30 March 2008

TELO Leader’s meet Tamil Nadu politicians to halt Eastern polls

Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) has urged Tamil Nadu politicians to intervene on its behalf to stop the impending Eastern Province Provincial Council elections scheduled for May 10.According to TELO sources, the TNA is boycotting the election and is opposing any form of elections in the de-merged east. The Sri Lankan government is disregarding the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord by holding elections to a separate Eastern Provincial Council, thereby effectively preventing its re-merger with the Northern Province, TELO Leaders have said.TELO called for the immediate passage of a bill in the Sri Lankan parliament to effect the remerge of the two provinces. Tracing the genesis of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed by the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene on July 29, 1987 which recognised the Northern and Eastern Provinces as the ‘historical habitation’ of the Tamils, TELO Leader’s have said, "The accord made provision for the establishment of a single and elected provincial council for a merged North-East Province for Tamils subject to a referendum in the eastern half to decide on the continuance of its merger with the other half. "With the dissolution of the North-East Provincial Council in July 1990 following the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from Sri Lanka, the council came under the governor’s rule until October 2006 when the Supreme Court declared the merger as null and void," following an application initiated by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which sought the de-merger of both provinces. TELO Leader’s Selvam Adaikalanathan, N. Srikantha and M.K. Sivajilingam are currently in India. The team of TELO MPs which is in Tamil Nadu is lobbying political support to push a resolution through the National State Assembly to persuade the Central Government to stop the Provincial Council elections in the east.TELO called upon the Government of India to intervene in the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. "India is duty-bound to act as soon as possible as its political dignity and the fate of Tamils living in the region is at stake," TELO Leader’s have said.

TMVP to contest east polls under UPFA’s ‘betel’ symbol  
       
The Thamil Makkal Vidutalai Puligal (TMVP) has decided to contest the May 10th elections for the Eastern Provincial Council under the ‘betel’ symbol of the United People’s Freedom Alliance, its Secretary E.S. Kaileswararaja has told the media.The party has agreed to field its candidates on a common list with the UPFA after agreement that the post of chief minister should go to a Tamil national,  Kaileswararaja said.The TMVP Secretary says that their candidate for the position is Sivanesaturai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan who will contest from Batticaloa.UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha had previously told the media that the party would not field Pillayan as the chief ministerial contender, as it contests the polls on the theme national unity and east development. Furthermore, JHU’s Patali Champika Ranawaka has said the position should go to the candidate who polls the highest number of preferential votes from the party that gets a majority of seats.He said that there would be no agreement beforehand to offer the position to Pillayan, Athaulla or any other person. Ranawaka said that they would nominate only district level leaders, as it is a requirement necessitated by the election law.The candidate who polls the highest number of preferential votes will automatically get the position of chief minister, the JHU MP said.

Pillayan demands CM post – LSSP and CP break away for polls

The TMVP is demanding a guarantee it will be offered the post of chief minister of the Eastern Province if it is to contest in alliance with the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) -- but the ruling party is not saying yes or no to the demand while longstanding government allies LSSP and the CP have decided to break away for the polls.A senior minister said a deal had been struck with the TMVP but refused to divulge if there had been an agreement to give the Chief Minister’s post to a member of the armed group. TMVP spokesman Azad Moulana said yesterday they were awaiting a response from the UPFA to the party’s three demands. He said that along with the demand for the chief minister’s post, the TMVP or Pillayan Group, was also seeking a specific number of seats for its candidates and sufficient funds to develop the province.He said they were hoping for a response from the government today. Senior Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva who heads the SLFP’s nomination board for the Eastern Province said a meeting would be held at Temple Trees tomorrow to take decisions on various issues, including electoral deals.He confirmed that the SLFP had decided to contest the elections in alliance with the TMVP but declined to give further details. “We are coming as a coalition with the TMVP. That is confirmed.” The minister said the decision on who would be the chief minister would be taken after the elections and not now. The SLFP is reported to have approached the main Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) also to join the alliance but the SLMC sources said the party would contest on its own.While the UPFA moved to forge new alliance for the Eastern Province elections, some of its longstanding allies reported that they were breaking away for the eastern polls. A spokesman said five political parties, including the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and the Communist Party (CP) which backed the UPFA during the last Parliamentary and Presidential polls had decided to contest the eastern elections in a new alliance with Tamil parties.The LSSP, the CP, the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party, the Democratic Left Front and the Desha Vimukthi Janatha Pakshaya would field candidates under the banner of the Tamil National Democratic Alliance which consists of the TULF, the PLOTE and the EPRLF (Pathmanabha Wing).A spokesman for the LSSP said the move was aimed at building confidence between left political parties in the south and parties which had similar ideas in the north and east.“We believe that going into an alliance with these Tamil parties will help find the solution to the ethnic issue,” he said.PLOTE leader Dharmalingam Siddarthan confirmed they had reached an agreement with the five southern parties because an earlier attempt to forge an alliance with the EPDP had failed. Nominations for the Eastern Provincial Council elections have already begun and will end on Thursday.In a separate development, the main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which has decided not to contest the provincial elections, has urged UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to campaign for a merged north and eastern province. The TNA delegation led by party leader R. Sampanthan made the request at a meeting held with the UNP leader.“We will allow the people to decide for whom to vote. We will not be involved in the campaign telling voters to select a particular party,” TNA parliamentarian K. Pathmanadan who took part in the discussions said.

Dr. J.J. meets Batticaloa Deputy Mayor in a templeUNP asks Karuna faction to play fair at Eastern PC election

Amidst a simmering controversy over the Rajapaksa administration’s willingness for its own political gain to play ball with the TMVP which broke from the LTTE, the main Opposition UNP has urged the group to allow a free and fair election to the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC). The first ever election to the EPC is scheduled for May 10th. Asserting the March 10 elections to eight Pradeshiya Sabhas and Batticaloa Municipal Council swept by the armed TMVP hadn’t been free and fair, the UNP has emphasized the importance of giving the Easterners a free hand at the forthcoming election. This transpired at a hastily arranged meeting at Mangalaramaya, Batticaloa between Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, MP, and Pradeep Master, Deputy Mayor of the Batticaloa Municipal Council last Tuesday. The meeting took place against the backdrop of an insistent demand peddled by the UNP to pressure the government to disarm the group. The UNP’s call has received the backing of all opposition political parties including a section of the JVP which is sharply divided over the issue. Although the JVP has rejected the allegation that its parliamentary group leader, Wimal Weerawansa, has had taken a contradictory position to that of JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe over the question of disarming the TMVP, well informed sources said the JVP had been placed in a difficult position. Weerawansa addressing a press conference called by Patriotic National Front asserted the disarming of the group shouldn’t jeopardize the security of TMVP cadres who played a significant role in the war against the LTTE in the East. Dr. Jayawardena had been on a two-day visit to the Batticaloa District on UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s directive to assess the ground situation ahead of nominations which close on April 3. Wickremesinghe has also directed Vajira Abeywardena and Daya Gamage to carry out similar surveys in the Trincomalee and Ampara districts respectively.Confirming his meeting with Pradeep Master, Jayawardena emphasized it wasn’t a clandestine meeting. "Having heard of my visit, the TMVP wanted to meet me. The Deputy Mayor accompanied by a uniformed policeman and two other youth visited me at Mangalaramaya," he said. The outspoken MP once accused by President Kumaratunga of being an agent of the LTTE said he wouldn’t mind meeting anyone on behalf of the party. He reiterated their concerns the forthcoming election wouldn’t be free and fair due to the TMVP being allowed to retain arms.The TMVP’s second-in-command has told Dr. Jayawardena that they would most probably contest the EPC jointly with the government. Jayawardena said this was a forgone conclusion after the TMVP contested the Batticaloa Municipal Council on the UPFA ticket. He asserted this would give an undue advantage to the government at the forthcoming election.The MP has also visited Vakarai and Chenkaladi during his Batticaloa tour. He expressed satisfaction that he was able to short list several Tamil speaking candidates to contest the Batticaloa district. The final decision would be taken by party Nomination Board, he said.Meanwhile Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told a recent meeting of SLFP Galigamuwa organization that the entry of the TMVP into the mainstream would pose a serious threat to the LTTE. Accusing the UNP leader of demanding de-commissioning of weapons with the TMVP while being silent on the LTTE, Fernandopulle emphasized the need to disarm both parties.He expressed the belief that any attempt to disarm the TMVP would be counter productive and would in fact facilitate LTTE operations against their former colleagues.Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the UNP had conveniently forgotten the EPRLF, PLOTE and EROS contested elections to the North East Provincial Council conducted under the auspices of the IPKF in 1988. He criticized the SLFP’s decision to boycott 1988 elections. He ridiculed the UNP leadership for adopting an approach similar to that of the SLFP and strongly backed the TMVP’s right to retain arms as long as an LTTE remained a threat to the breakaway group.

TMVP opposes Muslim unit in east

The Pillayan led TMVP will oppose any move to carve out a separate Muslim unit in the east.TMVP media spokesperson Azath Moulana told The Sunday Leader that the east belonged to all three communities and a separate unit for the Muslims would result in conflict between the communities.He stated that the unity of the Sinhalese, Tamils and the Muslims, who have been living in the east together, would be harmed if measures were taken to carve a separate unit for the Muslims."All three communities have been living in the east for a long time. The east belongs to the people of all communities. We are against measures taken to give a separate unit for the Muslims. We will not endorse that," Moulana said. The APRC last week came out with a proposal for a north-east merger subject to a separate Muslim unit.

Wellawatte posters offering cash to would-be suicide bombers a hoax

Police are investigating a rash of posters put up at Wellwatte persuading would-be suicide bombers to change their minds in return for cash.The posters, worded in Tamil, lists a purported government telephone number, but a top military official yesterday describe the campaign as the "work of mischief-makers"."Neither the government nor the security forces are aware of any such drive to offer money to would-be suicide bombers", Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said."We know nothing about the posters because we have not launched any such campaign", he stressed. "It is a hoax".The posters, which offer Rs. 10 million "to build a new life here or abroad" had been put up only at Wellawatte, a key Colombo south town, with a sizeable Tamil population.Featuring a photograph of a suicide bomber’s severed head, the text on the posters read: "You were also born to live... Why should you carry bombs?" Would-be suicide bombers, known as Black Tigers in the LTTE’ have been urged to call a ‘government telephone number 118’ to turn themselves in. The telephone number, when dialed, was found to be a Defense Ministry hotline, but the officer who answered said he know nothing about an opportunity for would-be suicide bombers to surrender."That’s news to me", he said.It was not immediately clear how ‘mischief makers’ had been able to plaster walls with these posters amidst tight police and army patrols."The police are investigating", Brig. Nanayakkara said. "They are trying to get to the bottom of it".The posters have emerged in the wake of a string of suicide bombings in Colombo over the past few months.

Food shortage in Jaffna

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday claimed that thousands of civilians in the Jaffna District were facing a severe food shortage.According to TNA Parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah, there is a severe food shortage within the peninsula, due to the ongoing hostilities between government forces and the LTTE.“The prices of goods, including essential items, are skyrocketing, and the people cannot afford them. It is with great difficulties that they purchase their daily needs,” he said.He further said that there weren’t any economic activities in the peninsula, adding that instead, only killings and abductions were on the increase.In the past, the people of Jaffna sent their harvest to Colombo, but with the closure of the A9 Highway, all economic activities had come to an abrupt halt.

Pre-dawn success for military

The security forces have advanced about 700 metres in the north of Illanthivan area, closer to Adampan in Mannar, while killing 10 LTTE cadres and capturing two LTTE bunkers, around 4 a.m. yesterday.Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that the soldiers confirmed having pushed forward and attacked the LTTE bunkers.“Troops are consolidating their positions. So far, no LTTE bodies have been recovered. Security forces have not sustained any injuries during the predawn attack,” Brig. Nanayakkara added.

Military fighting in north without any goals charges LTTE

The military lacks operational goals on the northern battlefronts, LTTE military spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan was quoted as saying in an interview to the Australian Tamil Broadcasting Corporation last week.He had said the military had been fighting in the northern battle front with no specific goals or strategies and added that such operations for a long time with no successes, would result in personnel being de-motivated."They have no goals. They don’t know what their goal is. They don’t know when or where it would end," he had said."This was evident when a soldier had shot his superior when he was not granted leave," he had also said.Ilanthirayan in his interview had further said that the Mahinda Rajapakse government was in a state where it could not end the war it had started.He added that the government had miscalculated that defeating the LTTE was easy."Mahinda had the war as an option when he took over the country. But, it has become his full-time job now. He has made the same mistake made by earlier Presidents and commanders."Ilanthirayan also stated that the military had not achieved successes in the northern front despite using its maximum ability.He had stated that the military was facing heavy resistance by the LTTE in Weli Oya as well. He also added the recent attack on the Navy in Mullaithivu would affect the transportation of goods to the military in the peninsula."Even a sack of rice goes through the area. This path is used for 80% of the goods transportation to the military in the peninsula," Ilanthirayan had also said.Ilanthirayan further stated that the observers were aware that the LTTE had not been weakened considering the attacks on Anuradhapura air base and Katunayake air port."On the other hand our operations such as Unceasing Waves 1, 2 and 3 are still in the minds of everyone. The observers have now started warning the government that the LTTE has not lost its abilities to carry out such operations," he had said.

Sri Lankan police vow to nab politician's killers
 
The Sri Lankan police said here Sunday that an investigation has been launched to nab the killers of a politician from the ruling party. Annamalai Narayanan Muttulingam, 60, was killed by an unknown assassin Saturday evening at Moneragala, about 255 km southeast of the capital of Colombo. The politician from the Tamil minority was the vice chairman of the Moneragala local council and a member of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). Muttulingam, a medical practitioner by profession, had been shot in the head by the gunman when he was busy in his private dispensary. The police spokesman and deputy inspector general of police, N.K. Ilangakaoon, said the only information they have at the moment was that the killers had arrived in a white van to carry out the murder. Moneragala has been noted for suspected presence of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels since October last year. The government said the rebels feeling the heat of military operations in the Northern Province were trying to disrupt the peace in other areas in order to distract the security forces. Several mine explosions and killings blamed on the Tigers have accounted for the deaths of several military men and scores of civilians in the district.

Viral flu hits Sri Lankan troops in northern war zone

A new crisis has erupted in Sri Lanka's northern war zone with a virtual epidemic of dengue and chikungunya viral fever among troops due to the heavy rains and resultant floods, said a leading local newspaper on Sunday. The Sunday Times disclosed that about 500 troops affected by the viral flu were being treated at hospitals in the Anuradhapura district. Health officials said the crisis had arisen one month ago and health education and viral flu prevention activities were conducted in the affected areas and mosquito nets being widely distributed. Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital Director Sarath Weerabandara said the outbreak began when unexpected heavy rains hit the area including the war zones. He said blood samples had confirmed that the virus was largely chikungunya. Government troops are currently engaged in three different fronts against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels in the north. The fighting has intensified in the northern battle theater after the government's announcement in mid-January to withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-backed ceasefire with the LTTE. The LTTE has been fighting the troops since the mid-1980s to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east, resulting in the death of more than 70,000 people.

Forces chiefs tell President war will continue till end 2009

The President was informed on Friday by the security forces top brass that the security forces would take at least till end 2009 to defeat the LTTE.This message was given to the President by the security forces top brass when the ground commanders in the north were summoned for a meeting with the President on Friday to review the progress made by the security forces in the north.The Sunday Leader learns that the President had inquired from the security forces top brass why the earlier deadlines set by the security forces could not be met.It is learnt that Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka has said that 1,500 elite troops were now being trained and it would take time to deploy them and added that there was also fierce resistance by the LTTE.The army commander had earlier gone on public record stating that 3,000 Tigers would be killed before August and the LTTE eliminated before his term ended.Since that announcement, security forces according to Defence Ministry statistics have killed over 2,500 Tigers and is expected to achieve their targets by mid April.Meanwhile, defence analysts queried why it would take another one and a half years to eliminate the LTTE if only 500 more Tiger cadres are left to be eliminated.Head of the Media Centre for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle told The Sunday Leader that he could not make any comments on the meeting between the President and the forces chiefs as notes were not taken of such security council meetings.

Liam Fox sees new window of opportunity in Lanka

Liam Fox, a rising star in the Conservative Party in the UK who 11 years ago played a major role in an agreement between the Kumaratunga Government and the UNP to cooperate with each other in resolving the National Question, believes that there is a ``window of opportunity’’ right now to move towards peace in Sri Lanka.Fox, then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London,and Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar was foreign minister here, mediated an agreement between the government and the UNP that was commonly referred to as the Liam Fox Agreement.That agreement, however, lasted only for a few months did not eventually achieve the desired objective. It committed the governing and main opposition parties not to jeopardize any peace initiative provided they were kept informed in advance of such initiatives with the commitment to stand even if the government changed.Fox, now the shadow defence secretary in the Conservative shadow cabinet last week ended a two day visit here at the invitation of Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama when he met key players in the government (including Bogollagama, Prof. G.L. Pieris, and Mr. Milinda Moragoda) and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe among others.He also met with the breakaway group of the UNP attending a dinner at the home of Mr. Karu Jayasuriya.In an interview with the Sunday Island at the conclusion of the visit, Fox said that he didn’t want to create the impression that ``there’s a great initiative going on,’’ but there was a window of opportunity which will not be open for ever that must not be undermined by party politics.His assessment was that ``there was a genuine window of opportunity’’ that must be seized. This included the chance the government had about demonstrating its concern about reconstructing the East in a way that would give economic opportunities to all the people of that province.``There appears to be a fracture in the LTTE….These are windows that will be open for ever,’’ he said.Fox stressed that party interests must be subordinate to the national interest and the pursuit of such an approach had the potential to achieve a great prize.Following the failure of the previous attempt to achieve a bipartisan agreement, the British politician who is tipped for senior government office in the event of a Conservative victory, has clearly taken a sympathetic view of the situation here and the need for continuing foreign assistance.Asked whether his assessment will be passed on to the British government, Fox who also thoroughly briefed the British High Commissioner here on his visit and what he had discerned, said ``my first stop on my return home will be the foreign office.’’Diplomats noted, and Fox confirmed, that in the UK there is a strong overlap between the government and the opposition particularly on defence and foreign relations with the national interest being paramount.Analysts believe that his assessment of the situation here, particularly in the context of perceived European ``hostility,’’ would be significant. Fox said that the government accepted that there had been shortcomings in the human rights picture but an attempt was being made to put this right.He said in the interview that diplomacy is ``best kept away from the megaphone and held as quietly as possible.’’``Everybody must understand that they are not going to get all they want,’’ he stressed.

29 March 2008

Mahinda Rajapaksa, my role model for taking issues to world – Mano Ganeshan       
  
Leader of the Western People’s Front Mano Ganeshan says it is none other than incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is his role model for getting the international community to exert pressure on the government whenever human rights are violated in Sri Lanka.MP Ganeshan, who is also Convener of the Civil Monitoring Committee, made this comment while participating in the ‘4th Floor’ talk show of Max Television last night (Mar. 28th). He noted that when thousands of Sinhala youths were murdered during the 1988-90 period, it was the then opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa who went to Geneva and took it up with the UN Human Rights Commission. It was also Mahinda Rajapaksa who had invited Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other rights organizations to the country.Similarly, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna made complaints to these organizations, who are now facing the wrath of the government, the JVP and several other groups, Ganeshan noted.The WPF leader said he highly appreciated the present president for these actions, and that he was the role model to him for taking the cause of the Tamil community to the world. Responding to a query from the host of the programme, Ganeshan said that Sri Lanka’s image gets tarnished not because the world is told about its human rights violations, but because of the violations themselves. Mahinda Rajapaksa faced the same accusation I face now, from the then government when he raised a voice against the killing of Sinhala youths, the MP said. However, when he spoke about the rights of the JVP members, he was not branded a JVP supporter. Now, I am branded a Tiger for speaking about the rights of the Tamil people, Ganeshan said, and questioned as to whether it was because he is a Tamil that he is treated differently.Speaking further he said that the 13th Amendment that had been rejected by the Tamil people, was not the solution for their problems.It is part of the law of the country, and the government has a responsibility to ensure its application, the WPF leader said.A federal model, at least similar to the one in India, is the solution to the national issue, he proposed. A separate administrative unit based on language should be allowed, but that does not mean that those who do not speak the Tamil language are not allowed to live there, he added.

UNICEF sacks drug addicted Staff officer

Govt. asks Intl. orgs. to be careful in making appointmentsThe UNICEF has terminated the services of Ms Lisa Woods fined by courts for being in possession of heroin.The Country office of UNICEF in Sri Lanka has informed the Foreign Ministry of its decision. Ms Woods left the country yesterday (28).The Government has stressed the need for international agencies to exercise due diligence when appointments are made with a view to ensuring the high standards of integrity of their staff. A Foreign Ministry communiqué issued yesterday said: "The Country Office of UNICEF in Sri Lanka has informed the Ministry that the services of Ms Lisa Woods, a Communication Consultant who was fined by the Courts for being in possession of 80 mg of heroin was terminated. Consequently she left the country on 28th March 2008. Ms Wood, a US national, had arrived in Sri Lanka on 5th March this year to work with the UNICEF on a 4-month assignment to assist the updating of the UNICEF website and to write donor reports. Ms. Wood has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, of a private hospital in Colombo on 12th March as she was found unconscious in her Hotel.  She was placed under arrest by the Police for the possession of heroin and produced before the Colombo Magistrate on 25th March. The Government appreciates the co-operation extended by UNICEF to the law enforcement authorities and for the immediate administrative measures taken against the officer. The Government reiterates the need for international organizations to exercise due diligence when appointments are made with a view to ensuring the high standard of integrity and conduct of their staff. This will require a thorough assessment of the individual staff members including previous records, in order to satisfy that the staff member concerned possesses an unblemished record. Such measures would avoid any negative consequences on the concerned agencies by the personal conduct of its officials." 

Betel-boat with Pillayan as captain?
   
The Pillayan-led TMVP will decide tomorrow whether to contest the upcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections in alliance with the UPFA and whether to nominate Pillayan as the Chief Minister candidate. TMVP spokesman Azad Maulana said his party and the UPFA were scheduled to meet tomorrow to finalize the list of candidates and other election-related issues. “Our position will be made public after the relevant issues are discussed,” the TMVP  spokesman said. The TMVP had earlier appointed a five-member committee headed by Pillayan to discuss  its list of candidates in case of an alliance between the two parties. The TMVP politburo met last week to discus matters pertaining to the elections, and  appointed the committee to hold talks with the government to sort out existing issues. The party had earlier reach an understanding with the government regarding the number  of slots allotted to the TMVP, when tendering nominations for the poll.

PLOTE, EPRLF, TULF to contest under one wing

People Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by D.Siththarathan, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led by V.Anandasangaree, and Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba wing) are to contest the Eastern Provincial Council election under the banner Tamil Democratic National Front (TDNF), media reported quoting PLOTE leader Siththarthan. Meanwhile, the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), an ally of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Saturday said it would decide on Sunday whether to contest the forthcoming Eastern provincial council election alone or with alliance with the ruling party, according to a news report carried Saturday by the State controlled Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).The news report added that the EPDP party leaders are consulting with the leaders of the UPFA before announcing the decision.

LTTE women cadres cut music disc depicting conflict

An LTTE women music group has cut a disc titled 'Sparks of earthquake' that highlights through a song the protracted conflict in Sri Lanka. The cassette was released recently at rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi in Northern Sri Lanka. The cassette relating to the LTTE war was unveiled at a function at the Kilinochchi Vatakatchi Ramanathapuram west government tamil school, a media report said. While the meeting was chaired by the head of the LTTE cultural affairs, the traditional lighting of lamp ceremony was performed by in-charge of the outfit's Dillipan services, Elumadhi Karikalan. The CD was released in the institute, named after Sencholai, one of the earliest female LTTE cadre to die in the battle field. The first cassette was presented to Shankar, whose two brothers were killed while fighting with the Sri Lankan army, the report said.

Only STF, troops allowed to carry arms – STF chief

The Special Task Force will provide optimum security during the run-up and conduct of the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections, the newly appointed STF Commandant, DIG, K. M. L. S. Sarathchandra said.He said he visited the Eastern Province recently and instructed the STF personnel in the province to do everything possible to ensure that the election campaign and the elections are conducted fairly and freely according to the election laws.He also said no one will be allowed to use arms except the Police and security forces, intimidate or interfere with the democratic political activities or to interfere in the voting or engage in any other illegal activities. "This applies from now onwards," the DIG said. All candidates contesting the elections and the public will be provided with security, he said.All grievances and problems of the STF personnel were looked into and he was personally taking steps to see that personnel who had performed competently were given promotions and increments, he said.

SLFP convention tomorrow to agree on 13th Amendment    
       
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party holds its 18th National Convention at Temple Trees tomorrow (March 30th) under the chairmanship of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. One of the main items on the agenda will be to seek the party’s approval for the All Party Representative Committee’s proposal to implement the 13th Constitutional Amendment as a solution to the national conflict, its General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena has told the media. In addition, the SLFP expects to adopt several other resolutions for bringing down the cost of living and establishing democracy in the north and the east among others.

Top commanders brief President on current security situation

Top commanders of the three forces both in the Wanni and Jaffna battlefields yesterday briefed President Mahinda Rajapakasa on the current ground situation in the operational areas, after  they were summoned for a special Security Council meeting at President’s House in Colombo.“The President was briefed with first hand information about the ongoing security situation in the Vavuniya, Mannar, Welioya and Muhamalai in Jaffna,” a top defence official told the Daily Mirror last night. The meeting which lasted for about five hours was attended by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the three armed forces Chiefs, Jaffna Security Forces Commander  Major General Chandrasiri, General Officer Command (GOC) 57 Division - Vavuniya Major  General Jagath Dias, Brigadier Shavindra Silva (GOC 58 Division - Mannar), Brigadier  Nandana Udawatta (GOC 59 Div Welioya) and Area Commanders of the Navy. The President had reportedly expressed his satisfaction over the progress made in the  ongoing operations despite heavy rains in the battlefield.

9 SSPs transferred       
  
Nine Senior Superintendents of Police have been transferred with immediate effect.They are Nihal Samarakoon (Director at Police Headquarters), Ranjith Weerasuriya (Commandant of Field Headquarters), D.J. Gammanpila (Kandy Division), H.A. Illangasiri (Anuradhapura Division), Willie Abenayake (Kankesanthurai), K.D. Somapala (Kelaniya Division), A.K. Senaratne (Moneragala Division), H.D. Daluwatte (Tangalle Division) and M.G.W.M. Muthubanda (Director at Colombo Crime Division).

Sri Lanka inflation not oil related or imports: IMF study
 
Most of Sri Lanka's inflation is not 'imported' or caused by oil, a major new International Monetary Fund research study has found, indicating that the mainly home grown price rises and could be slashed with better economic policies.A new IMF study released Saturday that covers a steep rise in Sri Lanka's inflation in 2006 and 2007 found that external 'shocks' such as oil prices - which are often touted as the reason for inflation by politicians - are not significant in explaining inflation. "Since late 2006, Sri Lanka’s inflation has increased sharply relative to other economies in the region," the study noted. "The sharp increase in inflation compared to other countries in Asia points out that increases in oil prices in the recent past (a common shock to most economies in the region) cannot explain most of the increase in inflation in Sri Lanka." Oil prices explained only 6 percent of the inflation in 2006 and 2007 measured by the New Colombo Consumer Price Index, a statistical analysis by IMF researchers covering oil prices, exchange rate and imports, has showed.

Home Grown Shock

The study found that most of the inflation in Sri Lanka is home grown. It said that external shocks explained "a small percentage" of price increases and concluded that "domestic shocks likely play a more significant role on inflation in Sri Lanka," indicating that better economic policies were needed to lower inflation. "With external shock not playing a major role in influencing domestic inflation, domestic policies can be very important in containing inflation," the study, Pass-Through of External Shocks to Inflation in Sri Lanka said. "External shocks appear to explain about 25 percent of the variation in consumer prices and about 32 percent of the variation in core inflation, suggesting that other shocks that are likely more domestic in nature explain most of the variation in inflation in Sri Lanka." Sri Lanka's fiscal policy reversed radically in 2004 as the government returned to heavy budget deficits and massive expansion of the public sector with tax-free state jobs, state enterprises running losses leading to higher budget deficits. In 2004, inflation which was close to zero in the first quarter was driven towards 20 percent by the end of the year with oil subsidies themselves being financed with printed money or central bank credit. The central bank had come under fire for printing money and financing part of the deficit and causing high inflation, though policy has lately been tightened.

Loose Policy

But authorities have tried to put the blame on 'imported' inflation and 'external shocks' with oil prices taking centre stage, despite other countries reporting much lower inflation. "The oil price impact was, however, amongst a number of other factors that resulted in an increase in inflation including expansionary fiscal policy and monetary policy that is not tight enough," the IMF study said. The study found that only 25 percent of recent consumer inflation could be explained by 'external shocks with oil (which was subsidized most of the time) explaining about 6 percent, import prices 11 percent and the exchange rate about 10 percent. Exchange rate depreciation is also a result of money printing. Sri Lanka is now running a quantity targeting framework which has brought mixed results with government financing needs undermining monetary policy partway through the year. "Though monetary policy tightened somewhat between 2006 and 2007, it has been largely insufficient to contain inflation as the fiscal policy stance has also been rather loose with fiscal deficits at 7 percent and above in the recent past. Meanwhile and calls have been rising for fundamental monetary reform with legislated inflation targeting or the abolition of the central bank and a return to a currency board regime that kept the country stable until 1950.

LTTE suspect arrested for importing ‘heat seekers’ from US to take north
 
An LTTE cadre who is said to be importing heat seekers to be fixed in the houses of high level leaders of the LTTE was arrested by police at Kirulapona yesterday (28).A spokesman for the police said a heat seeker imported from the USA was found in an institution in Colombo, being readied for transport to Kilinochchi. The “heat seeker” releases signals when an unauthorized or unidentified person approaches a hiding place” the spokesman said. The suspect is a resident of Kilinochchi and was working as a mechanic and has imported such machines before he said.More suspects will be arrested soon on the information provided by the suspect the police said.

Take up Sri Lankan Tamils issue with Centre, Ramadoss urges DMK

CHENNAI: The DMK government should take up the Sri Lankan Tamils issue with the Centre, Pattali Makkal Katchi founder-leader S. Ramadoss said here on Thursday. Addressing PMK and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) volunteers, Dr. Ramadoss said the DMK should take a cue from the Communist Party of India, which had passed a resolution at its national conference in Hyderabad, demanding immediate intervention by the Centre on the issue. The Tamil Nadu Assembly should adopt a similar resolution. “Let the State government wake up from its slumber and remind the Centre that 40 MPs are from Tamil Nadu.” Tamils in the State were ready to give any price for finding a solution to the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue, he said. Regretting there was no change in the country’s policy favouring Sri Lanka, Dr. Ramadoss said a favourable climate prevailed now and the State should not allow the opportunity to slip away. VCK president Thol.Tirumavalavan urged the Centre to close the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner office in Chennai to protest against Sri Lanka’s anti-Tamil policy. The Tamil Protection Movement led by him would not remain a silent spectator to the “atrocities of island government” on Tamils.

“Retrieve Katchathivu”

Urging the Centre to take steps to retrieve Katchathivu, he said it was the only solution to protect Tamil Nadu fishermen.The State should urge the Centre to impress upon the Sri Lankan government to stop military action against Tamils.

Moonrampiddi - story of a coastal village in Vanni

Moonrampiddi coastal village in the Mannar district was created by the displaced people from Jaffna during Sri Lanka military offensives on Jaffna in the 1990’s. About 200 families have made this their home finding security here away from the Sri Lanka military. Another 150 families are presently living here as recently displaced due to the current Sri Lanka military offensives in Mannar. All of the people of this village are therefore displaced over the last two decades due to the Sri Lanka military offensives which as a rule do not spare the civilians. Prior to their displacement the people of this village lived in their own ancestral villages enjoying its natural resources as well as the village facilities that they and their ancestors have built over centuries. The contrast between their ancestral villages and their new village cannot be any bleaker. The villagers suffer lack of clean water, housing, medical facilities, and school facilities. Water is distributed to them in bowsers but it is not enough. School buildings are inadequate and are dirtied daily at night by stray animals. Many international agencies who undertook to improve the conditions in the village have abandoned the projects due to Sri Lanka military attacks.The entire village population does not have a single permanent material home. A project to build 50 homes was abandoned without completing a single home. A project for drinking water supply started by an international agency was also abandoned. The village school teaching Year-1 to Year-11 has an enrollment of 495 students. It suffers from many problems typical to many schools in Vanni. As if these bleak conditions in their village are not enough, the livelihood of these villagers are also denied to them. Most of the people of this village depend on fishing; that is why they have chosen to live in this coastal village. The fishermen are unable to go to sea regularly due to fear of attacks by the Sri Lankan Navy. They suffer the very high price of fuel to operate their boats due to blockade of essential items by the Sri Lanka military. They are also unable to sell their catch as much as they could again due to the blockade.

Plot to kill Gota hatched in Mutwal

Police investigating an attempt on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s life at Colpetty in December 2006 have established that terror strike had been planned by a group of senior LTTE members led by a priest at Mutwal.It has also been found that the trishaw used in the attack had been fitted with a bomb at a religious place in Mutwal.The police have ascertained details of the abortive assassination bid from a group of LTTE cadres including two women arrested in the Pettah recently while they were planning to launch an attack in Colombo. The police have traced a trishaw the LTTE had used to transport explosives for the December 2006 attack. The police have detected C-4 explosives, detonators and arms concealed in a washing machine at the priest’s residence. A resident of Kilinochchi, he has been living in Mutwal with his wife for ten years. The attack on the Defence Secretary, who was on his way to attend a National Security Council meeting at Temple Trees, was carried out by a male suicide bomber driving a red three wheeler. Two soldiers were killed in the blast and 18, including security forces personnel and civilians injured.

Lalkantha hints of crisis within JVP

JVP firebrand and trade union leader K.D. Lalkantha dropped a bombshell yesterday saying a conspiracy was underway to divide the party and vowed to name the persons concerned soon. “There is no use of having those who do not agree with the majority view in our politburo,” he said. Addressing a gathering of party members at Rattota in Matale, MP Lalkantha said the party should not take political decisions on the personal opinions of individuals and such decisions should be taken on majority opinion. “President Mahinda Rajapaksa has employed a political tactic of snatching weak politicians by using ‘glue babies’ (Kohollaa Babala). There are those who get caught to these tactics in our party as well. Such people express various views and opinions,” he said. “Enemies against the JVP have increased. Western forces, India, the government and other local forces are teaming up against the JVP. At a dangerous time like this some of our people express various views saying they are speaking according to their conscience. A person attached to a political party does not have the possibility of expressing views according to their conscience other than the views of the political party. The JVP does not have any need to sit in Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hovel (Kuppayama) by expressing various people’s views of conscience,” he charged. “Various people are questioning today as to why the JVP is contesting the Eastern provincial council election when we are against Provincial councils. The JVP is entering the fray to defeat separatists. Our sole objective is to defeat the Provincial Council system,” he said.

SLA moves weapons, explosives to Northern FDLs

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) transported heavy weapons and explosives in large quantities from Kaangkeasanththu’rai (KKS) harbour to its Northern Front Defence Line (FDL) areas in Ki’laali, Mukamaalai, Nakarkoayil and the islets of Jaffna, Thursday and Friday, sources from Jaffna said. All vehicular traffic and public were kept waiting for many hours in empty areas 500 m from Jaffna-Palaali road and Jaffna-Point Pedro road as vehicles carrying the consignment of arms and ammunitions passed by.The consignment of weapons and explosives were shipped to KKS harbour where it was unloaded Thursday and Friday.People in Valvai area in Vadmaraadchi had to wait for more than four hours until night, ordered by SLA troops to keep away from the convoys carrying arms, sources in Vadamaraadchi said.SLA avoids storing the weapons near Palaali SLA Military base and closeby areas for fear of aerial attacks by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the sources said.SLA is also fortifying the Northern FDL positions with the aim of launching a large scale offensive on the LTTE held areas, they added.

President 'not above the law'   
 
The Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka has appealed President Mahinda Rajapaksa to refrain from appointing senior public officials before appointing the Constitutional Council (CC).In a letter to the president, OPA President Elmore Perera says his organisation was 'heartened' of Mr. Rajapaksa's move to resolve the disputes in appointing senior judges in a legal way. The letter reminds that the president should not make any appointments to the judiciary or to many other public services without the approval of the CC, according to the 17 amendments to the constitution. The CC is currently inactive as minor political parties in the parliament for months failed to appoint their nominee.However, the parties recently recommended CS Mayadunne, the former Auditor-General as their nominee.President Mahinda Rajapaksa is however yet to approve the nomination which would lead to the re-activation of the powerful CC. "It is abundantly clear, therefore, that no lay person, no lawyer and not even the Attorney General, can truthfully and lawfully advise Your Excellency that making any appointment to the above-mentioned posts, without first getting the approval of the Constitutional Council, is legally valid," the OPA letter said. Copies of the letters are also sent the leaders of all political parties represented in the parliament.The OPA has urged President Rajapaksa to take immediate steps to appoint the CC and refrain from making any 'unlawful appointments'. Mr. Perera's letter has also recalls a ruling by a nine-member headed by former Chief Justice Neville Samarakoon."Actions of the executive are not above the law and certainly can be questioned in a Court of Law. The President cannot be summoned to Court to justify his actions. But that is a far cry from saying that the President's acts cannot be examined by a Court of Law. Though the President is immune from proceedings in Court, a party who invokes the acts of the President in his support will have to bear the burden of demonstrating that such acts of the President are warranted by law. The seal of the President by itself will not be sufficient to discharge that burden". The position maintained by that panel, the OPS says, is still the legal position over activities of the executive president.

28 March 2008

TNA Parliamentarians meet Ranil

Parliamentarians of TNA had a long discussion with UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe on Provincial Council election to be held for the Eastern Province. TNA Parliamentarians have enlightened the UNP Leader regarding their party’s decision not to contest at Eastern PC election. The UNP leader has told the TNA Parliamentarians that his party had requested the Commissioner of Elections to get foreign observers to monitor the election. Both parties also have discussed obstructions that exist to hold a fair and peaceful election in the East. Only UNP Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe had participated from the UNP at the discussion held at the office of the Leader of the Opposition yesterday while Parliamentarians R.Sambanthan, Mawei Senathiraja, Thurai Rathnasingham, Kanakasabe and K. Padmanathan have participated from TNA.

Independent groups pay deposits for East polls       
  
Reports from the Eastern Province election authorities say 09 independent groups have by now paid their deposits for the Eastern Provincial Council elections, although no recognized political party or independent group has yet handed in nominations for the 10th May polls. Nominations will close at 12.00 noon on 03rd April, which is also the closing date for applications for postal voting. While the internally displaced persons can request for a polling booth of their choice, requests for such alternative polling booths by displaced persons will also close on 03rd April. A total of 982,721 voters in the 2006 electoral register in the districts of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee will elect 35 Provincial Councilors for the Eastern PC. There are 409,308 voters in Ampara, 330,950 in Batticaloa and 242,463 in Trincomalee. Recognized political parties and independent groups would field a total of 44 candidates from the three districts, 17 for Ampara, 14 for Batticaloa and 13 for Trincomalee. Five independent groups for Ampara, one for Batticaloa and three for Trincomalee had paid their deposits, Assistant Election Commissioners for the three districts told ‘Lanka Dissent’.The electoral registers of the three districts are now on display at the Elections Commissioner’s Secretariat in Rajagiriya. They will also be displayed at the offices of the Assistant Elections Commissioners in the East, as well as in public places as decided by the Commanders of the armed forces and the IGP.Meanwhile, the United People’s Freedom Alliance and the TMVP have decided to contest the elections on a common list.The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna has decided to contest independently. The United National Party has declared it would contest but would decide whether it would join any other party by Sunday (30th March).The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) says it will decide its position on 30th March and is yet decide whether it would align with the UNP. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) that previously said it would not contest, now says it will reconsider the previous decision. The TNA met UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday to discuss the prevailing security situation and the possibility of deploying international observers.

Violence increased with the Eastern Provincial Council election warmth; three sand miners killed in Ampara

Three civilians who were mining sand in 18th Colony of Ampara were killed by unknown gunmen yesterday. The rescued individuals who are now being treated for injuries in hospital said that four gunmen came from the jungle shot at them. The incident took place around 4.30 PM yesterday (27). Army Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said that the LTTE conducted the killing. Meanwhile a hand grenade was hurled into a house of a Sri Lanka Muslim Congress supporter on Wednesday. Nobody was in the house by the time the time of the attack. With the warmth of the Provincial Council election, the killings and intimidation in the Eastern Province is on the rise again. Three police officials were killed in Baticaloa on Wednesday by a claymore attack. It is reported that the ill-fated vehicle the police officials were traveling was a security back up for Japanese delegation that was travelling to Batticaloa.

Eastern nominations process begins

The handing in of nominations for the upcoming Eastern Provincial Council Election began yesterday. Returning Officers of each district in the Eastern Province will accept nominations from political parties and Independent Groups until noon on April 3, the closing date for nominations. According to the Elections Department 982,721 voters are eligible to cast their ballot in the three districts namely Batticaloa (330,950), Ampara (490,308) and Trincomalee (242,463) in the elections scheduled for May 10. Five independent groups handed in nominations for Ampara yesterday. No nominations had been handed over in other districts. Altogether a total number of 44 seats will be on offer at the new Eastern Provincial Council. Thirty five members would be chosen from the three districts, Batticaloa (11), Trincomalee (10) and Ampara (14). In addition two bonus seats too are on offer. All major political parties are expected to join the fray in the polls which comes close on the heels of the successfully concluded Local Government Election for Batticaloa.

Sri Lanka bombs LTTE bases
 
Sri Lankan war planes carried out sorties against two rebel targets in the north on Thursday, as ground clashes left eight guerrillas and six soldiers dead, the government said on Thursday. Air Force jets bombed a suspected rebel training centre and then pounded a Tamil Tiger radar system and command base in the guerrilla-controlled north early on Thursday, the defence ministry said.“The Kfir and F-7 fighter jets carried out the missions jointly and the targets were accurately hit,” the statement said. Security forces said they killed eight rebels in Wednesday’s fighting centred around Mannar and Weli Oya, in the island’s restive north. Four soldiers died in clashes in Mannar, while two soldiers were killed when they stepped on a landmine on Wednesday, the ministry said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), meanwhile, said they beat back a military push in Mannar and killed 15 government soldiers during two days of fighting that ended on Wednesday.

LTTE wants exchange to release sales rep.
 
An LTTE pistol gang abducted a sales representative attached to the Ceylinco Insurance Company at Pandarikulam area in Vavuniya, days after Police rescued an area manager of the company from the LTTE.Sources said the pistol gang had promised the relatives of the abducted person, the victim would be released if the area manager handed himself over to them.The area manager was rescued by the Police after arresting four of LTTE members into custody with arms and ammunition. Police said the reason for the LTTE to act against this particular company is a quandary. Security forces and the police have launched a joint search operation in the area.However, the Vavuniya Police denied such an abduction had taken place.

Sampur power plant constructions to commence in June  
     
Construction of a coal power plant at Sampur in Trincomalee will begin in three months time, the Ministry of Power and Energy says. In a media release, the Ministry said that this coal power plant is initially expected to add 500 Megawatts to the National Grid b6 2012 and double the generation capacity later.A total of 700 acres of land has been reserved for the project and the construction will begin after surveying is completed by April, the Ministry said.The project will be carried out by the Indian Company NPTC under the supervision of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).The first phase of the construction is estimated to cost US $500 million and 70% of the cost is expected to be covered by foreign aid while the rest is to be provided by the CEB and the Indian Company."About one million tons of coal per year is to be imported and this coal is regarded 99.2% eco-friendly. A jetty is to be built at Sampur to unload the coal from the ships. The government believes that the project would contribute to economic development in the district and it would provide 4,000 job opportunities," the release stated.

Help liberate Tamils from LTTE, Sangaree urges TN

TULF leader V. Anandasangaree, in a message to the Tamil Nadu stated that the LTTE had lost their credibility to speak for the Tamils of Sri Lanka by their atrocious activities perpetrated on the innocent Tamil Civilians who are living like slaves for several years surrounded by constant fear and tension.The recklessness with which the LTTE cadres act is the main cause for the large scale displacements of the people from their homes. He added: "The concerns of the 60 Million people of Tamil Nadu in India, for the people of the same ethnic group, just 20 miles across the sea in Sri Lanka's North and East, dominated by the Tamils and Muslims, is understandable.This appeal comes from a Senior Tamil Citizen of Sri Lanka who had been in Politics for over fifty years and in Parliament for over 17 years, having won four Parliamentary elections and also represented the Kilinochchi electorate where the LTTE have their Headquarters now. This plea is to the Leaders of Tamil Nadu and its people to solicit their sincere co-operation, irrespective of their political affiliations to help to liberate the Tamil people of the North and East of Sri Lanka from the subjugation of the LTTE and to find a reasonable solution to the ethnic problem." Excerpts from his message to Tamil Nadu: "The demand for a separate state of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka cannot and should not come from Tamil Naad for the simple reason that India, whichever party comes to power and whoever becomes the Prime Minister, had not failed to rule out a separate state of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka. India does not want revival of the demand for separation of Tamil Naad which is now almost forgotten there. Hence Tamil Naad has no moral right to demand a separate state of Tamil Eelam for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. The LTTE had lost their credibility to speak for the Tamils of Sri Lanka by their atrocious activities perpetrated on the innocent Tamil Civilians who are living like slaves for several years surrounded by constant fear and tension. The recklessness with which the LTTE cadre act is the main cause for the large scale displacements of the people from their homes. Those who could afford, fled to Foreign countries and some others moved to India, although getting into LTTE territory is much easier then taking a risk and leaving by boat to India.

27 March 2008

Fox briefed on APRC efforts

Visiting British Parliamentarian Liam Fox yesterday met Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitharana and held extensive talks on the current situation in Sri Lanka and the Government's endeavour to solve the ethnic issue through the APRC process. The Minister briefed Fox on how the APRC is striving to workout a final settlement to the issue through consensus of various political idealogies and dogmas. "He was also informed on how the APRC was preparing a foundation for a new Constitution paving the way for a lasting solution to the ethnic issue. "Fox was impressed on the Government's decision to fully implement the 13th Amendement to the Constitution which according to him would bring relief to the conflict stricken people in some way," the Minister said. The Minister said the British Parliamentarian was of the view that the Tamil speaking people could be won and removed from the clutches of terrorists through new provisions being brought to the Constitution and by economically strengthening the people in the North and East. Fox met Foreign Minster Rohitha Bogollagama at the Foreign Ministry yesterday. The Foreign Minister explained the Government's relentless effort to establish democracy in the East and make the ordinary people stakeholders of the participatory democracy, a Ministry spokesman said yesterday. He said the Government has launched massive reconstruction programmes in the East and sought more foreign assistance. Armed groups that operated in the East have been encouraged to enter to the democractic process," Minister Bogollagama said. He was also briefed on the forthcoming Provincial Election and the implementation of the 13th Amendment. Fox arrived here on an invitation by Foreign Minister Bogollagama. He was scheduled to meet Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday.

Ranil - Hakeem talks on alliance

The UNP and SLMC held talks yesterday about the possibility of forging an alliance for the Eastern Provincial Council elections and the issues concerning the two parties when campaigning.UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told the Daily Mirror that the parties exchanged ideas about the issues such as the disarmament of certain armed groups, withdrawal of the Special Task Force (STF) from the East and the arbitrary transfer of police officials.Mr. Attanayake said the leaders of the two parties would meet again next week to take a final decision regarding the forging of an alliance for the election. He said that they also discussed the need to deploy foreign election observers to the East on the day of polling.

India worried by Sri Lanka arms buying

India said Wednesday that it wanted Sri Lanka to treat Tamils with dignity and also voiced concern that Colombo's arms purchases may upset New Delhi's 'pre-eminent position' in South Asia.'We are facing a situation where the ceasefire (in Sri Lanka) could collapse. This could lead to a flashpoint,' National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan said while delivering the 25th Air Chief Marshal P.C. Lal memorial lecture here.'We want the Sri Lankan government to treat its large Tamil minority with dignity,' he said.'(But) the (Sri Lankan) government would seem to have the single objective of a military victory (against the Tamil Tigers) without any devolution of power.'Narayanan also added: 'We have to ensure that India's pre-eminent position in the region is not compromised by Sri Lanka seeking arms from elsewhere.'We need a national consensus on how much (military) assistance we should provide and how much pressure we should put on the (Sri Lankan) government.'Thousands of people have died in Sri Lanka in the past two years in escalating fighting between the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).India opposes any military solution of the ethnic conflict and wants Colombo to devolve autonomy to the minorities.And while India continues to train Sri Lankan military personnel, it has refused to provide what it dubs are offensive military hardware.

BJP opposes military aid to Sri Lanka
   
The BJP has opposed providing military equipment and training to the Sri Lankan military saying that such a move will affect the island Tamils.State president Mr L Ganesan, told reporters in Chennai that the Katchatheevu, an island near Tamil Nadu, given to Sri Lanka as per an agreement in 1974, should be retrieved. He said the Sri Lankan government had violated the Katchatheevu agreement, which provided rights to Tamil Nadu fishermen to dry their nets in the island. Now, the Sri Lankan navy had set up sea mines near the island, denying even the fishing rights for Tamil Nadu fishermen, he said.Meanwhile, Tamil film director Mr Vijaya T Rajendar, today announced that he was resigning from the post of deputy chairman to the State Small Savings Commission, since he would lead a protest against Centre's assistance to Sri Lanka in what he termed was a genocidal war against Tamils. Mr Rajendar said that he was resigning since holding a government post while leaading a protest against the Centre would create an embarrassing situation for chief minister Mr M Karunanidhi, who had appointed him.Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, which split from the Dravidar Kazhagam, has announced public meetings throughout the state, condemning Centre's help to Sri Lanka government.

Pillaiyan clashes with the government even before the nominations

A conflict between the government and the Pillaiyan Group is developing due to the Chief Minister nomination of the Eastern Provincial Council.Lanka-e-News learns that the beginning of the clash draws back to the ceremonious swearing in of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulihal (TMVP) and United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) local government representatives before the President Mahinda Rajapakse on March 18 at the Temple Trees. Reportedly, Pillaiyan also arrived in Colombo and stayed in Hotel Taj with the hope of participating in the swearing in ceremony. But he was not sent a separate car with security to arrive in the Temple Trees and refusing to travel in the same bus with the other local government representatives, he boycotted to take part in the function. However, it is reported that Pillaiyan personally met the President and had talks with him after the swearing in function. It is further reported that Pillaiyan has asked for the post of Chief Minister of the Eastern Province if the alliance would win the election there. Instead of responding to Pillaiyan’s request, the President has reportedly called for a report on the popularity of the TMVP leader among the Tamils of the Eastern Province, which was not in favor of Pillaiyan. TMVP politburo that met on March 22 decided to tender Pillaiyan as the Chief Minister candidate for the Eastern Provincial Council. TMVP also decided to contest in a coalition with the United People�s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) with a demand from the government that a Pillaiyan Group member would be the Chief Minister candidate of UPFA as well. Meanwhile, the SLFP nomination board had decided to keep the post of Chief Minister open for the candidate who would achieve the highest count of preferential votes, as the nomination board Chairman Nimal Siripala de Silva announced to the UPFA party leaders who met in the parliament yesterday. When Lanka-e-News asked from the TMVP spokesman Asath Mawlana about their stand on the latest developments, he said that the TMVP politburo had informed their decision to a highest authority of the government. However, he did not say if it was the President. Mawlana did not respond when asked what would TMVP do as the SLFP nomination board chairman had made a statement that was not in accordance with the TMVP's appeal.

TMVP to come clean on child soldier issue?

The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) after entering the democratic mainstream following a landslide victory in the first local government elections to be held after 20 years are now planning to ‘cleanse’ itself of the child soldier issue that had tainted its image so far. “We have only 20 children enlisted in our ranks at the moment. A high-level government delegation from will be meeting with them in Batticoloa on March 30 to assess their needs. Then we plan to establish a rehabilitation program for them jointly with the government. The children will be released after this,” TMVP spokesperson Azad Maulana said. “These children are not engaged in any political or military activities. We respect their rights and we have provided for their basic needs including food and security,” he added.He said that it was important to establish a government authority to look into the long-term well being of the children, especially in the case of orphans who do not have a family to return to. This will include collaborating with vocational training institutions and other organizations that would provide the children with life skills necessary to reintegrate successfully Mr. Maulana said the TMVP was reluctant to hand over the children to international organizations claiming that these organizations do not take the responsibility to ensure the long-term well being of children handed over to them. “We have handed over children to certain international organizations including the UNICEF in the past and after we have found that there is no one to take responsibility to ensure the long-term well being of these children. We have found that after being handed over to their families some children do not have schooling facilities, adequate security or proper food as these families are affected by poverty,” he said.“We cannot release these children unless we can come to a clear agreement with these organizations pledging that they will take the responsibility for their long-term well being,” he said. “Ten children who were previously released have decided to come back and sat at the TMVP camp. They go to school and come back to the TMVP camp in the afternoon because they feel that they are more secure with us,” he added.The TMVP Spokesperson also said their political faction is willing to disarm as soon as they are given a guarantee on their security.

Air Force hits two targets
   
Air Force war planes - Mi-24 helicopter gunships and MiG-27 jets - carried out twin air strikes with the support of ground troops on LTTE targets east of Mannar and Mullaitivu yesterday, an official said.Mi-24 helicopter gunships carried out the first air raid on two identified forward operating bases of the LTTE at Alankulama and Kaliadanchan, on the Mannar battlefront.“The attack was carried in support of the ground troops in the area,” an Air Force spokesman said.He also said that MiG-27 jets raided a Sea Tiger boat manufacturing facility in the Vishwamadhukulama area in Kilinochchi following the first attack.Both attacks were carried out following air surveillance and ground information, the spokesman said. He also said the pilots had confirmed the targets were accurately hit causing heavy damage to the LTTE and its property. There was no immediate reaction from the LTTE over the incident.

TN politician resigns over Lanka
 
A cabinet minister rank official in the State Government of Tamil Nadu has resigned his post in protest against the Indian Government Military support to the government of Sri Lanka. Vijaya T. Rajendar a film personality and leader of the Lakshiya Dravida munnetra Kazaham (LDMK) , a political ally of the ruling DMK in Tamilnadu has resigned his post of Vice chairman of the State Small Savings Organisation. He alleged that training Sri Lankan military personnel and providing military assistance by Indian government is indirectly helping Sri Lankan authorities to kill innocent Tamils. Speaking to the BBC Tamil Service. Rajendar said that he resigned his post to avoid embarassment to the Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi, when he conducts meetings in various parts of Tamilnadu supporting the Sri Lankan Tamils and explaining their plight. The first meeting will be held at Madurai on the 29th March, he said.He said he is resigning against the Indian government stand of supporting the Sri Lankan Army which is acting against the interest of the Sri Lankan Tamils. Hence any protest by him would cause deep embarassment to the ruling parties in the state and the centre. The DMK and Congress parties support each other in the state and the Federal government. Even humanitarian assitance by the people in Tamilnadu through the Red Cross has been denied by the Indian Federal Government, he alleged. Pointing out that the Indian government is supplying military equipment including radars to the Government of Sr Lanka he has called for such activity to be stopped immediately.

Alleged EPDP member attempts extortion
   
A member of the EPDP who attempted to extort Rs.100,000 from a leading businessman in Mannar town yesterday morning was taken into custody by Mannar police. The suspect was detained for further questioning.

'Prabakaran' director assaulted
 
Tamil Tiger sympathisers in Tamil Nadu have seized the print of a Sinhala film titled Prabakaran which was being translated at a film studio in Chennai.The film was in the final stages of the production when the Tamil activists led by Dravidian Tamil Movement (DTM) leader Suba Veerapandian stromed into the Gemini Film Labs on Wednesday. The group have assaulted the director Tushara Peiris and seized the print saying that the film insulted the feelings of the Tamil speaking people in India and Srilanka. Suba Veerapandian told BBC Tamil Service that they could not be silent spectators when the work of a film which belittles the Tamil national feeling was being produced in Chennai. He also expressed regret at the director being manhandled by DTM youth cadres. An agreement was reached with the police officials and the director, he said, to hold the film print in the Gemini studios and that they will express their final say after viewing the film. Suba Veerapandian denied allegations that it was an act of interfering in a commercial venture between India and Sri Lanka.While agreeing that DTM members are prepared to face any legal action in this regard, he disagreed that people in TamilNadu do not have a right to intervene in such affairs when there is a certifying body in Sri Lanka. BBC Sandeshaya could not contact director Thushara Peiris despite repeated attempts.

Heathrow runway 'invader' appears in court

A MAN accused of sparking a massive security alert by running under a moving jet on a Heathrow runway appeared in court yesterday.Sri Lankan Ketheeswaran Uthayakumar is said to have climbed the perimeter fence the day before the Queen was due to open Terminal Five.He was confronted by armed police who feared he had a bomb in his rucksack, Uxbridge Magistrates Court heard.Uthayakumar, 27, of no fixed abode, appeared from custody charged with endangering aircraft.Magistrate Jeremy Lister remanded Uthayakumar and sent him for trial next month.

26 March 2008

Govt. disregarding Indo Lanka Accord — TELO MP

The Sri Lankan government is disregarding the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord by holding elections to a separate Eastern Provincial Council, thereby effectively preventing its re-merger with the Northern Province, TELO Parliamentarian N. Srikantha has said.The Indian press reported that Srikantha, speaking at a press conference organised by World Tamils’ Federation, had called for the immediate passage of a bill in the Sri Lankan parliament to effect the remerger of the two provinces.Tracing the genesis of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed by the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene on July 29, 1987 which recognised the Northern and Eastern Provinces as the ‘historical habitation’ of the Tamils, Srikantha has said, "The accord made provision for the establishment of a single and elected provincial council for a merged North-East Province for Tamils subject to a referendum in the eastern half to decide on the continuance of its merger with the other half.""With the dissolution of the North-East Provincial Council in July 1990 following the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from Sri Lanka, the council came under the governor’s rule until October 2006 when the Supreme Court declared the merger as null and void," he had noted.Pointing out that holding fresh elections in the eastern region scheduled for May 2008 was a political design by the government to deny the Tamils the right to live in a united ‘homeland,’ Srikantha called upon the Government of India to intervene in the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. "India is duty-bound to act as soon as possible as its political dignity and the fate of Tamils living in the region is at stake," he had said.

Consensus at APRC for N-E merger with Muslim unit

A consensus emerged at the All Party Representative Committee on Monday for a merged North-East province with a separate Muslim majority unit.The Morning Leader learns all parties present at the APRC presided by Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitharana agreed to the proposal forwarded by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress representative, Attorney Nizam Kariappar.It is learned the four Muslim parties supporting the Government headed by Ministers Ferial Ashraff, Segu Izadeen, Ameer Ali and A.L.M. Athaullah had agreed to the merger subject to a Muslim majority unit in the East. The Muslim Congress had said while they opposed the merger of the north and east without consulting the Muslim community they were more opposed to the demerger of the north and east.Kariappar had said the SLMC was supportive of a north-east merger with a special Muslim majority unit in the east.Informed sources said all parties present including the UNP defectors’ representative, Minister P. Dayaratne had not opposed the proposal.The MEP and the JHU however were not present at the meeting.It is learned the consensus reached for a merger with a special unit for the Muslims will be reflected in the final report of the APRC.President Mahinda Rajapakse has already announced that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was only a first step and that he would implement the final APRC report when presented.

EPDP office escapes eviction ordered by court

Colombo fiscal officials with police and the Bomb Disposal Unit went to the EPDP office at Park Road, Colombo-05 yesterday to execute a court order to evict the present tenants, the EPDP, as they had violated the agreement with a private bank which owns the property presently.However several hours later the court officials withdrew as the Sampath Bank had reached a settlement to postpone the execution of the writ order. The court official including Deputy Fiscal Officer and Additional Registrar, R. M. G. B. Rajanayake and Deputy Fiscal and the Registrar of Welikada High Court, Piyaratne Muthukumarana had gone with police officers from the Narahenpita police to the EPDP head office.The property had been taken over by the bank when two persons who owned it originally had failed to settle a mortgage. Following this the property had been rented out to be used as the EPDP head office. The EPDP had entered into an agreement with the bank and had been paying Rs. 75,000 as rent and also had agreed to buy it. Later in 2003 the bank had filed an action in the Colombo District Court claiming that the EPDP had violated the agreement. Subsequently, the court had issued an order on the EPDP to vacate the property and hand over the ownership to the bank before 1 p.m. on March 25 (yesterday). Around 2 p.m. the court officials had gone to the EPDP office to execute the court order but the occupants, the members and the staff of the EPDP had objected. Later the court officials had summoned the Bomb Disposal Unit to prevent any dangerous outcome. In the meantime, the EPDP leader and Minister Douglas Devananda who was also a defendant in the case had reached a settlement with the bank and the Legal officer of the bank had informed the fiscal officer about the settlement. Accordingly the bank had agreed to temporarily postpone the eviction of the present occupant and take possession of the property. It was learnt that the bank official had informed the Bomb Disposal Unit that there could be dangerous weapon within the premises and their temporary postponement of the eviction was feasible.

Claymore attack in Batticaloa kills 2 policemen

Two Sri Lanka Police officials, providing escort to Japanese funded ProPoor project, were caught in a roadside Claymore blast that targeted a road patrol of elite Special Task Force (STF) foot patrol at Vaazhakkaaddu (Ma'nalpiddi) junction on Kokkaddichchoalai - Vavu'natheevu Road, 7 km west of Batticaloa city, around 9:00 a.m., Wednesday. 2 STF personnel and 3 civilian cyclists were wounded, Police said. The ProPoor officials were on their way to Ma'nmunai South-West (Paddippazhai) Piratheasa Chapai (Pradeshiya Sabah) to attend a meeting on the reconstruction of Pulukku'naavi tank. The Japaneas Embassy officials in Colombo said none of their nationals were hurt. ProPoor project staff were visiting Batticaloa to inspect Unnichchai tank, which was under repair by ProPoor project, they said.

TMVP sticks to its guns on CM post

The Tamil Makkal Vidudalai Puligal (TMVP) that swept through eight of the nine local bodies in the March 10, local polls in Batticaloa, will not enter into any pact with the government to contest the forthcoming provincial polls, unless the government nominated a TMVP candidate, for the post of Chief Minister.This decision was taken by the party’s politburo last week, in Batticaloa, and the decision is to be conveyed to the government shortly. Thus, the TMVP is awaiting a quick response, from the government. A decision was also made to withdraw support to the government, if the government failed to recognise this demand.The party’s contention is that, the party has now mustered the support of the majority in the East, and thus they should be recognised as a separate entity.Party spokesman Azad Mowlana told The Bottom Line that having secured so many number of local bodies in Batticaloa, and subsequently, becoming another major force, throwing a challenge to even some of the long standing political parties, it was too difficult to contest the election under another party, and also not being recognised to hold the office of the Chief Minister.According to Mowlana the party politburo is working hard, to find out,what is best for the party, given the present ground situation.Mowlana said, if the government failed to give the party, to run for the Chief Minister’s post, then the party would contest the election independently, under its own symbol.“These are the decisions that are being taken by our politburo. We are trying to give due recognition to our own party, and at the same time, through this exercise, give the people, who are with us, a better deal,” he said.The Bottom Line, is of the view that, the government, has failed to woo the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), after the Congress in no uncertain terms informed the government, that it would not join hands with the ruling party, to contest the election.The government thereafter informed, the minority parties contesting the elections in the East, that the party candidate, who gets the highest number of votes would be appointed, as the Chief Minister, if there was a pact with the government.The Bottom Line understands that, to date, no independent party has so far indicated to the government, of its desire for any possible marriage, to contest the election.Meanwhile Mowlana also said that, the party decision will not be changed, unless there was a change of heart, on the part of the government, led by President Mahinda Rajapakse.

JVP wants to switch off Indian power deal

The Patriotic National Movement (PNM) yesterday declared that they are against the decision taken by the government to purchase electricity from India. PNM General Secretary and JVP MP Wimal Weerawansa told The Bottom Line yesterday, “The power and energy field in Sri Lanka should not be under the control of India.” “It is a very dangerous thing to hand over the control of a country’s power and energy field to another country. We definitely oppose this arrangement and would put pressure on the government to stop this action.” Meanwhile, Weerawansa also said that the PNM is planning on voicing its opposition to the US State Department report on the human rights condition in Sri Lanka, which has misrepresented the current situation in the country. “America has no right to interfere or intervene in matters regarding Sri Lanka. We completely condemn their action and reject the human rights report issued by the American State Department,” he stated.

Sri Lanka Military: Fighter jets bomb rebel camp as infantry clashes kills 3 rebels, 1 soldier

Sri Lanka war planes bombed a Tamil rebel camp while scattered infantry battles in the embattled north killed three rebels and one government soldier, the military said Tuesday. Fighter jets pounded a rebel camp believed to be used to store military equipment in the rebel-held Mullaitivu district Tuesday morning, said air force spokesman Wing Commander Andy Wijesuriya.He did not give details of damage and casualties, but said pilots have confirmed that they hit the target.Meanwhile, ground fighting along the front lines of the civil war in the north has slowed in recent days because of heavy rains, officials said.Battles in the Mannar district on the border of the Tamil Tigers' de facto state killed two rebels and one soldier Monday, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Fighting in the Jaffna peninsula killed one rebel, he said.It was not possible to get independent accounts of the clashes because the war zone is restricted to journalists. Both the government and the rebels often exaggerate their enemy's casualties and underreport their own.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be reached for comment.The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils who have been marginalized for decades by successive governments run by majority ethnic Sinhalese. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.

Sea Tiger boat damaged in clash with Navy

At least one Sea Tiger boat was damaged following a brief sea confrontation with the Navy off the Nayaru seas in Pulmudai early yesterday, the Navy said. It said the clash took place in the same area where a navy fast attack craft was destroyed a few days ago. “We were able to prevent the movement of a cluster of Sea Tiger boats from Nayaru to the Pulmudai area by firing on them using the Navy’s fast attack craft (FACs),” Navy Spokesman D.K.P. Dassanayake said.He said Navy’s FACs had detected a flotilla of Sea Tiger boats moving in the area and launched the attack.“According to LTTE communication monitored afterwards one Sea Tiger boat was badly damaged due to naval fire,” the spokesman claimed.Meanwhile, the spokesman said they were yet to identify the exact cause of the explosion which sunk a Navy FAC last Saturday.“The explosion was caused due to a floating object, but investigators were inquiring how it happened and details about the explosives device,” Commander Dassanayake said.Ten sailors were reported missing while six others were rescued after the incident. The Navy spokesman said sea patrolling in the area was still continuing.Nayaru, an active LTTE hideout for Sea Tiger movements has been used for the last several years to direct Sea Tiger attacks against the Security Forces.

The way forward-Statement by Paul Willms Ex- MP Third Chamber of The Netherlands at the International Seminar regarding the situation in Sri Lanka (London)
 
The historic conflict between the Singhalese and Tamil nation has recently deteriorated after the cease fire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came to a formal end on 16 of January 2008.Unilaterally ending a cease fire agreement by a democratic elected government is considered as an irresponsible policy that will have serious consequences. This will lay the foundation for a resumption of civil war with immense destruction and human suffering for all ethnic communities on the island.The once optimistic peace talks had been unsuccessful due to the incapability of the international community to create the right environment to proceed in the peace process. Most regrettable is the unconstructive role by them in not implementing an even-handed approach and policy to the parties involved, as some members of the self-appointed Sri Lanka’s Co-Chair Donor Group have proscribed one of the parties as a terrorist organization.This unbalanced approach by the international community affected the military balance between the warring parties and resulted in a sharp increase of hostilities. The foremost reason why the parties agreed for international mediation and the establishment of an international recognized cease fire agreement, brokered by the Norwegian peace facilitator in 2002, was all connected to the military balance between the two foes.It must be noted that severe discriminating policies against the Tamil minority have resulted in an armed resistance against the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka; this founded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam at the first place. The banning of one of the involved parties will exclude the particular country from effectively interacting and mediation to put a halt to the ongoing civil war and to implement policies which reflect with the ground situation. Unsuccessful dialogue between the Singhalese majority and Tamil minority and the vicious cycle of war, since the island realised independence in 1948, continues to persist without any hope for reconciliation any time soon. In this context international mediation is needed to break this cycle of war and unacceptable tactics of terrorism, which are executed by all parties involved in the conflict, as civilians are too often deliberately targeted by the parties in their military campaign.  This inexcusable behaviour must be condemned and need to be addressed by the United Nations in order to stop the ongoing abductions, disappearances, extra-juridical killings, aerial bombardments, including the continues violations of child rights in which all warring parties are involved. These unacceptable violations of human rights justify the establishment for a UN human rights monitoring mission on the island in order to stop the culture of impunity.  Though the Tamils have legitimate grievances which must be addressed, as this particular community is a sovereign population with a historic homeland that legitimates their right to self-determination, it must find democratic ways to express their political desires. Many international entities are not against the Tamil population in Sri Lanka or against their political desires however most of them are only against the current way in how the Tamil leadership are trying to realise their political desires.  The current military leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam should understand that, if they want to participate in the international arena, they have to start the process of changing their structures. This includes distinguishing its military component from the political one, which will allow the process to facilitate a democratic structure in the Tamil homeland. That only will provide an opportunity for the international community to recognise a democratic elected government to enable self-governance in the North and East, as a military regime is unlikely to be officially recognized by the international community. The Tamil Diaspora is obligated to play a more constructive role in realising a democratic change in this military organization as they are part of the international community.The political leadership in Colombo should not exclude itself from reaching a peaceful co-existence with the Tamils by unilaterally abrogating the truce. This is a very unfortunate event and I do hope the moderate Singhalese political parties are able to convince the Singhalese masses to challenge extremism and overcome the differences in order to recommit themselves towards a peaceful solution to this historical conflict instead of walking away from it by morally approving the resumption of a military engagement that can not be won. I appreciate the sincere initiative by the United Kingdom to assist the parties to reach a peaceful settlement however it must first carefully analyse and understand the root causes which led to this historic dispute prior to be able to design and implement innovative policies that will be appreciated by the parties involved, in order to break the current deadlock. Though the United Kingdom shares a great responsibility in achieving a peaceful co-existence between the Tamils and Singhalese, as it is foremost responsible for the current friction in the Sri Lankan society, it must be said that the international community in general must create the right circumstances to achieve a constructive dialogue between the warring parties and to enable them both to interact with the same international community on the basis of equality. Equality, commitment and wisdom are the required ingredients that should be adopted by the parties and the International community’s participation in the peace process. This only can bring this decades old conflict to a peaceful end. I do not assume this longstanding conflict to be resolved in a short period however I maintain to have sincere hope that the parties, with international assistance, are willing to resume the process of diplomacy that will provide the stage for a constructive dialogue that can eventually bring peace and prosperity to all communities on the island. Singhalese politicians should take clear note of the developments with Kosovo and must understand that by oppressing a minority, division is likely to occur instead of the process to find common grounds for a peaceful co-existence and power-sharing agreement between the different ethnic communities, whom all share a unique part in the history of the island.

25 March 2008

South Africa calls for talks
 
The South African Government says it is encouraging warring parties in Sri Lanka to get back to negotiation table.Deputy Minister of Communications Radakrishna (Roy) Padayachie told BBC Sandeshaya that the South African government has consistently sought to encourage and lend support to the creation of a climate conducive to a finding a lasting solution to the Sri Lankan conflict. Deputy Minister of Communications Radakirshna (Roy) Padayachie has represented the South African government at the two-day International Seminar on Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict at East London University. Speaking to BBC Sandeshaya Deputy Minister said “I will report the feeling and conclusions of the conference to the South African Government”. The seminar contributed to the growing world opinion urging Sri Lanka to return to the negotiating table to seek a lasting solution to the conflict.

Focus on negotiation

“The focus of the conference was to urge the Sri Lankan government and LTTE to return to the negotiation table”, the minister said. Commenting on the South African experience, deputy minister pointed out that it is imperative to talk about the obstacles that emerged in the process of talks and the way forward in negotiation is to understand the way around these issues to have a successful discussion between the parties. The conference also appeals to the international community, international organisations and aid agencies to increase pressure on Sri Lanka and LTTE to resume the negotiations. The two day conference was organised by the Global Peace Support Group, a charity organisation based in the United Kingdom. 

Sri Lanka stocks slump; money rates spike despite cash injections

Sri Lankan stocks slumped on Monday with trades in index heavy Sri Lanka Telecom dominating turnover as speculation swirled about an imminent sale by major shareholder NTT Communications of Japan.Brokers said speculators were yet to get back in full swing following a weekend extended by two religious holidays.The All Share Price Index closed down 13.11 points or 0.52 percent at 2,523.07 while the Milanka, which tracks the more liquid stocks, was down 6.78 points or 0.21 percent at 3,189.06Turnover was boosted to 399.8 million rupees with large quantities of SLT, The Good Hope Company, and Lanka Cement changing hands.In the interbank markets overnight money spiked from 14.00/15.00 levels early Monday to 16.00/17.00 levels despite a 3 billion injection by the Central Bank. from its 12.00 percent discount window.The spot dollar was around 107.80 levels.

SLMC to forge alliance with breakaway groups

The SLMC yesterday agreed to forge an alliance with its breakaway parties which are now with the government, for the upcoming Provincial Council Elections in the East. But according to reports they were unable to reach an understanding on a common symbol to field candidates.SLMC General Secretary Hasan Ali told the Daily Mirror that his party held talks with Muslim Ministers Ferial Ashraff, A.L.M.Athaullah, Rizarth Bathyudeen, Abdul Majeed and Amir Ali, after mediation by the Mosque Federation and UMMA, a civil society organization. Mr. Ali said the government Muslim parties insisted them to contest on the symbol of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) headed by Mrs. Ashraff, but the SLMC did not agree to it.“We were unable to reach any understanding on this matter. So, we have decided to meet again,” he said.He said UMMA, an independent social organization, tried to work out an understanding among   Muslim parties for the election.“It does not support any party.  It only wants to create a unity among Muslim parties in the run up to the election,” he said.  He said the SLMC would meet the UNP today to discuss election related matters.Meanwhile, the government has decided to offer the chief ministerial post to the party in the ruling alliance which secures the highest number of candidates at the forthcoming Provincial Council Election in the East. In case the TMVP wins the highest number of candidates on the UPFA ticket, they will get the chief ministerial post while two ministries each will be allotted to the alliance parties representing the Sinhala and Muslim communities.According to informed political sources the same theory would be applied if a party representing Sinhala or Muslim people clinched the most number of candidates at the council.The parties in the ruling coalition including the UNP Democratic group met last evening, and decided to meet again soon to finalize matters. 

ICRC country head meets Sri Lanka Army Chief

Head of the ICRC delegation in Colombo Toon Vandenhove called on Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka Monday morning at the Army Headquarters.During the meeting with the Army Chief, Vandenhove focused on several issues that are related to the ICRC operations in un-cleared areas in Wanni. The ICRC official requested the Commander to appoint a specific Army officer in Wanni to directly liaise with the ICRC whenever the need arises.Fonseka in response to the ICRC request reiterated the continued assistance given to the ICRC at all times without denying access to anywhere in the Wanni whenever the ICRC wanted. Commander elaborating on the general security situation and ongoing military operations for liberation of civilians in Wanni advised the ICRC offcial to directly get in touch with Major General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander at the Security Forces Headquarters, in Wanni in case any assistance is needed.

Sri Lankan PM arrives for historic visit

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake arrived in Israel on Sunday, in the first visit by a Sri Lankan premier to the country. Sri Lanka restored diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, despite objections from the island's Muslim minority. During his four-day working visit, Wickremanayake is to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and President Shimon Peres, and travel to the West Bank for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On Monday he will first visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and then Sderot. Last year, Israel exported about $60 million in goods to the South Asian nation, while imports were around $40m., according to the Foreign Ministry. Cooperation between the two countries is strongest in agriculture and medicine, and Israel sent a rescue team to Sri Lanka following 2004's Asian Tsunami that killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries.

Pillayan TMVP’s Chief Minister candidate         
  
The TMVP has nominated its leader Sivaneshathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan as candidate for chief minister at the forthcoming eastern provincial council polls.As in the recent local government polls for the Batticaloa district, the TMVP will contest in alliance with the UPFA.Therefore, there is a possibility, that the UPFA too, will endorse Pillayan as the common choice for chief ministerial candidate.However, both parties say that a final decision regarding the alliance is yet to be taken.The TMVP has appointed a five-member committee, headed by Pillayan, to discuss the accommodation of its members for the election, in alliance with the UPFA, internal sources of the TMVP say. The committee also include Azath Moulana, Krishna Nandaraja alias Pradeep Master, Jeyan and Bharathi.The JVP has officially declared that they will contest the eastern polls.Both the UNP and the SLMC are yet to announce a final decision, although the latter is likely to go it solo at the polls. Reports say attempts by Presidential Adivisor Basil Rajapaksa get the SLMC to join the UPFA at the elections have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the TNA is likely to boycott the eastern polls as well, with party MP M.K. Sivajilingam telling BBC Sandeshaya that the party will officially announce the decision within the next few days. The Elections Department announced that the elections for the Eastern Provincial Council are scheduled for May 10th and the nominations will be called from March 27th to April 03rd.After the northern and eastern provinces were merged under the Provincial Councils Act following the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987, they were de-merged following a Supreme Court order in October 2006. People in the eastern province voted for the first time at a provincial council election in 1988 when the elections for the merged North Eastern Provincial Council was held. That council was dissolved in 1990 and no elections have been held in the two provinces since.

SB walks out of UNP meeting
 
The UNP National Organiser S. B. Dissanayake walked out of a meeting held at UNP Headquarters Saturday evening.It was a meeting of all UNP Local Government representatives.The speakers at the meeting were Tissa Attanayake, Vajira Abeywardene, Rukman Senanayake and Major Jayavi Fernando, who spoke on the war. The crowd became restless during Rukman's speech and the speech made by Major Jayavi Fernando. S. B. Dissanayake walked out as he was not allowed to address the meeting. While the Leader, Chairman and Gen. Secy. spoke, the National Organiser was not scheduled to speak.

Youth disappears in Wellawatte         
  
A 22-year-old trishaw driver residing in Dehiwala has gone missing on March 22nd in the Wellawatte area, reports say.The missing youth, identified as Edward Padmanadan, had visited his mother’s house in Wellawatte on the day of his disappearance.His mother says that Padmanadan left the house after receiving a telephone call and hasn’t been heard of since.His relatives have lodged a complaint with the police.Padmanadan’s trishaw has been found abandoned at Beach Road in Wellawatte, half a kilometre away from a police barrier.Police Media Spokesman Senior DIG N.K. Illangakoon said that investigations are underway into the complaint.

TULF: no arms were used to influence B’caloa polls
 
TULF leader V. Anandasangaree is critical of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to go ahead with elections to the Eastern Provincial Council.However should the President wish to conduct the election hot on the heels of March 10 local government polls in the Batticaloa District, he should at least delay the withdrawal of the elite Special Task Force (STF) from parts of the Ampara District in the Eastern Province until the polls were over, he said.The Defence Ministry last week said the STF had to be deployed in the North Central Province in support of ongoing military action on the Vanni, Mannar and Weli Oya fronts.The veteran politician said the President should have delayed elections until the full restoration of civilian administration in the East. It would have been better had the government put off elections until security forces and police concluded ongoing mopping up operations to finish off isolated pockets of LTTE resistance in the region, he said.He said although there was no doubt that the East had been liberated it hadn’t been fully cleared of the LTTE menace.Referring to the March 10 elections, he said he had consulted a number of local people of standing in the Batticaloa district. "What they say is although arms weren’t used by anybody to threaten voters the knowledge of possession of weapons was enough to serve as a deterrent to free thinking. No one can deny that. Helping to put one group in power is not my problem but, that party should have been encouraged to gain credibility among the people as a first step," he said.He launched a scathing attack on the TNA. The Parliament itself wasn’t properly constituted, he said, asserting the Election Monitors of the EU, the Commonwealth, the PAFFREL and the CMEV would bear testimony to the fraudulent election of the 22 member TNA parliamentary group at the last general elections.He urged the government not to create a similar situation in the East.Pointing out the people had found fault with the government for going ahead with elections, the former MP urged the President to encourage all political parties to contest the forthcoming elections and also to ensure the disarming of all Para-military groups.That would be appreciated by all including the international community, he said, any group which needed security should have been given government protection, he said.

23 March 2008

TNA holds discussions on eastern polls

Crucial talks to determine whether the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would contest in the Eastern Provincial Council elections will be held today. TNA MP Mavai Senadhiraja told The Nation that the TNA Parliamentary group will meet today to take a final decision.“Our Parliamentary group will hold a series of discussions to determine whether we should take part in the elections and we will come to a final decision before the end of next week,” he said. Meanwhile, he added that the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) have repeatedly asked the TNA to contest the election. He added that both parties have asked the TNA to form an alliance to counter the TMVP and the government coalition.“The UNP and the SLMC have asked us to form an alliance with them. We will discuss this in the Parliamentary group meeting and decide,” he said.

WHY WAS STF MOVED OUT OF EAST?

Many theories have spawned over the controversial re-deployment of the Special Task Force from the East to Weli Oya. One such theory attributes the move to the failure of the elite police commandos to combat Tiger activities in the jungles of Kanchikudichchiaru, from where an estimated 100 Tiger cadres are operating under the leadership of former intelligence leader of Batticaloa, Ram.The Tiger cadres who infiltrated the Yala sanctuary are reported to have been sent from Kanchikudichchiaru jungles.The much touted military operation of the LTTE, “Niyath Jaya” could not achieve its objective and repeated efforts by the STF to flush the Tiger cadres out of the jungles of Kanchikudichchiaru didn’t deliver results.Supplies and reinforcement for the Tigers operating in Yala are sent from Kanchikudichchiaru jungles, according to a confession made by a Tiger cadre who was arrested by the troops in Yala.

Power deal with India on fast track

Amidst soaring electricity rates, the Government is giving priority to the proposed multi-million dollar mega undersea power transmission line with India. Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne said yesterday he or a senior official from his ministry would lead a delegation to India for this purpose. A preliminary feasibility report has already been completed.The $450-million project involved the laying of a 200-km long submarine cable to enable India to export electricity to Sri Lanka and would connect Madurai in Tamil Nadu with Thalaimannar, Mannar and Anuradhapuara, The Sunday Times learns.The plans to expedite the export of electricity from India comes as millions of people struggle to meet electricity rates which went up by 30 per cent from March 15 coupled with a 30 per cent surcharge for those using more than 90 units a month.Mr. Seneviratne said successive governments had tried to export electricity from India but had not succeeded and he was determined to make the latest effort a success. “A substantial part of Sri Lanka’s demand for electricity will be met by this project and the cost of electricity will come down once this and the two coal power projects in the pipeline are completed,” the Minister said. The two pending coal power projects are in Norachcholai and Trincomalee. Those involved in the preliminary work of the undersea project have estimated that the link could be set up in 40 months after the deal is signed, Power and Energy ministry officials said.According to the minister, the cabinet approved this project last year and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide funds for it. A joint committee comprising top officials of the two countries has been set up to study the feasibility report and make recommendations on how to proceed with the project.Meanwhile the minister said the demarcation of land for the proposed Trincomalee coal power project – another joint venture with India – would be completed by next month and the agreement would be signed so that work on it could begin by the middle of this year. The proposed Trincomalee project is a 500-MW coal-fired plant. The work of the coal power projects is expected to be completed by 2011.

SLMC to go it alone

The majority of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) district organisers have expressed their disapproval against the Congress joining the government to contest the forthcoming provincial council election, The Nation learns.The SLMC leadership met with all the district organisers on Friday and had collectively pointed out that the Congress should not either join the government, nor the UNP, to contest the election. Instead, the organisers had said that the SLMC should contest the election under its own symbol ‘tree’ and then coalesce with the winning party.The SLMC leadership met the organisers after Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa met SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem, to extend an invitation to join the government to contest the provincial council election. According to high command member M.L.A.M. Hisbullah, the party, however, has not taken a final decision but would do so on March 26 (Wednesday).He said, following the recently concluded local government election in Batticaloa, where the SLMC had once again emerged a powerful force, the Muslims in general had suggested that the Congress should, in the future, contest alone and not align with other parties. Meanwhile, Basil Rajapaksa had informed All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) Leader N.M. Saheed when he met the latter at the BIA VIP lounge last week that the doors were still open for the SLMC to reconsider its invitation.Rajapaksa’s statement was following Saheed’s inquiry over the government’s position at the upcoming eastern elections.Rajapaksa had told Saheed that if Hakeem had not left the government at the third reading of the budget in December last year, he would not have faced this problem.“If he was there with the government, all the Muslim parties could have come under the UPFA banner and the government could have nominated a Muslim candidate for the chief ministerial post. “But still the doors are open and the SLMC could decide whether they should contest along with the government and elect a Muslim chief minister to the east,” Rajapaksa had told Saheed.He had further said that the ball was in Hakeem’s court.

UNICEF employee nabbed with heroin

Police have been ordered to orchestrate a media cover up after an expatriate representative of the UNICEF was caught with 200 mg of heroin in her possession by Kollupitiya Police.Political and diplomatic bigwigs have prevailed upon police to abandon the case after the UNICEF employee was arrested over the possession of heroin. The 27 year- old US national whose name has been withheld by Lakbimanews for reasons of privacy, was arrested by the Kollupitiya Police last week after police discovered 200 mg of heroin in her possession. The arrest had been reported to the Fort Magistrate.The suspect, attached to the Colombo office of UNICEF had arrived in Colombo on May 5 and was resident in a Star class hotel in Kollupitiya.On March 12, hotel staff had found her lying unconscious on the floor. Police had been alerted and UNICEF officials who lodged her in the hotel had been informed. She had later been admitted to a private hospital where she was diagnosed as suffering from drug overdose. Later Police recovered 200mg of heroin concealed in her trouser pocket, which she wore when she was found unconscious. She was arrested by police over charges of possessing illegal drugs and the matter was reported to the Fort Magistrate Namal Balalle. Police said the suspect is being treated in a private hospital under police custody. A senior police official who spoke under conditions of anonymity said Police has been facing heavy pressure from interested parties to release the suspect and not to divulge details of the victims position.

Nedumaran and his supporters arrested in India

Pazha Nedumaran and at least 164 members of his outfit were held here in Chennai on Saturday for staging a demonstration in support of the LTTE and against the Sri Lankan and Indian governments. Nedumaran and members of his Tamil nationalist movement including a dozen women, had raised slogans in favour of the proscribed terror outfit the LTTE and for a "Tamil eelam". Police said several "pro-LTTE groups", including VCK-Dalit Panther supporters, tried to stage a demonstration at the Memorial Hall near the railway station without permission. The groups were also protesting the "sale of arms by India to Sri Lanka". They also condemned firing by Sri Lanka's navy on fishermen from Tamil Nadu. Visiting Sri Lankan Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, meanwhile, maintained that the frequent attacks on Indian fishermen were carried out by the LTTE and not by the Sri Lankan navy.

Police nabs Ring leader and six others

The arrest of six suspects last week has exposed a major international credit card racket in which suspects have drawn millions of dollars using forged credit cards, police sources reveal.The Special Police Investigation Team of the Criminal Investigation Department last week arrested six suspects on a tip off by a police informant.Six suspects (all Tamils) including their alleged ring leader Ajith were arrested, when they were a floor tile sales shop at Nawala Road in Colombo, where they used forged credit cards to swindle money from bank accounts of foreign multi millionaires.The Officer in Charge of the Special Police Investigation Unit, on receipt of this information consulted his superiors, DIG D.W. Prathapasinghe and the unit’s Director DIG Sisira Mendis who instructed the OIC to conduct a full investigation as frauds relating to Credit Cards of foreigners, specially those belonging to British citizens have become a menace to the extent of the Foreign Affairs Ministry officially informing the CID to take necessary action.

How it operates

As narrated by the police informant, this racket operates in the following manner: The gang of racketeers work in collaboration with the shop owner. They agree to use forged credit cards in the machine. The local cards which are forged, contains data stolen from the original owner. These data are obtained stealthily by using a reader which copies the number when the original card is used by its owner. There are employees in shops and filling stations frequented by foreign multimillionaires who pass crucial information of the original card holders to members of the culprit teams. At the tile sales shop at Nawala Road, a credit sale does not actually take place. Only a credit sale is being recorded. When a specific amount is being withdrawn from the ATM (using a Credit Card), the amount is shared by the culprits, including the shop owner. This racket of swindling money from the bank accounts of foreign multimillionaires had been going-on for the past three years.

Higher vigilance

This international large scale Credit Card racket was magnified when recently the wife of a Conservative Member of the British House of Representatives became a victim by losing a large sum of sterling pounds. Conservative MP Andrew Fellows raised a voice in the British Parliament to alert foreign countries of this racket and as a result the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka alerted the Sri Lankan Police Department to be vigilant on this issue.With the arrest of the six gangsters including its leader at the Nawala Road tile sales shop the police recovered 20 forged credit cards in their possession.The suspects were questioned at length by the CID. Following interrogation the gang leader Ajith’s palatial residence at Alutmawatha Road, Kotahena and three other similar houses belonging to Ajith in the same neighbourhood were searched and a further 200 forged credit cards were recovered by the police team. In addition the police took into custody a jeep worth Rs.20 million parked in the garden of one of his houses.Ajith was one of the poorest in the area a few years ago until he suddenly became fabulously rich within a matter of three years. He began to live a luxurious life and frequented casino clubs with innumerable young women around him, but kept an illegal mistress in her mid forties in spite his being a young bachelor of 29 years of age.Out of the other 5 suspects taken into custody along with Ajith, two are Tamil residents of Trincomalee; two are Tamil youths of Kotahena area while the other was a Tamil resident of Hatton. Investigating officers suspect that the two Tamils residents of Trincomalee are having links with the LTTE because they were in possession of photographs showing themselves in jungle military kits and carrying LMG T56 machine guns.Investigations in this connection are continuing under the same Special Police Investigating team.

Army Commander visits Jaffna

Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka visited Jaffna yesterday morning (22) to review the security situation in the peninsula Major General G.A. Chandrasiri, Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna (SFHQ-J), who received the visiting Army Chief, at the Palaly airport presented a full account of the security arrangements as well as welfare activities carried out by the security forces in Jaffna. Commanders of Divisions, Brigades and Units gave a brief account of the security situation in their respective areas during their meeting with Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

General election by Aug. warns JVP

The JVP has warned that the present government would not be able to present a budget for 2009 and that the government would be dissolved and a general election called by either July or August.JVP politburo member and parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake addressing a rally in Matara also said that the economic policies of the government were pushing the country further into an abyss.Dissanayake had pointed out that the people whose income levels have not increased in line with the rising cost of living were finding it hard to survive under the present conditions while the government was engaged in wasting public funds. He had said even the business community was finding it difficult to carry out their work due to the government's economic policies. "People cannot survive today. Three wheelers don't have hires. Farmers do not get a good price for their produce. Fishermen do not get a good price for their fish. Businesses can no longer function. Even though the people are suffering, the government has not stopped its corruption. There has been a large-scale fraud at the Fertiliser Corporation. The MiG and SLT transactions and Mihin Air are shrouded in corruption. No one asks why Mihin Air was launched," Dissanayake has said.Dissanayake referring to the deterioration of the rule of law in the country and the alleged misdoings of Minister Mervyn Silva has also charged that the government and the SLFP has worked to justify the actions of the underworld.

Frustrated Karu Group seeks way forward

The majority of the seventeen UNP MPs who crossed over to the government to obtain portfolios are now holding talks with a few senior UNP MPs with the hope of rejoining the UNP as rumors are spreading on a snap poll in August. A UNP MP is who is having talks with the Karu Group said that the dissidents have put a condition of retaining the party positions they held prior to the crossover for rejoining the party. 'LeN' learns that the senior UNP MPs who are holding talks with the dissidents have the blessing of the party leadership. UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe verified it at the UNP politburo meeting in response to a question raised by the Colombo district UNP electoral organizer Ravi Karunanayaka. Mr. Karunanayaka enquired if the media reports on three UNP MPs having talks with three crossed over MPs including Milinda Moragoda at Colombo Club was true. UNP MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara retorted that all those possible should be brought back to the party and asked what objection Mr. Karunanayaka had. When asked from MP Sarath Ranawaka what was discussed with Moragaoda and others, Mr. Ranawaka admitting that he participated in talks, said that the content of the discussion could not be revealed there since it was secret. UNP initiated talks with the Karu Group after the President reprimanded Minister Karu Jayasuriya for neither capturing power of the UNP nor joining the SLFP. The President accused him that his group was enjoying the privileges of the portfolios while not doing politics. Internal sources of the UNP Democratic Group said that the internal dynamics were changing in the group after the President's reprimand. Accordingly, several MPs of the group are likely to obtain the membership of the SLFP. MP Mahinda Wijesekara is one persons expected to change his stance soon. Meanwhile, non-cabinet Minister of Plan and Implementation Ranjith Siyambalapitiya recently phoned to Mathale district UNP MP Ranjith Aluvihare and asked if Minister Bandula Gunawardhanaw was rejoining the UNP. Mr. Aluwihare's response was that the talks were underway and the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance P.B. Jayasundara was not giving opportunity to the Minister to carry on his work.

Chief Minister must be a Tamil says TMVP

The TMVP last week insisted that the Chief Minister to be elected at the forthcoming provincial council elections must be a Tamil speaking person.TMVP spokesperson Azath Moulana told The Sunday Leader that the party insisted on a Tamil Chief Minister, as the east was predominantly a Tamil area and added that Muslims and Sinhalese should also be given equal importance."We stress that the Chief Minister should be a Tamil person. We say this because the majority of those who live in the east are Tamil people. There are also people of other races. However, Sinhalese and Muslims should be given equal importance in appointing the provincial councilors," Moulana said.The TMVP however stated that it had not decided whether to contest with the UPFA or alone.The decision was to be taken following a meeting of the TMVP high-rankers yesterday, he said. He however stated that the TMVP would continue to be partners of the UPFA even if it is decided that it would not contest under the same banner. "We have not decided whether to contest with the government or not. However, even if we contest alone, it does not mean the TMVP is at loggerheads with the UPFA. We are partners of the government," he said.

Call to re-convene APRC

Political parties have called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to re-convene the All Party Representative Committee in order to take a decision on TMVP Pillayan faction as Pillayan faction’s entry in to the APRC needs the consensus of its partners.The political parties are of the view that the TMVP which is an armed group has opted to join the democratic stream and therefore must be given the opportunity to take part in the proceedings of the All Party Representative Committee.Professor Tissa Vitharana, the Chairman of the APRC expressing his views to Lakbimanews said that without the consensus of all the other members of the APRC the members of the TMVP cannot be admitted as members of the All Party Representative Committee.Meanwhile, the Jathika Hela Urumaya and the People’s United Front are standing firm stance, that until a decision is taken on the entry of the TMVP to the APRC, their members will not attend the APRC meetings.

Leftist youth slam JVP for making India a "pseudo-enemy’’
 
Five leftist youth organizations aligned to various political parties have accused the "Somawansa Amarasinghe clique" of the JVP of attempting to inflame the country with its resistance to the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution proposed by the All Party Representative Committee (APRC)."While different segments of society have expressed their views on the (APRC), chauvinistic forces including the JVP have raised objections," a statement by the Communist Youth Federation of Sri Lanka, Congress of Samasamaja Youth League, Democratic Leftist Youth Organization, Sri Lanka Mahajana Youth Organization and Deshavimukkthi Janatha Youth Wing said. "Throughout its history the JVP’s political tactic was to create a pseudo-enemy. Once it was India and the next time the estate Tamils or the Sri Lankan Tamils. Instead of taking the class struggle to the forefront the JVP tries to restrict people to a tribal approach." The statement, saying that the JVP has become a tool for suppression and deviation of the leftist struggle against neo liberalism called on the JVP to enter into a political dialogue instead of fighting a pseudo-enemy.It said that when the 13th Amendment was introduced in 1987 as a solution to the ethnic problem in the North and the East, all chauvinist forces were against it and the JVP whipped up opposition in the 1988/89 period with its Deshapremi Janatha Viyaparaya killing thousands of people including political and trade union leaders, intellectuals and religious leaders.The JVP also intensified its anti-Indian campaign when the Indian Peace Keeping Force was bought here under the Indo-Lanka accord was close to militarily defeating the LTTE."The JVP called the Indian army `an army of monkeys’ and forced people to boycott Indian products," the statement said. "They prohibited the consumption of Indian products and tortured people who consumed Indian dhal."This intensified campaign of the JVP made then President R. Premadasa send the IPKF back to India at a time when the LTTE was on the verge of suffering a military defeat.The statement also alleged arms exchanges between the JVP and the LTTE at that time as revealed by a high ranking ex-army officer in the law courts recently.However, between 2002/07 the JVP changed its stance on India and pushed for Indian intervention in Lankan affairs calling upon the country to push the government to work with India and solve the North East crisis with Indian blessings. The APRC report was presented to the President on January 23 against this background. When the government stated its willingness to implement the constitutional framework established by the 13th Amendment as a solution to the ethnic conflict, India expressed its willingness to support this as a first step towards the solution of the crisis."By turning back 180 degrees, the JVP has now started to talk about Indian expansionism and the boycott of Indian products accompanied by hollow anti-Indian rhetoric," it said.Pointing out that in 1982 Rohana Wijeweera proposed the right of self-determination for Tamils in the North and the East, it said that in 1988/89 the JVP returned to a chauvinistic position and in the name of so called DJV killed thousands of political leaders and activists. In 2002/07, it campaigned for cooperation with India and stood for Indian intervention on the North East issue.Now in 2008, the JVP has begun a new anti-Indian campaign.The statement said that since the Indo-Lanka accord, India’s position on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has been consistent, calling for just and fair power sharing arrangements with the people of the North and East within a united Sri Lanka."Therefore the JVP’s Somawansa Amarasinghe clique should understand that a powerful and important country like India does not change its stance to the tune of JVP opportunism," the statement said. It pointed out that the 13th Amendment is part of the country’s fundamental law and the permission or agreement of any political party is not necessary to implement the constitution. Such implementation is the duty and the responsibility of the government."Our position is that the constitutional provision of the 13th Amendment is not an adequate solution to the ethnic conflict of Sri Lanka," the signatories to the statement said.They explained that the concurrent list in the 13th Amendment weakens the power sharing provided therein and that adequate power sharing arrangements are not provided by the 13th Amendment.Also, separate provincial councils in the North and the East will weaken the situation that prevailed in 1987 when the 13th Amendment was enacted.Further, though the 13th Amendment includes the concept of power sharing in the periphery, specific provision for power sharing in the centre or weakening separatist trends are not included."Our organizations have stood for the rights of Tamils of the North and the East at times by sacrificing our lives. We stand for genuine power sharing and a solution acceptable to Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims as well as the international community including India," the statement said.However, if it is the view of the government that the implementation of existing provisions of the constitution is a first step to a final solution, nobody should oppose it and the voice raised by the chauvinistic JVP representing a small percentage of the population should not be taken seriously. The leftist youth movement said that the JVP from the time it was founded was infected with a bug of the fear of Indian expansionism. Now they are trying to address Sinhala chauvinistic forces and hold on to their membership by using an "Indian threat."In 1988/89, the JVP’s anti-Indian campaign accompanied by terror and violence brought the country to anarchy and the people should realize that the present anti-Indian campaign could be the dangerous beginning of a similar situation and should not be allowed."Our organizations challenge the JVP’s Somawansa Amarasinghe clique to make people boycott Indian products," the statement said.

US concerned over Lanka’s ‘anti US axis’

The United States has clearly indicated that it has serious concerns over Sri Lankan Government’s growing ties and diplomatic relations with anti-US axis, with countries like China, Iran and Russia.It is learnt that the US State Department has already displayed its displeasure over Sri Lanka’s bilateral relationship with President Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s administration. Despite, the Iranian President’s scheduled state visit to Sri Lanka in April, the US State Department conveyed its displeasure to Colombo through diplomatic channels.The high ranking Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry officials in Colombo downplayed the importance of Sri Lanka’s close ties with Iran as traditional bilateral diplomatic relations between two independent countries.“We learn that the US State Department is totally satisfied with Sri Lankan Government’s diplomatic response,” diplomatic sources said.During his state visit, President Ahmadinejad is expected to visit the water power plant project in Uma Oya and other projects developed with the help of Iranian grants. During President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to Tehran in November 2007, the Iranian Government agreed to grant a US$ 1.6 billion line of credit, primarily to help Sri Lanka buy Iranian oil. Iranian line of credit is the biggest single foreign grant, which Sri Lanka has received during the last few years.Rajapaksa discussed regional and international issues including Palestine and the expansion of bilateral ties between Tehran and Colombo, during his trip. He also met with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and some high-ranking officials. China and Russia are Sri Lanka’s main arm suppliers.According to Jane’s Defence News, Sri Lanka has already advanced talks with Russia over the procurement of five new MiG-29 fighter aircraft.Last year, Chinese Government’s assistance has grown to nearly US$1 billion, eclipsing Sri Lanka’s long-time biggest donor, Japan.Last week, The New York Times, discussed the new development with Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona. He admitted that Sri Lanka’s ‘traditional donors’ namely, the United States, Canada and the European Union, had “receded into a very distant corner,” to be replaced by countries in the East. Foreign Secretary Kohona gave three reasons: The new donors are neighbours; they are rich; and they conduct themselves differently. “Asians don’t go around teaching each other how to behave,” he said. “There are ways we deal with each other — perhaps a quiet chat, but not wagging the finger.”In January, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriation Act 2008, which was passed by the US Congress, banned the supply of military equipment and services to Sri Lanka.According to this Act, before any military supplies are made to Sri Lanka, the Secretary of State should certify that Colombo has improved its human rights record in certain specific areas.

22 March 2008

Tigers strike back sinking Sri Lanka navy craft

Tamil Tiger rebels struck back against a mounting Sri Lankan military offensive Saturday by sinking a naval fast attack craft, leaving 10 sailors missing, officials said.A Sri Lankan navy craft was destroyed in a "mystery blast" caused by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the defence ministry said, adding that the guerrillas appeared to have developed new underwater capabilities."The navy suspects the blast was caused by a possible sea mine or due to some underwater weapon developed by the terrorists," the ministry said, adding that there was no sea battle or any rebel craft in sight at the time of the sinking.However, the LTTE said they sank the navy fast attack craft (FAC) by using three suicide bombers who also perished in the pre-dawn attack in high seas off the rebel-held district of Mullaitivu.Six sailors from the locally made Dvora-class FAC were rescued by another boat patrolling the waters off Mullaitivu where the Tigers have their main military bases, navy spokesman D. K. P. Dassanayake said.Ten more were missing after the blast."The officer in charge and five others from the FAC were rescued," Dassanayake said. "One of them said the craft started taking in water after a huge explosion. They got into a life raft."The pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website reported that the navy craft was sunk in a suicide attack launched by three "Black Sea Tigers," or suicide bombers.The Tamil Tigers are known for their trade-mark suicide bombings.The Tigers have claimed that the 2001 October Al-Qaeda attack on the USS Cole at the Yemeni port of Aden -- which killed 17 American sailors -- was inspired by their use of Black Sea Tigers.Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have also been clubbed together with Al-Qaeda and outlawed as a foreign terrorist outfit by the US since October 1997.The sinking of the Sri Lankan navy boat came hours after a military bus was hit by a landmine in the district of Mannar on Friday night, leaving at least two soldiers killed and six wounded, the military said.The government claims it has killed 2,242 rebels since January against the loss of 131 of its own troops. However, troops have made little progress in taking rebel territory in the island's north, military sources said.Thousands of people have been killed in a new wave of fighting since December 2005 when a Norwegian-brokered truce began to unravel. The truce was formally ended by the government in January.The military has pushed out the LTTE from its last bastion in the east of the tropical island, a victory that has largely confined the rebels to their northern mini-state.

Air Force attacks sea tiger base- Mullaittiuvu

SLAF fighter jets launched precision air strikes at a pre-identified LTTE sea tiger base today (March 22), 7km North of Nayaru lagoon in Mullaittiuvu at 11.15 a.m., security sources said. The attack follows the sinking of a navy craft allegedly by sea tigers this morning, security sources said. Pilots confirmed to have inflicted heavy damages to the LTTE sea tiger facility, sources further added. So there can be no independent confirmation.   

Heavy fighting erupts in Mannar

Heavy fighting broke out between the SLA and LTTE cadres in general area South of Adampan, Mannar during the early hours on today (22). According to defence sources, troops mounted heavy artillery and mortar attacks followed by a surge into the LTTE forward defences killing at least over a dozen cadres, since 4.45 this morning. Damages to the LTTE were not confirmed as enemy communication experienced congestion, defence sources said. Meanwhile, according to MCNS reports, SLA troops have captured one square kilometre following intensive battle with LTTE in general area between Parayanakulama and Elanthivan in Mannar this morning, killing 15 LTTE cadres. The sources also reported 2 soldiers killed and 9 injured during the confrontation and further reported that 5 LTTE bodies were recovered by the troops in subsequent search operation conducted.

Grave concern over STF pull out from East: TULF

Amid the strategic political alignments and realignments for the proposed Provincial Council elections in the East, TULF leader V. Aanadasangaree said yesterday his party hoped to contest the polls in alliance with the PLOTE and the EPRLF (Padmanabha Group).“We decided to contest the polls on a common list for the purpose of preventing the East from falling into the grip of an armed group and we will meet PLOTE leader T. Sidharthan and EPRLF (Pathmanabha) leader T. Sridharan to finalize the list of candidates,” Mr. Anandasangaree told Daily Mirror. Commenting on reports of the withdrawal of STF Batticaloa and Ampara districts, Mr. Anandasangaree said this move would not augur well for the security in the East and was bound to affect the conduct of a free and fair election. ‘The withdrawal of the STF will do more harm than good. It is a well known fact that there are armed groups in the East creating a fear psychosis among the people. The government’s decision to withdraw the STF without disarming these armed paramilitary groups will definitely affect the conduct of a free and fair election,” Mr. Anandasangaree stressed.He said the TULF however would not allow those armed groups to dictate terms in the East because the people in the province have been given an opportunity to develop their areas and were not prepared to exchange one armed group for another. Mr. Anandasangaree has written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday about the danger posed by the withdrawal of the STF and allowing a free run for paramilitary groups.Daily Mirror in yesterday’s lead story reported the Defence Ministry’s decision to withdraw the STF from 10 camps in the East after it operated in the area for 20 years. The main opposition UNP castigated the government for the move and said the withdrawal of the STF was done on the instigation of the Pillayan group due to the rising animosity between the STF and the TMVP.

SLMC demands CM post as dowry for political marriage

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Deputy Secretary Nizam Kariappar yesterday said his party was ready to enter into an electoral pact with any party which would offer it the Chief Ministerial post after the forthcoming polls for the East.The SLMC leader Rauff Hakim had already had discussions with Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and informed him of this stance, Kariapper told The Island yesterday.If the SLMC contested the election as a single party, it could muster a large number of votes, and it was therefore reasonable to demand the CM post, he said. Among the other demands laid down by the SLMC are stakes in proposed development projects for the eastern province, disarming the armed groups and endorsement of SLMC policies related to the functioning of the Council, he said."In case both the UPFA and the UNP don’t agree with our conditions, then we will go it alone," Kariappar said.

Betrayal says Sinhala groups

A North and East Sinhala Organization yesterday slammed the government for removing 10 STF camps from the East stating that it was the first step towards handing over the East to the TMVP.While charging that there is a move to remove a total of 40 military camps from the East, the North East Sinhala Organization Secretary Sunil Aluthgamage told Daily Mirror the government’s move was despicable. “The government has betrayed the gallant efforts of the security forces and the police who sacrificed their lives and limbs to liberate the East from the clutches of the LTTE,” he said. The organization charged the Government had already conceded the Eastern Province to the TMVP even before the Provincial Council election. Mr. Aluthgamage said at the moment there were no plans for the Organization’s representatives intend to discuss this matter with the government but said was government allies such as the JHU which should not remain silent but take the matter up with the government. Mr. Aluthgamage said the Organization would soon make a political decision to fight against this move by the government.

Mano calls for Canadian intervention
   
Civil Monitoring Committee Convener and WPF leader Mano Ganesan has requested Canada to play a leading role in dealing with the ethnic conflict and the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. Mr. Ganesan told Daily Mirror he requested Canada’s help when he met High Commissioner Angela Bogdan and Foreign Affairs Director Jim Nickel at the High Commission on Thursday. The CMC Convener said Canada which was home for the largest Tamil Diaspora had the global standing and the clout to lead the international community on the Lankan issue. “Such a lead role will help the search for a political solution which meets the reasonable aspirations of the Tamil community,” Mr. Ganesan said. He said the International community should be conscious of the need to achieve peace in Sri Lanka. “It is nothing but extremism that stands between war and peace in Lanka and has resulted in creating Tamil terrorism,” he told the Canadian officials. He explained that the International community stood for the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka and it had been supporting the legitimate government for many decades but this support had landed our people into a state of political depression and faced the brunt of human rights violations. “It is time the international community starts seriously addressing the Tamil aspirations as a parallel to unity and harmony in Sri Lanka,” Mr. Ganesan said. He reminded the diplomats that Canada as the home for a large section of the Tamil Diaspora should increasingly engage with all parties to the conflict including the Canadian Tamil Diaspora in finding an acceptable resolution of the longstanding conflict. Mr. Ganesan said the Sri Lankan government was trying to address the ethnic issue with mock solutions and it should be made to realize that it should not simply dismiss the grave human rights violations as matters of little or no concern. In response Ms. Bogdan said her government in consultation with other members of the international community would consider playing a more effective role and emphasized that human rights would be given priority in the process Canadian policy formulation.

2 soldiers killed, 6 injured in Mannar blast  
       
Two soldiers were killed at South Bar in Mannar when the bus they were travelling in was caught in a pressure mind explosion around 7.15 pm yesterday (Mar. 21st), the Media Centre for National Security said.Six soldiers were injured in the blast. The injured soldiers admitted to the Anuradhapura General Hospital, the MCNS added.

21 March 2008

'War in North cannot be won': The President says to UNP MP

The war in North cannot be won, the president Mahinda Rajapakse has told to a senior UNP MP whom the President contacted twice over the phone to invite him to join the government. The said UNP MP who represents an Upcountry electorate held a portfolio in former Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe’s cabinet. The President has said to the MP that the LTTE possesses an unbelievable stock of weapons and he has invited the MP to join him to watch a video on that subject. When the MP asked if Prabakara is dead, the President had retorted negative. In response to the President's invitation, the UNP MP had told that individual joining would not make change in political path as no such change took place when a group of 17 MPs with Mr. Karu Jayasuriya joined the government. Instead, the government should join with the UNP giving the UNP leader a top post under a common political programme, the MP had told. However, the President had not responded to that request.

India reiterates that no military solution to Sri Lanka issues

Indian Defence Ministry yesterday said in its annual report that there can be no military solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.The report submitted to the Indian parliament said, “We have recently seen an increase in violence, tension and conflict in Sri Lanka. We strongly believe that there is no military solution.”“What is required is a settlement of the political, constitutional and other issues within the framework of a united Sri Lanka which addresses the concerns of all communities, especially the ethnic minority,” it noted.Referring to the training of foreign personnel, it said that INS Kirshna proceeded on a sea training mission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from Sep 21 to Oct 3, 2007. “The sortie was aimed at training personnel from the Sri Lankan Navy and the Maldivian Coast Guard. Forty-two cadets/midshipmen from the Sri Lankan Navy and five cadets from the Maldivian Coast Guard were trained onboard, at sea, in general navigation, bridgemanship and seamanship evolutions. The trainees were also imparted training in damage control and fire fighting as well as casualty evacuation.”

'I am not ready to join any party in which there is Mangala' -Hakeem

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) General Secretary Hassan Ali said to Lanka-e-News that his party would come to a decision on the request to contest the Eastern Provincial Council election after consulting the organizers, local council representatives and cadres of the Province since SLMC withdrew from the government as the government did not resolve the problems of the people of the Eastern Province. He further said that there should be an extensive dialogue on contesting in a coalition with the government in a context no solution had been granted to the problems of the Muslims of the Eastern Province. The Eastern Province SLMC organizer Hisbulla said that his party was still undecided if it would contest independently, with the government or the UNP. He said that there would be a series of discussions. One with the party organizers, people's representatives and cadres of the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts would be held today (21) and another similar discussion would be held tomorrow (22). The decision of the party would be taken at the SLMC Supreme Council meeting that would be held before March 26.When Lanka-e-News enquired if the party had a split that led SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem and Mr. Hisbulla to have separate talks with the Presidential Adviser Basil Rajapakse, both Mr. Hisbulla and Mr. Hasan Ali denied there was any such conflict. In the meantime, Lanka-e-News learnt that the SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem had said to the UNP on the proposal to contest in a coalition with them, that he would consider any party to ally with sans a party in which Mangala Samaraweera is a party. It is well known that Mr. Samaraweera launched an attack on the SLMC leader overstepping the political margins when Mr. Samaraweera was a senior Minister of the cabinet of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga. Meanwhile UNP politburo last week decided to contest the Eastern Provincial Council under elephant symbol. However, the final decision on contesting the Provincial Council election weighs on the UNP Executive Committee that is to meet on March 25.

JHU joins govt. also govt. Join TMVP to contest east poll 

The Jathika Hela Urumaya says that it will contest the elections for the eastern provincial council along with the government.The party’s central committee and Sangha Council that met recently decided that they should join forces with the present regime to defeat Tamil terrorism and to protect the Sinhala Buddhist heritage in the east.Meanwhile, the United National Party has taken a decision unofficially to contest the east polls, and will make it official once a special committee finalizes the decision.The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna too, has decided to field its candidates for the election.Meanwhile, an agreement between the government and TMVP is in the offing, to contest the Provincial Council elections in the East.The government has already expressed its willingness to join hands with the TMVP to contest the upcoming elections, as it did at the elections to the Batticaloa Municipal Council.The ruling UPFA has proposed that the TMVP field its candidates under its ‘Betel leaf’ symbol to capture power in the council to be formed in the East, for the first time after its de-merger from the North, following a Supreme Court ruling.The government has also appointed a committee comprising Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Education Minister Susil Premajayantha to look into matters pertaining to the election.Asked for comments, TMVP spokesman Azath Moulana said that, though the government had invited them to field candidates under a common symbol, his party would take a final decision only next week.“Our politburo will meet in Batticaloa next week to take a final decision. High officials of the government have invited us to join the alliance. The UPFA is one of our friendly parties,” he said.The UNP Democratic Group said that it would also contest the elections along with the UPFA.

Checking Indian hegemony will be JVP's election plank

The Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), an ultra nationalist Sri Lankan party, will contest the provincial elections in eastern Sri Lanka to stem what it said was India's bid to impose its 'hegemony' on the region.JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe was quoted in the media Friday as saying that India was trying to set up a 'puppet regime' in the largely Tamil-speaking eastern province through the elections due in May.The JVP would contest the elections to 'defeat these anti-national designs,' he said. 'India has already taken over land in the east up to Pulmoddai (in Trincomalee district),' Amarasinghe charged.India was also planning to set up a coal-fired power station in Sampur near Trincomalee harbour 'to establish its economic stranglehold on Sri Lanka', he alleged. 'The former Indian high commissioner told us that India is hoping to build a power plant in Sampur to generate power and sell it. What benefit will Sri Lanka get out of such transactions?' he asked.'We are not against the Indian people or the Indian government but only opposing this expansionism,' the JVP leader said.The JVP may end up contesting the eastern provincial elections alone because its former electoral ally, the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), is seen by the party to be pro-India. The JVP feels that the Mahinda Rajapaksa government has been giving in to India on the issue of devolution of power to the Tamil-speaking north and east and also on the issue of building a power plant in the east.The JVP alleged that Rajapaksa's decision to 'fully implement' the devolution promised in the 13th amendment of the country's constitution was forced by India.The 13amendment was enacted following the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, which itself was 'forced' on Sri Lanka, Amarasinghe pointed out.The JVP has asked the government to disarm the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP), which split from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2004 and aligned with the Sri Lankan armed forces.The TMVP, though still armed, is a political and electoral ally of UPFA.The TMVP swept the Batticaloa district municipal elections held March 10. It won the Batticaloa Municipal elections too in alliance with the UPFA. TMVP's Sivageeta Prabakaran has become the mayor of Batticaloa.Indicating the close relations between the ruling UPFA and the TMVP, the new mayor and all other TMVP elected members were sworn in not in Batticaloa but in Colombo, in the presence of President Rajapaksa.The JVP, like so many other opposition parties, feels that free and fair elections cannot be held if the TMVP carries arms on top of having an electoral alliance with UPFA.But UPFA leader and Minister for Construction Rajitha Senaratne has countered this by saying that the TMVP is under constant threat from the LTTE and so it needs to be remain armed.

South African Indians oppose Indian Arms to Sri Lanka

Carrying the red and yellow flag, an impressive number of South Africans of Indian Origin, demonstrated outside the Indian Consulate in Durban on Thursday, to register their collective opposition to the military oppression of Tamils in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lankan Government. They appealed to the Indian government to stop military assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka. While the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission received the memorandum of the demonstrators and spoke to them, the Indian Consulate refused to accept it. Except a negligibly few Eezham Tamils, the vast majority of the demonstrators were people of Indian origin.  The demonstration was organised by the Tamil Co-ordinating Committee of South Africa to coincide with the Human rights Day in South Africa, falling on 21 March. South Africa is home to the largest number of Tamils living outside of India, more than 700 000, of which approximately 340 000 reside in KwaZulu Natal and its surrounds.Mr D Maduray, member of TCC-SA handed a memorandum to the Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission, Mr Jody Kollapen. A memorandum was also to be handed over to a representative of the Indian Consulate but the Consulate refused to accept it. Mr Maduray stated, “India as a superpower in the region has done absolutely nothing about the Sri Lankan Government withdrawing from the Ceasefire Agreement and we object to the military support that India is giving to the Sri Lankan Government to murder innocent people.” He also said “the Indian Government is demonstrating their contempt for the Tamil people by refusing to accept the memorandum.”On acceptance of the memorandum Mr J Kollapen, chairperson of the SAHRC said “the Universal Declaration of Human rights means that human beings all over the world are regarded as equals and are entitled to enjoy simple rights like living in your country of birth, speaking your language, practising your culture and religion, but 60 years later, millions around the world do not enjoy their human rights like the people in Palestine, Iraq and Sri Lanka, particularly the Tamils.” He also said “South Africa achieved its liberation because millions of people across the world stood with us” “This is not a Tamil issue. Our challenge in South Africa is to take this issue beyond the Tamil community.” “The truth is we cannot be free when people in other parts of the world are not free,” he said.South Africa was the land that moulded Gandhi to become Mahatma. While in South Africa, Gandhi was in close association with the Tamils and learnt to read and write Tamil. He always remembered with humility and thanks the contribution of South African Tamils against racism and discrimination. The life sacrifice of the young Tamil girl Va’l’liyammai during a demonstration was even recorded in his ‘My Experiments with Truth’."The representatives of today’s independent India behaved worse than the British Raj in their contempt to a memorandum from the people of Indian origin," said one of the demonstrators to TamilNet correspondent in Durban.

Sri Lanka to re-deploy elite police against rebels

Sri Lanka will re-deploy thousands of elite police commandos from the country's east and move them north to help combat Tamil Tiger rebels as civil war fighting intensifies, security forces said on Friday.Around 2,000 Special Task Force police, or STF, would move from formerly Tamil-controlled eastern provinces, now held by government troops, to areas threatened by Tiger fighters in the north, the military said."By redeploying the STF we will be able to free some troops for future operations in other areas," military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanyakkara told Reuters.Since the 2006 resumption of a 25-year civil war between ethnic Tamil separatists and government forces in which 70,000 people have died, the military has recaptured the country's east.Security forces are now pressing back Tiger rebels in their northern strongholds and have vowed to end the bloody conflict by this year or early in 2009.Nanyakkara said 50 Tiger separatists had been killed in fighting since Wednesday, although casualty numbers are hard to verify since Nordic ceasefire monitors left the country after the government abandoned a truce agreement in January.Both sides regularly inflate the numbers of those killed by their own fighters to maintain frontline morale. A Tiger spokesman could not immediately be reached to verify the military's claim.But as the conflict turns increasingly vicious and atrocities blamed on both sides by international rights monitors mount, a police spokesman said recent local elections in the east had brought a degree of security "normalcy". That would allow regular police to replace the STF in some eastern areas, the spokesman said. Government forces have claimed full control over the area since mid-last year.Re-deployed STF commandos would help end a spate of roadside bombings by the Tigers, targeting what he said were mainly civilians in the northern districts of Vavuniya and Anuradhapura, Nanyakkara said.Government-backed former rebels won nine local contests in March in a dry run for wider provincial elections in May underpinning the government's aim to defeat the Tigers using both the ballot box and the current offensive.The result was a blow to the Tigers, who are fighting for an independent homeland in the country's north and east.

TMVP would use weapons to win Eastern elections-JVP

The JVP warned that the TMVP- a breakaway faction of the LTEE would use weapons to win the scheduled eastern province election and called for disarming the TMVP. Meanwhile the Government announced that all parties loyal to the Government such as the JHU and the TMVP would contest under a common coalition. JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said that “the government should disarm the group as it was bound to use weapons to win the elections through coercion and intimidation.” “If the government wants a free and fair poll, it should disarm the group before holding the Provincial Council election in the East,” Mr. Amarasinghe said. He said that if there is a threat to the TMVP, the security forces were capable of providing sufficient security to the group. “Because of that there is no need for the TMVP to carry arms,” he added.

Numbers game clouds Sri Lankan war 

Last Tuesday was a typical day at war in Sri Lanka. Troops and the Tamil Tigers continued to face each other across the front lines that fringe territory held by the separatists in the north.There were sporadic confrontations and the military said 35 Tiger fighters were killed as well as two soldiers. But some have doubts about the casualties being reported. "If you add up all the figures given by the government from the beginning of the separatist war until now, it would have wiped out the population of the north twice over," says Iqbal Athas, consultant editor and defence correspondent of the Colombo Sunday Times and correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly. "Similarly if one were to adopt the figures put out by the Tamil Tiger rebels, that would have depleted the ranks of the military considerably."

Journalists barred

Since the start of 2006, when a new chapter opened in the civil war between the government and the rebels who want an independent state for the Tamil ethnic minority, the government's Media Centre for National Security says 6,867 Tiger fighters and 1,501 soldiers have been killed.Of the rebel losses, just over 2000 have taken place this year up to the 19 of March, the Media Centre reports. The centre says the armed forces' losses since the first of January are number 186. A news agency which has counted up casualty figures posted on the Ministry of Defence website has come up with slightly different numbers. Journalists are barred from the conflict areas, and Nordic ceasefire monitors left the island when the truce formally came to an end in January, so there can be no independent confirmation. The Tigers themselves are not putting out many figures of their own.

Intercepted transmissions

The military recovers few bodies of dead rebel fighters, saying doing so would pointlessly risk the lives of troops. Instead, they say they rely on reports from soldiers on the ground, and intercepted radio transmissions. "When an incident occurs when they got a beating, the immediate tendency is to inform how many they lost, how many they got injured and to inform their cadres and get the reinforcements back," said the military's spokesman, Brig Udaya Nanayakkara. "If they try to use the codeword, it will take some time therefore they use the quickest possible method to inform their higher ups, so that's how we get to know." Brig Nanayakkara said he stood by the military's figures and that the Tigers were down to around 5-6,000 fighters at the beginning of this year from an estimated 12,000.The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised victory against the Tamil Tigers and soon. The casualty reports help sustain an aura of confidence seen as necessary to maintain the support of the majority ethnic Sinhalese who are dominant in the south. "Even in World War Two, [British PM Winston] Churchill at the most critical time at the battle of Dunkirk said 'I will give you blood, sweat and tears and ultimate victory'," said retired Maj Gen Janaka Perera, a former chief of staff. "I think if you carry the people and the people are convinced of what you are doing and ultimate victory, people will be prepared to sacrifice."

'Based on truth'

Inflation is high - 21.6% in February - the cost of food, cooking gas and fuel is a major concern, but there have been few protests on the streets. In the south opinion is divided, some believe the government strategy is wrong and the war will drag on.But others, like Mohamed Mubarak, a Muslim who was shopping at a fruit and vegetable market in Colombo, are willing to tighten their belts for victory against the rebels. "If they are defeated, we can have a good life and the cost of living will automatically go down I hope," he said."We have to suffer now but at least my children will have a happy life. Hopefully the government should win." Maj Gen Perera says: "As a general who commanded in this army in the most critical battles, I sincerely wish to believe what is in the best interest and what is advantageous to us... I sincerely wish to believe¿ I personally feel, if I am doing something, your propaganda or your reports must be based on truth. That is something I firmly believe in."

20 March 2008

TNA to decide today on Eastern PC polls
 
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will decide whether to participate in the provincial council election, after a meeting with its MPs today.Party General Secretary MP Mavai Senathirajah told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the TNA at the meeting today would assess the ground situation in the East before arriving at a final decision.Mr. Senathirajah said the party would be able to announce the decision by evening.Meanwhile, the UNP Democratic Group which is now in the ruling coalition had also decided to field candidates for the election under the UPFA’s betel symbol.Minister D. Rajitha Senaratne said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had called for a broad alliance to contest the poll. The main Opposition UNP is currently considering the possibility of forming an alliance with the SLMC to contest the election. Asked for comments, SLMC general secretary Hasan Ali said his party had several options under consideration, and would take a final decision only next week after a High Command meeting of the party. Mr. Ali said that some Muslim organizations such as Umma based in the East had also expressed willingness to join hands with them.

ICRC deplores govt.’s misleading public use of its confidential findings    
 
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has strongly objected to misleading public references to its confidential findings on disappearances that were included in a recent statement by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.In the statement, issued on 15 March in response to the US State Department's 2007 country report on human rights, the Foreign Ministry said that the ICRC "confirmed a distinct downward trend in disappearances and unexplained killings (...) during the second and third quarters of 2007". The Foreign Ministry cited an "improvement on the ground" allegedly based on ICRC observations. The statement also indicated that the US embassy had access to confidential ICRC reports.The ICRC says it deplores the publication and sharing of confidential reports submitted exclusively to the Sri Lankan authorities, and the Foreign Ministry's misrepresentation of its overall findings and its dialogue with the government."Extra-judicial killings and disappearances are part of a terrible pattern of abuse in Sri Lanka, which must be stopped," said Jacques de Maio, the ICRC's head of operations for South Asia. "The ICRC strives to bring this about through its confidential and direct dialogue with the authorities concerned. For this reason, we prefer not to enter into a public debate on the number of disappearances in Sri Lanka."In Sri Lanka, the ICRC maintains an ongoing dialogue with those involved in the conflict, including the government and the LTTE, regarding violations of international humanitarian law, such as enforced disappearances. It urges them to take all necessary measures to put an end to violations and to prevent their recurrence. The ICRC says it remains committed to pursuing its confidential contacts with the government as the most effective means at its disposal to help the victims of violations of international humanitarian law and their families.

Withdraw the STF camps in East; Pillaiyan urges the government

TMVP has asked the government to withdraw all Police Special Task Force (STF) camps prior to holding Provincial Council elections in the Eastern Province. TMVP Leader Pillaiyan has announced that it would not support the government at the election if the STF camps were not withdrawn. UNP media unit chief Lakshman Kiriella exposed this at a press conference held today at the official residence of the Opposition Leader. MP Kiriella said that the STF camps in Akkaraipaththu, Thirukkovil, Bakmitiyawa, Muwamikade and Kanagarayanpuram would be withdrawn accordingly since mid noon today (20) to Kebithigollewa area. He said that the TMVP has announced that it would not contest the Provincial Council election and would not support the government if all STF camps from Sangamamkanda to Pottuvil were not withdrawn by the day the nominations would be called. The MP said that one STF personnel named Sunil Kumara of Kolonna was shot when a group of STF personnel went to a scene of crime in Kalmunai to investigate the killing of a Sinhala youth named Premasiri. The officials recovered a key tag in which the name Sarathi was engraved from the place the STF official was killed. Sarathi is the TMVP Group leader of the area. Police or the security forces have not taken Sarathi into custody yet and if he was arrested and investigated it was likely the truth might be revealed. The TMVP is urging the government to withdraw the STF camps to undermine the investigation, said the UNP MP.The UNP warned that the withdrawal of the STF camps would lead to a dangerous situation. MP Kiriella said that the government promised to the international community at the peace talks in Geneva that the armed groups would be disarmed. However, the government did not abide to its promise. The MP questioned why the government is afraid to disarm the armed groups prior to election. He said that the government would lose the election in the Eastern Province if it could not gain the support of these armed groups to fill the ballot boxes and to avoid the voters coming into the polling booths. He accused that the government is withdrawing the STF camps that were there for more than twenty years to prepare the ground for polls rigging.

China denies supplying heavy weapons to Sri Lanka

China has reportedly denied supplying heavy weapons to Sri Lankan armed forces fighting Tamil Tiger guerrillas, a Tamil MP said Thursday. The denial, reported in the Tamil media Thursday, came during a meeting between Chinese ambassador Dabo Ye and Tamil MP and rights activist Mano Ganeshan here Wednesday evening.“The ambassador told me that his government was well aware of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, and that it wished that the people here lived in peace and harmony with each other. He denied that China was a major arms supplier to Sri Lanka and asserted that only some light weapons were being supplied,” Ganeshan, who is chairman of the Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC), told IANS.“The ambassador made it clear that China did not want to take sides in the ethnic conflict, and that it did not favour any particular political party or community in its dealings in Sri Lanka,” Ganeshan said.“He maintained that Chinese arms supplies to Sri Lanka could not be interpreted as an anti-Tamil act.” Pro-Tiger Tamil politicians and rights workers often ask why many countries including the US and India give military assistance or sell weapons to Sri Lanka even while seeking a military solution to the ethnic conflict.

Ex-Army officer appointed as admin chief in SLRC  
     
Retired Army Major General Sunil Silva has been appointed to a newly-created post of Additional Deputy Director General (Administration) of the state owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation.The appointment has been made on the recommendation of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and Silva is expected to assume duties today (Mar. 20th). Before his retirement on January 18th 2008, Maj. Gen. Silva was in charge of the Signal Regiment, and was also secretary in charge of transfers and recruitment of the army.His appointment intends to let the military take over duties in the face of an emergency, such as a hard-hitting trade union action, reports say.The crisis within the SLRC commenced after Labour Minister Mervyn Silva stormed the institution and attacked its News Director in December last year.This was followed by several sporadic assaults or threats on SLRC staffers.Following the most recent attack on a SLRC employee in Kotikawatta last week, the Rupavahini trade union decided to strike, seeking the suspension of Minister Mervyn Silva, and the safety of the staff.In the face of a prolonging trade union action, Mass Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa declared Mar. 17th a holiday for all SLRC workers as the armed forces and the police were deployed to protect the premises and continue its transmissions with assistance from a group of pro-government employees.Soon after, the President called for a meeting with the SLRC trade unions in Temple Trees to discuss the matter and transmissions at Rupavahini have reportedly returned to normal since the meeting, which ended in a cordial atmosphere.

Changes in the top ranks in police, CID and STF

The National Police Commission has made several changes in the higher ranks of the Police department, including the change of Chief of Criminal Investigations Department and the Commandant of the Special Task Force with immediate effect.According to the latest reshuffle DIG of CID, D.W Prathapasinghe has been appointed as the Sabaragamuwa DIG and DIG Sisira Mendis has been appointed as the new DIG of the CID.DIG K.L.M. Sarathchandra has been appointed to head the CID. DIG Lewke will remain at his additional post as DIG Operation Western province.

Printing press sealed after "Mahinda's polls rigging" Poster

"Mahinda's polls rigging  with Wanni Tigers in 2005; with Batticaloa Tigers in 2008" was the slogan of a UNP poster stuck in Colombo and suburbs in the past few days.Police surrounded the Samanala Graphic printing press of Weli Para, Nawala since yesterday 9 PM and searched it this afternoon (20). Police ordered to suspend all print runs and kept two police officials to guard the press until this afternoon. While the poster said clearly that it was printed by the UNP, Police said that the name of the press was not in the imprint, stated that it was a subversive act and took away the printing plate. Thinamurasu, the official newspaper of Minister Douglas Devananda's EPDP party is also printed in this press. Police accused the printer that they were printing Tigers' newspapers. UNP MP Wajira Abewardhana said this morning at a press conference held in Colombo that the government was suppressing the press freedom at any given moment and a press that printed a poster related to the Provincial Council election of the Eastern Province had been sealed.

19 March 2008

No military solution to ethnic conflict in Lanka:Indian PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said there was no military solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka."The way forward lies in a peacefully negotiated political settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka acceptable to all communities, including Tamils," he said in reply to a letter from MDMK Chief Vaiko. The interests of the Tamils in Sri Lanka was of particular significance to India in the country's dealings with the island nation, he said. "It is with this in mind we have welcomed as a first step, the intention of Sri Lankan Government to fully implement the '13th amendment' to its Constitution to give some powers to Tamils," he wrote. On the Sri Lankan Navy's arrest of Indian fishermen, he said: "the welfare and safety of the country's fishermen has been the nation's persistent goal. Whenever necessary, the government has taken this up on a priority basis with Sri Lanka. We have impressed on the Sri Lankan Navy to act with restraint and treat Indian fishermen in a humane manner." However, most of the incidents of firing have taken place in Sri Lankan waters, close to their shores. The Sri Lankan government had declared these waters as a high security zone and no fishing zone, Singh said. "We will continue work to ensure, to the extent possible, that our fishermen do not enter Sri Lankan waters where there is potential for them to be caught in cross-fire." Vaiko had written to the Prime Minister urging him to take steps to stop the arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy. The MDMK had made available a copy of the Prime Minister's reply to the press.

EU says it has 'very serious concerns' over alleged Sri Lanka human rights abuses

The European Union said Tuesday it has "very serious concerns" about reported human rights abuses in Sri Lanka.Abductions, enforced disappearances and unexplained killings have increased in the country since December 2005, when hostilities reignited between Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels after a cease-fire brought relative calm for more than three years."The EU continues to harbor very serious concerns about continuing reports of human rights abuses," said a statement issued at the end of a three-day visit by a six-member group representing the EU's current president Slovenia and future president France, as well as the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers.The group also condemned alleged rights breaches by the Tamil Tigers.The U.S. State Department's 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka was released last week and cited alleged government abuses including unlawful killings, abductions, arbitrary arrests and the denial of fair public trials."The government's respect for human rights continued to decline due in part to the escalation of the armed conflict," the report said.There was no immediate comment from the government or rebels on Tuesday's statement.The government and rebels have in the past denied involvement in rights abuses. The government said last week's U.S. statement presented a distorted and exaggerated view of the situation.The rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for the island's minority ethnic Tamils after decades of being marginalized by governments controlled by the majority Sinhalese. The violence has killed more than 70,000 people.

EU demands access to Wanni
 
A visiting high level EU delegation has insisted that the government allow the Co-chairs and the Norwegian facilitators to travel to the Wanni to meet the LTTE to deliver key messages -- including a request to resume the peace process, to observe humanitarian access and to respect human rights. The Daily Mirror, however, learns the government had asserted it was not possible to provide immediate access to the Wanni to any diplomat owing to the prevailing security situation in the areas controlled by the LTTE, which is under attack by the military. Speaking at a media conference at the European Commission (EC) office in Colombo yesterday, representatives from the EU reiterated their concern over the human rights situation in the country and also said that they were looking forward to an ambitious final peace proposal by Sri Lanka during the coming months. The press conference itself had its share of controversies, with the television crews who came to cover the EU briefing being told not to video the event owing to an agreement reached with the government over the logistical arrangements and what should be divulged to the media. Janez Premoze, Asia Director in the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representing the current EU Presidency, said that the EU harboured very serious concerns about continuing reports of human rights abuses and expressed regret that the Independent International Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) had decided to terminate their work with the Presidential Commission of Inquiry because of concerns about its compliance with international standards and institutional lack of support for the work of the Commission. “The EU underlines the seriousness of calls by the IIGEP and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, for the government to deliver concrete results through taking cases to court,” he said. Mr. Premoze also said the EU remained committed to its present role as one of the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo process and, therefore, continued to believe in the importance of guaranteeing access to Killinochichi for the Norwegian facilitator and the other Co-Chairs, and also the UN and other concerned organisations. The EU delegation, meanwhile, also asserted their unequivocal condemnation of all terrorist activities, including those by the LTTE, adding that after the EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization in 2006 there had been a number of criminal prosecutions against LTTE fund raising in Europe. Mr James Moran, Director for Asia, of the European Commission underlined that the extension of the GSP-plus concessions for Sri Lanka were yet to be considered and would only be assessed when the concerned countries reapplied for the facility by October this year and would be governed by objective criteria including linkage between trade preferences and Human Rights. The delegation of senior officials from the European Union were in Sri Lanka for two days to discuss EU concerns over the current situation in the country and met, among others, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Ministry Secretary, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Minister of Science and Technology and Chairman APRC, President’s Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Leader of the Opposition and Leaders of the JVP, TNA and EPDP. It also met with representatives of civil society organisations.

Sir Arthur passes away

Sir Arthur C. Clarke Sri Lanka’s first ever naturalized alien passed away today at a private hospital in Sri Lanka, after suffering a cardio-respiratory attack. The author, whose prophetic works inspired such films as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, predicted such things as space shuttle, super computers, and rapid communications systems years before their time. Clarke was knighted on May 26th, 2000, for his contributions to the arts and his visions of human-kind's not-so-far future. He was also the first Chancellor of the International Space University and the Moratuwa University. Among Clarke's published works are The City and the Stars, Rendezvous with Rama, and a plethora of short stories such as The Sentinel.His book the Fountains of Paradise was based on Sri Lanka revealed the concept of space elevators which Clarke hoped would be his final legacy.

Man accused of fundraising for Tamil Tigers gets bail

VANCOUVER -- A man accused of trying to raise money for the terrorist Tamil Tigers was granted bail Tuesday, but his lawyer says he was working on behalf of a legitimate humanitarian organization.Police and a terrorist expert, however, say the organization is a front.The first man charged under Canada's terrorism fund-raising law was released on bail Tuesday after being arrested in the Vancouver area over the weekend.Prapaharan Thambithurai, 45, of Maple, Ont., became the first man ever charged under Canada's law against raising money for a terrorist group, police say. He was released Tuesday on a $25,000 bond.He was picked up earlier this week in suburban New Westminster and charged with soliciting money for the banned Tamil Tigers, the armed independence group fighting a bloody insurgency against the government of Sri Lanka.As part of his bail, he has been ordered not to make contact with several potential witnesses in the case, said Supt. Lloyd Plante of the RCMP's Integrated National Security Enforcement Team in B.C.Thambithurai's lawyer, Richard Peck, said his client installs satellite dishes for a living.Thambithurai refused to comment on the charge as he left court Tuesday afternoon to return to his family in Ontario, but he lashed out at reporters for covering his case but ignoring the human rights abuses suffered by Tamils.Thambithurai was arrested Sunday after a quick, intense investigation that began last Thursday, Plante said."Our investigation is still active, but as far as additional arrests, I'm sorry but I can't specifically comment on that.''Plante wouldn't provide details of what Thambithurai is alleged to have done.The RCMP release said he was charged under the Criminal Code section that makes it a crime to provide property, financial or other services knowing they will be used to benefit a terrorist group. The charge carries a maximum 10-year sentence. Peck told reporters outside court his client was raising money for the World Tamil Movement, which he said was a legitimate humanitarian organization.But law enforcement considers the group to be a front for the Tamil Tigers, which the federal government placed on a list of banned terrorist organizations two years ago."That's what the allegation will be, yes,'' said Plante.A call to the movement's Toronto-area office produced only a recording of someone giving a speech in Tamil.A former agent for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who specialized in tracking Asian terror groups said the Tigers have a long history of extorting money from expatriate Tamils, of which there are about 250,000 in Canada."We had decades of threats against the community, people who were literally told `if you don't give 10 to 15 per cent of your annual revenues to the cause, we'll either burn your house, break your leg, break and arm, burn your business' or something like this,'' said Michel Juneau-Katsuya, now a security consultant with Ottawa-based Northgate Group."They terrorized their own community for over a decade.''Tamil-Canadians, most of whom live in the Toronto area, were cowed into silence about the practice, he said."If the victims started to talk, reprisals would go against their own family and if it wasn't a family right here in Canada, it would be the family back in Sri Lanka,'' Juneau-Katsuya said.Banning the Tigers helped suppress their activity but not eliminate it, Plante said."I wouldn't want to comment about the level that it's at but certainly the information we have is that the activity is still carrying on.''A spokesman for the Canadian Tamil Congress, which says it is the main voice of Tamils here, said Thambithurai is not a member of their group."This name doesn't ring the bell to us, no,'' said David Poopalapillai.He said the World Tamil Movement is not banned in Canada despite claims it's a terrorist front."We do know to a certain level they have a library they're building that's the largest Tamil library in North America,'' Poopalapillai said. "They also hold sports meets, cultural gatherings and things like that.''When the Tigers were banned, the Congress mounted a publicity campaign urging Tamil-Canadians to report any extortion attempts to the police."We have very high faith in our law-enforcement officials,'' Poopalapillai said. "If we go to them, they know how to protect us."Don't be afraid. This is Canada, get up and go. So far no one has come forward to our knowledge.''Poopalapillai doubts the extortions ever happened."That story, it didn't have any legs,'' he said.Canadian Tamils are deeply sympathetic to the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka, whom Poopalapillai said have been mistreated by the Sinhalese-controlled government since the country achieved independence six decades ago."On the other hand, Tamils are very law-abiding citizens,'' he said. "In Canada, it's very legal to talk about independence, homeland, and to argue on the cause. But if the Canadian government says OK, today giving money is illegal, people won't do that. We wouldn't cross the line.''

Major general Janaka Perera ready to enter politics

Former Army Chief of Staff and diplomat, Major General Janaka Perera yesterday said that he would consider entering politics if invited by a political party of repute with a clear agenda for the development of the nation. He was responding to a query raised at a media briefing held yesterday at the OPA Headquarters, Colombo to announce the launch of Lak Jaya Foundation, an organisation to assist the displaced and the war affected in multiple ways.Perera also accused former JOC Chief and Army Commander Gen. Rohan Daluwatte of falsely implicating him for allegedly attempting to allow the fall of Jaffna as part of a coup with the assistance of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe."In 2000, Jaffna almost fell and the thinking of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte and the JOC Commander Gen. Rohan Daluwatte was that it was impossible to save Jaffna. I believed otherwise, and gave a pledge that Jaffna will be saved. If we do not secure Jaffna, I promised that I would get buried in the Jaffna soil," he said.The former Army Chief of Staff said that the 'coup theory' was successfully conveyed to the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga and that Gen. Daluwatte allegedly informed her that there existed taped conversations to that effect between Ranil Wickremesinghe and himself."For holding on to Jaffna when everyone said we cannot, that's the incentive I got. Daluwatte travelled all the way to Jaffna to convey the message that if I 'owned up' to having such a discussion, he would clear me. I needed no clearing for I have not had any such discussions," Perera added. He also accused Daluwatte of trying to blackmail him by claiming if he (Perera) did not accept holding such discussions with Wickremesinghe, Perera's wife would be taken to the fourth floor for questioning. "Those are some of the rewards I have reaped in my long career as an officer who always put the country before self," he said.Responding to media queries about alleged links to the UNP, Janaka Perera said that as it was not possible to undermine him by alleging inefficiency or corruption, some elements sought to identify him as an officer with UNP leanings. "Those are tactics of the desperate to discredit officers. I have been a committed officer and a diplomat. I have tried to do my best for the country which is why I may consider an invitation to enter politics if that suits me," he said.Perera when questioned as to why another organisation is needed to assist the war affected when there is a government initiative like "Api Wenuwen Api," said that his experience in Australia and in Sri Lanka showed that there was always enough room for more players to assist the war affected, only coordination amongst the organisations were required to avoid overlapping. Perera said there were many areas in which the war affected and the displaced required assistance ranging from financial, medical, psychological, social and others, all of which would be taken into consideration when  schemes for assistance are designed." Currently we are gathering data and identifying those who should be our priority concerns," he said, pledging that the dignity of the serviceman would be uppermost when launching programmes.

JVP says snap general election inevitable

The JVP said yesterday another general election was likely to be held some time in July or August because it was impossible for the government to present another Budget for next year. JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake told a rally at Matara that the country’s economy was on the brink of collapse. “Wage Earners are struggling to survive. Farmers do not receive a proper price for their paddy and fishermen for their fish. Even businessmen are finding increasingly difficult to run their businesses. The three-wheel drivers do not have hires. The electricity bill will be doubled from this month. Inflation has increased and the interest rates have become unbearable,” he said. “But there is no end to corruption. Massive frauds are reported at the Fertiliser Corporation. The MiG deal, Telecom and Mihin Air are all replete with corruption. No one asked to begin Mihin Air. It has a debt of Rs. 550 million for fuel alone. Can a country’s economy sustain this sort of massive wastage,” Mr. Dissanayake asked and charged that the the government had failed to provide the needs of the people. “There are no proper trains and buses for the average person. The biggest country in the world which is China has only 32 ministers while India has only 34, but Sri Lanka has 110. Each Minister has a private staff of 15. Five of them get vehicles. The salary of one person is Rs. 25,000. They employ their family members as their staff. With whose money are these people enjoying all thiese luxuries,” he questioned. “There is no law in the country. Mervyn Silva storms into media institutions. Bogus disciplinary committees are appointed. What we see is that the SLFP, the President and the government are all approving the work of an underworld figure. Now the inquiry is on the workers. The tapes were taken away and the workers are now being hunted down after looking at them.”“It appears that the President does not know the constitution. That is how he is working with regard to the 17th Amendment. Another problem we are facing today is the gradual invasion of this country by India,” Mr. Dissanayake warned

India installs radar system to curb LTTE infiltration and smugglings

The Indian Air Force has installed sophisticated radar with all modern systems available for aerial surveillance. It is reported that the main objective of installing this surveillance system is to prevent smuggling and infiltration operations of the LTTE exploiting the Gulf of Mannar to Sri Lanka. Southern Air Command, Air Vice-Marshal Y.R. Rane after discussing with the Indian Air Force and Indian Coast Guard officials addressing the media said that that the new radar has eight antennae which could cover the entire Gulf of Mannar region. It had the capability to track objects such as ships, barges, trawlers, small boats and others in the Indian territorial waters off Mandapam coast. Meanwhile the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police P. Rajendiran stated that the police have set up 60 additional check posts along the coastal areas to intensify patrolling to check infiltration of the LTTE into the state. Reports from India said recently that Tamil Nadu Police has now detained an LTTE agent named Abdul Kareem under the National Security Act (NSA) who was earlier arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police for masterminding a secret plan to smuggle 50,000 batteries from India to the LTTE in Sri Lanka

Attack within HSZ claims LTTE

Heavy fighting erupts in MannarOver five hours of fighting was reported in the Thiruketheswaran area in Mannar between Monday night and yesterday morning, despite heavy rains that have flooded the homes of at least 12,000 persons. The Defence Ministry said that fighting was reported at Palaikuli and Parapakandal south of the strategic Adampan junction on March 17. A soldier was killed and three others injured in a claymore mine attack in Kollimottai area around 7.30 yesterday morning.Meanwhile the army said that fighting was reported from Navattakulam, Pandivirichchan and Kallaikulam near the border that separates Mannar and Vavuniya Districts.The Tigers said that they had carried out an attack at Thrikatheeswaram, within about five kilometres from the Thalladi army detachment on Monday night. TamilNet said that the clashes had broken out around 10.30 p.m and continued till 3 a.m."Fourteen wounded SLA soldiers were rushed to the public hospital in Mannar. Telephone links were disturbed and tension prevailed in the city as fighting raged from Monday 10.50 p.m. till 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday," TamilNet said quoting Tiger sources.The LTTE attack had also resulted in heavy artillery exchanges between the two sides, over the Mantai Division that lies north of Thalladi.TamilNet said the Tigers had breached the Forward Defence Lines and launched the attack within the High Security Zone. No further details were available of the fighting.

Anura bids adieu today  
         
The funeral of the veteran politician, Anura Bandaranaike will be held in Horagolla this evening (Mar. 19th), where he will be laid to rest in the Bandaranaike Mausoleum alongside his parents.He passed away on Mar. 16th in his Visumpaya residence following a prolonged illness.He was 59 at the time of his death. The remains of the late Anura Bandaranaike was taken to the Parliament Complex on Mar. 17th before being taken to the Bandaranaike ancestral home in Horagolla.Anura was a former cabinet minister, opposition leader and Speaker of Parliament.He was first elected to Parliament at the 1977 General Election from the Nuwara Eliya-Maskeliya electorate.A senior vice president of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, he was the son of Prime Ministers S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and the only brother of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

18 March 2008

Sri Lanka heading towards a failed economy?
   
A top economist has lashed out saying that Sri Lanka boasts of a high per capita income which appears to be highly exaggerated as half of the population live below the poverty line and their  per capita income is less that US$250. President of the Sri Lanka  Economic Association  Prof A. D. V. de S. Indraratne made these comments at the monthly forum held recently for Public-Private Policy Dialogue of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) organized by the Small and Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED) - a project of FCCISL and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNSt). Prof . Indraratne speaking on "The Economy: Opportunities and Challenges and Outlook for 2008 and Beyond" said that the most disturbing thing in the country's economy is the galloping cost of living and the increase in poverty among a large segment of the population. One third of the total population is absolutely poor and some of them do not have basic amenities. He said that this is the problem the country is faced with which has not been realized. Most people do not talk about equitable income distribution among the population and it is very unfortunate that whatever the development that takes place in the country never seeps down into the bottom line of the people - the poor people never enjoy the benefits of all these developments in the country."The country's per capita income in 2006 was recorded as US$ 1,350 and in the year 2007 it was US$1,430 and further seen as the country's unemployment has been declining. But what has been worrying is the inflation which has been rising to 20 percent, despite the tight monetary policy of the Central Bank. This was the third occasion on which Sri Lanka failed to capitalize on the opportunity to take the economy to a stable position." He said. Prof Indraratne pointed out that the bulk of industrial capital is concentrated in the Western Province. The population growth has come done to one percent and with all these the country could get into 7% growth and the conditions if properly managed the living conditions of the people could be doubled by around 11 to 12 years. The problem is the development is not actually taken place and most importantly whatever the development the results have not been seeped down to the people, the poor people. "Just after Sri Lanka secured independence the country's economy was favorable and export income was more than adequate where the economy was relatively open. There was employment and exports of tea rubber and coconut brought in adequate foreign exchange, but with all these prosperity in the country, Sri Lanka failed to realize to lay the foundation to invest and diversification to take the economy forward. This trend continued for some time but by 1955 it collapsed, until 1977" he saidIn 1977 the economy was liberalized, open and regulating and restrictions were taken off. Economic prosperity was in again, but this time too the country failed to make use of the opportunity to put the economy into a stable position. The growth rate then reached to 8.2 percent and the unemployment rate was halved. Prof. Indraratne said that there was full growth in those several years after the liberalization of the economy in 1977. Then again, the economy was revived around 2002.  In 2002 there was economic growth from 1.5 percent to around 6 percent despite the devastation by the tsunami and oil price hikes. 

Victor Perera to step down       
  
IGP Victor Perera has handed in his retirement letter to the President two days ago, sources say.The letter was handed in after the President refused a request to extend his tenure, sources add.The President appointed Victor Perera as the 30th IGP on 11th Sep. 2006.Senior DIG Jayantha Wickremeratne and Senior DIG Mahinda Balasuriya will vie for the top police post that will be vacant after Perera steps down. Though Wickremeratne is further up the ladder in seniority, it should be noted that the current IGP was appointed to the post despite the presence of four more senior candidates in the service.

Boston Globe advocates "Self-rule in a confederal structure for Tamil region"

Pointing to Sri Lanka's documented pattern of "abductions of civilians by security forces," and Rajapakse Government's complicity in "large scale disappearances," Boston Globe in an editorial Monday said: "[t]he bottom line is Sri Lanka's conflict is political, and it must be resolved by political means. A lasting solution will require that the central government grant meaningful self-rule to the Tamil region, perhaps in a confederal structure that maintains the unity of the country. Continuing attempts to resolve the conflict militarily can only produce more suffering and more war."

Full text of the editorial follows:

Sri Lanka's recurring fever

ALL TOO many regions of the contemporary world are afflicted with recurring outbreaks of warfare between nation-states and ethnic or sectarian minorities. One of the worst has been festering for the past quarter-century in Sri Lanka, where 70,000 people have perished in intermittent fighting between a government dominated by a Sinhalese Buddhist majority and minority Tamils, who are mostly Hindu.Over the past two years, that war flared up worse than ever. In January, Sri Lanka's president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, disavowed a 2002 cease-fire that Norwegian mediators had negotiated between the government and the armed group known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Cease-fire monitors from several Nordic countries were then called home. The monitors had been sidelined for the past year while the army assaulted the predominantly Tamil eastern and northern provinces and the Tigers responded with attacks on army forces in the north and east as well as bombings in the capital, Colombo.The government, under pressure from Sinhalese hard-liners, has opted to end the conflict by winning the war. Political and military leaders speak of crushing the Tigers by the end of the year. They insist the Tigers are nothing but terrorists and that once their funding from abroad is cut off, the army will solve the conflict over Tamil minority rights by wiping out the Tigers.The reality is not so simple. A recent Human Rights Watch report shows how Rajapaksa's government has committed grave human rights abuses. In its 241-page report, "Recurring Nightmare: State Responsibility for 'Disappearances' and Abductions in Sri Lanka," the human rights group documents a pattern of abductions of civilians by security forces. The report calls on the government to acknowledge its "responsibility for large-scale disappearances and take all steps necessary to stop the practice."Human Rights Watch also calls on the Tigers to "cease abductions and extrajudicial executions." Still, it is hard to deny that the government's human rights violations deprive it of the ethical high ground.Asian powers China and India, competing for influence in Sri Lanka, do not help its government by withholding criticism. At bottom, Sri Lanka's conflict is political, and it must be resolved by political means. A lasting solution will require that the central government grant meaningful self-rule to the Tamil region, perhaps in a confederal structure that maintains the unity of the country. Continuing attempts to resolve the conflict militarily can only produce more suffering and more war.

Party gatecrashers injure five Tamils in Switzerland

Five Sri Lankan Tamils were injured when an armed group stormed a house and attacked Tamils hosting a party in Bern, Switzerland on Saturday.The six heavily armed and masked men had entered the house where around 50 Tamils were hosting a party on Saturday. The armed gang fired at the guests and attacked them with weapons. Five guests who were injured were transported to hospital in an ambulance. “The incident took place at a suburb of Bumpliz in Bern,” sources said. Police said “the six men who were carrying different weapons, sprayed a chemical to air and destroyed the furniture before fleeing from the scene”. Police believe the incident may have occurred following a dispute between two groups.

President summons Mervyn

President Mahinda Rajapaksa last evening summoned Minister Mervyn Silva half way through a meeting with trade unions of the State Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and other senior government officials and sought an assurance  employees would not be harmed in future Minister Silva refused to do so saying he was not involved. “How can I give such an assurance? I am not involved in those incidents,” Minister Silva had reportedly said with reference to the string of attacks on employees of the State TV over the last few days in what was believed to be the retaliation for the assault on the Minister last year after he allegedly attacked the News Director. President Rajapaksa has then pointed out that police inquiries would determine whether the Minister was involved or not and everyone should ensure that no violence be used on any media personnel again. However, subsequently the President and other government officials who attended the meeting at Temple Trees last evening, including Media Minister, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksae and IGP, Victor Perera gave a firm assurance over the security of the staff resulting in the unions agreeing to ensure the smooth functioning of the station.Minister Yapa has then explained on the incidents that took place earlier during the day stating the armed forces were called to prevent a plan to disrupt work at SLRC. The military was placed on standby to operate the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation transmissions in view of the possibility of sabotage, after the Media Ministry ordered the lockout of hundreds of its employees except for those required for essential transmitting operations. Police riot squads and the military were also placed around the station premises.Some of the locked out SLRC employees staged a protest at the Independence Square alleging they were prevented from entering the Rupavahini premises when they reported for work in the morning.Media Rights Groups who attempted to mediate in resolving the burning issues confronting the SLRC were also prevented from entering the premises and heated arguments erupted when the police made an attempt to disperse the protestors. Tensions grew further when it was observed that police officials in civil clothes were videoing and taking photos of the protestors. SLRC Programme Producers’ Association President, Kanchana Marasinghe speaking to journalists at the scene criticised the government for using the army and the police preventing them from reporting to work. Reportedly only scheduled programmes were broadcast last morning while no new recordings were done. Sources said some employees were seen training personnel of the Signal Corps to handle technical matters at the SLRC. Meanwhile, the Working Journalists’ Association charged they were barred from attending the meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) trade unions at Temple Trees yesterday. Association President, Sanath Balasuriya told that Media Minister, Anura Priyadarashana Yapa officially invited them for the meeting stating the President had wanted representatives of their association to attend it. He had invited them over the phone according to Mr. Balasuriya. Following the invitation Mr. Balasuriya had contacted the Presidential Media Director, Chandrapala Liyanage to give the names of the Working Journalists’ Association representatives who wanted to attend the meeting, Mr. Liyanage had allegedly said the discussion was only for the SLRC unions and there was no necessity for the media associations to attend. Mr. Balasuriya in response had requested Mr. Liyanage to let him know the position after inquiring from the Media Minister. However no response have been received from the Presidential Secretariat till late last evening. The association has written to President Rajapaksa stating they were ready to discuss the SLRC issue with him at any time.

3 SLA killed in sniper attack - LTTE

Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Mannaar told media in Vanni that Tiger snipers gunned down 3 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Iththikka'ndal in Paalaikkuzhi on Sunday between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. Confrontations in Mannaar were reduced due to heavy rain. LTTE Operations Command in Vavuniyaa said an SLA offensive push was defeated at Paalamoaddai on Sunday following stiff resistance put up by the Tigers from 11:00 a.m. till 1:05 p.m. There were also reports of heavy artillery duel across no-go zone ln Ma'nalaa'ru on Sunday, according to available information.

US State Dept. donates $220,000 worth anti-terrorism equipment to police

The United States Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance will donate approximately $220,000 worth of equipment to the Sri Lanka National Police (SLNP) in a brief ceremony Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. at the American Embassy. The purpose of the equipment is to sustain and enhance the critical capabilities of the security forces of Sri Lanka in their efforts to fight terrorism, according to a media release from the US Embassy in Sri Lanka. The donation consists of three Explosives Incident Countermeasures kits, two Post-Blast Investigation kits and two Hostage Negotiations kits, which will be divided between the SLNP and the Special Task Force. IGP Y.P. Victor Perera, as well as Senior Deputy Inspector General - Administration - Mr. Bodhi Liyanage; Senior Deputy Inspector General - Range III - Mr. Mahinda Balasooriya; Senior Deputy Inspector General - Range IV - Mr. Nimal Illangakoon; and Deputy Inspector General - Commandant  Special Task Force - Mr. Nimal Lewke are expected to attend the donation ceremony.  

Grenade found in school bus
   
A hand grenade was recovered by the Kahawatta Police from a school bus parked near the Gankanda Central College in Pelmadulla yesterday, police said.A special police team recovered the grenade that was wrapped in paper and kept under a seat of the private school bus. The recovery was made following a telephone call to the 119 police emergency number from a civilian.The bus and the driver were arrested by the Police.

Tiger cadre who asked for meal arrested

Police and Army arrested a Tiger cadre at Buddangala on Sunday afternoon when he had gone to a house and requested something to eat.Police recovered a T-56 weapon, an Identity Card issued by the LTTE and two cyanide capsules.He was dressed in the LTTE uniform.Police said he could be around 18 years of age.He had emerged from the jungle and gone to the backyard of a house. Seeing a woman in the house he had through signs indicated that he wanted something to eat. The woman signalled him to come to the verandah made him sit and had served him a plate of rice .While he was eating she had informed the Padaviya Police and a nearby Army camp over the telephone.

Gov. is supporting the LTTE- Ranil Wickremasinghe  
       
In a special statement issued from his office in Cambridge Terrace yesterday morning (Mar. 17th), the Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremasinghe said that it is none other than the government, flanked by the Pillayan Group, who is supporting the LTTE. “The US government has cut off military aid including training, mainly because of the deteriorating human rights situation in the country,” said the Opposition Leader.Also, the Human Rights report issued by the US State Department has emphasized on the conscription of child soldiers by the LTTE and the TMVP,” he added.“It is the SLFP led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa who sealed pacts with the Pillayan Group. Pillayan is backed by the Defence Ministry headed by the President. Accordingly, by joining with the Pillayan Group who is facing child conscription charges, it is the President Rajapaksa and his government who is helping the LTTE”, Wickremesinghe said.Noting that the US had stopped providing arms and military training to Sri Lanka till the end of year 2002, he said that it was his government that changed the situation with the result that in addition to receiving arms and training, Sri Lanka was also granted with a warship, he added.Emphasizing that all these benefits were gained by agreeing to several facts including turning towards a political solution and standing against child conscription, Wickremesinghe said that tables have been turned at the present.“When the LTTE kept Tamil civilans in Batticaloa from voting in the 2005 Presidential elections, the Karuna faction, or Pilayan, who by then had split from the LTTE did not oppose it,” he said. “In the 2008 local government elections in Batticaloa, the TMVP scuttled the opportunity of free and fair voting before the actual polls. The government contested the polls in an alliance with the group,” noted the UNP leader.“The security forces also had no choice but to carry out the orders to force Tamil civilians of Chenkaladi and Vakarai to vote for Pillayan,” he added.All these took place because of the absence of independent Police and Elections Commissions, he said.“Mahinda Rajapaksa is refraining from activating the Constitutional Council that is crucial for the activation of the above institutions to create a democratic environment,” charged the opposition leader.All this will lead to birth of a ‘Mahinda the Sixth’ and a ‘Wardharajaperumal the Second’ in Sri Lanka which cannot be tolerated, Wickremesinghe said.

17 March 2008

India should intervene and end war in Lanka: TELO
 
Appealing to India to "intervene immediately and put an end to the war", a senior Sri Lankan Tamil MP has alleged that the island nation's army plans to capture the LTTE-held Vanni area, which could result in a huge loss of lives. "Sri Lankan military is planning a major attack to capture Vanni from the Tamil Tigers. Their plan is to bring the Tamil area from Mohamalai forward defense line up to Paranthan close to Kilinochchi (the LTTE headquarters) under their control," M K Sivajilingam of the Tamil National Alliance, and TELO Jaffna MP said. "Surely, thousands of innocent Tamils will be killed," he said. He also said the Tamils in Lanka, who have "not been able to live a peaceful life in their own country", are looking for help from India, especially people from Tamil Nadu.

Anura Bandaranaike dead

Former Minister Anura Bandaranaike passed away yesterday after a prolonged illness Bandaranaike who was also a former Speaker of Parliament was 59 at the time of his death. Bandaranaike who had been receiving treatment at a Singapore Hospital continued to be warded at a Colombo private hospital before being taken to his official residence at Visumpaya on March 12 where he passed away at 3.35 PM yesterday. The news of the death was received with shock and sadness by the nation with mourners converging on Visumpaya to get a glimpse of the remains. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was among the first to visit the residence at Visumpaya on hearing the sad news while there was a steady flow of his Parliamentary colleagues to Visumpaya. There were reports that large groups of mourners were preparing to leave for Visumpaya from Gampaha and Attanagalle, the Bandaranaike family seat while white flags were seeing coming up in homes and establishments along the Kandy road leading from Horagolla, the ancestral home of the Bandaranaikes. The scion of the famous Bandaranaike family, Anura Bandaranaike was heir to an exceptional political legacy having seen both parents and a sister who ascended the highest office in the land as Prime Ministers and President respectively at different periods. His father S.W.R.D Bandaranaike founded the Sri Lanka Freedom Party as a common man’s party that swept into power in the famous cultural revolution of 1956 while his mother Sirimavo Bandaranaike was the first woman Prime Minister of the world.His sister Chandrika was the country’s fourth Executive President. Bandaranaike virtually lived and breathed politics under such an environment which was to later give full play during his illustrious career as a Parliamentarian. An eloquent speaker and skilled debater, Bandaranaike was in his element on the floor of the House making memorable speeches spiced with wit and humour in his inimitable oratory. He was the quintessential gentleman politician who won the respect of both friend and foe alike. When his mother Sirimavo Bandaranaike was stripped of her civic rights in 1981, on Anura fell the mantle of Leader of the Opposition an office he acquitted himself with admirably leading his depleted team against the 168 member UNP juggernaut. Anura underwent many vicissitudes during his political career at the latter stages and even left the party founded by his father to join the opposition UNP and was made a Cabinet Minister. He thereafter lent his weight to the UNP General Election campaign which soon followed and though the party was defeated Anura was picked as National List MP.He contested from the UNP once again at the 2000 General Election where again the party suffered a reversal but this time by consensus from both sides of the House he was elected as Speaker of Parliament. Bandaranaike rejoined his sister at the 2001 election where the UNP this time emerged winner relegating the PA to the Opposition. With a premature end to that Government and at the polls that followed, the UPFA under Chandrika came to power and Anura Bandaranaike was made the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism. Born on February 15,1949 Bandaranaike was educated at Royal College Colombo and is a graduate of the University of London. He first entered Parliament as a 28 year old contesting the multi member Nuwara-Eliya - Maskeliya constituency in 1977.

‘Tigers are not within church premises’ — Bishop

The army wants Bishop of Mannar Rt. Rev. Rayappu Joseph to persuade the LTTE to withdraw four artillery and mortar positions, which, it says, are located within the Madhu church area.The military said the LTTE had repeatedly fired their big guns at the troops deployed in the area but the army had refrained from retaliating out of respect for the much venerated shrine. The LTTE has denied the army’s claim that it had moved artillery pieces and mortars into the Madhu church premises.The Bishop of Mannar told The Island the LTTE hadn’t moved into the church premises or the camping area. According to him, the military top brass in the region had been briefed on this situation. He said the LTTE was in the surrounding jungle area but the church had no access to that area. He emphasised the LTTE wouldn’t be allowed to operate in the area under his purview.

Sarath Munasinghe passes away  
         
Former military spokesman, Major General Sarath Munasinghe passed away in a private hospital this morning (Mar. 17th).He was a contemporary of the present SLA chief Sarath Fonseka and former SLA chief Shantha Kottegoda.After retiring from the Army, Munasinghe entered the field of politics as a district organizer of the UNP in the Polgahawela electorate.After being elected as a parliamentarian of the Kurunegala district in the 2000 elections, he was also appointed as Deputy Speaker.Following his failure to be re-elected to Parliament in 2001, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Building Materials Corporation and the National Housing Development Authority.A father of two, Munasighe was 59 at the time of his death.He is an old boy of the Kurunegala Maliyadeva College.

Human Rights: Govt. trying to buy time - Mano
   
Western People’s Front Leader and Civil Monitoring Committee Convenor, Mano Ganesan said the government was attempting to “buy time” by proposing the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights and a new IIGEP with eminent persons drawn from SAARC countries.At a meeting with a group of visiting officials from the European Union, the parliamentarian also noted there was an enormous level of the culture of impunity prevailing in this country and charged that the government was yet to come out with the name of a single person who was arrested, indicted, charge sheeted and sentenced in view of the large number of incidents of abuses witnessed on a daily basis, a press statement by the parliamentarian said.Mr. Ganesan met the Director General, European Commission (EC) Office of External Relations, Ms. Helen Campbell and Andrea Nicolaj on Friday at the EU premises in Colombo.  Ms. Campbell is the head of the EC’s unit overlooking Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries except India. Andrea Nicolaj is in-charge of the relations with Sri Lanka. Both represented the External Relations Directorate-General of the European Commission. “We reject the new government proposals as another set of ploy to buy time. We are compelled to take this stand as we have gone through many committees and commissions and many state agencies established by this government in the name combating human rights violations,” Mr. Ganesan said on moves to replace the outgoing IIGEP with a new one and also establish a Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights.He said talking of a new SAARC-based IIGEP was ‘pathetic’ because withdrawing IIGEP was headed by a respectable Indian retired judge, Mr. Bhagawati and the group also included another eminent member from Bangladesh. He said the credible steps the government could take at this juncture were to begin with the establishment of the Constitutional Council. The opposition parties and the OPA were for this move. “This will pave way for the independent commissions. It will be a step in the right direction. But the victims of the human rights abuses will not be satisfied with this move alone. It is an urgent immediate necessity that the office of the UN Human Rights Commissioner in Sri Lanka is strengthened with field presence covering both territories controlled by government and LTTE,” Ganesan further added.

Journalists’ house ransacked  
     
Lakbima journalist Sunethra Athugalpura and her husband Sirasa News Producer Sashi Kumara have become the latest victims of intimidations against media personnel after an unidentified gang ransacked their house in Kelaniya last night (Mar. 16th).Though the house was ransacked, nothing was reported as stolen.However, Mr. Kumara said that as nothing was stolen, it was a sole act of intimidation and that they couldn’t pin the blame on anyone.He also mentioned that he cannot say with certainty whether this is linked to the incident at the Rupavahini Corporation.Questions are raised whether this was linked to the last December’s episode at the state owned Rupavahini Corporation involving Minister Mervyn Silva, since Mr. Kumara had edited video visuals of the incident for telecasting in Sirasa TV. In addition, His wife Sunethra had interviewed Mr. Mervyn Silva after the incident at the Rupavahini Corporation. She has also done news and features about the SLFP (Mahajana) wing.

India says TN and Kerala have presence of small LTTE pocket

Indian National Security Adviser M K Naryanan said that both Tamil Nadu and Kerala have a 'presence of small LTTE pocket'.Asking the both states to closely monitor the activities of the Tamil Tigers Mr. Narayanan said that Central intelligence agencies were aware of “the presence of small LTTE pockets and their counterparts in the two states have been asked to closely monitor such activities.”The Central Intelligence Bureau had informed the states about the possibility of LTTE units in Sri Lanka getting help from their supporters in the two southern states, he added.   

Virakesari correspondent seeks ministerial intervention
 
S. R. M. M. Muhusi, Puttalam correspondent for the Virakesari and Nawamanim, says a gang which attacked his residence in Puttalam in the early hours of March 3 is still at large.He says a gang came in a double cab and attacked his residence on the orders of a ruling party politician in the area. In a letter sent to Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Muhusi, a member of the tutorial staff of Zahira National College, Puttalam and elected member of the Puttalam Urban Council, seeks ministerial intervention to bring the culprits to justice.

SRI LANKA: Journalists Fight a Separate War

While Sri Lanka’s armed forces battle Tamil Tiger rebels in the north, sections of the country’s media are embroiled in a war of a different kind -- a fight to pursue their mission as journalists. Three unrelated events involving men and women working for television, print and an on-line publication have brought this dire situation into sharp focus. In all cases, spread over the past two weeks, media practioners have been under fire, triggering outrage from local and international media rights groups. The attacks that have attracted the widest attention here are those on media workers attached to Rupavahini, the government-owned TV channel that has the widest coverage in the South Asian island-nation. On Mar.14 morning, Anurasiri Hettige, an employee of the state television corporation, was attacked with an iron club as he waited for a bus in a Colombo suburb. He was the fifth employee of the channel to be attacked or threatened in the last three months. Media rights groups say that the attacks are linked to an incident on Dec. 27 last year, when government minister Mervyn Silva stormed into Rupavahini and abused senior staff over a news programme. Silva was assaulted and daubed in paint by angry Rupavahini employees as he was escorted out under military protection. ‘’All these incidents are linked to the what happened on December 27,’’ Poddala Jayantha, secretary of the working journalists association, told IPS. ‘’The attacks on Rupavahini employees continue because authorities have been slow to go after those responsible… instead Rupavahini workers are being questioned on the December 27 incident.’’ Jayantha, too, was threatened by unidentified men, who had come to his house in the middle night soon after the Rupavahini incident. He was present in the Rupavahini compound when Silva was escorted out and spoke out against the government minister for trying to intimidate media. ‘’Sri Lanka's government must take concrete steps to ensure the safety and protection of journalists in the conduct of their work, starting with public reprimands for government members who verbally and physically attack the media, and give directives to local authorities to investigate and act on attacks against journalists across the island, including the attacks on Rupavahini staff,’’ Jacqueline Park, Asia Pacific director of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), said in a statement soon after the latest attack. On the same day that Hettige was attacked, an unidentified gang stormed the home of journalist M. Parameshwari in Gampola, central Sri Lanka. Parameshwari had spent three months in detention last year after being taken into custody by the Terrorism Investigation Department (TID), a state investigating branch that has wide powers to detain any citizen without charges. She was held on charges of allegedly associating and helping the Tigers who have been waging a separatist campaign for over three decades to create a homeland for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority community on the island’s north and east. But Parameshwari was released by a court order after the arresting authorities failed to prove their case. ‘’My family has been receiving threats from some people in the area who say that I am helping the Tigers,’’ says Parameshwari, who has lived in the capital Colombo since her release due to fear over her personal security. An equally disturbing incident for the local media was the arrest of five media workers, both from the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil community, for their links with ‘Outreachsl.com’ a recently launched website focusing on current affairs related to the on-going ethnic conflict. Among those detained by the TID is Jayaprakash Tissanayagam, a columnist for the ‘Sunday Times,’ a respected independent English-language weekly, and the editor of ‘Outreachsl.com’. Tissanayagam has been held by the TID since Mar. 7, along with four others who were involved with the website. No formal charges have been pressed and access to legal representation has been denied. Press reports in Colombo said that the five have been held for alleged links with the Tamil Tigers, including receiving funds from the Tigers or fronts operating on their behalf. But local and international media groups have condemned the arrest and said that funds for the on-line project were received from legitimate sources. The Paris-based media rights watchdog Reporters without Borders (RwB) said that funding for the website had come from FLICT. Tissanayagam had received 12,000 Euros ( 18,800 US dollars) in November 2007 for the operation of the website, it added. FLICT, which stands for Funding Local Initiatives in Conflict Transformation, is backed by the German development agency German Technical Cooperation, or GTZ. ‘’The anti-terrorist police are accusing the journalists of receiving money from the Tamil Tiger rebels, but after investigating, we can confirm that the funds in question came from a German foundation and from Tamil exiles,’’ RwB said. ‘’We condemn the fact the some of these journalists were badly beaten during their first few days in detention, and that this was clearly done to extract confessions from them.’’ In fact, the websites of two government institutions -- the ministry of constitutional affairs and national integration and the secretariat for coordinating the peace process -- have openly backed the many projects launched under the FLICT initiative.According to RwB, V. Jasikaran, one of the five detained in the website case, had received money from members of the Tamil exile community in Germany, to help students in the east of the island. The current attacks on media freedom in the country will only add to Sri Lanka’s worsening rights record. In 2006, for instance, the island had dropped to 141st in the annual media freedom rankings published by RwB, from an impressive 51st ranking in 2002, when there was a ceasefire in operation. The government, however, sees the reality in different light. ‘’President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday asserted that there was absolute media freedom in the country and the government is not bound to be answerable for isolated incidents as and when they occur,’’ said a front-page story in Saturday’s edition of the ‘Daily News,’ a state-run English-language paper.

16 March 2008

LTTE ready for ceasefire and talks

The LTTE has said that it is prepared to resume negotiations with the government provided there can be agreement on a ceasefire, The Sunday Leader learns.The LTTE position was declared by Political Wing Leader P. Nadesan during talks with TNA MPs he met last week following the funeral of assassinated MP, S Sivanesan.It is learned the TNA MPs had held a three-hour discussion with Nadesan in Kilinochchi on the current political and military situation.Informed sources said Nadesan had indicated, the LTTE was prepared to enter into a dialogue using Norwegian facilitation provided the government agrees to stop the war and enter negotiations.One MP at the meeting told The Sunday Leader the LTTE was not insisting on the reintroduction of the abrogated Ceasefire Agreement but a general ceasefire to start talks where the possibility of a CFA can also be discussed.Nadesan had, it is learned, said the LTTE was confident of the ground situation and will never allow the Sri Lankan security forces to enter the Wanni but were willing to agree to a ceasefire and enter talks to show its bona fides to the international community.Nadesan had further said the LTTE was only fighting a defensive war to show the international community its commitment to a negotiated settlement and that depending on the reaction of the international community to the government's military solution policy, the LTTE will consider its offensive strategy.

GL lobbies EU in Brussels on GSP Plus

Export Development and International Trade Minister G.L. Peiris last week had important meetings in Brussels with leading European Union (EU) officials including Peter Mendelson, the Trade Commissioner and Benita Ferrero-Waldener, the EU’s Commissioner for External Relations.Peiris, who is increasingly devoting a major share of his time and efforts at ensuring the extension of the GSP+ agreement giving Sri Lanka made garments preferential entry into EU markets, had in his talks with senior EU personalities emphasized the social benefits the garments industry is bringing to rural areas where many factories are located.Despite the minister’s skilful presentation and stress that 350,000 jobs depended on this vital industry, well informed diplomatic sources said that the EU has not yet taken any decision on the extension of the present GSP+ arrangement.``There’s a long way yet to go before any decision is taken,’’ diplomatic sources said.Peiris had presented the government’s various endeavours in the human rights field to blunt the European perception that these were not good enough and also urged that a credible political process was on-going with elections taking place in the Eastern Province after 14 years.Urging that the political will of the government had enfranchised a long disenfranchised electorate, the minister had said that the EU with its deep respect for democratic values must recognize the magnitude of the process."This is not a one-off election but the beginning of a process," Peiris had stressed.He had also told senior EU officials that more than 400 Tamil speaking police officers had been recruited and trained and also an advisory council to the Northern Province was being set in place.As regards the cease-fire agreement, it was dead and non-existent on the ground at the time it was ended and therefore it was necessary to embark on a new process that is credible.A serious attempt was being made at implementing already enacted laws and the APRC process was continuing.Peiris has ruled out any UN Peace Keeping Mission here but said that did not constitute a refusal to work with the UN. Existing deficiencies were recognized by the government which was most willing to work with the UN to improve the situation but the establishing of a UN field office in the country was out of the question.Peiris flew to London from Brussels and is due back in Colombo later this week.

MR agrees to devolve land and police powers under 13th Amendment

President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday assured former President and SLFP Patron Chandrika Kumaratunge he would fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution including the devolution of police and land powers as a solution to the ethnic conflict.President Rajapakse gave this assurance following a query by Kumaratunge after the SLFP Working Committee endorsed the proposal to implement the report submitted by the All Party Representative Committee to fully implement the 13th Amendment. Kumaratunge took the SLFP Working Committee by surprise Friday attending the meeting unannounced and was received with a standing ovation from the membership. The Sunday Leader learns at the meeting SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena had proposed to the committee the approval of the APRC report submitted to the President.Informed sources said upon the proposal being read, Kumaratunge had asked for a copy to study before giving her approval but was told none were available. Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake however had told Kumaratunge, the proposal called for approval to fully implement the 13th Amendment as presently included in the Constitution.Kumaratunge, sources said had pointed out that the 13th Amendment was not in force in the north and east and that full powers under the Amendment were also not devolved to the other provinces such as police and land but was told by the President the Government now intends devolving all powers under the 13th Amendment.It is learned while the Working Committee voted for the proposal, Kumaratunge had refrained from voting for or against until such time she saw a full draft of the proposal."The 13th Amendment is too little too late," Kumaratunge had also said.

Fire Mervyn, SLRC unions ask President

State television trade unions last night demanded that President Mahinda Rajapaksa sack Minister Mervyn Silva and vowed to go ahead with a planned strike from tomorrow, if they do not get an assurance from the president. The sacking of Minister Silva was one of the five demands the unions put forward to President Rajapaksa last night.The notice of trade union action came in the aftermath of attacks on five employees of the Rupavahini Corporation. The attacks follow a December 27 incident in which Minister Mervyn Silva was attacked by a mob after he stormed the TV station and threatened the news director. The letter to President Rajapaks was signed by Programme Producers Union, Production Artists Association, Sri Lanka Rupavahini Employees Union, the Technical Officers Union and the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya.The other demands are: a security guarantee from the President and the government, taking action against the thugs who accompanied Mr Silva to the corporation and those responsible for the subsequent attacks, paying compensation to the employees who came under attack and an assurance that no action will be taken against the union members involved in the agitation campaigns. SLRC joint trade unions spokesperson Kanchana Marasinghe told The Sunday Times that in the backdrop of increasing attacks the matter was regularly discussed with the SLRC Management, the Media Minister and the Police but no proper action had been taken up to now.The assault on the Assistant Director of Supplies Arunasiri Hettige was the latest in a series of attacks on SLRC employees within a short span of one and a half months. Those attacked so far, had been present when non-cabinet Labour Minister Mervyn Silva stormed the SLRC premises on December 27 and allegedly attacked news director T.M.G. Chandrasekara. Mr. Hettige the SLRC Sevaka Sangamaya President was attacked by two unidentified men at Kotikawatte on Friday at about 7:45 am while waiting to take a bus to office. Mr. Hettige who had missed the earlier bus was standing at an almost deserted bus halt, when the men riding a motorcycle had got off at the spot, dragged Mr. Hettige by his legs and slashed his neck with a sharp instrument. Mr. Hettige’s name appears in the list of 21 SLRC employees wanted for questioning by the CID with regard to the spontaneous protest staged after the Mervyn Silva drama at the Rupavahini premises and coincidently four of the five people attacked had their names on that list. By way of protest, live telecasts, production and recording of programmes were temporarily stopped on Friday morning, with normal services resuming only after 4:00 p.m. The guests invited for various programmes were asked to leave and the Trade Unions claimed the SLRC incurred a revenue loss of some one million rupees with the stoppage of regular programmes. Following the attack on Mr. Hettige, the Trade Unions also met Police Chief Victor Perera who assured them he would take steps to ensure the maximum safety and security of the employees. The trade unions strongly condemned the assault on Mr. Hettige and claimed it was a well executed operation. The attack came a day after the trade unions met Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Police Chief and urged them to provide swift and relevant action to curb such incidents. The Defence Secretary directed the Police Chief to work out a suitable security plan that would ensure safety of the employees. "This is a political problem which needs to be resolved immediately. Mr. Hettige was also present at this discussion and asked various questions on the matter. Although the Defence Secretary assured us he will act to ensure our safety, less than 18 hours later another SLRC employee comes under attack. What does this mean? Does it not show that even his directives are being disregarded", Mr. Marasinghe asked. The Trade Unions claimed the Media Minister was not available for comment. Ceylon Trade Union Federation Secretary Piyasiri Wijenayake blamed the Government for the attack and called on the workforce and civil society to join hands to put an end to the string of attacks. Last week Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa promised to work closely with SLRC employees and the management in safeguarding their security. SLRC Director General Sisira Kotelawela told The Sunday Times that new security measures to protect SLRC staff was now in place.“A civil defence team has been set up to patrol the vicinity of the SLRC. We have also set up a pool of officials whom the staff members could contact if they receive threatening calls,” he said and added that if requested for, security would be provided for employees on their way home. “These measures were discussed at the meeting between the SLRC unions and the Defence Secretary on Thursday and have now implemented them”, he said. The Free Media Movement (FMM) appealed to the President to intervene in a situation which appears to have gone too far and out of control. “This is an untenable situation. We hold the President directly accountable for the actions of those in his Government and the safety and security of all media personnel, particularly those who took part in agitating against the chaotic actions of Minister Silva at the SLRC. At a time when such attacks are taking place with impunity and in broad daylight, it is laughably tragic and grossly inappropriate that the Government is even contemplating a national media policy without first ensuring the security of journalists and the freedom of expression and media freedom”, the FMM said.Police Spokesman Deputy Inspector General N.K. Illangakoon said a new security plan has been prepared but declined to disclose its details.“Police are conducting investigations on all five cases,” he added.

UNP-SLMC marriage for PC polls in east

The country’s main opposition United National Party (UNP) is expected to make a final decision on Tuesday as to whether it will contest the forthcoming Eastern Province provincial council elections. According to UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, the general perception is that the party will contest the election.“The UNP Working Committee will meet on March 18 to make a final decision on the matter,” he said. “We believe that the people in the Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa Districts are sick of the government and various paramilitary groups. If they are given the chance to vote freely, we think that we have a good chance,” he said.Although they are willing to compete, the situation in east is still not conducive for free and fair elections, he said. Attanayake added that the UNP had urged the government to first disarm the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) and reestablish civil administration before going for elections.“The government should first disarm armed groups and try to establish civil administration. If not, the power of political structures like local and provincial councils will go into the hands of the wrong people,” the General Secretary said. He added that several other political parties would join hands with the UNP in the upcoming elections. “Several political parties will compete with the UNP under the elephant logo. We hope that our combined energies will counterbalance the government-TMVP alliance,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the country’s predominant Muslim party, which has a considerable vote bank in the Eastern Province, is looking at coming into an agreement with the UNP and contesting under one banner at the eastern elections scheduled for May 10. SLMC Deputy General Secretary Nizam Kariapper told The Nation that the SLMC was looking at forming an alliance with the UNP in a move which he predicted was likely to thwart the TMVP’s chances at the election. “If the election is really free and fair, and if we contest as an alliance, there is a possibility that we will have a considerable edge at the election,” he predicted.Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is yet to decide on whether or not to contest the election.Speaking to The Nation, TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said, “We have not decided on whether we are contesting the election.We may take the decision during the course of this week as there is enough time.”Meanwhile, the Political Wing of the TMVP has decided to appoint its Deputy Leader, Pillaiyan as the chief candidate for the forthcoming polls. TMVP Spokesman Azad Moulana told The Nation that the decision was taken last week. The TMVP is also looking at forging an alliance with the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).However, political sources are of the view that the TMVP decision to join the UPFA was to safeguard its command in the Districts of Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa as the TMVP had a strong presence only in Batticaloa.Meanwhile, JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that the party was yet to take a final decision on whether to contest the May election. “The party is still undecided on whether to contest the eastern provincial council polls but we are hoping to officially announce our decision this week,” Dissanayake told The Nation last night.

Jayantha likely to be new IGP, 10 new DIGs

Senior Deputy Inspector General Jayantha Wickremaratna is expected to be the next Inspector General as the current police chief Victor Perera is not likely to be given an extension when he retires on July 1, informed sources said yesterday.Mr. Wickremaratna is now the Senior DIG Range II with the Uva, Central (East), South and Sabaragamuwa regions under his purview. Earlier this week 10 SSPs were promoted by the National Police Commission to the rank of DIGs. They were picked from a list of 50 applicants, including nine retired SSPs.The new DIGs are H.M.B Herath (Elections Batticaloa), Fabian Mitchel (Personnel Division), H.A.D. Gunatillake (Monaragala), Upali Hewage (Tangalle), Sisira Mendis (Director CID), W.P. Dayaratna (Welfare), Jagath Abeysiri Gunawardena (Kandy), Shantha Rajapaksa (Police Headquarters), Lalith Jayasinghe (Supplies Division) and V.A.S.P. Nanayakkara (Batticaloa).NPC Secretary K.C. Logeswaran said this time more marks had been given for merit than for seniority in selecting the new DIGs.

Top German operator pulling out

A leading German charter tour operator is to cancel all flights to Sri Lanka from this year due to low demand, an official said. He said Condor, which had operated in Sri Lanka for four decades and was now run under Walker Tours, had not scheduled any flights for the winter season this year.He, however, reassured it was not a permanent cancellation and the situation would be reviewed next year. Last summer, another German operator, LTEU, had scaled down its flights to Sri Lanka due to the political turmoil in the country. Up to 2004, Condor had a minimum of three flights a week with about 800 passengers. Since the 2004 tsunami, the company has only been having one flight a week with about 270 passengers. The official said that both Condor and LTE had meeting with Sri Lankan tourism officials on the sidelines of the ITB fair in Berlin to discuss the matter but Deputy Tourism Minister Faizer Mustapha nor Tourist Board chief Renton de Alwis was present at the meeting. SLTB Managing Director Dulip Mudadeniya who was present at the meeting said Air Berlin might amalgamate with Condor and LTU to continue flights to Colombo but nothing could be confirmed till April 10, though indications were favourable to Sri Lanka.He said he and the Tourism industry were generally optimistic because concessions were to be offered to tour operator in areas such as landing and cargo handling.

“Batti polls were held to bestow political legitimacy on TMVP”

TNA Parliamentarian and Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) Leader N. Srikantha is of the opinion that the killing of TNA MPs was a strong message sent to the party by the government. He asserted that it was a strategy to suppress the party in its fight for self - determination. Speaking to The Nation, he affirmed that the TNA would continue to function in the future even if members were killed. He further said that though the TNA abstained from contesting the local polls in Batticaloa on March 10, the party would however seriously consider contesting the proposed provincial council election and prove its strength.

Following are excerpts:
Q: As violence in the country continues to escalate, TNA MPs are also being assassinated. What does this indicate?
A: Our perception that the TNA is under continuous attack by the security apparatus of the government and by extension the government itself has again been reinforced by the latest killing of another Member of Parliament of the TNA.
The strategy is to subdue the TNA’s articulation of the legitimate political aspirations of the people it represents, namely the indigenous Tamil people of this island. Yet, the TNA has continued to remain firm despite the continuing manifestation of the dastardly designs of a dirty and dangerous political culture that has become associated with the majoritarian racism dominating the politics of this country.

Q: Have you requested additional security?
A: The level of security provided to us remains the same while we continue to remain unfazed and not unduly agitated by these continuing threats to our lives. You die but only once. We will continue to serve our people in order to ensure the fulfillment of our political aspiration – to live with liberty, equality and dignity. In this struggle, if one dies, I think that would be a meaningful death which would strengthen the determination of our people.

Q: Some view the TNA as a weak party that could not even contest the local polls in the east. Won’t the failure to contest elections shrink the TNA’s vote base?
A: Please remember that it was not only the TNA but even the main opposition, the UNP, which continued to have political representation from among the elected members of Parliament hailing from the Batticaloa District since 1960 July parliamentary elections, decided not to contest this election. The reasons are very obvious.

We, the TNA, knew from the beginning, with the announcement emanating from some leading lights of the ruling alliance from time to time in the very recent past of the decision to hold local government elections in the Batticaloa District, that the government was hell bent on conducting a fraudulent election in the district in order to bestow some political legitimacy on its ally, the TMVP, a paramilitary splinter group of the LTTE.

We also knew very well that in the event of our contesting the elections, the outcome of which was a foregone conclusion given the military clout wielded by the TMVP collaborating with the armed forces, we would only be lending an imaginary credibility to the whole exercise, which was full of deception and fraud. That is exactly why we decided to keep away. At the same time we know very well that the people of the district are solidly with us and that time will prove it.

Q: The government is now planning to hold provincial council elections in the east. Will the TNA boycott again?
A: This is the next stage in the government’s politico-military strategy to hoodwink the whole world with regard to the political aspirations of our people living in the Eastern Province by again conducting another election, this time a larger one in the whole province, namely the provincial council elections.
In addition, the government wants to stabilise the present status quo vis-à-vis the de-merger of the north east brought about by a judgment of the Supreme Court in October 2006. This move is a blatant violation of the Indo-Lanka Accord, both in letter and spirit, in that it goes against the fundamental premises of the Accord with regard to the unit of devolution pertaining to the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

However, we are now forced to make a decision with regard to the provincial council elections in the east. We will weigh all the political implications, in the event of our contesting as well as not contesting the said elections. The dominant view of the TNA now is that we should contest the provincial council elections and give a befitting reply to the intransigent approach and attitude of the government towards the political aspirations of our people. We will soon make a decision after carefully considering all the aspects of this issue.

Q: How can you justify your right to contest in this election while totally rejecting the local polls in Batticaloa, claiming that your participation would have given credibility to the government’s exercise?
A: We are free to make our own decision under any given situation with regard to a question of paramount important such as this. It is the government that has made this move to hold the provincial council election in the east. Ours would only be a counter move. This counter move would depend largely on the necessity to defeat the move on the part of the government, which is seeking to go ahead with the sole motive of defeating Tamil national aspirations, both politically and militarily.

In such a situation, you cannot expect consistency on our part. We are free to change our strategy without any reluctance or inhibition in order to defeat the larger design on the part of the government. Our decision may be either way. But whatever it will be, the decision will ultimately be the one that is better than the other. That is out of the only two options available, to contest or not to contest.
Also, please remember that in politics there is a saying that consistency is the curse of fools. We are not fools and we cannot be fooled.

Q: President Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated very recently that the Wanni terrorists would be crushed and the Tamils liberated. He has also said that his government will remove the concept of ‘border villages’ even from the vocabulary. How do you view his statements?
A: The Tamil people are thankful to the modern Messiah who seeks to liberate them from all their miseries. No doubt it is indeed a very noble mission. But the question is this: To liberate from the clutches of whom?
In the government-controlled areas in the north and the east, including the Jaffna peninsula, Vavuniya town and suburbs, the adjoining villages, and also in the east, who are those people who have been committing murders, abductions and robberies and other crimes against the defenceless Tamil people? Undoubtedly, they are certain sections of the armed forces, including some elite groups and the paramilitary groups working in conjunction with the armed forces as their loyal mercenaries.
These atrocities have been perpetrated since mid 2006 and are still continuing. Please ask any Tamil man or woman in the government-controlled areas as to what his or her priority is now. The answer would be their own security, the right to life and personal liberty.

At the same time, the Tamil civilians in the LTTE-controlled areas, namely the Wanni region, feel safe and secure except when they are frequently subjected to senseless aerial bombardments and planned attacks in the form of claymore mine explosions by the Deep Penetration Units and targeting of LTTE front-liners and politicians of the TNA travelling to and from the Wanni, in which more often than not civilians become the casualties. In such a situation I can only laugh at this Messianic move to liberate the Tamils.

Q: Is there a split in TELO?
A: There is no split at all. Three or four persons who led the TELO years ago and one individual who acted like a page boy to one of the TELO functionaries had been assembled together by the state apparatus and an office had been opened on the same road in Vavuniya where the EPDP office is located. They have daringly put the name board of TELO at this new office. Their attempts to pull out at least some of our members both in Vavuniya and in Batticaloa have failed miserably. This is the real state of affairs.

TELO stands as solid as it was and there cannot be any split. Please remember that TELO is the only former Tamil militant organisation that never experienced a split since its inception. Our cadres still remember the supreme sacrifice of our founder leader, the late Thangathurai and his lieutenants, Kuttimany, Jegan, Thevan and some others in the Welikada prison massacre of July 1983. Those memories would continue to guide us and we shall remain united as we have been through all these days of trials and tribulations.

Q: The present situation is rather precarious with Norwegian facilitators sent out and the SLMM also not allowed to function. In this context, in your view, what are the chances for peace talks?
A: Well the war is raging on, deaths and destruction and human rights violations are continuing. It is an un-winnable war by either side. Therefore, both parties ultimately have to talk and evolve a political solution. The LTTE is willing to talk but the government continues to be intransigent. Therefore, it would take some more time for the government to realise that there is no other alternative than to return to the negotiating table. But if that does not happen, the human rights violations, an offshoot of the continuing war, would reach unprecedented levels and ultimately lead to a division of this island.

Let there be no mistake about it. Bangladesh was created by mainly due to the butchering of the people of Bangladesh by the military government of Gen. Jahiya Khan. In East Timor it was the Indonesian Government that, with its politics of massacre and murder, paved the way for the birth of an independent nation. Now Kosovo has joined the committee of nations, thanks to the rapid racism of the Serbian Government clearly manifested by the brutal and brutish manner in which it attempted to suppress its own Albanian minorities in the Kosovo Province.

History repeats itself, yet, world over, politicians in power refuse to learn from history. In Sri Lanka, if a separate state for the Tamil of the north east comes into being at all, it would be mainly due to the faults and failures on the part of the Sri Lanka state.

Q: The LTTE also lost a golden opportunity to strike a peace deal with the UNF government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe. Even President Rajapaksa extended the LTTE an invitation to talk but the LTTE’s demands led to the present situation. Don’t you blame also the LTTE for the present situation?
A: When the supply of water from Mavil Aaru to the paddy fields of the adjacent Sinhala villages was blocked, the government seized the opportunity and commenced military operations that ultimately led to the escalation of hostile activities. The Ceasefire Agreement became confined only to the paper on which it was written. The ensuing situation was an undeclared war and the government finally pulled out of the CFA. Against this background, I don’t think it is reasonable to accuse the LTTE.

Now nothing can be achieved by apportioning the blame between both parties to the military conflict. What is needed today is the realisation that there can be no military solution to a problem which is essentially a political one. The sensible attitude can only be one of putting the past behind us and making a fresh start to achieve political resolution to the national question. There is a pressing need to do that. If not today, it will have to be either tomorrow or day after. There cannot be any other way out.

15 March 2008

Sri Lanka-U.S. in row over human rights report  
         
The Sri Lankan government has summoned the US Ambassador in Colombo to protest an American report that is critical of the island’s human rights record. A Foreign Ministry statement said, "Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday (March 14th) called in the U.S. Ambassador in Sri Lanka Robert Blake to register Sri Lanka’s serious concerns about the recently released U.S. State Department’s 2007 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka." "The report presents a distorted view of the actual situation in Sri Lanka during the year 2007 and is unfortunately a litany of unsubstantiated allegations, innuendo and vituperative exaggerations," the statement said. "It was noted that there was a suspicious similarity between the comments made in the report and the views expressed by those deliberately seeking to denigrate the Government of Sri Lanka." However, the U.S. embassy said in a statement that the U.S. stands by the human rights report. "U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama held a constructive discussion on March 14 of the 2007 Report on Human Rights Practices in Sri Lanka," it said. "The U.S. government stands by the report. Our goal in the annual, Congressionally-mandated Reports on Human Rights Practices, which are issued for 196 countries, is always to be fair and objective." The embassy said it welcomes information from governments and other parties to correct what are perceived to be inaccuracies. The U.S. report released earlier in the week criticized alleged human right abuses by Sri Lankan security forces, especially killings and abductions.

Sri Lanka: U.S. throws lifeline to Tamil Tigers

Smarting at mounting criticism of its human rights record amid escalating civil war, Sri Lanka's government has accused the United States of throwing a lifeline to the widely banned Tamil Tiger rebels.In its annual report on human rights practices, the U.S. State Department said the Sri Lankan state's respect for human rights continued to decline in 2007, citing reports of killings by government agents and collaboration between the state and paramilitaries accused of major rights abuses."The report presents a distorted view of the actual situation in Sri Lanka during the year 2007 and is unfortunately a litany of unsubstantiated allegations, innuendo and vituperative exaggerations," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late on Friday."It is indeed a matter of concern that the report, based on hearsay ... has resulted in throwing a lifeline to the LTTE (Tigers) at a time when it is struggling to maintain its position both militarily on the ground and internationally."The United States is among a host of nations which have outlawed the Tigers as a terrorist group. The U.S. embassy in Colombo said the government stood by its report.Rights groups have reported hundreds of abductions, disappearances and killings blamed on one side or the other since the increasingly dirty civil war, which has killed nearly 70,000 people since 1983, resumed in 2006.A panel of international experts observing a presidential commission investigation into a raft of human rights abuses and killings has decided to quit the island, saying the government is hindering the process and failing to protect witnesses.The father of a Tamil youth, who rights groups say was among a group of five killed by the security forces in the island's east in 2006, gave evidence by satellite on Friday in which he said the attack was pre-planned and that a government minister had called him to ask him not to make a fuss."He said: You have other children also ... It must be the forces suspected them as LTTE and shot the children," Dr. K Manoharan said from an undisclosed location, saying the minister had offered him a house in the capital Colombo."So do not make it a big issue," he quoted the minister as adding.The government and military have publicly ruled out any involvement by the military, as with a series of other killings, including the massacre of 17 local staff of aid group Action Contre La Faim, which Nordic monitors pinned on the security forces.

Sri Lanka Air Force raids LTTE training base in Mullaitivu, ground battles kill 17 combatants

Sri Lanka Air Force fighters raided an LTTE training base northeast of Iranamadu in Mullaitivu today early this morning, the military said.Air Force sources said the target which had been under constant surveillance was destroyed in the attack. Latest air reconnaissance information has revealed intensified terrorist activity in the area, sources said.Meanwhile heavy fighting between ground troops and Tamil Tiger rebels across the Northern battlefronts on Friday (14) killed at least 14 Tigers and three soldiers and wounded 14 soldiers, Media Center for National Security (MCNS) reported. Troops attacked a line of Tiger bunkers in the Janakapura area in Welioya on Friday killing at least ten Tigers. Three soldiers wee also killed and seven others were injured in the confrontation.

LTTE: 3 SLA attempts thwarted, weapons seized

22 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed Friday when Tigers confronted 3 different SLA attempts to advance into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) territory in Vanni, the Tigers said. The LTTE Ma'nalaa'ru Operations Command said that the Tigers have seized two AK LMGs, two Law rockets, two T-56 assault rifles, communication equipment and ammunitions after defeating the SLA in Kokkuththoduvaay in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) region where 15 SLA soldiers were killed. Meanwhile, Mannaar Operations Command of the Tigers claimed 7 SLA soldiers were killed and 18 wounded when the Tigers thwarted SLA attempt to break into LTTE territory on two fronts Friday morning. 2 SLA soldiers were killed and 8 wounded when Tigers put up stiff resistance from 7:00 a.m. till the SLA units withdrew at 9:00 a.m. at Cheaththukku'lam in Mannaar, according to the LTTE operations command in Mannaar. 5 SLA soldiers were killed and 10 wounded at Keerisuddaan front where the fighting lasted for one hour from 10:00 a.m. The Tiger operations command in Mannaar also said they had seized four T-56 assault rifles and ammunitions including hand grenades and rounds in the second phase of clearing operation after the fighting in Paalaikkuzhi and Keerisuddaan last Monday.The Tigers have not issued details on their casualties. Both the LTTE and the SLA do not issue updates on their own casualties on a daily basis.

Mob attacks Parameshwari’s family
   
An armed mob stormed the house of former Mawubima journalist Parameshwari Munusami in Gampola last night and assaulted her family causing serious injuries to her father and sister.The gang reportedly armed with clubs had stormed the house and attacked the residents around 8.30 pm. They had surrounded the house preventing the injured family members from being taken to hospital. Parameshwari who is now residing in Colombo due to personal security reasons told the Daily Mirror last night that the gang had assaulted her father and hit one of her sisters who had fallen unconscious.The incident had however been informed to the Gampola police which had immediately arrived at the scene and taken action to rush the injured to hospital.According to Parameshwari a person in the area had instigated the gang saying her family was supporting the LTTE. Similar incidents of assault and threats had taken place during the past few months since she was taken into custody by the TID. “Some people have personally threatened to burn me up alive if I return to my hometown again,” she said.

Major General Pannipitiya new DG Panagoda
   
Former Eastern Army Commander Major General Parakkrama Pannipitiya, who went to Courts arguing against the reducing of his security, has been appointed Director General Security Army Cantonment Panagoda with effect from Thursday, sources said.Army Commander Sarath Fonseka appointed Major General Pannipitiya after creating the new post, which is pending Defence Ministry approval, a defence official said. He also said no details had been provided so far as duties attached to the new post.Last month, Major General Pannipitiya filed a fundamental rights (FR) case in the Supreme Court against the reduction of his security. He charged his security was seriously compromised by Army Commander, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka. Subsequently the Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing General Pannipitiya to continue using the staff quarters provided to him and also to retain vehicles and escorts he was entitled to as Commander of the Security Forces (East).

JVP's anti-India moves will not be tolerated: Sri Lanka  

Sri Lankan government has insisted that it will not tolerate any campaign against the interest of India in the island nation and cautioned the Marxist JVP party to keep itself away from any such moves."We will not tolerate any moves that is against the interest of India. India is our friend and they have stood with us in times of challenging situations," Agriculture Minister Maithripala Sirisena told reporters yesterday.JVP party chief Somawansa Amarasinghe had during a recent public meeting threatened to organise boycott of Indian goods if New Delhi did not stop its alleged interference in Sri Lanka's internal affairs."We don't care what the JVP says in this regard," Sirisena, also the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, said, adding "moves such as the campaign by Marxist JVP threatening to boycott Indian goods will not be permitted by the Sri Lankan government".The minister was responding to a query by a reporter during a weekly cabinet briefing.It may be recalled that Jathika Hela Urumaya party, dominated by Buddhist monks, has already condemned JVP's anti-India campaign saying New Delhi's support was necessary for the country's the fight against LTTE.While slamming the JVP for its anti-Indian stance, the Construction and Engineering Services Minister Rajitha Senaratne, told Parliament last week that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment (for power devolution) was essential and in the interest of the unity of Sri Lanka.India did not influence the Sri Lankan government in its decision to implement the 13th Amendment in its entirety, the Minister told the members.JVP is a major political party with 37 members in the Parliament.

Trinco killing: Witness drops bombshell on Govt.  
   
The public inquiry into the killing of five youth in Trincomalee in 2006 took a new twist yesterday with a key witness claiming that a cabinet Minister had contacted him and offered him a house in Colombo after accepting the security forces may have made a mistake. The witness Dr. Kasippillai Manoharan also gave evidence expressing his concern that the incident was pre-planned.However when contacted a government minister who wished to remain anonymous denied any assumption that the gesture to offer a house in Colombo to Dr. Manoharan and his family was a form of intimidation to remain silent over the issue but instead asserted it was offered to ensure their security. Giving evidence via video conferencing at a public inquiry held by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (CoI) Dr. Manoharan, the father of Manoharan Ragihar, who was among those killed, said a cabinet Minister had contacted him over the phone in April 2006. When asked by President’s Counsel Ranjith Abeysuriya to repeat the statement made in paragraph 42 of the written testimony made by the witness, Dr. Manoharan said:  “The Minister said, you must release yourself from this trauma as you have other children also. It may be that the forces may have mistaken these children as the LTTE and shot them. We are attempting to give you some sort of compensation from the government. If you consider that in Trincomalee there is no security for you we can provide you with a house in Colombo and we can make arrangements for the education of your children.”“He asked me not to create a big issue over this and wanted me to get out of this trauma and return to my normal life. I said I didn’t want anything and asked whether they could give my son back.,” a tearing Dr. Manoharan said. When PC Abeysuriya asked “how sure are you that it was the minister himself who called you?” Dr. Manoharan justified his claim saying he had followed speeches made by the Minister. “I have also mentioned the telephone number on which he asked me to call him back. I gave this number to a Sinhala gentleman, who is a family friend. He confirmed that its was the Minister’s number,” he said when asked if he was sure it was the Minister.“I have no confidence and trust that I will get justice from the government of Sri Lanka. There are several reasons for this. The minister who spoke to me said ‘you are trying to approach international human rights organisations and create an issue and trying to tarnish the name of the country.’ Even this commission could be dissolved before the proceedings come to a proper conclusion,” he said. A government minister however said while security was offered to the family of the victim at no instance was there an attempt to pressurize the victim into being silence over the incident. He asserted that the government was keen to ensure the witnesses came out and gave evidence without fear. Dr. Manoharan also said he believed the incident was pre-planned because a family friend working for a state bank in Trincomalee had come and warned his wife at about 6.30 p.m. saying she had heard rumours that an incident was to take place. He also saida trusted Police officer had told him that an hour before the incident, a Police sergeant (who is retried now) had been ordered to go back to the barracks by a high official in the Police saying there was an issue in the beach front.He also said at least 13 STF personnel who were arrested in connection with the incident were subsequently released. The five students were killed on January 2, 2006. Initially the police and the government claimed that the students were in-fact LTTE cadres killed in a premature detonation of a grenade that they were about throw towards government troops. The government claims were contradicted by the post mortem reports, which stated that the deaths were caused by gun shot wound in execution style. The University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) accused a local police superintendent as the mastermind of the operation behind the killings. The only witness who came forward was Dr. Manoharan who later claimed he was threatened by some elements of the Sri Lankan security forces. According to RSF a journalist who took pictures of the slain students proved that they died of gun shot injuries and not by an explosion of a grenade as claimed by local military authorities was shot dead by unknown gun men suspected to be paramilitary men.

EP polls: TMVP ready to take Govt’s hand
   
The TMVP which swept the board in Monday’s local government elections in the Batticaloa district will decide whether it should join the UPFA and contest the provincial council elections in the East under a common symbol, spokesman Azath Moulana told the Daily Mirror yesterday Mr. Moulana said there was no problem about entering into an alliance with the government if it agreed to offer the Chief Minister’s post to the TMVP since the Tamils were the ethnic majority in the East.“If the government agrees to this demand, we will join hands with it,” he said.Mr. Maulana said that the TMVP would open ten political offices in the Trincomalee district to work out the logistics for the election.“We are politically sound in Batticaloa and Ampara. But, we have to do some political work in Trincomalee,” he said. Meanwhile, the Local Government Ministry has decided to hold a workshop on local administration for TMVP members elected to the nine local bodies in Batticaloa. Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said this workshop would be conducted very soon at a luxury hotel in Colombo. “We want to expose them to the outside world so that they can realize the difference,” he said.In the meantime, Nawa Sihala Urumaya, a political party registered recently said it too would field candidates for the election. Party leader Sarath Manamendra said his party had held discussions with Sinhala civil society organizations and religious leaders based in the East to interview candidates to contest the election.He said the party would field candidates for the Ampara and Trincomalee districts.“Our objective is to preserve the national heritage sites in the eastern province and improve the living condition of people in the areas affected by terrorism,” Mr. Manamendra said.

14 March 2008

Eastern PC polls on May 10

The government will hold the provincial council elections in the Eastern Province on May 10; nominations will be called from March 27 to April 3, an official of the Elections Department said yesterday. The elections will be conducted to establish the provincial administration in the East -- for the first time since it was de-merged from the North following a Supreme Court ruling. Meanwhile, Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said that his Ministry had already given instructions to the Department to take action in this regard. With the PC elections coming hot on the heels of the local government elections in Batticaloa, political parties are now bracing up to contest the upcoming PC elections. The JVP has also decided to join in the fray this time. JVP parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa told Daily Mirror yesterday that his party would contest the elections in the three districts in the East, but that a final decision had to be taken in consultation with the party hierarchy. “Most likely we will contest in all three districts,” he said. The SLMC, meanwhile, said that it remained open for discussions with breakaway Muslim parties to come to an understanding on fielding common candidates for the election. The party’s general secretary, Hasan Ali, said that the Eastern Province was their stronghold, with a sizeable concentration of Muslims and, therefore, they should not allow the Muslim vote bank to be divided among several parties. “So we are willing to discuss with the Muslim political parties led by Ministers Amir Ali and M.L.M. Athaulla. If we all reach common ground on the elections, it will increase our chances of winning the council,” he said. He said that the SLMC would hold a consultation meeting with its organizers at the grassroots level and the Pradhesiya Sabha   members to plan out logistics for the election. The new political alliance comprising the EPRLF (Vartharajah) faction, the TULF led by V. Anandasangari and PLOTE led by D. Sitharthan, has also decided to contest the elections. EPRLF leader P. Sridharan said that his party was happy about the local government elections in Batticaloa, stating it was conducted in a peaceful manner, unlike the 2004 General Elections in the North-East. “During that period, the LTTE helped the TNA to increase their votes. No such thing happened this time,” he said. The main Opposition UNP said that it would decide on the elections soon. UNP National Organizer S.B.Dissanayake said that they urged the government to disarm the paramilitary forces operating in the area and ensure a favourable atmosphere for the elections. “We were ready to contest the local government elections as well. But some paramilitary groups threatened our prospective candidates. So we gave it up. Anyway we are now doing the groundwork for the upcoming elections. A final decision will be taken very soon,” he said.

Ravi exposes Somawansa

Commenting on last Sunday night’s Derana TV talk show involving JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe, UNP Colombo District Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake told a recent meeting of UNP branch organizers at Kotte, that while whose Amerasinghe’s son was studying in a university in England, he and his party were disrupting the university education in this country."This show was one of the best jokes telecast by Derana and I am sure viewers would like a repeat telecast of this show", Karunanayake said.Amarasinghe criticized India during the programme but when he was asked whether he remembered seeking asylum in India during times of trouble, he avoided the question."The JVP is playing a double game and won’t allow the Government to be toppled and this was proved by the way they behaved at the Third Reading of the Budget. The masses know what the JVP is up to," Karunanayake said.

India to play major role
   
India has said that it expects to play a major role in Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve its problems once powers are extensively devolved to the people of the North and East of the country, a communiqué said.Indian National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan had said that he expected devolution of power to the people of the North and the East would materialize very soon, consequent on which they would play a major role in Sri Lanka’s efforts to solve the problems it is up against, a communiqué from the Minister of Social Development said.The Indian National Security Advisor had said this to EPDP Leader, and Minister, Douglas Devananda, who is currently on a visit to India to attend the Regional Forum of Ministers of Social Development.The visiting minister had briefed the Indian National Security Advisor on+ the present political situation in the country, the communique stated.“Mr. Narayanan expressed his progressive views concerning the contemporary issues prevalent in Sri Lanka,” the communiqué added.The minister also held talks with the Indian Foreign Ministry Secretary Shivashankar Menon during his tour. Mr. Menon had stated at the discussion that he welcomed the move to implement the 13th amendment and, in future, India would contribute more towards the development of Sri Lanka and to bring about peace and harmony.Mr. Devananda had requested India to contribute towards inter-racial unity, equality and the freedom and rights of the Tamil speaking people of Sri Lanka, whilst bolstering cordial relations between the two countries  and, finally, for the emergence of everlasting peace in Sri Lanka.

Another Rupavahini Corporation staffer hunted

The latest target of the hunt down of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation staff is Anurasiri Hettige, the Chairman of the trade union attached to JVP. When Mr. Hettige was waiting at Kotokawaththa junction to go for duty around 7.30 AM today (14), a group of thugs attacked him with a sharp knife injuring his head. He was immediately admitted to Colombo General Hospital with severe bleeding from his head. Poddala Jayantha, the Secretary of the Working Journalists' Association who was in hospital said to 'Lanka-e-News' that the doctors were attending his injuries. This is the fifth incident of the spate of violence the SLRC workers are facing since Minister Mervin Silva who trespassed the SLRC premises and assaulted the News Director was chased by the staff. Media organizations joined with the main opposition launched a massive demonstration before the SLRC on March 11 against hunting SLRC staff. On that day, they declared that the SLRC would strike work continuously if another worker is attacked.

Rupavahini on strike till President intervenes  
         
Employees of the state owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation have decided go on strike until President Mahinda Rajapaksa intervenes and gives an assurance to end the continuing spate of violence against SLRC employees.Except for news, all scheduled programmes will not be broadcast, with immediate effect.A SLRC trade union activist told ‘Lankadissent’ that all SLRC workers have currently gathered in the lobby.The decision comes after Anurasiri Hettige, an Assistant Director in charge of supplies, was attacked in the streets this morning (Mar. 14th).Despite continuous requests to the Media Minister and the President to ensure that Rupavahini employees would not be subjected to any further intimidation, thugs on the loose have continued to target them so far.The trade unions say that they will continue the strike until the President intervenes and the culprits are caught and brought to justice.Today’s attack was the fifth instance where a SLRC staffer faced assaults or threats after Labour Minister Mervyn Silva stormed the institution and attacked its News Director in December last year.Though the SLRC staff held protest demonstrations on several occasions against these attacks on their colleagues, the authorities have failed to take any concrete steps.On the other hand, all legal investigations so far have been confined to hunting down those who allegedly attacked Minister Mervyn Silva.

Interim advisory council for north    
       
The president has decided to appoint an interim administrative advisory council for the north while holding elections for the Eastern Provincial Council, Minister Rajitha Senaratne told ‘Lanka Dissent’ today (March. 14th).After two leading Tamil politicians have expressed their desire to become the chair in this council, its establishment has become somewhat problematic.Therefore, it is likely that the position will be given to governor of the north, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, according to sources at the Presidential Secretariat.

Is he Singaporean? 
 
HE is the Singapore link to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan government alleges. Pictures of Muththusami (left) posing with various leaders of the Tamil Tigers.  I am a Singaporean who lost my passport, Muththusami Ilankoowan contends. Depending on who is right - two different pictures of Muththusami emerge.Sri Lankan's national security spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle told The New Paper: 'Muththusami is a Sri Lankan who had worked in Singapore.'Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is working with the Sri Lankan authorities to establish if he were really a Singaporean.Muththusami - whose alias is Muttusamy or Sami - is now in a Sri Lankan jail after being arrested on 25 Feb in the capital Colombo.Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a Sri Lankan army spokesman, told The New Paper: 'Muththusami used to work under a Sri Lankan Tamil who handled LTTE shipping activities in Singapore.' He claimed that the man Muththusami worked for took orders from the LTTE's chief of international procurement, Kumaran Padmanathan. There are also photos of Muththusami posing with some of the top brass of a terrorist organisation in Sri Lanka, the official claimed.Brigadier Udaya added that Muththusami, who is in his late 40s, is believed to have fled Singapore 'a few years ago' and was on the run after fearing his links would be exposed.It is not known where Muththusami stayed while in Singapore.The Sri Lankan defence ministry was quoted in Sri Lankan news websites as saying that Muththusami is a major LTTE suspected to have been involved in civilian massacres in the south of SriLanka.It added that Muththusami, who was born in Sri Lanka, had close connections with LTTE chief V Prabhakaran and LTTE's international wing leaders.Reports also said that Muththusami was arrested while staying at a hotel in Kadireshan Road, which is known to house spies working for the LTTE, commonly known as Tamil Tigers.The news reports also quoted officials saying that Muththusami revealed details about his role and involvement within the LTTE and the activities of its leaders to a magistrate in Colombo on 29 Feb.However, Muththusami's lawyer, Mr Jayakumar, painted a very different picture.

MISINTERPRETED PHOTOS

He claimed that the Sri Lankan government had misinterpreted Muththusami's photographs with LTTE leaders to mean that he was closely linked with them. The lawyer told The New Paper that Muththusami had told him he was Singaporean, and that he had lost his passport.Mr Jayakumar said court documents showed that, in the mid-1990s, the Sri Lankan government hired one of Muththusami's shipping lines to provide essential supplies to the regions in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, which have been LTTE battlegrounds.He was unable to tell The New Paper the names of the shipping lines.Mr Jayakumar claimed that in 1995, while on a supply mission, one of the shipping lines' vessels, the MV Irish Mona, was hijacked by the LTTE, and Muththusami went to Sri Lanka to meet the LTTE leaders to negotiate for the release of the ship.He said: 'That was how he ended up being photographed with LTTE leaders. That did not prove that he was a major LTTE figure.'Singapore police spokesman Mohd Razif said that the Sri Lankan police have not contacted them for information or assistance about Muththusami so far.

Hearing set for alleged Tamil Tiger conspirator
 
A Malton man charged in connection with a North American network that police allege provides weapons and other materials to a terrorist group in Sri Lanka has had a date set for his extradition hearing.According to Justice Canada officials, Ramanan Mylvaganam, 30, will appear June 10 before a Federal Court judge as American authorities attempt to have him brought to the U.S. to face charges. Mylvaganam is expected to fight extradition.Mylvaganam was arrested by RCMP on Aug. 22, 2006 at his Derry Rd. E. apartment. He was picked up on a provisional warrant at the request of U.S. authorities. One month later, he was granted bail."This whole ordeal has been a total shock to my family, especially my mother; she can't stop crying," Mylvaganam's brother, Raghu, said in an earlier interview.Mylvaganam and four other Ontario men have been charged with one count each of conspiring to provide material support and resources to the Tamil Tigers, a political/military organization that has been waging war with the government of Sri Lanka since the 1970s. The group is trying to secure a separate state for the Tamil regions of the country.In April 2006, the Tigers were added to Canada's official list of terrorist organizations.In total, 12 men have been charged in the joint FBI-RCMP investigation into the alleged criminal organization. The sweep also included arrests in Buffalo, San Jose, Seattle and Connecticut.Mylvaganam, a computer engineering student at University of Waterloo, came to Canada from Sri Lanka in 1992. He served as vice-president of the university's Tamil Students Association in 2004. According to his brother, Mylvaganam was supposed to start a job at Microsoft's international headquarters in Redmond, Washington in late 2006. But those plans were put on hold when he was arrested, his brother said.U.S. prosecutors say the arrests are in relation to a network in which men in Canada and the U.S. allegedly used their post-secondary studies as a cover for terrorist activities.Officials say the group kept in contact with top Tamil Tiger operatives in Sri Lanka and the United States. It tried to obtain equipment such as compasses, computers and night-vision goggles for the Sri Lankan group, but also had bigger plans that included the purchase of aviation equipment, according to American prosecutors.

Ensure history records of "Eelam" is maintained: Prabhakaran

Charging the Sri Lankan government with "destroying evidence of Tamil history" in the country, LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran has said it was the duty of the authors and literateurs to ensure "the records exist." "Attempts are being made by the (Sri Lankan) security forces, through bombing and shelling, to destroy the wealth and properties of Tamils. Another community has started occupying their (Tamil) areas and the evidence of Tamil history is sought to be destroyed," Prabhakaran said. The LTTE leader, in his message on the launching of a Tamil book titled "Let us move towards the boundary of Tamil Eelam" (translated name) said "there was a plot to prevent self-rule in the Tamil areas for many years." Prabhakaran also charged the Sri Lankan government with discrimination against Tamil community in the name of development. "Sinhalese are being settled in the land of the Tamil Homeland", Prabhakaran said and asked the "Tamil" people to be on the "alert," the Tamil Newspaper "Sudar Oli" reported on Thursday. Prabhakaran congratulated the author of the book C Vipulenchiran alias Anbuchelvan for his work, it said.

Stop Indian military aid to Sri Lanka: Tamil Nadu leaders

New Delhi unabashedly rolling the red carpet to Sri Lankan military chief Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka has caused a furore among Tamil Nadu politicians who have urged the Indian Central Government to "stop all military aid to the genocidal government of Sri Lanka." Paddali Makkal Kadchi (PMK, Toilers' Party) founder-leader S Ramadoss and Viduthalai Chiruththaikal Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party) President Thol Thirumavalavan accused the Central Government of sabotaging Tamil aspirations on the Sri Lankan issue by lending support to the military-backed genocide of the Eelam Tamils.In a joint statement issued on Thursday following three-hour consultations on the Sri Lankan issue at a hotel in Chennai, Ramadoss and Thirumavalavan demanded "an immediate halt to all Indian military aid to the Sinhalese chauvinist regime in Sri Lanka which has directed its entire strength in a barbaric manner against the Tamil people". They have also planned to stage a demonstration against the Indian support to Sri Lankan military.The leaders demanded a referendum among the people of Tamil Nadu about the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and support to Sri Lankan Tamils.They pointed out that while the people of Tamil Nadu wanted their Tamil-speaking brethren to live in peace in Sri Lanka, the activities of the Indian Government were totally in violation of these expectations. Both the leaders urged an immediate change in New Delhi's external affairs policy and asked the Tamil Nadu Government to lead the Centre in the right direction in order to protect the lives of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Ramadoss said that both the parties would raise this issue in the forthcoming budget session of the Legislative Assembly. Thirumavalavan pointed out that the Lankan navy was mercilessly killing innocent Indian Tamil fishermen and in order to effectively combat this menace, he urged the Central Government to immediately reclaim Kachchatheevu. The VCK leader also demanded that the Sri Lankan High Commission office should not remain in Tamil Nadu any longer. The leaders maintained that they were prepared to sacrifice for the sake of this issue and called for the consolidation of all Eelam supporters in Tamil Nadu under an umbrella organization.Demonstrations have been taking place against the Indian Army's plans to train six high-level officers of the Sri Lanka Army at the Wellingdon Army Training institute near Conoor. On Tuesday, March 11, members of the VCK and the Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) had staged a protest in Coimbatore condemning the Indian Government's support to Sri Lanka. Several Tamil nationalist organizations and student movements took part in this demonstration which was presided over by PDK General Secretary Kovai Ramakirudinan.Likewise, on March 8, Dravidar Kazhagam President Veeramani had led an agitation at Chennai urging the Central Government to stop training Sri Lankan armed forces who were unleashing a genocide on the Tamil people in the island nation.

215 Tamil civilians in detention camps in Boosa

138 Tamil civilians including nine women are currently being detained in Boosa detention centre under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Emergency Regulations (ER). 77 Tamil civilians including 6 women are being detained in PTE detention centre located in Chaitiya Street in Colombo city, media reports quoting civil sources said. Meanwhile, Nuwara Eliya police have detained a Methodist Priest Nagularaj and his driver arrested in connection with the recovery of suicide jacket at Wattala.Five Methodist priests M.Pathmanathan of Haputale, Sahayam Patrick of Karawanelle, Ashokumar and K.Saravanapavan of Vavuniyaa, and K. Santhinathan of Colombo and Brother Rajendran of Nuwara Eliya of Nuwara Eliya who were arrested in connection with the same incident were released after inquiry, media sources reported.

13 March 2008

EU team here to evaluate future aid

With the GSP+ - the special tariff concession for exports to the European Union - coming up for renewal in a month’s time, the EU has sent a special evaluator to Sri Lanka to study the situation in the country and make recommendations on the continuation of the facility to the country. A three-member-delegation, led by Alexander Flougas arrived here last week and will stay in the country for over one month to evaluate the situation. “I am here to evaluate the current situation in the country before recommending on the future of the EU aid package to Sri Lanka in our report to the EU,” Mr. Flougas told the Daily Mirror yesterday. The EU’s GSP + concession to Sri Lanka is to lapse by end of this year and earlier reports suggested the EU may not renew the package owing to various reasons including human rights concerns. “My task is to study how the GSP + concession was used locally during the last three years and to hold talks with representatives of the apparel industry and several other industries in the country,” Mr. Flaugas said. He said the delegation had already held talks with Commerce Department and the Export Development and International Trade Ministry officials. However, last month the EU had reportedly decided to renew the GSP+ concession provided for Sri Lanka for another three years from January 2009. According to Export Development Board statistics, Sri Lanka earned US$ 2.9 billion in export income - the highest ever - through the EU markets last year. The apparel sector was the highest contributor accounting for US$ 1.4 billion. However, Sri Lanka had been able to utilize only 61% of the GSP+ concession granted to the country.Sri Lanka’s human rights record has come under severe criticism from the EU both at the UN Human Rights Council and at the EU in Brussels and there were several attempts to put forward a resolution or sanctions against the country. Meanwhile, Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Minister G.L. Peiris had a discussion in Brussels with Peter Mandelson, Trade Commissioner to the European Commission, about the GSP+ concessions available to Sri Lanka and their extension for a further period. A Ministry spokesman said that at this meeting Prof. Peiris had invited Mr. Mandelson’s attention to the holding of elections to nine local authorities in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka that very day while also discussing the future path of the peace process. The spokesman said the Minister dealt with the reasons for the abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement, the continuing work of the APRC, the arrangements being made for the holding of the Provincial Council election in the Eastern Province within the next three months and the steps that are being taken to set up an Advisory Council for the Northern Province. He said Minister Peiris briefed Mr. Mandelson in detail about the action being taken by the Government for the protection of human rights and the importance of reviving democratic structures in parts of the country where the electoral process had fallen into abeyance because of terrorist activity.

SB regrets UNP boycott of Batticaloa polls

UNP National Organiser S. B. Dissanayake yesterday said he regretted that his party had boycotted the Batticaloa local government election held last Monday.Dissanayake, who returned to the country on Tuesday night, after month’s stay abroad, said "We would have definitely won the Batticaloa Municipality and a few other Pradeshya Sabhas had we contested." He said that at the last presidential elections the UNP had obtained 120,000 votes from the Batticaloa District and was of the opinion that that could have easily been doubled had the UNP contested Monday’s polls, as the Government had become very unpopular and the people would have preferred the UNP to any other party. The large number of people who abstained from voting was an indication that they did not have a choice and thus preferred to stay away, he said.Dissanayake said had the UNP contested over 70 per cent would have voted and the party could have easily emerged victorious. "We made a very a bad mistake in not contesting the elections thus depriving our supporters of a chance to vote," he said.Commencing March 16 the UNP would hold prayer meetings in temples to inform the people of the Government’s inefficiency and its inability to control the soaring cost of living. These prayer meetings would be conducted in all parts of the country, he said.

4 police suspended for sexually abusing woman  
       
Four policemen attached to the Bambalapitiya Police have been suspended pending an investigation into their alleged involved in sexually abusing a woman at a lodge.The on-duty sergeant, two constables and a civil defence force member had reportedly gone to the place at Kollupitiya following a call they had received to Police Emergency on the night of February 26th.The four had then taken the woman to another lodge, at Bambalapitiya, and reportedly raped her into the early hours of next morning. Acting on a complaint by the victim, police have launched an investigation and suspended the four suspects from service.

Tourist arrivals decline in Februaury-SLTDA

Figures from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) showed that the number of tourists fell in February by 5.8% from 2007.Arrivals had dropped to 40,551 from 43,551 in the same month of 2007. "The fall was mainly due to countries like Belgium, Netherlands, and Norway issuing travel advisories," said Renton de Alwis, chairman of SLTDA. Officials said the fall was the result of increased violence between the military and the LTTE after the government officially scrapped the largely defunct Ceasefire Agreement in January. Though popular tourist areas are not in the conflict zone sporadic bomb blasts around the capital Colombo pose a threat to tourism. Data showed arrivals from Netherlands and Belgium dropped 26.7% and 26.3% compared with 2007. Arrivals from Norway fell 45.1%. That means arrivals in the first two months of 2008 were 2.1% lower at 97,467 than last year. The government targetted a total of 600,000 tourists last year but fell short of the target. Last years arrivals were 11.7% lower than 2006 levels at 494,008. However officials are optimistic that they will be able to meet 600,000 tourist arrivals by the year 2008. 

Tamil journalists arrested and beaten by police acting on wrong information

Reporters Without Borders is concerned about the fate of five Tamil journalists arrested by anti-terrorist police in Colombo in the past six days and urges the Sri Lankan authorities to explain why they are being held.“The anti-terrorist police are accusing the journalists of receiving money from the Tamil Tiger rebels, but after investigating, we can confirm that the funds in question came from a German foundation and from Tamil exiles,” the press freedom organisation said. “We condemn the fact the some of these journalists were badly beaten during their first few days in detention, and that this was clearly done to extract confessions from them.”The funds received by two of the journalists, V. Jasikaran and J.S. Tissanayagam, were to finance the Outreach (outreachlk.wordpress.com) website and to help Tamil students. An official with the German foundation FLICT told Reporters Without Borders that Tissanayagam, Outreach’s editor, received 12,000 euros in November as part of this initiative.Several other sources told Reporters Without Borders that Jasikaran received money from members of the Tamil exile community in Germany to help students in the east of the island.The owner of the E-Kwality printing works and a writer known for his Tamil nationalist stance, Jasikaran was arrested in Colombo on 6 March. His computer and printing equipment were seized, and his wife, a TV producer, was also detained.Tissanayagam, who writes for the Sunday Times newspaper as well as editing Outreach, was arrested by anti-terrorist police on 7 March. Reporter Kithsiri Wijesinghe, photographer Gayan Lasantha Ranga and video director Udayanan were arrested later the same day.Journalist S. Sivakumar, the spokesman of the Free Media Movement, was detained for a few hours on 8 March in connection with the same case. He has been ordered to present himself to the police again.

SLAF destroys three LTTE camps

Airforce jets yesterday destroyed three LTTE forward defence camps in the areas north and east of Madhu, Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.The mission was in support of the on going military offensive against the Tigers in the Mannar front he said adding "Initially the troops overcame heavy resistance from the Tigers but they retreated in the face of superior fire power of the army. The Army regained some of the areas held by the LTTE in the Mannar district." Air force spokesman Wing Commander Andy Wijesuriya said Israeli built kfirs were engaged in the operation and the pilots confirmed that the targets were hit.Earlier, the airforce provided air cover to the advancing troops in the Mannar theatre deploying Mi24 helicopter gunships.

Sri Lanka against Taiwan becoming independent
   
The Government of Sri Lanka is seriously concerned about the attempts made by Taiwan to hold a so-called referendum on the pretext of seeking independence and joining the UN under the name of Taiwan, on March 22, the Foreign Ministry said in a release. Sri Lanka remains firmly committed to the “One China Policy” and opposes any form of Taiwan independence and participation of Taiwan in any international and or regional organizations saying it would be in blatant violation of established international norms and obligations enshrined in the UN Charter.“The People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.”The Foreign Ministry further notes, the General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971 clearly resolves China’s representation in the UN and Sri Lanka strongly believes that the People’s Republic of China represents the aspirations of all the people in China including those in Taiwan.Any attempts to change this status–quo is regarded by Sri Lanka as detrimental to cross-straits relations and to the peace and stability of Asia as a whole.Sri Lanka strongly hopes that Taiwan will respect the concerns of the international community and desist from engaging in the so-called referendum seeking “de jure independence”.

JVP will take to the streets if PC powers given to North

The JVP will take to the streets along with the masses if Provincial Council powers are conferred to the North under the 13th amendment, JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe warned the Government on Tuesday. Addressing a rally at the Kandy Central Market premises, he said there was no necessity for the party to take up arms for any struggle since it is backed by thousands of patriots. "Let every citizen of this multi-communal, multi-religious and multi-lingual country live in amity in a unitary state. There is no alliance in power now. The UNP group that joined the Government once supported the move to divide the country and favoured weakening of the country’s sovereignty. The JVP needs no alliance. Our party was made and grew up by itself and it is strong enough to stand by itself. No force however strong could destroy the JVP, He said. "When the security forces are sacrificing their lives for the sake of the motherland, why should a part of the country be handed over to the LTTE," he asked."If the Government could wrest control of the East and hold elections there, why cannot the same be applied to the North", Amarasinghe asked.General Secretary of the JVP Tilvyn Silva said that the JVP came to the forefront at times of disastrous situations. Foreign powers were interfering in the internal affairs of the country and they had used force on the Government whenever the LTTE faced defeat. This was happening even now, he said.JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake described the Provincial Councils as institutions that waste public funds. Despite the torrential rains, the meeting was well attended. It was presided by Kandy District MP Dimuthu Bandara Abeykoon.

UPFA to contest all in Eastern PC polls

The ruling UPFA will contest all three districts in the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council election, General Secretary of the UPFA and Education Minister Susil Premjayanth said. There will be new parties and groups to join forces with the alliance for the election, he said. The UPFA will take a final decision after talks with those parties and groups, he said.

Ms. Prabhakaran to be new Batti Mayor

The TMVP, which fielded candidates under the UPFA’s betel leaf symbol for the Batticaloa Municipal Council, decided yesterday to appoint Sivageetha Prabhakaran, alias Padmini, as the Mayor of Batticaloa. Mrs.Prabhakaran, who polled the highest number of preferential votes (4722 votes), is the daughter of Rajan Sathyamurthi, the TNA candidate gunned down, allegedly by the LTTE,  in the run up to the General Elections in 2004. Party’s media spokesman Azarth Maulana told the Daily Mirror yesterday, that the TMVP politburo took this decision only last evening, and that it would be conveyed to UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha. Mr. Maulana also said that Edwin Krishnanandarajah, alias Pradeep Master, who polled the second highest number of preferential votes, would be appointed Deputy Mayor. Asked whether a faction of the party had insisted on the nomination of Pradeep Master as the Mayor since he was the chief candidate, he said, “Pradeep Master is a very senior person. Yet we have to respect the people’s choice.” For the other eight Pradeshiya Sabhas won by the TMVP, he said the candidates who topped the preferential votes lists would be appointed as chairmen. According to the local government law, the party secretary has the power to pick anyone elected to the council concerned, as its chairman or mayor, irrespective of the number of preferential votes he or she has obtained. In the case of the Batticaloa Municipal Council, Mr. Premajayantha has to take the final decision, since the TMVP members contested on the ruling UPFA’s ticket. 

12 March 2008

India should impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka – TELO
 
A TELO Parliamentarian late last week urged India to immediately impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka, while also reiterating that the LTTE will not be defeated by the Sri Lankan Government or the military. Tamil National Alliance (TNA)and TELO Jaffna MP, M.K. Sivajilingam told a hurriedly convened news conference in Chennai on Saturday that the Indian Government should not encourage the Sri Lankan military operation by supplying arms to Sri Lanka but instead, the Indian Government should play for a peace settlement in the island.The news conference was organised by Manitham - Human Rights Organisation in Chennai. Sivajilingam also blamed President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the death of TNA MP M.K. Sivanesan. “There is no guarantee of security for the TNA MPs, they might be killed at any moment by the government or the government backed para-military groups,” Sivajilingam alleged. He also volunteered to quit his Parliamentary seat, if it would pave the way for the Tamil Eelam. “India should accept the struggle for self determination of Tamils in Sri Lanka,” he said. Sivajilingam noted that on a daily basis Sri Lanka Air Force drops bombs on the ‘Tamil Eelam area.’“India should intervene in this matter and should order to stop this menace. If the Tamil Eelam is originated, it will be a good friend to India and will always support India,” the TELO MP said.Sivajilingam also called on the international community to urge the Sri Lanka Army to withdraw from Tamil areas.

TMVP boats roar in Batticaloa

The TMVP, the new born political party, swept the polls in the Batticaloa district by clinching power in eight of the nine local bodies where elections were conducted on Monday. The party which contested under the ‘boat’ symbol, fielded its candidates for the Batticaloa Municipal Council under the UPFA's betel symbol and won it by securing 11 of the 19 seats. TMVP's Sivageetha Prabhakaran, daughter of slain MP Rajan Sathyamurthi obtained the highest number of preferential votes on behalf of her party. She had obtained 4722 votes. Edwin Krishnandarajah alias Pradeep Master trailed behind with 3805 votes in the Municipal Council. The EPDP-led alliance which contested the election as an Independent Group, became the main opposition party in the Batticaloa Municipal Council which will be established after a 14 year lapse. EPRLF (Varthan faction) E. Thurairatnam received 4742 preferential votes, M. Niskandarajah 3287 and EPDP's K. Arumailingam 1413 votes. N.K. Ramlan, the only SLMC member elected to the Batticaloa Municipal Council received 1095 votes. After the conclusion of the electoral process, Returning Officer S.Arumainayagam thanked police officials and public servants for their co-operation in ensuring a free and fair election.DIG Mahinda Balasuriya who was also present at the event said the people in Batticaloa had set an example to the whole world by supporting the security authorities to conduct a violence- free poll. Mr. Balasuriya said they had not received any complaints during the past two days, and therefore this was a significant event in the history of elections in Sri Lanka. Of 270,241 registered voters, 161,749 had cast their votes on Monday while 19,772 votes had been rejected. After the election, the police are now preparing the ground situation for the upcoming provincial council election in the East, he said. Commenting on the polls, the SLMC said 16,240 votes or 56% of the 29.339 Muslim voters had exercised their franchise at the election. It said the SLMC had obtained 13.301 votes which is 81.9% of the total Muslim votes. “The result clearly shows that the Muslim voters in Batticalloa have endorsed the policies of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and have overwhelmingly endorsed the SLMC and its candidates,” the SLMC said in a statement. The SLMC claimed the result came despite government ministers engaging in various election malpractice. It claimed the government had been diverting dry rations and livelihood support material such as sewing machines, mammoties and other equipment which had been earmarked for the displaced as inducements to voters.

TELO MP Srikantha criticizes Anandasangaree’s statement
   
Responding to a statement made by former TULF MP V. Anandasangaree criticizing the TNA for holding the government responsible for the killing of K. Sivanesan, the party yesterday called on him to rethink and re consider his political priorities in the interest of the Tamil community before its too late. “ It would be  helpful to the Tamil cause if he reconsiders and rethinks his political priorities in the interest of the Tamil cause instead of continuing to lend a helping hand to the government’s military strategy,” TNA and TELO Jaffna MP N. Srikantha said yesterday. He said criticizing the TNA for holding the government responsible for the killing of K. Sivanesan was an attempt to deflect the allegation levelled against the perpetrators of the crime. “ While Anandasangaree is perfectly entitled to hold his opinion of the LTTE it is indeed tragic that a seasoned politico has sought to shield the culprits responsible for the cold blooded cowardly act to kill and MP who had a long way to go,” he said.

LTTE ending use of child soldiers - US

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) “is eliminating the recruitment and use of child soldiers,” the US State Department said this week in its annual human rights report. The LTTE had not complied with its promise to end the practice by end of 2007, but its policy of recruiting one person from each family targeted those 18 years or older, the report said. Sri Lankan government forces were complicit in conscripting children for the TMVP (Karuna Group), “which used coercion, extortion, rape, and murder to force children and adults to join their ranks,” the report said. The text of the ‘Child Soldiers’ section of the State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights for Sri Lanka follows:

“Both the LTTE and the Karuna group (also known as TMVP, or Pillaiyan group) used minors in battle. The Karuna group and the LTTE also continued to recruit child soldiers forcibly, while intimidating and using violence against civilians.“The LTTE instituted a "one family, one fighter" policy, forcing each family to provide at least one member, including children, to the LTTE. By year's end most sources indicated that the "one family, one fighter" policy targeted those 18 years or older. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) noted a significant reduction in reported child recruitment by the LTTE. While the trend indicated that the LTTE was eliminating the recruitment and use of child soldiers, it had not complied with the promise to end the use of all minors by year's end. UNICEF reported that the LTTE forcibly recruited (or rerecruited) 160 children during the year with an average age of 16 years. At year's end 205 children remained in LTTE custody, including 1,224 who were recruited as children but were over 18 at year's end. “According to UN sources, there was limited progress during the year in the release of children recruited by both groups. A UNICEF supported action plan sought to rehabilitate former LTTE child soldiers through release and reintegration. Under this program there were to be three UNICEF-supported transit centers. Two of the transit centers, in Batticaloa and Trincomalee, never opened because of a lack of releases by the LTTE. By mid-year the LTTE no longer controlled these areas. UNICEF supported the establishment of a transit center in Kilinochchi for child recruits released by the LTTE, which remained open, but UNICEF noted that its use was limited and declining.“The Karuna group continued to recruit children, some forcibly after abduction. Karuna cadres used coercion, extortion, rape, and murder to force children and adults to join their ranks. Karuna operatives often bribed parents to allow their children to join the Karuna group, and punished parents or children if they resisted.‘Unlike the LTTE, UNICEF statistics indicated that child recruitment by the pro-government Karuna group did not decline. The UN Special Rapporteur (UNSR) on Children and Armed Conflict reported and cited evidence that government forces were at times complicit in the recruitment of children. During the year, UNICEF reported that the Karuna group recruited and rerecruited children for use as child soldiers, especially in Batticaloa district for a total of 251. This was more than in 2006, although the rate of recruitment was down from its peak in late 2005. Some previously recruited child soldiers reached 18 years of age while continuing to serve in the Karuna group. UNICEF figures show that at the end of the year, 160 children were still serving in the Karuna forces, and 69 who were recruited as children were now over age 18.”

UNP rejects Batty polls results

Monday’s stage-managed elections to nine local bodies including the Batticaloa Municipal Council, held after the government had entered into a pact with the armed Pilliyan Group or TMVP,was an extension of the manner in which President Mahinda Rajapakse had won the November 2005 Presidential Election, the UNP alleged yesterday. "The difference is that in November 2005 the government used the LTTE to prevent a large number of Tamils voting, while on Monday it was a joint venture with the Pilliyan Group to conduct a false election,the outcome of which we reject outright," UNP MP Jayalath Jayawardena told a news conference."The government and the TMVP or the Pilliyan Group, which is armed to the teeth, entered into a convenient pact with the government to support each other and intimidate the Batticaloa people and anti-government candidates into silence.All sorts of dirty tactics were resorted to. In addition to stuffing of ballot boxes in certain areas, poll cards were grabbed from innocent voters or purchased at Rs1000 each," he said.To be absolutely certain that the government and its armed allies won the election,deliberate power cuts had been imposed while counting of votes was on, he said adding, "What happened during the power failures is anybody’s guess.""The results were a foregone conclusion because the innocent voters were at the mercy of the armed groups and knew very well that if the TMVP or UPFA lost, they and their families would have been severely punished."Asked why the UNP had not entered the fray, Jayawardena said that they did not want to give credibility to an election that everyone knew from the outset, would be nothing but a sham to mislead the international community, among others, into belief that there was democracy in the East. Kandy District UNP MP Lakshman Kirialle said that all local and international organisations that monitored the elections were of the view that armed groups with government backing had intimidated voters and anti-government candidates from day one of the campaign."The abductions and violence directed against those opposed to the TMVP and UPFA proves that the polls were not free and fair," he said.The UNP would contest the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council Election only if the armed groups were disarmed, he said adding, "Otherwise it would be a repeat of the sham witnessed on Monday."

Kadirgamar Assassination AG indicts Prabhakaran, five others in HC
 
The Attorney General filed indictment against Vellupillai Prabhakaran and five others before the High Court of Colombo yesterday. They were indicted with the assassination of Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on August 12, 2005.The other five accused were Pottu Amman alias Sivasankar, Charles Master, Komadi Manimekala, Muttaih Sahadevan and Isitho Arogyanathan. It was alleged that they had conspired with another LTTE member named Vinothan between January 2005 and August 2005 to assassinate Minister Kadirgamar.The Attorney General’s Department expects to submit 28 witnesses including ASP Palitha Fernando and JMO L. B. L. D. Alwis and 19 production items. The case will be heard in the High Court No. 07 of Colombo.

British parliamentarians call for UK to rein in Sri Lanka

A group of Parliamentarians from all of Britain’s main political parties Tuesday condemned the assassination last week of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP K Sivanesan and, lamenting the recent exit of the international panel overseeing rights abuses probes in Sri Lanka, called on the UK government to take all possible steps to ensure that Government of Sri Lanka plays by accepted international rules. The British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Tamils expressed its serious concern at the decision of the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) - headed by former Indian Chief Justice P N Bhagwati - to terminate its operations in Sri Lanka.“Violence in Sri Lanka remains terribly and unacceptably high. The British APPG for Tamils deplores all killings and assassinations including the assassination of K. Sivanesan, a democratically elected member of the Sri Lankan parliament,” the MPs, said.“The decision by the IIGEP to terminate operations raises serious questions about the claims made by the Government of Sri Lanka that it is taking all efforts to uphold human rights.“It is extremely worrying that a reputable body such as the IIGEP has now concluded that there is no further use for it in probing the abductions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings which the Group was invited to investigate in September 2006”The APPG welcomed comments by British Foreign Minister Lord Malloch-Brown at the UN Human Rights Council last week in which he criticized the Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapakse.“[We] will now be asking the British Foreign Secretary to consider what other action is available to the British government and to take all possible steps to ensure that Government of Sri Lanka plays by accepted international rules,” the APPG said.“A political solution to the continuing conflict in Sri Lanka is as vital now as ever. There must be an end to the spiral of violence if the seventh decade of an independent Sri Lanka is to be one of justice, peace and prosperity.”The APPG for Tamils includes Parliamentarians from the ruling Labour party and the main opposition parties, the Convervatives and Liberal Democrats, as well as the Scottish National Party.

Indian Rajya Sabha wants Kachchathivu

Demands of taking back Kachhativu Island from Sri Lanka were raised in Indian Parliament on Tuesday as a large number of Rajya Sabha members asked the Centre to act tough to protect fishermen of TN from unprovoked firing by the Sri Lankan Navy the Indian media reported .The issue was raised by Congress whip V Narayanaswamy during question hour as he sought to attract the government’s attention of Tamil Nadu fishermen falling to firing by Sri Lankan armed forces patrolling the area.He said the government should take up the matter with Sri Lanka in a forceful manner and even demanded that the island be taken. In a rare display of unity, the entire House associated with Narayanaswamy’s call and asked government to take immediate action.The demands for taking back Kachhativu, which was ceded to Sri Lanka in 1974, has been made several times in the past but mainly at the state Level. But today, the entire house of elders supported the demand made by the Congress MP. The Sri Lankan government has rejected the proposal in the past claiming that it was impossible to fulfill the demand.

Batti polls a rape of democracy

The LTTE yesterday charged that the local government elections in Batticaloa was 'a rape of democracy.'LTTE military spokesperson Rasiah Ilanthirayan told The Morning Leader that Batticaloa was disgraced due to the whole election process, which was not conducted democratically."I'm a son of Batticaloa. Batticaloa has been defiled and disgraced by this regime with the support of the paramilitary," Ilanthirayan said.Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister yesterday said the victory of the TMVP would weaken the LTTE even further."It is not so. This was not a democratic process. It is a rape of democracy by the regime," was Ilanthirayan's response.Ilanthirayan also added that the election was held to legitimise the foul practices of the government and its paramilitary entities.

'Maha sangha ready to send President home'

President Mahinda Rajapakse is the first malicious leader the country has produced alleged the newly formed Bhikku Wing of the SLFP (M) Group.Speaking at the inaugural Bhikku Wing media briefing yesterday its General Secretary Ven. Kolonne Shanthasri Thero said that President Rajapakse has dragged the country towards disaster and had become the first malicious leader the country has produced."Since assuming power, President Rajapakse, other than serving his own kith and kin  has  failed to give relief to the general public. The country is heading towards disaster as the leader of the country has become cruel and his main aim is to insult people and take revenge on anyone who goes against him. Although the majority of the Buddhist monks believed that the President would govern the country according to the Buddhist principles they have been proven wrong," Ven. Shanthasri Thero said.Meanwhile, Chairman Bhikku Wing, Ven. Malabe Seelarathna Thero said that the maha sangha is ready to take  to the streets to send the President home as he has not only failed to deliver the goods as promised  but has become the most wicked leader the country has ever produced."The people find it extremely difficult to survive as the CoL is skyrocketing daily. Even the maha sangha would have to starve if the CoL goes up further. How could we expect alms from the people who are starving? Other than serving his own family and making money in the guise of conducting a war President Rajapakse has so far failed to give any relief to the people," the Ven. Thero charged.While accusing the JHU of working only towards their survival in politics Ven. Seelarathna Thero stated that the JHU which promised to make the country a Buddhist nation has completely forgotten its pledges and has helped the Rajapakse administration which has failed to safeguard the Buddhist assets in the country. "The golden Buddha statue which was gifted by the Crown Prince of Thailand has now gone missing and very soon the Buddha Relics too will vanish from the Temple of the Tooth leaving only the relic casket for our reverence. Even amidst our strong protests Rajapakse appointed a person who has robbed 22 Buddha statues from the Temple of the Tooth and who has an allegation against him for child abuse," Seelarathna Thero alleged.Pledging his support to bring the Jathika Sabhawa into power the Thero further said that the maha sangha is ready to take any action to send the Rajapakse administration home.

SLMC opposed to TMVP in APRC

The appointment of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) would make the APRC a joke according to the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC). Speaking to The Morning Leader, SLMC officials stated that while they do not appose the inclusion of the TMVP, the move would open the floodgates for many other small parties to also join.An SLMC official said, "We can't oppose other parties joining, but the TMVP has no members or representatives in parliament and we'd like to know under what basis they're being invited to join the APRC." The SLMC also stated that major parties like the UNP, TNA and JVP are boycotting the APRC and that the head of the committee should instead focus on getting these bigger parties to join before extending invitations to insignificant ones.

White van abduction amidst security of 10,000 personnel

A group that came in a white van abducted two women in broad day light in the heart of Batticaloa town while 10,000 Police and Army personnel were deployed for security of the local government election in addition to the election monitors who were present. The abduction took place around 1.30 PM and two women working in a beauty parlor near the Bank of Ceylon building were the victims. One woman is 30-year-old Tamil woman Kamalanathan Koneswari, the owner of the beauty parlor and her assistant Thuwaini Perera (28), a Sinhalese whose husband is a Sinhalese policeman. Whereabouts of the abduction victims are still unknown. No post election violence was reported from Batticaloa, said our correspondent. Firecrackers were reportedly lit in the Army camp near the town after the results were issued.

Army Commander reviews security in the deep south

Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka met yesterday morning with several senior commanders in the deep south  where sporadic LTTE attacks have been taking place over the last three months.Gen. Fonseka met with Army Area Commander, Hambantota, Col. Devinda Perera and his senior staff. They held a progress-review meeting on the security situation in the Hambantota District. Gen. Fonseka was accompanied by Navy Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera, Commandant, Civil Defence Forces DIG Jayantha Wickramarathne, and STF Commandant DIG Nimal Lewke. Hambantota area commanders and police authorities responsible for security in the district provided the visiting military team with a full account of the ground realities in the south. The Army Commander was particularly interested in the security network provided to villages around the Yala and Buttala areas, and directed the local authorities to adopt new strategies to strengthen the security blanket in this region. In an effort to 'seal any loopholes,' Gen. Fonseka directed the local commanders to ensure that they do not leave any room for further LTTE violence on their watch.

Ketapearachchi takes fight to Somawansa

JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe on Sunday threatened to take legal action against Sampath Dimuthu Ketapearachchi, an associate of JVP Colombo District Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnetti for allegedly divulging internal party details to the media and thereby bringing disrepute to the party as well as the party leadership.Amarasinghe who participated in a political interview hosted by a private TV station on Sunday night lambasted Ketapearachchi when the latter posed several questions to the JVP Leader during the programme.Ketapearachchi had asked Amarasinghe for his response to the present plight of the JVP, which has called itself to be a party that adheres to a strict code of ethics, when members of the party have violated party discipline. He had also said that Handunnetti was placed under unofficial house arrest with Amarasinghe's knowledge and that when details were being highlighted, the JVP had started to threaten Ketapearachchi. Ketapearachchi had then alleged that contrary to statements made by the party leadership, the party was preparing itself for another armed insurgency. Ketapearachchi, who was a former JVP member, had also said that the party that ruined the lives of many students during its insurgencies was now involved in shady business dealings and was carrying out propaganda work for a company that manufactures sanitary napkins.Amarasinghe had responded saying that the JVP adhered to a code of ethics and any party member who has violated it would be dealt with regardless of the position held by them in the party. The JVP Leader had said that any member who has violated party discipline would be subject to a disciplinary inquiry."Since the party's inception, thousands have left the party, but no one has divulged details about the goings on of the party except for a very few," Amarasinghe had said.As for the Handunnetti saga, Amarasinghe had said that if Ketapearachchi had received death threats and had any details about the so-called house arrest he should make a police complaint.Amarasinghe had lost his cool and said that since Ketapearachchi had named him as being involved in the Handunnetti case, he would look into what can be done about it and said he would take legal action against Ketapearachchi.Amarasinghe had however not responded to Ketapearachchi's statement on the party's preparedness to initiate another armed insurgency and the party's alleged business dealings.Ketapearachchi told The Morning Leader that Amarasinghe had threatened to take legal action against him for speaking the truth."Handunnetti was placed under unofficial house arrest by the party and according to Amarasinghe the party seems to have made the decision without his knowledge. I am ready to face Amarasinghe in courts," he said.Ketapearachchi said that he had already lodged a police complaint on the threats received by him along with the names of the JVP members involved.Ketapearachchi in January lodged a complaint with the Welikada Police on threats to his life by members from the JVP for allegedly leaking information of internal party conflicts to the media.The Welikada Police in January reported facts to court and obtained approval to proceed with the investigation including approval to verify necessary telephone records.Ketapearachchi lodged the complaint with the Welikada Police stating that several JVP members attached to local government bodies as well as several other members of the party had threatened him with death for allegedly leaking information of Handunnetti's unofficial house arrest and deals of the party.In his complaint, Ketapearachchi had named JVP Colombo District organiser, Priyantha, Western Provincial Council Member Mohamed Nafli, Colombo Municipal Council Members Ravi and Hemantha as arriving in a vehicle bearing number GK 5045 and threatening to kill him and dump his body in the Diyawanna Oya.Ketapearachchi told The Morning Leader that the reason he lodged a complaint with the police was due to the threat posed to his life by the JVP.He said that he worked to save Handunnetti from his present plight. According to him, Handunnetti who had raised a voice against the JVP's business deals was being considered a stumbling block to the party's 'progress' by several senior members."Handunnetti knew that he would one day be prisoner of his own party and he told me that in case any such issue came out, I had to go to the media with the details he had given me. That is what I did," Ketapearachchi said.The Welikada Police filed a case in the Magistrate's Colombo No: 4 on the alleged threat to Ketapearachchi's life by members of the JVP.

10 March 2008

Batti Election Results

This is the final results of Local Authorities Elections 2008 in Batti District have been published by The Election Commissioner's Office so far:

BATTICALOA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPFA- Votes Obtained - 14,158- Percentage - 77% - Seats- 11
INDEPENDENT GROUP I - Votes Obtained - 9,601 - Percentage - 36.46% - Seats- 6
MUSLIM CONGRESS - Votes Obtained - 1,788 - Percentage - 6.79% - Seats- 1
EELAVAR DEMOCRATIC FRONT - Votes Obtained - 427 - Percentage - 1.62% - Seats- 1
Other Parties have No Seats

Valid Votes -26,331 (90.32%)
Rejected Votes -2,822 (9.68%)
Total Polled -29,153
Registered Electors -54,948


MANMUNAI SOUTH & ERUVILPATTU PRADESHIYA SABHA
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TMVP - Votes Obtained - 10,047 - Percentage - 62.61% - Seats- 7
INDEPENDENT GROUP - Votes Obtained - 5,615 - Percentage - 34.99% - Seats- 3
Other Parties have No Seats

Valid Votes- 16,048 (86.74%)
Rejected Votes- 2,454 (13.26%)
Total Polled-18,502
Regis. Electors-38,386

MANMUNAIPATTU PRADESHIYA SABHA
------------------------------------------------------------
TMVP - Votes Obtained - 9,373 - Percentage - 71.23% - Seats- 7
MUSLIM CONGRESS - Votes Obtained - 2,816 - Percentage - 21.40% - Seats- 2
Other Parties have No Seats

Valid Votes 13,158 (93.89% )
Rejected Votes 856 (6.11% )
Total Polled -14,014
Regis. Electors -18,759

Batticaloa polls peacefully end with 57% turnout

The local government election in Batticaloa ended this evening peacefully except for few isolated incidents, showing some 57% of turnout, officials said.The highest percentage of voter turn out was reported in Manmunai Pattu Pradehisiya Sabha Division with 72 percent, while the lowest of 38 percent turnout reported from the Porativu Pattu area. All the ballot boxes were taken in to the Hindu Vidyalaya in Batticaloa, the main counting centre. The counting started at 7.00 pm and the first result would be released before the midnight today.

Key local polls held in Sri Lanka 

People in parts of eastern Sri Lanka have voted in key local elections. They were taking place in areas that were held by the Tamil Tiger rebels for more than a decade, until they were taken by government forces last year. A party of former Tamil Tiger rebels who switched sides is expected to win. It has not laid down its arms. Separately, one person was killed in a bombing in the capital, Colombo, on Monday, police and the military said. Officials blamed the rebels.

High security

Thousands of police and commandos were deployed in Batticaloa district in eastern Sri Lanka for the local elections. There were no reports of violence In rural parts of Batticaloa district people rode bicycles to vote past bombed out houses and mine fields, reminders of the fighting that ended in July. It was the first local election for 14 years in areas that used to be held by the Tamil Tigers. At stake is control of the municipal council and local authorities in the villages. The party that expects to win is Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal party (TMVP), a faction that broke away from the Tamil Tigers in 2004. They then turned on their former comrades and helped government forces to drive them from the east. The TMVP has been accused of recruiting child soldiers, abductions and killings, and they still have not given up their guns. The TMVP president, who goes by his nom de guerre of Pillaiyan, told reporters that his group still has guns for security. He also admitted that there were 30-40 former Tamil Tiger child soldiers still in his ranks. He said that livelihoods had to be found for them before they could leave his group. The island's main opposition party is boycotting the elections in protest.

Dry run

For Sri Lanka's government this process has an importance beyond a mere local poll. The BBC's Roland Buerk in Batticaloa says Monday's polls are a dry run for a province-wide election expected later that officials hope will lay a framework to help end the island's long-running conflict. The government's plan is to militarily defeat the separatist rebels in the north where they still control territory. Then there would be limited devolution of power to provincial councils which the ethnic Singhalese-led government bills as its answer to the minority Tamil's demands for more autonomy. In January the government pulled out of a formal commitment to a 2002 ceasefire with the Tamil Tigers, arguing the rebels had used it to re-group and re-arm. Since then, fighting has intensified on the frontlines that surround Tiger-held territory in the north. Sri Lanka's army commander Lt-Gen Sarath Fonseka has said that he aims to defeat the rebels by the end of 2008.

TMVP of Vote Rigging In Local Poll in Batti – Party Claimed

The Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF), the political wing of EROS has accused the TMVP (Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) of vote rigging at the local election polls today. The TMVP and the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) have contested head on head and tensions between the EDF and the TMVP have been rife, according to the Party sources. Nesan Shankar Raji, senior leader and spokesperson for EROS stated in a communiqué that he had credible information from his members who were dispatched to monitor the voting booths that several locals who had approached the polling booths in Batticaloa and Amparai were carrying false National Identity Cards and had been apprehended by EROS members as a result who were monitoring the booths. “The TMVP know perfectly well that the EDF is a threat to them and this is why they have resorted to sending locals to cast their vote carrying false I.D. cards” said Nesan Shankar Raji. It is said that these people were either paid by the TMVP or forced to cast their votes at the polling booths carrying false identity documentation.The TMVP has also made a counter allegation against the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) of vote rigging. Vote rigging is nothing new in Sri Lankan local or parliamentary elections. The Sri Lankan Election Commission have very little resources in order to fully monitor the elections and prevent vote rigging. The Government of Sri Lanka also has failed to accommodate independent election monitors to oversee these elections. Many see these elections as a farce. The polling stations are now closed and the votes will be counted soon. The TMVP has contested in alliance with the Government under the UPFA ticket and the Eelavar Democratic Front (EDF) under EROS has contested independently.

Blast in Sri Lanka capital kills one 

A suspected rebel bomb exploded in a mostly Tamil residential area of the Sri Lankan capital on Monday, killing one and wounding five, including children, military sources said.The parcel bomb exploded near a cinema in the Colombo neighbourhood of Wellawatta, the sources said, adding that they suspected Tamil Tiger rebels who want to create an independent state in the north and east of the country.An army official on the scene who asked not to be named said there was one dead. Another military source said five people were wounded in the blast.Hospital authorities said four school children were admitted to hospital."It was a parcel bomb fixed in an island in the middle of the road," said the military source, who also asked not to be named.He said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam: "It is definitely by the Tigers."The LTTE was not immediately available for comment.Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January formally scrapped a 6-year truce in the country's 25-year civil war. Analysts say the military has the upper hand in the war's latest phase given superior air power, strength of numbers and swathes of terrain captured in the island's east. But they still see no clear winner on the horizon.The military says it aims to defeat the Tigers by the end of the year. But the Tigers are regularly hitting back with suicide attacks increasingly aimed at civilians and roadside bombs, experts and the military say.An estimated 70,000 people have died since the war began in 1983.

Batticaloa mini poll: More than 100 votes recorded only in one place in first two hours

Batticaloa Special Correspondent Ravi Chandralal said polling was low during the first two hours at the controversial local government election held today (10) in the Batticaloa district. Only one polling center exceeded the turnover of 100 votes. Our correspondent said that he travelled in areas such as Ariyampathi, Tamakuda, Pudukudiirippu, Kurukkalmadam, Kaludaweli, Kalwanchikudi, Eruwil, Kuruwanweli and Mawloor. He said that only the villagers of Mawloor told him that they would vote in the evening if there were no violence. In the polling centers of those areas, mere 40-60 votes had been cast. Security forces recovered and defused a claymore tied to a tree close to a polling center in Valachchanai. Our correspondent said that the normalcy prevailed in the area sans that incident. H.M.D. Seram, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Batticaloa), said that 6000 police officers, 1500 Special Task Force personnel, 1500 Army personnel and 700 Air Force airmen had been deployed for the security of the election.

India risks indictment in war crimes, cautions LTTE

Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) from its Head Quarters in Vanni on Monday released a statement condemning the Indian State welcome extended to Sri Lanka Army Chief Lt. Col. Sarath Fonseka and the statements made by Indian military chiefs in this context. "[The] Indian State must take the responsibility for the ethnic genocide of the Tamils that will be carried out by the Sinhala military, re-invigorated by such moves of the Indian State," the statement said. "LTTE wishes to point out to the Indian State that by this historic blunder, it will continue to subject the Eelam Tamils to misery and put them in the dangerous situation of having to face ethnic genocide on a massive scale." The Indian State’s move of "propping up the politically-militarily-economically weakened SriLankan State has upset Eelam Tamils," the LTTE statement said. "We did not leave the ceasefire agreement and we did not start the war. We are only undertaking a defensive war against the war of ethnic genocide of the Sri Lankan State.""We still have not abandoned the Norway sponsored peace efforts and we are ready to take part in such efforts."

Full text of the LTTE statement follows:

Head Quarters
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam
10 March 2008

Is the Indian State attempting yet another historic blunder?

The State welcome given by the Indian State to the Head of the Sri Lanka military chief Lt. Col. Sarath Fonseka, who is heading the Sri Lankan State’s war of ethnic genocide against the Eelam Tamils, has deeply hurt them.Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) strongly condemns the Indian State action of extending a State welcome to the military chief of the Sinhala State which has unilaterally abrogated the ceasefire agreement and has launched widespread military offensives in the Tamil homeland. The Sri Lankan State is facing many warnings and condemnations for its attempt to seek a military solution and for its enormous human rights violations.Despite this, the Sinhala State ignores these warnings and condemnations and continues with its abductions, killings, and arrests of Tamils.The Sinhala State, keen to cover up this truth, is blaming the freedom movement of the Tamils, the LTTE, for the continuation of the war and is seeking assistance from the world for its war of ethnic genocide.Many of the European countries, understanding this hidden motive of the Sinhala State, have halted all assistance that could support the ethnic genocide of the Tamils.The Indian State also knows this truth. Yet, while pronouncing that a solution to the Tamil problem must be found through peaceful means, it is giving encouragement to the military approach of the Sinhala State. This can only lead to the intensification of the genocide of the Tamils. LTTE wishes to point out to the Indian State that by this historic blunder it will continue to subject the Eelam Tamils to misery and put them in the dangerous situation of having to face ethnic genocide on a massive scale. On behalf of the Eelam Tamils, LTTE kindly requests the Tamils of Tamil Nadu to understand this anti-Tamil move of the Indian State and express their condemnation.We did not leave the ceasefire agreement and we did not start the war. We are only undertaking a defensive war against the war of ethnic genocide of the Sri Lankan State.We still have not abandoned the Norway sponsored peace efforts and we are ready to take part in such efforts. In this context, the Indian State’s move of propping up the politically-militarily-economically weakened SriLankan State has upset Eelam Tamils.The view expressed by the Indian military chiefs, "India wants to ensure that the Sri Lankan Army maintains its upperhand over the LTTE", just illustrates the efforts of the Indian State to prop up the Sinhala war machine.Indian State must take the responsibility for the ethnic genocide of the Tamils that will be carried out by the Sinhala military re-invigorated by such moves of the Indian State.

Bruce Fein challenges Bernard Goonetilleke to open debate

Who could have seen this coming? Former U.S. Associate Attorney General Bruce Fein has called upon an eminent Sri Lankan diplomat and present ambassador to the U.S. to an open debate at the National Press Club on American soil. Does the call challenge the intellectuality of our Sri Lankan generations? Will Sri Lankan Ambassador to the US Bernard Goonetilleke accept this call to show that Sri Lankans are prepared for any challenge? Bruce Fein's challenge reflects his intellectual ability to interact with a powerful, career diplomat by modern Sri Lankan standards, and has come in the wake of the U.S. recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo from Serbia in the post-Cold War era leading to the further degradation of the relations between Russia and the U.S. Fein's call for an open debate is like a heavy weight boxing champion thinking that he cannot be defeated in the ring. Will the Sri Lankan ambassador accept the challenge or will he meekly retreat from the debate with his tail between legs? If Goonetilleke rejects the call, Sri Lanka will see it as a betrayal. One should remember that Sri Lanka once produced excellent analysts and intellectuals who contributed in the academic and public service circles, especially within the in the south and southeast Asia region. In this context alone, Goonetilleke should accept the challenge, and demonstrate Sri Lankan prowess in external relations and assertive diplomacy. Fein has given the ambassador the opportunity to pick any date in March of this year, and the Sri Lankan government, if necessary, must even allocate funds to invest in relevant resources on diplomacy, history and geography of Asia and the Americas to help him prepare for the debate. The call for the debate was pertinent. Goonetilleke's presentation on 25 January 2008 and the commentary that appeared on 17 February 2008 in the commentary section of the Washington Times entitled, "Tamil Homeland Fantasy", must have prompted Fein to speak out against Goonetilleke. Previous ambassadorial statements have presented the world with many factual errors about Sri Lanka's history and the principles of the UN Charter. Goonetilleke claimed that the Tamils did not have the fundamental principles to be recognized as a unique nation and state. Yet, according to the UN Charter's clearly stated principles, Tamils have justified their claim to be recognized as a unique nation and their eligibility for self-determination. Sri Lankan politicians and diplomats should remember the failure of the Thimpu Talks in 1984 as a consequence of the Sri Lankan government refusing to accept the fundamental demands of Tamil representatives at the talks. The Tamils put forward basic principles, which included the recognition of Tamil homeland, the recognition of Tamil people as a nationality and the recognition of the Tamil people's right to national self-determination. Rather, India, which hosted the talks between the Tamils and Sinhala leaderships at Thimpu in Bhutan, came up with a different set of responses in not accepting the demands of Tamils saying that, while recognizing the northern and eastern provinces as areas of historical habitation of Sri Lankan Tamil speaking people, the Tamils have also "…at all times hitherto lived together in this territory with other ethnic groups." The Sri Lankan politicians and ambassadors should know the differences between the statements above. By citing the Northern and Eastern provinces as Tamil homeland, they gave importance to other ethnic groups. "Other ethnic groups" referring specifically to the Sinhalese. The ambiguity was intended. The disenfranchisement of nearly a million plantation Tamils in 1948 and the escalation of planned Sinhala colonisation after independence shattered all wishes of the Tamils to co-exist. Tamils have blamed the Sinhala leadership for destroying their native habitat in their traditional villages, especially in the east of Sri Lanka, which continues to happen today. No-one can refute the fact that the north and east of Sri Lanka were and are the traditional homeland of Tamil-speaking people. This territory is well-defined and has been inhabited by the Tamil-speaking people from time immemorial. The Tamils of Sri Lankan-origin are not claiming the Upcountry region of Sri Lanka as their homeland because these areas are considered Sinhala homeland. No-one can argue that, since Tamils live in the hill country, the land is the traditional homeland of the Tamils. The indigenous Tamils of the island have lived in the northern and eastern parts of the island from the very beginning of their existence in Sri Lanka. Thus the Tamils have fulfilled all the principles stated in the UN Charter to be a unique nation. The concept of nation is psychology, but statehood is the legality. Statehood will be legally recognised once the majority of the members of the UN with the support of UN's Security Council declare it a legal state. Kosovo is a unique example to cite because Kosovo has declared independence unilaterally from Serbia. Most powerful countries, such as the U.S., have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state. With a population of over 3.2 million, twice the size of Kosovo, Tamils satisfy the basic criteria to be recognized as an independent state of their traditional homeland (northeast). This, indeed, will be part of Fein's argument. Meanwhile, Goonetilleke claims that the Tamils live in the Sinhala south and that, while the LTTE have control, no one can live in peace. This is a horrendous misguided error on the part of this so-called senior career Sri Lankan diplomat. Senior foreign delegates visited the government-controlled areas northeast of Sri Lanka and the LTTE-controlled territories. These diplomats reported on the great administration of the LTTE-controlled areas, and many sad stories -- disappearances, rapes, lootings and killings occurring on a daily basis - in the government-controlled areas. Goonetilleke may not have heard these stories because he lived a cloistered life far removed from reality, and it is pathetic that he was named a senior person in the Sri Lankan peace coordinating committee. It is baffling as to how such people like Goonetilleke could objectively explain the history of Tamil struggle and their history to an international audience let alone to the common Sinhala people in the south. It is pathetic that he claims that the Tamils have no traditional homeland and Tamils have no grievances whatsoever, except the Tamil terrorism (LTTE). He is used to citing the FBI's report comparing the LTTE with other international outfits like Al Qaeda, Hezbollah or Hamas. His lack of knowledge about India's history is evidenced by his claims that India's official language is Hindi and that India does not recognize the other languages. In fact, Indian states and the central government agreed when the central government granted autonomy for the states through quasi-federalism, that the states would have their own language besides English. While the central government recognizes all state languages, they would employ Hindi and English as official languages. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab are a few of the Indian states who have their own language of administration - in addition to English. There is no Hindi domination of these states at all. If the central government sends out mail to the people of these states, they address the letters in English, rather than Hindi. These states send their MPs to the upper and lower houses in New Delhi to represent their states, where they speak English. Although, Sri Lanka recognized Sinhala, Tamil and English as official languages of government in Colombo, the governments in Colombo had directed their departments to write letters in Sinhala even when addressing them to the people who live in Tamil homeland. These Tamils do not have any knowledge of Sinhala at all. Contrary to what Goonetilleke has said, there are very few Tamil officers in the Sri Lankan armed forces and police force. On the question of standardisation of University intake on a racial basis, even an anti-LTTE activist like Ratnajeevan H. Hoole, who is attached to the Drexel University in Philadelphia, has written a response to Goonetilleke's commentary that: "Goonetilleke says weighting examinations was never intended to discriminate against us Tamils. I took the common Advanced Level exam in 1969 and was admitted to the engineering faculty. The government then redid the admissions after adding some 28 marks to the four-subject aggregate of Sinhalese students. I lost my seat. They effectively claimed that the son of a Sinhalese minister in an elite Colombo school was disadvantaged vis-à-vis a Tamil tea-plucker's son. Unable to defend this, in 1973 they created the statistical scheme equating Tamil and Sinhalese averages with regional preferences to which the ambassador refers." Goonetilleke argues that Sri Lanka's judicial system embraces all sectors of Sri Lankan society. He is trying to please his masters in Colombo by conveying these stories to the men and women of western countries who have either little or no knowledge of Sri Lanka. This is totally dishonest. Senior men like Goonetilleke should maintain their credibility by speaking the truth. He has randomly picked recent court cases and claimed that the Sri Lankan judicial system treated everyone equally regardless of ethnicity or religion. The opinion of the Tamils is that the Sri Lankan judicial system treats the Tamils as second class citizens and, so, they have no confidence in the justice system. The criminal justice system has never been able to punish those culprits who raped and murdered the Tamils in broad daylight in Colombo or in the northeast of the island. Tamils cannot even approach the police stations in the south to lodge complaints against Sinhala criminals. In return, the officers in charge will book these innocent complainants with false allegations. Fearing police retaliation, the innocent Tamils do not file complaints with the police. Besides, if the Tamils took the issues all the way to the courts, these Tamils would either be abducted by the so-called 'white van' abductors, or be jailed by the police for alleged LTTE connections. This is the reality on ground in Sri Lanka. The distorted statements by senior diplomats definitely will hurt the feelings of Tamils and others who are interested the minority rights and human values. It is easy to make people believe a lie but the truth has to be told a thousand times before they believe it. Are Sri Lankans willing to expose the state they represent by denying the calls for an open debate? Sri Lankans will definitely feel betrayed if their diplomats, politicians or senior statesmen who fail to defend their country. Fein's call is a challenge for the diplomats or politicians in Sri Lanka to prove whether Sri Lanka is waging a war against terrorists or against freedom fighters. This could be the last chance for Sri Lanka to have an open debate in an international forum. Of course, the Sri Lankan government in the past had a Tamil, Lakshman Kadirgamar, from the Tamil homeland as the foreign minister of Sri Lanka and with excellent speaking and diplomacy skills, but it is impossible for the current Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama to rise up to it. Sri Lankans from within and outside of Sri Lanka eagerly await Sri Lanka's response. Sri Lankans want to see whether these diplomats will further degrade the prestige of Sri Lanka in the eyes of foreigners. Failure to attend the debate will be an embarrassment and slap in the face for all Sri Lankans. Are Sri Lankans ready to show their chins to receive the slaps from a foreigner? Make a wise choice and prove that Sri Lankans are no less intellectual than any of other developed nations.

EPDP pleased with poll
   
The EPDP today praised the conduct of the polls in the East but charged there was vote rigging by the TMVP in several parts of the district. “The TMVP’s attempt to rig polls in the Batticaloa Municipal area was prevented due to the heavy deployment of security forces personnel. But in the remote areas the TMVP had been successful in rigging votes,” EPDP Batticaloa Coordinating Secretary K. Arumalingam said.He said the EPDP entered the fray to prevent the TMVP from having a free say on the affairs in Batticaloa and to improve development work in the district which had not faced an election for almost 14 years. He praised the police and the armed forces for the security provided for the local government polls and hoped the EPDP would be able to secure a good majority in the Batticaloa Municipal Council.

09 March 2008

Sri Lanka holds elections in recaptured east amid violence, intimidation 

Residents in Sri Lanka - 's tense eastern city of Batticaloa and surrounding towns go to the polls Monday in a vote the government says is key to restoring order in the area, which troops recaptured months ago following decades of rule by the Tamil Tiger rebels. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for an independent state in Sri Lanka - 's north and east for minority ethnic Tamils, who were marginalized for decades by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. A 2002 cease-fire halted most of the fighting, but it flared again about two years ago. By last July, a major government offensive supported by thousands of former Tamil Tigers now known as the Karuna faction had forced the rebels out of the east. Violence and chaos have plagued the area since then, however. Residents speak of armed groups demanding protection money, abducting civilians, forcibly recruiting children into their militias and killing people without fear of arrest. Several such groups were fielding candidates for Monday's election in Batticaloa and other towns and villages in the surrounding district, where 101 council seats were up for grabs. Government spokesman for national security and defense Keheliya Rambukwella said the elections were an important step toward cementing democracy in the area, even if the environment was not perfect. ``Here you have democracy. There is serious development taking place. You have freedom of movement, but again, until the last six months, it was in the clutches of a major terrorist group,'' he said, referring to the Tamil Tigers.But a coalition of human rights organizations said there was so much violence that it would be impossible to hold a fair poll. The rights groups said some candidates were unable to campaign due to fear of attack by rival parties, while armed groups have forced local officials to run as their candidates, rights group say. ``In such a situation, there is no possibility of free choice between candidates,'' said Dulani Kulasinghe, a researcher at the Law and Society Trust rights group based in the capital, Colombo. Many groups have declined to monitor the elections because the level of intimidation is so high and the community is so afraid to report violations that preparing an accurate report would be impossible, said Sunila Abeysekara, executive director of the Colombo-based human rights group Inform. The government was sending 4,200 police officers into Batticaloa and the other towns holding elections. Each of the 285 polling stations would be protected by five officers, police said.

SAARC Summit shifted

In an outright embarrassing move, the Sri Lankan Government has decided to shift the forthcoming SAARC Summit to Colombo from the historic city of Kandy, mainly owing to security concerns and lack of infrastructure facilities. The move, dubbed by many as humiliating owing to the negative impact the sudden decision is likely to cause, was taken mid last week – exactly a day before the final budgeting estimates for the mega Kandy show were to be finalised, The Nation reliably learns.Early this year, the government announced that the 15th SAARC summit, scheduled from July 27 to August 3, would be held in the picturesque city of Kandy, with a ‘foolproof’ security arrangement to ward off any possible terrorist attacks.“However, given the lack of infrastructure, the transporting of VIPs in Kandy would be a virtual nightmare. Therefore, a decision has been taken to shift almost the entire summit to Colombo, except for a few sideline events such as the cultural shows,” sources said. According to officials attached to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the initial budget drawn for the Kandy summit had surpassed the Rs. 2 billion mark owing to large-scale infrastructure projects. However, with the change of locations from Kandy to Colombo, the budget for the entire summit will be well under Rs. 1 billion, costing approximately Rs. 600 million. “Unlike in Kandy, no actual renovations are necessary for the conference halls and other facilities. The expenditure will be mainly for accommodation and travelling,” an official noted. Sri Lanka is expecting around 950 delegates for the 15th SAARC summit, and the new budget will be drawn up within the next few days. Meanwhile, highly-placed sources were of the view that the sudden change in location also gives the indication that the government is unable to ensure an incident-free event in Kandy.“The location change will also get a lot of negative reporting from regional media,” sources noted. It is also learnt that in the event the main conference were to be held in Kandy, the renovation expenditure for the International Buddhist Centre alone would have cost at least a staggering Rs. 98 million.The Peradeniya University was also to be used for the week long summit, and according to sources, if the events were to be held there as initially planned, everything had to be re-done from scratch, including the toilets, owing to the “terrible and depilated” conditions they were in.“Whether all the renovation could have actually been completed by mid July, in time for the summit, was another issue,” sources noted. Meanwhile, The Nation learns that the government is looking at renting vehicles for the visiting delegates, including heads of state, at a massive sum, running into millions each day. It is reliably understood that the officials who are in charge of budgeting and organising the summit have made tentative bookings per single Nissan Cefiro at a staggering Rs. 30,000 a day and a luxury Mercedes Benz at a whopping Rs. 200,000 a day. Meanwhile, the special committee project meeting which was scheduled to be held last Friday has been postponed for tomorrow.

Prabhakaran makes public appearance to pay homage to Sivanesan

Making his first public appearance after claims of his injuries surfaced over three months back, elusive Tiger supremo V Prabhakaran paid homage to a slain TNA lawmaker in the rebel-held Wanni area in Sri lanka's embattled north. Attired in his army fatigue with a Tiger emblem in his cap and sporting a steel wrist watch, the well-built 54-year-old Prabhakaran offered floral tributes to K Sivanesan, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP who was killed in a roadside bomb attack on Saturday, according to the photographs released by the LTTE. A small group of people around Prabhakaran stood in rapt attention with hands crossed in awe and respect during the homage-paying ceremony at an undisclosed location in Wanni. It was not known when the event happened. Prabhakaran is seen in the photographs with trim black mustaches and light black smudges above his cheeks. Earlier, in a statement, Prabhakaran had conferred the honour of 'Mamanitan' (Great Man) on Sivanesan while alleging that the TNA MP was killed in an explosion carried out by Sri Lankan security forces.

UNP (D), a govt. ally at an election for north  
         
The UNP Democratic Group has decided to form an alliance with the government and field candidates if the government decides to hold snap elections for the northern province after a military victory.The decision was taken after a meeting held on March 06th.However, UNP (D) leader Karu Jayasuriya said that the President had assured him that general elections will not be held until implementation of a solution, based on the 13th Amendment, to the ethnic crisis.The party had discussed at length at a meeting on March 06th the options before it – preserving the identity and contesting   independently or fielding candidates under the ticket of the SLFP. Members of the UNP (D) had also used the opportunity to undertake a self-criticism regarding their recent actions and have also weighed the pros and cons following their union with the government.In addition, the party has discussed how the growing rapport between the President and the Opposition leader would affect them.

President’s security arrangements changed

The Presidential Security Division has taken steps to change the security protocol of President Mahinda Rajapaksa forthwith in view of certain revelations that have transpired connecting an Inspector of Police in that division to an LTTE Black Tiger. According to investigations, the Police Inspector concerned who is on regular guard duty along the President’s route between Temple Trees and President’s House or the Presidential Secretariat had been in close association with the suspected Black Tiger known as Nishanthan who has emailed information about the President’s movements to the LTTE in the Wanni. Nishanthan is an expert in the use of electronic information technology Meanwhile, the Inspector concerned is alleged to have introduced Nishanthan to other police officers as his own brother. This misinformation has enabled Nishanthan to be present by the side of the said Inspector, whenever the President passed this Inspector’s duty point.

Iranian President here in April

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected in Sri Lanka next month. It is, however, likely to be marred by controversy with senior Foreign Ministry officials anxious over Ahmadinejad’s proposed visit to Sri Lanka. The Iranian President is expected in the country between April 15 to 22.In the event he arrives as scheduled, Ahmadinejad is also likely to lay the foundation stone for the Uma Oya hydro power project, which is being funded by Iran. Iran is also assisting Sri Lanka to develop the Sapugaskanda oil refinery. “Foreign Ministry officials are apprehensive over the impending visit, as the United Nations has imposed sanctions against Iran and Sri Lanka may likely irk the UN and other Western countries in the event Ahmadinejad visits the island,” sources said. However, the Iranian President’s visit to the country is yet to be finalised. President Mahinda Rajapaksa undertook a controversial visit to Iran in November last year, which reportedly irked many Western countries, including the United States.

Prabhakaran 'hale and hearty', says Tamil MP

Tamil Tigers chief V Prabhakaran is "hale and hearty and ruling skillfully", a lawmaker of Tamil party has said, rejecting claims that the elusive rebel leader was injured. "Incorrect statements are being made saying Prabhakaran is injured in an air-attack," MP Selvarajah Gajendran of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), said. "He (Prabhakaran) is quite healthy and ruling skillfully," the lawmaker from strife-torn Jaffna told the House earlier this week while speaking on a motion to extend emergency in Sri Lanka by one month. The Sri Lankan military had earlier claimed that Prabhakaran may have been injured in a November air raid. The military has intensified its offensive against the rebels after scrapping a tattered 2002 ceasefire in January.Gajendran also demanded more supplies of food and other essential commodities for the people of Northern Sri Lanka where the military is battling the LTTE."If the abductions and murder (of Tamils) are to continue. We will separate ourselves (from the country)," he said.Gajendran sought enhanced electricity supply to the main hospital in rebel held Kilinochchi saying the vaccines and other drugs were getting spoilt in the refrigerators due to lack of power supply.

Sunday Times columnist, 3 other journalists detained
 
Three journalists, including Sunday Times columnist J.S.Tissanayagam, were among five arrested and detained by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) of the police on Friday while a fourth journalist was questioned and released last night.Deputy Inspector General W. Prathapasinghe confirmed the arrests yesterday but declined to give the reasons. Mr. Tissanayagam and two other journalists are being held on a 30-day detention order while editor of the Sarinihar, a Tamil weekly, S. Sivakumar who is also the Tamil spokesman for the Free Media Movement, was released around midnight yesterday after being held for 12 hours, his lawyers said.The arrests came after the Police raided E-quality Printers at Jampettah Street, Kotahena. It is owned by B. Jaseekaran, a one time journalist attached to a Batticaloa based Tamil newspaper Thinakathir. He and his wife Valarmathy were taken into custody.The printing press had been used to print Sarinihar. A web site (Outreachsl.com) run by Mr. Tissanayagam also had its offices in the same building that housed the printing press. Others in custody are K. Wijesinghe, a video cameraman and S. Ranga, a photographer. Mr. Sivakumar had not been available when the Mount Lavinia Police went to his residence at Ratmalana. Hence, one of his cousins had been taken away by the Police, according to Free Media Movement Convenor Sunanda Deshapriya. He said the Police had agreed to release him only after Mr. Sivakumar gave himself up to them. Yesterday, Mr. Deshapriya and a lawyer accompanied Mr. Sivakumar to the Mount Lavinia Police to plead for the release of his cousin. After his cousin was released, Mr. Sivakumaran reported to the TID. Mr. Deshapriya said the FMM was calling for a speedy inquiry.Mr. Tissanayagam writes The Sunday Times weekly column Telescope, which will not appear today due to his continued detention since Friday.

Sri Lanka to release 47 Tamil Nadu fishermen

Sri Lanka will release 47 of the 59 Tamil Nadu fishermen detained by its Navy after they strayed into its waters on Thursday. Official sources said two of the six boats seized too would be released and the other fishermen would be produced before a magistrate. Fisherfolk of both countries straying into each other’s waters is a common occurrence and has been a constant source of friction.

“Tigers sneaking in”

Ever since the escalation of hostilities between the Sri Lanka military and the LTTE, the authorities have been warning Indian fisherfolk to stay away on the ground that the Tigers were exploiting the situation and sneaking in under the guise of fisherfolk.Separately, in continuing clashes along the Forward Defence Lines in the north 12 LTTE cadres and a Sri Lankan soldier were killed.

LTTE claims responsibility for Buttala claymore attack
 
One soldier was killed and six were injured in a roadside claymore mine explosion at Buttala yesterday, police said but the LTTE, in a rare claim of responsibility for the attack, said four soldiers were killed and two wounded.The soldiers were travelling in a tractor when they came under attack at Salmalpelessa along the Buttala-Kataragama road around 9.45 a.m., the police said.The LTTE in a statement said the soldiers were attacked by a fighting patrol of the LTTE. The claim came in a statement issued by LTTE’s military spokesman Rasaiyah Illanthirayan.

Abductors wanted to silence me politically– Wijekoon

Former Deputy Minister and Member of Parliament Jayasundara Wijekoon, who appeared after being abducted on March 4, from his Buttala residence, said that the motive of his abduction was to politically silence him. He had been released on Friday night at Arawwala, Maharagama by his abductors. He had then lodged a complaint at the Maharagama Police following his release. Later he was admitted to the Kalubowila Hospital and was discharged yesterday morning. Wijekoon told The Nation that he was abducted by three armed persons who wore black. Recalling his abduction, the former minister said that on March 4 some person, pretending to be his brother, had knocked on the door. Wijekoon had opened the door without any suspicions. The abductors had then entered into his house forcefully. The abductors had said that they wanted to search his house. They had then forcibly taken him to a car and had made him unconscious. However, when he regained consciousness, he realised he was in a van and not a car. He remembers clearly that he was initially taken in a car.“The abductors questioned me a lot. I had threats from every party during my life time. I do not have any personal enemies. I guess the persons who abducted me wanted me to keep away from politics since not a single MP is available in Buttala at present,” Wijekoon said. The Nation learns that arrangements have been made to appoint Wijekoon as the UNP organizer for Wallawaya. The Nation’s attempts to contact Police Spokesman DIG N.K Illangakoon, Assistant Superintendent Police Monaragala Vijitha Komasaru and OIC Buttala Police Thennakoon to obtain more information on the investigations proved futile.

Karunanidhi urges Indian PM to protect fishermen from unprovoked SLN attacks

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Saturday wrote to the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging him to "instruct the [Indian] Coast Guard and the Navy to carry out effective patrolling and surveillance to protect Tamil Nadu fishermen from unprovoked firing" by the Sri Lankan Navy since the situation was "becoming alarming day by day and unprovoked attacks are taking place often", according to reports in the Indian media. "It is necessary to contain the arbitrary activities of the Sri Lankan Navy," his letter noted. Kalaignar Karunanidhi underlined the necessity for the Indian Defence Ministry to give due importance to his suggestions in order to protect the fishermen. "I shall be grateful if the requests of the State Government are implemented on a war footing," he said in the letter. He urged Dr. Manmohan Singh to "convey the concerns and sentiments of the Tamil Nadu State Government to Sri Lanka through the External Affairs Ministry with a request to ensure humanitarian treatment to the fishermen even if they inadvertently stray into the Sri Lankan waters."In his letter, the Chief Minster expressed "anguish caused to him and to the people of Tamil Nadu" by the two shooting incidents near Kachchatheevu on March 5, resulting in the death of one fisherman and bullet injuries to another.He admitted that "such frequent firing incidents created a sense of insecurity and unrest among the fishermen in Tamil Nadu. The protests and agitations staged by the fishermen against the firing were sometimes becoming unmanageable and creating law and order problems.""Needless to add that we have repeatedly instructed our fishermen from crossing the IMBL but the fishermen are guided by the availability of fish which, as you know, is available plenty near Kachchatheevu- which has from time immemorial been the traditional fishing ground of fishermen of Tamil Nadu. However my request is at even in cases where the fishermen have strayed into Sri Lankan waters, the men should be treated as per International Laws and norms and not through violence and bullets."Because of the sustained efforts of his government, Sri Lanka ordered the release of 47 of the 62 fishermen from Kanniyakumari who were detained by the Sri Lanka Navy on Thursday. Indian media reports link this immediate release to Karunanidhi's letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

08 March 2008

TNA condemns Sivanesan killing

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a statement issued Friday strongly condemned the killing of its Jaffna district parliamentarian K.Sivanesan on Thursday at Maangku'lam along A9 highway. TNA has been expressing its deepest sorrow and distress over the killing of Mr. Sivanesan in a claymore explosion, the statement added. "Mr. Sivanesan worked hard for the emancipation of the Tamil people, against social injustice and for the development of co-operative movement. He won the hearts of Tamils by his unwavering stand on the freedom struggle by his deed and speech. He dedicated himself from the young age for the liberation of his people," the TNA statement said. "The TNA points out at this juncture its parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham in Batticaloa, N.Raviraj in Colombo, former parliamentarians Chandra Nehru, Sivamaharasa and a candidate, Vigneswaran and several heads of local authorities in the North and East had also been killed in a planned way. The number of Tamils who have been fighting for the rights of their community are being killed and the number of Tamils surrendered daily at the office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka are also on the increase.

A translation of the TNA statement, issued in Tamil, follows:

TNA condemns Sivanesan killing

"The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) strongly condemns the killing of our Jaffna district parliamentarian K.Sivanesan on Thursday at Maangku'lam along A9 highway. We express our deepest sorrow and distress over the killing of Mr. Sivanesan in a claymore explosion. "Mr. Sivanesan was elected to parliament from Jaffna district in 2004 general elections. He had shifted his family from Karaveddi, Jaffna to Mallaavi due to the closure of the A9 highway. He also faced threat to his life and him while residing in Karaveddi. "Sivanesan participated in the debate in parliament on March 5 and voted against the motion extending the state of emergency for another month. Later, he left for Mallaavi where his family has been residing in his vehicle. He met his death on his way to Mallaavi. He had miraculously escaped a claymore explosion during the middle of last year in the same site targeting his vehicle."It is believed that the claymore attack targeting Mr. Sivanesan had been carried out by the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army. Such attacks had been carried earlier in Vanni by the Deep Penetration Unit of the SLA. "The TNA points out at this juncture that its parliamentarians Joseph Pararajasingham in Batticaloa, N.Raviraj in Colombo, former parliamentarians Chandra Nehru (Ampaa'rai), Sivamaharasa (Jaffna) and a candidate, Vigneswaran (Trincomalee) and several heads of local authorities in the North and East had also been killed in a planned way. "While the number of Tamil representatives who have been fighting for the rights of their people are being killed, the number of Tamils who surrender daily at the offices of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka are on the increase."The TNA made representations to the Speaker several times regarding death threats to TNA parliamentarians and that they are being obstructed to carry out their parliamentary and democratic activities. But no action has been taken on the TNA complaints."The TNA stresses at this juncture that no force could stop Tamils voicing and fighting for the freedom of their community by killing its democratically elected representatives and subjecting them to intimidation and death threats."Mr. Sivanesan worked hard for the emancipation of the Tamil people, against social injustice and for the development of co-operative movement. He won the hearts of Tamils by his unwavering stand on the freedom struggle by his deed and speech. He dedicated himself from the young age for the liberation of his people."The death of Mr.Sivanesan is an irreparable loss to the Tamil community. His sacrifice would not go unrewarded. It would contribute to the liberation of the Tamil nation."We expresses our deepest condolences to his wife and children and the supporters."

Pirapaharan confers Maamanithar title to Sivanesan

Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) has conferred Maamanithar (Great human being) title, the highest national civilian honour by the LTTE, posthumously to K. Sivanesan, the Tamil national alliance parliamentarian who was assassinated Thursday in Vanni in Claymore attack allegedly carried out by the Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit. Honouring Mr. Sivanesan, the LTTE leader said: "Mr. Kiddinan Sivanesan is a unique individual who functioned selflessly, honestly, and with courage. He is simple, courteous and loving. He is a sincere politician who possessed high ideals. He labored tirelessly for the advancement and welfare of the workers."

Following is the full text of the letter of the LTTE leader, translated and published by the LTTE Political Division:

Head Quarters
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
7 March 2008

A great human being who deeply loved the Tamil people and the Tamil nation was destroyed by the Sinhala State. This planned, brutal assassination is the latest cruelty in the ongoing ethnic genocide of the Tamils. This vicious killing in the Vanni land is another illustration of the Sinhala State terrorism.Mr. Kiddinan Sivanesan is a unique individual who functioned selflessly, honestly, and with courage. He is simple, courteous and loving. He is a sincere politician who possessed high ideals. He labored tirelessly for the advancement and welfare of the workers.Freedom of the Tamils and the liberation of the Tamil homeland are his life goals. He yearned for a free and honorable life for the Tamil people in their land without the torments that have afflicted them. He longed to see free Tamil Eelam. To achieve these goals he accepted our movement, its political aim, the struggle we have launched and served dedicatedly.He took up the responsibility of representing the people of Jaffna and roamed the world seeking justice for the Tamils. He raised awareness among our people and gathered their support. He exposed the atrocities of the Sinhala state and it's occupying military to the world. He was courageous even in the midst of repeated harassments and threats of the Sinhala military. His service for the liberation of Tamil Eelam through his hard work and exemplary skills are immeasurable. Honoring Mr. Kiddinan Sivanesan's love for the freedom and his people, I am proud to posthumously award him the supreme title of "Mamanithar". Death never destroys the great souls who lived their life for truth. They will live for ever in nation's soul as heroes of our history.

"The yearning of the Tigers is the homeland of Tamil Eelam"

Signed:
V Pirapaharan
Leader of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Hakeem tells TNA: Save democracy in East  
   
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress said yesterday the TNA should not give another opportunity to government-backed forces to destroy democracy in the East by deciding to keep away from future elections in the Eastern Province. SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem told a public gathering at Valachchenai he had discussed this matter with TNA members recently. “Important decisions must not be taken impulsively but after much thought and taking into consideration the pulse of the people,” he said.However Mr. Hakeem said the SLMC had no intention of forming an alliance with the TNA to contest future elections. He accused the police of ignoring complaints made by SLMC members in the area and called on the police and the security forces to act independently and without bias.Mr. Hakeem said appointing members to the Police Commission by President Mahinda Rajapaksa had become a major issue today as government henchmen were being appointed to it.He said some political parties had called for the impeachment of the President, but the SLMC would state its position after studying the matter.Condemning the killing of TNA parliamentarian K. Sivanesan, Mr. Hakeem said the country’s law and order situation had deteriorated to such an extent that even an MP’s life was not valued today.

Sivanesan funeral in K’nochchi on Mar 09
  
The funeral of slain TNA parliamentarian K. Sivanesan takes place in Kilinochchi on March 09th, reports say.Sivanesan had been returning home at Mallavi after attending parliamentary sessions, when his vehicle was targeted in a claymore attack at Kanagarayankulam in the Wanni yesterday.Sivanesan had crossed the Omanthai Checkpoint and was proceeding to Mallavi on the A-9 road when the blast occurred around 1.20 pm.The parliamentarian died at Mankulam Hospital. His driver, 26-year-old Periyannan Maheswararajah was killed on the spot.A cyclist, Arulnathan Louisnathan, aged 13, was injured.The TNA accused that the Deep Penetration Unit of the Army had carried out the attack.There was not threat to the party from the LTTE, and both parties are informed in advance whenever TNA members visit the area, it said.However, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara rejected the accusation, and pointed the finger at the Tigers for the attack.Sivanesan, 51, leaves behind his wife, two sons and two daughters.Before his election to parliament from Jaffna in 2004, he was chairman of the Northern Province Palmyra Development Board.

Batticaloa women want their abducted children back, not elections – CSG

Women in the Batticaola District are not interested in elections, but want all children abducted by armed groups returned, said Nimalka Kannangara, who heads the Civil Society Group that is monitoring the March 10 polls for nine local bodies including the Batticaloa Municipal Council."Mothers are pleading with some of the candidates who have abducted their children to release them in return for votes. But in the same breath they say that the ballot boxes will be filled even if no one goes to the polling booths on March 10." Nimalka said that when the women were asked for their views on the election their stock reply was "What election and for whom is it being held? This election means nothing to us, since it will not establish democracy. The power of the gun will determine the winner. Once elected, the armed groups will be more powerful since they would also have local council powers."The women are also convinced that the same truck that came to abduct children, will return to take them to the polling booths on March 10, and would come again after the elections to harass them further. Going to the Police serves no purpose since victims, unlike during past elections are told to identify the accused if their complaints are to be recorded, she said."Farmers too are being intimidated and forced to obtain passes to enter their fields. Through this identification process the armed groups are ensuring more votes for their candidates," she said.

62 Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan Navy
 
RAMESWARAM: As many as 62 fishermen were taken into custody by Sri Lankan Navy when they were fishing in the sea off Kanyakumari on Friday, police said. The fishermen, all from Chinnathurai village near Thoothur in Kanyakumari district, were taken into custody by the Lankan Navy personnel at around 10 am, they said.This was the first time that such a large number of fishermen from Kanyakumari had been taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy, though similar arrests had been made in small numbers earlier, a Fisheries Department official said. A complaint had been lodged with the district collector Jothi Nirmala by other fishermen in this regard. Police said six boats were taken away by the Sri Lankan Navy. Thoothur Deep Sea Fishermen's Association, meanwhile, sent fax messages to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and the Union government seeking assistance in bringing back the fishermen. 

Investigations not credible -Maheswaran Family
 
Counsel representing the interest of the slain parliamentarian T. Maheswaran’s family requested the police to investigate the allegations made by the MP’s brother in an interview to BBC Sandeshaya.The slain MPs brother Thyagarajah Maheswaran told Sandeshaya that the police are trying to conclude that his brother was assassinated by the LTTE while he was convinced that the Tamil tigers did not have a hand in the Killing. Colombo Crime Division Director - SSP Anura Senanayake said that even though the brother of assassinated MP made the allegations to BBC Sandeshaya to be broadcast, he has not come forward to give details to the Police. Counsels representing the interest of the Maheswaran family said that his client feared victimisation and was reluctant to provide information as police investigations lacked credibility.

Ministers Interview

Police informed the Magistrate that they have already recorded a statement from Minister Keheliya Rambukwella regarding an interview given to BBC Sandeshaya about the allegation he made. Speaking to BBC Sandeshaya Minister Rambukwella said that the suspected assailant has previously served in the VIP security division of the police.The Director of Crime Investigation pointed out that police investigations proved otherwise. Police were instructed to consult the Attorny Generals Department and report on progress made.Suspects Jonston Colin Valentino and Francis Sudharshan were remand until the 17th of April while three other suspects were released on the request of the Police.

Maheswaran killing: Two suspects remanded

Two suspects allegedly involved in the killing of  former parliamentarian T. Maheswaran were yesterday ordered to be remanded till March 17.When the case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Ravindra Premaratne, Colombo Crime Division SSP Anura Senanayake informed that the investigation into the case was almost over and on conclusion of the investigations the Attorney General’s advice would be sought.He asked court to remand the first and second suspects and to release the other three suspects as investigations did not indicate their involvement in the assassination.Counsel Sujeewa Senasinghe who watched the interests of the family of the late Parliamentarian said the senior counsel for the aggrieved party had submitted to court to order the CCD to record a statement from Minister Keheliya Rambukwella on the alleged statement he made to the BBC in an interview. He also said the first suspect Johnson Colin Valentine was an MSD officer. He said the CCD had failed to record the Minister’s statement and the Police had ignored that area and diverted investigations in some other direction.Mr. Senanayake said he recorded a statement from Minister Rambukwella about his statement to the BBC but the statement did not throw light on the killing and the investigations were conducted on material evidence revealed during the investigations.The magistrate remanded the first and second suspects and released the other suspects.

Norway condemns assassination of Sivanesan MP

The Norwegian government on Friday condemned the killing of Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament K. Sivanesan of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and his driver Periyannan Maheshwararajah, following a claymore attack in the Vanni on 6 March 2008. "Attacks on members of Parliament are seriously undermining Sri Lanka’s democratic traditions and institutions. A political solution to the conflict is vital, to put an end to the spiral of violence," the Norwegian statement said.

LTTE spy-network takes a beating      

With the arrest of several top leaders and informants of the Liberation of Tigers Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from Colombo and its suburbs, the Colombo intelligence network of the Tigers has been exposed and curtailed.Two main intelligence groups directly under the LTTE’s spy unit chief Pottu Amman’s purview has been paralyzed with the latest exposure by the coordinated intelligence units of the armed forces and police in Colombo.The series of arrests of hardcore LTTE informants has now revealed that most of the past claymore attacks and LTTE activities had been controlled by one of the senior intelligence leaders of the Tigers Shanmuganathan Ravishankar alias Colonel Charles.The self styled Colonel Charles was killed while he was travelling in a van between Iluppaikkadavai and Pallaimadu on his way to inspect his regular forces in Mannar, early January this year.The crackdown of the LTTE intelligence network in Colombo began with the arrest of Mallika, who was engaged in what is termed the world’s oldest profession. Her hometown is Hikkaduwa although she had been functioning in Colombo for a long time. On being arrested she had revealed some vital clues to the police, who had later made a series of arrests.After interrogating Mallika, one ‘Indo Akka’ had been arrested, who is also engaged in the same profession. Indo Akka, who is a Tamil girl from Jaffna had arrived in Colombo from Jaffna six months ago and had rented a house in Grandpass. She had been sent to Colombo by Charles. Indo Akka had been able to coordinate several violent activities in Colombo with the support of Mallika who was having an affair with a Police Assistant attached to the Wattala police. Indo Akka’s main task was to collect information about VIP movements and other developments in Colombo. With the death of Charles Indo Akka faced a dilemma as no one was designated to handle her. Following her arrest, a special police team was able to arrest another mastermind called Nishanthan from Modera two weeks ago. Nishanthan has been sent by Pottu Amman two months ago and had obtained work at a hair dressing salon in Maligawatta with the help of Indo Akka.Nishanthan’s task was to collect every detail of VIP movements including President Mahinda Rajapaksa and direct suicide cadres to those targets. Working towards that he was able to build up a friendship with a Muslim police officer attached to the Maligawatta police station called Inspector D.M. Ajmir. Inspector Ajmir had been a resident of Kalmunai and had served as a Reserve Sub Inspector before joining the regular Police.One day, Nishanthan had introduced Pottu Amman to Ajmeer over the phone and offered some money to carry out some tasks. Ajmeer had been promised some Rs.200,000 to Rs.500,000 if he completes any task given by the LTTE.His first task was to collect information about the movements of Western Province police intelligence director Senior Superintendent of Police Ravi Seneviratne. After gathering information all the details had been handed over to Nishanthan, who planted a powerful claymore mine near the Maligawatta flats facing Baron Jayatilake Mawatha, targetting the vehicle of the SSP travelling on June 8, 2007. The bomb had been provided by 28-year-old Nadarajah Aravinda alias Vijayan, who blew himself up when his lodging was raided by the Police in Modera on February 29. Vijayan, who is an expert at making bombs, had been in Colombo since last November to assemble bombs for such attacks. The Tigers had started using this tactic due to the difficulties faced in carrying bombs to Colombo due to tight road checks.The plan was to activate the claymore targeting SSP Seneviratne using a remote control device, but the bomb did not explode due to some technical problem and the vehicle of the SSP had passed the scene without any problem. Immediately, Ajmeer had visited the place and had informed the police that he had found a claymore mine. Later he entered in the police log that the recovery was made following information given by one of his private informants. He was rewarded with Rs.300,000 for the recovery(Rs.100,000 for him and Rs.200,000 for his informant) by the Police Department. However Ajmeer had given only Rs. 25,000 to Nishanthan. The balance money was paid to a finance company for his leased vehicle.After failing this first task, Ajmeer was tasked to monitor movements and meetings of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to Ajmeer, who is now under Police custody, the plan was to send a suicide cadre disguised as a policeman to a meeting that the President would attend. But the plan failed and Pottu Amman had stopped giving tasks to Ajmeer after that. However Ajmeer continued to work with Nishanthan and provided information to him until he was arrested by a special police team, who later arrested Nishanthan as well.Meanwhile the arrest of Muththusami Ilankoowan alias Sami at Pettah, Colombo had sent shockwaves through some top Police officers, politicians and several businessmen in Colombo.Ilankoowan had reportedly paid millions of rupees to some police officers and politicians, while being one of the main LTTE agents in Colombo. It was revealed that soon after the arrest these politicians and police officers had tried to get Ilankoowan released, but due to the presence of clear evidence on his close links with the LTTE such pressure to get him released had stopped. Some high-ranking police officers had even tried to remove policemen involved in the investigations.During interrogation, Ilankoowan had told the Police that he had visited the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) at least six times to meet Charles Gnanakone, who was arrested for questioning  in connection with the assassination of late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.Ilankoowan had visited the CCD with the support of several senior police officers, it had been revealed. The arrest of Ilankoowan also led to a series of more arrests not only in Colombo but in Jaffna as well. On Wednesday night, Benedict Julian alias ‘Koti Juli’ – a top LTTE leader had been arrested.Earlier, two girls including one from Kohuwala who had undergone training to carry out LTTE activities in Colombo were arrested following information revealed by Ilankoowan.

Jaffna SLA commander calls upon LTTE cadres to surrender

Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, the Head of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in the North in a media communiqué released Tuesday night called upon the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres operating in the peninsula to surrender themselves at the military bases in the peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. The SLA commander of the Northern Region in his communiqué stated that most of the LTTE fighters have already surrendered at the Army camps and appealed to the rest to surrender taking advantage of the ongoing rehabilitation program.The SLA has in addition released copies of hand written letters allegedly written by the surrendered cadres of LTTE but many civil groups have already begun to question the authenticity of the documents.Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri at a recent meeting held in Palaali Army camp stated that 44 youths have surrendered at the army base and will be housed at a special SLA- run Rehabilitation centre in Thellipalai.Though nearly two weeks have passed since the meeting , no details of neither the names or addresses of those surrendered have been released by the SLA, civil society sources confirmed.It is feared that these 44 youths could have been either a part of a group of the civilians surrendered at the HRC, Jaffna but later enticed by SLA to surrender at the military bases or they could be among the thousands of youths in the peninsula who disappeared earlier, civil groups commented.Though SLA in Jaffna say that youths placed in the protective custody of Jaffna prison are willing to leave the prison to be placed in the SLA - run rehabilitation centre in Thellipalai, civilians continue to seek protection with Jaffna HRC due to death threats by armed groups with the backing of SLA troops, legal sources in Jaffna said.Family members of 44 youths who were recently allowed to leave Jaffna prison complained 27 February to a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian that they had paid sums of up to Rs.70, 000 to brokers acting as intermediaries between the relatives and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) personnel in Jaffna , to obtain the youths' release. Meanwhile, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, claimed that the youths had confessed to being members of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and had agreed to undergo rehabilitation at the Reformation and Rehabilitation Centre in Thellippa’lai, under SLA supervision. A top level delegation from the Ministry of Defence, Colombo arriving in Jaffna Saturday visted the Rehabilitation centre and had discussions regarding reactivating the centre, sources said. At the same time, a trader and his 20-year-old son from Thenmaraadchi sought protection with Human Rights Commission (HRC) Jaffna office Tuesday due to death threats by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troops and SLA-backed paramilitaries. The number of people seeking HRC protection from Thenmaraadchi area has risen sharply in the recent past, HRC sources said. The father, a trader, 55, and his son, 25, a student, complained to HRC that they were threatened to death during nights at their home several times.   

07 March 2008

TNA’s MP Sivanesan killed while returning home  
       
TNA MP K. Sivanesan had been returning home at Mallavi after attending parliamentary sessions, when he was targeted in a claymore attack at Kanagarayankulam in the Wanni yesterday afternoon (Mar. 06th), reports say.Sivanesan had crossed the Omanthai Checkpoint and was proceeding to Mallavi on the A-9 road when the blast occurred around 1.20 pm.His driver, 26-year-old Periyannan Maheswararajah was also killed in the incident, which left a cyclist, Arulnathan Louisnathan, aged 13, injured. Sivanesan was elected to Sri Lanka's parliament from the TNA in the April 2004 parliamentary election. K. Sivanesan, born on 21 January, 1957, was General Manager of Northern Region Palm Development CO-OP society's Uni-Cluster, between 1996 and 2004, before being elected to Sri Lanka Parliament. He has worked as accountant of the palm development co-operative society's union of Jaffna and a secretary of Federation of popular association in Mallaavi, Vanni. He was a former student of Nelliyadi Maththiya Mahaa Viththiyaalayam. Mr. Sivanesan leaves behind his wife and four children, 2 sons and 2 daughters.  Tamilnet website claimed that the Deep Penetration Unit of the Army had carried out the attack.

Rupavahini employees picket in protest against attacks

Hundreds of Rupavahini employees, belonging to five trade unions, staged a picket after the lunch break yesterday without causing any disruption to the routine programmes. Personnel necessary to maintain services were requested by the unions not participate in the picket.Union sources said the picketing was in protest against slashing and injuring of Rupavahini Corporation Librarian Mrs Ranjani Herath Aluthge at Peliyagoda while she was travelling home by bus. She said some unknown youth who stood behind her seat had slashed her, with a sharp instrument, injuring her. She was treated at the National Hospital.Rupavahini union sources said that this was only a warning to the administration, sequel to a series of events where Corporation employees had been threatened with death. Unions attributed the past events to the Minister Mervyn Silva episode at the Corporation on December 27. On that day, Minister Silva entered the Rupavahini premises with a group of thugs and assaulted the Director News, apparently for not telecasting a speech he made at Matara the previous day in the presence of President Rajapaksa.Minister Mervyn Silva was subject to assault by some employees that day and was treated at the National Hospital. However, despite the entire episode being telecast live on Rupavahini no action had been taken by the Government against Minister Silva. Instead time and again a number of employees had come under threat from the Minister’s thugs, the unions alleged.In a statement issued yesterday the unions said the silence of the Corporation administration, the Media Minister and the President on the actions of Minister Mervyn Silva had become a blessing for Mervyn Silva’s thugs to unleash violence on employees.The unions also said that while the real culprits were allowed to move freely, the administration and the media ministry were contemplating action against the employees with the help of the CID.They also cited the incidents involving producer Lal Hemantha Mawalage, Duleep Dushantha of the media unit, Deputy Director Camera News Piyal Ranjan and the latest being injury Librarian Mrs Ranjani Aluthge.The unions warned that any future incidents involving corporation employees would lead to continuation of this type of picketing and later to full blown trade union action.When contacted Director General Sisira Kotalawela, who was in Trincomalee, said he knew about the picketing and said none of the programmes were disrupted as a result.The Programmes Producers’ Union, Technical Officers’ Union, Production Services Union, Jathika Sevaka Union and the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Employees’ Union were involved in yesterday’s picketing.

Polls campaign ends today

Campaigning for the March 10 Batticaloa Local Polls will end by midnight today, 48 hours ahead. All arrangements have been finalised for the Local Government Election, slated to take place on Monday after a lapse of 14 years. Six political parties and 22 independent groups are in the fray, to seek power in nine local bodies, including the Batticaloa Municipal Council. A total number of 831 candidates are in the fray out of which 101 would be elected. According to Assistant Commissioner of Elections M. Krishnandalingam, all contesting parties have been informed to end their polls campaigns by midnight today in accordance with the election law. DIG (Elections) H.M.D. Herath told the Daily News that Police had informed all parties to remove propaganda material by 9.00 p.m. today in accordance with the law.He also added that in the case of relevant parties failing to adhere to the condition, Police would have to resort to force to remove the promotional material. Speaking to the Daily News amidst last minute preparations Krishnandalingam said all systems were in place, to enable 270,473 voters to cast their vote without any hindrance. According to him elaborate arrangements have been made for counting votes and other related matters with the first poll result expected to be released before midnight Monday.A total of 285 polling stations have been set up in addition to special arrangements for displaced voters numbering 11,000. Twenty six counting centres too have been set up. According to the Assistant Commissioner, 4,200 officers would be used on the polling day out of which 1,400 are to be deployed at the counting centres. DIG (Elections) Herath told the Daily News yesterday that Police along with the Security Forces had laid out a comprehensive security plan for polling day. He also added that 6,425 officers would be deployed for duty on election day, out of which 1,800 officers are from outstations, in accordance with a request by several political parties. According to the DIG additional road blocks have been set up in some identified hotspots, in addition to 24 hour mobile patrols. Police along with Security Forces have also launched search operations in several areas to foil trouble shooters. Five officers are to be deployed to provide security for every polling station. In some identified areas four officers along with a Sub Inspector are to be used according to instructions. On the election day, police are to erect 12 road blocks each for all the counting centres in addition to special security arrangements to transport ballot boxes. According to authorities special transport arrangements have been laid with the assistance of both the Government and private sector on the election day. The Batticaloa district consists of 12 local bodies out of which elections were held for three Pradeshiya Sabhas in 2006. The elections slated to take place on March 10 is expected to complete the process by electing representatives to the rest including the Batticaloa Municipal Council.

'Frankenstein' franchise in Batticaloa - TNA MP

"Ceylon was the first country in Asia to receive universal adult enfranchisement as early as in 1931. Even though many at that time eulogized it, from the very beginning, it was doomed as it was implemented in a country where the voting was communal. The Tamils boycotted the first elections. The curse continued and has become a Frankenstein monster in Batticaloa today. People are terrified at the thought of elections and would feel greatly relieved without it," said Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy while sharing his opinion with TamilNet on Friday on the local elections in Batticaloa. "The government of Sri Lanka is conducting these elections as a prelude for permanent separation of East from the North; to institutionalise the forcibly altered ethnic composition of the East; to legitimise its genocidal agenda to the outside world and to get foreign funds for the oppression of Tamils in the name of their development.""The elections are conducted in an atmosphere of terror, intimidation, displacement, disappearances, non-participation of mainstream Tamil political parties and the persecution of media." "The Tamil National Alliance is totally boycotting these polls. Had our party fielded candidates, they would have been brutally murdered by the paramilitary groups. Even our fellow parliamentarians have been murdered. Some of them became victims of bombing. Why, even my own brother was shot dead. In the final budget voting that took place in November 2007, relatives of the Parliamentarians were abducted in order to ensure that these Parliamentarians abstained from the voting process. I am unable to visit my own constituency.""Whatever atrocities are faced by the Tamils in the East, are also shared by the Muslims. A terrorising, armed culture is deliberately promoted by the government among the Muslims.""It should be noted here that an independent group of 9 civil society organisations comprising Sinhalese and Tamils, which undertook a fact finding mission to Batticaloa in February, has advocated against the elections, saying "Afraid to even say the word: Elections in Batticaloa.""The civil organisations have further said that even participation in the monitoring would amount to legitimise the elections.""At the most, the present local elections in Batticaloa may only serve to the show of the might of arms. It has nothing to do with democracy or with the opinions and wishes of the people.""Those who uphold liberal democracy should note that elections in Sri Lanka could never be meaningful without a political solution to the ethnic crisis and without an acceptable constitutional framework," said Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy.

Jailed Tamil warlord has deadly influence on election- The Guardian UK

The last time Chandrakanti Nanthakumar saw her husband alive was when he disappeared for his daily walk down a sandy lane shaded by palm fronds on a balmy evening in January. The body of Parasuraman, a popular local teacher, was found in the night dumped in a paddy field in Batticaloa, a town on Sri Lanka's eastern coast. He had been shot three times in the back of the head.The reason for his murder lies in this Monday's regional elections, the first polls in 14 years in this part of the country. The 31-year-old, say locals, is a victim of a bloody struggle between militias who are competing for control of the Tamil-dominated east coast and its nerve centre, Batticaloa.Until last year this town was on the frontline of a civil war between fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan army. Since the Sri Lankan military "victory" last summer, when the rebels were routed, the town has been under the control of the government in Colombo and a Tamil militia, formed by the breakaway Tiger commander Karuna. Although these Tamil rivals were once on the same side, fighting the Sri Lankan army for two decades in a conflict that has claimed more than 70,000 lives, they are now sworn enemies.Hunted by his former colleagues in the LTTE, Karuna fled to Britain last year on a forged diplomatic passport, in which his profession was listed as director general of wildlife conservation. The 45-year-old warlord was arrested for illegally entering the UK and is now in Wormwood Scrubs prison. The Foreign Office asked Colombo how he obtained diplomatic papers, but the Sri Lankan government denies any involvement.There is no doubt who is in charge in Batticaloa. On walls and lampposts are large, red-painted letters proclaiming that the town is firmly in the grip of the TMVP, the initials in Tamil for Karuna's Tamil People's Liberation Party. Two days before his murder Nanthakumar, who chaired the local teachers' union, had returned home to tell his wife that Karuna's henchmen had stopped him in the street and insisted he become a TMVP candidate for the forthcoming regional elections.Aware that politics and violence mingle freely in Batticaloa, he demurred fearing for the safety of his wife and their two young children. "Everyone in the village says he was killed because he did not join the TMVP," Chandrakanti Nanthakumar said. "He was not scared but he is now dead. If there were no elections, he would be alive today." Despite western diplomats expressing concern about "free and fair" elections when "one party is allowed to bear arms and intimidate and threaten voters and other contestants", Colombo says this experiment in self-rule could serve as a model in other Tamil areas once the Tamil Tigers have been "crushed". Rival Tamil political groups and their paramilitary wings have sprung up to fill the political vacuum left by the retreating rebels. Eager to build a base in the east of the country, clashes between these "outsiders" and the Karuna faction have become routine. On the day the Guardian arrived in Batticaloa two Karuna gunmen were blown up by a roadside mine. Election monitors say there has been an "incident" every day for the last three weeks.Thangaraja Balendram, a political activist for a rival Tamil party, said he was beaten with rifle butts by two of Karuna's henchmen last month. "My eardrum burst, I had blood on my face," he said. "I was asking them to stop but they carried on. My two daughters were forced to watch. It was a warning to stop campaigning against them. "We have a saying that when a tiger goes hungry he does not eat grass. These people were thugs before and they are still thugs."But the leader of the TMVP's political wing said the allegations of violence against rivals were "baseless". "We have been forced to defend ourselves because our enemies attack us. When normalcy returns and we establish a strong political party we will drop our weapons," said Pradeep Master, an ex-guerrilla leader turned self-styled democrat who aims to become Batticaloa's mayor.He added he hoped the return of Karuna, whose UK prison sentence ends in May, would bring the Tamil parties together: "We want him to return to Sri Lanka and continue his political work."Yet the chances of Karuna's return are diminishing. Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism unit has been gathering evidence of "war crimes" committed by him in Sri Lanka.There is legal precedent to try him. In 2005 Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, an Afghan warlord, became the first foreign national to be convicted in Britain for pursuing a reign of terror from abroad. He was sent to prison for 20 years.Human rights workers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the problem was that the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers were afraid of Karuna taking the stand in open court and implicating them in "heinous acts"."When Karuna was before judges in December he accused the Sri Lankan government of giving him a diplomatic passport and aiding his passage out of the country. Karuna has been involved in some very murky business and nobody wants to get their hands dirty," said one researcher involved in piecing together evidence against Karuna. There are plenty of claims. Unicef and other humanitarian agencies accuse the TMVP of abductions, extortion and recruiting child soldiers, and last month international NGOs noted that supplies meant for 26,000 people living in refugee camps had been looted.You do not have to travel far in Batticaloa to find the damage wrought by the Tamil infighting. In a hut on the edge of a camp Rajawesran Valarmathai's 14-year-old son was taken 18 months ago by armed men and inducted into the Karuna group. "My son says he has been given military training and he cannot come back home," she said. "They have turned him into a soldier, but he is just a boy."

Three wheeler carried over 12,000 cartridge caps

The Medawachchiya Police yesterday took into custody 12,000 cartridge caps and several other war related items from a three wheeler and a house at Ithirigollewa.When Police signalled a three wheeler to stop near the Karipithkada junction, its four occupants had jumped out and bolted. Police managed to arrest three of them. On examination of the three wheeler, Police recovered, in addition to the cartridge caps, three digital telescopes, five manual telescopes, ten target objects used in firearms shooting practices, two torch lights with direction indicating compasses and a set of head phones.Police later searched the house of the escapee and recovered a satellite telephone and more cartridge caps.The three wheel driver, 22-year-old Naushad Mohamed Niyas, had said he is a resident of Wahamalgollewa in Ithirigollewa. But the national identity card he produced showed the address as Pallawarayankattu, Jaffna.The second suspect, 31-year-old Mohamed Sareeb Faleel, told the Police that he is a resident of Ithirigollewa and produced a temporary identity card. The third suspect, 26-year-old Farouk Mohamed Farsan had produced an identity card bearing a Wahamalgollewa, address in Ithirigollewa.A Police team headed by the OIC Medawachiya IP Anura Kodituwakku is investigating on the directions of North Central DIG P. K. K. Pathirana and SP M. K. Samarakoon.

Parappakandal under army control, 23 killed in Lanka clashes

Sri Lankan army on Thursday brought the entire town suburb of Parappakandal in Mannar district under its control even as 22 rebels and a soldier died in clashes in other parts of the embattled Northern region of the country, the army said on Thursday."Parappakandal, one of the major town suburbs to the north of Uyilankulam, was completely brought under the troops this morning, Troops earlier had the control over south of Parappakandal for a long time but the north of the suburban town was under LTTE domination, it said. "Today's capture of the whole of Parappakandal marks a turning point since the area has been of strategic importance to the troops," the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said. Troops are consolidating their position, it said, adding causalities are yet to be reported. There was no immediate reaction from the LTTE.

Abducted man found

A person who was reported to have gone missing from the Mutwal police area in Colombo a few days ago was found by the police at Habarana and handed over to the Mutwal police on Tuesday (4), police said.He was identified as Rasalingam Suresh Kumar, from Jaffna. The police found him fallen by the side of the road in Habarana. He was blindfolded.He had told the police that he was abducted by some persons and held for a few days with the blindfold on. They had later taken him out and left him by the road. He was produced before the Judicial Medical Officer Colombo by the police yesterday (6), police said.

06 March 2008

Sri Lanka state behind "disappearances" 

Sri Lanka's government is responsible for widespread abductions and disappearances as it fights a new phase in a 25-year civil war with the Tamil Tigers, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, calling for a U.N. monitoring mission. Rights groups have reported hundreds of abductions, disappearances and killings blamed on one side or the other since the civil war, which has killed nearly 70,000 people since 1983, resumed in 2006 as a truce collapsed on the ground."President Mahinda Rajapaksa, once a rights advocate, has now led his government to become one of the world's worst perpetrators of forced disappearances," Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia Director Elaine Pearson said in a statement, launching a 241-page report.The report, entitled "Recurring nightmare: State responsibility for disappearances and abductions in Sri Lanka", features interviews with relatives of 'disappeared', some of whom describe how police had paid visits shortly before abductions.Others describe relatives disappearing after being interrogated at gunpoint by police in broad daylight, or being bundled into white vans by unidentified gunmen. Police then deny their relative has been arrested."We absolutely deny the exaggerated allegations reflected in the Human Rights Watch Report," said Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona. "The report talks about a situation which is getting worse by the minute, and I think it is not only unfair, it is malicious."There are all these allegations and they are not exactly serious allegations. They are concocted in our view or exaggerated in order to give the country a bad name," he added. "Over the last 12 months, the situation has improved considerably..., a result of measures put in place by the government."After formally scrapping a 6-year truce with the Tigers in a wider bid to win the war militarily, Rajapaksa's government banished Nordic truce monitors who had blamed troops and rebels for repeated abuses.The former Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission enraged the government by accusing state security forces of massacring 17 local staff of international aid group Action Contre la Faim in 2006 -- the worst attack on aid workers since the 2003 bomb attack on the U.N. office in Baghdad.The government has rejected calls for a U.N. human rights monitoring mission, and has publicly vilified U.N. officials who have questioned its rights record.Rajapaksa himself has dismissed reports of abductions and disappearances, some from areas under tight military control, as propaganda aimed at tarnishing his government's reputation.Some government officials have said reported disappearances and abductions were cases of love-struck youths eloping or going on holiday.Hundreds of relatives of Sri Lankan civilians who have disappeared as the war has escalated demand answers."So long as soldiers and police can commit disappearances with impunity, this horrific crime will continue," Human Rights Watch's Pearson said. "The Sri Lankan government's rejection of a U.N. monitoring mission reflects badly on its commitment to human rights."While the government dawdles, many Sri Lankans will continue to pay the price."

International rights panel quits Sri Lanka
 
A top foreign panel invited by Sri Lanka to observe investigations into human rights abuses announced Thursday it was quitting the island and accused Colombo of failing to tackle the issue.The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP), headed by India's former chief justice P. N. Bhagwati, said Sri Lankan authorities did not meet even the basic minimum standards in probing serious abuses. "The IIGEP has decided that it will terminate its operations in Sri Lanka," the panel said in a statement. It has taken this decision after due consideration and for fundamental reasons."International concern over the human rights situation on the island has been mounting amid the government's escalating war against Tamil Tiger rebels.

104 troops killed, 822 wounded in February

The Government informed Parliament yesterday that 104 soldiers had been killed and 822 wounded last month, in fighting with the LTTE.Giving a detailed account of the security situation at the start of the debate on the motion for the extension of the emergency, Leader of the House and senior minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, said that 80 civilians had also been killed during the past month and 201 others had become casualties.The minister said the Tigers had been unable to target civilians because of the public support for the crackdown on terrorism.He cited the averting of a bomb blast at the weekly fair in Anuradhapura by a naval officer, and the minimizing of the damage caused in the Mount Lavinia bomb incident recently, as two examples of this. “Yet, we do not believe that people themselves should look after their security. The government is duty bound to protect its citizens,” he said. UNP MP Lakshman Seneviratne said the Government’s websites presented contradictory figures regarding the number of troops killed and wounded on the battlefield.Mr. Seneviratne said that varying numbers for the death toll and casualties had been posted on the websites maintained by the Army, the Defence Ministry and the Media Centre for National Security.“Which ones are we supposed believe?” he asked.He expressed disgust with the government for the absence of a responsible government minister to answer his question. The UNP MP said that Major General Parakrama Pannipitiya, who led the battle for the liberation of Thoppigala, had now been compelled to seek the support from the judiciary for his human rights. “We refrained from voting against the emergency as a mark of respect for our valorous soldiers. But, we abstained from voting,” he said.

Emergency extended  
         
Parliament passed the state of emergency by a further month by a majority of 88 votes in a vote yesterday (Mar. 05th).One hundred and two members voted for the extension, while it was opposed by 14 members.The SLFP, the JHU as well as the JVP - despite its accusation that the government uses the emergency law to suppress student and labour struggles - voted in favour, while the TNA voted against.The main opposition UNP abstained from voting while the SLMC members were absent during the vote.

Former Deputy Minister missing

Former Deputy Minister and parliamentarian for Moneragala District Jayasundera Wijekoon had gone missing since the night of March 4 Buttala police said.He had gone home at about 6.00 pm from his office and had not returned to his workplace on the following morning. As the home telephone did not answer, one of the workers had gone to his residence. When he found the doors were open and the TV was on, he had reported the matter to the police.The missing former MP’s double cab had been parked in the compound but the almirah inside the room had been opened and ransacked. Police dogs had been deployed but were unable to find a clue. He was appointed to parliament at the 2000 general election from the People’s Alliance and crossed over to the UNP with S.B. Dissanayake. After the victory of the UNP at the 2001 general election, he was appointed to parliament from the National list and held the post of Deputy Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs.

Armed men abduct 2 teenage girls in Vaazhaichcheanai

Fatigue uniform clad armed men who came in a white van abducted a 16-year-old girl student Monday night around 11:30 from her house in Karungkaalichchoalai in Vaazhaichcheanai police division in Batticaloa district and another 16-year-old girl student from the same area Tuesday night around same time from her house. The armed men had also tried to abduct a young woman from another house in Karungkaalichchoalai but had let her go when she, amidst wails, had begged saying she is married, residents in the area told TamilNet. The Peaththaalai Meththaveddu police station is located just 500 meters from the place where the white van armed abducted the teen-age girl students.The girl abducted Monday night is Kunasuntharam Pushparanee, 16, orphaned when her parents died in 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami disaster in Paasikkuda, was living in the care of her elder brother when she was abducted.Pushparanee is a grade 11 student of Kalkudaa Naamaka’l Viththiyaalayam.The other girl abducted Tuesday night is Yogananantham Yasothini, 16, is also a grade 11 student in the same school. Yasothini, whose father has died, was living with her mother at the time of abduction. Another young woman had cried and pleaded that she is married when armed men arriving in a white van tried to take her away forcibly, in a separate incident in Karungkaalichchoalai. The armed men let her alone.Tsunami affected people from the villages of Kalkudaa and Paasikkuda in Batticaloa district are resettled in Karungkaalichcholai.The relatives of the two abducted girls have registered complaints with the Police and also approached the paramilitary camp in Vaazhaicheanai urging help to locate the missing girls.Karungkaalichcholai is situated 32 km north of Batticaloa town.

Rupavahini Chief Librarian attacked  
     
The Chief Librarian of the state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation was injured when an unidentified gang attacked her with a sharp object at Kadawatha town yesterday evening (Mar. 05th).Ranjani Aluthge was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital with cut injuries to her neck, police sources said.This was the latest in a series of attacks against SLRC staffers in the past few weeks. These staffers were among those who had defended the institution and its staff when Labour Minister Mervyn Silva and his henchmen stormed the SLRC and attacked its News Director.The most recent incident involved Head of News Camera Division Piyal Ranjith Perera who narrowly escaped an invasion of his home by a group of thugs on February 28th.Earlier, Hemantha Mawalage, a Senior Producer at SLRC, was assaulted by thugs. In a separate incident, the mother of Duleep Dushyantha, another SLRC staffer, was threatened by a group of thugs at his home.

Batticaloa polls campaign hots up

Campaigning is fast gathering momentum with barely four days to go for the Local government elections in Batticaloa. "Security has been tightened with thousands of security forces and STF personnel deployed in the perimeters of Batticaloa to assist police ensure that the elections are held in a free and fair manner," DIG Batticaloa Prasanna Nanayakkara said.Assisstant Commissioner of Elections, Batticaloa T. Krishnanandalingam said everything was in place for the holding of democratic elections. He said the elections would be held according to the electoral register of 2006. 270,471 voters are eligible to vote for 834 candidates to elect 101 members to the nine local bodies including the Batticaloa Municip[al Council.He said 2,800 officers and 1,400 other staff would be deployed in the 285 polling centers, including the ten booths specially set up for the displaced voters.Commandant of the STF (DIG) Nimal Lewke said that certain people were trying to say that the people are not interested in elections but when one compares the postal voting, 93 per cent have voted and that shows that people are interested."No major incidents have been reported when compared with elections of the past and we are hopeful that the people of the Batticaloa district, who had been deprived of the opportunity to elect a democratic leader for several years would be able do so this time," an official of the Elections Department said.DIG Batticaloa Prasanna Nanayakkara said that it had been decided at a meeting, presided over by District Secretary Sundaram Arumainayagam and Assistant Commissioner of elections for the Batticaloa district T. Krishnanandalingam, that five armed policemen would be deployed at each polling station and counting centre.He said six policemen would be deployed to each polling centre or counting centre in identified vulnerable trouble prone areas such as Kalawanchikudy, Vavunativu, and Vellaweli. In addition 45 permanent road blocks have been erected.Around 1500 Army personnel would be deployed on special duty to man the outer perimeter along with the personnel from the STF, who will carry out mobile patrols to ensure that the elections are free and fair.

Candidate preferred booze to police guard

A candidate in the LGpolls fray in the Batticaloa District walked into a police station last week and threatened to commit suicide if he was not allowed to have his usual shot of illicit liquor.Surprised, OIC asked him what had happened.Thus replied the candidate: "Sir, I am a candidate contesting the forthcoming elections and two policemen have been assigned to protect me. At present I do not require them. Could you kindly withdraw them, if not, I will swallow poison and commit suicide."He took out a bottle of insecticide.He told the OIC that he was a labourer addicted to liquor which he used to obtain from an illicit brewery in his village.Until he came forward to contest the mini polls, he had been able to move about freely and enjoy cheap rot-gut to his heart’s content, at times on credit. After he was given police protection, the bootlegger was wary of selling him hooch, he told the OIC.The mere sight of the police uniform, he said almost in tears, was sufficient to make the hooch den owner and his customers bolt. Therefore, he had been requested to keep away by his former boozing pals.He said he couldn’t do without liquor and saw no reason why he should continue to live without elixir of his life.So, saying he opened the bottle and tried to swallow its poisonous contents. The OIC grabbed the bottle and saved his life.According to sources, after the incident, the two policemen detailed to protect him have not been sighted.

05 March 2008

Pranab says Tamil interests of significance to India

India yesterday said the interest of the Tamil community was of particular significance to her and that there was no military solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict.India’s Minister for External Affairs who articulated India’s position on Sri Lanka said the only way forward was through negotiations."The way forward lies in a peacefully negotiated settlement within the framework of a united Sri Lanka acceptable to all communities, including the Tamils," Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told both Houses of Parliament on March 3. "The interests of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka are a matter of particular significance to us," Mukherjee added. He said that India was closely monitoring the situation in Sri Lanka and welcomed the government’s intention to fully implement the 13th Amendment. Mukherjee also indicated the Indian government’s disapproval over the Navy’s handling of Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters. "While it is important for our fishermen to respect the International Maritime Boundary Line... we have impressed on the Sri Lankan Navy to act with restraint," he said.

Curfew in Jaffna to be lifted to permit religious observances

The military has said that curfew in the Jaffna peninsula would be lifted on March 5 and 6 for Hindus to observe Maha Sivarathri.According to Military Spokesperson Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the curfew would be lifted on the 5th, which is the day prior to Maha Sivarathri and on the 6th.The main religious event is scheduled to take place at the Nallur Sivan Kovil and at various other temples in the Jaffna peninsula.

Mahasivarathri on Rupavahini
 
The Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation will telecast live the Mahasivarathri religious proceedings on Thursday night from the historic Koneswarar Kovil in Trincomalee.SLRC Director General Sisira Kotalawala said that this was the first time that a live telecast of Mahasivarathri proceedings would telecast on Rupavahini. Prior to the decision taken to telecast the Mahasivarathri proceedings, a team of Rupavahini staff visited Trincomalee to assess the situation. Nearly 40 Rupavahini staff will be deployed in Trincomalee."We earnestly hope that our efforts will facilitate harmony and good relationship among the people living amidst hardship. The live telecast will start on March 6 at 9.00 a.m. and will go on till 2.00 p.m. the followimg day. The main Pooja will be telecast at midnight", he said.

Soldier injured in Puttalam blast  
     
A soldier engaged in a search operation near the Eluwankulam Army camp in Puttalam was injured in an improvised grenade blast this morning (March 05th), reports the Media Centre for National Security.He has been rushed to the Puttalam Hospital.The search operation was conducted following a 40mm bomb attack on the Eluwankulam Camp last night.

2 policemen injured in Vavuniya blast  
     
Two policemen on a road patrol on the Vavuniya-Kebithigollewa main road were injured in a claymore blast at Madukanda in Vavuniya this morning (March 05th).The injured were rushed to the Vavuniya General hospital. Two claymore mines that were set to explode simultaneously had also damaged a high tension power distribution line, reports the Defence Ministry website. Search operations are underway in the area.Of late, several claymore explosions were reported from Vavuniya. On March 02nd, two policemen, two Civil Defence Force personnel and six civilians were injured in a blast at Goodshed Junction.On the same day, a soldier died from a separate blast at Pompemadu.

Nearly 18,000 in the east denied vote at local poll

Nearly 18,000 IDPs in the east cannot vote at the local government election this month due to time constraints in registering them, People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Chairman, Kingsley Rodrigo said.Speaking to The Morning Leader on the issue, he said the IDPs were not in a position to vote, as there was not enough time to re-register them.Rodrigo said that PAFFREL had written to Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake on this issue.Around 6,000 voters had been re-registered to vote for the elections, he said.According to Rodrigo, around 24,000 IDPs are eligible to vote at the election."The persons had to be re-registered as this was the first time in many years that an election of this sort is being conducted. Only 6,000 have been re-registered. The others cannot vote this time due to lack of time to do the registering process. However, we have brought this issue up with the Elections Commissioner," he said It was also reported that a proper mechanism was not formulated by the authorities to facilitate the IDPs to exercise their franchise.The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) last week said that a proper mechanism was not formulated for the IDPs who were living with their friends and relatives.Rodrigo said that a mechanism was provided for the 6,000 persons who were re-registered."A mechanism has been finalised. The ballot boxes will be kept in their respective camps," he said.

Cop turned LTTE agent planned to assassinate President

Police investigations have revealed that Inspector Adjumain, who was arrested by the STF last week in Ampara on information provided by an LTTE intelligence operative arrested in Modera, had been providing information to the LTTE on the movements of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and that there was a plan to assassinate the President based on his information.While Inspector Adjumain was attached to the Maligawatte police, he had been in charge of the police post at Galle Face and carefully studied the movements of the President’s entourage and passed on information to the LTTE."The LTTE has paid the suspect a monthly stipend of Rs 50,000 for his services and he has had close contact with the LTTE intelligence wing headquartered in Killinochchi and had been providing vital information on the President, Service Chiefs and VIP’s to them over the phone," police claimed.Adjumain is a resident of Akkaraipattu and at the time of his arrest he was attached to the Police Training School in Kalutara.

Army Commander seeks Kashmir tactics to defeat LTTE

Army Chief, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka who arrived in violence-hit Kashmir on Monday has sought details of the tactics that are being used by the Indian Army in Kashmir to fight the militants to minimise the collateral losses. Fonseka who is on a week long tour to India, arrived in Srinagar on Monday afternoon in an Indian army helicopter at the forward post in Tangdhar, the ceasefire line that divided Kashmir between India and Pakistan controlled portions. After an aerial survey of the areas, the Army Commander met with high ranking military officials and soldiers in the area.The Indian army officials informed Fonseka that due to tough measures, the Indian army soldiers have been able to foil many suicide attacks launched by the militants in Kashmir. The Army Commander is reported to have returned to New Delhi where he was scheduled to hold extensive talks with India’s top military brass.

Lorries await clearance at checkpoint

Traders in Vavuniya face a shortage of lorries plying to Killinochchi as nearly 150 of them are still awaiting clearance at the Omanthai checkpoint, Co-ordinating Officer of the Killinochchi Kachcheri, Chelliah Shanmugathasan told The Morning Leader yesterday.Nearly seven vehicles are allowed from the Omanthai checkpoint each day, which includes around three to four lorries that had gone to the Wanni carrying essential items, he said."Only seven vehicles including three to four lorries are allowed to Vavuniya from Killinochchi. Therefore, the traders in Vavuniya are facing problems in transporting items back to Killinochchi. Nearly 150 lorries are in the Puliyankulam point waiting to come to Vavuniya," he said.He said a truck sent to Killinochchi had to return within seven days in order to maintain a steady flow of transportation."These lorries have been in Puliyankulam for many days," he added.

Air Force pounds LTTE underground storage facility

The Sri Lanka Air Force yesterday stepped up its attacks on enemy territory in rapid succession twice on the same target in Pooneryn.Fighter jets bombed an LTTE military base in Pooneryn with an underground artillery gun storage facility.Air Force spokesman Wing Commander Andy Wijesuriya said that air intelligence had informed the need of a second airstrike. "The Tigers were in the habit of hiding artillery guns in the underground facility after use, to avoid detection," he pointed out.The location of the underground facility was 1.5 km north of Pooneryn junction in a thick jungle patch. It was targetted at 12. p.m. and 2.25 p.m."It has been confirmed that extensive damage had been caused to the enemy base," Wijesuriya said.Prior to attacks, the fighter jets pounded another LTTE artillery gun position in Kalmunai Point in Pooneryn around 9.45 a.m. It had been one of the key locations from where artillery had been fired at the government controlled areas. There was no immediate comment from the LTTE.

SLA DPU Claymore attack kills 4 in Mannaar

Four persons riding in a tractor were killed Tuesday when a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit triggered a Claymore mine targeting their tractor, according to Tamileelam Police. The explosion was reported at 9:15 a.m. between Paalampiddi and Periyamadu at Thadcha'naamaruthamadu. The police identified the victims as A. Sasibaskaran, Punniyamoorthy, K. Kaneswaran and P. Yoganathan. Further details were not available.

ICRC flights to Jaffna resume

The ICRC yesterday resumed its flights between Colombo and Jaffna.The ICRC had suspended flights between Colombo and Jaffna since January in order to rearrange the technical aspects and to ensure passenger safety."We temporarily suspended ICRC chartered flights between Jaffna and Colombo to re-assess technical arrangements and passenger safety", ICRC Head of Delegation in Colombo Toon Vandenhove said."We worked under great pressure to resume flights, knowing that some patients would find it very hard to travel for more than 30 hours by sea and road to reach health facilities in Colombo."

Police raid LTTE suspect's house

TIRUCHY:Sleuths of the Q branch raided the rented house of V Premraj alias Duraikutti, a Sri Lankan Tamil, held for his alleged links with the LTTE, at K K Nagar here on Tuesday. The police arrested Premraj (48) and his associate `Diesel' Kumar (44),another Sri Lankan Tamil residing at Rameswaram, when the two were moving around in a suspicious manner near Anna Stadium here on Monday.Subsequently, the police launched a raid at Premraj's house at Amman Nagar in K K Nagar, where he was residing for the past nine years. They seized certain documents during the raid and interrogated his family members. Meanwhile, the duo were produced before the court and were remanded. Premraj, with alleged links with a key `Sea Tiger' operative Susairaj, was planning to purchase a motor boat from Kerala and supply it to the LTTE. A sum of Rs 25 lakh was routed to him through unknown sources, for the purpose, interrogations revealed. Sources further said that Premraj was a frequent visitor to Sri Lanka in the past few years.

Show me one difference between my campaign today and that of Mahinda Rajapakse’s in 1989 other than Tamil and Sinhala -Mano Ganesan

The victims of human rights violations during the 1989 period are activists, supporters and family members of JVP. It was a well known fact. Mahinda Rajapakse fought on behalf of their plight. That did not make him a member of JVP. He fought for the human rights of the people. JVP attacked sacred Dalada Maligawa. They threw bombs inside the Parliament. They killed Buddhist monks, politicians, police, security forces and their family members. But nobody accused Mahinda of dealing with JVP and supporting JVP's terrorism against security forces. Today the victims are Tamils and most of them are accused of LTTE affiliation. People who struggle for political solution and stand against war are also condemned as LTTE supporters. If there are LTTE members, they must be dealt according to the law of the land instead of extra legal punishments. That is what Mahinda Rajapakse wanted for JVPers in 1989. Today, there are many innocent people who are punished for being Tamil from north and east. There are Sinhalese who speak against war are also condemned as 'Sinhala Kotiyas'. Irrespective all these facts my fight is for the protection of human rights of the victims. It is similar to then struggle of Mahinda Rajapakse. Can anybody produce one reasonable difference between my today�s campaign and Mahinda Rajapakse’s campaign of 1989? Can anyone of those government politicians, their extremist allies in JVP and JHU, cronies and members of hardliner private and state media who accuse me of treachery and abating terrorism come up with the answer, challenged Western Peoples Front Leader and Civil Monitoring Commission Convener Mano Ganesan MP during his address to WPF politburo. Ganesan said further in his deliberation, Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse as a SLFP Parliamentarian championed human rights during the late 1989 period. He campaigned against extra legal killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests and detentions. He documented (symbolically or otherwise) incidents of abuses and took the issue to the international community. He traveled to Geneva, as some of our human rights activists travel to Geneva today to make cases at UN human rights council. Democratic Left Front general secretary and presidential advisor today comrade Vasudeva Nanayakara worked along with Parliamentarian Mahinda Rajapakse in this mission. I am told that Vasudeva accompanied him to Geneva and both of them faced government screening and intimidation at the Katunayake airport. Notwithstanding this respectful, commendable and exemplary past HE Mahinda Rajapakse today heads a government which is the guilty party and cause to the grave human rights violations occur in this country. There are other actors, LTTE and various Para-groups are also in the scene as offenders. But they are non state actors. HE Mahinda Rajapakse heads the government and the Sri Lankan state. The government is bound by the national and international laws and conventions.

This government accuses human rights defenders on two counts.

(01) Human Rights defenders are accused of 'discrediting' the country by taking the subject matter issues out of Sri Lanka to the international community.

(02) Human Rights defenders are accused of 'supporting and working' for the LTTE.

This killer campaign has now reached great levels. It is targeting all members of human rights defender community. The human rights defender community in Sri Lanka consist Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Sri Lankans and foreigners. There are men and women. All of them are targeted. Government politicians, their extremist allies, cronies and hardliner private and state media are doing overtime in this merciless offensive killer campaign.I am under this willful attack very often. The reasons are there. I am an ethnic Tamilian by birth and I have a political face.I am accused of bringing 'discredit' to the country by 'complaining' to the United Nations and other players in the international community or rather keeping this campaign alive. I am accused of 'telling and talking' to the international media. I am accused of 'traitorous disservice' to my country. I am accused of 'dealing with and working for LTTE'. I am accused of 'supporting terrorism'. These are activities; I will never do even in my wildest dreams. But the accusers never wanted to listen and understand. I am very much confident of the fact that what I am doing now is that Mahinda Rajapakse did in late 80s. Can anybody dispute me? On the strength of my confidence I have very often asked few simple questions inside and outside the parliament. Can anybody produce one reasonable difference between my today's campaign and Mahinda Rajapakse's campaign of 1980s? I challenge anyone of those government politicians, their extremist allies, cronies and members of hardliner private and state media who accuse me of treachery and abating terrorism to come with the answer.But I have some answers to my own questions. Yes, there are some basic differences.On the one hand, Mahinda Rajapakse is a Sinhala man by birth. I am Tamil man by birth. He is member of the numerical majority community. I am member of the numerical minority community. On the other hand, those who faced human rights violations in the forms of extra judicial killings, enforced abductions during 1980s are mostly members of the Sinhala community. Most of the victims today are members of the Tamil community. Are these the differences? You disregard and even approve these abductions, extra judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, extortions because of the fact that the victims are Tamils and in some cases Muslims? The victims during the 1989 period are family members, activists and supporters of JVP. It was a well known fact. Mahinda Rajapakse fought on behalf of for their plight. That did not make him a member of JVP. He fought for the human rights of the people. Nobody accused him of dealing with JVP and supporting and JVP terrorism. Today the victims are Tamils and most of the time they are accused of LTTE affiliation. People who struggle for peace and stand against war are also condemned as LTTE supporters. There may be LTTE members. They must be dealt according to the law of the land. There are many innocent people who are punished for members of the Tamil community. Irrespective all these facts my fight is for the protection of human rights the victims. It is similar to the struggle of Mahinda Rajapakse. Those who did not and cannot put JVP label on Mahinda Rajapakse are today unfairly putting LTTE label on me. This is the sad fact when the defender and the victims happen to members of the Tamil community in this country. This is yet another typical example of the prevailing ethnic discrimination in this country.I cannot understand this logic and peculiar reality. UNP was the ruling party during the 1980s which was accused of state terrorism. UNP today supports our campaign for the protection of human rights. SLFP was the party which championed the human rights. Especially non other than the president headed the campaign. This party is the ruling party today. SLFP led government practices state terrorism against Tamils. This does not end here. There is another dimension. The victims of 1980s are the JVPers. This party supports the military campaign and justifies the human rights violations against Tamils.

04 March 2008

Sri Lanka opposition leader does not have any confidence over the Batticaloa polls

Sri Lanka’s major opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe says that his party has no faith in the outcome of the approaching local government polls in Batticaloa district.Addressing a meeting held at State Workers Association Auditorium at Rajigiriya today the opposition leader said that according to the peoples’ view there is no favourable environment for an election in the area at present. Speaking further, Mr. Wickremasinghe noted that the prevailing situation in the area poses a great threat for a free and independent election. He said that in Batticaloa many armed groups including the Tamil Tigers are operating in the area. He accused that the breakaway “Karuna group” is working with the Defense Ministry. “We expect the government will disarm all these groups and provide security to those who have threats to their lives,” he said. The meeting was held on the Batticaloa polls, with the participation of foreign diplomats, election monitors and political party members.The election for 9 local councils in the Batticaloa district is to be held on Mar 10.

Military: Soldiers capture small rebel territory as fighting kills 7 rebels

Sri Lankan soldiers attacked Tamil Tiger rebels guarding the northern front lines and captured a small piece of rebel territory Tuesday, after a battle that killed seven rebels, the military said.Army troops pushed across the front lines and seized about 1 square kilometer (0.39 sq. miles) of territory in the village of Palaikkuli in Mannar district early Tuesday, said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman.Fighting killed seven rebels, he said.There was no immediate comment from the LTTE.

Go for political solution – Khan
   
Pakistan opposition parliamentarian and former cricketer Imran Khan yesterday said there cannot be a military solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka and urged the parties to pursue a negotiated political solution. He was speaking to a group of visiting journalists from SAARC countries who met him in Lahore yesterday.The influential politician recalled the conflict in Ireland saying years of conflict did not yield a solution and ultimately it was only political solution which saw the end of the conflict.

Nedumaran slams Karunanidhi over delaying food to Tamils
   
Despite the lapse of five months since an appeal was made to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi to ensure supply of food requirements from Tamil Nadu to the people affected in the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka, the State Government has not taken any initiatives, charged Indian Tamil Nationalist Movement (TNM) leader Pazha Nedumaran. Talking to reporters, Nedumaran said a protest would be staged against the State Government shortly, demanding smooth supply of food materials to Tamils in Sri Lanka. He said the Chief Minister should have voluntarily taken the initiative to supply food materials to Sri Lanka in the interest of the starving Tamils there.He flayed the Central and State Governments for not offering relief to the fishermen who were injured in the firing by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Sri Lanka's UNP democratic wing says 13th Amendment must precede the 17th Amendment

United National Party Democratic wing member, Minister Rajitha Senarathne says proper implementation of the 13th amendment is a prerequisite to implement the 17th amendment. He made this remark addressing a media briefing held to celebrate the 17th remembrance of late General Ranjan Wijerathne.The two constitutional amendments have been the hotly debated issues in the political circles in the country currently.The government has proposed 13th amendment that refers to provincial council as the suitable political solution to country’s ethnic problem while the opposition is blaming the government for delaying the reactivation of the constitutional councils set up by the 17th amendment.Minister Senarathne queried whether it is possible to implement constitutional council without the proper implementation of the 13th amendment that refers to the empowerment of provincial government. He asked, whether it is possible to implement a constitutional council in Jaffna.“ When the house is in fire, we have to put it out, then only we can decide whether to repair the roof, fix new windows, colour wash…” he added.

Authorities blind to sexual abuse of minors in SLA controlled Jaffna

Government officials meant to look after the interests of minors turn a blind eye to sexual abuse of young girls which has risen at an alarming rate in Jaffna peninsula in recently, civil society groups in Jaffna peninsula said. Climate of war, continuing economic restrictions, poverty, lack of employment, restriction of free movement, and calculated plans of cultural decadence witnessed especially after the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) closure of the A9 land route to Jaffna peninsula are in the background of sexual abuse of minor-aged, the sources said. A 13-year-old girl in Valikaamam gave birth to a child recently and Court has directed the newborn to be placed in the care of Child Care Centre.Two girl students under 15 years of age lost their lives when they attempted abortion in the latter part of February 2008.One student is from a leading school in Pa'ndaththarippu, and Mallaakam Court has directed the police to arrest and produce the person responsible for sexually abusing the girl.Although SLA troops are accused of sexual abuse of the said girl, the allegations remain unproven, the sources said.The second girl student is from Kachchaai in Thenmaraadchi. She had travelled to Vaddukkoaddai to have the abortion carried out, residents in Vaddukkoaddai said.A male relative of the girl from Kachchaai was arrested following the episode and is being detained in remand prison.Officials responsible to attend to the interests of minors are attached to the offices of Government Agent, Assistant Government Agents, Regional and Divisional Secretaries in Jaffna peninsula but they have shown no interest in these cases, civil society groups said.The District Children Security Committees in Jaffna Secretariat which functioned earlier in the peninsula were later renamed District Children Development Committees but officials remain inactive.

SLA chief in Kashmir  
         
Sri Lanka Army chief, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, who is currently on a visit to India, toured northern Kashmir yesterday (March 03rd).Fonseka received a briefing from top Indian military commanders on the current situation along the Line of Control which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.The Sri Lanka Army chief is in India on a six-day visit to strengthen bilateral military ties.

Troops in Wanni meet Commander

Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka met senior ground commanders who lead their men in Wanni war fronts during his visit to Vavuniya on Saturday (01), morning. Major General Jagath Jayasooriya, Commander, Security Forces Wanni (SF-W), Commanders of Divisions, Brigades and other ground formations and a few senior officers of Army Headquarters attended the meeting held at Security Forces Headquarters (W), in Vavuniya. The progress of on-going operations and the security situation in the Wanni areas were reviewed by the Army Commander, who gave further instructions to senior officers with regard to security in the area.

03 March 2008

Sri Lanka navy rescues Burmese and Bangladeshi boat people

In a tragic incident on the high seas, 17 Burmese and three Bangladeshis died of starvation and dehydration after their boat drifted in the Sri Lankan seas for 13 days, a Navy official said.D.K.P. Dassanayake, Sri Lankan Navy spokesperson, told Mizzima that following a tip-off by local fishermen, the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday rescued 71 people, 50 Burmese and 21 Bangladeshis, from a wooden vessel on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka."The survivors said their boat drifted on the sea for 13 days after the engine stalled. And they ran out of food and water. Because of this 20 of them died on board," Dassanayake said.Dassanayake, quoting the survivor's said, the vessel with 91 people, 67 Burmese and 24 Bangladeshis, had left Cox's Bazaar, on the Burma-Bangladesh border, on February 9.But on February 20, the vessel developed an engine snag, and drifted for 13 days, until they were spotted by Sri Lankan fishermen in the east of the island country. "The survivors said, they threw the bodies of the 20 people overboard," Dassanayake said."They have now been taken to the northeastern port of Trincomalee and are being provided with food and medicine," added the navy spokesperson.Dassanayake said the Burmese and Bangladesh nationals were heading for Thailand and Malaysia in search of jobs.He added that this was the first such incident where the Sri Lankan Navy rescued people from Burma and Bangladesh.

Fighting in northern Sri Lanka kills 22 rebels, two soldiers, military says

A series of battles between government forces and rebel fighters in northern Sri Lanka killed 22 guerrillas and two soldiers, the military said Monday.The battles Sunday were part of a heavy increase in fighting along the front lines of the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto state as the government vowed to crush the separatist group.In one fierce clash in the Welioya area south of rebel-held territory, troops killed eight rebels while two soldiers died, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. Four separate battles in the Vavuniya area killed another 14 rebel fighters, he said.Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan said the military's death toll was inaccurate."That's their usual misinformation," he said.Each side routinely exaggerates its enemy's casualty figures while underreporting its own. It is impossible to independently verify the death tolls and other battlefield information provided by the warring sides because journalists are barred from the conflict zone.The rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's Tamil minority after decades of discrimination by governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

JVP & TNA to be invited to join APRC      
  
The President has decided to invite the JVP and the TNA to join the All Party Representative Committee process.Views and suggestions of all parties are essential in the quest to find a political solution to the national conflict, although offensives are ongoing to defeat the LTTE militarily, the president has said.According to sources at the Presidential Secretariat, the president is due to discuss the issue with the two parties in the coming days.He has also okayed the participation of the TMVP in the Committee deliberations.TMVP Spokesman Asath Moulana says that the party would choose four persons as its nominees to the APRC. However, the APRC comprises political parties represented in parliament, and the TMVP has no such representation.In this light, political analysts question as to what the situation would be if other parties not represented in parliament also demand their inclusion in the APRC.

Lankan fighter jets bomb LTTE base
 
At least 25 militants and three soldiers were killed in intense clashes in the restive northern Sri Lanka as fighter jets bombed a LTTE base on Monday, officials said.Sri Lanka Air Force supersonic fighter jets pounded on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) communication base located in general area Kulamurippu, six km north east of Oddusudan, in Northern Mulaitivu this afternoon, the Defence Ministry said. The communication base had transmission towers too, it said adding the pilots confirmed the target was accurately hit inflicting maximum damage to the terror base. In ground clashes, the army killed at least eight militants in clashes in Kokkuthuduwai in north-east Welioya on Sunday, the army said adding two soldiers lost their lives and ten sustained injuries in the incident. Meanwhile, troops killed two LTTE militants in Navathkulam in Vavuniya on Sunday, the Media Centre for National Security said.  

MR to decide on TMVP participation 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to decide on the proposed participation of the Tamil Makkla Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) in the proceedings of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) shortly after the provincial council elections in the East. On February 19, the TMVP requested the President in writing to ensure its participation in the APRC deliberations, to raise its voice for eastern Tamils. The new-born party said any political solution to the ethnic conflict should include the aspirations of eastern Tamils. The party , a breakaway faction of the LTTE, previously led by renegade leader Karuna Amman now imprisoned in the United Kingdom, also asked for the suspension of APRC sessions until the provincial council election is held.Asked for comments on the issue, APRC Chairman and Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Vitarana said he discussed it with the President and that hey would meet the TMVP after the proposed provincial council election in the East, and take the next step regarding its presence in the APRC meetings in the future.He said the committee sessions would not be suspended, and the JHU and Mahajana Eksath Peramuna which earlier decided to boycott the APRC until a decision was taken regarding the TMVP, had now agreed to participate in the meeting. The Committee would meet this week. Meanwhile, TMVP spokesman, Azad Moulana said his party was currently considering the persons to be nominated to the APRC representing them. &ld