.The delegation of EU Sri Lanka and the Maldives said Sri Lanka needs to give a written commitment to undertake a well defined number of human rights related  actions, within a six month time frame beginning in July of this year, and to provide reassurances as to the sustainability of progress registered under the GSP plus dialogue.“The date of 15 August on which Sri Lanka would cease to benefit from GSP+ will not be extended unconditionally. Only if a written commitment to this effect has been made by the Government of Sri Lanka, by 1 July 2010, would the European Commission put such a proposal to the Council of the European Union, without prejudice to the final decision,” the EU office in Colombo said.

Suspect arrested for setting fire to movie theater in Eastern Sri Lanka showing Indian Tamil movie

A member of Sri Lanka's ruling coalition party Tamil People's Liberation Tigers (TMVP) was arrested by police in suspicion of setting fire to a movie theatre in Kattankudy town in the Eastern Province. The suspect is a close associate of Eastern Provincial Council Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan. He contested the past general election under TMVP which failed to win a single seat contesting individually. The judge remanded the suspect when he was produced before the magistrate of Batticaloa. Police suspect the crime is connected to the ban of screening South Indian Tamil movies in theaters in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. A hitherto unknown organization calling themselves 'Democratic Tamil People' has distributed a leaflet in Northern and Eastern Provinces banning Indian Tamil movies showing in the theaters of those provinces. The handbill said that the ban would effect until June 30.

Sri Lanka: Colombo Municipal Council Dissolved

Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) will be dissolved with effect from Tuesday midnight. According to the Western Province’ governor, the dissolution of the municipality has been due to charges of corruption. A special commissioner has been appointed to oversee the functions of the municipality. As a result, the CMC will be heading for new elections to elect a mayor and council members. The outgoing mayor Mr Uvais Mohamed Imitiyas and his council is an independent group elected on the support of former UNP strongman Srisena Cooray and initially it pledged its support to the opposition UNP. Mr Imitiyas is not an elected Mayor. Coming from an impoverished background, he too contested the Municipal elections as an independent candidate but succeeded to the Mayor's Chair due to a technicality on the part of opposition UNP. Subsequently Mayor Mr. Imtiaz and his independent group began to waver their support between the UNP as well as the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Britain eyeing exploring oil in Sri Lanka

UK Trade and Investment, which is an arm of the British Government is currently exploring oil and gas exploration opportunities in Sri Lanka.A statement by the British High commission in Colombo said oil and gas exploration is one among many other areas, it is exploring in Sri Lanka to bring in British Companies to invest.Going with this plan, the UKTI of the British High Commission in Colombo have conducted a presentation to over 25 top UK industry players outlining the investment potential existing for them in Sri Lanka’s oil and gas exploration fields.The presentation conducted by UKTI Colombo units Deputy Head Ms. Nadeesha Epasinghe has taken place during the SubSea Asia Conference and Exhibition held in Malaysia during this month.SubSea conference is one of the leading events where top global oil and gas explorers take part.The British High Commission says, as Sri Lanka embarks on the journey to find oil and gas off the coast of Mannar, “the UK is at the forefront of partnering the country in this new chapter of economic development”.Currently India’s Cairn Energy PLC is working on exploring oil in the Gulf of Mannar basin while the Government plans to launch a fresh bidding round to market the remaining blocks in the area.

Douglas Devananda extradition case: Union Government seeks time to file counter

Douglas DevanandaThe Union Government has sought time to file reply to a query from the Madras High Court on the action taken on a representation by an advocate to initiate steps for the arrest of Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda in connection with a 1986 murder case against him in Chennai.Additional Solicitor General M Ravindran produced a letter on Monday from the Union Home Secretary seeking two weeks time to file a counter affidavit when the petition came up for hearing before the First Bench, comprising Justices M T Eqbal and D Murugasen.The Bench posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.Advocate Radhakrishnan, appearing on behalf of petitioner P Pugalenthi, pointed out that Devananda, who had been declared a proclaimed offender by a session court, had not been arrested even sixteen years after the murder.Pugalenthi, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Peoples' Rights Forum, had sought a direction from the Centre to take immediate steps for the arrest of Devananda, a former Eelam People's Revolutionary Front military wing head, who was part of the delegation that accompanied Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during his visit to India early this month.On June 14, the Centre's counsel sought time to get instructions while Tamil Nadu Government counsel informed the court that the city police commissioner had sent a letter to Delhi police on Jun 10 informing them about the pending case.Chennai Police had conveyed to their Delhi counterpart about three criminal cases, including the murder case in which a city resident was killed in gunfire at the EPRLF office here, pending against Devananda.

US Supreme Court upholds law barring "material support" to terrorist groups

The Supreme Court has upheld a federal law that bars "material support" to foreign terrorist organizations, rejecting a free speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups. The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities. Material support intended even for benign purposes can help a terrorist group in other ways, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his majority opinion."Such support frees up other resources within the organization that may be put to violent ends," Roberts said.Justice Stephen Breyer took the unusual step of reading his dissent aloud in the courtroom. Breyer said he rejects the majority’s conclusion "that the Constitution permits the government to prosecute the plaintiffs criminally" for providing instruction and advice about the terror groups’ lawful political objectives. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor joined the dissent.The Obama administration said the "material support" law is one of its most important terror-fighting tools. It has been used about 150 times since Sept. 11, resulting in 75 convictions. Most of those cases involved money and other substantial support for terror groups.Only a handful dealt with the kind of speech involved in the case decided Monday.The aid groups involved had trained a group in Turkey on how to bring human rights complaints to the United Nations and assisted them in peace negotiations, but suspended the activities when the U.S. designated the Turkish outfit a terrorist organization in 1997. They also wanted give similar help to a group in Sri Lanka, but it, too, was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1997.Nearly four dozen organizations are on the State Department list, including al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, Basque separatists in Spain and Maoist rebels in Peru.The humanitarian groups, including the Humanitarian Law Project; Ralph Fertig, a civil rights lawyer; and Dr. Nagalingam Jeyalingam, a physician, want to offer assistance to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey or the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka.The government says the Kurdish rebel group, known as the PKK, has been involved in a violent insurgency that has claimed 22,000 lives. The Tamil Tigers waged a civil war for more than 30 years before their defeat last year.

LTTE’s hawala channels drying up

The military defeat of the Tamil Tigers has effectively dried up illegal banking channels like the hawala that were used to fund the rebels and their activities, a top Sri Lankan banker has said.The chairman of Bank of Ceylon (BoC) Gamini Wickremasinghe said much of the money that was sent earlier through hawala channels were now being legally remitted to Lanka.Wickremasinghe told the Sunday Times newspaper that since the end of the civil conflict in May, 2009, remittances from the Tamil Diaspora in the UK to Sri Lanka through the BoC was now a monthly average of three million sterling pounds from 50,000 pounds earlier.“We want to raise it to six million pound per month,” he said. Wickremasinghe explained how the illegal channels worked. “There were corner shops in UK which advertised current rates. You could walk into one of these shops and send money home (Sri Lanka) through just an SMS. You are given a code and the recipient in northern Sri Lanka is given the same code. The UK channel will inform a local contact to hand over the money to the recipient in local currency,” he said.The modus operandi was that no money was actually transferred to Sri Lanka. The money paid in Lanka came from the sums raised by the LTTE through taxes and other dues residents were forced to pay.

Ganja selling soldier arrested

A Corporal of the Vavuniya Army Camp was arrested by the Police on a charge of selling ganja in the Mamaduwa village on Monday.Police, on a tip off, surrounded the suspect and recovered one kilo of the banned narcotic. He explained that he kept the stock for his own consumption.Police said investigations revealed that the suspect had been in the business of selling ganja for a long time and are now looking for his source of supply.

Kandiah Kandasamy lived and died for the finest cause in the world by Shanie

"Man’s dearest possession is life. It is given to him but once, and he must live it so as to feel no torturing regrets for wasted years, never know the burning shame of a mean and petty past; so live that, dying he might say: all my life, all my strength were given to the finest cause in all the world- the fight for the Liberation of Mankind."Today, twenty two years ago, Kandiah Kanthasamy, lawyer and human rights activist, was abducted in Jaffna by one of many armed groups that roamed the streets of Jaffna then Those who knew him have written of his unassuming and modest nature but with a total commitment to the cause of peace and justice. Suriya Wickremasinghe, Secretary of the Civil Rights Movement who edited a commemorative volume for Kanthasamy, wrote of him: "His vision of justice knew no narrow boundaries. Through his dedicated work in the Civil Rights Movement he promoted the human rights of all Sri Lankans; in his active membership of Amnesty International he sought to help victims of human rights violations in the rest of the world."Kanthansamy fell into the category of persons whom Nikolai Ostrovsky, the Soviet writer and activist, had in mind in the above well-known quotation from his writings Kanthasamy’s life and his strengths were devoted to the finest cause in all the world – the liberation pf mankind. Wickramesinghe continues in her introduction: "Kanthasamy was totally non-partisan. He believed that relief and rehabilitation work should be conducted after identifying priorities carefully and according to proper standards and accepted procedures. While recognising the need to have rapport with various political agencies, whether governmental or other, Kanthasamy was adamant that the independence of a non-governmental organisation engaged in such humanitarian work should be preserved and must not be subject to political pressures, from whatever quarter they may come. ‘If we cannot carry on as a free organisation we should close it down’ was what he wrote shortly before his abduction.In documents that he had with foresight left for safe-keeping with the Civil Rights Movement, Kanthasamy speaks of the leaders of the Eelam Revolutionary Organisation (EROS) calling on him on a number of occasions in the months prior to his abduction. Kanthasamy had been one of the founder members in 1977 of the Tamil Refugee Rehabilitation Organisation (TRRO, not to be confused with the present TRO) and was actively engaged in relief and rehabilitation work in the North and East. In this work, he had circulated a memorandum detailing the work being done and the work that needed to be done.Kanthasamy writes of the meeting he had at his office with three representatives of EROS who had called there: "The discussion was centred round the memorandum circulated by TRRO under my signature. They said they would disrupt any rehabiltation work not in conformity with their policy, and no work will be tolerated except with their permission (as an after-thought they added with the permission of LTTE). When I asked them what their policy was, they said they cannot announce it, but permission should be obtained case by case. They also reminded me that Kathiramalai was killed because he acted against the policy of EROS, and that would be the fate of others as well."

The end and the means

It was clear as to which group was the primary suspect in Kanthasamy’s abduction. But irrespective of which group was involved in this case, one needs to question the wisdom of violence in achieving one’s objectives. Regi Siriwardena, in a memorial lecture on the first anniversary of Kanthasamy’s abduction, stated: "There is in fact a deadly symmetry between the logic of ruling powers and the logic of militant groups engaged in mortal combat with them. Both believe that the end justifies the means. In the one case, it is the end of preserving democracy, restoring law and order, protecting national integrity; in the other case, it is the end of national liberation or social liberation. In either case, the lives of individual human beings are considered to be a small price to exact for the cherished end."What makes this logic unacceptable are not just human considerations which some people will dismiss as sentimental moral squeamishness. It is the fact that the means you use determine the end you reach. As the German socialist Lassale wrote in the last century:

Show us not the aim without the way.
For ends and means on earth are so entangled
that changing one you change the other too.
Each different path brings other ends in view."

We see the truth of what Siriwardena and Lassale said in our own situation, and have seen the truth of it in the past in many countries. ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ was the rallying cry of the French Revolution but very soon the revolutionaries under the Jacobins led by Robespierre had instituted a reign of terror. At the trial of the deposed King, Robespierre (or his colleague Danton) had declared: ‘We don’t need to judge the king; we will kill him’ and so the King was executed. Not long after, Robespierre had Danton executed for dissent. It did not take much more time for the tide to turn against Robespierre and he was denounced in the Legislative Assembly and sent to the guillotine. Arrogance and disregard of the rule of law will always end in disaster. As Siriwardena said, it is inane logic to attempt at preserving democracy by undemocratic methods and upholding law and order by breaking the law.Mahesway Velautham, also a lawyer and an activist, was yet another victim to the violence of one of the militant groups in Jaffna. She dared to be independent. But twenty years before the assassin’s bullet got her, she wrote of Kanthasamy: Those who killed him have committed an enormous crime against our society. Kanthasamy acted nobly without swerving from his ideals, never was afraid to do right, never hesitated. Siriwardena said: It isn’t difficult to see that the very existence of such a man was a challenge to any group which was seeking to enforce uniformity of opinion. Kanthasamy can rightly be honoured as a martyr to a cause which too few people are prepared to defend today in this country.

Why Human Rights is important

The UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Almost all countries have a chapter on fundamental rights written into their Constitutions and many have ratified optional human rights treaties. The issue of human rights is not to be dismissed as some sort of sentimental airy-fairy concept. It is related to real life. In almost all countries, there are issues of violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, caste, gender and politics. Domestic violence, violence against women and children, violence against political dissidents and discrimination in various forms are every-day life situations for many even in Sri Lanka. That is why it is important to ensure that fundamental rights are not only entrenched in our Constitution but enforced. Those who violate them have to be made accountable for their actions. Very often, violation of fundamental rights by agents of the state are not properly investigated and our justice system has time and again proved ineffective. Suriya Wickremasinghe in the same commemorative volume raises some very pertinent issues which all those who wish for a Sri Lanka where peace and justice prevails must ponder: "What is the role of the moderate, nonpartisan activist in human rights and relief work in Sri Lanka today? What is the role of the truly independent non-governmental organisation in this field? Traditionally, threats have been seen to come from the State, one has learned to cope with and to live with such dangers. How do individuals and organisations now face up to new threats from other and hitherto unexpected quarters?" Wickremasinghe was talking primarily of militant groups who then abducted and killed people like Kanthasamy. But even today those concerns are still valid with armed groups still active not only in the North and East but also in other parts of the country as well.Human rights, justice and democratic freedoms can be preserved and the rule of law upheld only if we have courageous people like Kanthasamy, who will speak up for these freedoms and stand in solidarity with such courageous people who struggle for such freedoms. Wickremasinghe concludes: "Everyone concerned with human rights and relief work must face up to and discuss these issues. Most important, the public must be made aware of them. For in the last analysis it is the responsibility of the people to decide on and demand the standards they expect of their leaders, and the nature of the society in which they aspire to live."

22 June 2010

Minister apologizes to Tamils

Government Minister and General Secretary of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Patali Champika Ranawaka apologized to the Tamil community in Jaffna this morning for the burning down of the Jaffna library several years ago by members of his community.The Minister, who expressed these views after handing over some books at the library, seemed to be referring to the Sinhalese community and was looking at mending fences between the Tamils and Sinhalese with the end of the war.Newly appointed JHU leader the Venerable Omalpe Sobitha thero and several other JHU members were also present.

Karunanidhi welcomes LTTE's praise of world Tamil conference

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi today welcomed outlawed LTTE's lauding of the World Tamil Classical conference at Coimbatore but said its remark that Tamils of the state have not taken steps to protect them will create a "needless controversy".In a statement here, Karunanidhi said he did not have differences over LTTE's remarks that the conference would deliberate on steps for speedier development of the language and help unify Tamils."But their remarks that Tamils in this state have not taken any steps to protect them will only trigger a needless controversy," he said.The LTTE should ponder over who had termed them as those fit to be annihilated when all of Tamil Nadu was up in arms against 'atrocities' on Sri Lankan Tamils, he said in an obvious reference to AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa's remarks that LTTE volunteers were not innocent Tamils.He said he drew solace from the fact that LTTE had welcomed the conference, "unlike some in Tamil Nadu, who are issuing statements against the conference".

Violent Tamil gang leader deported to Sri Lanka

TORONTO -- The leader of a violent Toronto street gang has been deported to Sri Lanka, six years after he was first ordered out of Canada for his crimes.Canada Border Services Agency officers escorted Jothiravi Sittampalam back to his homeland on June 10 but federal officials only confirmed the removal today. The convicted drug dealer was the boss of AK Kannan, an ethnic Tamil gang whose estimated 300 members waged a wild turf war against the rival VVT gang. At least three bystanders were killed in drive-by shootings and other violent acts by the gangs, which carried Uzis, M-16s, handguns and saw-off shotguns.“The removal of inadmissible individuals, particularly violent foreign criminals such as Mr. Sittampalam, is key to maintaining the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and to protecting those who live in this country lawfully,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a statement. But it took Ottawa almost a decade to get rid of Mr. Sittampalam, who began trafficking heroin shortly after arriving in Canada in 1990 as a refugee from the Sri Lankan conflict.He was arrested in 2001 as part of an anti-gang sweep called Project 1050 and was ordered deported in 2004. Although considered a danger to the public, he was released from custody with electronic monitoring in 2007 and allowed to remain in Canada while he fought no less than a dozen court cases appealing his removal.The most recent court case was heard June 9. He asked the Federal Court of Canada to prevent the CBSA from deporting him the following day. His appeal was rejected.

Sunday Leader editor produces controversial note book to court

The editor of, The Sunday Leader, Fredrica Janz produced the notebook that recorded the interview with Rtd. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, where he claimed that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered to kill LTTE cadres who were surrendering with white flags.On June 7 the Colombo Fort Magistrate issued notice on ´The Sunday Leader´ editor to produce the notebook in which she had written down notes of a controversial interview with Gen. Sarath Fonseka during the run up to the presidential elections. Fonseka’s lawyers requested permission of the court to verify the notebook to which the Government lawyers protested.The Magistrate however ordered that the notebook to be placed in a safe custody until the next hearing.The magistrate further ordered former army commander turned politician to be kept in Army custody until July 12.

Three LTTE cadre held  
 
Three cadre of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were arrested by the ‘Q' Branch police in the city on Sunday. Large quantities of ordinary and electric detonators were seized from them. Siva alias Mahindan alias Ilaiya Mahindan (33) and Tamil alias Tamilselvan alias Sathish (38), both said to be members of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, and Selvam alias Painter Selvam (40), a LTTE cadre, were arrested when they assembled here for a meeting. They had reportedly planned to smuggle explosives to Sri Lanka in association with Suri alias Kannan, a Sri Lankan Tamil of Chennai, and a few others. Siva had been staying at Chennai for more than a year while Selvam had been residing at Erode, both without registering themselves with the police. Tamilselvan had been staying in Tiruchi city. About 4,900 ordinary detonators and 430 electric detonators were seized from their possession.  They had reportedly procured the explosive materials over a period and stocked them illegally for transport to Sri Lanka. The sources said the materials were in Tiruchi as the trio could not smuggle them to Sri Lanka owing to strict vigil in the coastal areas. A case has been registered in this regard and further investigations were on, the sources said. The trio had allegedly smuggled explosive substances to the LTTE at the height of the war in Sri Lanka earlier.Highly placed sources said the trio had no plans to indulge in any subversive act in India. The arrest of the trio comes in the wake of the capture of Chiranjeevi Master, an intelligence wing cadre of the LTTE by the ‘Q' Branch a few days ago at Chennai. 

President appoints five new organizers of SLFP

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today appointed new Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) organizers for five constituencies. The new organizers received their appointment letters from the President on Monday (21) at the Temple trees. The new organizers are Sajin De Vas Gunawardena for Balapitiya, Sarath Weerasekara for Ampara, Abdul Majeed Mohamad Nauzad for Sammanthurai, Wasantha Senanayake for Meerigama and actress Geetha Kumarasinghe for Benthara and Elpitiya.

Sri Lanka to relocate Army camps in Wanni state buildings

Sri Lanka government has decided to withdraw the Army camps that are located in state buildings in Wanni, local radio Neth FM reported quoting Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The Defense Secretary has said that the Army camps withdrawn from state buildings will the relocated in new permanent camps. These camps are to be constructed with Chinese assistance, said the radio. The Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa on Monday toured the Wanni region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka to evaluate the security situation in the area. He met the area Commanders later at the Wanni security forces headquarters in Vavuniya and directed police to set up five police stations in Mullaitivu district where there is only one station operating currently. The Defense Secretary instructed the officials to try to win the hearts of the Tamil people so that the terrorists would not be given opportunity to re-emerge.

Extortionists get protection money by threatening to kidnap children

Police have gathered information on several armed gangs that obtain money from rich parents in Colombo and its suburbs threatening to kidnap their school going children.Parents have not complained to the police of the extortionists for fear of reprisals.The STF intelligence unit has received about 15 complaints from parents who paid protection money to the underworld gangs that threatened to abduct their children unless they paid up.Parents have said in their complaints that they received threats over the telephone and the extortionists had obtained all the details of their children including their movements. In most cases, the gangs had demanded and obtained about Rs. 2.5 million.The police request the public to report any threats they receive from extortionists.

21 June 2010

Govt. assures Japan 13 A will be implemented

The Sri Lankan government has assured Japan that it will devolve power to the North and East in terms of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. However, it has said the police powers need to be discussed in depth among all stakeholders.Japan’s representative for Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi told The Island in Colombo yesterday, that he had discussed with President Mahinda Rajapaksa the question of devolving power to the North and East in terms of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, and Rajapaksa had agreed to implement it conditionally.Asked if that meant granting police and land powers to the North and East, he said that President Rajapaksa had expressed his willingness to conduct an in depth assessment on devolving police powers.Akashi said that the clause pertaining to devolving land powers did not figure in his talks with Rajapaksa. Questioned how many Tamils displaced by the war remained in IDP camps in the North, he said that the figures being mentioned ranged between 52,000 and 60,000. "The monsoon is expected in October and the resettlement process needs to be expedited; The UNHCR is assisting Sri Lanka in the resettlement of IDPs," Aksahi said. "There is a lot of work to be done. This involves rebuilding infrastructure, providing food, water and shelter. It is a major challenge that needs to be accomplished." Addressing a press conference at the Colombo Hilton yesterday morning, before he spoke to The Island, Akashi said that he was happy with the progress made by the Sri Lankan authorities in resettling northern IDPs. But, the process had to be speeded up, he added.Akashi also called for a speedy political processes capable of achieving national reconciliation and a lasting peace. He said: "There is a need for attitudes to change. I, think the required cooperation can be achieved both in parliament and outside. Dialogue and interaction are required. The government and Opposition should work together on national issues. That is the key to overcoming any obstacle to national reconciliation and lasting peace." Akashi during his six-day visit, which was his twentieth to Sri Lanka, held talks with both the government and Opposition representatives. They included Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, TNA leader R. Sambanthan and SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem.

Kilinochchi to become industrial hub

Kilinochchi will be a hub of industries in six months. It will provide training and employment to hundreds of youth in electrical works, welding, tailoring and masonary work. The apprentices in these fields will be further trained in the South and given employment, Youth Affairs Deputy Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said in Kilinochchi. The Deputy Minister was visiting Kilinochchi in the company of Namal Rajapaksa M.P. He said the Government had already acquired two acres of land for this purpose and the industries plans to start have been finalised. The apprentices will receive an allowance of Rs. 1,000 during their training period. Namal Rajapaksa MP said they have come to Kilinochchi at the request of the President. He has told the young Parliamentarians to meet the war affected and assure them that they would receive all benefits and rights enjoyed by the people in the South. He said he has come with the message of the President to assure them that they would be able to lead a peaceful life without fear of terrorism by the LTTE. He added that the future leaders and administrators of this country should emerge from the villages and the youth.

Tamil for Buddhist monks

The All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) has sent a letter to the Buddhasasana and Religious Ministry requesting Rs 208,400 to commence Tamil classes for Buddhist Monks. The ACBC will launch this program to build harmony between the ethnic groups and propagate Buddhist principles among the Tamil speaking people. This move will also help to reactivate the deserted Buddhist temples in the North and East. The ACBC has already selected a Buddhist monk, with educational qualifications and language knowledge to teach Tamil. The language classes will be held at the ACBC centre in Colombo 07. The first course commences this month.

20 June 2010

Ensure end use of Indian funds for Lankan Tamils: Jayalalithaa 

AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa Saturday wondered about the status of Rs.500 crore given by India for resettling Sri Lankan Tamils and listed out the steps needed to ease the sufferings of the minority community in the island nation. In a statement issued here, Jayalalithaa said: 'The Indian government has announced payment of Rs.1,000 crore for construction of 50,000 houses for Sri Lankan Tamils. Has the Indian government got an account of the manner in which the Rs.500 crore that was released earlier was spent on resettlement of the Tamils in Sri Lanka?' According to her, the Indian and the Tamil Nadu governments must ensure that the island nation takes immediate steps for resettling 100,000 Sri Lankan Tamils affected by the internal conflict, rebuilding of schools and places of worship. The Sri Lankan government should also conduct counselling sessions for women affected by the conflict, she said. Citing the earlier assurance given by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to a visiting Indian parliamentary delegation that the resettlement of Tamils will be completed by the end of 2009 and the one given recently to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that 47,000 Tamils will be resettled this year, Jayalalithaa charged that no action was being taken on such statements. She charged that the Sri Lankan army is systematically destroying the cultural symbols of Tamils in the northern parts of the island by building new Buddhist shrines and not rebuilding the temples, churches and mosques of Tamils and by renaming the streets with Sinhalese names instead of the original Tamil names.

Lanka and UN Chief in open battle

An Indonesian and an Austrian are to form the panel of experts to advise UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues relating to the last stages of the separatist war in May last year.The move, a prelude to a possible UN investigation into alleged war crimes, both by troops and Tiger guerrillas, is to be announced in New York in the coming week. This is after Lyn Pascoe, UN Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, who was on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, briefs the UN Secretary General tomorrow.The Indonesian member has been identified as Maruzuki Darusman, a former Attorney General. He was a member of the now defunct International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to observe proceedings of the Commission of Inquiry mandated to inquire into 16 cases of human rights violations. This included an incident in which a group of aid workers were killed in Trincomalee. Mr. Darusman had also served in a UN panel that had investigated the death of one time Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. She was assassinated during an election campaign. The identity of the Austrian member of the panel of experts is still not known. On Friday, Mr. Pascoe told a news conference in Colombo that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would next week announce officially the appointment of the experts panel. The announcement came after the Government gave clearance to a long-awaited request by Mr. Pascoe to visit Sri Lanka. His official declaration in Colombo came just a day ahead of the victory parade where 8,000 troops and 700 officers took part in a national event. The move by Mr Pascoe to make an official announcement regarding the appointment of the impending panel has already raised concerns both in Government and Opposition circles. External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris strongly canvassed to stop the move on the grounds that President Rajapaksa has already appointed a Commission to identify lessons learnt and recommend measures for reconciliation.External Affairs Ministry officials remained tight lipped yesterday over whether Mr. Pascoe made the announcement with the concurrence of the Government. An official who spoke on grounds of anonymity said the Government would express its disapproval “in the strongest terms if and when a UN announcement of the panel of experts is made.”Sri Lanka's ongoing battle with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over the appointment of a panel of experts to advise him on issues relating to war crimes has a parallel to the charges of ''state terrorism'' against Israel whose military forces invaded a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza last month. Faced with overwhelming condemnation, Israel followed closely in the footsteps of Sri Lanka by appointing its own commission of inquiry to forestall and outfox Ban Ki-moon. But in a clever move, the Israelis co-opted two international ''observers'', one Irish and the other a Canadian, who for all intents and purposes, have no powers to take a significant role in the investigation. At a news conference Friday, however, Mr. Ban insisted his proposal for an international investigation of the attack on the Gaza flotilla was still on the table. But to appease the Israelis and the Turks (whose nine nationals died in the attack), his proposed commission will include one Israeli and one Turk, along with three other international experts. Whether this will be a reality or not remains to be seen. The US, a strong supporter of Israel, obviously does not want the Ban commission. Playing it safe, the US says: "We will go along with any commission provided Israel agrees to it."'Unlike Mr. Ban’s Sri Lanka panel, which has no mandate from the General Assembly, the Security Council or the Human Rights Council, his proposed international commission on Gaza has the approval of the Security Council. So, Sri Lanka has been lobbying vigorously, with support mostly from non-aligned countries and from China and Russia, against the expected announcement of the panel next week.The government has sent another message last week warning that Mr. Ban was exceeding his authority and acting in violation of the UN charter. But the speculation in Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry circles is that Mr. Ban is being pressured by a senior UN official from a South Asian country. If, as expected, the panel is announced next week, Sri Lanka is expecting strong support from non-aligned members to politically crucify Mr. Ban, who will soon be getting ready to run for a second term when his current term expires at the end of next year.

Constitutional changes before House in July

The new constitutional changes approved by the Cabinet on June 09 is now expected to be presented to Parliament next month.Among the key areas approved by the ministers for change are the executive presidency, electoral system, the 17th amendment and the devolution of power. After the proposed constitutional changes are drafted they are to be presented to cabinet once again for approval prior to being presented to parliament. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is set to brief the Government coalition parties on the reforms within the next few days. However, the left parties in the Government have already expressed their concerns over some of the possible changes, particularly the rumours that the two term limitation of a president would be done away with.UNP General Secretary, Tissa Attanayaka too has said that if the Government attempts to make undemocratic changes, the UNP will vehemently oppose the move with the support of all other parties. “The UNP will support a constitutional change that abolishes the executive presidency. But I want to stress that we will never support constitutional changes that propose extending the executive presidency. We are aware that even certain members of the Government are opposed to such a move. Therefore, we will join hands with all such concerned parties if the Government tries to make undemocratic constitutional changes”, Attanayaka pointed out.

Tamil intellectuals, ex-militant sympathisers to assist Govt

A group of nine Tamil intellectuals including former prominent militant sympathisers who had been operating internationally for the militant outfit along with Pathmanathan (Kumaran), the former head of the LTTE’s activities abroad said they would assist in the post conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the country. The delegation of sympathisers of former militants domiciled in Canada, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Australia met Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris in Colombo with regard to the Sri Lankan Government’s peace building efforts. Pathmanathan who played a key role in bringing down the nine-member delegation to Colombo was also present at the meetings held with the Defence Secretary and the Minister of External Affairs. Pathmanathan, known as `K.P’ commenting on the change of heart of Tiger sympathisers abroad and the delegation’s visit to Colombo told the Sunday Observer that several Tiger activists living abroad had now begun to understand the ground realities. The Tamil diaspora have been observing the situation in the country since the conflict came to an end in May last year. At the early stages there were misunderstandings due to adverse campaigns carried out by certain organisations which did not seem to like the country enjoying peace. However, during the past one year there was a vast change in the minds of the Tamil diaspora, particularly those who remained supporters of the LTTE, according to Pathmanathan. Apart from their key meetings in Colombo, the delegation from abroad also received first-hand information on the post-conflict humanitarian activities by visiting Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Jaffna. The delegation pointed out certain shortcomings in the resettlement process which the Government agreed to look into. The Security Forces Commanders in Vavuniya and Jaffna briefed them on the progress made with regard to the resettlement and reconstruction activities carried out in the North. They also met representatives of civil societies. They were impressed with the construction of houses by the Army in Chavakachcheri for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Security Forces are in the process of building 400-500 houses in the North for those who had lost their dwellings. Elaborating on the collection of funds from the Tamil diaspora, Pathmanathan said that an understanding has been reached to set up a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) to streamline the financial assistance for the post-conflict humanitarian programs from abroad. The NGO is expected to be called North and East Development Program. Apart from receiving assistance from abroad, the NGO will also work towards creating awareness among the Tamil diaspora on the post-conflict humanitarian programs. This will go a long way to counter the adverse campaigns carried out by organisations abroad against the peace building efforts in the country. Detailing the Tiger assets, the former international chief of the Tiger outfit said that the assets are worth several million dollars. Those who are handling the funds collected by the LTTE abroad are now willing to transfer them for humanitarian programs in the country. Welcoming the TNA’s new stance to cooperate with the Government in the peace-building process the ex-Tiger stalwart said that there should not be room for petty differences and all must work towards stabilising the hard earned peace.

JVP says Army obstructed its members visiting areas away from A9

Accusing the Defence Ministry of obstructing a recent visit to the Vanni by a JVP delegation, the Marxist party says it does not need approval from the Defence Ministry to meet people in the once LTTE-held areas.Addressing the media in Jaffna last Wednesday (June 16), JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe alleged that the army had hindered their movements in areas away from the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road for want of Defence Ministry approval. He emphasized that the army could not interfere with their right to meet civilians living in the northern region.Amarasinghe said that the police and security forces should not be involved in politics. He blamed the government for using security forces for political purposes.The JVP delegation included its parliamentary group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Vijitha Herath and defeated candidates Ramalingham Chandrasekeran, Bimal Ratnayake and Dimuthu Abeykoon. The delegation toured Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts on June 14, 15 and 16 before meeting the Jaffna-based press to discuss the situation in the Northern Province.The JVP attacked the government over its decision to further increase the Defence Ministry allocation at the forthcoming budget. Amarasinghe said that the government should give priority to a programme aimed at restoring normalcy in the war devastated region. He alleged that the government had failed to provide at least the basic amenities for the war displaced.The JVP criticized the government for holding thousands of persons without initiating judicial proceedings. JVP leader Amarasinghe alleged that many people whom they met in Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts were unaware of the fate of their loved ones. Even those who knew of their family members and relatives held in military detention were ignorant of the charges levelled against them, he said.The JVP also pointed out that the government had handed over land in some parts of the Northern and Eastern Provinces to foreign powers, though it claimed the credit for liberating the country.Responding to a query raised at the media briefing, the JVP said that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was not introduced to solve the national problem. "It was brought in to appease various elements", the JVP said, while emphasizing the importance of taking advantage of the peaceful environment in the country to strengthen democracy.JVP leader Amarasinghe vowed to attack the government both in and out of parliament over the pathetic situation in the northern region. He said that the JVP would raise northern issues in parliament as part of its overall efforts to pressure the government to rectify shortcomings.

Can’t stop MP Fonseka - DNA

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) plans to inform the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPU) Secretary General about the government’s attempts to prevent General Sarath Fonseka from attending the CPU conference to be held in Kenya. He added that the government has no right to prevent Fonseka from travelling to Nairobi since the Speaker has given the greenlight.“The Speaker gave permission and parliament is the supreme institution. If the government tries to breach Fonseka’s parliamentary privileges, we will have to inform the CPU president and the secretary general. This will be discussed during the conference and it will show the status of democracy in Sri Lanka,” DNA General Secretary Vijitha Herath told Lakbimanews.He added that neither the Supreme Court nor any Court Martial had convicted Fonseka of any crime, nor issued a directive barring him from travelling abroad. “Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has no idea what he is talking about. What does the government want when it says Gen. Fonseka should get clearance from the Supreme Court? Does it want to create a conflict between the judiciary and the legislature? This will only end in disaster for the whole nation.”Earlier this week Mass Media and Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that General Sarath Fonseka has to get legal permission to attend the Commonwealth Parliamentary Union (CPU) conference in Kenya for his visit, despite the permission given by the Speaker, since he is under military detention.

A hardcore LTTE cadre nabbed by Chennai Police

A hard core former LTTE cadre has arrested by Chennai Police, and has been subsequently lodged in the special camp in Chengalpet.Sri Lankan Tamil, named N Chianjeevi, a 38-year-old, a former LTTE militant wanted in two cases of procurement of war material from Tamil Nadu was picked up in Chennai on Thursday, the police said on Saturday.They said the ex LTTE cadre, who goes by several aliases including Rajiv, was wanted in two cases handled by the ‘Q’ branch police.He is believed to be involved in the procurement of ammonium nitrate, for use in explosives, from Ramanathapuram in 2007 and has obtained ball bearings from Chennai in 2008 that were used in landmines and other explosives.“He was an absconder in these cases. Now we’ve got him,” a senior police officer said.He said Chiranjeevi was a member of the LTTE’s procurement wing, usually handling war material sourced from Tamil Nadu for delivery to the north Lanka coast.Interestingly, Chiranjeevi came to Chennai from Colombo around three months ago with what appeared to be using a regular passport and visa.“We are verifying if he forged his travel documents or if he is no longer wanted by the Lankan authorities and so was allowed to travel,” he added.

Freed Sri Lankan journalist Tissainayagam arrives in U.S.

The Committee to Protect Journalist welcomes the arrival in the United States of Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam, who arrived at Washington’s Dulles International Airport on Saturday morning. He was met there by friends. According to CPJ representative Kamel Labidi, who was on hand to meet Tissa, “He was all smiles, and said to thank everyone who helped him gain his freedom.” “Tissainayagam’s arrival in the United States is very welcome news, and we join in the joy that he and his wife Ronnate are feeling,” said Joel Simon, CPJ’s executive director. “We hope his arrival in the U.S. is a step by the government to address its harsh policies toward the media—policies that have not changed since the end of Sri Lanka’s more than 30 years of civil conflict.” On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, the government announced that it would grant Tissainayagam a presidential pardon. Tissainayagam had been released on bail in January and had lived in seclusion in Sri Lanka  since. The Tamil editor was first jailed in March 2008 and eventually indicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in August 2008. So far, the Sri Lankan government has made no official statement about the terms of his release, and Tissainayagam and his wife have made no public statements.

Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thero ousted form JHU leadership       

Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera has been removed from the leadership of the JHU. A special convention was held yesterday (19th) evening to remove Ven. Medhananda Thero from the leadership. Ven. Omalpe Sobhithe Thero has been appointed as the new leader of the JHU. Minister Champika Ranawaka has been appointed the general secretary and Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thero as the President of the party. Meanwhile, Ven. Medhananda Thero says he was unaware of the decision to oust him as the leader of the JHU and had never asked the party to relieve him from the leadership. Ven. Medhananda Thero was at Mullaithivu on an archaeological study when the JHU held the special convention to oust him. 

JHU hit by disputed claims over change of leadership
 
Ven Ellawala Medananda leader of the JHU has been replaced by Ven Omalpe Sobitha thera amidst disputed claims that the former leader had been replaced without his consent. JHU spokesman Nishantha Shri Warnasinghe claimed that the former leader stepped down, but Ven Medananda claims he did not step down. Ven Athureliye Rathana therea was named as the Chairman of the Party and Minister Champika Ranawaka, the General Secretary of the JHU.

UN food agency reopens office destroyed at height of Sri Lankan civil war

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today officially reopened an office in the key northern Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi, two years after it was destroyed during heavy fighting in the country’s protracted civil war.“Much of the 7.5-acre office site had been destroyed following heavy aerial and ground bombardment,” WFP spokesperson Emilia Casella told journalists in Geneva, referring to the September 2008 closure because of clashes between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).In May last year the Government declared victory over the LTTE after defeating their forces and recapturing rebel-held territory in the far north of the island nation.The new WFP offices, which consist of portable containers, will be expanded to include staff from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).With four WFP staff now on the ground and more to arrive soon, the UN agency said it will be able to re-establish the monitoring of food dispatches to the targeted population in the area and support the ongoing resettlement and early-recovery process of the region.Even without an office, WFP has been providing food to the displaced population which includes some 62,000 people in camps and 228,000 others who had returned to their home districts.In addition, the agency provides 300,000 school lunches, and take-home rations to 27,000 pregnant and lactating women and small children.

Lanka’s ‘Crown Princes’ Still Playing The Power Game

The rise and fall of ‘crown princes’ has been very much a part of contemporary history of Sri Lanka. Right now there are two such ‘princes’ attempting to climb the ladder but let’s begin at the beginning.

Dudley — the ‘crown prince’ who became ‘king’

With independence and D.S. Senanayake as Ceylon’s (as Sri Lanka was then known) first prime minister, it was apparent that his son Dudley, was being groomed for premiership by his father. The charismatic young man in his thirties was for a start a cabinet minister in his father’s cabinet. Cambridge educated Dudley was popular among his colleagues and the people, but there were senior colleagues of outstanding ability such as Sir John Kotelawala and J.R. Jayewardene who too vied for the ‘prime minister’s top hat’ as it was called.When D.S. Senanayake fell from his horse while riding on Galle Face Green and died soon after, the tussle for the ‘top hat’ ensued and Dudley came on top. It was alleged in UNP circles itself that the ‘old man’ had conspired with then Governor General Lord Soulbury to have his son as successor. Sir John the outspoken critic and a runner for the PM’s  top hat, had referred to Dudley as a ‘pin gona.’ There was the anonymous booklet — premier stakes in which it was alleged that it was fixed for Dudley, but he did  become the second prime minister of the country.He was indeed a very acceptable ‘crown prince’ for later, he emerged as prime minister three times, winning and losing and finally on his death, soon after a disastrous defeat to Sirimavo Bandaranaike, being vindicated. The massive crowd of mourners that thronged Colombo for over a week was an expression of their regrets and sorrow for their fallen ‘crown prince’.

Anura the brilliant

The next ‘crown prince’ in line was Anura Bandaranaike, son of two prime ministers. He became a force behind his mother who was then the prime minister. But the Marxists allied to Mrs. Bandaranaike saw him as an ally of the powerful rightist, Minister Felix Dias Bandaranaike and opposed to them.Anura, a brilliant orator, did not fear to cross swords even with the best verbal swordsmen of the left and the right. Leftists called him the ‘clown prince’ to ridicule him and the name stuck.Anura suffered the same fate as the Crown Prince of Britain, Prince Charles whose mother the queen refused to give leeway to her son as successor. Anura fell out with his mother many a time and also made up with her but the matriarch firmly held on to the leadership of the party. There was sister Chandrika too running for leadership of the party and finally Anura due to his inconsistent temperament, lost out to his sister.But the ultimate winner was not the sister but Anura’s right hand man in his quarrels with his sister, one Mahinda Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa, who (to describe in rugby terms) at the closing stages of the match, sneaked the ball away, worked the blind side and touched down to beat both brother and sister. The ‘crown prince’ died young — a disappointed man.

Rukman the reluctant

Another potential ‘crown prince’ is Rukman Senanayake, grandson of D.S. Senanayake and nephew of Dudley. Even though Rukman helped J.R. Jayewardene to take off in his victorious campaign of 1977 by winning the Dedigama seat in a hard fought by-election, J.R. soon distanced him from the UNP leadership and for 18 years he was in the political wilderness till R. Premadasa invited him back to the party.Rukman however is a retiring politician and does not want to enter the fray. When Ranil Wickremesinghe did not appoint him as a nominated MP this year, the appointment being a foregone conclusion because Rukman was the deputy leader of the party, he simply stepped back. In an interview with this writer soon after the incident, he categorically stated that the UNP Leader should support Sajith Premadasa who had done well all by himself against the might of the Rajapaksas in Hambantota.

The new ‘crown prince’

The brand new ‘crown prince’ now on show is Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son and heir of President Rajapaksa. Even before the recent presidential and parliamentary elections, the media knew well that the young man was being prepared for great things.He kind of pole-vaulted into the leadership of youth organisations such as Tharunyata Hetak. He has become a star on state TV as well as some of the privately owned print media who are glad to lick  the boots of the rulers in power and today, TV and the press trail the newest ‘crown princes’ as they always do when such a ‘prince’ surfaces. The young man is seen in many state functions even though he is still the most junior of MPs while very many senior politicians including ministers fail to appear.Namal Rajapaksa graduated from London’s City University and his ambition is to be a lawyer. He is now a student in the Law Faculty of the Colombo University as well as Law College while being an MP. But it is apparent his attraction is politics.Rajapaksa’s appearances at places which junior MPs are not entitled to be present has raised eye brows in Colombo’s political circles. For example, he landed in Thimpu for 16th Summit of South Asian Cooperation (SAARC)  in a special plane carrying the President and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa with a limited entourage, others being: External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Sajin Vass  Gunawardene MP (and a secretary to the president) and Mohan Peiris, the Attorney General. Political observers noted that the names of those from the Foreign Ministry, not even that of Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were mentioned in the despatches from Thimpu. There is widespread speculation both here and abroad that the young ‘crown prince’ is being groomed as successor to his father even over and above that of his powerful uncles.

‘Crown Prince’ in isolation

The last ‘crown prince’ on our list is Sajith Premadasa, the only son of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa. He has not been blessed with political fortunes as the other ‘crown princes’ because his father was assassinated before he entered politics.However, Ranasinghe Premadasa was building a political base in Hambantota in the last days before his death, into which Sajith has moved in and done quite well. He has taken on the Rajapaksa’s in their own den and done creditably well, winning four elections since 2000 and scoring over 80 percent of the preferential votes cast for the UNP. A further disadvantage for him has been that the UNP was split into two major factions during the last days of his father and there is still resistance to a Premadasa within the party.It’s a long and uphill climb for young Premadasa for he is covertly locking horns with the party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, from whom he wants to wrest the leadership. Sajith, like scions of all ‘peoples’ leaders’ of Sri Lanka, had his education in UK, at the exclusive Millhill School and the London School of Economics. At the moment he is the favourite ‘crown prince’ of UNPers — at least some of them.

19 June 2010

Lanka availing Chinese labour is dangerous for India: Jaya

“My information is that the Chinese labour force in Sri Lanka has been infiltrated by spies with a mandate to commence anti-India surveillance and espionage operations from the hitherto safe southern flanks,” Jayalalithaa said in a statement. “If media reports about large-scale Chinese presence in northern Sri Lanka are true, we certainly have a problem at hand. India should have used [Lankan president Mahinda] Rajapaksa’s recent visit to put things in perspective,” Jaya said. “The government should act before it is too late. It has to talk to Sri Lanka, and talk tough. To expose the hapless and vulnerable remnants of the Tamil population, consisting of the old, the disabled and the womenfolk, to the overtures and excesses of a 25,000-strong prison-labour force from China would be disastrous,” she said.“The government sanctioned Rs1,000 crore for reconstruction of the war-ravaged Tamil areas in Sri Lanka. Indian tax-payers’ money is ending up in China’s kitty,” she added.

Sri Lanka president condemns critics in victory pageant

President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka has denounced critics of the army at a military pageant to commemorate last year's victory over Tamil Tiger rebels. In a speech he condemned those who he said were trying to bring the country's armed forces into disrepute. The military victory in May 2009 ended a decades-long war. Both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels were accused of committing human rights abuses on civilians in the final stages of the conflict. The anniversary celebration in Colombo was postponed by a month because of heavy rains. Continue reading the main story  In pictures: Sri Lanka pageant "It is understood by all that we carried out this great humanitarian operation only to eliminate terrorism," the president said. "We left no room for even one bullet to be fired against ordinary citizens. "Our armed forces comprise those who went into battle carrying a gun in one hand, the declaration of human rights the other, as well as taking food for the liberated people of the north and full of human kindness in their hearts." He said the government had appointed an independent commission "to inquire into the causes that led to terrorism, the lessons we can learn from this, and the path to reconciliation". President Rajapaksa said that "for 30 long years" Tamil people in the north had not seen the development of roads, electricity and schools. He promised conditions for them would be improved by the end of the year. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says all of the country's top leaders were at the ceremony - apart from the man who commanded the army at the time, Gen Sarath Fonseka, who remains in detention. In a solemn ceremony on Colombo's seafront promenade, President Rajapaksa hoisted the national flag. Every regiment and division of the armed forces was at the pageant, where a drive-past of armoured vehicles and weapons took place. Sri Lankans wanting to see the celebration had to watch it on television as the place where the pageant took place was sealed off. Gen Fonseka is being held at the nearby naval headquarters but the government said his presence would have required special security arrangements. On Thursday Gen Fonseka was let out of detention to attend his mother-in-law's funeral and was quoted as saying the victory parade was "not in the interests of the army". The government says its victory marked the defeat of what it calls "the world's worst terrorist group".

Permanent peace only through devolution – SB

Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake said that money allocated for construction had been misappropriated while at the Trincomalee campus, of the University, the authorities had issued certificates to 14 students who did not sit the examination. Speaking at a ceremony in the Eastern University, he said stern action would be taken against those involved in fraudulent activities.Minister Dissanayake said that the East had been badly affected by the 30-year separatist war. He said he realised the hardships the academic and non academic staff of the University underwent and assured them that their problems would be solved.Tamils have legitimate grievances and the armed struggle by a section of the Tamil community was due to failure by successive governments to address the Tamil grievances, he said. "Permanent peace could be achieved only through the devolution of power," he said.
The Minister said that all three communities have the right to live in Sri Lanka as equal citizens.

INDIAN DELEGATION ARRIVES FOR RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE

A delegation including several Hindu priests from India arrived in the island today to attend a dialogue aimed at improving mutual trust and confidence between religious leaders.The dialogue has been organised by the Mahabodhi Society.Distinguished Hindu priest, Swami Dayananda Sarasvathi Swami Ji, acts as the head of the Indian delegation.The dialogue, aimed at improving mutual trust and confidence between religious leaders, will be held at the headquarters of the Mahabodhi Society over the weekend.The organising committee of the dialogue also said that a group of dignitaries including religious leaders and intellectuals will attend the event.

Thondaman to improve dairy industry in Eastern Province

Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development Arumugam Thondaman is to undertake a tour of the Eastern Province this week in a move to improve the dairy industry under the government’s "Uthuru Wasanthaya" and "Negenahira Udanaya" programmes.According to Ministry sources, Thondaman is scheduled to visit Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee later this week.He will identify locations in those three districts to set up dairy farms to increase the national milk production and also improve and set up poultry farms.Ministry statistics show 25,000 poultry farms have been established and more than 75,000 families are involved in the industry.Minister Thondaman will also make every attempt to promote self employment based farming activities in Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee with economic assistance.

Sinhalese undergrads demanding 'victory' money assault Tamil students in Batticaloa

Some second year Sinhalese undergrads in Eastern University in Vanthaa’rumoolai, under the influence of liquor, assaulted first year Tamil students Wednesday night in their hostel for not contributing money to celebrate the ‘Victory Day’ that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was to Celebrate in Colombo Thursday. On learning this, third and final year Tamil undergrads had joined together and attacked the Sinhalese students. The situation, however, was brought under control by Vice-chancellor S. Premkumar who intervened. The second year Sinhalese students had demanded money to celebrate the ‘Victory Day’ and the first year Tamil students had refused to do so.Police guards have been deployed around the hostel of the Sinhalese undergrads.A separate police division to maintain security in Eastern University which was formed in 2008 following the killing of a Sinhalese undergrad by unidentified men, though present at the location, had failed to prevent the Sinhalese students assaulting the Tamil first year students.

Oppose commence for South Indian movies in Sri lanka.

Government supportive groups have commenced oppose activities for South Indian movies screened in Sri Lanka. The “Ravanan” movie which was proposed to screened today at Batticaloa, in the police area of kathankudy, at the Kalaldi Shanthi theatre the screen was burned. The reason for burning the screen was an oppose against the South Indian film Industry which was against the IFFA Award ceremony held in Sri lanka was stated. The pamphlets which were strewn in the locality mentioned that, the last week of this month has been declared as the oppose week for South Indian film movies. Unidentified group had done this mischief was according to report, but a group in supportive of the ruling government may have done this act is according to information. Some sources pointed out that government supportive movement are in the initiatives of organizing protests opposing the South Indian movies.

Central Bank goes to Jaffna

To cater to the heightened economic activities in the North and East, the Central Bank will open its fourth regional branch in Jaffna early next month and this will be followed by another in Trincomalee, a senior official said yesterday. He said the Monetary Act provided for the decentralisation of Central Bank activities and in keeping with the provisions of the Act, it had earlier set up regional branches in Anuradhapura, Matale and Matara. The senior officer said people in the North believed they had a great need for the alleviation poverty and felt that one of the ways of doing it was by getting involved in economic development. “There is an increased demand for banking services in Jaffna. We will establish this branch to facilitate banking services and economic growth,” he said and added that in countries such as India, its Central Bank known as the Reserve Bank of India had devolved its functions to regional branches. The official said with the setting up of the regional branch it will be convenient for people in the area to inquire about such matters as their Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) balances among others. “Besides, a better customer-bank relationship can be maintained through a regional branch,” the officer said and added that the North has immense potential for an economic boost especially in the agricultural sector. “The cost of harvesting a kilo of red onions is Rs.30 to 35. If it is sold at Rs.70 the farmer can make a handsome profit. It’s the same in vegetable cultivation. We can arrange loan facilities at reasonable rates of interest for such economic activities,” he said.Meanwhile the Central Bank has already purchased a block of land for its regional branch in Trincomalee.

18 June 2010

Lynn Pascoe holds discussion for a resettlement and political settlement. – Tamil National Alliance.

The Tamil National Alliance on Thursday met UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe and discussed about the racial crisis prevailing in Sri Lanka. The discussion was consisting to the resettlement activities of displaced persons .The meeting with Lynn Pascoe was held at the Colombo United Nation Organization’s office. TELO Leader Selvam Adailkalanthan, TNA member said, Lynn Pascoe had agreed to the request made by him for a settlement within the united SriLanka to the Tamils for the racial crisis and to process arrangements accordingly. The meeting turned out to be much successful, and he and Jaffna TNA Parliament Member Sumenthiran too attended the meeting was mentioned by him.

UN panel on Sri Lanka civil war in place 'next week'-BBC
 
The UN estimates that 100,000 people were killed in the conflict A panel to advise the United Nations on human rights issues arising from the civil war in Sri Lanka could be in place within days. The announcement came from the UN's head of political affairs, Lynn Pascoe, after a two-day visit to the island. The Sri Lankan government is opposed to the panel, which would advise UN chief Ban Ki Moon on moves to address the grievances that fuelled the conflict. Mr Pascoe praised government efforts to resettle Tamils displaced by war. The UN intends that the human rights panel will advise its chief Ban Ki Moon on issues and standards of accountability arising from the 37-year conflict with the Tamil Tigers, which ended last year. The UN estimates that 100,000 people were killed in the conflict.

'Bitterness and divisions'
 
The panel will confront allegations of war crimes which have been levelled against both the government and the Tamil rebels. It could be in place by early next week. However, the plan has met with opposition. Speaking in March, Sri Lankan President Mahina Rajapaska described it as totally unwarranted. Mr Pascoe, a senior UN diplomat, said the panel was about to be appointed. He added that the UN will also be interested in the progress of an internal commission on the final years of the war, recently set up by Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. There was an urgent need to take steps towards political reconciliation, Mr Pascoe said. "Bitterness and divisions that took decades to accumulate will not dissolve overnight in Sri Lanka," Mr Pascoe said. "But now is the time to make major efforts to begin healing these wounds. The end of the conflict must be followed by a political solution that addresses the issues and grievances that fuelled the war." But Mr Pascoe had praise for the authorities on another difficult theme, the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Tamils displaced by the war. Fresh from a visit to northern regions where people are only now returning home, he said children were attending school and people had food and access to basic healthcare. But getting building materials for housing and shelter was still a major problem.

Sri Lanka gets EU aid for war-torn areas

The European Union has allocated 60 million euro (8.4 billion rupees) as aid to Sri Lanka mostly for the island's north and east which were ravaged by war, a statement said."The programme will mainly focus on medium-term assistance in the North and East of the country," the statement from the Delegation of the European Union to Sri Lanka and the Maldives said. It said the aid is the second part of the EU Country Strategy for Sri Lanka spanning the 2007-2013 period, for new operations to be committed in the period 2011-2013. " the EU focuses on the needs of vulnerable communities, in particular those affected by the conflict which came to an end in 2009, and supports positive developments towards peace, consolidation and reconciliation." Sri Lanka's 30-year ethnic war ended in May 2009, resulting in an economic revival. The EU said its planned projects will follow onto those done under the first programme during 2007-2010 and complement emergency relief provided by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office. "Ongoing or foreseen activities aim mainly at improving livelihood opportunities and rehabilitation," it said. Together with complementary EU funds for housing and food security, the overall portfolio of projects decided in 2008 under EU aid to conflict-affected people amounts to 53.2 million euro.

Government should take proper action in regard to missing persons from war – Somawansa

Peoples Liberation Front Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said, government should take proper action in regard to the missing persons during war. While a visit was made by him recently to Jaffna, he stated this. Somawansa said, government’s responsibility is to take proper action in regard to the missing persons during the war period between the TamiL Eelam Liberation tigers and the government troops. Government should provide death certificates to the missing persons during war. One year has concluded after war, but government had failed to fulfill the regional people’s basic necessities which he alleged. He said, adequate documents should be provided to the familiy members, for their dead and missing relations during war period.

Gen. Fonseka who led and won the war receives no invitation for the felicitation ceremony of the Army  
 
Former Army Commander Gen. Fonseka who led and won the war against the LTTE and ended it has not been invited for the felicitation ceremony of the Army on the 18th of this month.Although all Parliamentary members including the opposition parties have been invited, the leader of the DNA, Colombo district M P Fonseka alone has not been invited.The National Organizer of the DNA, Tiran Alles, MP stated to Lanka e news that until the 16th, he had received no invitation in the name of Gen. Fonseka.The invitations for the celebrations to mark the completion of one year following the LTTE defeat has been sent by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defense. The celebrations was scheduled earlier to be held on the 8th of may, but due to unforeseen circumstances resulting from weather pattern, the celebrations could not be held.When Opposition Chief Organizer, John Ameratunge was asked for his opinion on this, stated, as a leader of the DNA and an M P, he ought to have been invited like the other M Ps. 

OIL WELL IN MANNAR TO BE 3.8 KMS DEEP: SUSIL

Tenders have been called for oil exploration activities in the Mannar basin.Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha said that those tenders had been called by the company that had been entrusted with the task of exploring for oil.Accordingly this company will now choose another company to drill for oil in the Mannar area through this tender process.Minister Premajayantha noted that the company that wins the tender to drill for oil would need to drill down to a depth of 3.8 kilometres below the earth's surface in order to be able to extract fossil fuel.

Several Government offices to be opened in Kilinochchi     

A number of programmes will be launched in the Kilinochchi District for the welfare of the people.The district of Kilinochchi was the strong bastion of the LTTE suring the 30 year tiger war and with thedefeat of terrorism the government has introduced number of projects to normalize the situation in the area. Recently school facilities were augmented with the intervention of Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa.  Parliamentarian Dilum Amunugama said that the programme has launched yesterday on the guidance of Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa. He said that two CWE outlets will be opened for the people to buy commodities at the controlled price. A Vocational Training Centre and a NAITA institute will also be opened. Offices of the Electricity Board and the National Youth Services Council will be set up. A Volleyball tournament will be held with the participation of the sportsmen from the area. Arrangements have been made to hold a musical and dance show for the people in the area.

Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan visits Jaffna

Sri Lanka Deputy Minster of Resettlement, Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman, former Liberation Tiger Commander of Eastern Province, visited Jaffna Thursday for the first time after having joined United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government. Muralitharan, accompanied by the Minister of Resettlement Milroy Fernando, was primarily engaged in activities in promoting the resettlement of Muslims in Jaffna peninsula meeting Muslim Welfare Organizations (MFO) and government officials, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, civil society circles in Jaffna pointed out that Kaurna Amman had been in Jaffna as a key Commander of the Liberation Tigers when the Muslims of the North were evacuated by the Liberation Tigers in 1990. Deputy Minister Muralitharan first visited Periya Pa’l’livaasal (Big Mosque) and Osmania College in Jaffna town where he met and held talks with the representatives of MWO before meeting the government officials in Jaffna Secretariat to discuss matters related to the resettlement of Muslims in their own properties in Jaffna peninsula.Deputy Minister Muralitharan told MWO representatives that steps should be taken to seek financial aid from wealthy Muslim countries with the approval of Sri Lanka government to promote projects of resettlement of Muslims in the peninsula.Local media persons said that Deputy Minister Muralitharan had avoided meeting them though they had tried to meet him.

SRI LANKA: Much ado about few things –Col R Hariharan

From Indian point of view the much hyped visit of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to New Delhi from June 8 to 11 can be summed up in one sentence as ‘much ado about few things,’ with apologies to Shakespeare.Shorn of usual diplomatic fillers, the tangibles in the joint statement issued at the end of the visit were on three tracks. One set formalised projects already in the pipeline for sometime and included financial incentives from India to push them forward. The other set attended to easing structural arrangements (i.e., agreements, MoUs, statement of intentions) to promote better relations and trading arrangements. And the third set related to rehabilitation largesse from India. But there was little or no animation of perennial issues discussed in the joint statement. There were very few hopeful signs to progress three gritty issues – rehabilitation, devolution, and strategic security. Overall, the impression created after the President’s visit is that India had tacitly agreed to let President Rajapaksa handle these issues at his own pace in his own style. I will be happy if those involved in the process prove me wrong. The Indian Prime Minister making the inane statement that “a meaningful devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment, would create the necessary conditions for a lasting political settlement,” creates the impression that sidelining of the Tamil issue appears to have been accepted. In the last three years India's representatives have said the same thing a number of times. And Sri Lanka's response had been more to buy time than make any real  progress on the issue. President Rajapaksa does not talk any more about the 13th amendment or even the 13th amendment +. So not surprisingly in the joint statement he made no commitment to implement the 13th amendment – which in any case has been pushed to the realms of relevance. The President merely “reiterated his determination to evolve a political settlement acceptable to all communities that would act as a catalyst to create the necessary conditions in which all the people of Sri Lanka could lead their lives in an atmosphere of peace, justice and dignity, consistent with democracy, pluralism, equal opportunity and respect for human rights.  Towards this end, the President expressed his resolve to continue to implement in particular the relevant provisions of the Constitution designed to strengthen national amity and reconciliation through empowerment.”Have we not been hearing similar dialogue for a long time now between Sri Lanka and India? It is difficult to understand how the mere repetition of implementation of13th amendment as a mantra from Indian side and the flowery rhetoric on democracy, pluralism et al from the Sri Lankan side are going to improve the lot of Tamils. Are we not thinking of any other options? Apparently not; otherwise it would have found a place in the joint statement. So it is no wonder Tamils on both sides of the Palk Strait feel they have been let down very badly by India. The window dressing offered by arranging a meeting between the visiting President and the members of parliament from Tamil Nadu might satisfy the ruling coalition party leaders but not the people. The rhetoric and political manoeuvring on this count to be wearing thin as people are waiting to see visible action on all fronts from Indian side. Of course, later in Chennai Home Minister P Chidambaram, presumably on a mission to ‘enlighten’ Tamil Nadu on the takeaways, highlighted India’s allocation of Rs 1000 crores to build 50,000 houses for people in north and south left to fend for themselves. And he explained that the money would be directly given to householders through banks.While this is laudable, the process of rehabilitation has remained good in parts like the proverbial curate’s egg. But what is the overall architecture for enabling the people ravaged by war to resume normal life and join the national mainstream?  Without such an architecture bound by a time frame, accountability from both sides and integrated execution, these welfare measures tend to get dislocated, downgraded or even get hijacked.  For instance, in the east infrastructure facilities have made good progress, but peoples struggle for livelihood continues as before.  When the Eelam War raged there were protests in Tamil Nadu by pro-Eelam and pro-Tamil Tigers segments of political parties on happenings in Sri Lanka. Then these were joined in by protests on human rights violations and humanitarian issues and war crimes. The protests were neither large nor spectacular. But they were there. During President Rajapaksa’s visit this time - a year after the war - the protests have become significant because there is no Prabhakaran or war to give a boost to these protests. The protests had gathered sufficient public and media attention, even without the orchestration provided by the war. The pro-Eelam leaders Vaiko and Nedumaran and about thousand followers courted arrest while protesting against the President’s visit. These protests have to be studied in sequence of Sri Lanka-centric events that have been happening. First there was pressure on film personalities to boycott the International Indian Film Awards function in Colombo. These were followed by protests in other forms in Tamil Nadu. There are indications of simmering discontent over Sri Lanka policy increasing into effervescence.  A Public Interest Litigation filed in the Madras High Court sought issue of directions to the government to arrest Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda, who was part of President Rajapaksa’s entourage. The PIL alleged Devananda was a proclaimed offender, wanted in a slew of cases including murder in Tamil Nadu. The moot point is the Tamil Minister, well known for his strong anti-Prabhakaran stance and equally strong support to the President, had visited India and Tamil Nadu a number of times even at the height of the Eelam War. And nobody thought of raising the issue on such occasions earlier. Why now, after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and decimation of its leadership? Clearly the PIL was aimed at embarrassing New Delhi and the visiting dignitary. The other incident was more sinister. Thanks to alertness of railway staff, the Rock fort Express train going from Kumbakonam to Chennai escaped from accident after a metre-long portion of the railway track was found blown up at Sithani, about 25 km from Villupuram junction on the railway link to Chennai. The incident happened a day after President Rajapaksa flew out of New Delhi. High-power gel-type explosive device ignited by electric power had been used indicating familiarity with handling of explosives. It was powerful enough to create 80-cm crater and blow up the sleeper along with a piece of the rail. The Police were quick to suspect the Tamil Nadu Maoist elements and later the Tamil Tiger acolytes in the act of sabotage. Both are capable of organising the sabotage. Even though they failed to derail the train, with their act they have sent a strong message of their extreme frustration at India’s inability to respond to the Tamil problems in Sri Lanka. During the Eelam War, there were a few instances of the LTTE elements and the Maoists coming together for mutual benefit. But caught between the turbulence of caste politics and the allure of Dravidian political idiom, Maoists were always weak force in Tamil Nadu. Even those few fell out with the all India body of the organisation in the eighties over the question of supporting Tamil nationalism. They could not survive as a cohesive entity in the face of the Tamil Nadu police dragnet. So they scattered and have become embedded in one or more of the half a dozen small Tamil political outfits. These fringe outfits have diverse agendas, but are united in the struggle to preserve exclusiveness of Tamil identity and Tamil nationalism which they feel are threatened by New Delhi and Colombo. They are unhappy that even the Tamil Nadu chief minister Karunanidhi, who used to tacitly support the Tamil identity issue, has joined the national political mainstream and let them down. It is doubtful whether the disparate groups can come together to form a mighty insurgent body in Tamil Nadu like the LTTE and wage war as Prabhakaran did. That may never happen. But they represent the extreme edge of the anger many Tamils are feeling over India’s failure to respond positively to attend to the Tamil grievances in Sri Lana. This is more so because India had vigorously championed their cause in the past. This feeling has many takers among Sri Lankan Tamils both at home and abroad. Usually police are left to handle developments of extremism in a knee jerk reaction. However, in Tamil Nadu the approach has to be more nuanced. We need to pay serious attention to the issues that have generated the discontent and act to produce visible results in Sri Lanka. And political parties of Tamil Nadu have a large responsibility in suggesting and steering New Delhi to positive courses of action than merely acting as listening posts, playing politics.

17 June 2010

Pascoe, MR discuss solution

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe met President Mahinda Rajapaksa this evening and discussed issues related to the IDPs, a political settlement as well as human rights concerns, External Affairs Ministry sources told Daily Mirror online.During the discussion the UN official, who visited Mullaitivu today and met families resettled in their homes after being at IDP camps in Vavuniya, had expressed satisfaction with the resettlement process undertaken by the government.President Rajapaksa and the visiting UN official also discussed the implementation of the joint statement by President Rajapaksa and UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon last May where they agreed that addressing the aspirations and grievances of all communities and working towards a lasting political solution was fundamental to ensuring long-term socio-economic development.“The two sides discussed IDPs, resettlement, Human rights and the joint statement issued last May after the UN Secretary General’s visit to the island,” External Affairs Ministry sources said adding that Pascoe will meet other political representatives including those from minority parties before departing for New York.  He was scheduled to meet later in the evening with Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition and Tian Alles, MP, Democratic National Alliance.In the joint statement last year following the end of the war Sri Lanka reiterated its strongest commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, in keeping with international human rights standards and Sri Lanka’s international obligations.  The Secretary-General underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law

US delegation visits Jaffna

A four-member US fact-finding mission visited the Security Forces Headquarters-Jaffna yesterday to get a comprehensive idea of ongoing post conflict development activities in Jaffna. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe briefed the Security Forces' involvement in Government's development programs and humanitarian de-mining operations in Jaffna. The delegation headed by Ms. Samantha Power Special Assistant to the US President and Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the US National Security Council was received by Colonel General Staff Security Forces - Jaffna (SF-J) Lieutenant Colonel W. M. G. C. S. B. Wijesundara and accompanied to SF-J Conference Hall.

UN diplomat visits Mullaitivu
 
Senior foreign diplomats are continuing their visits to Sri Lanka in which they are learning about the post-war challenges the country is facing. The United Nations’ head of political affairs, Lynn Pascoe, has paid a rare diplomatic visit to the district where the government finally crushed the Tamil Tiger separatists just over a year ago. In the north of Sri Lanka, tens of thousands of Tamil people displaced by war continue to make their way back from government camps to their original homes in largely shattered villages. They face major challenges relating to life’s most basic needs – access to drinking water; mothers’ and babies’ health; the need to rebuild homes; the continued threat of landmines or unexploded bombs. The UN’s under-secretary-general, Lynn Pascoe, has spent the day observing these problems at first hand in Mullaitivu, an area to which civilians only recently started returning, and not far from the scene of the final battle which is still off-limits to visitors. The government says it is working to secure safe returns as quickly as is practical. Mr Pascoe and two senior White House diplomats, here on a separate visit, are also meeting senior officials. Press releases from the UN and the US say the issue of accountability after the war is on their agenda. But another diplomat, Japan’s special envoy, Yasushi Akashi, concluded a visit by saying foreign governments and international organisations should not “dictate” to Sri Lanka at a time when several organisations are calling for an investigation into possible war crimes here.

New Tamil arrests in Netherlands

The Dutch authorities have again arrested a number of Tamils as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) movement in the Netherlands. The organisation, which seeks to establish an independent Tamil state in northeast Sri Lanka, was placed on the EU list of terrorist organisations in 2006. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutors' Office has announced that four suspects have been arrested in Breda, Rotterdam, Heemskerk and Heerlen. The arrests come after seven suspects were arrested in April.The police investigation focusses on attempts to raise funds for the LTTE. The investigation is also intended to show whether the suspects are members of a criminal and terrorist organisation. The police are still looking for people who can provide information on LTTE activities in the Netherlands.

Co-ordinated intelligence to curb terrorism

Defence Spokesman and Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday said Sri Lankan Intelligence Units are maintaining a close relationship with Malaysian Intelligence Units and Police to curb LTTE activities there. Commenting on a report in the foreign media that Malaysian Police detected the presence of several senior Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders in Malaysia, Minister Rambukwella told the Daily News that the LTTE was functioning in several other countries and the Government was dealing with foreign Governments to end LTTE terrorist activities. The Minister said the Government’s stance was that although the LTTE was defeated militarily in Sri Lanka, pro-LTTE groups were attempting to reinvigorate the LTTE overseas. “The Government is taking all the measures to counter all these attempts with the support of foreign Governments,” he said. Rambukwella said the LTTE used Malaysia as a hub for their activities and KP was arrested in Malaysia. Malaysian Police Inspector General of Police Musa Hasan was quoted as saying Police had detected the presence of several senior LTTE leaders who were reportedly using Malaysia for shelter and logistic base. Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein in connection with the IGP statement said foreign militants, including remnants of the Tigers, are using Malaysia as their operational base and for recruiting new activists. The Malaysian Home Minister said foreign militant groups, were using Malaysia as their operational base to step up their violent struggle. He said these groups were also using the Southeast Asian country for their financial transactions and exchange of information, besides recruiting people. Among those targeted for recruitment are students of local higher learning institutions. Hishammuddin said the Home Ministry was working closely with law enforcement and international intelligence agencies to share data on foreign nationals entering Malaysia and their movements, to curb activities that could threaten national and regional security of Malaysia.

4 soldiers involved in Vishwamadu women rape identified : suspects remanded until 28th June  
 
Four SL Army soldiers involved in the rape of two women from the Vishvamadu, Kilinochchi District were identified by the two rape victims at the identification parade in the Kilinochchi District Court.The identification parade was held before the District Court Judge T. Sivakumar. 38 soldiers were presented for identification at the identification parade.The Judge ordered that the four suspects be remanded until the 28th of this month. 

Canadian Tamils head to the polls on June 20 to elect council
 
Toronto - On June 20, Tamils across Canada will head to the polls to take part in a nationwide election to vote for the National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT). Several Canadian Tamil organizations are working together to help form this national council. In December 2009, Digital Journal reported on the more than 50,000 Canadian Tamils who took part in a national referendum. Approximately 99.8 percent voted in favor of a separate Tamil state within the nation of Sri Lanka. A referendum also took place around the world, including France and Norway. On June 20, 2010, thousands more are expected to take part in a nationwide election to elect 51 candidates, who have submitted their nomination documents and papers, to the national, provincial and regional levels of the NCCT, according to a press release e-mailed to Digital Journal. The NCCT consists of 9 national level executive directors, 13 provincial directors and many regional directors in areas where a high population of Tamils live. NCCT election committee officials state that the number of provincial directors is based on proportional representation, which measures the percentage of votes that candidates obtain and the percentage of seats they receive. “It’s a pioneering effort from a community to develop a grass root organization to cater to the needs of their community to bring the democratic principles best at work,” said Anojini Kuamr, a NCCT election committee official. “There was an elaborate community consultation initiated ahead of the proposed body and the election. Twenty percent of the seats allocated to youth and women are another unique aspect of the National body.” Shan Thaya, one election commissioner, explained that they are making the necessary arrangements and adjustments in order to ensure a fair and balanced election. The commissioner added that there will be more than 30 polling centers in the Greater Toronto Area alone.

Applications to register six new political parties awaiting Sri Lanka Election Commissioner's return

Applications from six new political parties are pending approval of the Election Commissioner, sources at the Department of Elections say. These political parties will be in addition to the 63 already registered political parties if they get approved by the Election Commissioner. The applications are yet to be processed since the Election Commissioner Dayananda Dishanayake is on vacation overseas following the two major elections, presidential and general elections earlier this year. Discussions were underway among authorities in recent past regarding cancellation of registration of the political parties that did not contest elections consecutively for a number of elections.

Coimbatore decked up for world classical Tamil conference

The industrial city of Coimbatore is all decked up to play host to the first-ever edition of the World Classical Tamil Conference next week, an event which the opposition AIADMK has decided to boycott. The five-day event, considered close to the heart of DMK president and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, is scheduled to be inaugurated by President Pratibah Patil on June 23. It is expected to attract thousands of people from countries like the US, Switzerland and Malaysia, among others.Musician A R Rahman has scored music to the lyrics of Karunanidhi that will be the theme song of the conference. Leading singers, including veterans T M Sounderrajan and P Suseela, present generation singers such as Shruti Hassan, Carnatic musician Soumya and Rahman’s fellow composer in Tamil cinema, Yuvan Shankar Raja among others have lent their voices.The theme song video has been made by noted filmmaker Goutham Vasudev Menon, maker of Hindi flick 'Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein.'Finnish scholar Asko Parpola will be awarded the 'Kalaignar M Karunanidhi Classical Tamil Award' during the inauguration.A slew of scholars, experts and political leaders are scheduled to participate in the event. Some prominent names include Tamil scholars V Sivathambi (Sri Lanka), UNESCO Director Armoogam Parasuramen, MPs and political leaders including Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss and many others. A total of 23 conference halls will be used for the five-day government sponsored event. Union Ministers Pranab Mukerjee, P Chidambaram and A Raja will participate in the valedictory session on June 27.While Southern Railway has announced special trains for the benefit of people intending to visit Coimbatore for the conference, the state government has declared a holiday for educational institutions to enable students participate in the meeting.However, the conference is not bereft of controversy, with principal opposition AIADMK announcing boycott of the event.Soon after Karunanidhi announced last year that the government would hold the conference (last held in Thanjavur in 1995 when AIADMK was in power), AIADMK leader Jayalithaa said it lacked the recognition of the International Association for Tamil Research (IATR), forcing the government to not only postpone it from January to June, but also rechristen it as WCTC.She has also declined to nominate a party member to one of the many committees involved in the preparation leading to the event.Cultural programmes, Tamil IT conference and a mega rally highlighting Tamil culture on the first day of the event are some of the major attractions of the WCTC.Last year, Karunanidhi had hinted that he may quit politics after the successful conduct of the conference. He had placed two things — construction of a new Assembly-Secretariat Complex and the successful conduct of the WCTC - as his top priority. The state is scheduled to go to polls next year. 

Japan pledges 48 billion rupees in aid to Sri Lanka

Praising the measures Sri Lanka has taken towards achieving peace following the end of the war the visiting Japanese Envoy Yashushi Akashi said today that his government has allocated 39 billion yen (48 billion rupees) assistance to Sri Lanka for the forthcoming period. Addressing the media in Colombo following a meeting with the External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, the envoy said the Japanese aid to Sri Lanka is never conditional and always in line with Sri Lankan government needs and wishes. "Our aid has never been aimed at imposition of our own values and objectives on Sri Lanka. Our aid has always been with the fullest consultation with the government of Sri Lanka," Akashi emphasized. The Japanese assistance meets the priorities of the Sri Lankan government with the emphasis on North and East without forgetting the South and Central parts of the country, the envoy said. Japanese envoy said his country has the same set of priorities as the Sri Lankan government has when it comes to the most efficient distribution of aid. Akashi, noting that Sri Lanka has made great progress towards peace and reconciliation, praised the establishment of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Japanese envoy said he has discussed with Minister Peiris how the United Nations with its experience around the world can contribute to the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

Private sector jobs for ex-LTTEers

The Rehabilitation Commissioner's Department will employ rehabilitated former female LTTE combatants in the private sector. A batch of former combatants will join Tri Star Apparels Ltd staff today. The company will provide training in the apparel industry. A monthly salary of 12,000 rupees will be paid to each employee, Rehabilitation Commissioner's Department officials said. They will also receive medical, accommodation and other benefits enjoyed by other employees officials said. The Rehabilitation Commissioner General's Department earlier found employment for 150 former combatants in the same company. Commissioner General Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe thanked Tri Star Apparels Chairman Kumara Devapura for providing employment to the rehabilitated former combatants.

16 June 2010

House of Commons to discuss Lanka

The British House of Commons is to discuss the situation in Sri Lanka on Wednesday and the matter is to be raised by British Labour parliamentarian Siobhain McDonagh, the British Parliament website said.According to the agenda for the House of Commons sittings on Wednesday, McDonagh is to seek a discussion on the UK government policy on investigations of alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka. Labour is now in the opposition after the Conservatives won the recent elections in Britain.Commenting on the discussion that is to take place at the House of Commons on Wednesday, Media Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella said that certain British political parties are pushing investigations on war crimes in Sri Lanka as their survival depended on the Tamil Diaspora. He added that Sri Lanka was sick of the issue of war crimes being brought up constantly, especially after the President had taken the initiative to set up an eminent panel to investigate  these allegations.

White House officials meet Sri Lankan president

Two White House officials met Sri Lanka's president on Tuesday, part of a series of diplomatic visits this week amid renewed heat on the island nation to probe possible rights violations at the end of its civil war last year.The U.S. visit coincides with those of U.N. political chief Lynn Pascoe, expected to meet the president and others on Wednesday and Thursday, and a Japanese peace envoy on his 20th trip to Sri Lanka. U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has urged Sri Lanka to ensure its investigation into allegations of war crimes, largely involving civilian deaths, delivers credible results and is given the power to follow any leads. Human rights groups took advantage of the first anniversary of Sri Lanka's victory over the separatists Tamil Tigers on May 19 to renew old calls for an international war crimes probe. They blame the government for tens of thousands of civilian deaths.Sri Lanka rejects the efforts as engineered by Tamil Tiger supporters living in Western nations who are upset the group was defeated and now fear their political asylum could end because the war is over. It denies the civilian casualty allegations.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after meeting her Sri Lankan counterpart, External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, said last month a Sri Lankan commission investigating possible violations held promise that Washington expected it to deliver.Samantha Power, special assistant to Obama on multilateral affairs and human rights, and David Pressman, National Security Council director for war crimes and atrocities, met President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, the start of a four-day trip."The visit aims to continue last month's productive dialogue ... in which both leaders discussed Sri Lanka's path through economic renewal, accountability, and reconciliation to greater peace, prosperity," a U.S. statement said. A Sri Lankan presidential spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, described the discussions as cordial and related to matters of mutual interest.Sri Lanka has urged U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to shelve plans to appoint a panel to advise him on accountability in Sri Lanka for civilian deaths, but a spokesman this week said the panel would be named soon. Sri Lanka is still in discussions with the European Union over the impending loss of a trade preference, which is due to be revoked because it has not certain human rights standards.Colombo says the West is applying a double standard by insisting on an investigation while the United States and Britain are not being probed despite thousands of civilian deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.A U.S. State Department report released last year detailed possible atrocities by both government forces and the Tamil Tigers during the final battle of the war and urged Colombo to investigate the allegations.

Top UN official is heading for Sri Lanka

A top United Nations official is leaving for Sri Lanka Monday nightt on a mission to support the post‐war reconciliation and resettlement efforts in the country.B. Lynn Pascoe, UN Under‐Secretary‐General for Political Affairs, will depart New York this evening for a two‐day visit to Sri Lanka on June 16th and 17th as a part of the UN’s continuing attention to post‐war challenges facing the country, the UN spokesperson Farhan Haq at the pres briefing yesterday announced.The visit will focus on issues covered on the joint statement issued by Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon and Mr. Rajapaksa last May including political reconciliation, human rights and the resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs).Pascoe is scheduled to hold talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, other senior government officials, representatives of opposition and minority party including Tamil leaders as well as media representatives and civil society groups during his visit, the UN announced.The Under‐Secretary‐General is also expected to meet with UN Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne and the UN Country Team in Sri Lanka, said.

The Obama administration officials visit Sri Lanka
 
A number of senior diplomats are visiting Sri Lanka this week to discuss the challenges the country faces one year after its military comprehensively defeated the Tamil Tiger or LTTE separatist militants.It’s emerged unexpectedly that two senior advisers to President Barack Obama are already in the country, with top UN and Japanese envoys, Lynn Pascoe and Yasushi Akashi, also visiting or about to arrive.

War crimes

Last month, one year after its war victory, the Sri Lankan government was infuriated by a series of reports by international human rights groups alleging that the government, as well as the LTTE, may have committed war crimes in the final months of conflict.

Colombo denies perpetrating such acts.

Now it’s suddenly emerged that the US National Security Council’s Director for War Crimes and Atrocities, David Pressman, is already here, along with another senior Obama administration adviser, Samantha Power. They’re meeting officials and civil society members and visiting the parts of the island where the war took place. Washington was highly critical of the government’s all-out war tactics last year but has recently emphasised the carrot more than the stick. Last month the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said that a panel on reconciliation newly established by the Sri Lankan authorities should be given a chance to do its work despite attracting some international criticism.

International inquiry

By contrast, senior United Nations figures have been calling for an international inquiry on the war’s endgame. The UN’s top political official, Lynn Pascoe, will finally arrive on Wednesday for a visit that’s been repeatedly postponed.His Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, is setting up a panel of experts as part of what the UN calls an accountability process to address violations of international humanitarian law in Sri Lanka. The words “accountability” and “reconciliation” figure in both the US and the UN official accounts of their diplomats’ visits here – a clue to what both of them see as priorities in post-war Sri Lanka.

Lanka receives Havana report

The government has received a confidential report regarding the possible LTTE buildup in Venezuela and the External Affairs Ministry is studying the report at the moment, External Affairs Ministry sources told Daily Mirror online. Earlier it was reported that the Sri Lankan envoy for Cuba Tamara Kuliyanayagam had visited neighboring Venezuela to discuss matters with the Venezuelan government officials and report back to the Sri Lankan government. The latest development in Venezuela comes following the creation of a Transnational Government of Tamil Eelaam (TGTE) in several European countries and elsewhere.The controversial TGTE held its inaugural sessions in the city of Philadelphia from May 17-19 in the US, where the LTTE is listed as a terrorist outfit.The meeting comes in the wake of the Sri Lankan government urging foreign governments not to give credence to moves by the LTTE to create a government in exile in support of an Eelam state.

Devolve power to Tamils India tells sri Lanka

India has asked Sri Lanka to devolve power to the Tamil minority in that country in a bid for reconciliation among various communities at the end of the decades‐long civil war, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.In a letter written to Karunanidhi last Thursday, contents of which were released to the media here yesterday, Manmohan Singh said: ‘I have also urged upon Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa the need for reconciliation among communities in Sri Lanka and for practical arrangements, including devolution of powers, to enable all minorities in Sri Lanka, and particularly the Tamil minority, to lead lives of dignity.’Replying to Karunanidhi’s letter, Manmohan Singh said the issue of internally displaced people in Sri Lanka was raised with Rajapaksa.‘He (Rajapaksa) has assured me that the 47,000 Tamils who are still in camps will be resettled by the end of this year.’The Sri Lankan President came on a three‐day visit to India on June 8.‘We announced a joint initiative to construct 50,000 houses for the internally displaced persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The government of India is separately also working on projects and programmes for resettled families to be in a position to earn their own livelihood,’ Manmohan Singh said

German Ambassador on sudden visit to Jaffna

German Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr. Jens Ploetner, whose visit to Jaffna Monday was suddenly cancelled due to undisclosed reasons, however made a sudden visit to Jaffna Tuesday, sources in Jaffna said. The ambassador took part in an event in Chaavakachcheari Hindu College Tuesday to which he was invited as the chief guest by the alumni of the college. Meanwhile, German Embassy in Colombo had announced the ‘German Week in Jaffna – 2010’ which was to take place from 14th June to 18th June at the Centre for Performing Arts in Jaffna. This event was cancelled at the last moment, the sources added.  An officer of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) took part in the Chaavakachcheari event uninvited, raising eyebrows among the participants, sources in Chaavakachcheari said. His presence, however, did not cause any untoward incidents, the sources added.Jens Ploetner met Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K. Ganesh at Jaffna Secretariat Tuesday after the Chaavakachcheari event from whom he gathered information about the German aided development projects in progress in Jaffna peninsula, the GA said.The visiting ambassador showed a keen interest in learning about future development projects that need assistance, the GA added.Economy and Development Cooperation of Germany, a main focus of the bilateral relations between Germany and Sri Lanka, is engaged in development projects in Sri Lanka.Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Sri Lanka who was to participate in a cultural program Monday organized by German Cultural Society in Jaffna had cancelled the visit without any official information for the last minute cancellation of the visit, sources in Jaffna said.Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Intelligence Wing men and the police in Jaffna were keen in gathering details about the Tamil artistes from Germany participating in the cultural events Monday, local media sources who had been invited to the event said.

LTTE setting up base in Malaysia - report

A Malaysian government minister has disclosed that foreign terrorists including remnants of Sri Lanka's LTTE Tamil Tigers are using Malaysia as their operational base and to recruit new activists. Malaysian police had detected the presence of several senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who were reportedly using Malaysia for shelter and logistic base, Malaysian National News Agency Bernama reported. Home minister Hishammuddin Hussein has told reporters today in Kuala Lumpur that both Islamic and non-Islamic militant groups were using Malaysia as their operational base to step up their activities. Malaysian National News Agency Bernama quoting Musa Hassan, the Inspector-General of Police said the terrorist groups are using the country for their financial transactions and exchange of information, in addition to targeting higher education institutes to recruit more members. The Home Minister said his ministry was working closely with local enforcement and international intelligence agencies to share data on foreign nationals entering Malaysia and their movements, to curb activities that could threaten national and regional security.

Indian aid to be 'directly disbursed'
 
Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said India was considering directly disbursing the financial aid it has proposed to give to the war-displaced people in Wanni for their housing project. India has already announced an aid package of Indian Rs 1,000 crores (About US $215 million ) to build about 50,000 homes for the people who have lost their homes in the final stages of the war in Northern province. Talking to the media in Chennai on Sunday, the Home Minister said both Indian and Sri Lankan governments were now considering “ ways and means” of directly disbursing the money to the heads of families through banks, instead of routing the money through the Government of Sri Lanka. He said the Sri Lankan government had agreed to this idea. This will be done with the “cooperation” of Sri Lanka government, he said. An amount of Indian Rs 200,000 each would be given to about 50,000 heads of families under the Indian project, he said.Mr.Chidambaram said the Sri Lankan government had promised that these families would be resettled in the next three to six months. Earlier, the Home Minister briefed the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on the meetings the Indian leaders had with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakshe in Delhi a few days ago. Asked whether the Indian Government was not aware of the fact the Sri Lankan minister Douglas Devananda was declared as a “ proclaimed offender” in Indian courts, Mr.Chidambaram merely said there was “ no official information” to the government of India in this regard.

Lankan Embassy clarifies the scuffle involving its driver outside

A minor scuffle involving an Embassy staff of Sri Lanka at a restaurant in Olso over a personal dispute, was blown out of proportion by the media here, and the Sri Lankan Embassy has issued a clarification, setting right the news.While various news channels and news papers and radio stations have reported or broadcast an incident involving one of minor employees of the Embassy here, some of the media have cared to contact the Embassy and reported the incident correctly, the press release stated. “On the 5th June 2010, a Saturday, around 2300hrs, at a restaurant in Oslo, one of Embassy of Sri Lanka drivers, and a friend of his (Sri Lankan origin, a Polish passport holder) got in to a personal dispute with another Muslim man of Sri Lanka origin.“Subsequently, the Muslim man came with some of his friends and challenged them for a fight and the driver received minor injuries.“The Embassy wishes to clarify the situation. This is a private dispute which is under investigation by the Oslo police. The Embassy wishes to state that this dispute has not affected or damaged the Embassy, its property, or the official/personal wellbeing of the diplomatic or technical staff.”

Maj. Gen. Gunaratne to command victory parade

A tri-services parade to mark Sri Lanka’s triumph over the LTTE, scheduled for June 18 at Galle Face, will be commanded by Major General Kamal Gunaratne, the senior most serving officer, who commanded fighting formations during the Vanni battle. His second-in-command will be Brigadier U. R. P. Rowell of the Signals.Gunaratne commanded the 53 Division, which fought its way from Jaffna and joined the final battle on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in May last year.Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe yesterday said that about 9,000 security forces, police and Civil Defence Force personnel would take part in the parade, which would be held annually to celebrate the victory and to remember those who had laid down their lives for their motherland.According to him, the parade would depict their victories in the eastern and Vanni theatres.

'Release' Vanni doctor - court
 
A court in Sri Lanka has ordered the police to release one of the five doctors accused of collaborating with the Tamil Tigers if no evidence is found against him.Colombo Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratne made the order as the case against Dr. T Satyamurthy, government Medical Superintendent for Mullaitivu district, was taken in for the hearing on Monday. Submitting a report, police criminal investigation department (CID) said investigations against Dr. Satyamurthy have been completed and a report has been submitted to the Attorney General (AG) for advice. The magistrate then made the order after lawyers representing the accused doctor requested the court to release their client if no evidence found against him. The police was ordered to inform the court of further course of action on 12 July.

International media

During the final phase of the war, the group of doctors treated casualties admitted to the makeshift health posts in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-held zone encircled by government forces. They also gave interviews to international media about the situation.They became the only voice coming out of the rebel held areas during the last stages of the war. Two of them were senior local health directors and the United States has said they "helped save many lives" while the UN called them "heroic". In an interview with BBC World News television, Sri Lanka's then Foreign Minister Rohita Bogollagama accused the doctors of "spreading falsehoods". One of the four accused doctors, Dr. V Shanmugarajah, contested the 08 April parliamentary elections in a pro-government party. Dr V Shanmugarajah, believed to have been enlisted by the now-defeated Tamil Tigers into their medical team, gave high casualty figures to aid agencies and the media from within the combat zone. While in government custody, all five doctors who worked in Sri Lanka's combat zone in the last weeks of the war said they exaggerated figures for civilian casualties. They did so, they told reporters, because of pressure on them from the Tamil Tiger rebels, who controlled the area where they were working.

Another Beggar Killed - Killing Spree Continues!       

A beggar, who had been resting in the petrol shed after it had closed, was bashed to death by dropping a concrete block on his head on Monday night. This incident was took place in a petrol shed on Muttiah Road, Colombo 2. The body with severe injuries to the head was found today morning when the shed was open. The police had also found a wheel chair which they believed might have been used by the man.A killing spree of street beggars continuing in Colombo. The Police had recovered the bodies of five beggars, in various locations in the city also with serious head injuries recently. The Colombo Judicial Medical Officer was directed to submit to Court the post mortem examination report on the body of the beggar. The Police are investigating whether this murder had any connection with the previous incidents.

Pooneryn jetty opened

The Pooneryn jetty was declared open for the public use on Sunday by Namal Rajapaksa MP which also saw the commencement of the Pooneryn- Jaffna ferry service after 15 years. Northern Province Governor G.A. Chandrasiri said the Pooneryn jetty was opened after nearly 15 years to ease public travel from Jaffna to Poonayn and vice-versa. The ferry service will facilitate free movements for civilians. He noted that the the ferry service ceased to operate with LTTE destroying the causeway and jetty on both sides. Three boats carrying 12 men, eight women and two children set off for the Mannithalai Jetty in Pooneryn and reached Gurunagar Jetty in Jaffna on Sunday. "People used the road for travel and they had to travel for two and a half hours to reach these two destinations which could be cut short to about thirty minutes across the lagoon. With the commencement of the new ferry service the travelling time will be reduced by two hours," Chandrasiri told the Daily News. A special bus service will function to transport passengers from the Pooneryn junction to the pier. The ferry service will be managed by the Cooperative Societies and Local Authorities with the support from the Sri Lanka Navy. The Pooneryn jetty was opened by Namal Rajapaksa MP with the participation of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda, Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar and Indian Film Star Vivek Oberoi.

Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda case: HC directs State, Centre to file reply within a week

The Madras High Court has directed the State and Central Government Advocates to get instructions from the respective governments on a petition filed by an advocate to arrest the visiting Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda in connection with three criminal cases registered against him in Chennai and who was also announced as proclaimed offender by city court during 1986-1990.When the matter came up for hearing before the First Bench comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam, the Counsel for the petitioner, submitted that the Sri Lanka Minister Douglas came to India along with the Island President Mahinda Rajapaksa and returned to his nation. “Well Before his arrival the petitioner made a representation to union government and state government that Mr. Douglas was a proclaimed offender in several criminal cases including a murder cases, and he should be arrested", the counsel submitted.Additional Solicitor General appearing for Union Government and Ms Snega for state government contended that they didn't know about the representation given by the petitioner to respective governments.With this the bench directed the state and central government advocates to get instruction and file counter.Advocate Puganledi moved High Court to arrest and prosecute Sri Lankan Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Minister Douglas Devananda in connection with three criminal cases registered against him in Chennai and he being a proclaimed offender declared by city court during 1986-1990.It may be recalled, the petitioner submitted, three cases were pending against Sri Lankan Minister Mr Douglas, which included a murder case and kidnap case, and directed the government to arrest him.Mr. Douglas was in India last week as part of a delegation accompanying Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on a three-day visit.

11 June 2010

India rejects UNP claims  

India rejected claims made by opposition parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayaka that India had supplied weapons to certain elements in Sri Lanka in order to disrupt peace in the country. “What MP Karunanayaka said was totally untrue and has no basis in fact”, Indian Diplomatic sources told Daily Mirror online.United National Party MP Ravi Karunanayaka today alleged that at a time when there was peace in Sri Lanka, its neighbor India was known to have attempted to create problems for this country by supplying weapons to certain elements.

UNP alleges Indian plot
 
United National Party (UNP) MP Ravi Karunanayake today alleged that at a time when there was peace in Sri Lanka, its neighbor India was known to have attempted to create problems for this country by supplying weapons to certain elements.Mr. Karunanayake was responding to media reports that India was planning to hold talks with the Sri Lanka’s minority political parties on the national question.“Why is India talking to minority parties? The UNP also represent the minorities. Tamils and Muslims also voted for me and were instrumental in electing me to parliament. Must I be a Muslim to represent Muslims,” he asked while speaking on the need to license all weapons in Sri Lanka.During the private member’s motion moved by him Mr. Karunanayake proposed that if anyone was found possessing an unlicensed weapon, he or she should be charged under the breach of criminal law with a mandatory jail sentence of 20 years.He hailed Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who vowed to take action against those who had failed to surrender illegal firearms in their possession.“This is a timely move. The country has been rescued from terrorism and we need to appreciate the government’s role in ridding Sri Lanka of illegal weapons,” Mr. Karunanayake said adding that it was the politicians who were responsible for the proliferation of firearms in the country. he said.

Rajapaksa returns home

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned home on Friday evening on conclusion of his official visit to India.The island nation's Social Welfare Minister, Douglas Devananda, who was part of the Presidential delegation and got into the limelight after a petition was filed seeking his arrest on the ground that he was a proclaimed offender in India, also returned.Mr. Devananda maintained that the cases against him in Tamil Nadu were filed prior to the Indo-Lanka 1987 Accord. “Under a provision of the Accord the then President, J.R. Jayewardene had pardoned all the political activists and ex-combatants against whom cases were pending under the Emergency regulations and other laws,” he said.The Minister said the accord provided the Sri Lankan President the authority to pardon certain categories of persons convicted prior to the 1987 Accord and expected India to cooperate.

Sri Lankan minister goes home, Indian court to hear arrest plea

Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, declared a proclaimed offender under the Indian law, returned to his country Friday as the Madras High Court said it will hear a petition urging his arrest Monday.The petition was filed by advocate P. Pugazhendhi, who contended a warrant was issued against Devananda, now the minister for traditional industries and small enterprises, in a murder case.Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam Friday posted the petition for hearing Monday.According to the petitioner, Devananda is wanted in a 1986 shootout and murder case here. One more case was lodged against him for kidnapping a boy in 1988. In 1989, he was arrested and later let out on bail.A sessions court here declared Devananda a proclaimed offender in 1994 after he failed to appear in the court while on bail.A former leader of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), Devananda is on a four-day state visit to India accompanying the island nation's President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Meanwhile, police in Chennai said they were waiting for a reply on their communication to Delhi Police that Devananda was a proclaimed offender.

Devananda cannot claim amnesty

Sri Lankan cabinet minister for traditional industries and small enterprises Douglas Devananda cannot claim amnesty under the Indo-Sri Lankan Peace Accord of 1987, feel legal experts. He figures in three criminal cases for offences such as murder, attempt to murder, rioting, criminal intimidation and kidnap. In 1994, a sessions court here had declared him as a proclaimed offender and an absconding accused. Once criminal proceedings are initiated with the filing of a first information report (FIR), and chargesheet is filed as per Section 173(1) of Code of Criminal Procedure, then no bilateral or multilateral agreements among nations could waive the criminal liability of the person cited as an accused, said V Kannadasan, special public prosecutor for human rights courts. There are only two ways to bring to an end a criminal case after the final report is filed. One, the accused must subject himself to trial and await the result. Two, the state government, through the public prosecutor, can file a petition under Section 321 of the CrPC before the competent court and withdraw from the prosecution of any person at any point of trial before the judgment is delivered. There again, it is the court which has to take a final call on accepting or rejecting the withdrawal plea. There is no third way, wherein a grave criminal case would simply lapse on account of bilateral treaties, Kannadasan added. The shootout-cum-murder case registered by the Choolaimedu police against Douglas Devananda in 1986 was ripe for trial when he went underground, forcing the court to declare him a proclaimed offender in 1994. Highly placed sources in the state police said that the investigating officer handling the Douglas case did not initiate the process to issue the look-out circular (LOC) against him. When a person is declared a proclaimed offender, the investigating officer (IO) has to initiate the process of issuing a look-out circular. It has to be initiated by the IO, but issued by an official in the rank of superintendent of police or above. In Chennai, usually the city police commissioner does it since he is the unit head. Once done, it is intimated to the immigration department. How many ports of arrival/departure he intimates is his choice. But that procedure was not followed in this case, it is learnt. Chennai city police commissioner T Rajendran told TOI that Chennai police had sent a fax message to the Delhi police commissioner with details of the cases pending against Douglas Devananda alias Anand alias Devananda. “He is a proclaimed offender, and we are expecting a reply from the Delhi police to pursue the case,” said Rajendran. However, asked whether any look-out notice had been issued against Devananda, the commissioner said he did not want to comment on the issue.

Sri Lanka-China sign six pacts

Sri Lanka and China signed six agreements to enhance co-operation in the fields of technology, industry, information technology and construction at the Prime Minister’s Office yesterday. The signing of agreements took place in the presence of Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang. The two Governments signed an economic and technical co-operation agreement. The signatories were Finance Ministry Secretary Dr P.B. Jayasundera and Chinese Assistant Commerce Minister Wang Chao. The two Governments also signed an agreement for the maintenance and development of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) which is a donation from China. The Road Development Authority (RDA) signed an agreement with a Chinese company for the construction of the last stage of the Southern Expressway from Pinnaduwa to Godagama. RDA Chairman Ranjith Premasiri and National Technical Import and Export Corporation in China President Tang Yi signed the agreement on behalf of the two sides. The two Governments inked another agreement for the enhanced co-operation in the field of Information and Communications. An MoU was also signed for the development of maritime ports. Acting Ports and Aviation Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena and Chinese Transport Minister Lin Shenjin were the signatories. The second phase of the Hambantota Port will commence under this agreement and the Chinese Government, will provide a loan of US $600m which is payable within 20 years. A certificate of donation by ZTE Corporation of China was also presented to Hambantota District Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa by ZTE Corporation Chairman Hou Weei. This grant of US $500,000, would be utilized for the promotion of IT literary among the youth community in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka urged to end strife

COLOMBO - SRI Lanka's army chief on Friday called for a political settlement to the island's decades-long ethnic strife, a year after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated in a major military offensive. Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya warned that although the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were crushed following the offensive in May last year, rebel remnants could try to regroup. 'It is up to the government and the people now to find the root cause of the problem and give a proper solution,' Mr Jayasuriya told a meeting of businessmen in Colombo. Mr Jayasuriya took over as army chief in July, shortly after security forces killed the top leadership of the Tigers and ended their struggle for independence for the island's minority Tamil community. 'I believe, in the end, a proper solution is needed. The LTTE have been eradicated militarily. But there are some elements here and overseas still trying to propagating Tamil (Tiger) cause,' he said. The United Nations estimated some 7,000 Tamil civilians perished in the final months of fighting which brought an end to Asia's longest-running guerrilla war. The conflict had claimed up to 100,000 lives since 1972. Mr Jayasuriya said state intelligence agencies had reported that LTTE fighters who escaped the fighting were trying to regroup. 'There are remnants out there. They can get activated to start a military process on another day. We are not ruling that out. We are keeping our eyes and ears open on them, on what they will do in the future.' Mr Jayasuriya said the current army strength of just over 200,000 men and women will be maintained to ensure that the Tigers do not stage a comeback. He said most of the 10,000 rebels who surrendered last year will be released after the government completes a rehabilitation programme.

UNP says not opposed to CEPA with India

The UNP said yesterday that it was not opposed to the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(CEPA) between Sri Lanka and India, but objects to the secretive manner in which the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime was negotiating.National List UNP MP, Harsha de Silva told a press conference in Colombo, that it was during the last UNP government’s tenure that discussions on CEPA commenced and therefore it cannot on principle be opposed to it."We want an open public discussion including a Parliamentary debate before the CEPA is finalized. The masses are being kept in the dark about its contents which is not healthy in a country which claims to be a democracy."The UNP decided to go beyond the Free Trade Agreement with India and negotiate a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, because it wanted to tap the huge middle class Indian market. Trade pacts were also sought with the United States of America and European Union for the same reason, he said."An organisation headed by one Samantha Kumarasinghe, a supporter of the government held public protests against CEPA recently. It complained that CEPA would even put Sri Lankan hairdressers out of business," de Silva said. "It was Minister G.L.Peiris who negotiated CEPA on behalf of the Rajapaksa regime. So he is duty bound to explain the pros and cons of the agreement to the people, before rushing into signing it." He said that the lack of transparency, has led to all the confusion generated regarding CEPA. To begin with, the positive and negative lists should be revealed.

LTTE operatives pausing as beggars to gather information, Sri Lanka PM says

Members of the vanquished Tamil Tiger terrorist organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are pausing as beggars in the cities throughout the country to gather information, Sri Lanka's Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said today. Addressing a ceremony held in his office this morning to launch welfare loan schemes for the families of war heroes, the Premier said the government intelligence services have identified that these beggars have been trained and deployed by the LTTE. The Prime Minister stressed that the intelligence units should be constantly vigilant on such movements. The loan scheme for the war heroes families is implemented by the Pan Asia Bank.

1980s: When Lankan militants roamed TN

 Douglas Devananda is not the first Sri Lankan Tamil militant leader to meet an Indian head of government while facing criminal proceedings in India. The most important one, as many can easily guess, was none other than the slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who met late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in New Delhi in July 1987.In the run-up to the signing of the Indo-Sri Lankan Agreement on July 29, 1987, Gandhi had Prabhakaran flown in from Jaffna to brief the militant leader on the provisions of the accord and seek his support for his implementation. The LTTE leader was then an absconder' too as he had jumped bail in the case relating to a shootout in Pondy Bazaar in Chennai on May 19, 1982. Prabhakaran and rival militant leader Uma Maheswaran had spotted each other and both opened fire. He was granted bail later that year, but the case was never pursued, as the government and intelligence agencies took over the matter of dealing with Tamil militancy. It was only a matter of time before Prabhakaran left the country's shores by clandestine boat. There was nothing surprising about the manner in which cases involving Tamil militants were instituted and then forgotten, as the 1980's was a period of permissiveness towards the presence of armed militants and their occasional crimes. Armed and trained by India, leaders and members of various militant groups treated India, particularly Tamil Nadu, as their safe haven, to which they could retreat whenever they were injured or needed breathing time. There were quite a few training camps in the state, functioning under the patronage of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which virtually ran India's Sri Lanka policy then. While there was overall sympathy for Tamil militant groups in Tamil Nadu, they were also close to political leaders. Then chief minister M G Ramachandran had special affinity towards Prabhakaran, while DMK president M Karunanidhi, then the opposition leader, was known to be close to the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) headed by late Sri Sabaratnam. The state became a hunting ground for the LTTE, which eliminated the EPRLF leadership in Chennai on June 19, 1990, when it mowed down the group's leader K Padmanabha and 13 others. Fraternal fighting among these groups often spilled over to Tamil Nadu. There was only one occasion that the state police sought to rein in Tamil militants. This was in October 1986 when then state police chief, late K Mohandas, cracked down on all groups and seized their weapons and communication sets. A distraught Prabhakaran, who felt that the confiscation of wireless set had crippled the organization, went on an indefinite fast. Pro-LTTE leaders put great pressure on the MGR regime to return the weapons and communication equipment. The government ultimately caved in, and the LTTE got a bonanza as a result. They got back not only their own arms and ammunition, but the weapons that were previously held by other groups also. It was not until the EPRLF massacre and Rajiv Gandhi's assassination 11 months later that the state's leaders realized the consequences of infusing gun culture in Tamil Nadu.

Proposal to resume Indo-Lanka ferry services welcomed

The proposal to resume ferry services between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar and Tuticorin and Colombo, as agreed by India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday in New Delhi, has received good response from people of the region and trade bodies.The Dhanushkodi-Talaimmanar service, which began in 1914 during the British rule, was stopped after the 1964 cyclone that destroyed Dhanushkodi town.Survivors of the cyclone, which claimed the lives of 115 persons travelling in a train between Pamban and Dhanushkodi on December 23, 1964 recall that Dhanushkodi was a prosperous tourist and pilgrimage centre till the fateful day. Those days, Indiaand Sri Lankahad extensive bilateral cooperation. Since Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) was just 18 miles away, there were many weekly ferry services between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar, transporting traders, merchants, tea estate workers, fishermen, tourists, and goods across the sea.Southern Railway ran a Boat Mail from Madras Egmore (now Chennai Egmore) to Dhanushkodi to connect steamers ‘Irvin’ and ‘Goschen’ that were later renamed ‘Mullai’ and ‘Marutham’. Travellers were given tickets from Chennai to Colombo and taken by steamers to Talaimannar for the onward rail journey to Colombo."There were hotels, textile shops, jewellery shops, dharmashalas, hospital, government offices to serve the need of pilgrims and travellers. People of both countries used to cross over frequently on many fronts, including for trade, pilgrimage and others. I want to see Danushkodi regain the glorious past before my end. I am extremely happy to learn that ferry service will be resumed soon," 88-year-old V. ‘Neechal’ Kali, one of the very few survivors of the 1964 cyclone, told TheHindu.Mr. Kali, who lives in Dhanushkodi, said in the 46 years after the cyclone he had heard many similar proposals but nothing happened.He hoped the new proposal would become a reality.Though the proposals were mooted in 2003, they could not materialise owing to stiff opposition in the State. It was felt that the services would pose security problems for Tamil Nadu in view of the civil war in Sri Lanka.It is expected that the latest proposal would not face much opposition from the security point of view, as hostilities have come to an end in the island nation. A section of trade and commerce bodies, which welcomed the proposal, said it would be a big boost for districts such as Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga, Tuticorin and Virudhunagar.

DOUGLAS UNDER TN POLICE RADAR

Chennai police yesterday said it was in touch with its Delhi counterpart in connection with a 1986 murder case against Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda, who is part of a visiting presidential delegation, and would ‘take action’ on the basis of its response.City police commissioner T. Rajendran said Delhi police had been informed about the case and they were waiting for their response even as the Chennai high court is to take up today a petition seeking a direction to the Centre to take immediate steps for the arrest of Devananda in the November 1986 murder case.“We are in touch with the Delhi police. We have sent a message to them. Based on their reaction, we will take action, ” Rajendran told reporters. He was asked about the action the police intends to take in the case.Asked if Devananda had been given amnesty, he said, “I can’t tell you that. What I can say is (that) we are in touch with them.”The Madras high court will take up the petition by P. Pugalenthi, secretary of Tamil Nadu Peoples Rights Forum, a pro‐Sri Lankan Tamils body, claiming that the VIth additional sessions judge in June 1994 had issued a proclamation warrant against Devananda treating him as ‘absconding accused’.Submitting that charges had been framed against Devananda on January 20, 1987 for various offences under IPC including murder and Indian Arms Act, Pugalenthi said Devananda was currently on a visit to the country along with the president and the police “are supposed to do their duty and arrest him immediately, he being an absconding person”.Failure of the Centre to arrest Devananda and prosecute him according to the law would violate Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, Pugalenthi, an advocate, claimed.He alleged that the minister was also was also wanted in two other cases.Pugalenthi’s counsel M. Radhakrishnan made a mention before the acting chief justice Elip Dharma Rao, who directed the registry to number the petition and post it for hearing today.Devananda, who is accompanying Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has said in New Delhi that all political leaders were pardoned as per the Indo‐Sri Lanka pact but he was prepared to face legal action, if any.“I don’t know about that but, according to the Indo‐Sri Lanka agreement, they have given pardon to all leaders, all political leaders....If there is anything legal, I am prepared to face that,” he said. 

Mass wedding for rehabilitated Tigers

The Army with the help of the Ministry of Rehabilitation has made arrangements to hold a mass wedding for 53 LTTE couples at Pompaimadu in Vavuniya tomorrow, Sunday between 7.30 and 9.00 am.High ranking Army officials are expected to grace the occasion. These ex-LTTE cadres have been trained in various vocations, the army said.

Conditions on visa for Prabakaran's mother relaxed

Chennai Relaxing the conditions once imposed on the offer to extend visa to slain LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran's mother Parvathi, the Centre has allowed her to stay with her daughter and meet her relatives and friends as she wished, but reiterated that politicians would not be allowed to meet her. The Centre had, on May 18, wrote to the Tamil Nadu Government, seeking its opinion on relaxing the conditions earlier imposed as requested by the relatives of Parvathiammal, Prabakaran's 80-year-old widowed mother. In the conditional visa granted last month, she was directed to stay only at a hospital and not meet anyone outside the immediate family whose names were to be furnished early. The State government, in its letter on May 20, replied that it had no objections to her staying with her daughter and seeking medical assistance, but passed the responsibility of taking a call on the visitors back to the Union Government. Following this, the Centre formally communicated to the State Government and its High Commissioner in Sri Lanka that Parvathiammal may be permitted to stay with her daughter and meet her relatives and friends. However, “She would not be allowed to meet representatives of political parties, etc.,” the statement from the Government today quoted from the letter. Further decision on this will be taken after learning her opinion, said the statement. Parvathiammal had come to Chennai in April, but was instantly deported back to Malaysia without even allowing to disembark the plane, as she had been blacklisted as a person requiring prior approval. As the deportation led to a minor controversy especially with the Assembly in session, the DMK Government immediately initiated a communication with the Centre, even as Chief Minister M Karunanidhi maintained that he was unaware of her mid-night arrival and subsequent deportation. Later, permission was granted to enable her seek medical assistance in Tamil Nadu, though the six-month visa entailed stringent conditions like staying only at a hospital and not meeting anyone outside immediate family. However, Parvathiammal was not suffering from any ailment that required a hospital admission. According to her relatives, she was aged and had a paralytic attack few years ago, but required only nursing assistance. After a devastating period that put her in the middle of a violent war that ended only with the death of her youngest son, all she wished was to stay with her family – a daughter is in Tiruchi – said her relatives, rejecting the offer and heading back to Sri Lanka. The relaxation of conditions paves way for a possible return to Tamil Nadu, to Tiruchi, where she resided with her late husband Thiruvengadam Velupillai before returning to Lanka during the period of peace ahead of the final flare up.

09 June 2010

India to seek Rajapaksa's reassurance

India will look for a reassurance from Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on “genuine” devolution of power to the provinces as a step towards solving the ethnic problem. Mr. Rajapaksa, who arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit, will hold delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday. He has unveiled plans to set up an Upper House that will ensure all-round representation, but India feels this step would amount to decentralisation. Provinces should be the unit of devolution, and Sri Lanka must activate the provision of a Finance Commission in the 13th Amendment to ensure they are financially viable. With the war having ended a year ago, India feels it is high time that Sri Lanka began negotiations. Government sources said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao recently pointed to “apprehensions that things may not work out the way they should, and another opportunity may slip away.” The two sides will also discuss a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as a follow-up to the Free Trade Agreement in goods. After protests broke out in Sri Lanka, India does not want to be seen as promoting the pact, especially because it feels Sri Lanka will gain owing to its vibrant services sector that would counter the decline in vanaspati and copper exports. Discussions will also cover opening of two Indian consulates, one in the north at Jaffna and the other in the Sinhala-dominated Hambantota. India and Sri Lanka are poised to sign seven or eight agreements and discuss a credit line of $382 millions, which comes on top of an earlier commitment of $416 million for rehabilitation of the railway infrastructure in the war-hit areas. One of the agreements will cover cooperation in railways and another in the security arena. The two sides will also seek to cap four years of negotiations by announcing a pact to construct a coal-fired power plant at Trincomalee in eastern Sri Lanka. To assist Sri Lanka, a memorandum of understanding will be inked to rehabilitate the war widows with assistance from the Self-Employed Women's Association. The two decades of war has made the issue a huge social problem.

Find an Amicable Solution to the Sri Lankan Tamils Problem: PMK urged Union Government

The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has urged the Indian Government to find an amicable solution to the Sri Lankan Tamils Problem, when its President Mahinda Rajapaksa visits to Delhi."It was a matter of regret that the Centre accorded a red carpet welcome to Mr Rajapaka, when he visits Delhi" PMK said in a resolution passed in its party District Secretaries meet.Flaying private schools for collecting high fees despite the state government fixing the structure, the party demanded that the government must take action against these schools, by setting up flying squads.Instead of waiting for written complaints from students and parents, the government should take up suo motu action against these schools, which collected enhanced fees, it said.In another resolution, the party demanded that action be taken against shops and commercial establishments, which did not put up Tamil boards. To press for this, Dr Ramadoss would lead an agitation here tomorrow (Wednesday), after which, the party would organise a statewide agitation on June 21.

Demand on Reservation

PMK also demanded that the Most Backward Class (MBC) 'Vanniyas' be given exclusive 20 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions.The party's district secretaries meeting, chaired by founder-leader Dr S Ramadoss, adopting a resolution to this effect, said 'vanniyas' constituted 30 per cent of the state's population and it would be fair only if they were given exclusive 20 per cent reservation.The PMK, an offshoot of militant Vanniyar Sangam had launched massive agitations in the early 1980s and secured 20 per cent reservation for MBCs.However, the party, of late has been airing its grievances that the dominant 'Vanniyas' in the MBC could not benefit much in the 20 per cent reservation as more and more castes have been included in the list of MBCs.In another resolution, the party demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must immediately order a caste-based census. Only if caste-wise population was made available, programmes for ensuring social justice would be effective, it said.

Aliance with DMK at Stake

PMKwould hold a few more rounds of talks with the DMK, before taking a final decision on reviving ties with the party, founder- leader Dr S Ramadoss said.Reacting for the first time on the alliance issue after the DMK, adopted a resolution, offering to take back the PMK into its alliance fold at its executive on May 30, the PMK leader told media persons after the meeting, ''Alliance could not be clinched just like that and it required several rounds of talks.'' He said the party leaders had twice met DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi after it made the offer and would continue to hold talks with him before taking a final decision.Dr Ramadoss, however, evaded a direct reply when asked what was the focal point of the talks. ''Its nothing but alliance,'' he quipped, amid peels of laughter.The PMK delegation would meet Chief Minister Karunanidhi again and if necessary, he would also call on him and the media would come to know, when he meets the DMK leader, he said, adding, ''it cannot be a secret meeting''.Dr Ramadoss parried a question about the party insisting that the DMK should give PMK an assurance of allotting 40 seats for the 2011 Assembly elections for finalising the revival of ties. He said today's meeting did not discuss about the alliance.The meeting was convened mainly to discuss about strengthening the party and conducting organisational elections by the end of this month.The Chief Minister had expressed the party's stand, he said when asked about Mr Karunanidhi's remarks yesterday after a meeting with PMK leaders that he would consult his senior party colleagues, before taking a decision on taking back the PMK.

Ramadoss Divided with Karunanidhi

Dr Ramadoss sharply divided over with the Chief Minister on the reported remarks made by party leader J Guru that the DMK had back-stabbed the party by denying the Rajya Sabha seat. ''Guru is an extremely good person and he expresses his views in a transparent manner.'' Asked whether he was upset that the DMK did not give Rajya Sabha seat to his party, the PMK leader said, ''We have not given importance to the issue.'' Asked whether the PMK lost the bargaining power after its dismal performance in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Dr Ramadoss, rejecting the suggestion, said, ''The PMK had some unique qualities and action plans.'' The PMK may not have won a seat in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, but it remained a strong party in the state. Fighting elections on its own, it had polled more than 42,000 votes in the recent Pennagaram Assembly by-elections and secured a ''real victory'', he said.

Without PMK's support Karunanidhi's Dream would not come true

''There is so much to talk about alliance,'' Dr Ramadoss said, and claimed that but for PMK's support, Mr Karunanidhi's dream of reviving the Legislative Council would not have come true had the PMK not voted in favor of the Bill seeking the revival. Had the PMK not voted in favour of the Bill, it would not have been possible for the DMK to revive the Council, he said. The Bill, seeking to revive the Council could be passed with two third majority in the House, thanks to the support of PMK legislators, he said.

No Permanent Friends or Enemies in Politics

Answering a question, Dr Ramadoss said after the breakup of alliance, AIADMK leaders at various levels, had offered party's support to the PMK candidate in the Pennagaram bypoll besides giving a Rajya Sabha seat. It was an open secret and widely reported in the media, he added.On PMK shifting sides, Dr Ramadoss said there was no permanent friend or foe in politics and quoted the DMK leader's biography ''Nenjukku Needhi'' to drive home his point.Quoting chapter 39 of ''Nenjukku Needhi'', he said the DMK and Rajaji's Justice Party were bitter enemies and Rajaji had even said he would crush the DMK like a bug, but the two parties forged an alliance in 1967.Similarly, the DMK had organized agitations against the Congress for Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks against the party, but forged an alliance with the Congress in the 1971 elections, he said.The DMK vehemently attacked Indira Gandhi at the time of Emergency and forged alliance with her in the 1980 parliament and state elections, Ramadoss said.

Vaiko, other leaders arrested

Leaders of Opposition parties, including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, CPI leader R. Nallakannu, Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi leader Thol Thirumavalvan, PMK whip T. Velmurugan and hundreds of cadre were arrested on Tuesday when they held protests against the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India. Mr. Vaiko, along with Mr. Nallakannu, CPI assistant secretary C. Mahendran and Tamil Nationalist Movement leader P. Nedumaran, was arrested near Nageswara Rao Park when they were proceeding towards the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Alwarpet to hold the protest. Mr. Thirumavalavan, who led the agitation near the Memorial Hall, alleged that the Sri Lankan government had not come out with a permanent solution for resettlement of Tamils, even after the end of the war a year ago. “They have been languishing in camps without any basic amenities,” he said. Police arrested him and others because the demonstration was held without obtaining permission. Mr. Velmurugan along with his partymen held a demonstration in front of the District Collectorate. They were arrested for burning an effigy of Mr. Rajapaksa.
All were released in the evening.

Fonseka backs UN probe

Detained former Army Chief, General Sarath Fonseka says he is ready to testify before a war crimes probe if there are allegations backed by evidence and also supported a UN investigation on Sri Lanka in order to clear the country's name.Speaking exclusively to Daily Mirror online via telephone from Parliament this evening, the General insisted that the army as a unit did not commit any war crimes but added that if any individual was involved then it should be investigated.“If anybody has committed war crimes and if I know anything about it, if I get any indications I will always come out and expose anything. Anything within my knowledge will be exposed. If anyone has made any indication I’m ready to go into details and find out. Exposing war crimes is a duty of anybody in this country if it is within the knowledge of anybody. Exposing war crimes is an obligation and anybody trying to hide it means he is committing and encouraging war crimes,” the General told Daily Mirror online.Asked if he agrees to a UN war crimes probe on Sri Lanka the former Army Commander, who was part of the military during the final stages of the conflict, said that as Sri Lanka is working very closely with recognized organizations in the world, if anyone comes out with specific details then the government should cooperate, investigate and clear its name.“I was supervising the war very closely and personally. I was commanding and worked with all the military operators of the army and even the Air Force. I knew all the details. We didn’t leave any room for anybody to commit any war crimes. And I have always given a assurances that the Sri Lanka army never committed any war crime. The air force also ensured no civilian casualties. But if anybody can point out that an individual had committed a war crime we are always there to go into detail and find out. There should not be anything for anyone to hush up or hide or cover u,” Fonseka, who is a Member of Parliament, added.The General, who is facing charges of conspiring against the government, also said that he does not fear for his life despite Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa telling the BBC the General will “hang” if he betrays the country.“I do not fear for my life…We are not frightened because we have not committed any mistakes,” the General added.

Escaped Tigers working with underworld – PM

Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne told parliament yesterday that the government had information that LTTE cadres who had escaped from the North were now operating with underworld groups.Moving a motion seeking the extension of the state of Emergency for one more month, the Prime Minister said that those LTTE cadres earned through clandestine operations carried out with the help of the Southern underworld.The International network of the LTTE had arranged for the necessary funds and other facilities for those remaining cadres, he said.A large number of firearms used by the LTTE had been smuggled into the South and there was a danger of those lethal weapons finding their way into the hands of those being re-settled in the North and the East, he said.The Prime Minister said: "Existing LTTE cadres have not given up their dream of winning a separate state. This became evident when an LTTE flag was hoisted at a function in Philadelphia, where the so-called transnational government of Tamil Eelam was formed. One of the topics discussed there was how to resume the LTTE struggle for a separate state in Sri Lanka."The government had received information that LTTE had funded several apartment complexes in Colombo. The security forces were investigating the matter, he said.A large number of LTTE cadres had, the Prime Minister said, escaped from the North during the final stages of the humanitarian operations and they had joined the underworld groups in the South. He said the government had sought the assistance of other nations to tackle the problem and a large number of countries had responded positively. India had further extended the ban on LTTE.

Keheliya says he will not be surprised if KP gets pardon

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said he will not be surprised if the government decides to pardon Kumaran Pathmanadan alias KP during Derana TV's 360 programme yesterday. In reply to a question, Minister Rambukwella said that the information revealed by KP has enabled the authorities to identify most of the foreign assets of the Tiger outfit. Asked about the value of the assets identified or brought in to the country, Mr. Rambukwella said he was not in a position to reveal it. However, a comprehensive report will be made public in due course, he assured. Asked whether Kumaran Pathmanadan would be offered any special post, he said it was up to the highest authorities to decide. When the 360 hostess stated that some urge that KP should also receive punishment for the things he had done against the country, Mr. Rambukwella said the punishment KP was undergoing right now, fighting against his own conscience was more than enough. "KP was a person living like a king. Now he has lost all his privileges. Some may say that he has or is betraying his comrades. But we should be satisfied that at least now he is doing a lot towards the country and cooperating with the authorities", said Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

LTTE suspect 'tortured in custody'
 
The Supreme Court in Sri Lanka allowed to proceed a fundamental rights (FR) petition against police accused of torturing a detainee resulting the victim sustaining psychological damage.The lawyers representing Sivaguru Sivalingam told the court that the victim was arrested on 20 February 2008 on charges of being connected to the LTTE. The victim was tortured by the officers of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in an attempt to get a confession, they said. The Judicial Medical Officer in his report has confirmed that Mr. Sivalingam has become mentally ill as a result of the police torture. The lawyers argued that the confession provided by the suspect was not valid under the circumstances, Journalist KS Udayakumar reports. Police were ordered to provide details of the arrest and alleged torture of Sivaguru Sivalingam, who is currently in remand custody in courts on 15 October. Officers from the Pettah police station and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were ordered to provide details.

Serve country to honour war heroes - Gota

KANDY: The highest honour that can be given to the war heroes, who saved the motherland at the risk of their lives, is to serve the country with love and commitment, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.Speaking at the ‘Ranaviru Upahara Ulela’ organised by the Old Boys Association of Kingswood College, Kandy, he said war heroes the world over are honoured in recognition of their service to the motherland without an iota of personal gain. "It is therefore our duty and responsibility to contribute our best for the benefit of our country, he said."The war heroes served and acted with mindfulness of what they were doing and what they should do. They were not at all interested in personal gain. They did so with commitment. And today we all enjoy the benefits of the sacrifices they made, he said. "The war heroes had no ambitions other than to protect their motherland. That was the reason behind the gradual increase in numbers honouring war heroes. We can learn an important lesson from the war heroes. Sacrifices, commitment and determination are the lessons we can learn from them. It is doubtful that many people are living successful lives. Many are not optimistic nor do they possess the sense of determination. Everyone of us should have the courage to face challenges. Then only will one enjoy happiness and satisfaction, he said.A large number parents of Kingswood war heroes were present.

Sri Lanka PM says Tamil rebels re-emerging

Tamil Tiger rebels are re-emerging a year after their defeat, Sri Lanka's prime minister said Tuesday, despite the once-powerful guerrilla force launching no attacks.D. M. Jayaratne told parliament that remnants of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were planning a comeback with financial backing from Tamils abroad. "There are hardcore Tigers who are still mingling among civilians," Jayaratne said. "During the month of May alone we have arrested 77 hardcore Tigers who are believed to have been directly involved in terror activities."He said intelligence agencies reported that Tigers who escaped the military onslaught last year were collecting weapons they had stashed away to resume their struggle.The Tigers have launched no attacks since being defeated in May 2009, but the government maintains tough anti-terror laws which are extended every month by parliament.The opposition accuses the government of using the emergency laws to stifle political dissent.Last month, the prime minister urged Western nations to crack down on Tamils living abroad who hope to revive the armed struggle that cost the lives of up to 100,000 people between 1972 and May last year.Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday proposed maintaining defence spending at nearly the same level as in the final year of its massive military offensive against the rebels.Figures presented to parliament showed that the government had allocated 201 billion rupees (1.8 billion dollars) on defence for 2010, down marginally from an estimated 210 billion spent in 2009.Defence spending in 2008 was 204 billion rupees.Sri Lanka's key aid donors have asked the government to prune the size of its budget to sustain economic stability as the island emerges from nearly four decades of ethnic strife.

Two refugees killed in accidental explosion in northern Sri Lanka

Two refugees were killed in an accidental explosion in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, police said.Five others were injured in the incident.The blast occurred when 30 people clearing land set fire to grass so they could put up temporary shelters in the Chavakachcheri area, 380 kilometres north of the capital.The dead and injured were among a group of people trying to resettle in their villages after being displaced by fighting in the north of the country last year.The cause of the explosion was unknown. Over 300,000 people were displaced by fighting between government troops and Tamil rebels last year. Refugees are still returning to their villages.The government said the main problem in resettling people has been the inability to clear mines and bombs left behind by troops and rebels.

Go for political settlement, CPI-M tells

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Monday urged the government to tell Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to for an early political settlement of the Tamil issue during his India visit starting Tuesday.The CPI-M said in a statement that the visit would be an occasion to reaffirm 'the close and friendly ties between India and Sri Lanka'.But 'the government should impress upon the president the need for an expeditious political settlement of the Tamil question which would involve the devolution of powers and autonomy for the Tamil-speaking areas.'Such a political solution will strengthen the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka.'It said that of the 300,000 people displaced by the war and in relief camps, around 80,000 had not returned to their homes.'A speedy rehabilitation of the displaced, ensuring their means of livelihood and their security should be a major priority,' it said.'India, which is also providing assistance to this process, can discuss ways to speed up the rehabilitation.'

Is China behind CEPA protests in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to visit India since tomorrow and the bilateral talks are expected to focus Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (CEPA) that was supposed to be signed two years ago but stalled. Two weeks back, several hundreds of protesters took to the streets against CEPA claiming it would hugely benefit the neighboring country by forcing the domestic industry into appalling risks. A high profile lobbying is underway against the trade pact which is yet to be made public. Many highly educated, including doctors and engineers who were part of the recent protest along with businessmen expressed their fears that the island could be dominated by cheaper and skilled Indian services at the expense of the domestic industry. However, Jose Roy writing to www.toboc.com says "this argument is unfounded as India’s educated unemployed were largely jobless because their reluctance to work for less or in remote places. Moreover, Sri Lanka being a country less than half the currency value of India would not have to panic about the products or services from India going cheap rather can ensure superior quality which could help the country build its economy on a firmer footing."The Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) signed in 1998 and which is effective since March 1, 2000 has been able to boost trade between both nations significantly with near equal opportunity for the Sri Lankans. The ISFTA that is confined to the trading of only goods pushed country’s exports by manifold from $55.7mn in 2000 to $516.4mn in 2007. Interestingly, the part of the business community lobbying against the CEPA hail the ISFTA.On the contrary, in 2002, the traded volume between China and Sri Lanka totalled about $350mn, of which China's exports accounted for $340mn providing room for Sri Lankan exports at about a meagre $10mn. Although Sino-Lankan trade witnessed tremendous growth over the years with bilateral trade crossing $2bn in 2009, imports from China remained predominately greater than the efflux. However, an anti-Chinese lobby is almost invisible possible because China is not involved in internal politics of Sri Lanka.The conservatism of a part of Sri Lankan business community regarding CEPA is highly controversial. But the worst is Sri Lanka's leftist People's Liberation Front (JVP) and some other elements disgruntled due to the rise of Mahinda Rajapaksa through Sinhala nationalism in which they had kept all their eggs might try to rouse anti-Indian sentiments among the masses investing in CEPA protests. These elements may use the opportunity for raising funds and mustering broad-based support for an anti-Indian campaign that may ultimately lead to a racist movement against any attempt to bring a solution for the ethnic problem through negotiations.Frustration led them in previous occasions as well to similar disastrous racist tactics to grab power that caused havoc to entire nation. The JVP uprising between 1987-89 and the toppling of the democratically elected United National Party government through a premature election called manipulating draconian powers of the executive presidency they themselves despised in 2004 are examples. The damages incurred to the Sri Lankan polity in these vicious circles are immeasurable.The business community members that protest the CEPA must be considerate of this kind of adverse effects of their protests that might ultimately lead to disastrous effects on the nation. We, as leftists, do not believe in the conservatism in the name of safeguarding national states economies. It is the task of the capitalists to move in the path of market liberalization. Socialists must fight against the capitalist system for the rights of the down trodden masses. However, we believe that the forward march of the human socio-economic systems must not stop at nation state. Therefore, safeguarding national economies and state apparatuses should not be in the agendas of the leftists. Socialism, though not clearly defined, is an advanced social system, one beyond the fullest potentials of the capitalist system, that has nothing to share with the backward nation states.CEPA is not leftists' subject. However, leftists must evaluate the situation vis-a-vis their aim of socialism. Socialism will be a reality only in a context labor has achieved the freedom of mobility that capitalism has already achieved.

08 June 2010

Chidambaram, Karunanidhi discuss Lankan Tamils issue

CHENNAI: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi here and discussed the issue of rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils living in transit camps there.The meeting came on a day when Karunanidhi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to take up the issue with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during his upcoming visit to India.After the 15-minute meeting at Karunanidhi’s residence tonight, Chidambaram told reporters that the DMK chief asked him to take up the Sri Lankan Tamils issue with the Prime Minister."He (Karunanidhi) has given me some points on the Sri Lankan issue. I will discuss it with the Prime Minister," Chidambaram said.Earlier in the day, Karunanidhi in his letter to Singh said nearly 80,000 Tamils were still living in transit camps, awaiting rehabilitation measures."Those families who have been rehabilitated and settled elsewhere should also be provided with economic development and justice-based reconciliation to work towards a permanent political settlement," he said.Karunanidhi urged Singh to take up these issues with Rajapakse during the latter’s June 8 visit "as a special agenda and impress upon him the need for earliest rehabilitation measures for Sri Lankan Tamils."A DMK release tonight said Karunanidhi had asked its Parliamentary Party leader T R Baalu to make arrangements for a meeting of MPs from Tamil Nadu with Rajapakse in New Delhi to take up the rehabilitation issue.

MR, TNA discuss reforms

President Mahinda Rajapaksa met members of the Tamil National Alliance late this evening to discuss a political solution to the Tamil issue including constitutional reforms. The meeting comes on the eve of President Rajapaksa’s visit to India tomorrow. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran told Daily Mirror that the structure of the mechanism would be discussed only after the President’s visit to India. However, he said no reference was made to the proposed Indian visit at the meeting today.The TNA MP noted that both the parties stressed the need to restore trust between each other at this hour.“The President asked us to trust him. We also asked him to trust us. When the trust is restored, it is easy to pursue a political solution. We are not for a separate state. That was outlined even in our manifesto. We are for a solution under a united Sri Lanka,” he said.   Asked whether he could cite this meeting as a positive development, he replied, “Well, we have to wait and see how things move.”  He explained, “We discussed various matters pertaining to the displaced persons. We took their issues such as housing, health and food aid. For some matters, we got positive responses.”

India to discuss Sri Lanka reconciliation with Rajapaksa        

India, heavily involved in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka's northeast, will discuss the process of political reconciliation in the country when President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrives here Tuesday on a state visit.On the agenda of the official discussion will be how and what kind of plans Rajapaksa has in his mind to give the Tamil and Muslim minorities self-governance they can be proud of.Since the time he became president in November 2005, Rajapaksa has repeatedly promised to devolve powers to the minorities.But he and his aides have also argued that he needed to be political secure to unleash devolution that would be acceptable to the Sinhalese majority while also pleasing the Tamils and Tamil-speaking Muslims.After militarily crushing the Tamil Tigers in May 2009, Rajapaksa scored decisive wins in the presidential and parliamentary elections in January and April this year, becoming one of the most powerful presidents in Sri Lanka.Now, analysts and policy makers say, Rajapaksa needs to deliver.Rajapaksa will review a military guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan to kick-start a busy Wednesday when he will lay a wreath at the Raj Ghat and follow it up with a meeting with his Indian counterpart Pratibha Patil and wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.After some private engagements, Rajapaksa returns to Colombo Friday.Manmohan Singh, who first became prime minister in 2004, has closely followed the developments in Sri Lanka since Rajapaksa took power the next year. Both the leaders have interacted many times.The Indian prime minister is aware of the complexities in Sri Lanka, including Rajapaksa's promises on devolution and the ground reality besides the aspirations of the minorities and the role of Sinhalese hardliners opposed to devolution.On its part, India has been involved heavily in the reconstruction of Sri Lanka's northern and eastern provinces, the war theatre, and the resettlement of those worst affected by the conflict that bled the country for over a quarter century.With economic ties booming and Indian tourists flocking to Sri Lanka like never before, New Delhi believes it can contribute substantially to Colombo's efforts to restore confidence in the north and east.Among other things, India has contributed huge quantities of medicines, cement and shelter material for those hit by the war and farm packs to resume agriculture in the region.India has also treated thousands of war wounded and given away Jaipur Foot for those who lost their legs in the war. It has helped de-mine vast areas.It wants to lay railway lines in the north, ensure railway rolling stock, set up a large cultural centre in Jaffna, five vocational centres, renovate Jaffna's Duriappah Stadium, and provide for war widows in Batticaloa in the east.It wants to give seeds to farmers in the north and east besides pre-fabricated houses on a massive scale.The sweeping and comprehensive rehabilitation package, mostly done without much fanfare, totals a whopping Rs.2,300 crore, including a $413 million Line of Credit. And more is in the offing.Sri Lanka analyst P. Sahadevan of the Jawaharlal Nehru University here is, however, one of the many now in India who think that Rajapaksa is unlikely to do anything substantial on the devolution front.'He won't say he won't do anything.' Sahadevan told IANS. 'But his definition of political reforms is radically different from what others expect from him. It is time India told him the minimum benchmark. 'But I doubt if that will happen. We seem to be hesitant,' he said. 'And Mahinda Rajapaksa increasingly looks like a monarch.'

Sri Lankan government threatens to execute Sarath Fonseka-UK Guardian

The Sri Lankan government is threatening to execute Sarath Fonseka, the army commander who delivered victory over the Tamil Tigers, if he continues to suggest top officials may have ordered war crimes during the final hours of the civil war.The threat, issued by Sri Lanka's defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the latest sign of a bitter feud within the Sri Lankan political establishment, little more than a year after the end of the Tamil war.Rajapaksa, who worked closely with Fonseka on the aggressive military strategy that crushed the Tigers and who is the brother of the president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, told the BBC's Hardtalk programme that the general had proved himself to be a liar and a traitor.Fonseka resigned from the military soon after the defeat of the Tigers. He is an MP and was the main opposition candidate in January's presidential election – winning 40% of the vote – but within days of his defeat he was arrested. The former war hero is in detention facing a court martial on charges of corruption and politicking while in uniform.Fonseka roused the fury of the ruling Rajapaksa clan when he joined the opposition, a rift which deepened when he suggested there was eyewitness evidence of the defence secretary ordering army officers to shoot and kill surrendering Tamil Tiger leaders at the end of the war. That witness is said to be a Sri Lankan embedded journalist who is in hiding overseas. In a clandestine telephone interview, Fonseka confirmed that he had heard this account. He said he would be prepared to testify to an independent investigation of alleged abuses during the Tamil war. "I will not hide anything," he said.Gotabaya Rajapaksa responded angrily to the prospect of Fonseka giving evidence. "He can't do that. He was the commander!" Rajapaksa said. "That's a treason. We will hang him if he does that. I'm telling you! … How can he betray the country? He is a liar, liar, liar."The defence secretary also ruled out any possibility of an independent, third-party investigation of alleged war crimes committed by both the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers in the final phase of the war. "We are an independent country, we have the ability to investigate all these things," he said.Colombo insists that no civilians were killed by the army during their final assault on the Tigers' last redoubt, despite evidence from the UN and international NGOs which points to thousands of civilian deaths.With a strong electoral mandate and a big majority in parliament, President Mahinda Rajapaksa seems intent on ruling postwar Sri Lanka without heed to critics at home or abroad. He has turned his administration into something of a family business. As well as his brother in defence, another brother is minister of economic development, another is speaker of the parliament, and his son is a newly elected MP. In all, the Rajapaksas are responsible for spending more than two-thirds of the state budget.Sri Lanka's budget deficit, at some 8% of GDP, is significantly above targets set by the IMF in return for a $2.6bn loan package, but the government is committed to a big programme of postwar spending.In and around Kilinochchi, the former capital of the Tamil Tiger northern fiefdom, investment is essential. Houses are destroyed, farmland is lost to jungle and swaths of territory are off-limits to civilians as the army continues to clear mines.The de facto internment camp at Menic Farm, which was filled with almost 300,000 Tamil civilians a year ago, is emptying fast. Every day, families line up for hours for buses heading to their home villages across the northern Vanni region. But they wait with precious little sense of expectation.Thambirasa Karunamurthy, a farmer with three children, said: "We came here with one plastic bag of belongings and we're going home with no money, no assets, nothing. We have to start life again in a barren land … we don't know what we are going to do."On every road and around every settlement, soldiers man guard posts and checkpoints. The government has promised to integrate the north into the national economy. It has ruled out significant Tamil autonomy."If there is no political solution, the conclusion will be that the government wants to impose military victory on the Tamil people, and that the Tamils will never accept," said the veteran leader of the Tamil National Alliance, Rajavarothiam Sampanthan.He talks of "organising and resisting through non-violent means". But in the ruined villages of the north, resistance of any sort seems like a thing of the past.The Tamil Tigers appear to have been finished for good. Those who were not killed in the war were rounded up and detained. Only a handful of fighters escaped. One of them, an LTTE bomb-maker now in hiding, denied reports that Tiger cadres forcibly held Tamil civilians in their last redoubt. Despite the evidence, he denied that the Tigers conscripted child soldiers, and silenced Tamil dissent. "You will see, within the next two or three years these very same Tamil people will begin a new armed struggle," he said. "A new war led by a new leadership.""I am not afraid to die," he said, "but my only worry is that the Tamil people will slowly disappear."Although the war is over, the government has not lifted the state of emergency. Authorities say Sri Lanka's security is still at risk, whether it be from Tamil "terrorist organisations" overseas, or "traitors" at home."We want to bring normalcy to this country, but we have suffered from terrorism for 30 years, so it has to happen gradually," said defence secretary Rajapaksa.

Stephen Sackur's Hardtalk on the Road series from Sri Lanka is on the BBC News Channel this week

The background
Sri Lanka's government declared victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on 19 May last year, ending a 25-year civil war. Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group have estimated that 30,000 civilians were killed in the final months of conflict, a charge the Sri Lankan government has denied.Amnesty says 300,000 Tamils were displaced, detained in camps and denied access to aid during the closing months of the war. It also accused the Tamil Tigers of human rights violations, using civilians as human shields and using "threats and violence to prevent them from fleeing the conflict zone".The Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, announced an inquiry on 17 May to investigate the final phase of the war, a move met with scepticism by observers. The UN has also been criticised for its inaction over the alleged civilian deaths. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon,has promised a separate UN investigation.

India’s concerns in Sri Lanka:  By Col R Hariharan

 LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE

 When Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa visits New Delhi from June 8 to June 11 he will be stronger than ever before. The three things he achieved in his first term of office – wiping out Prabhakaran and his Tamil Tigers, re-election for a second term with increased margin of votes and an unprecedented victory in parliamentary poll with 60% mandate from the voters - give him the confidence to talk from a position of strength to New Delhi.  Added to this Rajapaksa, in spite of his deceptive simplicity, has cleverly turned the Sinhala triumphalism in the wake of victory in the Eelam War to eliminate potential rivals. The popular hero of the Eelam War General Sarath Fonseka is facing court-martials. And the suave and articulate UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is locked in a survival struggle to retain his position as leader of the United National Party.  With Sri Lanka under his sway for next seven years, New Delhi will be contending the rejuvenated Mahinda Rajapaksa - the most powerful head of state from Sri Lanka ever to visit the Indian capital.  Is New Delhi ready for the rejuvenated Rajapaksa? It should be because Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has his own success story. He is stronger politically after an enlarged mandate from the people for his second term of office. The destructive coalition partners and opposition he faced in earlier term have been cut down to size. The Congress-led coalition’s economic management, despite complaints of absence of transparency, cronyism and corruption, has maintained the country on the growth path. Dr Manmohan Singh’s aspiration to take India-US relationship is getting a further lease of life. Of course this is largely due to the US coming to terms with the limitations in building a win-win relationship with China ignoring India.  In spite of all this, New Delhi continues to show a subsuming hesitancy in handling Sri Lanka. If we look at the silent support New Delhi had provided the President ever since he was elected in 2005 and all along thereafter, both sides appear to have worked out a flexible model of collaboration, co-ordination and at times mutual condescension.  The collaboration came with India providing Sri Lanka all facilities, short of modern weapons, to improve the capability of its armed forces. It provided real time intelligence to control, curb, and destroy the  international logistic and support system of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). But Indian leadership could not trumpet its support as it had to tread the ground carefully at home as the ruling Congress-led coalition was weak and depended upon octogenarian leader Karunanidhi and the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu.The shrewd Tamil Nadu chief minister milked the Eelam issue to gain maximum clout in New Delhi and divided the sympathy votes for Eelam Tamils at home in Chennai.  As the war is over logically India should be expecting dividends from Rajapaksa for its support. And the expectations are probably on three major fronts: equity for Tamil minority, closer economic bonds, and greater strategic convergence between the two nations with India remaining a favoured partner in Sri Lanka’s strategic horizon. President Rajapaksa’s style is to turn compulsions into favours to be dispensed at a time and situation of his choosing. So how will India handle him?

INTERNATIONAL DISCOURSES OF SRI LANKA

As K Venkatramanan of the Times of India said in a recent seminar, the Eelam war and its aftermath in Sri Lanka has thrown up a few international discourses. India has to show a sustaining interest in handling these discourses to fulfil its responsibilities as a nation. What are these discourses?

Human rights and humanitarian issues

How to deal with Sri Lanka (or any other nation in a similar situation) that has chosen to ignore international calls for improving its accountability on human rights as it feels it infringes its sovereignty. The European Union and the UK will continue to pressurise Sri Lanka on this count in the coming months. What should be India’s attitude on this moral issue cloaked in politics? India cannot afford to be either wholly idealistic or coldly real politick when human rights skeletons are rattling in its own counter terrorist operations. Can India continue to depend only upon back room diplomacy to prevail upon Sri Lanka to produce results, particularly when it is dealing with an ever more powerful Rajapaksa?

Increased profile of the U.S. and China in Sri Lanka

 In Sri Lanka’s war and its aftermath both the U.S. and China asserted their roles with greater visibility and gained a strong foothold. India facilitated this by playing a muted role due to self imposed restraints due to internal political considerations. After the war Sri Lanka is facing two major problems in resolving which it needs international help.  The first is the huge financial outlay required to rebuild north and east, and to speed up economic recovery to repair the crippling effect of war. The second is the growing pressure on Sri Lanka articulated by the UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon and in the UN human rights forums.  Though India can match either the U.S. or China in meeting Sri Lanka’s economic needs, only the U.S. and China, as UN Security Council members with veto powers, can influence the UN course of action against Sri Lanka. This is going be crucial as the international lobby against war crimes in Sri Lanka is gathering more momentum. So logically, President Rajapaksa will have to accommodate the U.S. and China more in the national strategic spectrum without treading upon India’s toes. Will he do it is a more difficult question than can he do it? And what is going to be New Delhi’s strategy?

Tamil issue

 During the war, many Sri Lankan Tamils rightly or wrongly perceive India as the villain that helped Rajapaksa bury the Eelam dream. Of course, in their passionate denouement they conveniently forget that India had always been opposed to independent Tamil Eelam. But this disenchantment of India has not been countervailed by increase in favourable Sinhalese attitude towards India. Even half-hearted Indian efforts to bring ethnic amity in Sri Lanka are still looked upon by many of them  with suspicion.  So unlike in the past, India has a problem at hand in carrying its voice heard in Sri Lanka in the midst of cacophony of its detractors. As the Tamil issue has an umbilical connection with Tamils in India and the Diaspora elsewhere its tugs and pulls go far and wide. This should not be understood merely in terms of electoral politics in which it continues as a peripheral issue. It has larger moral and social implications for Tamil society and its sensitivities. It should not be forgotten the Tamil society is only recently overcoming the sense of exclusivity and alienation that had bugged it since early days of India’s independence. A recent manifestation of this phenomenon was seen in the strident calls that came from Tamil movie industry for boycott of the non political International Indian Film Academy awards function in Colombo. Thus India’s actions and their impact on Sri Lanka continue to be relevant to Tamil people everywhere regardless of their attitude to India.  This sensitivity rules the minds of many among Sri Lanka Tamil Diaspora still recovering from the elimination of the Tamil Tigers as a powerful entity. They are smarting under the loss of face as many Sinhalese are trumpeting their triumphalism. And President Rajapaksa had shown no hurry to address Tamil sensitivities on the issue of autonomy, perhaps because there is no Prabhakaran to threaten Sri Lanka’s unity. He has largely chosen to ignore the need for animation of the 13th amendment that is serving only as a wall paper of the Tamil issue. India had been promoting its full implementation as a face saving device; but Rajapaksa had so far shown a marked reluctance even to save India’s face, let alone tackle the Tamil issue head on. So what is India’s strategy?

 Economic discourse

 For some years now India had been building its economic relations with Sri Lanka. By signing its first ever the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1998, India has shown Sri Lanka has a preferred status in its relations over other countries of South Asia. It is not merely Sri Lanka’s demonstrated capacity to remain with the highest human development index and highest GDP among South Asian countries that triggered India’s economic foray. Sri Lanka’s domination of the Indian Ocean also has a part to play in its economic strategy.  In the last nine years since the FTA came into play India-Sri Lanka trade has increased by four times to US $ 2719 million (2009). In fact, in the SAARC region Sri Lanka is now India’s second largest trading partner. The two countries set up a Joint Study Group in April 2003 to enlarge the scope and content of the FTA and work out a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). After 13 rounds of negotiations the CEPA has been given a final shape.  The CEPA when signed will take the mutual trade between the two countries to higher levels of cooperation and coordination. The proposed agreement addresses four areas: trade in goods; trade in services; economic cooperation (in mutually agreed areas like fisheries, energy, pharmaceuticals, textiles, financial, infrastructure, tourism etc) and investment issues. In real terms it provides for seamless customs procedures, consumer protection standards and  procedures.  There had been some delay in signing this agreement due to opposition among sections of local business community in Sri Lanka. This is understandable as India is already a dominant trading partner with large economic clout. Both countries will have to convince them of the advantages in signing the CEPA. Of course, traditional India baiters among political parties now using the CEPA bogey will have to be tackled politically. President Rajapaksa who is supportive of the agreement will probably sign it at a time of his choosing - a politically opportune moment. From India’s point of view signing of CEPA is important as it signifies the growth of relations between the two nations to a higher level. It could also signal the graduation of SAARC from a talk shop to a forum of solid achievement as the CEPA would set a precedence for other members to enhance economic cooperation. Thus it will have implications for the region and beyond. So how India is going to push it through?

TALKS IN NEW DELHI

Considering the complex issues cooking in India-Sri Lanka platter for sometime, President Rajapaksa’s visit assumes importance. However, according to media reports emanating from New Delhi, out of the 11 agreements under negotiation, only five have been finalised and are ready for signing. The five agreements do not include crunch issues. They relate to cooperation to fight terrorism, transfer of sentenced prisoners, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, cultural cooperation, and Indian assistance for small development projects in Sri Lanka. So apparently there are not going to be any dramatic breakthroughs except for the usual diplomatic rhetoric. But President Rajapaksa is a man full of surprises, as Prabhakaran discovered to his detriment. So what is going to come out of his visit? We will have to wait and see.

Editor ordered to surrender notebook to CID

Colombo Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratne yesterday allowed a special application by the Deputy Solicitor General to have the Editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Frederica Jansz hand over the original notebook in which she had scribbled notes during an interview with General (retd) Sarath Fonseka last December. When the case against General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, in which he is alleged to have involved himself in politics while being in the army was taken up, DSG Wasantha Navaratne Bandara, filing the application under Section 124 of the Criminal Procedure Code, submitted that the respondent had told Frederica Jansz, Editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper published on December 8, 2009, that the Defence Secretary ordered Brigadier Shavendra Silva to shoot down LTTE fighters coming to surrender carrying white flags. The DSG submitted that the CID had obtained a photocopy of the notebook in which the Editor had scribbled the contents of the interview with the respondent. However, she had refused to hand over the original notebook, which was important evidence. The Magistrate allowing the application, ordered that notice be issued by registered post to the Sunday Leader Editor who is a resident of Talapathpitiya Road in Udahamulla, directing her to hand over the notebook to the CID. Attorney- at-Law Nalin Laduwahetty, appearing for the respondent said he believed that Frederica Jansz could have written many things in the notebook on different occasions whenever she wished. That was the reason why she could not hand over the original notebook. The counsel wanted the CID to specifically state in the application the kind of notebook they wanted from the Editor. DSG: The book which contains the contents of the interview. The Magistrate directed the photocopies in custody of the CID to be compared with the pages of the notebook and ordered the respondent Fonseka to be handed over to military custody until the next date of hearing. The Magistrate further ordered Frederica Jansz to appear in Court with the notebook and postponed further hearings for July 21.

Single PC for north, east is ideal entry towards political solution

Samasamaja Party Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne says the creation of a single provincial council for both the northern and eastern provinces after strengthening the provincial council system will be the ideal entry towards a political solution.Dr. Karunaratne told 'Colombo Today' that PCs should be given more powers, including powers of the police.He also called for a speedy change to the electoral system, but said the proportional representation should continue with amendments.The PR system could be done away with at the urban and pradeshiya sabha levels, Dr. Karunaratne said.Commenting on constitutional reforms, he said it should be aimed at abolishing the executive presidency.Instead of doing so and talking about creating a presidential position that is accountable to parliament will merely be a gimmick, he said.Constitutional reforms would be meaningful only through the creation of a prime ministerial position that is accountable to parliament, the NSSP leader added.

Victory rally celebrations for war victory will be held on the forthcoming 18th

Reports states the war victory rally celebrations, in regard to the victory achieved against the Tamil Eelam Liberation tigers will be held on the forthcoming 18th. The events are organized at Colombo Galle Face Green was mentioned by a Senior Military officer. On last May 20th, it was planned to celebrate the victory celebrations, in view of the one year anniversary for defeating the TamiL Eelam Liberation tigers, but due to the worst weather conditions in the country, the event was announced for an indefinite postponement. But due to changes in the present weather conditions in the country, the war victory celebrations are planned to hold on the forthcoming 18th.

Four Bank branches open at Kilinochchi district

Four Bank branches will be opened in the Kilinochchi district to build the northern provincial peoples living standards. On this basis Commercial Bank, Seylan Bank will be opened at Kilinochchi town and Peoples Bank’S two branches one will be introduced at Kilinochchi and other at Paranthan is according to reports. Through this bank the area people will be granted loan for development of agriculture and housing loans.

PREMADASA ERA IS NOT FAR AWAY: SAJITH PREMADASA

The United National Party Parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa yesterday stressed the importance of having a culture related to welfare in the country and pledged that the Premadasa era was not far away.Sajith made this comment addressing a public meeting in the Batagassa area in Katuwana, Hambanthota yesterday.“It is important to have a culture related to welfare in the country. Some, by looking at economic concepts in other countries, say that there is no need to have welfare in Sri Lanka. They say that there is no need to have a welfare scheme for the poor. They also say that there is no need to have the Samurdhi scheme in the country,” he said.He noted that some politicians were trying to tell the people that there was no need for free education and free health system in the country.“I am telling you today that the Premadasa era that crowns the average man is not far away,” said Sajith.He stressed that the ordinary masses of the country would never allow the privileged classes, stooges of colonial forces and mercenaries to take control of the UNP or the political structure of Sri Lanka.“I'm telling you today that the Premadasa era, where the ordinary man will be crowned, is not far away,” said Sajith.

Historical Shift - India, Sri Lanka and the Tamils by Ramu Manivannan

There is a kind of moral stagnation facing us in this country regarding India’s foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. There are historical shifts taking place with profound implications for the future. Indian government’s complicity to the present status of Tamils in Sri Lanka is only comparable to a situation which the historians of twentieth century lament about the early European indifference and the British appeasement policies towards Adolf Hitler and the resultant impact of systemic State violence against the Jewish minorities in Nazi Germany. Neither the horror of mass civilian deaths during the final stages of the military conflict between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam(LTTE) nor the homelessness and internment of the Tamil civilians had made our government and the civil society to ask “ why and how did this catastrophe take place in our neighbourhood?”  A major transition has been underway in India’s foreign policy towards Sri Lanka in the last two decades as a result of influential opinions propelled through persuasion than an assessment of the ground realities.  The Indian dualism has finally surfaced after a long period of self denials. Truth remains, though weak and very insecure. India, on the one hand, had long been advocating a political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. On the other, India had also been an active part of the Sri Lanka government’s war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) through covert political, economic, military (surveillance and intelligence networking, supply of small weapon, radars, select technical and combat training) and diplomatic facilitation of the ways of war in the island nation. It is crucial to know that the Sri Lankan government war against the LTTE was a multilateral exercise of involving at least eight nations at the surface including China, Israel and Pakistan. But we cannot remain oblivious of the fact that India has been the lynchpin of the consensual polygonal strategies. The result is before us to see. The political, economic, military and diplomatic support extended by the Indian government to the Sri Lankan governments in its approach to military solution has consistently been acknowledged by the international community. More particularly by the now estranged Sri Lankan war trio, Mahinda Rajapakse, Gotabaya Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka in several national, political and diplomatic forums. Basel Rajapakse shuttled between Colombo and New Delhi during the final phase of the Eelam-IV like a viceroy’s nominee in the imperial era, while his brother Gotabaya Rajapakse engaged the Chinese military delegations at home.  India has now become increasingly shy of acknowledging the Sri Lankan moral obeisance resembling Benito Mussolini’s famous gesture to Adolf Hitler after the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The Congress leadership and its loyal mandarins at South Block may have settled the score with the LTTE and particularly with its leadership but they have unintentionally dragged the nation into shame at the internment of 300,000 Tamils in the camps under inhuman conditions and death of several thousand innocent Tamil civilians at the end of the war in May 2009.  The Indian waiver during the final push resulted in indiscriminate bombings, routine violations of the ‘No Fire Zone’, the use of nerve gas, chemical bombs and ultimately the loss of enormous human lives. Today the Indian government is at the edge in hearing about its unintended complicity to the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka which is no longer a vague phenomenon. This choice of military solution has been under way ever since the return of the Congress in 2004 and with the appointment of Mahinda Rajapakse as an Executive President of Sri Lanka in 2005.  This was not only a historical coincidence but also the most crucial and lasting development in their joint strategy of ‘fight to finish the LTTE phenomena’. There are other factors such as the US inspired counter-terrorism measures after the twin towers strike by Al-Qaeda in 2001. The US factor became the global catalyst in Sri Lankan government’s drive against the LTTE. Ironically, the challenges emanating from Persian Gulf, West Asia and South Asia (read as Pakistan) has not diminished for the United States. Pakistan had never fully cooperated as the Front Line State of the US led strategy against global terrorism. The challenges faced by the US in Afghanistan are the best revelation of the Pakistan factor and the deep rooted connection between the Islamic fundamentalists and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan. India on the other hand has become an indispensable rebound space to keep Pakistan under lid. This unearthing American strategy has brought political dividends for India but exposed the vulnerability of its internal security while US tightened the bolts of its homeland security at home. Indian government had unfortunately ended up guarding Sri Lanka in the region like the Americans infamously got entangled in the domestic politics of Latin American countries in the 1970s. Sri Lankan State and its ruling elites have been the major beneficiaries of this significant shift taking place both at the regional and international arena since the beginning of this global drive against terrorism.  Historically, the State lexicons have had no mention of State terrorism and the extraordinary violence and brutality committed in the name of counter-terrorism. The Indian government is at sea again with its renewed old and familiar role in Sri Lankan politics. It is under pressure once again to protect the Sri Lankan State and its ruling elites from the extraordinary challenges like it did in the early 1970s and later in the mid eighties. The emerging evidence about the Sri Lankan government’s request to the Indian government in August, 2009 to keep its troops in alert as Mahinda Rajapakse feared a military coup led by Sarath Fonseka, the former Chief of the Sri Lankan armed forces. This has been revealed by none other than Sarath Fonseka himself though at a less convincing occasion for spelling truth – the 2010 Presidential Elections. There is no doubt about the location of Indian sympathy as no one would expect the Indian government to walk away, at this stage, from Mahinda Rajapakse even we may have reservations about his dictatorial rule and family oligarchy as alleged by Sarath Fonseka. It was no coincidence that the Congress party chose to send two of its Rajya Sabha members as delegates to attend the 19th Convention of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in November 2009. The visit of the Congress Rajya Sabha members need not have raised eye brows anywhere under normal circumstances but for the emerging political/electoral scenario then in Sri Lanka and the crisis of the Tamils inside the island nation. This was the another opportunity for consolidation of the political and diplomatic ties, as the Congress Party and its leadership perceived, between ruling entities in both India and Sri Lanka. This is also a part of the major transition which is under way for sometime, yet another daring reaffirmation of the paradigm shift.There are major changes taking place in the geo-strategic environment of South Asia and in the politics of Indian Ocean. Both India and China are vying for a competitive edge over one another. The Chinese who have been long been obsessed with an idea of  creating a ring of military and strategic watch posts around India have now acquired a new grip due to their growing influence within the Sri Lankan government. The traditional Chinese modus operandi are all here for exhibition such as development aid, military supplies and the traditional road constructions besides the well anchored Hambantota Harbour project.  All these developments indicate that the Indian government must now learn to live with the greater Chinese presence across the Palk Straits. Gwadar in Pakistan, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Sitwe (Akyab) in Myanmar have become part of China’s strategic triangle. The rationale, hence, is that India must respond and the Indian response would always imply to ‘appease’ the foe.  India is also a part of the larger assessment in the US worldview, as the potential check and balance to the China factor in the Asian theatre of geo-politics.  There is an active politics of containment in the Indian Ocean region between Indian, China and USA. There is a mutual suspicion and competition among these powers. However, there is certain gloom and uncertainty in India’s bilateral ties with its neighbours in the recent period. On the one hand, Pakistan continues to be the major obsession with the policy makers in New Delhi and on the other, Sri Lanka has emerged as its Achilles heel.  The uncertainty of stable ties with Nepal and the politically embarrassing support to the military junta in Myanmar are further revelations that the South Block is engaged in a shadow boxing with the Chinese foreign policy establishment. The disappearance of an influential Tamil opinion in the island politics and the loss of traditional bargaining chip of the Indian government done in the name of Tamils are major set backs that Indian government is not able to gauge at this stage. Tamils, both historically and culturally viewed of India as a natural ally and an eternal protector.  This attitude of Tamils had been the source of Indian legitimacy in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict situation.  The Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamils Diaspora abroad during their interaction with the outer world in the recent past had expressed a common position that they are at pains to reconcile with the truth of Indian betrayal. Indian government has at last found ‘something better than the rights of Tamils in the rights of its own national interests’ to persuade the Sri Lankan government to accommodate.  This is the historical shift that the Tamils in Sri Lanka and Tamils Diaspora abroad are preparing to understand. The relationship between the Indian government and the Sri Lankan government has long been conditioned by the survival instinct of the Sri Lankan State and its traditional ruling elites. Indian government is also aware of the strategic potential of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean region and its vulnerability as well as the conflicting demands from major powers such as China and USA. India has simply overstepped in its strategic zeal to destroy its cultural vessel of Tamil community in a strategically crucial Indian Ocean state. It has lost the trust of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The radical Sinhala elements have always dreamt of dismantling this Indian influence with the Tamils. Indian government has undone what has taken several centuries to build this natural bond and mutual trust.  Tamils now look up to an external guarantor for their survival in Sri Lanka given the nature of political democracy practiced in that country.  India will not be trusted to play the role of moderator or mediator for at least another two decades or until the memory of Indian betrayal lasts in the minds of Tamils in Sri Lanka.  Under the present circumstances India can no longer be trusted to play this role. This is another dimension to the paradigm shift in island politics. This brings the US and other Western countries as advocates of Tamils rights and dignity in the island nation. The Indian government must contend with defending the Sri Lankan State and its political elites while the form and content of the Sri Lankan democracy remains the enigma of the military dictators around the world.  Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan had famously wondered at the extraordinary powers enjoyed by the then President Junius Jayawardane of Sri Lanka in an elected democracy, which he had never managed even through the military coup.   Mahinda Rajapakse had gone further to convert the Executive Presidency into a family fiefdom.  There is a history before us that some of the worst dictatorial regimes in the world have been elected by the people and the appalling dictators have also come through the front gates of democracy.  Sri Lanka’s problems are more serious than the worrying ‘Tamil Question’ and they will not disappear by ignoring or denying them as the Indian government wants to do.  Sri Lanka must get ready to face and accept more fundamental challenges surrounding its polity revolving around the bigoted political system.  India, on its part, must desist from defending the elitist constitutional democracy run by the leaflets of National Security State laws for over four decades now.  India must help Sri Lanka to search for justice than contribute to the erosion of such a cherished and noble goal. The stain in our hands should not be allowed to possess our hearts.

07 June 2010

K’nidhi writes to PM on Lanka

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Sunday requested Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take up the issue of Tamils still living in transit camps in Sri Lanka during his meeting with the president of the island nation.In a letter to Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi said nearly 80,000 Tamils are still living in transit camps and they are awaiting rehabilitation measures by the Sri Lankan government."Those families who have been rehabilitated and settled elsewhere also be provided with economic development and justice-based reconciliation to work towards a permanent political settlement," he said.He urged the prime minister to take up these issues during his meeting with Sri Lankan President at New Delhi on Tuesday "as a special agenda and impress upon him the need for earliest rehabilitation measures to Sri Lankan Tamils."Karunanidhi said Colombo had promised to rehabilitate all Sri Lankan Tamils living in transit camps before December 2009

Pillayan in India for talks

Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan is in India for talks with Indian officials following an invitation extended by the Indian government, a spokesman for the Chief Minister told Daily Mirror online.Chandrakanthan was invited to India by Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao during the latter’s visit to Sri Lanka recently. Rao had met Chandrakanthan and discussed the developments in the East as well as a political solution to the Tamil issue.The Eastern Province Chief Minister is leading a delegation to India which includes members of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP), the political party led by Chandrakanthan, the spokesman said.

Adopt Indian model constitution: Anandasangaree

President of Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Veerasingham Anandasangaree, on the eve of President Rajapaksa’s visit to New Delhi, has reiterated that only way to find a solution to the ethnic problem is adopting the Indian model constitution, and the unitary system would never help.In his letter to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the TULF leader said whatever solution found, after so much of loss of life and property, should be acceptable to all sections of the people and also should be a lasting one that should not be meddled with, in the future, to the detriment of any group of people.

Here is his full text of his letter to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa:

“I am happy to note that you are taking the initiative to start negotiations to find a satisfactory solution for the ethnic problem. As a first step your impending visit to New Delhi shortly is very much welcomed by the people. Whatever solution found, after so much of loss of life and property, should be acceptable to all sections of the people and also should be a lasting one that should not be meddled with, in the future, to the detriment of any group of people.Your Excellency is very well aware of my views in this matter. I have been always of the view that a solution under a unitary system will never help to find a solution and as the only alternative the Indian model may be adopted, without leaving room for any division of the country, if necessary with guarantees by India. I wish to quote here an extract of my speech delivered on the 23rd of January 2008 at Temple trees, at the handing over ceremony of the APRC proposal by Prof.Tissa Vitharane, to you.“It is no secret that we had been agitating for a solution based on the federal concept and also offered to accept the Indian Model as the only alternative, if the term federal is allergic to anyone. We have not changed our views in this matter and in the matter of merger of the North and the East. We assure everybody that while spurning violence, we will by non-violent means and in a friendly way, continue to persuade the citizens of our country to agree that no permanent solution can be found under a Unitary System. We will continue to dispel the fears of those who think that the country will be divided. We will take all steps to erase off the minds of our people the idea of separation and to strongly support the concept of a united Sri Lanka.”Annexed please find my response to Mr. Sampanthan’s appeal that the Government and the International community should accept the verdict given by the people of the North and the East, should be accepted. I strongly object to this request since the ITAK (TNA) polled only 65119 votes which is only 9% of the total voters in the electoral district of Jaffna. Furthermore the IDPs could not cast their votes properly due to various reasons. Hence kindly see that all Tamil parties are consulted whether they have representation in Parliament or not.

Also please find annexed a copy of my speech referred to here, as reported in The Island of 25th January 2008.”

-V. Anandasangaree, President- TULF

Anandasangaree’s response to R. Sampanthan

The following is Anandasangaree’s response to Mr. R. Sampanthan’s appeal that the Government and the International Community should accept the verdict of the People of the North and the East: “It is now about two months since the General Election to the Sri Lankan Parliament was held. I am not to comment on the verdict of the people but as far as the election in the North and the East is concerned I have a few observations to make. Mr. R. Sampanthan, the leader of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi and its Parliamentary group leader has appealed that the Government and the International Community should accept the verdict given by the People of the North and the East. He also warns that otherwise the Tamil People will be pushed to the state of second – class citizens. This statement is often heard in their circles during the elections only. Why did it occur to Mr. Sampanthan that they may not be acceptable to the Government and the International Community? On the basis of the total votes his ITAK polled, his claim is ridiculous. At the recently held general election his party polled only 65119 votes, which is only 9% of the total polled in the electoral district of Jaffna. Mr. Sampanthan’s party lost its credibility fully at the general election held in 2004, although he was crowing about that his party polled over 90% of the total votes polled in the Jaffna electoral district. Reference to the reports of the various election monitoring teams including those of the European Union and the Commonwealth, will reveal how fraudulently that election was held and how large scale impersonations and violations of election laws took place. Two local teams the PAFFRAL and the CMEV jointly demanded annulling of the elections held and wanted a fresh poll, which the Commissioner of Elections could not undertake without provisions for fresh poll in the election law. It is only under these circumstances that the ITAK won 22 of the 23 Tamil majority seats at the 2004 election. Further more the ITAK used the popular name “Tamil National Alliance” to hood-wink the Tamil voters. With the split in the TULF in February 2004 the TNA either stood dissolved or became non-functional. The ITAK was utilized by the Late Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan of the LTTE, to form a new alliance by the same name and gave two positions for the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi, two for TELO, one each for the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and Premachandran’s EPRLF and retained the balance six positions for the LTTE. The ITAK won 22 seats and completed a full term of six years using the name Tamil National Alliance.With the defeat of the LTTE on 18th of May 2009 the ITAK continued to function as TNA, until Parliament was dissolved in February 2010. The ITAK should have dissolved the TNA when they dropped the LTTE, the ACTC, two members from the TELO and some others from Vanni and Batticaloa, but continued to use that name at the last Parliamentary Election as well. This is the mess the ITAK that calls itself the TNA is now in. The ITAK should be honest enough to give up calling itself TNA without misleading the Tamil People. The most unfortunate thing is that the true history of the TNA had been concealed and the innocent Tamil People are made to believe, knowingly or innocently, by some intellectuals, political analysts, university students, free lance journalists and many such others, that the present TNA is the original TNA formed in 2001, of which I was the President and that the Tamils have no choice other than supporting the TNA at the election.The cat is now out of the bag. The voters who had been waiting to teach a lesson for those who had let them down during the last six years as Members of Parliament, are thoroughly disappointed that they had been misled once again. The voters now feel that their Members of Parliament not only failed to do their duty to the people, whom they claimed to have represented, but had also failed to save several thousands of their kith and kin and several billions worth of their properties. All those who guided the voters to cast their votes for the ITAK, using the popular name the TNA, should bear the blame for the loss of lives and properties. These 22 representatives kept mum about the compensation the people are entitled to, for the lives and properties lost. When the whole world demanded that the LTTE should not use the innocent civilians as human shields and should release them forthwith, the only organization that should have been more concerned about the people whom they claimed to represent, remained silent. Mr. R. Sampanthan whether as leader of the ITAK or of the Tamil National Alliance has lost his moral right to represent the Tamils of the North and the East. I leave it to the good sense of those people who misdirected the voters to vote for the TNA at the eleventh hour, to decide as to whether the stand they took is justifiable.Mr. Sampanthan too had not failed to thank the media that helped the TNA to win a few seats. But strangely enough joint efforts of all these people could not help the TNA to go beyond 65119 compared to 113873 votes General Sarath Fonseka polled which Mr. Sampanthan claimed as due to his efforts. The most distressing thing is the irresponsible manner in which those who campaigned for the TNA conducted themselves. The so called Intellectuals some University Students, some free-lance journalists and some media persons, all got together and concealed what happened behind the scene during the last lap of the war.

22 MPs were on jaunts abroad

In short the fact that some Members of Parliaments of the TNA’s 22, were on jaunts abroad for years together, some for more than half the period of their membership in Parliament, claiming to be lobbying abroad, some others were campaigning in India for the defeat of the Congress Government, some were just marking time without returning to Sri Lanka until the required number of civilians were killed, for the International Community to react positively favoring the LTTE, the mass scale killings of LTTE injured cadre, recruitment of child soldiers even during the last lap of the war, were all concealed from the voters. When some of these matters were brought to the notice of a TNA Member of Parliament based in Mullaitheevu, he seems to have commented that these things cannot be avoided in a war. He was last seen in Vanni distributing water pumps, sewing machines, etc to the voters.It is now very obvious that all forces joined together within Sri Lanka and outside to oust me from the political arena. Why should there be an organized campaign to oust me, soliciting the support of Tamils from all walks of life, is a thing I could not understand. What wrong have I done to my country and its people? I have not harmed any body at anytime and served the country and its people with much devotion for more than half a century. It is not for me to say that but I consider my defeat at the poll as a national loss and those responsible for it will have their regrets. Very soon the country as a whole will feel it and the Tamil people will feel left in the lurch like orphans. If the Tamil people had listened to my advice a lot of problems could have been solved. Selfishness of certain leaders did not permit the people to listen to me. On the contrary, abuse had been showered on me in a demeaning manner, far beyond a man’s limit of tolerance. I was honoured with the honorary title of “Traitor” a term used in our country to insult a political opponent.The idea of finding a solution to the ethnic problem based on the Indian model was first mooted by me. It was during the Presidential Election of 2005 that I appealed to all Presidential Candidates, the two main Candidates in particular, to take the ethnic issue out of the campaign and treat it separately by arriving at a consensus among the candidates after the election. I suggested the Indian model which I found acceptable to very many. I had discussed this matter with His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa when he was Prime Minister and later also after he was elected as President. This matter was discussed with many at various levels. Most of those whom I contacted, such as Prime Minister, Ministers, Party Leaders, the Opposition Leader, Religious Dignitaries, like Right Rev. Bishops, Very Venerable Mahanayakas, leading Citizens of all ethnic groups and many such others. I hardly found any opposition for my proposal.

India, the largest democracy in the world

The main reasons for my proposing the Indian model were, first of all it will satisfy those who are allergic to the terms Federal and Unitary. The second reason was to silence the 80 million Tamils across the Palk-Strait, and the third, apart from many others, was the Political setup prevailing in India at that time. The largest democracy in the world with a majority Hindu population had a much respected Muslim as the Head of the State, in-spite of the fact that India had strained feelings with the neighboring Islamic States. Furthermore Sikhs form only 2% of the population. It is the Sikhs who demanded kalistan. It is a much respected Sikh who is now the Prime Minister of India. Apart from these the Tamils, Muslims and the Sinhalese, our religions Hinduism and Buddhism and our culture all came from India. Above all there is an overall and all time guarantee that India will never allow division of the country. Another important factor is that it was Tamil Nadu where the demand for separation started over fifty years back and now ceased. No one talks about separation in Tamil Nadu today.Six years back there was a general understanding among various ethnic groups, to accept the Indian model perhaps with minor adjustments to suit local conditions. We could have accepted it if only the ITAK took the Initiative and negotiated with the LTTE or persuaded them to accept the Indian model. The ITAK – TNA did nothing then, although they were the proxies of the LTTE. Having missed so many opportunities and after so many thousand innocent lives lost and billions worth of property destroyed Mr. Sampanthan is now talking about the Indian model, that too half heartedly. If the TNA had accepted my proposal then how much of losses for our people could have been avoided. Having remained silent on this issue so long, he openly commented supporting it for the first time at a meeting of the ITAK-TNA at Kalmunai on the 20th of January, in support of the Presidential Candidate General Sarath Fonseka. At that meeting he did not have the courtesy to say that the Indian Model idea was first mooted by me or at least had my support. Once again on the 20th of April a national Tamil daily carried a front page news item under the caption “we are prepared to support a solution based on the Indian model”. Even on this occasion neither that daily nor Mr. Sampanthan did mention it as my proposal or have my support. He only said that this matter had already been referred to by the President. It is this attitude of Mr. Sampanthan that had brought the Tamil Community to this state. The whole world knows that this idea was mine. I do not remember the President ever saying this. Even if the President had said so it is purely due to the request I made to him during the Presidential election. Mr. Sampanthan’s claim is that the President made this reference after he was elected as President. This is one very glaring example of Mr. Sampanthan’s very selfish attitude. As for me I want a solution acceptable to the minorities, whether it comes through Mr. Sampanthan or from anybody else. Let Mr. Sampanthan claim credit for anything and let any media project anyone they want as heroes. All what I want is a solution for our people and the honorable title of “traitor” bestowed on me removed, for me to die peacefully. Those who claimed the TNA as the best bet for the Tamils should withdraw what they had said. Contrary to finding a satisfactory solution, such claims had only messed up the whole thing. Anyone having any personal grudge against me, should not mix it up with my political career which in over half a century old.Four years back on the 25th of May 2006, ‘Daily News’ carried an editorial and commented as “The TULF leader is among the few democratic Tamil Politicians we have in this country today. Others have been killed, bought or their voices stilled by the LTTE. Veerasingam Anandasangaree does not kill people, he does not harm or encourage others to kill or hate people. He does not abduct children and arm them to the teeth or tax his own people. The only thing he does today is to take pains to bring about a solution to the problem the country is faced with, in a democratic manner. He follows the civilized way. He dreams of walking freely in Kilinochchi among school children and his village people’.I went through this editorial over and over again to see whether there is anything that could have hurt or provoked a University student or an intellectual or a Political analyst or a free lance journalist or the print media to write or speak or campaign against me to the extent of canvassing, almost the entire Tamil Population of the North and the East, to vote against me. I am one who is in politics for over fifty six years and very actively for fifty years having contested the Kilinochchi electorate for the first time in 1960 and every election that followed whether parliamentary or local. I became chairman of the Kilinochchi (Karachchi) Village Council in 1965, Chairman Kilinochchi Town Council in 1968 and got elected to Parliament both in 1970 and 1977 and voluntarily vacated my seat along with sixteen other members of the TULF including Mr. R. Sampanthan protesting against the extension of the term of Parliament by a further period of six years, through a referendum.The editor who titled the editorial as “Listen to democratic voices” states “Democratic Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader Veerasingham Anandasangaree has written again. This time to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Dr. Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi urging a meeting between them to enlist the latter’s support for promoting the Indian Model of power devolution in Sri Lanka”. The editor further says, “He is trying to help President Mahinda Rajapaksa another consensus builder to bring about an agreement among all parties to find a just solution”.I hope it will not be irrelevant if I quote a paragraph from a speech the President delivered at the 59th Independence Day ceremony, on the 4th of February 2005, the first after his election as the President. He said “It is our duty to protect the lives and property of the Tamil and Muslim people and bring sanctity to the future world of their children. As I stated at the inauguration of the Moragakanda maha Sumudra. I wish to reemphasis that the most reliable weapons against terrorism is to do justice by the innocent Tamil People. I know that the Sinhala people in the south are ready for this. We are not ready to give into the blood- thirsty demands of the LTTE. However at the minimum we should be reasonable and honest enough to agree with Mr. Anandasangaree or the Hon. Douglas Devananda”. His Excellency’s speech was telecast by Rubavahini and some other TV stations and the whole country was listening to it.Extracts of the above editorial are self –explanatory. At the time this editorial appeared, the ITAK-TNA was acting as proxies of the LTTE accepting them as sole representatives of the Tamil People. Why did not M/s R. Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah and Suresh Premachandran take any action then that would have saved the lives of several thousand innocent people and billions worth of property both Public and Private. It is the ITAK-TNA that had failed to save the Tamils and not me. So on what basis the so called intellectuals, political analysts free lance journalists and a section of the Tamil Media come to the conclusion that the “TNA (ITAK) is the best bet for the Tamils”. A Tamil daily publishing a translation of an article by a renowned Journalist based in Canada, on the 5th of April, just two days before the date of polling, with the caption, “For the Tamils of the North and the East the best choice at the election would be the TNA”. The greatest betrayal on the part of the Tamil daily was to publish it, deliberately aiming at my defeat at the poll. Why did this happen? How did it happen? Who is behind this move to hound a loner, and for what consideration remains a mystery, that needs investigation. Lot of incidents of horrendous nature took place off end on during the last few years. Everyone was silent excepting a very few of whom I had been one. If only all these forces had get together and condemned at-least one incident, thousands of lives and valuable properties could have been saved. All the forces have got together and have identified one common enemy of the Tamils. That is me. The public cannot be fooled all the time and one day soon those responsible for the present crisis will have to pay heavily for the role they played. When a University Student was burnt with his tractor and trailer for removing sand at kudathanai, it was I who had to protest. When Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole’s appointment as vice chancellor of the University of Jaffna was objected to, it was I who had to protest. There were very many such incidents like this.‘Done my duty to my country and its people with devotion and care’ The editor in his editorial had also brought out the fact that in my letter to the Chief Minister Dr. Karunanithi I had said that my proposal to the government of Sri Lanka to adopt a constitution like the Indian Model, has received very wide support. He concludes his comments by saying “We are of the view that the TULF leader has written to the Indian politician with a great sense of responsibility, because the democratic TULF leader maintains cordial relations with all parties in the South including the JVP and the JHU and other parties such as the SLMC and other Tamil parties” I do not know whether the Editor had over- expressed his confidence in me. But as far as I am concerned, irrespective of any constrains I had done my duty to my country and its people with devotion and care. Another National daily in its editorial dated 3rd Nov 2009 though not very friendly towards me, complemented me for taking the same stand even today on the ethnic issues that I took several months before the defeat of the LTTE. The TNA has taken different stands at different times while I am sticking to the Indian Model throughout as the ideal solution for the ethnic problem. My advice to Mr. Sampanthan would be to stick to the Indian Model as a solution to our problem that can be easily made acceptable to the majority community if approached carefully with proper guarantees to allay the fears, if they have any.”

V.Anandasangaree,
President TULF

Karuna Amman warns arm groups in the East

Making it clear that Sri Lankan government will not tolerate any groups in the east carrying arms, former Prabhakaran aide and now a Union minister Karuna Amman asked them to disarm themselves."If any people carry legal or illegal weapons in that area, we cannot accept that situation. Because now only people are enjoying freedom after thirty years. They suffered a lot. Now they are starting to enjoy their lives," Amman said."Already we have disarmed all the eastern people. There are no armed cadres there now," the deputy minister for resettlement Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman said of his Eastern bastion.The old people of the group have joined with the major political parties  and they are doing major politics, the 44-year old Amman told a Private channel in an interview.In January, 2008, Amman was sentenced to nine months in imprisonment by the Isleworth Crown Court in West London for travelling on a forged passport to Britain.Amman considered the one time number two in command in the LTTE after Vellupillai Prabhakaran, led a split in the militant group in March 2004 and collaborated with the government to fight the tigers in Eastern Sri Lanka.He formed the Tamil Makkal Vituthalai Pulligal (TMVP), a party he subsequently left and joined President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was appointed its vice president.He quit TMVP following differences with his party colleague Pillayan, who became the Chief Minister of Eastern Province. On his differences with Pillayan, Amman said there were no major differences with him now.

‘Politics – the most lucrative of Lankan businesses’ - CBK

‘Engaging in politics in Sri Lanka today is the easiest and fastest way to making a quick buck. At present politics is the most lucrative of businesses in this country and around 80 percent of those carrying out political functions are corrupt’, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said.‘Corruption and bad governance is the order of the day in Sri Lanka’, and the lucrative gains from politics are drawing entire families into it today, Kumaratunga said in a hard-hitting address as chief guest at the annual prize giving of St. Bridget’s Convent, Colombo 7, on June 3. While stressing that ‘the country’s values framework has completely collapsed’ in an atmosphere in which ‘even judges could be influenced’, the former President said that she will ‘never ever get back to politics’. She added that she was living by ‘selling’ her ‘assets’ and was ‘proud of it’.‘The country has lost its soul and is fast going down a precipice of hatred and intolerance. Recognizing the rights and aspirations of all is vital but the country is fast losing this ability, Kumaratunga said. She said that violence and war has deprived most Lankans of the ability to feel for each other. ‘One becomes selfish amid this violence, which first assailed us in 1971 and has continued over the decades’, she said.Stressing that ‘the language of racism’ is being wantonly used by those who currently mould opinion in Sri Lanka, Kumaratunga said that the need to wipe out terrorism should not lead to the treatment of an entire community as if they were all terrorists.While opinions with which one did not agree needed to be tolerated, what is transpiring currently was that those who voiced opinions which ran contrary to those which were aired by some opinion moulders, were being intimidated and silenced, Kumaratunga said. She said that it was her practice to go to courts in cases where she thought she was wronged by newspapers. Emphasizing the need for a value-based education, the former President said reforming the country is the responsibility of all. Likewise, the education system needs to focus on fostering the peaceful coexistence of communities. While stressing that the education system should take over the responsibility for laying the basis for a moral education, Kumaratunga said that moral values are a strong point at St. Bridget’s Convent.

Liberation tigers have constructed 12 luxury apartments in Colombo 12.

The Criminal Investigation Division had informed, 12 luxury apartments in Colombo 12 had been constructed by TamiL Eelam Liberation tigers. Such apartments had been constructed by utilizing the funds of TamiL Eelam Liberation tigers. “Diwayina” newspaper had published a news item the tiger agents living in Canada and Switzerland had invested funds to the construction of these apartments. The item quotes, now practical problems have arisen in finding out, how much money had been invested to construct these apartments. The Criminal Investigation department had commenced investigations in regard to this matter. The apartments had been sold for two million rupees and more ,and the earnings had been deposited in tigers’ savings accounts was stated. Reports states, dispute have occurred among the investors in sharing their portions from the earnings, after tigers were defeated. A complaint had been made to the Wellawatte police station in regard to these issues was stated. The apartment’s construction plan had been commenced after year 2002 cease-fire agreement was implemented.

DNA slams IIFA outcome

The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) said today that the much hyped Indian International Film Festival (IIFA) had become an ‘utter cropper’ even with President Mahinda Rajapaksa not attending the event.Addressing a press conference, DNA General Secretary MP Vijitha Herath said that the government initially estimated the cost for the mega event at Rs. 450 million, but it eventually rose to Rs. 600 million. Mr. Herath said that the desired targets could not be achieved by the government even at the disposal of such a colossal amount of public money.“The President also did not attend the event. Leading starts such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai did not also come. We do not oppose a grand festival being held. Yet, the government must be able to achieve the desired objectives. This festival is like a wedding without the bride and the groom. They have spent Rs. 600 million for the occasion alone. It is not money that is well-spent,” he said.

Yasusi Akasi will visit Sri Lanka this month.

The special envoy of Japan Yasusi Akasi will visit Sri Lanka this month. Government sector information state, in the middle of this month, Yasusi Akasi will visit Sri Lanka. The special envoy of Japan Yasusi Akasi will visit Sri Lanka this month. Government sector information state, in the middle of this month, Yasusi Akasi will visit Sri Lanka. Akasi will discuss about the present political situation in Sri Lanka and resettlement activities. He will conduct discussions with the important diplomats in Sri Lanka. The last visit by Yasusi Akasi was during the year 2009 in the month of June.

We came to Sri Lanka to build bridges: Shatrughan Sinha on IIFA

The IIFA awards in Sri Lanka may have been overshadowed by a boycott call but actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha lauded the united front put up by brave stars who attended the weekend ceremony in the Sri Lankan capital."I have come to Sri Lanka to express solidarity and unity with our neighbouring country. We believe in building bridges. I congratulate the Indian film fraternity for being brave and not giving in to threats and protests," said Sinha at the awards ceremony.Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA has angered many Tamil supporters in India, who accuse the Sri Lankan army of killing Tamils civilians during the peak of the conflict between the army and LTTE last year.The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) has said it would boycott Bollywood actors participating in the event.The 63-year-old BJP member claimed that the stars were representatives of the whole of India and wanted a peaceful world."We represent the whole of India and not a particular region. We are citizens of the world and for a peaceful and terror free world," he said. Actor Salman Khan was made the goodwill ambassador for the habitat and humanity project and had also visited a site to build homes for the people displaced by the civil war."Salman would help set the pace for housing development in north Sri Lanka," said minister for economic development Basil Rajapaksa.The country, which saw a violent end to three decades of civil war, is hoping to repair its image and revive tourism by hosting the event.But this year's IIFA saw some of the big names in Bollywood opting out of the event. Amitabh Bachchan, who is the brand ambassador of IIFA, did not attend the ceremony for the first time in 11 years.

Sri Lanka on BBC’s Hardtalk, Gotabhaya fields questions

The BBC World Service will air four HARDtalk programs on Sri Lanka beginning Monday (June 7) on BBC World News, BBC announced from London. The first of the four-part series will begin with "Tamils and the broken north" with Stephen Sackur talking to military officials, the Defence Secretary and former LTTE fighters (who BBC said live in hiding) and civilians trying to rebuild their lives.Tuesday’s program is titled "Democracy under threat" and Sackur will talk to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the brother of the President. He asks "Has Sri Lanka’s ruling family replaced democracy with their own authoritarian rule?" BBC said.Wednesday’s program is titled "Former Tiger child soldiers rebuilding their lives." This is described as "one of the untold stories of the Sri Lanka conflict; what has become of the hundreds of children conscripted and forced to fight as part of the Tamil Tiger army?" the BBC release said.The blurb says hardtalk ``gains exclusive access to the Sri Lanka government’s child soldier rehabilitation program."Here Stephen Sackur talks to the rehabilitation program director, to teachers and "to the teenagers themselves about their horrific experiences and new lives.’’"The program poses a troubling question; should the victorious Sri Lanka military really be responsible for the rehabilitation of the traumatized and vulnerable Tamil teens?’’ the blurb said.The final part of the program is an interview with Sri Lanka’s powerful Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse which is described as a hard hitting one-on-one interview."Stephen Sackur questions the Defence Secretary on the Sri Lanka army’s conduct in the final days of the war, accusation of war crimes, the economy, democracy, the judiciary, freedom of the press and the future of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.’’Broadcast times are 0330h, 0830h, 1530h and 2030h GMT.

06 June 2010

TNA to discuss Tamil issue with President tomorrow

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leaders will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa tomorrow to discuss the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and other issues related to a political solution to the national question.The meeting follows an invitation from the Presidential Secretariat to the TNA and will take place a day before the President flies to New Delhi where he is expected to explain measures his government is taking to address the grievances of the Tamil people.TNA MP Mavai Senathiraja told the Sunday Times that apart from the 13th Amendment, the five-member TNA delegation headed by Parliamentary Group leader R. Sampanthan would also discuss resettlement and related issues with the President.He said the TNA delegation would also urge the President to grant a general pardon to all political prisoners who were being held for prolonged periods without trial. Mr. Senathiraja said the TNA members would meet today in Colombo to discuss matters to be taken up with the President.The TNA’s meeting with the President also comes amidst reports that elections to the Northern Provincial Council will be held before August. The government last week reactivated the Assistant Elections Commissioner’s office in Kilinochchi in a move apparently connected with the PC elections.The Sunday Times learns that the President would explain to Indian leaders the government’s plans to hold the PC elections in the north.

India and Lanka to sign 5 agreements during president’s visit

NEW DELHI,: India and Sri Lanka will sign at least five agreements during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official visit to this country this week, informed sources told The Sunday Island here today.In all, 11 agreements were being negotiated to further enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. They were to be signed during the presidential visit. But only five could be finalized so far. Negotiations are continuing on the remaining six agreements, which may be completed and signed later in the year.The president arrives here on the evening of Tuesday (June 8), and will return home on Friday (June 11). On Wednesday (June 9), he will be given a ceremonial guard of honour in the forecourt of the regal Rashtrapati Bhavan here, and received by President Mrs Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his senior cabinet colleagues.Rajapaksa will then go to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi by laying a wreath at the "samadhi" of the "Father of the Nation," as Indians fondly remember him.External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will call on President Rajapaksa at the ITC Maurya, the hotel where the president and his delegation will stay. The president will have talks with Indian Prime Minister Dr Singh at the Hyderabad House. The two leaders will be accompanied by their respective delegations.A host of Indian dignitaries will call on the president on Wednesday afternoon. They include Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, among others.Apart from his wife Shiranthi, Rajapaksa will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs G.L. Peiris and Sajin Vas Gunawardena, the president’s coordinating secretary and MP from the Galle district, and a few others.A team comprising Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge and a few other senior officials is arriving here on Sunday night for more talks with the Indians and to give finishing touches to the president’s programme.

The five agreements that will be signed on Wednesday are:

1. Agreement for cooperation to fight terrorism;

2. Agreement for transfer of sentenced prisoners;

3. Agreement for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters;

4. Agreement for cultural cooperation; and

5. Agreement on Indian assistance for small development projects in Sri Lanka.

The second agreement will enable Sri Lankans sentenced for offences committed in India and Indians imprisoned for crimes committed in Sri Lanka to serve their prison terms in their respective countries.The agreement on ferry services connecting Talaimannar in Sri Lanka with Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Kochi in Kerala will take a little more time to be finalized and signed. It is ready from the Sri Lankan side, but the Indian Shipping Ministry is still in the process of obtaining mandatory no-objection certificates from a few concerned ministries.

Sri Lanka ruling party leaders yet to finalize final set of constitutional amendments

Sri Lanka's governing United People's Freedom Alliance members are divided on the government's proposed constitutional amendments that are to be introduced this year as the leftist parties in the Alliance had decided to hand in an alternative set of proposals shortly to be included in the amendments. The UPFA leaders are to therefore discuss the set of alternative proposals for constitutional amendments that are being prepared by the leftist parties. The government is to finalize the constitutional amendments after a discussion of UPFA party leaders once the proposals from the leftist parties are handed in. The leftist parties, the Communist Party, Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Democratic Left Front, decided to formulate a separate set of proposals noting their objections to several government proposed constitutional amendments. Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana, who is also the chairman of the Joint Left Front (JLF) has been quoted as saying that the leftist parties in the UPFA were still in the process of finalizing the alternative set of proposals to be included in the constitutional amendments. He has said that once the proposed amendments are completed, it would be handed over to the President and all party leaders of the UPFA are to hold discussions on the proposals. The JLF last week held a seminar attended by members of the left parties where it was discussed at length about the alternative proposals to be presented to the constitutional amendments. The parties reached a consensus on several amendments that are to be proposed by them. Some of the changes proposed by the leftist parties include a change in the Provincial Council system to establish a provincial police force, abolishing the Executive Presidency and the second chamber in the parliament.

External Affairs Minister briefs UK Defence Secretary on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris has briefed the Defence Secretary of the new British government, Dr. Liam Fox on the latest developments in Sri Lanka. The meeting between the two ministers took place on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue of 9th IISS Asia Security Summit in Singapore. Sri Lanka External Affairs Ministry said in a statement the meeting is the first high level contact between the new government of Sri Lanka and the incoming administration in the United Kingdom. The two ministers have discussed a wide range of issues relating to the political situation in Sri Lanka and developments in respect of the economy. Prof. Peiris has apprised Dr. Fox on the success achieved by the government on the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the scaling down of Emergency Regulations, the appointment of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, and current initiatives in the field of constitutional reform. The External Affairs Minister also briefed the British Defence Secretary about his recent discussions with United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington and Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon in New York, the Ministry statement said. Prof. Peiris has briefed Dr. Fox on the appointment of members to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. Explaining that the Commission was a home-grown mechanism, sensitive to local aspirations and values, and designed to serve as a practical instrument reinforcing the healing process, the Minister has told the British Minister that the Commission is already up and running. "We have not let the grass grow under our feet," Prof. Peiris has told Dr. Fox. Dr. Fox who visited Sri Lanka in February this year on a private visit while he was Shadow Defence Secretary of the Gordon Brown government assured the continual support of the present British Government for Sri Lanka's efforts to rebuild the country's economy and to move towards lasting peace and reconciliation.

The Govt . which drove 5 lakhs flood victims to starvation spends 700 million on behalf of IIFA- Ranil  
 
Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the UNP working Committee at Sri Jayawardenapura said , the Govt. which said it has no money to provide relief to the one lakh victims inundated by rain water in Colombo District for three days or to reconstruct the damaged houses , has spent Rs. 700 million towards the IIFA Indian film-fare awards ceremony. To refurbish the Sugathadasa indoor stadium alone a sum of Rs. 400 million had been spent. The Health sector has crashed on the rocks with unavailability of essential drugs. The govt. instead of spending money to revive the Health sector , has spent Rs. 400 million for an extravaganza which confers no benefit on the poor masses. Vinodh Khannas had been asked whether they are coming for the IIFA ceremony . They have replied that as there are enough and more rata Khannas in the Mahinda’s Govt. their visiting SL is of no avail. The so called people’s Govt. of Mahinda Rajapakse had reduced the import tax on vehicles by 50%.. A luxury Benz car’s price has therefore come down by Rs. 60 lakhs. But the tax of Rs. 85/- on the salmon tin food eaten by the majority of the common people had not been eliminated , let alone reduced , he pointed out.  The Govt. is thinking the 20 million people of this country are using Benz cars , and those eating salmon are just a few. Because the ‘people loving’ Rajapakse Govt. has reduced the price of a Benz car by 60, 000/- , you too can now run in a Benz car . Is this Govt. contributing to the survival of the poor people by reducing the price of a luxury vehicle, Pajero by Rs. 60 lakhs. Is this how the Govt. alleviating the people’s sufferings ? , Ranil questioned. But the tax of 28 cents on every rupee on phone calls taken by 70 lakhs of people had not been reduced. Is this Govt. there to serve the common people or the small group of Benz car users ? he asked. 

Sri Lankan truth panel meets

Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission on the ethnic conflict met here for the first time with the President on the chair. In his remarks, Mr. Rajapaksa expressed the view that the current stability and the strong mandate received by the government in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections made it the right opportunity for taking necessary steps for fact finding and reconciliation. The eight-member Commission will probe events from February 2002 to the military victory against the Tigers in May last year. The time period and the jurisdiction of the Commission have evinced mixed response. Critics of the government are of the view that the time frame is politically motivated and the Commission does not have enough scope, particularly to investigate alleged human rights violations in the last phase of the war. Since the end of the war, the government has been under pressure from several quarters within and outside to allow an independent committee or commission to investigate charges of alleged excesses both by the LTTE and the security forces towards the end of the 34-month-long-war. The government has repeatedly rejected the calls for any outside enquiry on the ground that such an exercise would not be helpful in moving towards the phase of reconciliation and finding a political solution acceptable to all the stakeholders in the ethnic conflict. The announcement on the constitution of the Commission came even as the government is engaged in a verbal duel with the United Nations over the decision of the world body's Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to appoint a panel of experts to advice him on matters related to Sri Lanka. In his remarks to the Commission at the first meeting, Mr. Rajapaksa recalled that less than a month after the end of the conflict, the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in his remarks at the interactive briefing of the UN Security Council had informed that “I have been advised to state that the government is in the process of initiating a domestic mechanism for fact finding and reconciliation.” A statement issued by the President's Secretariat said here that the attention of the Commissioners was drawn to the vigorous programme of reconstruction and development as well as of the restoration of democracy, now being implemented in the conflict affected areas. “At the same time, the almost three decade long situation of conflict and its widespread attendant violence would have caused great hurt to the people of Sri Lanka. The Commission has therefore, the President said, the responsibility of acting in a forward looking manner, through focus on restorative justice designed to further strengthen national amity. The President expressed his strong confidence that the Commissioners who have been selected on their integrity and eminence would utilize their wide ranging mandate to fulfill this objective, while always safeguarding the dignity of Sri Lanka," it said.

Tiger infighting mounts in Europe

Two pro-LTTE activists were arrested in Paris on Friday following the death of Ramesh Sivarupan who is believed to be a member of the Ruthrakumar faction of the LTTE, according to informed sources. The sources said that Ramesh Sivarupan was kidnapped and taken in a van from his residence in Paris and was found near his house a few days ago with injuries. He succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Paris on Thursday. Thambiah Ganesh and Kuppilan Ravi, believed to be members of the Nediyavan group of the pro-LTTE faction have been taken into custody by the police in Paris in connection with the death of Sivarupan, sources said. Early last week, the Nediyavan faction burnt thousands of copies of Thainilam, a newspaper in Paris printed by its rival Ruthrakumar faction. The rivalry between the two factions had spread to several parts of Europe with the members of each faction looking for each other, the sources said. According to sources, the conflict between the two factions sparked off following the annihilation of the LTTE in Sri Lanka last year. The two factions are demanding that the assets held by the LTTE abroad should be shared, apart from their new ideologies, informed sources said. V. Ruthrakumar, a lawyer by profession domiciled in the United States is the ‘architect’ behind the setting up of the so-called ‘Transnational Government’ of his faction. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu police had advised the Central Government of India not to grant permission for Malaysian Tamil politician P. Ramaswamy to arrive in Tamil Nadu, sources said. The Tamil Nadu State Government is due to hold an International Tamil Literary conference in Coimbatore later this month. Several Tamil scholars from various parts of the world have been invited for the event. However, Tamil Nadu Police which had scanned the background of the Malaysian politico Ramaswamy has instructed the Central government of India to prevent his entry into Tamil Nadu as he was a hardcore LTTE supporter and criticised even the Government of India for its stance against the LTTE, the sources said.

More Lankan Tamils in UK visit Sri Lanka

A considerable number of Tamils domiciled in the UK are now visiting Sri Lanka. As a result of the three-decade war, they could not visit their motherland to see their kith and kin. The dawn peace has given them a new opportunity to visit their relatives.Deputy High Commissioner in London P. M. Amza said over 30 visas are being issued per day by the mission to Tamils of Sri Lankan origin who have obtained British passports."This is apart from the others who get their visas on arrival in Colombo", he noted. "But most of the visitors make sure that they get their visas from the High Commission before they leave", Amza said.He said that the mission has launched a same day visa service for the convenience of visitors."One of his doctor friends in UK went to Sri Lanka to sell his property but after seeing the  peaceful situation in the country he has now decided to build a house and settle down there", he noted."With more and more Tamil people visiting Sri Lanka, LTTE propaganda has lost its steam".

Sri Lanka nationalist party says abolishing Executive Presidency not in President's manifesto

Sri Lanka's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance member, Jathika Hela Urumaya's theoretician and Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka says that the President's manifesto Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma has not pledged to abolish the Executive Presidency . He has explained to the local media that what has been stated in the Mahinda Chinthana Idiri Dekma is that the Executive Presidency would be made a position that would be answerable to the judiciary and the legislature. However, he has observed that there are several proposals that have been put forward in relation to the Executive Presidency by constituent members of the governing UPFA. Some UPFA member parties have said they wanted the position abolished, some want the post to continue after certain amendments, and some don't want an Executive Prime Minster post, he has said. Ranawaka noted that the UPFA party leaders would have to hold further discussions on the issue, adding that the constitutional amendments would nevertheless take place as proposed.

SEARCH FOR DUTCH ERA EVIDENCE AROUND JAFFNA FORT

The Archaeological Department has commenced an excavation in close proximity to the Jaffna Fort to uncover evidence belonging to the Dutch and pre-Dutch era. "Under the first phase of this initiative excavations will be carried out close to the moat of the Jaffna fort," said the Deputy Commissioner General of Archaeology Department, Dr. Nimal Perera.The project will be funded by the Dutch Government.
Dr. Nimal Perera noted that a special program had also been launched in line with it to preserve the Jaffna fort.

TWO FOREIGNERS, TURNING OUT DOLLARS, NABBED IN TRINCOMALEE

Two foreign nationals have been arrested in Trincomalee for attempting to swindle persons in the area with forged UD dollar notes.The two had pretended to be investors and had tried to convince some businessmen that US dollar notes could be turned out with the use of certain papers and  chemicals.They were arrested in a raid conducted by the officers of the Special Investigations Unit of the Trincomalee police. According to those who had been duped by these foreign nationals, the two had treated black coloured, US dollar note size papers with a certain chemical to make them look like genuine US dollar notes.Police said that a stock of papers, and a certain chemical powder used to produce fake dollar notes, had been taken into custody along with the suspects.

Most school children and infants malnourished in Mullaitivu

A three-member medical team from Lions Cosmopolitan Club found that a wide section of school children and infants in the former LTTE controlled clusters of outlying villages in Mullaitivu in the North were suffering from malnutrition in contrast to the adult population.The team conducted several health clinics in the area from May 27-29 with the assistance of Colonel Sampath Kotuwegoda, Brigade Commander and Major Uddika Jayatileke, Civil Affairs Officer of the 612 Brigade of SL Army.Skin diseases, both bacterial and fungal were equally common with both adult and children in Naddankandal with most of them suffering from scabies, a fungal infection chiefly attributed to unhygienic living conditions, Dr. Dulcy Serasinghe, the spokesperson for the team said.The people of the villages were cultivators and fishermen and they continue to live in squalid conditions despite the government's rehabilitation and development drive in the north.Worm infections were found to afflict both children and adults alike. Some children of Pandiyakulam Maha Vidyalaya told the Sunday Island that in the final stages of the war, the LTTE surrounded schools and forced children to give blood.The students expressed the belief that they had become weak as a result.Dr. Udaya Ranasinghe Seneviratne, a member of the team, said that the lack of physicians in the district could be attributed to most doctors who pass out shying away from taking up their appointments in this part of the country.Dr. Shane Perera helped in the distribution of pharmaceuticals.It was on the initiative of Mohomed Ghouse Zurfick, the immediate past President of the Lions Cosmopolitan Club these health camps were conducted in Mullaitivu.

05 June 2010

As Colombo delays solutions, India decides for direct talks with Lanka Tamils
 
India will be directly inviting Sri Lanka Tamil political parties to New Delhi. The invitations for one-on-one talks will be made to all ethnic-minority political parties in Sri Lanka.It is also reported that top officials in New Delhi are now preparing to draft reform proposals based on the findings from these discussions. They will thereafter present them to Colombo.Reports from Delhi said that the main reason for the direct invitations is the continuous delay on the side of Colombo to produce solutions for Tamil grievances despite the end of war for more than a year, it is learnt.The invites for discussions will be directly extended to all ethnic minority parties in Colombo. They will made after the official visit of Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse to New Delhi concludes on June 9, reports in Colombo revealed.All Lanka minority ethnic parties will be invited, reports said. The first political party to be invited is the ‘Tamil National Alliance (TNA)’, followed by other ethnic-minority parties. Even political parties representing the Plantation Tamils in the country will be included, it is reported.Political observers in Colombo said that Lanka's ruling party could interpret the latest Indian move as a 'direct intervention', rather than a mere precursor.

Special discussion between leaders of the UPFA & TNA       

A special discussion between leaders of the UPFA and TNA is scheduled to be held at Temple Trees on the 7th say reports. UPFA has invited TNA for this discussion. This will be the first official discussions held between the UPFA and TNA after the general election. According to internal government sources the discussions will pay attention to giving a political solution for the Tamils in the North. President Rajapakse is scheduled to have talks with Indian leaders on the 8th. 

Q+A-Will Sri Lanka's high deficit further delay IMF loan?

Sri Lanka is planning to reduce its budget deficit to 8 percent of GDP this year, well short of an IMF target for a $2.6 billion loan and the government's own official estimate, a top treasury official said. Here are some questions and answers on the implications of the higher than expected deficit for the IMF loan that was delayed after Sri Lanka failed to achieve a deficit target last year.

WHAT IS THE IMF DEFICIT TARGET FOR 2010?

Sri Lanka agreed to reduce its fiscal deficit to 6 percent of gross domestic product as a condition of the $2.6 billion IMF loan. However, this 6 percent excludes spending on rebuilding after the end of a 25-year war. Officials at the central bank have said the IMF has never defined the limit of the reconstruction spending, while IMF officials have said their expected limit was around 1 percent. That means the IMF's total deficit target for 2010 is around 7 percent, 1 percentage point lower than what Sri Lanka is working on for this year.

WILL THE HIGHER DEFICIT CAUSE ANY LOAN DELAY?

The global lender following its assessment last month said it was encouraged by Sri Lanka's economic numbers. Sources close to the IMF have said the global lender wants Sri Lanka to be committed to fiscal prudence rather than sticking to numbers in a rigid manner.The IMF mission last month said it will reassess the situation and respond flexibly. The lender also welcomed government tax reforms early this week. It has also stated that steps to cut the deficit should not include imposing unaffordable taxes or cutting planned capital spending.Going by these, analysts say, the IMF is likely to disburse the third tranche worth around $320 million within a month.Analysts say many investors will extend their wait-and-see approach until they are sure about a degree of a prudent fiscal management under the IMF programme, despite the best performing bourse in Asia and booming post-war economy.

IS THERE A POSSIBILTY OF THE LOAN BEING SUSPENDED?

Officials at the central bank and Finance Ministry have said the IMF is convinced of Sri Lanka's successful economic turnaround since it approved the loan and it is highly unlikely to suspend the 20-month programme. However some pro-government economists have called for the loan to be suspend loan since Sri Lanka does not need IMF money anymore to boost its reserves which are now at over $5 billion. Suspension of the IMF loan by the government could lead to rating downgrades, volatility in macroeconomic fundamentals, withdrawal of foreign funds from government securities, and an increased borrowing cost for a planned 10-year, $500 million sovereign bond later this year.

Sri Lanka invites Indian investment

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday urged the Indian business community to explore abundant opportunities in infrastructure, agri-business and services sectors in the post-conflict era. Addressing the Business Forum organised jointly by the Indian and Sri Lankan Chambers of Commerce here to coincide with the IIFA Awards Weekend, Mr. Rajapaksa said that the new areas and sectors have opened out since the end of the conflict in May last year and local and foreign investors would find them attractive and interesting. He maintained that the policies of his Government were vibrant and package was enticing and exciting and the Indian business community would do well in the forward march. He told the delegates gathered on the occasion that his Government strongly believed that to bring permanent peace there must be development. “As I have often said, there is no peace without development, and no development without peace.” Mr. Rajapaksa claimed that the world business community was now slowly but surely, acknowledging and appreciating Sri Lanka's major successes in the economic sphere, though not much reported in the media. On Indo-Lanka ties he said that the relationship between Sri Lanka and India had been anchored in a rich heritage and was irreversible. “We are now adding new spice to our relations with India and the world, with new and varied business opportunities”. Mr. Rajapaksa told the Forum that while military success of the Sri Lankan forces was globally well-known, what might not be as well-known to the world were the major economic successes that Sri Lanka had also recorded, over the past four years. In support of his contention Mr. Rajapaksa said that during the four years 2005-08, Sri Lanka achieved growth rates of over 6 per cent each year and inflation was brought down from over 22 per cent in 2008 to below 4 per cent by 2009. Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha in his remarks said that unburdened by the distractions of war, Sri Lanka could now expect to unleash its full potential and work actively towards encashing the peace dividend. In the India-Sri Lanka context, these developments allow us the possibility to further strengthen and deepen our bonds of friendship and to develop a more intensive and mutually rewarding partnership. “Such a partnership should logically build on the successes that have been achieved in our upgraded economic ties over the last decade”, he said. Mr. Kantha further said that what was required was a new vision for India-Sri Lanka economic engagement where the two governments should play the role of facilitators strengthening the existing mechanisms and create new ones that provide the necessary framework for a closer economic partnership. The High Commissioner said that the great potential for growth through bilateral cooperation was tourism and India had emerged as the largest source of tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka. Mr. Kantha said that out of a target of 2 million tourist arrivals that Sri Lanka had set for 2016, half-a-million were to come from India. Former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said the geographical ties between the two countries should be binding rather than dividing. “Apart from terrorism, we need to fight the terror of unemployment, poverty, climate change together,” he said. Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson of the FICCI Tourism Council, said the tourism sector which included cross exchanges between Buddhist centres and the Ramayana trail in the two countries could be a huge draw.

Sri Lanka's North and East get bigger share of development aid

A major share of the development aid Sri Lanka receives from lending agencies is being diverted to the development of the war-torn North and East, the government said today. Sri Lanka's Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said 60 percent of the aid given by lending agencies had been diverted for the development of the former LTTE rebel controlled North and East. The Minister revealed this at a function held in Nedunkerni recently to launch a project to construct a new Regional Agricultural Centre with foreign assistance. Minister Rajapaksa said the government has taken every measure to expedite the development in the war-torn region as the President has directed the authorities to resettle all the displaced people in their original places by August 2010. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has assigned his senior adviser, Minister Rajapaksa to head the development drive in the North and to meet the August deadline for resettlement. The government said according to latest information received from the Government Agents of the northern districts of Vavuniya and Mullaitivu the target can be met within the specified time period. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) last month pledged to continue its support for the Government's post-war reconstruction and development programs. ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda who visited the country last month assured the government of ADB's ongoing assistance for the country's efforts to rebuild basic infrastructure, especially in the war-affected Northern and Eastern provinces after the end of the war last May.

MDMK Opposes Mahinda Rajapaksa's Vist to Delhi: Demonstration to be held in Chennai

The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) has decided to stage a demonstration in front of the Sri Lankan High Commission in Chennai, to protest against the visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Delhi on June 8.In a statement here, MDMK general secretary Vaiko opposed the visit of Rajapaksa to India saying he had the blood of innocent Tamils on his hands."In last year's war, Rajapaksa butchered unarmed civilian Tamils, the elderly, women and children and has done war crimes against the humanity," he said.

Sinhalese in the Tamil Homeland

Charging the Lankan President with speeding up the settlement of the Sinhalese people in the Tamil homeland after razing to ground the houses of Tamils, Mr Vaiko said Rajapaksa was not only an enemy of Tamils, but also to the entire humanity ."Innumerable Tamil women were sexually assaulted by Sinhalese soldiers, and cluster bombs that face an international ban were used to kill Tamils," he added.Denouncing the proposed 13th Constitutional amendment in the island nation as intended to pull the wool over the eyes of the people, Vaiko said the red carpet welcome for Rajapaska was like rubbing salt on the wounded Tamil hearts.

20 MPs to leave UNP if reorganization is crooked       

More than 20 Parliamentarians have decided to leave the party if the re-organization procedure in the UNP doesn’t take place to the satisfaction of the members reports ‘Irudina.’ According to ‘Irudina’ these members who would leave the UNP have not taken any decision to join or support the government. They have decided to function as an independent group of the opposition. ‘Irudina’ states most of these Parliamentarians are frustrated at the attitude of certain groups in the party to change decisions taken at the Executive Committee and at the meetings of the group of UNP Parliamentarians regarding re-organization of the party.

Savindra sitting as Judge in Army Court is against legal norms and ethics –Appeal Court told  
 
President’s Counsel Romesh De Silva told the appeal Court yesterday (4), that Rear Admiral Shavindra Fernando acting as the judge advocate at the second military Court in the proceedings against Gen. Fonseka is violating the basic norms of legal procedures and is not in accordance with the ethical code, because, he had appeared against Gen. Fonseka at an Army inquiry earlier.The President’s Counsel made this announcement when the three Bench panel of judges took up the petition for examination filed by Gen. Fonseka requesting the Court for an order to declare the military Court proceedings as void.The panel of judges comprised Sathya Hettige (Chairman), Rohini Marasingha and Sarath Abrew. Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasooriya, Military Court members Major Generals, S W L daulugalle, M R Peiris, M Saturuisnghe and Rear admiral W J Savindra Fernando have been cited as respondents.Answering the question raised by the Judges as to why this information was not supplied earlier, the P C said, this information was collected later. Copies of t he relevant reports in the newspapers were forwarded by the P C. to Court. 

Hrithik under fire over IIFA

The screening of Hrithik Roshan’s latest film Kites has been stopped in a few theatres in Chennai, following pressure from a local Tamil organization who are protesting the actor's decision to attend the 11th IIFA awards in Colombo, NDTV said.Meanwhile an official at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board told Daily Mirror online that Roshan arrived in Colombo today along with his Director and Producer father Rakesh Roshan.Sri Lanka as a venue for IIFA has angered many Tamil supporters in India, who accuse the Sri Lankan government of killing Tamils civilians at the height of the conflict between the army and LTTE last year. The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce (SIFCC) will take a final decision on banning the films of Bollywood actors who are participating in the IIFA weekend on Monday. The political storm over the choice of this year's venue has kept a number of stars away from Colombo

Vivek in Vavuniya for community service

Bollywood star Vivek Oberoi will visit Vavuniya Monday to repair a school at Marailuppai. He is donating the cost of repair to the school voluntarily, Vavuniya District Secretary P.S.M. Charles told the Daily News yesterday. The Japanese funded sewerage treatment plant at Pambamadu with Rs. 8 million JAICA aid will be opened Monday. The plant will serve 75,000 people, official sources said. The Vishrama Sarana Foundation had built 34 new houses and renovated 24 houses at Thirappumadu and Kokkueliya in Vavuniya for 54 Sinhala families who fled the area in 1984/85 when LTTE attacked them. Foundation advisor Ven. Y. Wimala Thera had contributed funds to rebuild and repair these houses, Charles said.

Beach boys to undergo training as facilitators of tourists

A selected group of Beach Boys operating in Bentota area are undergoing a three-month training course on how to deal with tourists. They are to be named "Beach facilitators". The training course is conducted under the guidance of the Travel Foundation of UK’s Responsible Tourism partnership (RTA).The inauguration of the programmes was held at Bentota Beach Hotel recently.Director, Domestic Tourism and Resort Development SL Tourism Development Authority, Upali Ratnayaka said at the inaugural session that the industry depended greatly on the private sector in the areas of accommodation and transportation for which massive amounts had been invested bringing in the much needed foreign exchange. As such, nobody should tarnish the image of the country by selfish behaviour. There were instances, where ‘Beach Boys’ had harassed the tourists to make a quick buck. Such actions had created a bad impression among them affecting re-visits. In this context, the Responsible Tourism partnership (RTA) effort is laudable.Vice President, Bentota-Beruwala Hotelier’s Assn and General Manger, Bentota Beach Hotel, Sanjeeva Perera said. Hotel authorities frown on Beach Boys as "spoil-sport" material. But with the rehabilitation process, once they reach the required standard they could be accommodated as a responsible group, necessary for the trade. Susil Totagamuwage, Resort Officer, Bentota said that with the coming season tourism would, gain ground and all concerned in Bentota should work to gain the many benefits it would bestow on the area.

04 June 2010

Still no peace moves: CBK

Warning that the country would head to chaotic situation if all the Sri Lankans did not get political and economic concessions, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said, that although the current government had successfully ended the war, the first step towards peace had not been taken. “If all the Sri Lankans do not get political and economic concessions there will be chaotic conditions in the country. At present the political power, economic power are in the hands of a few, if this situation is not changed for all the Sri Lankans to enjoy political and economic privileges there could be an atmosphere of war,” the former President said addressing a function held to commemorate the completion of 22 years for provincial council system in Colombo.Speaking further former President thanked President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the successful completion of three decade war in a creditable manner.At the meeting held in Colombo 7, two commemoration books were launched on the occasion of the completion of 22 months of the Provincial Council System in Sri Lanka.The books titled ‘Western Province and Sri Lanka Provincial Council System was presented by the chief secretary Victor Samaraweera and the book ‘Memories of 22 years of Provincial Councils’ by the secretary Lalith Kannangara to Mrs. Kumaratunga. The former President in her speech said that  17 years ago we all worked together and said she was happy for being able to attend the meeting. “It is four and half years of my retirement from Presidency and I am really happy for inviting me for an official matter of this nature. When I was away from the country an invitation had been sent for me to attend to the Independent Day celebrations of February 04th. But I could not attend it. I was invited for the SAARC conference on the final day. Three invitations cards had put to the mail box fixed to the gate. That too had been done on the pressure applied by the leaders of foreign countries,” Mrs. Kumaratunga said.She also said that the past came to her mind as she stepped into the place. When she was appointed the Chief Minister of the Western Province she had nothing much to do as the former Chief Minister Susil Moonasinghe had laid a good foundation.At the then Provincial Council we worked with the opposition in a friendly atmosphere, she said. Every question was discussed well and solutions were found early. But the government existed then created problems when asked for money to the Provincial Council matters, she stated.“Leftist parties spoke on the Devolution of powers, but it was President J.R.Jayewardene of the UNP made necessary legislation. We also could continue it,” she said.Speaking on the devolution of powers, she stressed, is not having the powers among a handful of persons, it must be divided among all.

UK to continue Tiger ban

The British government has assured that the ban on the LTTE will continue to remain in force and Britain will continue to prevent actions supportive of the LTTE on British soil. The assurance was given by the British High Commissioner in Sri Lanka to Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne.According to the Prime Minister’s office the British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Dr. Peter Hayes met Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne at the Prime Minister’s Office and discussed matters pertaining to mutual relations between the two countries. During the discussion Dr. Peter Hayes said that Britain has been continuously prosecuting the individuals and entities collecting money inside Britain on behalf of the LTTE.In addition the Dr. Peter Hayes stated that British government officials are discussing with Tamil Diaspora representatives on matters pertaining to mutual understanding between the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Diaspora. He said that British officials are persuading the Tamil representatives to actively engage in the economic development programme of the Lankan government. He said, “We are advising the Tamil Diaspora in Britain to work with the government of Sri Lanka to settle the ethnic and political disputes between the two parties and actively take part in the ongoing development process of the government. The Tamil Diaspora could be a rich source of funds for the economic upheaval of the North and East areas of Sri Lanka and to the entire country as well. Therefore, we believe that convincing the Tamil Diaspora to invest in the Sri Lankan economy is an ideal measure which the British government is currently implementing for the benefit of Sri Lanka”. He also said that the British officials are advising the Tamil representatives in Britain to work within the limits of the Sri Lankan political system and any ideological disputes which arise with the Lankan government should be solved within the existing limits of the system rather than opting to take action outside the latter.

Kohona heads UN team

Sri Lanka’s permanent representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona is to head a UN delegation to investigate Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories, UN officials said.The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories will visit Egypt from 8 to 11 June, Jordan from 11 to 16 June, and Syria from 16 to 19 June 2010. The Special Committee was established in December 1968 by the UN General Assembly to examine the human rights situation across the occupied territories. These include the occupied Syrian Arab Golan, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.The Special Committee is composed of three Member States: Sri Lanka (Chairman), Malaysia and Senegal. This year the Member States are represented by: Palitha T.B.Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York; Hamidon Ali, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations in New York; and Momar Gueye, Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Senegal to the United Nations in Geneva, the UN official said in an email. At the end of the mission, the Committee will prepare its annual report to the General Assembly, based on the information gathered on its mission and on other public sources. The report will contain the Committee’s evaluation of the situation and its recommendations to the General Assembly to improve the human rights situation for those whose lives are affected by the ongoing occupation.

New parties can register now

New political parties, which were refused registration prior to the recent Presidential and Parliamentary elections, can apply now, Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake said yesterday. Applications would be accepted up to June 30.They should be forwarded under registered cover to the Elections Secretariat at Rajagiriya or personally handed over to the Additional Commissioner of Elections W. P. Sumanasiri on any working day during office hours up to June 30.Additional Commissioner of Elections (Provincial and Local elections) W. P. Sumanasiri said yesterday that at present there were 66 registered political in the country.

Salman, Jacqueline visit war-torn village in Sri Lanka

Bollywood star Salman Khan accompanied by Sri Lankan beauty queen Jacqueline Fernandez visited a project site to build homes for the people displaced by the three-decade long civil war.The 43-year-old actor, who is participating in the IIFA weekend said, "Many people lost their lives or have been displaced due to war and constructing 100 homes is a commendable and a good start."The construction of the homes in the village of Ja'ela is part of the IIFA's Charity initiative to rehabilitate those affected by war in the country.Salman said he identified with the aims of the initiative and had agreed to become the brand ambassador of the IIFA charity initiative because it works towards building a stronger community."I am glad that IIFA is standing by this worthy project. I hope that this first step taken by IIFA will further motivate others to sign up and contribute to this project to build a 100 homes and put a roof on the heads of those who desperately require it," he said about 'Habitat for Humanity', an organisation initiated by former US president Jimmy Carter.As a symbol of solidarity with the Sri Lankan people, IIFA in partnership with the organisation will adopt and rebuild the village of Ja'ela."The building of homes here is a symbolic gesture of contributing to the host country of Sri lanka and spreading the message of IIFA-one people, one world," Sabbas Joseph, director of Wizcraft, organisers of IIFA, said.

Father of victim in Channel 4 photo identifies son as LTTE member

The father of a victim in the photos released by Channel- 4 in mid May identified one of them as his son as a member of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Mu'l'livaaykkaal between 18 and 19 May 2009. The father told TamilNet that the LTTE combatants could not have been arrested in April 2009 as it was reported earlier as he had met his son on 11 May in 2009. A mother and her daughter have earlier identified another victim in the photo as 40-year-old Thuraichamy Harikrishanan, a native of Vavuniyaa, an ex-member of LTTE. Meanwhile, close relatives living in the diaspora of another LTTE member also claimed the same person as their relative. Efforts are under way to clarify the identity of the victim, a Tamil group working on genocide documentation told TamilNet Friday. The photo shows Sri Lanka Army soldiers keeping a group of unarmed people, LTTE members and possibly also civilians, inside a bunker. Unless the Sri Lankan state is able to confirm that those shown in the photo are alive, the photo will be a crucial evidence of proof documenting war crimes and Tamil genocide, the group working on documentation told TamilNet.Channel-4 had released photos of persons who had been denuded after arrest and held in a bunker by SLA in Vanni. Many of the persons are said to be LTTE members.The father told TamilNet that his son met him on 11 May 2009 and entreated him to get out of the war-zone. Commenting on the media report that the victims in the photos had been arrested in April 2009 he said that it was improbable as he had met his son on 11 May 2009. He suspects that SLA must have arrested his son on 18 or 19 May 2009. He did not wish to inform the media about this because he was concerned about his and his son’s safety, the father said.After moving out of Vanni he had been held in one of the SLA detention camps in Vavuniyaa and later allowed to join his family in Jaffna where he lives now.

A team of police officers engaged in vehicle robbery was arrested

Police had arrested a gang of police officers engaged in vehicle robberies. Allegations are that the said gang was being engaged in vehicle thefts in many places island wide. Along with the police officers, five persons were arrested by the police. Arrested said police officer, has been serving the Vavuniya police division is according to “Lankadeema” information. Reports states, the special police team which had gone to the Mt.lavania area had done this arrest.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne turns 79 today.

The Prime Minister who was born on June 4, 1931 in a remote village Medapitiya, Doluwa in the Gampola electorate, is one of the senior most politicians in the country. He entered politics in 1950 and later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) as its 13th member. His first entry into Parliament was in 1970 representing the Gampola electorate under the United Front Government led by then Premier Sirimavo Bandaranaike. His second entry into the country's legislature was in 1989 and in 1994 he was appointed as the General Secretary of the Peoples Alliance. Prime Minister Jayaratne since then has been a regular Member of Parliament and during his distinguished political career has held various Cabinet portfolios. He assumed duties in his present capacity as the country's Prime Minister in April 2010.

India-Sri Lanka economic pact likely

The proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Sri Lanka, which has been pending since 2008, will be discussed during the three-day visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa beginning on June 8. At a news conference here, Minister of Mass Media and Communication Keheliya Rambukwella, however, said an agreement might be clinched only towards the end of the year. Mr. Rajapaksa's visit is the first since he was elected President for a second term in January. The political situation in the post-war island nation particularly the issues related to re-settlement of the displaced Tamil civilians and efforts of the government towards a consensus on a political solution to the ethnic conflict would be the focus of talks in New Delhi.For several days now, there has been speculation in the business circles here on the CEPA and the possibility of a pact. Last week, a group of business persons demonstrated outside the office of the President against signing of CEPA.The CEPA has been hanging in the balance for nearly two years now. The pact was expected to be signed on the sidelines of the SAARC Summit held in August 2008 and New Delhi had even made an announcement about it.However, Colombo chose to defer the pact after sections of the business community took up the matter with the President and urged him to exercise caution on the plea that the CEPA could undermine interests of parts of economy.In his meeting, the Minister pointed out that the government was determined to give an opportunity to the business community, industrialists, investors, importers and exporters and even the consumers to air their views on the CEPA and many other agreements which are scheduled to be signed.

Forces unearth a large haul of weapons

Security Forces have recovered 239 anti-personnel mines and 120 mm mortar bombs during a search operation conducted in Point Pedro, Visuvamadu and Alankulam on Tuesday.  One T-56 weapon, one T-56 magazine, 25 anti-personnel mines, four hand grenades, five 60 mm mortar bombs, three 60 mm mortar fuses, one link with 12.7 mm ammunition were also recovered from the same area on Tuesday.The Special Task Force (STF) recovered a number of weapons including a five kilogramme pressure mine, 13 Arul bombs and five hand grenades during a search operation conducted in Vellamulliwaikkal area, police media spokesman Preshantha Jayakody said. They also have recovered two cyanide capsules, 35 micro pistol ammunition, one RPG charger and two smoke bombs during a search operation carried out in the area. The search operation was carried out by the STF command in the East under the directions of STF Commandant DIG  K.M.L. Sarathchandra.The weapons were hidden underground. The recovery was made after gathering valuable information from the area, SP Jayakody said. The operations were conducted following information received from public and LTTE cadres in custody and based on information provided by the State Intelligence Service (SIS). A large number of arms and ammunition hidden underground by the LTTE in the Northern and Eastern Provinces were recovered by the armed forces and the Special Task Force (STF) since the conflict ended in May last year. Security forces were continuing their search operations especially in the two provinces which were once strongholds of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

India’s consulate diplomacy in Lanka

In a step that can irk its Tamil Nadu partners, the UPA government is moving towards balancing its approach between the Tamils and Sinhalese in Sri Lanka, aimed at addressing the view that New Delhi’s interests in the island nation are Tamil-centric. The China factor, too, has triggered this change in mindset.New Delhi wants to delay the opening of its consulate in the Tamil-dominate Jaffna to coincide it with the inauguration of the consulate in the Sinhalese-majority Hambantota, 240 km south of capital Colombo.While there is an Indian High Commission in Colombo, the only Indian consulate in Lanka is at Kandy — another Tamil-dominated area of plantations. Jaffna consulate was expected to be opened soon, and the external affairs ministry had tipped V. Mahalingam, the Regional Passport Officer, Delhi, as consul general.“The Hambantota consulate will be ready for opening soon, so the inauguration of the two consulates can take place at the same time”, said a senior government official, adding that “regional and other factors” have been taken into account in taking such a decision.Hambantota — like Galle, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Polonnaruwa — have 90 per cent Sinhalese population.There has, of late, been a lot of criticisms about India “conceding” ground to China in the island nation. These criticisms, sources say, have played in the minds of the external affairs ministry while choosing Hambantota for opening a consulate.Hambantota is a major centre of Chinese presence in Sri Lanka. The Hambantota District Development Zone, which includes the development of a deep water harbour by the Chinese, is expected to be completed by 2020. This zone in Hambantota is said to be on the lines of the China’s Gwadar project in Pakistan — a harbour for Chinese flagged merchant vessels, container carriers, oil and gas tankers, military vessels, etc.Strategically, with Hambantota, Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean has been further consolidated, and this port project is the latest in a series of steps that China has taken in recent years to consolidate its access to the Indian Ocean and to secure sea-lanes. Hambantota is also the home district of President Mahinda Rajapakse.Sources also said the rehabilitation of Tamil and the devolution of power to them will top the agenda when Rajapakse arrives India on June 8. “We are also moving further in helping the rehabilitation projects, including providing housing for the displaced,” said an external affairs ministry official.

LTTE still active abroad

Though the terrorist outfit LTTE was defeated we still face challenges after the war. We still discuss security concerns with Indian officials openly, Mass Media and Communication Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Addressing a press conference at the information ministry auditorium, Colombo, he said some diaspora elements and UN human Rights High Commissioner Navaneethan Pillay were supporting the LTTE Yet he appreciated the Indian government’s stand on the LTTE banning them for another two years which was beneficial for Sri Lanka. The international network of the LTTE is still active. The government will take appropriate action when necessary. it cannot be taken within a day or two, he explained. Bi-lateral relations with the Indian Government was growing stronger and President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to India in the near future would pave way to discuss about the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which would be signed in December this year, he said. Three new agreements would be signed and a mutual exchange of broadcasting and television crew for training from both countries would benefit the two countries, Rambukwella explained. Sri Lanka’s foreign policy was excellent during the past and we had acted in a responsible manner during Indo-Pakistan problems and Indo-China conflicts. Even though some elements were trying to sabotage film stars attending the IIFA ceremony we would face such situations. After all we have faced a war he noted. In the history of IIFA ceremonies, all these film stars had not attended the ceremonies which were held in Africa or the UK or in any other country, he said smilingly answering a question from the media.

Graduates to fill school vacancies in Eastern Province

Vacancies in schools in the Eastern province to teach Maths, Science, English and Aesthetic studies will be filled by employing graduates, said K. Udage, Secretary of Eastern Province Public Service Commission.He further said these vacancies will be filled through a competitive examination, which is scheduled to be held on June 6.Candidates who failed to receive the admission cards have been asked to contact him immediately.

Fonseka appeals against AC ruling

The Supreme Court yesterday (3) listed for support on June 17 for special leave to appeal the application filed by retired Gen. Sarath Fonseka against the order of the Appeal Court refusing to extend the Status Quo (the existing state of affairs) preventing the proceedings of the 1st Court Martial against him. When the application was taken up  Counsel for Gen. Fonseka moved for time to file copies of the said order made by the Court of Appeal dated May 21,2010.  Fonseka in his appeal claims the Court of Appeal had failed to take into account that the purpose of the Writ application would be rendered nugatory if the Martial Court continued and stated it had failed to take into account that such interim stay orders are generally extended as a matter of course. He is seeking the Supreme Court to set aside the said order of the Court of Appeal dated May 21 refusing to extend and/or not extending the interim order/direction dated May 3. He is asking the Supreme Court to make order that the interim order dated May 3 be in force pending the hearing and final determination of the proceedings in the Court of Appeal and to make interim order directing the said Court Martial be stayed pending the hearing and final determination of this application.

03 June 2010

No truth on reports of Indian pressure on President Rajapaksa, Sampanthan tells Thamilosai

The Tamil National Alliance is prepared to talk with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on solutions to the ethnic problem, TNA Parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan has told BBC’s Thamilosai.External Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris has already spoken to the TNA regarding certain issues, Mr. Sampanthan has reported to have said. He has added that during this discussion, initial dialogs on constitutional amendments too were discussed.However, Mr. Sampanthan has said that though it was stated during these discussions that the President was to meet the TNA soon, even after a lapse of two weeks no invitation has been forthcoming from the President.The TNA leader has told Thamilosai that it was inappropriate to divulge details of the discussions with Minister Prof. Peiris at this moment. However he has said the all he could say now was that a rough idea of what a final solution could be to the problems faced by the Tamils in Sri Lanka was discussed.He has further stated that the TNA had announced its willingness to discuss solutions to grievances faced by the Tamils immediately after the General Elections. But he has said that there was no truth in reports that India had pressurized President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss solutions to the ethnic conflict with the TNA before President Rajapaksa left on his visit to India on June 8.At the same time, Mr. Sampanthan had admitted that the TNA was in discussion with Indiaon several issues.

India opens visa office in Kandy

The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kanth inaugurated the Visa Application Centre (IVAC) of the Indian High Commission in Kandy recently. The Chief Guest on this occasion was Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, Governor of Central Province while the Guest of Honour was Sarath Ekanayake, Chief Minister of Central Province. The Kandy IVAC will be operated by VFS Global, who had run the Indian Visa Application Centre in Colombo since February 11, 2008 with great success together with the newly inaugurated centre situated in Jaffna which has been operational since May 5, 2010. The IVAC at Kandy has been in operation since June 1, 2010.Speaking on the occasion, the Indian High Commissioner said that this initiative would benefit the people of Kandy and the people of the Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa Provinces as well. The people of the Kurunegala district in the North Western Province too can avail themselves of the services provided by the centre. He added that this initiative would be extremely beneficial to those seeking visas to India as it would cut the time required to travel to the capital when applying for a visa.This would further promote the friendly ties that exist between Sri Lanka and India. The constant endeavour of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka has been to enhance the services and and facilities available to visa applicants. The IVAC Kandy will be the third such centre in Sri Lanka, the first two being Colombo and Jaffna. The India Visa Application Centre is well located at No. 701/A, Peradeniya Road, Kandy. The IVAC would function from 0800 hours to 1700 hours from Monday to Friday. Visa applicants can log on to www.vfs-in-lk.com for guidance about visa instructions.They can visit info.inlk@vfshelpline.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for visa queries. The IVAC helpline number is  2450558. The facilities offered to the visa applicants include longer operational hours; dedicated Centre Unit and e-mail support; the information desk at the IVAC; flexibility of submission and collection timings and convenient procedures for submitting visa applications. The processing time for each visa application will normally take one working day. The decision to grant or refuse visas would be the sole prerogative of the Assistant High Commissioner of India, Kandy.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner for India disappointed towards the news programme telecast over NDTV.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner for India had appealed about the documentary programme which was aired over the Indian NTV television to withdraw the programme. The request was made by Prasad Kariyawasam  in regard to the programme which was telecast in the name of  “Blood and Water”. The programme which was telecast showed, three to 6 lacks of people are living in the Vavuniya interment camps behind the barbed fence. Kariyawasam pointed out that only 30 thousand persons are living at the Vavuniya camps. He said the many programmes telecast in the programme were recorded one year before. Further another segment consisting about 300 Indian fishermen had been arrested by the Sri Lankan navy forces for the past many years was also accommodated in the programmes which is totally false was stated by Prasad Kariyawasam. He said, in addition to this, the refugees due to economic problems are intruding to Australia was mentioned in the programme which cannot be accepted . Hence he requested the NTV Television administration to grant him an opportunity to explain the actual situation.

Sri Lanka coverage success for Channel 4 News at Amnesty Media Awards

Channel 4 News picked up both awards it was nominated for at last night’s Amnesty Media Awards. Our Sri Lanka coverage won the TV News Coverage and Somalia journalist Jamal Osman won the Gaby Rado award for new journalists.The Amnesty Media Awards recognise "excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism's significant contribution to the UK public's awareness and understanding of human rights issues".In the TV News Category, the team behind Channel 4 News' Sri Lanka coverage won against stiff competition from Sky's "Falujah Babies" report and another Channel 4 News piece – Nick Martin's report from Ciudad Juarez on child trafficking across the US border. The Sri Lanka entry comprised a report into internment camps that saw Nick Paton Walsh deported from the country, the airing of a video purporting to show Tamil soldiers being executed, and the eventual UN verdict that authenticated that video. Deputy Foreign Editor Tim Lambon collected the award on behalf of the team and recognised the collective efforts of the Channel 4 News team, and fixers on the ground in making the coverage possible. Jamal Osman was recognised as an emerging new talent in human rights reporting for his work for Channel 4 News. He picked up the Gaby Rado award for journalists who have been pursuing this area of journalism for less than five years. In particular, his work exposing the 'cash for aid' scandal behind the World Food Programme in Somalia was recognised.  Last week, he secured an exclusive interview for ITN with the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler who are still being held hostage in Somalia. Channel 4 News Editor Jim Gray commented: "These awards remain incredibly important – and it is an honour to be recognised for highlighting human rights atrocities through our journalism. Our coverage of the end of Sri Lanka's war exemplified the values we hold dear – it was fearless, challenging and required tenacity, patience and courage from everyone involved-  it's fantastic to see that effort rewarded. "Likewise, in the short time he has been covering human rights stories for us Jamal has demonstrated a natural instinct for telling these untold stories around the world – so it's great that he has been recognised as an emerging new talent." It was a good night for Channel 4 in general – More 4 and Channel 4 shared the award for "Television documentary and docudrama" for 'Burma VJ' and the Dispatches documentary on Afghanistan's Dirty War. 

UK funds improvements to Kilinochchi general hospital in Northern Sri Lanka

The United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) has provided funds through the UNICEF for the renovations of the Kilinochchi general hospital in war-battered Northern Sri Lanka. The DFID, now known as UKaid, has contributed funds to UNICEF to help re-establish emergency obstetric and paediatric care at Kilinochchi General Hospital. The agency has funded the refurbishment and equipping of the operating theatre, labour room, maternity and paediatric wards to improve the emergency care of pregnant women, mothers and young children. The newly refurbished and equipped facility officially opened on May 27 and is fully operational now. The UKaid has previously provided funds for various health initiatives in the Menik Farm IDP camps.

WSWS reporters visit the devastated Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi

One year after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan government claims that life is returning to normal in the war-ravaged Vanni region. But as our reporting team found during their recent visit to Kilinochchi, that is far from the case. Tens of thousands of civilians who lost everything during the fighting have been “resettled” in the area with little government assistance.Kilinochchi was the LTTE’s administrative headquarters when its forces controlled most of the Vanni. It was the scene of months of bitter fighting in the final months of 2008 as the LTTE put up stiff resistance to repeated army offensives and sustained aerial and artillery bombardment. The entire civilian population had fled well before Sri Lankan troops finally entered what was a ghost town in early January 2009.After the fall of Kilinochchi, the LTTE’s resistance rapidly collapsed. The army tightened its noose around the LTTE and confined it to a small pocket of land on the northeast coast, which was pounded relentlessly killing thousands of civilians. When the area was finally overrun in May 2009, the army rounded up more than a quarter of a million civilians, many of whom were injured, sick and famished, and herded them into detention camps. The internees were only released from last December onwards in response to international and domestic pressure. In the meantime, the military had turned Kilinochchi into an army town with plans for a permanent occupation and the construction of major permanent bases. Former residents found the town devastated and have been forced to eke out an existence as best they can. Our reporters visited Kilinochchi town and the villages of Poonahari, 26 kilometres to the west, and Vattakachchi, 15 kilometres to the east. They conducted their work under difficult circumstances, as the media generally cannot operate freely in the town. The photos are taken from a bus, but give an indication of the makeshift conditions under which people are living in the Vanni. The first thing that strikes you about the situation in Kilinochchi is that you find more soldiers than civilians in the town. They are in uniform and civvies, carrying weapons or just moving here and there. People can only travel to Kilinochchi, either from Jaffna to the north or from Vavuniya to the south, by passing through military camps, checkpoints and patrolling soldiers.Soldiers might not question you as they would have six months ago but they keep a close eye on everyone’s movements. Just after one of our correspondents went to a relative’s house in a village, soldiers arrived at the house and asked why he was there. When he said he was visiting a relative, they went away. But the same thing happens whenever a new person comes to a house.Makeshift dwellingsThe buildings in Kilinochchi town were destroyed last year. Heaps of debris have since been removed about 50 metres from the main road. The traders who have returned are renovating or rebuilding their shops, which were damaged during the war, at their own expense. These are small shops and there are only a few customers. Most of the eating houses are run by the army, catering for people travelling through the town.People’s land and buildings that were previously occupied by the LTTE are now occupied by the military. A vast area in the southern section of the town has been fenced with barbed wire. Residents think it will be used to erect a military complex. Meanwhile, the Kilinochchi bus stand still has no any shelter. Passengers must wait for buses, sometimes for hours, under trees in the hot sun or rain. No buses are running to some places still.Former detainees have been sent here almost without any assistance. The government’s attitude is one expression of its communal discrimination. Displaced people spoke angrily about the government’s policy. One person explained: “We are living here abandoned by all. The government said it would provide us with houses, employment and other facilities. It has not even given us clean drinking water, apart from what the relief agencies have supplied. Nobody has come to see our plight. There is no difference between staying in the detention camps and living here. The conditions are the same in both places.” Many of the resettled people live in 10-by-10 feet huts with tin sheets provided by some non-government organisations. Other people are living in tents that are the same size. There are no separate rooms for sleeping or getting dressed. The floors have been leveled with mud. As there are no toilet facilities, people are using open spaces. Some families have used tin sheets to make roofs for their damaged houses.People have been able to survive without going hungry only because the World Food Program (WFP) is providing food. Many people don’t have even instruments like knives, equipment to clean their hands, or lamps for daily use. They have to look for bottles to make kerosene oil lamps, and search for water because the wells are not cleaned.Small tents house some resettled familiesThe Kilinochchi district was famous for agriculture and fishing. The large Iranaimadu tank (artificial lake) mainly supplied irrigation for several thousand acres of agricultural land. The tank is now under the military’s control. Water has not yet been fully released for farmers. A few farmers have begun cultivation but they do not have tractors or other basic equipment. Many do not have even a mammoty (a type of spade). Fishermen are not allowed to fish in the tank.Poonahari village has been devastated, like other areas in the Vanni. The debris from destroyed houses, such as bricks and wood, has been used to erect military checkpoints that monitor the local coastline. One resident commented: “The military checkpoints are made out of the wood and sheets from our homes.”Students are generally attending schools but there is a serious lack of teachers and equipment. Teachers have to travel a long distance from Jaffna or Vavuniya. At Poonahari, the Vikneswara School, which previously conducted classes up to the advanced level, is now occupied by the military, so students must walk to another school five kilometres away.The military has also occupied Poonahari’s government hospital. As there are no longer any hospital facilities, people have to beg someone in the army camps to take any seriously ill patients to Kilinochchi in a military vehicle for treatment. Patients with minor illnesses simply have to suffer.In Vattakachchi village there is no hospital and no school, and the people live in tents. The houses were destroyed during the war. The local Vattakachchi and Ramanathapuram schools remain occupied by the military. Many women have lost their husbands. They are struggling to survive, facing numerous difficulties, without proper clothes and education for their children. One woman explained: “The government did not give us any help. I don’t have the money to search for my disappeared husband. Others like me face the same problems.”Billions of rupees are urgently needed to rebuild the Kilinochchi district for proper human habitation. But the Colombo government is not interested in rebuilding the conditions of ordinary people. Its treatment of war-devastated people is a continuation of decades of discrimination against Tamils.

Policy on Lanka India should spell out its stand by Kuldip Nayar

I wish I knew what India’s policy on Sri Lanka is. It now favours reconciliation between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority. Not long ago, it stood for devolving power to provinces in a federal structure. True, the two communities have no other option except to co-exist, as they have been doing all these years. But the lackadaisical attitude towards Tamils, particularly in all walks of life, has to go before they gain confidence that they are equal citizens.I wish Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made a statement on Sri Lanka in his maiden press conference at Delhi. He has to put pressure on President Rajapaksa to make his promise on decentralisation of power good. Even in the midst of fighting against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan government was voicing such a promise.Some argue that New Delhi should have intervened before the decimation of the LTTE so that it could have had some room to prevail upon Colombo to accommodate the Tamils. Authentic reports have it that India supplied weapons to the Sri Lankan army even during its operation against the LTTE. Colombo should have been made to give Tamils concrete concessions at that time and it would have done so because it wanted to finish the LTTE once and for all. But, on the contrary, India never withdrew its hand from supplying arms to Colombo. Probably, New Delhi did so because it could never get off its chest that it had committed the original sin of training and arming the LTTE. Then the policy of India was to create a force which would help the Tamils, who were being evicted from their land in the north and who were maltreated all over, without getting their due. It is unfortunate that the LTTE became a Frankenstein and came to nurture the ambition of an independent state.Maybe, the menace that the LTTE subsequently became had to be ended in the way President Rajapaksa scotched it. In a way, New Delhi should have been happy that the force which killed Rajiv Gandhi has been eliminated. Yet there is a feeling in South Block that its say at Colombo has been further reduced. But then, this is because India had no persistent policy. It reacted according to situation that would prevail in Sri Lanka. If only New Delhi had a set goal to win a place for Tamils under the sun, it would have settled the matter long ago even during the time of President Jayawardene, who told me once that Rajiv Gandhi was the captain of the ship and they would do whatever he commanded.Why the vague word of reconciliation has been substituted in place of concrete devolvement of power is because of the panic that has gripped New Delhi after Beijing has announced a large investment in Sri Lanka and given an undertaking to develop the Trincoomali port. Instead of ticking off China for its blatant policy of encircling India — Beijing is making larger investment in Nepal too — New Delhi has made a retreat on its resolve to enforce a federal structure in Sri Lanka.Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi could have given an ultimatum to the Manmohan Singh government on Tamils in Sri Lanka. But he, during his visit to Delhi, was interested only in saving Union Telecommunications Minister A. Raja who is mixed up in the Rs 40,000-crore scandal involving 2G mobile bands. Even when Karunanidhi talked about the Tamils, he did only cursorily.Meanwhile, more and more stories of what the Sri Lankan army did to thousands of civilian Tamils, caught in the crossfire between the LTTE and the Colombo forces, have come to light. It was terror perpetuated on innocent men, women and children. Some 20,000 Tamils were killed. Sexual abuse and the rape of women were yet other atrocities clearly proved against Sri Lankan military and they would amount to crime against humanity and Geneva Convention.One aspect of the government policy that facilitated a variety of atrocities was the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979 which designated the LTTE forces as “terrorists.” It further undermined some of the safeguards in the justice and military legal systems, leading to significant abuse. Evidence shows that maltreatment of the dead also took place.The resulting atrocities of rape, torture, assassinations, “disappearances” and withholding of food, water and medical supplies brutalised and threatened the survival of the Tamil community. The use of artillery and illegal weapons such as white phosphorus and cluster munitions places the government outside accepted international legal standards. It is not surprising that charges of atrocities, ethnic cleansing and indeed genocide have been levelled at Colombo. War crimes and crimes against humanity clear appear to have been committed.The Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) on Sri Lanka has already held an inquiry. In its report, it has regretted that after repeated pleas and in spite of the appalling conditions experienced by Tamils, the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council failed to establish an independent commission of inquiry to investigate those responsible for the atrocities committed. The tribunal has emphasised that if normal conditions are to be restored in Sri Lanka, the government must establish, as a matter of urgency, an independent and authoritative Truth and Justice Commission to investigate crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by parties in conflict. Colombo has appointed an eight-member Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission on the events ranging from the aborted ceasefire pact in 2002 to the military defeat of the LTTE in May last year. But the Commission is looked at with suspicion because there has been a big gap between the words and deeds of the government where it concerns issues of human rights, good governance and accountability.What President Rajapaksa does not realise is that he has vanquished the LTTE but not the sense of grievances nursing in the hearts of Tamils. If he does not do anything to win them over, some other LTTE would emerge. Already the Tamils living abroad have begun telling the international community that Pesident Rajapaksa has no intention of treating the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils at par. This can damage his and his country’s credentials of being democratic.Therefore, I come back to the question that I asked in the beginning. What is India’s policy on Sri Lanka? New Delhi has been trying to convince it to adopt a federal system and decentralise power for the last two decades with no results. What is on its agenda now?

02 June 2010

Tamil National Alliance inform, if called, prepared for discussion

Tamil National Alliance had informed if President Mahinda Rajapakse officially invites, prepared to hold discussions with the government. Alliance Parliament Member and TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan stated this. Reports have been published that President Mahinda Rajapakse after concludes his Indian visit, will have discussions with the Tamil National Alliance including minority parties, but official invitation has not been given by the government was mentioned by Selvam Adaikalanathan. If officially invited prepared to hold discussions with the government on two important demands which will be submitted on behalf of the Alliance was mentioned by him. The demands will be focused on the expedition of resettling the displaced persons, and to forward a political settlement to the Tamils. In the meantime in regard to electorate basis election system he said, the system which is introduced without any differences in north, east and upcountry, will affect the minority parties. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Workers Congress had informed in regard to electorate basis system, discussions will be held with EPDP, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress including parties. In this regard those parties have given their consent, was stated by the Party leader Deputy Minister Muthu Sivalingam. If such discussion is held, whether Tamil National Alliance will participate was a question raised, in reply Selvam Adaikalanathan said, all minority parties should get together and come to a compromise for the electorate basis election system. Meanwhile invitation was not given to the Jaffna District Development Coordinating Leadership meeting which is held in Jaffna, and if called, the Alliance will definitely participate was stated by Selvam Adaikalanathan.

Queen may visit in 2013

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is likely to arrive in Sri Lanka in 2013 to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting which Sri Lanka will host that year, well informed sources told Daily Mirror online. Sources added that the Queen may arrive in the country to open and attend part of the meetings which will also be attended by the Heads of State of the countries representing the Commonwealth.British High Commission Spokesperson Dominic Willims, when contacted by Daily Mirror online said that it was customary for the Queen to inaugurate the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting which is held every two years. However it is still too early to confirm if she will attend the event. The next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting will be held in Perth Australia in 2011 and Sri Lanka is expected to host it in 2013.Every two years, Commonwealth leaders meet to discuss global and Commonwealth issues, and agree on collective policies and initiatives. They are organised by the host nation in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat.Issues discussed include international peace and security, democracy, good governance, sustainable development, debt management, education, environment, gender equality, health, human rights, information and communication technology, law, multilateral trade issues, small states and youth affairs.There are 54 countries currently in the Commonwealth and some of the countries include Sri Lanka, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, India and Canada.

Sri Lanka Trade Pacts – Some Prefer China over India

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) expected to be signed between India and Sri Lanka next month which sparked off recent protests in Colombo is seen as a retrogressive deal by some quarters from the island nation. According to sources, it seems that China is favoured by some over India, and are also uncomfortable about India eclipsing close to 20,000 highly skilled Chinese essential workers presently in Sri Lanka. However, it is not clear why some in Sri Lanka prefer China over India despite heavily lopsided Sino-Lankan trade in favour of China.Ahead of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to India next month, hundreds of protesters took to the streets against the proposed trade pact, claiming it would hugely benefit the neighbouring country by forcing the domestic industry into appalling risks. The CEPA which was supposed to be signed two years ago is likely to come to fruition during Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi on June 8.Many highly educated, including doctors and engineers who were part of the recent protest along with businessmen fear that the island could be dominated by cheaper and skilled Indian services at the expense of the domestic industry. But this argument is unfounded as India’s educated unemployed were largely jobless because their reluctance to work for less or in remote places. Moreover, Sri Lanka being a country less than half the currency value of India would not have to panic about the products or services from India going cheap rather can ensure superior quality which could help the country build its economy on a firmer footing.The Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) signed in 1998 and which is effective since March 1, 2000 has been able to boost trade between both nations significantly with near equal opportunity for the Sri Lankans. The ISFTA that is confined to the trading of only goods pushed country’s exports by manifold from $55.7mn in 2000 to $516.4mn in 2007.On the contrary, in 2002, the traded volume between China and Sri Lanka totalled about $350mn, of which China's exports accounted for $340mn providing room for Sri Lankan exports at about a meagre $10mn. Although Sino-Lankan trade witnessed tremendous growth over the years with bilateral trade crossing $2bn in 2009, imports from China remained predominately greater than the efflux.

Super fast train service linking Sri Lanka's international airport and the capital Colombo from today

A super fast luxury train service between Sri Lanka's international airport and the capital Colombo commenced on Tuesday to facilitate the distinguished visitors arriving this week to attend the Indian mega film awards ceremony IIFA. Transport Minister Kumara Welgama and Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa inaugurated the new train service yester day morning. Deputy Ministers Rohana Kumara Dissanayake, Dayashritha Thissera, and Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Gampaha District MP Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle, Chairman of Airport Authority Prasanna Wickramasuriya also participated.

If Sajith becomes leader: we will be with the UNP -Govt. prominent MPs say in unison  

It is reported that a group of Govt. MPs are ready to join the UNP if Sajith Premadasa becomes the leader of the party.A Deputy Minister of the Govt. who was elected from the up country has related this to an M P representing the UNP. This Deputy Minister was a Minister without a portfolio in the previous Cabinet.If Sajith becomes the UNP leader, about ten others will also be coming along with him to the UNP, he has added. Meanwhile, an advisor of the President Mahinda Rajaakse, now appointed as a Govt. M P after elections and a former senior MP had told a senior UNP frontline MP when having lunch recently at the Parliament canteen that the Govt. is in utter chaos and confusion. Not a single Minister or Deputy Minister is in a happy frame of mind. It is the theme of conversation among the Ministers and MPs that the President is only obsessed with propelling his son forward while neglecting all other duties. If you all will properly organize yourselves politically, 3 years is too much to bring changes in th political landscape, the new MP and former advisor had pointed out to the UNP frontliner. 

Sri Lanka cuts import tax on vehicles by 50%

Sri Lankan government has slashed the taxes on car imports by 50% with effect from midnight Monday (31st) in response to the request of the importers who lamented that vehicle imports had come down by 90% last year due to high taxes levied. Cars are subjected to as much as 300% taxes in excise duties, import duties, value added taxes, port and airport development levies and national security levies in addition to the 15% surcharge on all imported items. The state expects the car imports to pick up and the trend was displayed today in Colombo Bourse where the share prices of companies importing cars rose. Taxes on electric and electronic items such as watches and cameras too have been brought down to 10% to encourage retail trade especially targeting foreigners. Sri Lanka is anticipating a boom in tourism in post-war context. Meanwhile, K.M.S. Kandegedara, the new Commissioner General of the Inland Revenue Department who assumed duties yesterday said that the new tax policy of the government is expected to be approved by the Parliament shortly.

Kidnapped schoolgirl released

The Colombo Crime Division has launched a special operation to arrest a gang that kidnapped a 15-year-old girl on May 18 on her way back home from a leading private school and demanded a ransom of Rs. 20 million. She was released on the same day. The kidnappers contacted the girl’s father, a businessman and demanded that he pay Rs. 20 million immediately if he wanted his child back. Later, the kidnappers agreed to Rs. 2 million. After he pledged to pay them, the girl was left at a lane behind the Savoy Cinema in Wellawatte. They had held the girl for three hours inside a white coloured van with tinted glasses. The gang had consisted of four persons clad in what looked like military uniforms, the police said. OIC of the CCD, DIG Anura Senanayake told The Island several police teams had been deployed to trace the gang.

Samsung to open Lankan office

Samsung Electronics will open an office in Sri Lanka next month. A model operating a Samsung 3D LED TV at the launch. Pictures by Sumanachandra Ariyawansa Samsung Electronics South West Asia President/CEO JungSoo Shin Samsung targets a 30 percent market share in Sri Lanka by the end of this year. Based on the innovative 3D LED TV, LED TV and LCD TV launches, Samsung is looking at attaining market leadership in Flat Panel TVs by the end of this year. The positive economic environment in Sri Lanka will enable the company to achieve its goal at the end of this year, Samsung South West Asia President/CEO JungSoo Shin said at the launch of 3D LED TVs in the Sri Lankan market yesterday. Samsung Electronics is engaged in marketing activities in Sri Lanka. Apart from the launch of cutting edge technologies such as LED TVs, a range of products will be introduced to cater to the average customers in Sri Lanka. “We will be introducing new technologies at the same time as in other parts of the world. Samsung has not used its full strength in the past but expects to engage in the market aggressively in the future,” Samsung Electronics Sri Lanka Country Manager K Shankar Narayan said. He said the Sri Lankan market can expect a growth in the electronic devices market in coming months due to the healthy economic conditions. Samsung has introduced 20 to 30 percent of its product range to Sri Lanka but it is expected to introduce new categories to the country in the future. The LED TV is designed for customer convenience and many electronic devices such as laptops, mobile phones can be connected to the LED TV. The upgraded Internet@TV feature now includes Samsung Apps providing customers with an expanded, easy to navigate selection of content and applications from leading services like the Associated Press, Blockbuster, Fashion TV, Netflix, Picasa and YouTube amongst others.

Japan satisfied with Govt.’s effort to create ethnic harmony – Japanese envoy tells PM

The Japanese government has expressed its satisfaction with Sri Lanka’s development process,  Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Konio Takahashi told Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne at an official meeting held at the PM’s Office on Monday evening.The Japanese government has also expressed satisfaction with the government’s efforts to create ethnic harmony in the country.  He also mentioned that Japan has been assisting Sri Lanka’s development process in the past and is committed to continue its assistance in the future too.Japan has assisted the development process in the North through various projects. "The Japanese government has decided to assist the setting up of electricity supply from Vavuniya to Killinochchi and from Killinochchi to Jaffna as a part of a new project" Ambassador Takahashi told the Prime Minister.The new government has reduced the enactment of emergency law and is implementing a broad plan to resettle the displaced people. The ambassador said that Japanese government expresses its satisfaction on these humanitarian efforts of the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said that Japan has assisted Sri Lanka since 1956 and Sri Lanka can never forget it. He said that Sri Lanka has stepped on a new path of development and the government of Sri Lanka expects the assistance of Japan in the future as well.There is belief in the international community that the minor ethnicities are being deprived by the majority. But Sri Lankan government has protected the rights of the minorities even under legal grounds. The Prime Minister said that providing government employment for the minorities was an example of this conduct. He said that governments such as Japan have the responsibility to create a better image about the new path of development which Sri Lanka has stepped into.The Japanese envoy said that if there is a false belief on the conduct of the Sri Lankan government among the international community Japan will not hesitate to take measures to change that.

Rehabilitated LTTErs to be employed as bus drivers

The Government is training 100 rehabilitated members of the LTTE to employ as bus drivers at depots in the Northern Province. Northern Province Governor Major General G.A. Chandrasiri told the Daily News that the group was selected after rehabilitating them for a year. The trainees are trained at the Kondavil Sri Lanka Transport Board training centre in Jaffna. They will be employed as bus drivers on routes around Kilinochchi after a three month training. He also said that the trainees are provided with all facilities during their training including accommodation and food. Three houses have been rented to provide them accommodation. They are also paid a daily allowance of Rs 400. The Government’s expenditure on each head for three months inclusive of the course fee is Rs 125,000. These members of the terrorist organization surrendered to the Sri Lanka Forces while the humanitarian operation against the LTTE was in progress. Governor Chandrasiri said this is a solution for the shortage of drivers in the Northern Province while it also provides future prospects for the rehabilitated cardres.

Pressure on Bollywood to boycott IIFA

Southern film stars are calling on the Bollywood counterparts to skip the IIFA Awards that are being held in Colombo in solidarity with Sri Lankan Tamils. The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has also threatened to boycott any Bollywood star who turns up for the function. The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce has issued an open threat to Bollywood stars, "Boycott IIFA Awards in Colombo or face the music down south." The chamber has decided not to screen films of stars who choose to attend the IIFA Awards. They will not cooperate with Hindi directors and technicians as well. They say it's not too late to postpone the function and shift the venue to another country.Says L Suresh, President, The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce, "Although the ethnic war is over, the Sri Lankan government is trying to project as if the peace has come back to the country and India has come here to hold the award function. But the Chamber is considerate towards stars who have contractual obligations to perform. Actress Khushbu is of the view that those who are bounded by the contract, shouldn't get into the trouble by skipping the award ceremony. "But people who are invitees, they can refrain from going all the way," She says. Kamal Haasan has appealed for a change of venue, while director Mani Ratnam has already announced that he will not be going because his film Raavan hasn't yet been completed.The actors who will not be attending the function, for a variety of reason include: Aishwarya and Abishek Bachchan who are usually IIFA regulars, Shahrukh Khan who hasn't attended for the last few years and Aamir Khan, who never attends.Meanwhile there are others who are likely to make it to the awards night. Lara Dutta, Boman Irani, Riteish Deshmukh are already in Sri Lanka. So are Vivek Oberoi and Mahesh Bhupathi. Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan will be there so will Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor. Salman Khan is the ambassador for IIFA's social initiative and Hrithik Roshan has been a regular at the show. One way or another it looks like the show will go on.

Jaffna Muslims reopen mosque after 20 years

Jaffna Muslims evicted by Tamil rebels 20 years ago, have revived prayer services following the re-opening of their newly renovated Grand Mosque.The Dutch-built mosque, which dates from 1713, was abandoned in 1990 as the separatist LTTE (LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) drove Muslims away from the Northern Province.Sheik M.J. Abdul Halik, a Muslim cleric, delivered a special Friday sermon at the May 28 re-opening ceremony, which was also attended by 50 other religious officials from Sri Lanka’s north and east.The Grand Mosque President M.M. Akbar Hajiar also welcomed other religious groups, adding that they all wish to see Muslims return to their homes.Jaffna diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission president, Father Amirthanathar Francis Xavier told ucanews.com that “Muslims are gradually reconciling with their Tamil neighbors and their past.”He observed, “Relations between people of different ethnic groups are crucial to maintain stability in the country.”About 75,000 Muslims, mostly involved in trade were evicted in 1990 from the northern districts of Jaffna by the now-defeated LTTE in their struggle for an independent Tamil homeland.For the last 20 years, Muslims lived in other parts of the country as refugees or built up communities in the western part of the country. After the defeat of the Tamil forces last year, a number of Muslims began to return to their homes.Kumara Kurukkal from the Sri Bala Kathirkama Temple noted that the re-opening of the Grand Mosque was a “sign of (a return to) normalcy and reunification.”

01 June 2010

UN rights chief renews call for an international inquiry into Sri Lanka war

The United Nations Human Rights chief Monday reiterated her call for an independent international inquiry into alleged war crimes committed during the last stages of Sri Lanka's offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Delivering the opening statement at the 14th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Navanethem Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, asked the Council to reflect on the commitments made by the Sri Lankan government to the Council when it addressed the serious concerns at the last session on Sri Lanka's bloody war that ended last May. Pillay noted that the government has made some progress since then in the return and resettlement of internally displaced persons and the partial relaxation of emergency measures. "Concrete initiatives must now follow to provide justice and redress to victims and generally to promote accountability and longer-term reconciliation," Pillay added. While acknowledging the Sri Lankan government's recent establishment of Commission on Lessons Learned and Reconciliation to address some of these questions, Pillay expressed doubts in such a commission. "However, based on previous experience and new information, I remain convinced that such objectives would be better served by establishing an independent international accountability mechanism that would enjoy public confidence, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere," she said. President Rajapaksa recently appointed his own Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation to examine key aspects of the conflict in Sri Lanka that ended a year ago. The United States has expressed its support for the creation of the President's reconciliation commission and urged Sri Lanka to make the findings public. During a press briefing on May 28 with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris urged the United Nations to give Sri Lanka space to allow the commission to begin its work without impediment or without hindrance.

Lanka rejects foreign probe

Sri Lanka says there should be no hurry in setting up an international probe to investigate the final stages of the war against the LTTE as the government has taken ‘necessary action’ to address human rights allegations.This comes after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today maintained that Sri Lanka needed an international probe despite the government having created a post-war reconciliation commission to look into alleged human rights violations.Pillay is quoted as saying, "Based on previous experience and new information, I remain convinced that such objectives would be better served by establishing an independent international accountability mechanism that would enjoy public confidence, both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere."Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwela speaking to Daily Mirror online however noted that Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation, with a government democratically elected by the people and so will address concerns on its own."Positive comments have been made by many other nations in the steps we have taken and we are now more interested in correcting past mistakes ourselves and we see no hurry in setting up an international probe when we have already taken necessary action in this regard through our reconciliation commission," Minister Rambukwella said.

Female corpses found in Ganeshapuram, Kilinochchchi

Five male bodies estimated to be between 20 to 35 years of age, in highly decomposed state and packed securely in five separate bags were exhumed from the toilet pit of a house in Kaneasapuram in Kilinochchi under the supervision of Vavuniyaa Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) Dr. P. Sritharan and in the presence of Kilinochchi magistrate Monday morning, sources in Kilinochchi said. Some of the bodies had clothes with Tiger stripes, some in Lamb Black uniforms used by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and some in ordinary civilian dress, the sources added. The victims may have been killed a year ago, according to JMO. It was not immediately possible to learn how the victims had been killed as the corpses were in a highly decomposed state. According to the Sri Lankan police, packing of the bodies in separate bags and the systematic burial of them gave room to suspect that those who buried the bodies may have intended to take them out again for purposes unknown. However, residents in the area, who said there were bandages attached to the corpses indicating injuries alluded that the victims could have been wounded LTTE cadres and civilian captives slain by the SLA. Many personnel of SLA Intelligence Division and soldiers were present at the site of exhumation which was carried out from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m under tight security arrangement. The bodies were taken to Vavuniyaa Government Hospital for post mortem examinations. Members of a family recently resettled in Kaneasapuram in Kiiinochchi after being displaced from their house, located Saturday dead bodies of massacred victims, buried inside their toilet pit. The house is located 1 km west of A9 in Kilinochchi.

DMK calls for "constructive measures" to help refugees

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Sunday urged the Centre to take “constructive measures” to find a solution to the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in camps in Tamil Nadu.Recalling the State government's request to the Centre to provide permanent resident status to over 73,000 Tamil refugees living in the State, a resolution adopted at the high-level implementation committee meeting said that it was a matter of regret that no serious steps had been taken in this regard.“I am not fully satisfied with the efforts,” Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said, responding to a question on the subject.The resolution also called upon the Centre to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to utilise the Rs.500 crore allotted towards rehabilitating internally displaced Sri Lankan Tamils living in camps in Sri Lanka. “Steps should be taken to resettle them in their homes. Livelihood should be provided to those who have already returned to their homes,” the resolution said.Another resolution requested the Centre to take steps to secure the release of 75 Sri Lankan Tamils lodged in prisons in Malaysia. Stating that it was a matter of concern that the Women Reservation Bill adopted in the Rajya Sabha was yet to be passed in the Lok Sabha, a resolution wanted the Centre to ensure its passage.“All political parties should extend their cooperation for its passage,” the resolution said.Urging the Centre to take efforts on a war-footing to control the increase in the prices of essential commodities, the DMK wanted the Centre to amend the Essential Commodities Act, besides demanding a ban on futures trading.Commenting on a resolution adopted on the Siruthavur land issue, Mr. Karunanidhi said the Kancheepuram district unit of the DMK had sought permission to launch a movement to reclaim the land for the Dalits. “We are considering their request,” he said.A resolution thanking all political parties which had cooperated for the government's effort to revive the Legislative Council was adopted. Another resolution congratulated the Chief Minister for various welfare schemes including the insurance scheme launched in his name.Replying to a question on whether former AIADMK Minister S. Muthusamy would join the DMK, the Chief Minister said Mr. Muthusamy was yet to open channels of communication with the DMK regarding his future course of action.

FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has just celebrated the first anniversary of victory over the Tamil Tiger separatists, which ended a three-decade war and ushered the Indian Ocean nation into the ranks of Asia's emerging frontier markets.Recently re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a powerful parliamentary majority and is now turning his attention to long-awaited economic and political change.

Following is a summary of key risks to watch in Sri Lanka:

* UNCERTAINTY OVER IMF LOAN

Earlier in May, the International Monetary Fund said it was encouraged by Sri Lanka's proposals to bring deficit reduction back on track, chiefly through measures to be included in the 2010 budget due in parliament on June 29.The IMF delayed disbursement of the third tranche of Sri Lanka's $2.6 billion loan in March, saying it wanted to see the fiscal reforms in the budget first. A pair of elections which ended in April prompted Rajapaksa to delay the budget.Sri Lanka missed by a wide margin the 2009 IMF budget deficit targets, and has said it wants to negotiate less demanding goals. The IMF, after a mission to the island which ended last week, has said it would not rule that out.

What to watch:

-- The IMF executive board's decision, which is expected to come after the budget is presented. It is possible the IMF could release both the third and fourth tranches together.

-- The influence of allies of the president who say the loan is no longer necessary, since it was intended to solve a balance-of-payments crisis when foreign reserves dipped to just $1.27 billion. They have now climbed to over $5 billion.

-- The reaction of credit ratings agencies if the IMF or government cancels the loan. It was a key factor in getting Sri Lanka's credit rating raised after the war, and this gave foreign investors the confidence to come in. If the loan is cancelled, capital flight could be a risk.

* THE RAJAPAKSA FACTOR

The president, like many in Sri Lanka and south Asia before, has made politics a family affair. His elder brother is the parliament speaker, and his youngest brother is in charge of the new economic development ministry responsible for tourism, nation building and investment promotion. Another brother, the defence secretary, is now in charge of the agency responsible for developing prime government real estate in Colombo, by moving buildings to the administrative capital of Sri Jayawardenapura. The president is also the finance minister, so in short, any big investment decision needs the blessing of the Rajapaksas.

What to watch:

-- Whether Rajapaksa and his family show evenhandedness in the development of public-private investment partnerships.

-- Whether Rajapaksa can shake off concerns that investments can be interfered with by the government. Privately, some wealthy local investors say they are afraid to commit because they worry the government could meddle with their investments or use them as pawns in the political arena.

* CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

The president's ruling alliance has 144 seats in the 225-member parliament, just six shy of the two-thirds majority he needs to change the constitution. He has been vague about proposed changes, aside from saying he might create a second house of parliament, do away with the problem-plagued preferential voting system and abolish the powerful executive presidency he now enjoys. Some of his allies say they want to remove the presidency's two-term limit as their first priority.Sri Lanka has had a relatively disastrous history of changes wrought by constitution and many Sri Lankans are watching to see whether Rajapaksa follows a more virtuous path.

What to watch:

-- The crossovers Rajapaksa engineers to give himself the two-thirds majority. Already, there is talk he will not do this until he takes his oath for his second term in November.

-- The concrete reforms the president proposes, and whether they tend to favour him or the polity as a whole.

* THE RUPEE AND INFLATION

Under Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, inflation has fallen from more than 28 percent in 2008 to single digits. But it has been rising again, and the governor says he is willing to tighten monetary policy to keep it in check, after loosening it last year to spur private-sector credit growth.Still, credit growth is negative year-on-year. The rupee currency LKR= is being pushed upwards by economic fundamentals and the central bank policy is not to allow any swift movement.

What to watch:

-- Any monetary tightening, and the corresponding reaction of the inflation and credit growth rates.

-- A change in regulations to boost banks' statutory reserve requirements, which Cabraal has said is an option.

-- Any move to relax currency controls, and the reaction of the exchange rate. Most currency traders expect the rupee would rise, which would not please exporters who contribute 17 percent of Sri Lanka's $42 billion GDP.

* INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Western countries, and groups in the Tamil diaspora, are pressing for some kind of accountability for thousands of civilian deaths at the end of the war. Sri Lanka is adamant its soldiers did not violate human rights or commit war crimes, but international disquiet has cost it enhanced European Union trade preferences, known as GSP+, worth $100 million a year.However, Sri Lanka's willingness to turn to countries like China and Iran appears to have prompted the West to take a softer line, and India remains a close ally.

What to watch:

-- Whether Sri Lanka can reach a deal with the EU to get GSP+ back. Talks are on now and the reinstatement of the trade concession would help Sri Lanka's garment industry, its top foreign exchange earner.

MrS. Amirthalingam meets husband’s Sinhalese bodyguard after 21 years

Mrs. Mangayarkkarasi Amirthalingam (76), widow of slain Opposition Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam, visited his bodyguard T.A. Nissanka who shot dead three LTTE assassins on July 13, 1989.She was accompanied by her son Dr. Bahirathan Amirthalingam (51). The family was brought to Colombo by the BBC for a radio documentary.The mother and the son had come for a holiday to Sri Lanka last Thursday and had met Nissanka after 21 years.The visit to the house at Ambalapitiya in Kegalle last Saturday by Mrs. Amirthalingam and her son was a heartbreaking scene and those who were present could not hold back the tears.As Mrs. Amirthalingam saw Nissanka, she had embraced him and had started crying as if meeting a child after a long lone time. Dr. Amirthlingam too had embraced and hugged as if two brothers had met after a long time.Nissanka’s wife Mrs. T.A. Shyamila Pramila Kumari had welcomed both visitors who had come to pay gratitude to her husband and had warmly welcomed them.On July 13, 1989 under the guise of coming for a discussion with Mr. Amirthalingam three armed members of the LTTE entered the two storied house at Bullers road, Colombo the temporary residence of TULF members and had shot Mr. Amirthalingam and the Jaffna District parliamentarian Vettivelu Yogeswaran.The bodyguard of Mr. Amirthalingam, Nissanka who had been on duty at that time had shot and killed all the three assassins with both revolvers he had had in his hands.Nissanka who had served as a Security officer of Mr. Gamini Dissanayake when he was the Minister of Mahaweli development had subsequently joined the team of bodyguards of Mr. Amirthalignam, who had had full confidence on him.Mother and son having had lunch on 29th at Nissanka’s house and spent a couple of hours with the family, had left for Colombo promising to visit them at the beginning of next year when they would be back in Sri Lanka, hoping to help the family.To the media personnel who were in that house on the invitation of Nissanka Mrs. Amirthalingam said though she loves to come back to the beautiful Island Sri Lanka she is unable to do as her children and grandchildren now settled down England.Mrs. Amirthalingam also stated that she was happy of the ability of President Mahinda Rajapakse to end the war and create a peaceful atmosphere but a lot has to be done to promote peace among the various ethnic groups. For that the President is capable of, she said. As she is quite old, she said that she is not interested in politics and because of politics the family has suffered endlessly.When the media asked Dr. Amirthalignam whether he had any future plans of coming back to Sri Lanka and engage in politics, he had stated if one wanted to serve the people it was not necessary to do politics. By profession as he is a psychiatrist he could help people while being engaged in his profession. As all the family members were now citizens of England, he said he had no intention of doing politics in Sri Lanka.They are scheduled to leave on 1st June.

Sri Lanka to conduct first population census in three decades

Sri Lanka will undertake the mammoth task of counting its population for the first time in three decades, with its first post war census next year. Though Sri Lanka's population is estimated at around 21 million, the exact figure would perhaps be known only after the 2011 census. The last Census of Population and Housing was conducted in 2001 after a gap of two decades, but the process could not be extended to the North and Eastern parts of the country that were under the control of the LTTE. The final enumeration in 2001 could be carried out completely only in 18 out of 25 districts. The Census and Statistics Department will cover the total population of the country through over 80,000 census blocks during the survey, the state owned Daily News reported quoting sources. The door-to-door survey will be conducted by a strong workforce of nearly 80,000 enumerators, district administrative officers, and other ground-level officials, it said. Sri Lanka has a long history of census taking with the first systematic and scientific population census being conducted in 1871. Since then censuses were conducted, usually in 10 years with certain exceptions. The previous completed census count was held in 1981. The exercise which was scheduled to be conducted in 1991, could not be carried out due to disturbances in Northern and Eastern provinces of the country. The department-level procedure for carrying out the census next year has already being completed and the survey will cover all Grama Niladari (Village level) Divisions of the country, the paper said. Some GN (Grama Niladari) divisions will be divided to 150 census blocks depending on the population of the respective division to ease the total census process. The Department has also planned to offer a special training programme for its own staff and other staff at selected training centres for the purpose. The funds for next population census will be provided by the Government and the proposed public awareness and training programmes will be facilitated by other donor agencies, the newspaper said.

JAFFNA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS TO FOLLOW COURSES IN JAFFNA ITSELF: UGC

A decision has been taken to allow all students who have gained admission into the Jaffna university based on their results at the last GCE Advanced Level Examination to follow their respective courses at the Jaffna university itself, says the University Grants Commission (UGC).“Under previous circumstances, such students followed their courses at other universities in the country,” said UGC chairman, Professor Gamini Samaranayake.“The main reason for this was the shortcomings that existed in the road network leading up to Jaffna,” said the professor and added that that drawback had been overcome as a result of the opening of the A9 highway.He observed that it had also been decided to admit 1,000 more students into universities during this intake.

Stars may skip Bollywood awards in S.Lanka: govt

Bollywood's leading stars may skip their annual awards festival, which is being held in Sri Lanka this week, following protests from pro-Tamil rebel lobbies in India, officials said Monday.The brand ambassador of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, Amitabh Bachchan, his actor son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai -- Bollywood's leading couple -- have not yet confirmed their participation."About 97 percent of the top stars have confirmed with the exceptions of movie stars Amitabh Bachchan and his family," Sri Lanka's junior economic development minister, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene, told reporters."There is a lot of protest from the (Tamil) Tiger lobby in Tamil Nadu to the Bollywood fraternity to boycott the IIFA Colombo awards. But, we will go ahead with the event as planned," he said.Media reports suggested that megastar Shah Rukh Khan may also opt out citing a busy work schedule.Two people were killed when a Khan concert in Colombo was bombed in 2004, and he vowed at the time that he would not visit Sri Lanka again.Tamils in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu share close cultural and religious links with Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils. Tamil Nadu was once a safe haven for Tamil rebels who staged attacks in Sri Lanka.Tamil Nadu politicians have also been highly critical of Sri Lanka's military campaign that saw the Tamil Tiger rebels crushed in May last year, ending a 37-year-old separatist conflict."We request the brothers in the North Indian film industry not to attend the IIFA awards," an alliance of South Indian film industry groups said in a joint statement issued in Tamil Nadu over the weekend.The pro-Tiger lobby argues that staging the IIFA awards in Sri Lanka endorses President Mahinda Rajapakse's stand on the war.But the Sri Lankan government says that Bollywood's presence will improve the island's international image and promote post-conflict economic development.