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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi today said he would be happy if the problems of Sri Lankan Tamils were solved through formation of a separate Tamil Eelam (Tamil homeland) or by a negotiated settlement within a unified Sri Lanka.Asked for his comments on LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran's recent statement that only a separate Tamil Eelam could bring an end to the ethnic strife in the island, he told reporters here that the "DMK had been saying this for long"."However, we are not averse to a negotiated settlement," Karunanidhi said.On the despatch of humanitarian aid such as rice, sugar and milk powder to suffering Sri Lankan Tamils, as promised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a recent letter to him, Karunanidhi said he did not know about its status. "I only presume from media reports that the articles are ready for despatch," he said.On Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon's remarks that the modalities for the despatch of the assistance had to be worked out, Karunanidhi said, "Our views on this issue are the same as that of the Centre."

There is no question of the Indian Navy conducting joint patrols with the Sri Lankan Navy, an Indian paper reported citing sources close to the Indian External Affairs Ministry which today held a closed door meeting with the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.Indian ships were patrolling their territorial waters, and the idea of "joint patrolling" was not on the cards, sources were cited as saying. India's position on joint patrolling is significant given that the Sri Lankan President announced his intention of raising the issue with New Delhi just before he left Colombo last week, the paper said. External Affairs Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is to have raised concerns at the rising toll on civilians in Sri Lanka’s military campaign, human rights abuses and the food shortages. India’s offer to send relief material to deal with the humanitarian situation to the north and east was rejected by President Rajapakse, according to the Paper A large food convoy which was making its way to parts of Sri Lanka’s East yesterday was forced to postpone its mission after heavy shelling was reported. The convoy had to abandon its mission after the military told officials to turn back, according to INGO sources. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) refused to facilitate the movement of the aid convoys yesterday. SLMM spokesman Thorfinur Omarsson said that the ceasefire monitors required clear security guarantees from the military before agreeing to any such measure.Mukherjee conveyed to the President that there was no military solution to Sri Lanka’s conflict.

A food convoy finally reached LTTE-controlled Vakarai yesterday after a UN team was first sent to the location to ensure there was no shelling during the humanitarian operation to provide relief to more than 40,000 trapped civilians.Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said a convoy of vehicles loaded with food and medicine crossed the Marnkerni Army camp in batches and reached Vakarai yesterday after security clearance was obtained.“The convoys went to Vakarai after they were checked in Marnkerni,” Brigadier Samarasinghe told the Daily Mirror.A 16-man UN team preceded the convoy to Vakarai after both the military and the LTTE called for the measure as part of a security guarantee with both sides trading charges over the postponement of the operation which was earlier scheduled to take place on Tuesday.

“The 16 aid staff first went to Vakarai and spoke to the LTTE and stayed there until the convoys reached the area,” Brigadier Samarasinghe said.Some 115 lorries were expected to reach Vakarai during the day and after unloading will return to Batticaloa following which a temporary cease-fire in the area agreed upon by both the LTTE and the military will come to an end. The convoys were earlier scheduled to reach Vakarai on Tuesday but were forced to abandon the mission after heavy shelling was reported in the area with the Army and the LTTE trading charges as to who fired first despite a pre-arranged humanitarian ceasefire.As a result of the closure of the road connecting government and LTTE territory, thousands of IDPs in Vakarai are without food, medicine and basic sanitation needs forcing most of them to attempt to make the dangerous trek out of the rebel territory.

Norwegian special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer will visit Sri Lanka this week, but Oslo has decided not to take any more peace initiatives following a virtual state of war in the island nation.Hanssen-Bauer will be in Colombo shortly after President Mahinda Rajapaksa returns from New Delhi and shall also travel to the northern town of Kilinochchi to meet leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).Informed sources told the agency that the visit was to tell the two protagonists that while Norway would remain in touch with them directly and indirectly, it has no further intention of launching any peace move unless they genuinely decide to shake hands.

"Colombo and LTTE are not ready for any peace process," the source said dismissively, reflecting the deepening despondency in the international community overseeing Sri Lanka.India, which has vital stakes in Sri Lanka, is being kept informed of the Norwegian decision that follows months of relentless fighting involving the military, the Tigers and Tamil groups opposed to LTTE, which has claimed some 2,500 lives and displaced many thousands this year alone, stifling the peace process.The latest twist in the bloody Sri Lankan drama follows a virtual declaration of war by LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran Monday when he called the 2002 Norway-sponsored ceasefire agreement (CFA) defunct and Colombo's desire to know if Oslo would remain the peace facilitator or not.

Norway has faced tough times in Sri Lanka as the peace process progressed since the signing of the truce.But criticism against Oslo began to soar from about 2004, the year when the LTTE suffered a paralysing split with its former regional commander Karuna breaking away with his supporters and covertly teaming up with Colombo.While LTTE's opponents accused Norway of bias towards the Tigers, the Tigers complained that Oslo was not doing enough to rein in Colombo's military aggressiveness that was claiming scores of civilian lives in the island's northeast.On occasions Norwegian diplomats felt insulted by the conduct of representatives of both sides but decided not to make a public issue, the sources said.

The assessment in Oslo is that it is a waste of time, energy and resources doing peace facilitation if the two main parties are determined to fight it out and not make meaningful compromises that can end one of the world's longest running and complex conflicts.Already, some sections of the Western community are testing the waters to see if any other peace process can be started to help bridge the yawning gulf between Colombo and LTTE.India is, however, clear that if there is any internationally driven peace process in Sri Lanka, Norway alone should steer it in view of its proven expertise in peace making and despite whatever mistakes that may have occurred.The LTTE is fighting to carve an independent homeland called Tamil Eelam out of Sri Lanka's northeast. The campaign has claimed over 65,000 lives since 1983 and shows no signs of ending any time soon.

Sri Lanka: Peace-broker Norway on Wednesday denied a report that it gave a six-foot (1.8 meter) television to Sri Lanka's reclusive rebel leader, who is said to like watching Hollywood movies and copy methods for attacks and assassinations.A statement from Norway's Foreign Ministry called the allegations carried by state-run Daily News "misconceptions and lies."The paper on Monday carried an interview of a breakaway Tamil Tiger leader named Karuna, who alleged that Norway's Aid Minister Erik Solheim had given the television to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.Karuna, a one-time confidante of the top guerrilla leader, said Prabhakaran liked watching movies. Karuna told the interviewer that Solheim had given "a six-foot (1.8 meter) TV screen to Prabhakaran to watch films."
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry emphatically denied the claim."The ministry would again like underline that it is surprised to see that such blatant lies are being printed by the Daily News. Mr. Solheim has certainly not bought a television for Mr. Prabhakaran," the statement said.The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also denied Karuna's claim that Solheim gave the rebel group money.Solheim was instrumental in arranging a cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in 2002 aimed at ending a two-decade civil war that had killed 65,000 people.The guerrillas split in 2004 when Karuna broke away with some 6,000 fighters.

The JHU requested the UNP leadership in Parliament yesterday to state their stand on the de-merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.JHU Parliamentary group leader Ven.Aturaliye Ratana Thera said that the UNP should state its stand on the Supreme Court judgment nullifying the temporary merger of the two provinces in 1987.The Ven. Thera said that President J.R. Jayewardene merged the two provinces only due to international pressure.UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena replied that the party leader was currently abroad and would inform the stand of the UNP on the de-merger, upon his return to the country.The matter was raised during the debate on the vote of the Nation Development Ministry in the House yesterday.

Commenting on the resettlement of war affected people, Ven. Ratana Thera said the National Development Ministry should consider resettling Sinhala people as well.The JHU said that the Ministry should ensure benefits to Sinhala people through the Rs 64 billion allocated for medium-term development programmes. He said that there should be a monitoring mechanism to determine whether development funds earmarked for the uncleared areas, were used for terrorist activities or public benefit.“He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa should improve the conditions of the Sinhala people in the upcountry, without nurturing racist elements.Ven. Ratana Thera criticized certain human rights organisations for their silence on the ethnic cleansing of Sinhala people of the Northern Province.He asked as to why these organizations remain tightlipped on the killing of Sinhala businessmen who went to Vavuniya to sell paddy and mangoes, despite being vociferous about the abduction of Tamil businessmen in Colombo.The JHU reiterated the North and Eastern Provinces were the historical homeland of Sinhala Buddhists, as proven by the numerous archeological monuments.

A coalition of over 80 expatriate Tamil community organisations in the United Kingdom this week appealed publicly to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to intervene diplomatically to end the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka's Northeast. The appeal was published in a full page advert placed in The Times newspaper on Monday by the British Tamils' Forum and signed by 88 expatriate Tamil welfare associations, religious societies, cultural and arts societies, sports clubs and rehabilitation organisations. "As British Tamils, we implore you not to sit by and allow evil to triumph in Sri Lanka," the petitioners said in their letter to the Prime Minister, citing English philosopher Edmund Burke, who famously said all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

"We urge you and your government not to turn a blind eye to the on-going human rights violations being carried out against the civilian population and to do more to oppose those who target civilians with violence and deprivation.""This appeal has the backing and support of a wide range of groups and organisations working to support the advancement of an estimated 150,000 strong Tamil community in the United Kingdom," they said.The petitions urged the British Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary to intervene and compel the Government of Sri Lanka to:

"Take immediate action to open the arterial routes and to ensure that the passage of all food, medical and other essential humanitarian relief supplies reaches Vakarai and the Jaffna peninsula."Ensure that the civilian population is respected and protected in all circumstances, in accordance with the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets and thus avoid indiscriminate attacks."Allow and respect the freedom of movement of the Tamil population in the North and East of the island."Ensure the safety of all Aid workers, health professionals and others and allow all such personnel free access to all war affected areas."Stop attacks on hospitals and all other health institutions and their surroundings and to recognise and regard such sites as safe zones."

The petitioners wrote the Premier, "you will be aware North and East of Sri Lanka is where Tamil people traditionally lived in Sri Lanka and it is our collective belief that since independence from Britain in 1948 the British Government has had a duty to recognise the long-standing suffering of Tamils in Sri Lanka."The Forum said its constituent member organisations represented "amongst others, some 3,000 acocuntants, 2,500 doctors, 5,500 nursing and other health and social care professionals, 3,000 engineers, 5,000 small businesses, 250 solicitors and legal practitioners, and over 10,000 other Tamil graduates working in key positions in UK's public, private and voluntary sectors.

UNP MP, Prof. G.L. Peiris told parliament yesterday there are certain factors in the Indian constitution to be extracted as the foundation for resolving the ethnic conflict here.Speaking during the debate on the Investment promotion and Industrial Development ministry, Prof. Peiris said there are certain other points in it which are not absolutely helpful in resolving the problem. Referring to the MOU signed between the UNP and the ruling SLFP, he said the two parties had a point of departure by signing the MOU on October 23.However, he emphasized the common National Agenda between the parties and a mechanism to implement the MOU, as absolutely essential to achieve the desired targets.“Otherwise, it will be a political document devoid of practical substance,” he said.Prof. Peiris said the perception of stability in the country is a pre-requisite for attracting investments to the country.He said the ceasefire agreement should be maintained perfectly to create a conducive atmosphere for this purpose.“It will take time to find a final solution to the problem. The CFA is not a final solution at all, he said,

Thulip Harikumar a 21 year student living at Hena Road Mt. Lavinia has been abducted yester day. He has been abducted and taken in a van bearing registration number 25 � 3486. This has been reported by his parents to Mt. Lavinia police.When inquired from the police they confirmed having received of complaint to that effect, but the vehicle number given by the complainant belongs to a private concern. The police are conducting further investigations.

Sri Lanka's inflation rate in November probably slowed from a four-month high, easing pressure on the central bank to increase its benchmark interest rate for a fourth time this year. Consumer prices in the capital Colombo gained 16.8 percent from a year earlier, after increasing 17.2 percent in October, according to the median forecast of seven analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. The Department of Census and Statistics index, the key inflation gauge watched by the central bank, is due to be released tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Colombo. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka, which has increased borrowing costs three times this year to rein in inflation, left its key rate unchanged in October and this month to help the island's economy sustain growth. Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said last week the $24 billion economy can grow 8 percent next year on record spending on roads and ports.

``The inflation gauge is mostly on food items, and it has seen some easing due to prices remaining stable,'' said Ghazzali Saduk, head of research at Capital 1st Research in Colombo. Cabraal and his fellow policy makers are ``more biased towards the growth numbers,'' he said. The central bank on Nov. 14 warned banks against excessive lending as it held its benchmark interest rate at 9.625 percent, a 3 1/2-year high and the second-highest in Asia. Cabraal said Nov. 15 lenders should channel funds to exporters and curb excessive consumer and property loans. Borrowing by companies for working capital and investment, and credit for private consumption, has been spurred because interest rates are below the pace of inflation.

``We will keep our options open, what we have done so far is sufficient to keep inflation in control for growth'' the central bank governor said. Cabraal's optimism about the island's economic prospects comes as Sri Lanka grapples with renewed violence in its two- decade civil war between government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels. Growth in the island nation's economy slowed to 7.6 percent in the second quarter from 8.3 percent in the previous three months. Sri Lanka's policies should focus on slowing inflation, and higher interest rates may be needed to curb lending, the International Monetary Fund said in a report Nov. 13. The central bank's next meeting to review its interest-rate policy is scheduled for Dec. 15. ``Looking at the Governor's point of view, his concern is over growth, so monetary policy may take a short term view,'' said Gihan Hemachandra, head of trading at Capital Alliance Ltd. in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's annual average inflation rate probably accelerated to 12.3 percent in November, compared with 11.8 percent last month, according to the Bloomberg News survey. Inflation is expected to ease to between 7 percent and 8 percent by the end of 2007, Cabraal said last week. The central bank on June 30 forecast annual inflation will average as much as 10 percent this year, compared with 11.6 percent in 2005. Sri Lanka may start using a new core inflation index to help damp price rises in the economy, the central bank said in a report Nov. 16. Sri Lanka's core inflation may exclude items whose price movements are volatile such as some food articles, and prices of items that are fixed by the state such as fuels, electricity, tobacco and liquor.

LOS ANGELES - A federal judge struck down President Bush's authority to designate groups as terrorists, saying his post-Sept. 11 executive order was unconstitutional and vague, according to a ruling released Tuesday. The Humanitarian Law Project had challenged Bush's order, which blocked all the assets of groups or individuals he named as "specially designated global terrorists" after the 2001 terrorist attacks."This law gave the president unfettered authority to create blacklists," said David Cole, a lawyer for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Constitutional Rights that represented the group. "It was reminiscent of the McCarthy era."The case centered on two groups, the Liberation Tigers, which seeks a separate homeland for the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, and Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan, a political organization representing the interests of Kurds in Turkey.U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins enjoined the government from blocking the assets of the two groups.

Both groups consider the Nov. 21 ruling a victory; both had been designated by the United States as foreign terrorist organizations.Cole said the judge's ruling does not invalidate the hundreds of other designated terrorist groups on the list but "calls them into question."Charles Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said, "We are currently reviewing the decision and we have made no determination what the government's next step will be."A White House spokeswoman declined to immediately comment.The judge's 45-page ruling was a reversal of her own tentative findings last July in which she indicated she would uphold wide powers asserted by Bush under an anti-terror financing law. She delayed her ruling then to allow more legal briefs to be filed.

She also struck down the provision in which Bush had authorized the secretary of the treasury to designate anyone who "assists, sponsors or provides services to" or is "otherwise associated with" a designated group.However, she let stand sections of the order that penalize those who provide "services" to designated terrorist groups. She said such services would include the humanitarian aid and rights training proposed by the plaintiffs.The Humanitarian Law Project planned to appeal that part of the ruling, Cole said."We are pleased the court rejected many of the constitutional arguments raised by the plaintiffs, including their challenge to the government's ban on providing services to terrorist organizations," Miller said Tuesday. "However, we believe the court erred in finding that certain other aspects of the executive order were unconstitutional."The ruling was still considered a victory, Cole said."Even in fighting terrorism the president cannot be given a blank check to blacklist anyone he considers a bad guy or a bad group and you can't imply guilt by association," Cole said.

The humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka is getting from bad to worse with every passing day. NDTV travelled to the Jaffna University, which the Sri Lankan government claims is a breeding ground for training the LTTE.The Sinhalese perception of Jaffna University is that it's a nursery for Tiger cubs. The university, which was unable to feed its students, was forced to close in August.Also closed to students was their road to learning - the A9 highway - which brought many of them to the temple of Tamil studies from LTTE controlled Kilinochchi and Mulativu districts.

About 1,300 students have not returned to Jaffna after the war resumed on August 11 - all because the Sri Lankan government believes the university is the biggest recruitment base for the LTTE."The road was closed because there was information that the LTTE was going to recruit 6,000 students from Jaffna and going to send them for training. Now the university has been closed," said Dr Palitha T B Kohona, Secretary General, Peace Secretariat, Sri Lanka.Jaffna commander Major General MA Chandrasiri also considers the university a dangerous zone."When we raided the university, we found grenades, satellite phone and a cutout of Prabhakaran. There are some hardcore LTTE cadres in the university, who are also student leaders. We cannot allow that," he said.However, it's a different story at the university. Those supposed to be hardened LTTE cadre and supporters don't even face the camera.They are truly afraid that they could be the next target after a student, they claim, was brutally killed by the gangs unleashed by the Sri Lankan forces to counter the Tigers."Truth has died here. Those who speak the truth are targetted. That's why we are scared to speak out or show our faces," said a student.

However, Prof R Kumaravadivel, Vice Chancellor of Jaffna University, rubbishes the government claim, pointing out that there aren't even 6,000 students in the university."There are just 5,300 students, of which 75 per cent are from the LTTE controlled area of Vanni. They would have joined the LTTE there. They don't have to come to Jaffna to join the LTTE," countered Kumaravadivel.In a community that is spread across the world from Australia to Norway and has been reduced to half of its original population, these Tamil students stand out.They speak of their alienation - the divide between the Sinhalese and the Tamil nations and their total commitment to their cause - a separate Tamil homeland."Tamil Eelam is not an LTTE proposal. It became our demand after the death of Thanthai Selvam in 1977. It is our need. We'll always seek a homeland and the LTTE is also part of that struggle," said a student.Moreover, they consider themselves special - the educated youth in a war torn community who have a historic role to achieve the dream of a Tamil homeland.

Sri Lanka Army has bulldozed the Alankulam Heroes' Cemetery in Muthur East, on November 25, said LTTE's Trincomalee District Political Head, S. Elian Wednesday. "Sri Lankan military has once again desecrated a war cemetery. No military in the civilized world, would engage in a such act," charged Mr. Elilan. Headstones were bulldozed away and the resting place was destroyed by the military two days ahead of Heroes Day, he further said.All the civilians have fled the area towards Vaharai following SLA offensive towards Sampoor and Muthur East.Alankulam Heroes' Cemetery, the district's largest Heroes Cemetery where memorial stone of Major Ganesh, a senior LTTE commander who died in a battle with the SLA in 1986 and the tomb of Lt. Col. Kunchan, one of the commanders to die recently were located in Alankulam in Muthur East.In 1995, the Sri Lanka Army destroyed three Heroes' Cemetaries, located in Kopay in Valikamam, Kodikamam in Thenmaradchi and in Ellankulam in Vadamaradchi. These were re-built following the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.

A day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's crucial talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Indian officials are increasingly irked by what they term the Sri Lankan government's "intransigent" attitude towards the country's ethnic problem.Having urged Colombo to come up with a concrete devolution formula and outline a specific road map to grant maximum autonomy to the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east of Sri Lanka, New Delhi is finding its advice increasingly ignored.India has been telling everyone who will listen that both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE need to get back to the negotiating table. It was not only important to maintain the ceasefire (in place since February 2002 and now all but abandoned), but also to seek a just and federal solution within the framework of a united Sri Lanka, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said.

LTTE chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran's statement on Monday, again seeking independence from Colombo, has not helped matters, officials said. But, according to a former Indian envoy to Sri Lanka, ever since the Rajapakse government came to power a year ago, the path they have chosen has been "one of confrontation with the LTTE," not conciliation with the ethnic minority.President Rajapakse is on record as saying the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) does not represent the will of the Tamil population of Sri Lanka. But his government's policy has been to "militarily resolve the problem," an official said, creating a humanitarian crisis in the island nation.The vicious cycle of bombardment and counter-attacks along the blocked A-9 highway (the lifeline to Jaffna in the north) have created massive shortages of basic commodities, left a large population of Sri Lankan Tamil citizens caught in the cross-fire and fleeing to India for refuge.

With the DMK government in Chennai as a close ally, pressures on the UPA government in New Delhi are rising. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, whose husband Rajiv Gandhi the LTTE is accused of killing, met Rajapakse as he began his political tete-a-tete with Indian leaders.Political entities in Tamil Nadu are adamant India should not enter any defence pact or any agreement on the joint patrolling of the Palk Straits, mooted by Colombo and have urged Singh to be firm with Rajapakse.On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, called on Rajapakse and held detailed discussions on India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations as well as the peace process in Sri Lanka. Mukherjee, who also held delegation-level talks with the Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, hoped "there would be early progress in the peace process so that all ethnic communities in Sri Lanka can live harmoniously and are able to achieve their aspirations," MEA spokesman Navtej Sarna said.India seeks not only a cessation of overt hostilities, it also wants a time-bound commitment from the government in Colombo outlining a definite 'road map' towards a federal structure in Sri Lanka.

Norwegian special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer will arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow to discuss the future of the peace process.Hanssen-Bauer is expected to meet with both government representatives as well as the LTTE during his visit.The visit was planned prior to the speech made by LTTE Leader Velupillai Pirapaharan.Informed sources said the envoy’s visit had gained added importance in view of Pirapaharan’s statement declaring his intention of pursuing the goal for a separate state.The envoy is expected at his meetings with the government and the LTTE to inquire their commitment to the CFA and the peace process.

The Sri Lankan government is seeking clarification from the Norwegian peace facilitators whether the Ceasefire Agreement is still in effect. In reference to LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran’s Heroes’ Day Speech, defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said, “We want a clarification from the Norwegians if the peace process is still on.” The Minister said his government is committed to peace. “We are pursuing peace. But we will respond if we are attacked,” he said. Mr. Rambukwella, referring to Prabhakaran’s claims that the LTTE followed a peaceful path during the period between the Thimpu and Geneva talks, said, “The terrorist leader had [attacked] venerated places of Buddhists at Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Scared Tooth) and Sri Maha Bodhi and at Aranthalawa where Buddhist monks and the Muslim worshippers at two mosques were brutally hacked and chopped to death. Even within two weeks of [the first] Geneva peace talks, the LTTE attacked a government Dvora vessel.” He said the Sri Lankan government acted with “utmost patience” and refrained from retaliatory attacks until an attempt was made on the life of Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka last April. Only then did the government decided to respond to LTTE attacks in a proper manner, he added.

The LTTE yesterday assured it had not withdrawn from the ceasefire agreement or had any immediate plans to terminate the peace deal signed in 2002 despite terming the agreement as being defunct, the SLMM told the Daily Mirror.SLMM spokesman Thorfinur Omarsson said LTTE political head S.P. Thamilselvan had given the assurance when the ceasefire monitors yesterday sought a clarification on the policy speech made by LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran.“Mr. Thamilselvan wanted us to convey that the LTTE would not terminate the CFA and remained committed to the agreement. This is a positive response and we hope the government remains committed as well,” Mr. Omarsson told the Daily Mirror.

According to Mr. Thamilselvan the LTTE leader had termed the CFA as being defunct mainly due to the closure of the A9 route at Muhamalai and other issues which had violated the agreement.Meanwhile Anna Johannsdottir, Head of the Crisis Response Unit of the Iceland ministry of foreign affairs, held a familiarization meeting with Mr. Thamilselvan yesterday with SLMM chief of staff, Jon Oskar Solnes, and SLMM spokesperson Thofinur Omarson also in attendance. Mr. Thamilselvan thanked the Icelandic government and its people for their contribution towards the SLMM.

Mr. Prabhakaran in his policy speech on Monday said they were recommencing their freedom struggle and called on the international community and the countries of the world to respect the move as President Mahinda Rajapaska had rejected the final call for peace."It is not possible to find a resolution by marginalizing and destroying the freedom movement with which talks must be held to find the solution. This is political absurdity on the part of the Sinhala leaders. Due to this strategy of the Rajapaksa regime, the CFA has become defunct,” he said.

Government Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwelle yesterday said the government was also not at war with the LTTE and would keep the door open for the rebels to enter the democratic stream while pursuing a peaceful solution.“We are not at war. We are for peace and will pursue a peaceful solution. The door is open for the LTTE to enter the democratic stream,” Minister Rambukwelle said.He termed the LTTE leader’s speech as a “camouflage” to deceive the Tamil community as they were being distanced owing to the terror tactics of the rebels while the government was making every effort to resolve the issue.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake yesterday called on the LTTE to lay down its arms and continue negotiating for peace. ''There is terrorism and there is negotiation,'' the Premier told reporters during a visit to Vietnam.''Terrorism must be stopped by them, not by us. We are not terrorists.''Premier Wickramanayake said all the political parties in Sri Lanka supported a negotiated settlement expect for the Tamil National Alliance, the political proxy for the rebels.''We want dual power, dual authority... so all can share administrative powers and authority,'' Mr. Wickramanayake said

The United States yesterday rejected LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran’s claim that the Tamil people had no option but to fight for a separate state and called on the LTTE to get back to peace talks.“We believe that the government and the LTTE should sit down and discuss a peaceful solution through sharing of power. US sees a clear path to end the ongoing conflict,” U.S. Ambassador Robert Blake said.The Ambassador said the US would take a strong stand against any LTTE bid to go for a separate state.

With the trust placed by the government on war, the authorities are reluctant take any action on Para military groups sais Mr. Siritunga the President of the civil monitoring committee. He said that they are compelled accuse the government that it provide space to para military groups to operate.Mr. Siritunga has written the above to the President Rajapakse and stated that the leader of the Western Peoples front Mr. Mano Ganeshan had to leave the country due to insecurity and the government has failed in its duty to provide security.After the killing of Nadaraja Raviraj he said that Mano Ganeshan and himself had been receiving death threats and though complaints were made nothing emerged out of it. While blaming the government as no credible investigation has been conducted on the person who was taken into custody over killings and abductions, the para military groups responsible for abductions and killing are roaming freely in the city and it is very unfortunate to see the government remaining inactive.

Sri Lankan aid convoy turns back

An aid convoy to Vaharai in eastern Sri Lanka has been forced to turn back because of fierce fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers. Each side blames the other for the fighting, which has left around 30,000 people in desperate need of supplies. Aid agencies have being trying frantically to bring relief to the town of Vaharai for much of the past month. The clashes come just a day after the rebel leader, Prabhakaran, said Tamils must push for an independent state. On Tuesday, the government asked Norwegian mediators to clarify whether the island's peace process still exists after the Tiger leader said it was "defunct".

The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says that Vaharai was cut off after fighting escalated in the eastern district of Batticaloa last month. Thousands of displaced people are taking refuge in schools and makeshift camps. The UN says that the situation is "desperate", with many people not receiving any help since the end of October. After weeks of negotiations, both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels had agreed to a temporary ceasefire. A convoy of 100 trucks was to go in packed with food, medicine and fuel for the next month. However after heavy fighting on Tuesday, the convoy was forced to stop and turn back. The UN spokesperson, Orla Clinton, said that the people of Vaharai are trapped because of the fighting, and agencies need sustained and continuous access to help them. Fighting between the rebels and government troops has intensified in the island's east since Monday.

The artillery and mortar attacks of both sides come a day after rebel leader Prabhakaran said the Tamil Tigers had "no option" but to push for an independent state. "We want a clarification from the Norwegians if the peace process is still on," defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the AFP news agency. The government has also written to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) of Scandinavian truce observers to ask if the ceasefire remained intact, Mr Rambukwella said. "We are waiting a response," he told reporters. The army accused the rebels on Tuesday of starting the latest fighting by targeting their defences in Batticaloa district. They say that the Tigers shelled their forward positions, killing one soldier and injuring two others. "Our defence lines have been mortared and shelled," said Major Upali Rajapakse, a spokesman with the Media Centre for National Security. "They are using heavy, heavy guns. The army is retaliating with artillery."

Commentators say that the current monsoon may give the rebels a military advantage over the army, because they are not so reliant on heavy artillery and armour which is harder to move in the rain. Correspondents say that the fact that Prabhakaran's speech was totally ignored by Sri Lanka's government-owned newspapers is a sign of the widening gulf between the two sides. Meanwhile the international campaigning group, Human Rights Watch, has said that the Sri Lankan security forces must immediately stop assisting abductions of boys and young men by the renegade Tamil Tiger leader, Colonel Karuna. It said that the military and police are complicit and, at times, directly co-operating with the Karuna group in abducting hundreds of boys and young men in the east this year.

President to Prabha: Let’s meet LTTE leader’s Eelam war threat not being taken seriously

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said he was not taking "seriously" Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's threat to resume his armed campaign for an independent Tamil state.The president told the CNN-IBN television channel he was ready for direct talks with Mr. Prabhakaran instead of involving "others" to end an ethnic conflict that had claimed over 65,000 lives and showed no signs of ending.In his annual Martyrs' Day speech on Monday, Mr. Prabhakaran said the 2002 Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement (CFA) was "defunct" and pledged to fight for a free Tamil state in the northeast.President Rajapaksa said he had not yet studied the speech. "I was here and I got it in the morning. But I have not taken it seriously. Because he has always been saying these things.

"He says there is no CFA. For me I have always believed in a negotiated settlement. Because I know the LTTE and Prabhakaran are different from the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, their views are different."Asked if he saw Mr. Prabhakaran's speech as a declaration of war, President Rajapaksa said: "He has been talking like this from the start. He has been saying these things even though he came for talks. He always wanted to kill people. He has killed more Tamils than Sinhalese. Just count the number and you will know."What can Sri Lanka do to convince the LTTE leader to return to the negotiating table, the President was asked.

"I don't know," the President replied. "I always tell him 'why do you want others to get involved in Sri Lanka?' I can talk to him straight. So let us talk. "I have said this in public, from election platforms. I have been voted by the Sri Lankan people, and I am ready (for talks)."At the same time, President Rajapaksa, whose four-day visit to India ends Wednesday, referred to the Sinhalese-nationalist groups supporting him that are opposed to any negotiations with the LTTE."I am taking a political risk by offering to negotiate with Prabhakaran," the President said.In his speech Monday evening, Prabhakaran said: "It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just solution to the Tamil national question.Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path.“The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam."

The Sri Lankan security forces must immediately stop assisting abductions of boys and young men by the Karuna group and help those abducted return safely to their families, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. A Human Rights Watch report to be published next month finds that the Sri Lankan military and police are complicit and, at times, directly cooperating with the Karuna group, an armed faction that split from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2004. Led by V. Muralitharan, a former Tamil Tiger commander known as Karuna, the group has abducted hundreds of boys and young men in eastern Sri Lanka this year. "We have clear and compelling evidence that government forces are helping Karuna forces abduct boys and young men," said Jo Becker, children's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. "The government should stop the abductions and help kidnapped children go home."

The allegations of government involvement gained major media attention on November 13, when Ambassador Allan Rock, a United Nations advisor on children and armed conflict, reported in Colombo that the Karuna group was abducting children in government-controlled areas of the east. Concluding a 10-day visit to Sri Lanka, Rock found "strong and credible evidence that certain elements of the government security forces are supporting and sometimes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment." The ambassador also condemned the Tamil Tigers for continuing to recruit children as fighters. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he would order an immediate investigation into whether abductions with government involvement were taking place. The government would hold accountable those found to have violated the law, he said. But the military dismissed the charges as "biased" and the foreign minister called them "unfounded." At a demonstration last week outside UN headquarters in Colombo, protesters accused Rock of sympathy for the Tamil Tigers.

Human Rights Watch has long criticized the Tamil Tigers, including in a 2004 report "Living in Fear," for abducting thousands of boys and girls for use in its forces. On Monday November 27, Human Rights Watch urged the UN Security Council to impose sanctions against the Tamil Tigers and armed groups in other countries long known to recruit and use child soldiers. The Security Council debates the issue today. In October, researchers from Human Rights Watch found that, by cooperating with the Karuna group on abductions, the Sri Lankan government has been complicit in the same illegal methods long used by the Tamil Tigers.

The UN children's agency UNICEF has recorded more than 130 child abductions by the Karuna group in eastern Sri Lanka's Batticaloa district alone this year. Other abductions are reported in the districts of Ampara and Trincomalee. UNICEF estimates the real number of child abductions is three times higher, because many families are too afraid to report the kidnappings for fear of reprisals. Human Rights Watch investigated more than 20 child abduction cases by interviewing witnesses and the parents of abducted children in government-controlled areas. In one case, the Sri Lankan army surrounded a village, gathered the young men and boys, recorded their names, and took their photographs. Karuna forces came later that day and abducted eight of the boys and young men.

Parents frequently saw their children, just after they had been kidnapped, in the local offices of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the political party recently founded by the Karuna group. In Batticaloa and Ampara towns, the TMVP offices are guarded by police. In other places, they are situated less than 100 meters from a Sri Lankan military camp. Government forces would therefore have seen the children in these offices and camps. Some parents told Human Rights Watch they were allowed to see their children in Karuna camps, which are mostly located north of Welikanda town in Polonnaruwa district. Some had traveled through more than 10 Sri Lankan police and military checkpoints to reach the camps where the children were held, including one at the intersection of the main road and the road that leads to the camps. "There's no way the Karuna forces could transport vanloads of abducted children along these roads without government forces knowing," said Becker. Human Rights Watch's report will include maps of the area, with camp and checkpoint locations to illustrate the point.

The government has known about Karuna child abductions since at least June 2006, Human Rights Watch said. That month UNICEF issued a public appeal, saying the forced recruitment of children by Karuna forces had increased since March. The agency appealed to the government "to investigate all abductions and ensure that children in affected areas are given the full protection of the law," a UNICEF statement said. In July, a group of more than 40 mothers of abducted children filed a detailed petition to the chief justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, seeking an inquiry. Copies went to the president and the minister for disaster management and human rights. "Official surprise at Ambassador Rock's allegations is not genuine," Becker said. "The government has known about Karuna abductions at least since June, if not earlier, and it has failed to stop the kidnappings or investigate the culprits."

Human Rights Watch called on the Sri Lankan government to take three immediate steps: -Publicly order military and police forces to stop abductions by the Karuna group; -Facilitate the release and safe return of all children and young men abducted by the Karuna group; and, -Investigate and hold accountable all individuals found to have ordered or participated in the abduction of children and young men, including members of the Sri Lankan security forces, regardless of rank. Human Rights Watch called on the leadership of the Karuna group to cease abductions and release all abducted children and young men in its custody. "And routine promises are not enough: the Sri Lankan government must act now to protect its children," Becker said.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse met External Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday. Rajapakse, who is on a five-day visit to India, also met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi later in the day and briefed her about the latest flare-up in Sri Lanka. Rajapakse is also scheduled to meet senior BJP leader L K Advani this evening. On Wednesday, he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to seek greater cooperation from India for patrolling the Palk Straits to curb the influx of arms by the LTTE into Sri Lanka. Earlier, India had voiced its concern to Rajapakse about the plight of hundreds of thousands of people affected by the fighting in Sri Lanka.

Foreign Secretary Shi Shankar Menon has already articulated India's concern over the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, during his recent visit to Colombo. Sri Lanka will also raise the issue of joint patrolling of the seas by Indian and Sri Lankan navies, and would seek an early agreement over this. Rajapakse, who is concerned over the LTTE's fast emergence as a potent sea force, will make India aware that the rebels are "posing a serious threat to not only Sri Lankan interests, but also to India and the world". Rajapakse may also emphasize that the "LTTE does not represent Tamils and that all Tamils are not supportive of the banned group".

Vaiko, Chief of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) party and member of the ruling UPA coalition had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently and asked the latter to prevail upon the Sri Lankan President to stop the alleged atrocities on Tamils in the island nation. Trade and economic matters are also expected to figure in Wednesday's discussions.In Dehradun, Rajapakse said that an inclusive all-party approach and a consensus is necessary to achieve a lasting solution to the ethnic problem in his country. This is Rajapakse's second visit to India after assuming office. He visited India in December 2005.

Unidentified gun men following a young woman on motor cycle shot her dead Tuesday around 11:00 a.m on Aathisoody Road in Thirunelveli Jaffna, on her way out from her home. In a separate incident, Jaffna police recovered the bodies of two youths with knife wounds, dumped in a deserted plot of land, Monday morning at Thavadi north in Inuvil Palamodai area in Valigamam. The young woman killed was identified as Uthayakumar Rajitha, 34, a resident of the area near Jaffna University.

Jaffna police who recovered Rajitha's dead body Tuesday have handed it to Jaffna Teaching Hospital morgue. Meanwhile, the two dead bodies of the youths, with cut injuries on throats and hands, are yet to be identified. Ms. Sarojini Illankovan, Mallakam District Magistrate visited the place where the youths' bodies were found and conducted investigation. The magistrate ordered the bodies to be kept at the Jaffna Teaching hospital morgue for identification. Residents of Inuvil said the youths found dead are suspected to be from Kodady and Kondavil and were the accused in criminal cases against them in Mallakam District Courts.

More than 50 people are being killed every month in the Jaffna peninsula, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna said.An official at the HRC office told The Morning Leader the statistics were based on the complaints received by the organisation alone and added there were many instances where cases were not brought to the notice of any humanitarian organisations."There are many cases which have not been reported to the HRC and have gone unnoticed," the official said.The official said the killings and abductions increased drastically after the closing of the A9 road in August. "The number of complaints increased drastically after August. The people are basically trapped here and are not in a position to leave the peninsula. The situation is very bad for the people who are already under threat. The killings and abductions have been continuing for many months but worsened recently," the official said.

The HRC said more than 30 civilians had come to the organisation seeking protection, fearing for their lives, during the same period of time.The HRC stated the civilians were handed over to the police, as it was not in a position to give them protection."The persons who have escaped attacks and those who are under threat have complained to the HRC and have asked for protection. More than 30 people have requested protection from us. We can only look into the complaints and investigate. We are not in a position to give them protection. Therefore, we handed the civilians over to the police stations. That is the maximum we could do for the civilians," the official added.The HRC said it was in the process of filing the list of complaints received this month."The figures will be given to the HRC Head Office in Colombo early next month," the official said.

The Colombo Magistrate yesterday ordered not to release the vehicles which were at the scene of killing of TNA MP Nadarajah Raviraj until the special team of investigators from Scotland Yard inspects them. Additional Magistrate Mohammed Irshadeen made this order when a vehicle owner requested the release of his vehicle which was damaged during the shoot out. The Magisterial inquiry into the Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian and his security guard Lakshman Lokuwella was held in camera and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed an investigation report. The police informed court that it was awaiting the Government Analyst’s report with regard to two vehicles and other items found at the murder scene at Narahenpita.

The CID objected to the application made by Attorney-at-Law, Anton Senanayake that the vehicle bearing number 253-43480 be released to its owner. The Police informed court that on the direction of the President a team from Scotland Yard was to arrive and asked not to release the vehicle until they examine them.In its report the CID stated that two persons had to be interrogated with regard to the motorbike on which the assailants had fled after the murder. Attorney-at-Law V. S. Ganeshelingam, an uncle of the late N. Raviraj and L. Dharmasiri, the cousin of late police officer, Lakshman Lokuwella who had identified the bodies at the police morgue, Colombo gave evidence. The court ordered to file report on the investigation on December 5.

More than 5,000 people in Jaffna have been affected with viral flu that medical authorities suspect to be Chikungunya.So far three deaths have been reported due to the flu and according to medical sources in the peninsula, many more lives are at risk if heavy rains continue."The viral flu, suspected to be Chikungunya, is fast spreading to Jaffna town. Last week, more than five people were admitted from the town to the Jaffna Hospital for urgent treatment," District Director for Health Services in Jaffna, Dr. Armugam Ketheswaran told The Morning Leader. The flu, which began in the villages within the peninsula a month ago, is also fast spreading amongst the women and children in IDP camps. Suffering from malnutrition, more than 2,000 refugees are also currently suffering from symptoms of Chikungunya, which authorities fear has led to an outbreak."The only way this disease can be controlled is by keeping the area clean. Due to heavy rains, it is very difficult to control this disease from spreading amongst the people, especially the civilians," Dr. Ketheswaran said.

Eradication programmes have already begun in the peninsula from November 13 and special teams have been deployed to educate the people in keeping the areas clean. Control activities have also begun in many villages within the peninsula and according to Dr. Ketheswaran, leaflets have also been distributed within the schools."Many more lives will be at risk if urgent steps are not taken to control the disease. It has already claimed three lives and more than 5,000 are suspected to be affected by it," Dr. Ketheswaran said.Meanwhile, dengue is also spreading within other districts in the north and east. According to statistics available at the Jaffna Hospital, 150 deaths due to dengue have been reported from Kilinochchi, Trincomalee and Mannar in the past one month.

Jaffna only has essential supplies to last a month, high ranking government officials in the peninsula warned last week."The essential shipments provided to the peninsula and adequate quantities of supplies are still not quite enough to last a month," he said.The civilians in the peninsula complained they were not getting relief items on a regular basis.An official said humanitarian aid continued to come in to the north despite the problems faced in transporting the goods by seaThe GA said the people displaced were suffering the most.The civilians said they were also facing shortages of fuel and therefore, most of their work had to be limited.

An official at the Jaffna Kachcheri told the Morning Leader that there was fuel shortage in the peninsula, but added that arrangements had been made to rectify the issue."The vehicle owners are given a card to buy fuel. The amount of fuel given to them depends on the vehicle," the official said.The official however said the people had to pay money to buy extra fuel.Petroleum and Transportation Minister A.H.M. Fowzie told The Morning Leader that fuel distribution in the north was running smoothly and that no complaints were reported on this issue. Fowzie further mentioned that drums of fuel to the east are sent directly and fuel is sent to the peninsula and to the east every other day.The Minister said the fuel distribution in the LTTE-controlled areas was handled by the military.However, Military Spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said he was not aware of fuel transportation to LTTE-controlled areas.

Ayubowan, vanakkam, Assalam Alikkum and best wishes as we move into December with the country still being tossed about and torn apart in the stormy seas of the ethnic crisis and economic conflict and other crises within conflict. On Monday the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran delivered his much awaited or much feared Hero’s Day message — a sort of state of Eelam message— you and the opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe were both in India in a strange turn of events. The visits by you and Mr. Wickremesinghe to India came after India’s new Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon reportedly did some tough talking with you in Colombo last week. According to reports, Mr. Menon said the Indian government was insisting that the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces should be legalised by you. Our giant neighbour or big brother’s policy is that the North-East merger is part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987 and that such an agreement between two sovereign governments is now international law and cannot be nullified through a domestic process.

That means India is virtually demanding that you take action to merge the two provinces and prime minister Manmohan Singh is likely to reiterate this demand when he meets you today. UNP leader Wickremesinghe said before leaving for India his party was ready to support any constitutional amendment for the merger of the North-East and with TNA support, the amendment could get a two-third majority. The Tokyo donors’ conference co-chairs and the rest of the international community are also likely to support such a move as part of an overall political solution to the ethnic conflict. But if you decide to introduce such a constitutional amendment it would mean for you an open clash with the JVP, the JHU and other Sinhala hardline groups which are likely to play havoc on the streets. But with the SLFP, the UNP and other moderate and socialist parties supporting the move it would mean that up to 85% of the people are behind it. That should give you the courage and inspiration to go ahead and take the highroad.

While India is pushing hard for the North East merger largely because it serves New Delhi’s political strategy the co-chairs last week gave you no byways regarding the dispute over the reopening of the A9 highway at the Muhamalai checkpoint. After two days of talks in Washington with two top US administration officials Nicholas Burns and Richard Boucher in attendance, the co-chairs issued a strong statement calling for the immediate and permanent reopening of the A9 highway and other supply routes. The use of the word permanent was seen as a rejection of the government’s decision to temporally reopen the highway at Muhamalai. Until Monday government spokesmen such as Keheliya Rambukwella were still talking of a temporary reopening while the LTTE has warned it would take decisive action of its own to forcibly reopen highway. Mr. Rambukwella and the Media Centre for National Security, apparently plagued by amateur if not immature or prejudiced upstarts are turning out to be increasingly irrelevant or ridiculous as they try to hide the truth with various reports that amount to misinformation if not disinformation. These and other issues have brought you to a point of no return and you are now called upon or virtually forced to take decisive decisions instead of trying to go this way and that or please all the people all the time. The principle of being all things to all people is valid - but not when it is done for political survival, personal gain or glory.

If you decide to introduce a constitutional amendment for the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces you are likely to run into hellfire not only from the JVP and the JHU but also face the consequences of going against a ruling given by a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva. We can’t or won’t say more on that issue for obvious reasons.On the A9 highway, the “highroad” would mean giving priority to the humanitarian catastrophe where some 700,000 people are languishing in varying degrees of degradation, destitution and deprivation. More than threats from the LTTE, more than pressure from the international community, the key factor needs to be the humanitarian issue which needs to be looked at beyond party politics, racial or religious barriers.

As we begin the Christmas season the normal habit or tendency is to focus on shopping. TV reports on Monday said the United States Christmas shopping season which began on the Thanksgiving Day last Friday brought about a turnover of hundreds of millions of dollars on the first day, and the chain stores are expecting a boom time despite the ominous signs of doom. At least three areas in West Asia—Iraq, the Lebanon and the Israeli Palestinian sector are on the brink of an end--times civil war. So is Sri Lanka. If the ceasefire is not restored and peace talks restarted Sri Lanka is also on the brink of a civil war with the added danger of being declared as a failed or ungovernable state. So much for more than 2500 years of a hallowed civilization and culture. When that civilization was launched we saw Arahath Mahinda--an apostle of peace from Indian emperor Asoka introducing the ways and values of the Buddha Dhamma. Historical records say that Arahath Mahinda saw king Devanampiyatissa on a deer hunt and virtually commanded him by saying; “Stop Tissa, do not kill”. Today tragically or horrifyingly, we see monks who claim to follow the Buddha Dhamma taking to the streets and virtually telling you: “don’t stop Mahinda, go on killing”.

Leaving that at that, as we move into December, let us hope that at least this year most people will stop their traditional shopping spree. If a family which normally spends about Rs. 20,000 for Christmas could cut down the expenses to Rs. 10,000 and share the remaining Rs. 10,000 to restore the dignity of another family, then Christ will re-emerge into Christmas. If 10,000 families could reduce expenses and restore the human dignity of 10,000 dispossessed families then Jesus Christ who was born in a cattle shed will be given space to come alive and resurrect the Christmas that is buried in cakes and crackers, balloons and bonbons.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	107.22		108.74
Sterling Pound	207.47		211.42
Euro	140.42		143.43
Swiss Franc	88.52		90.66
Australian Dollar	83.01		85.23
Singapore Dollar	68.82		70.45
Japanese Yen	0.9201		0.9431
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	286.29
Kuwait	Dinar	373.21
Oman	Rial	280.34
Qatar	Riyal	29.64
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	28.78
UAE	Dirham	29.38

Sinhala leaders’ duplicity of war and peace has left Tamils with no choice but political independence

The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Vellupillai Pirapaharan, in his annual Heroes’ Day statement, expressed extreme frustration at the unchanging attitude of successive Sinhala regimes towards resolving the burning Tamil national question and, in particular, at the deceitful handling of the current peace efforts by three successive Sinhala regimes.“Both our liberation movement and our people never preferred war to a peacefulresolution. We have always preferred a peaceful approach to win the political rights ofour people. We have never hesitated to follow the peaceful path to win our political rights. That is why we held peace talks, beginning in Thimpu right through to Geneva, on several occasions, at various times, and in many countries,” he said.The LTTE leader went on to say that President Mahinda Rajapakse has rejected his final call in his Heroes’ Day statement last year to find a resolution to the Tamil National question with urgency. He said that President Rajapakse had instead intensified the waron the one hand and whilst on the other hand talking about finding a peaceful resolution.The LTTE leader said that this dual war and peace approach is fundamentally flawed. “It is not possible to find a resolution by marginalizing and destroying the freedom movement with which talks must be held to find the resolution. This is political absurdity on the part of the Sinhala leaders.” Due to this strategy of the Rajapakse regime, the CFA has become defunct, he said.The LTTE leader said that the present regime, which is denying food and medicine to the people to the extent of starving them, cannot be expected to show compassion and give the Tamil people their political rights. He said that the Sinhala nation, eternally trapped in the mythical ideology of the Mahavamsa, has failed to think afresh and has left theTamils with only one option, political independence and statehood for the people of Tamil Eelam.
The full text of the official translation of his speech follows:
“We are at a cross roads in our freedom struggle. Our journey has been long and arduous,and crowded with difficult phases. We are facing challenges and unexpected turns that no other freedom movement had to face. Unprecedented in history, we are dealing with war and peace talks at the same time.Six years have passed since we dedicated ourselves to find a solution to the ethnic conflict through peace talks. In this long time span, has a solution been found to the burning Tamil national question? Was there any visible change in the mindset of the Sinhala leadership that continues to inflict unrelenting cruelty on the Tamil people? Were any of the justifiable requests of the Tamils been fulfilled? Were our people able to find relief from the daily harassment and misery at the hands of the occupying military? Were the daily basic problems of our people resolved? None of these has happened. Instead, death and destruction were heaped on the Tamils who hoped that they would receive justice.While the countries that preached peace maintain silence without conscience, a great tragedy is unfolding in the Tamil homeland. The Sinhala government has imprisoned the Tamils in their own land after closing its main supply routes. Having removed their freedom by restricting their movement and constrained their lives, it is inflicting great suffering on them. It has split the Tamil homeland, set up military camps, bound it with barbed wire, and has converted it into a site of collective torture. The Sinhala government has unleashed a two pronged war, military and economic, on our people. Our people are subjected to unprecedented assaults. Arrests, imprisonment, and torture, rape and sexual harassment, murders, disappearance, shelling, aerial bombing,and military offensives are continuing unchecked. At the same time our people are subjected to an inhuman economic embargo on essential items including food and medicine.Even after the ceasefire, negotiations and the five years of patiently keeping peace, thedividends of peace have not reached our people. Instead our people are faced with unbearable burdens in their daily lives. Thousands of our people have been forced out of their homes and are languishing with disease and hunger in refugee camps. No one should expect that this Sinhala government which is denying food and medicine to our people to the extent of starving them would show compassion and give them their political rights.The monumental growth in knowledge and the resulting global outlook is taking humanity into a new era. Ideas, views and philosophies are changing in tandem with this growth in knowledge and this is resulting in changes in society. Yet, within the Sinhalanation, there is little change in its ideas and philosophies. The Sinhala nation is refusing to broaden its thinking and take a new approach. The Sinhala nation remains mislead by the mythical ideology of the Mahavamsa and remains trapped in the chauvinistic sentiments thus created. Unable to free itself from this mindset, it has adopted Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic notions as its dominant national philosophy. This notion is spread in its schools, universities and even its media. The domination of this Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism is preventing its students, intellectuals, and writers from stepping out of and thinking free from its domination. This, unfortunately, is preventing the Sinhala nation from undertaking a genuine attempt at resolving the Tamil national question in a civilized manner.Both our liberation movement and our people never preferred war to a peaceful resolution. We have always preferred a peaceful approach to win the political rights of our people. We have never hesitated to follow the peaceful path to win our political rights. That is why we have tried to hold peace talks beginning in Thimpu right through to Geneva on several occasions, at various times, and in many countries. The currentpeace efforts, with Norwegian facilitation and with the blessings of the international community, taking place in the capitals of various countries are unique.This peace journey began on 31st October 2000, when the then Norwegian special envoy Eric Solheim visited Vanni and met us. This peace journey is taking place in a unique period, under unique historical conditions, in a unique format and on a unique path. It is moving on two fronts, peace talks, on one hand, and a war of occupation by the Sinhala government, on the other.During the six years when we kept peace, we were sincere in our efforts. Indeed, we initiated the peace efforts. We created a strong foundation for peace efforts by unilaterally declaring a ceasefire. We refrained from putting conditions or time limits for peace talks. We did not undertake these efforts from a position of weakness. We had recaptured the Vanni mainland and the Iyakkachchi-Elephant Pass military complex. We had beaten back the ‘Operation Fire’ of the Sinhala military. We carried out great military feats in the history of our struggle. It was from this position of strength that we undertook this peace effort. The situation was just the opposite in the south. The south had faced defeat after defeat and was losing its will to face war. Its military had lost its backbone. The economy was very shaky. It was only under such conditions that the Sinhala nation agreed for peace talks. In this five years since the peace efforts began, three governments have come to power, that of Wickremasinghe, Bandaranayake and Rajapakse. Each time the government changed, the dove of peace moved from one cage to another but it was never able to fly freely. Stabbed many times, the dove is now struggling for its life.We held talks with the Wickremasinghe government for six months after signing the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) with him. Like all previous Sinhala regimes, the Wickremasinghe regime dragged time without implementing the clauses in the CFA and the agreements reached at the talks. Its military failed to move out of people’s homes, schools and hospitals and instead declared these vast areas of land as military security zones and permanently prevented the people from returning to their land. The subcommittee for De-escalation and Normalization became dysfunctional. The subcommittee created to solve immediate humanitarian needs of the people also become defunct due to planned sabotage by the government. The Wickremasinghe government that refused to solve the humanitarian problems facing our people, secretly worked to marginalize our movement on the world stage. Even before setting up a working administrative structure in the Tamil homeland, it conducted donor conferences to obtain aid for the south. By failing to facilitate our participation in the donor conference held in Washington, it marginalized and humiliated our movement. As a result we were forced to stay away from the Tokyo conference. The Wickremasinghe regime did not stop with this. It plotted to trap our freedom movement in an ‘international safety net’ and destroy us. When we put forward the proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), startling changes occurred in the southern politics. The Kumaratunge government took over the reins of power. While refusing to hold talks on the basis of our proposal, her government, using the paramilitary phenomenon, intensified the shadow war against us. The paramilitary factor turned the Tamil homeland into a violent blood stained theatre.Intellectuals, political leaders, journalists, LTTE members, supporters and civilians were all murdered. We were forced to halt the political work, carried out according to the CFA clauses by our members in Sri Lankan military occupied areas of the Tamil homeland. As a result, our people were left alone in the cruel grip of the occupying military. Finally the Kumaratunge regime failed to implement even the Joint Mechanism (PTOMS) agreement signed by her regime for tsunami rehabilitation. The Supreme Court, unable to step outside the Sinhala chauvinistic notions, rejected this purely humanitarian focused agreement citing the unitary constitution. It was at this time that the Sinhala nation elected Rajapakse as its new President. Like the Sinhala leaders of the past, he too is putting his hopes in a military solution. He rejected our final call in our last year’s Heroes’ Day statement, to find a resolution to the Tamil National question with urgency. Instead, he intensified the war, on the one hand, with the view to destroy our movement and, on the other hand, he is talking about finding a peaceful resolution. This dual war and peace approach is fundamentally flawed. It is not possible to find a resolution by marginalizing and destroying the freedom movement with which talks must be held to find the resolution. This is political absurdity on the part of the Sinhala leaders.The Rajapakse regime hopes to decide the fate of the Tamil nation using its military power. It wants to occupy the Tamil land and then force an unacceptable solution on the Tamils. Due to this strategy of the Rajapakse regime, the CFA has become defunct. The Rajapakse regime, by openly advocating attacks on our positions, has effectively buried the CFA. The Rajapakse regime’s attacks have expanded from land to sea and air. It has given a free hand to the paramilitary groups to kill at will. It has occupied Mavilaru and Sampur blatantly breaking the terms of the CFA. The Sinhala military misjudged our strategic withdrawal from Mavilaru and Sampur. It used heavy firepower and launched large scale offensives to bring Tamil lands under its control. Tamil land was soaked in blood. It is at this time we decided to give a shock to the Sinhala regime. Our forces conducted a massive counter-offensive on the Sinhala forces that attempted to move from Kilali and Muhamalai. The military sustained heavy losses and was forced to abandon its offensive temporarily. This, however, did not persuade the Sinhala regime to give up its military plans. It continues on its military path. The Rajapakse regime, while conducting genocide of the Tamils, is portraying our movement which is waging a struggle to save the Tamils from this genocide as a terrorist organization. It has launched a malicious propaganda campaign to defame our movement. Ignoring the unanimous opposition of our people and the objection of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the European Union and Canada have yielded to diplomatic pressure from the Sri Lankan government and listed our movement as a terrorist organization. They isolated us as undesirables. This hasty decision, arrived at without considering the prevailing context, has created serious repercussions. It has gravely disturbed the parity of status and balance of power we held with the Sinhala regime. It encouraged the hard line stance of the Sinhala regime. It weakened the SLMM and facilitated the war plans of the Sinhala regime. Some countries that proclaim to be helping the peace efforts, have not only failed to condemn the genocidal attacks on our people but are also giving military and financial aid to the Sinhala regime to support its war plans. These are external factors that are encouraging the Rajapakse regime to carry on with its brutal military offensives in the Tamil land with absolute impunity. The Rajapakse regime is not giving due importance to the peace talks because it has confidence in its military approach. The two Geneva talks were unproductive because of its lack of interest in the peace front. At the first Geneva talks, we placed evidence of military-paramilitary cooperation in the form of documents, statistics and incident reports. Unable to reject the solid evidence, the Sri Lankan government agreed to implement the CFA clause by removing the paramilitary groups from the Tamil homeland. After this first Geneva talks, there was only one change. State and paramilitary terror in the Tamil homeland escalated. The second Geneva talks were also a failure. At these talks, we gave priority to the humanitarian issues facing our people and requested that the A9 road be opened and the SLMM be given freedom to function. The Sri Lankan government, putting military advantage ahead of humanitarian concerns, rejected both requests. The Sinhala government that failed to show mercy to the people affected by a natural disaster is never going to budge on a humanitarian crisis that it planned and created. How could the peace talks move forward when the peace delegation is made up of people who proclaim that they will wage war and hold peace talks at the same time? How can trust be built? How can peace be arrived at like this? To improve his posturing as a peace dove, President Rajapakse staged a deceptive ‘All Party Conference’. The Sinhala leaders have practiced this infamous political tradition of initiating commissions of inquiry, parliamentary select committees, all party conferences, or round tables to procrastinate whenever it is unable to face up to a situation and wants to drag time until attention is diverted. This is exactly what he is doing now. Rejecting our call to speedily find a resolution to the Tamil national question, he is hiding behind the All Party Conference. For the last ten months, the all party committee is looking for the Tamil question, like searching for a black cat in a dark room. Once the All Party Conference lost its deceptive power, President Rajapakse has taken up his next card, the MoU between the two major parties. These two major parties that effectively have hegemonic control over the south are both essentially chauvinistic parties. Both these parties are born of Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism and compete with each other to carry out genocide of the Tamils. This MoU is a temporary opportunistic move by Rajapakse regime to avoid the multiple problems of international pressure to find a peaceful solution, the declining economic situation, and the opposition of his political partner, Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna (JVP). There is no sincere motive in this MoU agreement. These two parties will never put forward a just solution to the Tamil issue. Despite this, the Rajapakse regime continues to show interest in keeping the all party conference alive simply to deceive the world.

A long time has elapsed since we embarked on this journey for peace with Norway’s facilitation. We have tried our best to take forward this peace effort. We have practiced patience. We gave innumerable opportunities for finding peaceful resolution. We postponed our plan to advance our freedom struggle twice to give even more chances to the peace efforts, once when the tsunami disaster struck and again when President Rajapakse was elected. It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path. The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam. We therefore ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle. At this historic time when the Tamils are recommencing their journey on the path of freedom, we seek the unwavering support and assistance of the world Tamil community. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Nadu people and leaders for voicing their support and ask them to continue their efforts to help us in our freedom struggle. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Diaspora, our displaced brethren living all around the world, for their contribution to our struggle and ask them to maintain their unwavering participation and support.”

This year's "Maaveerar Naal" or "Great Heroes Day" oration by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Velupillai Pirabakaran on November 27th will be of poignant significance due to a very, special reason.The annual address has now come to be regarded as an unofficial policy statement of the tigers. LTTE political commissar Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan has stated that his leader's speech this time will outline the position of the LTTE on the current situation.Given the prevailing tensions and hostilities the LTTE chief's speech will be eagerly anticipated by all those immersed, involved or interested in the on going Sri Lankan conflict.What is significant about this year's "urai" or oration is that it would probably be the last speech to be written for him by tiger ideologue and political adviser Anton Stanislaus Balasingham.Balasingham or "Bala annai" (elder brother) as he is known has been writing the Great Heroes Day (GHD) speech for Pirapakaran since 1990.

The first GHD was held on Nov 27th 1987 in the Wanni during the Indian Army period. A truce declared on Sep 21st was in force then.It was then that Prabakaran addressed his cadres directly and spoke without notes in Tamil. Balasingham was in London then.I think some points were sent to the LTTE leader who dwelt on them in his own way Thereafter all GHD addresses have been written by Balasingham.Some years ago a particular GHD speech was full of poetic language and imagery. I wrote then that the speech may have been polished by LTTE cultural commissar "Puthuvai" Rathinathurai the well - known Tamil poet.Balasingham was to remember this and in a subsequent conversation years later set the record straight. He told me that the speech had been written by him alone and that no one else had touched it let alone polish it."I told Puthuvai DBS is giving you credit" he said and went on to add "Naangal ninaithaal Kavithuvathodeyum eluthuvom" (If we want we can write poetically also).I realised then how proud Balasingham was about the GHD speech and his role in it.

He prepares elaborately in writing it and cuts off communication with others for a few days. Balasingham communicates with "Thamby" Praba and formulates the address according to guidelines set by the tiger supremo.But this year will be "Bala Annai's swan song.The "Tamilnet" announced on Nov 22nd that Balasingham was terminally ill. This is what the news report said ."Mr. Anton Balasingham, theoretician and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been diagnosed with bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), a rare and aggressive malignancy of the biliary system. The cancer is in an advanced stage and has spread to his liver, lungs, abdomen and bones, doctors have informed Mr. Balasingham, who is now resting at home, cared for by his wife, Adele.

Mr. Balasingham has had various medical investigations and is consulting oncologists about the possibility of treatment and the prognosis.Commenting on his illness to TamilNet, Mr Balasingham said that, "it is an unfortunate personal tragedy. However, when compared to the vast ocean of the collective tragedy faced by my people, my illness is merely a pebble. I am deeply sad that I am crippled by this illness, unable to contribute anything substantial towards the alleviation of the immense suffering and oppression of my people."Mr Balasingham is 68 years old and has been suffering from diabetes for 35 years and in the late nineties developed renal disease, for which he underwent kidney transplantation. He has been associated with the Tamil liberation struggle for more than 30 years and participated as chief negotiator on behalf of the Liberation Tigers in almost all political negotiations, beginning with the Thimpu talks in 1985".

I had heard some weeks ago that Balasingham was seriously ill and would not live long. I did not expect that news to be made public but LTTE media organs came out with it a few days ago.With Doctors giving Balasingham a time span of 4 - 6 weeks I thought he would not be writing the speech this time.But I hear that Balasingham has written the text despite his pain and suffering. One reason is because of the importance as it comes at a critical juncture in the history of Sri Lankan Tamil people. Another reason is Balasingham's dedication and pride in what has come to be an annual event of great importance.This year's GHD speech therefore is written by Balasingham and delivered by Pirapakaran.Another event in recent times has been a GHD ceremony in London addressed by Balasingham.He has been doing it since 1999.

Balasingham speaking in Tamil addresses the crowd for about an hour or so. He expands on the speech written by him and points out the important aspects of the GHD address. The speech is also laced with humorous cracks.Given his illness will Balasingham make an appearance this time?It all depends on his current health. But knowing the man I think if there is the slightest possibility Balasingham would make an appearance.He may talk while being seated for about 10 minutes at least.That could be his final appearance before a mass audience.

The main opposition UNP yesterday condemned LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s Heroes’ Day speech vowing to carve out a separate state. Party General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told the Daily Mirror his party would never accept the division of this country at any cost.However, Mr. Attanayake said the UNP always stood for a negotiated political settlement within a united Sri Lanka, accommodating genuine aspirations of the Tamil people.TNA leader R. Sampanthan said S.J.V. Chelvanayagam who was a totally non-violent person called for a separate state in 1976 and the LTTE leadership was making the same demand only after 30 years.“Let’s wait and see how the government is going to react,” he said.The JVP which had been calling for the defeat of the LTTE said it was high time the government took steps to defeat the Tigers both militarily and ideologically. JVP MP Vijitha Herath told the Daily Mirror the government should remove Norway from the role of facilitator of peace at least now.

From MuhamaLai in the northern Jaffna Peninsula borderline and from the main Thallady Army base in North-western Mannar, Sri Lanka army commenced heavy artillery shelling towards civilian villages late Monday.Details of casualties are not yet available. However, shelling from the Muhamalai base was continuing till midnight.Meanwhile, an attack on the Yathuwewa STF camp is also reported. The camp is situated on the Mannar-Vavuniya Road at Murungan. Civilians in the area have reported of close range exchange of fire for a long time.The attacks have commenced a few hours after the Tamil National Leader had made his Annual Heroes' Day proclamation.

A trawler travelling in a suspicious manner 50 nautical under off Chilaw was destroyed by the Navy today (27). It has sunk with a loud explosion.According to Navy sources this has happened around 10.45 am.A navy Dovra craft in a routine inspection has observed the suspected craft and ventured to inspect it. When the Navy ordered to halt they have tried escape without heeding to the order and had fired at the Dovra. The Navy too has returned fire and the trawler has exploded with a loud noise and sunk. It is believed about 6 cadres were in the craft.The Navy suspects that the trawler was carrying explosives.

The CID will probe death threats received by Batticaloa district TNA MP Tangeswari Kadiragamanathan last week, Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara told Parliament yesterday.The Speaker said he had contacted IGP Victor Perera on the matter after Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle brought it to his notice for necessary action.Earlier, six TNA members representing districts in the Eastern province informed the Speaker about death threats received by them.In a letter handed over to the Speaker, the MPs said a group identifying themselves as gunmen in Batticaloa threatened them to resign from parliament or face death.The death threats have come in the wake of TNA MP N. Raviraj being gunned down by an unidentified gunman in Colombo.

Bolstered by Pakistan's military support and the US diplomatic support to its military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapakse has been increasingly insensitive to India's concerns over the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Sri Lankan Tamil community. Even while describing India as Sri Lanka's "best friend", Rajapakse continues with his policy of targeted killings of innocent Tamil civilians through punitive air strikes and the use of heavy artillery, and has even been trying to bring them to their knees by starving them. His indifference to India's anxieties over this became evident after the meeting of the representatives of the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donors' Conference of 2003 -- Japan, Norway, the European Union and the US -- held in Washington on November 21.

While articulating the usual criticism of the acts of violence and indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, the participants came out strongly in support of the Sri Lankan government and showed a calculated indifference to the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils. The US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, R Nicholas Burns, was particularly forthcoming in support of the Sri Lankan government during the joint press briefing by the participants at the meeting. His remarks and that of others have been interpreted by hardliners in Sri Lanka as an indirect endorsement of the methods followed by the security forces in their operations against the LTTE.

There has been a revival of the pre-1983 interest of the US Navy in acquiring a presence at Trincomalee Port, and hopes of achieving this the Rajapakse government's support should at least partly account for the growing US support for Rajapakse. Trincomalee has acquired a new importance in the eyes of the US and the NATO forces fighting against the Taliban as an alternative naval base for logistical support to the NATO operations in Afghanistan, should instability in Pakistan after next year's general elections there make the continued use of Karachi Port untenable. Burns showered encomiums on what he described as India's responsible attitude on Sri Lanka -- which is nothing but an euphemism for its inactivity. While issuing routine statements hoping for a more active role by India, the US and Sri Lanka seem happy with the present inactivity by New Delhi.

When Rajapakse talks of the need for Indian activism, what he has in mind is military activism in support of the operations of his security forces against the Sri Lankan Tamils and the LTTE -- in the form of more training for the Sri Lankan police and security forces, supply of military equipment, intelligence-sharing and joint patrolling by the Indian and Sri Lankan navies to prevent arms smuggling by the LTTE. He does not want Indian activism in political and humanitarian fields. While India has never sought an activist role in the political field, the initiatives recently taken by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, for humanitarian activism under pressure from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and other leaders were given a short shrift by Rajapakse.

While welcoming the Indian offer of humanitarian supplies, Rajapakse is reported to have turned down suggestions that these should be routed to the Tamils through the International Red Cross, and insisted that these should be sent to the Sri Lankan government, which would decide how they would be distributed. The Indian predicament in the face of the strong line taken by Rajapakse after the Washington meeting was obvious during the press briefing held at Chennai on November 24 by Dr Singh's National Security adviser M K Narayanan and foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon, after a meeting with Karunanidhi.

Menon was on his way back to New Delhi after meeting Rajapakse in Colombo, and Narayanan had specially flown in from New Delhi for the meeting. "We will decide if there is a necessity for it (sending humanitarian aid) at all. And, if so, we will decide what will be the modalities," Narayanan said. According to the Deccan Chronicle, November 25 when Menon raised the possibility of humanitarian assistance being sent through the Red Cross, Rajapakse "said a big no'' arguing that such an action would mean damning his government as untrustworthy, apart from interfering with the island's sovereignty. But at the same time, he issued an appeal to all local and international non-governmental organisations to get involved in the distribution of food.

How can we address the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Tamils without seeming to support the present leadership of the LTTE, which was involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi? That is question of immediate relevance to India. India should seriously consider organising a meeting of Sri Lanka, the US, EU, Norway, Japan, the UN High Commission for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross to discuss only the humanitarian aspects of the present situation in Sri Lanka and find out ways of assisting the Tamils. India should also take over the leadership role in mobilising the international community on the humanitarian issue. The strong support for the Sri Lankan government at the Washington meeting has had two reactions in the Sri Lankan Tamil community -- desperation and total disillusionment with the international community on the one side and a trend towards a greater radicalisation of Tamil opinion and a greater determination to keep up their armed struggle against the government on the other. What impact it will have on the ground situation remains to be seen.

The LTTE yesterday announced a 32 ½-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Vakarai to assist the movement of urgent food supplies to thousands of displaced civilians living in the area, LTTE Military wing spokesman Rasiah Illentheriyan told the Daily Mirror.He said the ceasefire would be effective from 9.30 this morning till 6 pm tomorrow following a request by the ICRC. However ICRC spokesman Davide Vignati said they were still awaiting security clearance from both sides to carry out the humanitarian operation.“This is good news after a long time,” Mr. Illentheriyan said of the temporary ceasefire in Vakarai adding that the Batticaloa Government Agent had confirmed to the LTTE some 60 lorry loads of supplies were being prepared to be sent to Vakarai.

The spokesman for the government Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Major Upali Rajapakse said concerns still prevailed over the Panichchenkerni bridge which the convoy would have to use to reach Vakarai. Civilians who fled rebel controlled Vakarai said the bridge was heavily mined.If all goes well the supplies will help assist some 36,000 civilians in 5 IDP camps in rebel controlled Vakarai for at least one month. Most of these people are villagers who fled the August fighting in Sampur and the adjoining villages.The closure of the road leading to rebel controlled Vakarai as a result of frequent shelling had forced the IDPs to starve as the land route is the only available access to the LTTE territory.

Tomorrow, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) celebrates the 20th anniversary of it being officially declared as a political party.A special function would be held at the Moors Islamic Cultural Home’s ‘Pasha Villa’ at Dematagoda Road with its leader Rauff Hakeem as the chief guest. A large number of senior SLMC members are expected participate in the event to be held at the same venue that the party was declared by its late Leader A.H.M. Ashraff 20 years ago.

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a retired Grama Sevaka officer, Ganeshapillai Shanmuganathan, 64, on College Road in Point Pedro Sunday. The victim, Mr. Shanmuganathan, was a translator fluent in three languages, residents said.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) carried out fresh air raids yesterday over LTTE targets in the Pallai area, the military said.“The SLAF bombed LTTE artillery positions to neutralize further attacks on the military’s Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) at Muhamalai and targets were successfully destroyed,” a military spokesman said. He also said that the LTTE continued its attack on military FDLs during the last few days.

Armed persons riding in a van shot and killed three Tamil youths at Palaiyootu, a suburb in Trincomalee town Sunday night between 7 and 7.30 p.m. at two separate locations. Two of the victims had been working in a cement factory located in Chinabay Police division, sources said.The two slain employees of the cement factory incident were identified as Vinojan Ramesh and Viji. They were gunned down when they were returning home after work. The third youth was dentified as Ramesh, medical sources said.Uppuveli Police rushed to the sites and began investigations.

Unidentified armed men arriving in a 'white van' Sunday around midnight to a house on Navalar street in Navanthurai, Jaffna, sprayed bullets killing two brothers on the spot while seriously injuring the twin sister of one of the brothers, all siblings displaced from Allaipiddy, Jaffna police said. The seriously injured sister was rushed to Jaffna Teaching hospital. Mariyathas Jude 32 and Mariyathas Julias 30 were identified as the brothers killed. Maiyathas Jasmine 32, the seriously injured, is the twin sister of Mariyathas Jude, hospital sources said.The siblings, originally from Allaipiddy in the Jaffna islet of Kayts, where 8 persons were massacred on August 17th allegedly by the Pro-Government Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) paramilitary members along with the Kayts Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) cadres, had fled to Navanthurai in Jaffna in fear of the killers, Navanthurai residents said.The killings may be connected to the refusal by the siblings to comply with the wishes of a Tamil minister to re-settle them back in Allaipiddy, the Navanthurai residents added.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who is on an official visit to Vietnam, yesterday urged the Vietnamese government to help Sri Lanka combat LTTE arms smuggling operations.He called for close cooperation between the Vietnam and Sri Lankan intelligence services to tackle LTTE operatives looking for arms, ammunition and equipment. The Prime Minister is on a ten day visit to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia where he would solicit the support of government authorities to curb LTTE operations. Arms acquired in the region are smuggled in vessels, transferred in international waters and moved in large trawlers to northern and eastern Sri Lanka.

A soldier was arrested with a T81 rifle and several rounds of ammunition while on his way home on vacation, at the Army-Police road block at the Wellawatte Bridge in Hikkaduwa in the early hours of yesterday, SSP Galle Keerthi de Silva said. According to the SSP the soldier was travelling in the Colombo-Matara private Intercity bus incognito when the vehicle was stopped at the check point. During a search the soldier was detected having in his possession a T81 gun, 90 rounds of ammunition and three magazines. Upon questioning the suspect revealed that he was a soldier who served at the Mattakkuliya army camp and was on his way home to his native Akuressa on vacation, SSP Silva said. According to the soldier he was taking the weapon to settle a score with a villager who set fire to his home in 2004 and that he had enlisted in the Army solely for this purpose.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
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Bahrain	Dinar	285.43
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Lanka looking at India’s model of devolution: President

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the reforms based on India’s Panchayat Raj System in the past two decades had devolved powers effectively to the local communities, and that was why Sri Lanka was studying the Panchayat Raj experience to evolve its own model of maximum devolution within a unitary state as a solution to the ethnic conflict.Addressing The first Asian Mayors’ conference, organized by the All India Council of Mayors at Dehradun in India he said “urban good governance also calls for an ‘inclusive’ approach to the solving of urban problems. “Most towns consist of a diversity of persons and groups. To most towns, people have migrated in the past from different parts of the local region, bringing with them their own traditions and cultural practices. Many towns are multi - ethnic, multi - religious and multi - cultural in nature. They are also invariably stratified according to economic grade and class. Urban populations are also known to belong to different political persuasions.

“The challenge before you is to craft an ‘inclusive’ approach through which all these diverse groups can join together, work together, trust each other with a policy of ‘give and take’, and evoke a positive consensus on the vital issues faced by their cities and towns. I admit this is not easy. I admit the process is slow and it takes time and great effort to achieve. But if the solutions to your urban problems are to be sustainable in the long run, such an inclusive process of consensus building is absolutely essential.“This is exactly what my government has been doing in Sri Lanka in the last 12 months, not with regard to urban problems as such but with regard to our national problem. The basic principles of good governance are the same, whether it concerns towns and cities or entire nations.

In our country we are crafting an all-party approach to our national problem with great success, We have an All Party Conference, an All Party Representative Committee and finally a memorandum of understanding between the government and the main opposition party to work towards a consensus on the solution to our ethnic problem: A solution that will sustain itself with all political groups including all the Tamil groups in the country. As you know we have several democratic Tamil parties representing the Tamil people, and also one terrorist group called the LTTE.“Our achievement in a year has been enormous. And this is the approach I propose to you, the Mayors of Asia, in confronting your own problems in the towns. Some people will complain that progress is slow. They don’t realize the obvious, - namely, that a festering wound cannot be healed in a day.

“They also don’t realize that any lasting, sustainable solution to a serious problem must have an approach that is both inclusive and consensual. They try to push us towards adopting magic formulae and cut - and - paste solutions, which we have seen from our own experience, do not stand the test of time. They do so because they do not properly understand the exact nature of our specific problem - its history, its contours, its cultural aspects and the dynamics of its expression.“Strong enlightened leadership on your part in our towns and cities can therefore help configure the approach of a nation’s leadership to the problems of the country as a whole. Our hope, therefore, is that as you the Asian Mayors exchange views on immediate urban issues, you will devote some time to the role that you can play in setting an example in resolving the wider issues of development and nation building.“And in conclusion I wish the First Asian Mayors’ Conference all success in your deliberations in the days to follow. I am extremely happy to be among you today, and especially in this beautiful town of Debradun, nestled in the foothills of the great Himalayan Mountains — the spiritual roof of the world. I thank you once again for inviting me. Thank you.”

The Indian government has promised to send food supplies to the North and the East if the government supplies are not satisfactory, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Mennon has assured the TNA delegation on Thursday (23).The TNA met with Mennon briefly preceding a reception hosted by acting Indian High Commissioner A. Manickam. At this meeting TNA Leader R. Sampanthan has raised three issues vis-à-vis, humanitarian food supplies to Vakarai, irregular food supply to the East and the de-merger of the North and the East provinces.He has said that although the government promised to send food supplies to Vakarai, it had not succeeded due to impediments including the armed forces stopping them.

He has told the Foreign Secretary that the Sri Lanka Army has asked the Tamils living in Vakarai to come to the government controlled area so that they can engage with the LTTE. But, Sampanthan told the Foreign Secretary Tamils are not ready to leave their traditional habitat areas. Raising the de-merger issue, Sampanthan has told the visiting Foreign Secretary that it is a violation of an international treaty. Therefore, India should intervene to settle the matter. He has said, if the government wished to merge the two provinces they can bring in legislation, especially since the UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised to support the government in this regard.The Foreign Secretary has told the TNA delegation comprising R. Sampanthan, Suresh Premachandran, Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and Mavai Senadhirajah that he would take up their concerns with the Indian Prime Minister and subsequently with the Sri Lankan President who would be visiting India shortly.

Media sources suspect that the arresting of Mawbima weekend paper freelance journalist Parameshwari Munusami aged 24 may be the outcome of a plot.She was taken into custody by a STF investigating woman suicide bomber who has come from Ampara. The alleged suicide bomber too has stayed at 28 Ramakrishna road, Wellawatta where Ms Munusami too has stayed. At the time of arrest neither the alleged suicide bomber or anything connected to her has been discovered.When she has been arrested, she has identified herself as a journalist and the divulged the connection she has with the defense establishment. One particular individual she has mentioned DIG Colombo Pujitha Jayasundera.

When inquiries were made Mr. Jayasundera has exonerated her and that very night he has been transferred to Nuwara Eliya.The person who introduced her to Mawbima according to information that 'LeN' has received was Police director (procurement) for head quarters Gamini Senevirathne.At the defense, council meeting held last week there was a talk it was Ms. Munusami that provide information to while the defense column of Mawbima.Inquiries made by us reveal that Ms Munusami is not known among the Colombo based Tamil journalists.She interrogated under a detention order issued by the defense secretary and the Free Media Movement in a communiqué issued today has requested to government to expedite the investigation and to release her if she is innocent.'Len' has received credible information that the defense ministry and the President were concerned about some irregularities divulged by it, the government and the defence secretary.As a result of certain information divulged by Mawbima it was reported that High level Minister was cautioned by the top.

Opposition UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has assured TNA Leader R.Sampanthan of his party's fullest support to merge the Northern and Eastern provinces if the issue came before Parliament. Mr. Wickremesinghe told Mr. Sampanthan in Parliament that if there was a collective measure to merge the two provinces, the UNP would not hesitate to support the move in Parliament. Acting on Mr. Wickremesinghe's pledge, Mr. Sampanthan wrote to President Mahinda Rajapaksa urging him to merge the two provinces. The Supreme Court recently de-merged the two provinces citing the procedure adopted in merging the two provinces under the Indo-Lanka agreement is questionable. President Rajapaksa either can go for a referendum leaving the people in the North and East to take a decision or he can bring up the matter in Parliament and effect a re-merger by passing the bill with a simple majority.

In his letter Mr. Sampanthan said the President had no problem whatsoever in bringing the matter in Parliament since Mr. Wickremesinghe too has personally promised him of his support. "There is an overwhelming majority if the merger comes before Parliament," the letter said. Mr. Sampanthan called upon President Rajapaksa to honour the Indo-Lanka agreement under which the merger came into effect. Saying that the Supreme Court did not give a ruling against the merger, he added the Court pointed out that the procedure adopted by the then President J.R.Jayawardene in effecting the merger was questionable. Mr. Sampanthan said it was just a matter of rectifying the procedure and urged the President to restore the status quo as soon as possible.

Mr. Sampanthan's letter also comes amid a pledge by President Rajapksa to Sampanthan to nominate a minister to sort out the merger issue, at a meeting held at Temple Trees. A day after TNA member N. Raviraj's funeral, the President invited the TNA for a meeting where the two parties discussed this matter. Notwithstanding the President promise, no minister has been sent by the President to take up the matter with the TNA to-date. Meanwhile Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon who arrived in the country last week insisted President Rajapaksa to merge the two provinces. The merger issue is expected to take center stage among other issues related to the country's peace effort during talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Rajapaksa who is now in Delhi

The Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates living in the United States, have urged the international community to intervene in Sri Lankan peace process and condemn what they call the “brutal, inhuman actions of the Sri Lankan government.”Tamil organizations in the US issued a joint press release last week calling upon the international community to impose a moratorium on military assistance to the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and take tough action against the Vakarai massacre.Association of Tamil Americans, Illankai Tamil Sangam – California, Illankai Tamil Sangam – Florida, Illankai Tamil Sangam – USA ,Ilankai Tamil Sangam- Houston, Texas, Ohio Tamil Association , Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organization , California Tamil Youth Organization - USA ,Tamil Welfare and Human Rights Committee – District of Columbia, World Tamil Women Organization – USA and World Tamil Coordinating Committee – USA, issued this joint press release.

They expressed condemnation over killing of at least 65 internally displaced people (IDPs) who were seeking shelter in a school in Vakarai.Tamil organizations stated that they are also saddened by the international community’s lack of moral courage to condemn these brutal and inhuman actions of the Sri Lankan government.They also urged the co-chairs of the peace process to explore modalities that will allow the peoples on the island of Sri Lanka to live with dignity, to determine their political and economic future without interference, and to ensure regional security.The Nation learns that Sri Lankan Tamil expatriate groups try to pressure the US authorities to take bold action against the government of Sri Lanka, through newly elected Democratic Congressmen like Danny K. Davis, who visited the LTTE’s Political Headquarters in Kilinochchi and met LTTE leaders in April 2005.

A significant number of Democratic party politician’s have been openly supporting for Sri Lankan Tamil rights and demands.At last mid term elections, anti LTTE Sri Lankans failed to unseat pro LTTE Congressman Danny K. Davis, the Democratic Congressman from Illinois but they were jubilant on their strong supporter, New York Congressman Vito Fossella’s success.Congressman Danny K. Davis, who visited the LTTE’s Political Headquarters in Kilinochchi and met LTTE leaders in April 2005, won his Illinois 7th District seat by a comfortable margin.Comparing to year 2004, the last election results, Danny K. Davis, the Democratic Congressman failed to increase his vote bank and came down by 90,000 odd votes.

TNA MP S.Gajendran vowed in Parliament last Saturday to evict members of the security forces from the Jaffna peninsula unless the Government withdrew them.Mr. Gajendran made this remark while speaking during the committee stage debate on the Foreign Ministry.The TNA legislator noted their people had the right to live in their historical habitat in peace and dignity with their own army, and therefore the state troops should vacate the area immediately.“Our leader Velupillai Prabhakaran will deliver his martyrs’ day speech on November 27, next year in Jaffna. That is after evicting members of the armed forces planted there,” he said.In this exercise, he said the sea and the air would be the only alternatives for troops to save their lives while escaping.“If the Government does not allow our people to live in peace and dignity, we have the right to get it by ourselves,” he said.

His remarks irked some government, UNP and JVP members who angrily responded to Mr.Gajendran JVP MP Anura Kumara Disanayake said members of the armed forces and the people are ready to make great sacrifices for the sake of the country’s sovereignty.“Our people have made great sacrifices undergoing much harder difficulties in the past. So, they will never allow MP Gajendran’s expectations to become a reality,” he said. Mr. Dissanayake said such boastings had been made in the past as well.UNP MP Sarath Ranawaka said they did not sign the MOU with the ruling SLFP for such separatist purposes.Mr. Ranawaka said only a small percentage of Tamil people are with the LTTE.“We are attempting to resolve the ethnic conflict fulfilling the genuine aspirations of Tamil people, but not of the LTTE,” he said.Ministers Sripathy Sooriyarachchi, Mahinda Amaraweera and Deputy Minister Duminda Disanayake also voiced their objection to the TNA MP’s statement, citing it as a daydream.

JVP raps Co-chairs

The JVP yesterday rapped Sri Lanka’s peace Co-chairs namely the US, EU, Norway and Japan for reiterating their concerns over the recent de-merger of the Eastern Province from the Northern Province.The decision making politburo pointed out that the co-chairs last week reiterated their hotly disputed stand announced in the second week of September that present arrangements of the North and East should not be disturbed. This announcement was made a few weeks before the Supreme Court’s ruling in October that the merger of the North and East in 1987 was ‘null, void and illegal’,

Dismissing co-chairs’ call ‘present arrangements of the North and East should not be disturbed,’ the JVP said that no one could hamper a non-existing structure. "The Supreme Court, by its October 16 decision, separated the temporarily merged province. The international community does not have a right to interfere or dictate terms," a spokesman said.The JVP also accused the co chairs of giving parity status to the LTTE, despite being on the proscribed lists of the US, EU, India, UK and Canada. Their statement issued on November 21, after two days of talks in Washington, blamed the government of human rights abuses, the JVP said, expressing concern over international efforts to undermine Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The JVP pointed out that US-led invaders are responsible for massacre of civilians and mass human rights violations.

Quoting wire services, the JVP said that 2.5 per cent of the Iraqi population had been killed by US-led forces. "They are asking the government not to meet the Tigers’ military challenge while they engage in mass slaughter in the name of democracy."The JVP also criticized their call to set up safe havens for civilians. The JVP blamed Co-chairs of being blind to the reality. "Tamil civilians are victims of LTTE actions," the spokesman said adding that terrorists purposely mount attacks from civilian centres to draw security forces fire.Commenting on reports that India wanted Sri Lanka to honour the July 1987 Indo Lanka accord by merging the two provinces, the JVP said that the Supreme Court decision on the de-merger could not be challenged. Under the accord which was forced on Sri Lanka, India agreed to disarm the LTTE within 72 hours. The merger of the two provinces was to be subjected to on India fulfilling this clause, the JVP said.

Earlier the JVP warned of moves to bypass the Supreme Court decision by the SLFP-led government and the UNP passing legislature to give legal status to a merged Northeastern province. The UNP has pledged to support any legislation introduced by the government to give legal effect to the merger in terms of the Indo- Sri Lanka Agreement. The LTTE yesterday said that it lost 818 cadres-568 men and 250 women in action this year. "818 LTTE fighters, 568 men and 250 women fighters of the LTTE have fallen in a largely defensive war faced by the Tigers in 2006," pro-LTTE TamilNet said in a report which placed the total number of cadres killed since November 27, 1982 to November 20, 2006 at 18,742. According to the report the dead included a group of LTTE cadres and ‘selected members of other organizations.’

President to meet Sonia Gandhi, L.K. Advani and Indian External Affairs Minister

INDIA: Indian Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa tomorrow morning at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in New Delhi. The Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani are also expected to call on President Rajapaksa later in the day at the same venue. The talks are to be focused on bi-lateral issues between the two countries, the Comphrensive Economic Participation Agreement (CEPA) and the FTA among others. Talks on the resumption of the Norwegian brokered, stalled peace process is also expected to be taken up at these meetings.

Last Saturday, President Rajapaksa was greeted on arrival at the Indira Ghandhi International (IGI) Airport by Indian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar and State Minister for Fertilzer and Chemicals N. Handick. President Rajapaksa yesterday addressed the inaugural session of the First Asian Mayors' Conference there at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) AMN GHOSH Auditorium in Dehradun. The President also laid the foundation stone for the "Indo-Lanka Human Rights Centre for the South Asian Countries" yesterday and addressed the gathering there, after releasing the book on "Capacity Building of Women in Local Governance-Handbook".

The three-member Presidential Commission investigating corrupt arms deals has recommended that a few serving and non-serving military officers including top brass be court martialed.The commission findings have implicated North East Governor Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema, former Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri, and former Navy Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera among others.The interim report was handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday (17) by Supreme Court Judge Shiranee Tilikawardene, the chairperson of the commission. The other two members are Justices Nimal Dissanayake and Nissanka Udalagama of the Supreme Court. Presidential sources disclosed that it was likely that former President Chandrika Kumaratunga will be summoned as the relevant deals were done during her tenure as Commander in Chief of armed services.

According to the terms of reference, the period under scrutiny was 2000 - 2005 and an interim report had to be submitted by the Commission three months after it came into operation. The Commission, which was given the authority to summon military officials, also had access to classified documents.The report focuses mainly on the Navy even though investigations have already commenced into the deals entered into by the other two forces. The Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers obtained by the Army in April 2000, when Jaffna was about to fall to the Tigers, is also being scrutinized. The main Navy deal probed was the consignment of 10 Fast Attack Craft purchased from Colombo Dockyard Limited in 2004 after the United National Front Government was dismissed in April 2004. On delivery of the said FACs an enhanced payment has been made while the craft lacked guns and a further sum of money was spent to purchase 30mm cannon guns. Admiral Sandagiri is learnt to have purchased a house to the tune of 12.5 million rupees while his ADC is learnt to have cash and other certificate deposits to the tune of 10 million rupees. On hearing that the commission report was released, the ADC had slipped out of the country, prompting the Sri Lankan government to seek assistance from the Interpol to apprehend the suspect.

The President yesterday speaking to Indian journalists said that no help was needed from international troops to face the LTTE. He said, “our troops are capable of doing that.”He added that India could help by preventing the LTTE getting funds, smuggling arms and other illegal activities President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking to Indian journalists at the Rural Litigation and Empowerment Centre, at Dehradun where he laid the foundation stone for the Indo-Sri Lanka Human Right Centre for SAARC yesterday said “I have always said I am ready for negotiations with the LTTE and I say so today, too. In fact in my first statement on assuming office as President I invited the LTTE for negotiations. But their response was to begin attacking unarmed members of the security forces and civilians, from a week after I made that request. ‘They have continued their violence with killings almost daily since then.”

Answering questions from media persons President Rajapaksa said that despite this wave of violence by the LTTE the government did not take any retaliatory action, but showed great patience and restraint, which was commended by the world. The first retaliation by the armed forces took place only after an LTTE suicide killer attacked the Army Commander in April this year. After that, in July this year the LTTE blocked the Mavil Aru anicut cutting off water for drinking and irrigation to nearly 20,000, people, mainly cultivators in the East. “I had to ask the armed forces to open the anicut, as a humanitarian gesture and to defend the rights of the citizens.The President also explained that after blockage of Mavil Aru, the LTTE had moved beyond its Forward Defence Lines at Muhamalai, and attacked the armed forces there, moving nearly three kilometres beyond their lines. The army had to repulse that move.

Answering questions whether Sri Lanka had asked the Indian Prime Minister for joint patrolling of the sea north of Sri Lanka by India and Sri Lanka, and whether any such request had been made to India, President Rajapaksa said, no such request had been made. What he would request from the Indian Prime Minister was to work out a method of safeguarding the waters North of Sri Lanka from the threats of the LTTE. He said any increased strength of the LTTE’s Sea Tigers was not only a threat to Sri Lanka, but to India, the other countries of the region. It was also a threat to international peace.He said there was no specific agenda for his discussions later this week with the Indian Prime Minister.

He looked forward to the meeting to help explain Sri Lanka’s position on current developments. “We always valued our friendship with India and our discussion would be based on that understanding,” he said.Responding to questions as to when the Government would lift the blockade of Jaffna and open the A9 route, President Rajapaksa said there was no blockade to Jaffna. The A9 route was open up to Muhamalai. It is closed only from there as the LTTE was attacking the security forces.The government was taking adequate steps to increase food and other essential supplies to Jaffna. He said there was a great deal of misinformation about the situation in Jaffna, particularly by some political parties in Tamil Nadu. Most of what they said was not based on a correct assessment of the situation.

According to statistics from the Sri Lanka Police Children's and Women's Bureau, 231 Sri Lankan women were raped within the first six months of this year. Another 97 women were killed during the same period, according to official figures. These facts were revealed as the country marked the International Day for Prevention of Violence against Women with a 16-day programme. Sri Lanka Minister of Child Development and Women's Empowerment Sumedha G. Jayasena says that Children's and Women's Bureaus will be set up in all the country’s police stations. Thirty such bureaus have already been established.

MDMK General Secretary Vaiko today charged Prime Minister's National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon with ''toeing the line'' of the Sri Lankan government and working against the interest of Tamils in the island nation.Mr Vaiko, who will be on a fast here tomorrow to protest against the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, told reporters that he met Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee this morning and lodged a formal complaint against Mr Menon.Mr Menon ''owes an explanation'' for reportedly telling Mr Rajapakse during his just-concluded visit to Colombo that all his (Menon's) Tamil friends there were killed by the LTTE, the MDMK leader said.

Mr Rajapakse reportedly made a press statement in Colombo on Friday. He had said, ''Mr Menon, who has served as Indian High Commissioner here in the 1990s, knows the situation very well. All his Tamil friends here have been killed by the LTTE and he was telling me only widows of his friends are left.'' Mr Menon's observation, if at all it had been made, is ''totally unwarranted and biased with illwill hurting the sentiments of Tamils.I would request you to get a clarification from the Foreign Secretary in this regard,'' Mr Vaiko said.Mr Menon had obviously gone beyond the government brief on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, he said.

The MDMK leader said he had, in August, complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against Mr Narayanan after the NSA had met a Mr Douglas Devananda, who according to Mr Vaiko was a ''stooge'' of the Sri Lankan government.But Mr Narayanan went ahead with arranging a meeting between Mr Devananda and Dr Singh on the sidelines of the NAM summit at Havana in September, he said. Mr Devananda, who had accompanied Mr Rajapakse, shook hands with the Prime Minister at Havana, Mr Vaiko said.Not only this, Mr Vaiko also virtually held Mr Narayanan and Mr Menon responsible for ''scuttling'' a meeting between the Prime Minister and Sri Lankan Tamil MPs, who were here for 20 days after seeking an appointment with Dr Singh.

The MDMK leader said his party was staging the fast by about 1,000 party volunteers from Tamil Nadu as the hands of the Sri Lankan President was stained by the blood of Tamils who were being subjected to genocide by the island government.Mr Vaiko, who had met Dr Singh on Friday, urged Mr Mukherjee today not to approve any joint patrolling of Palk Straits by the Navies of India and Sri Lanka. ''A war will break out'' if a joint patrolling was undertaken, he said.

Security forces yesterday recovered seven claymore mines along with ten kilograms of explosives reportedly from the suburbs of Colombo. A suspected suicide bomber was also taken into custody by the army on Friday.A spokesman for the media centre for National Security told The Nation that the mines and explosives were discovered from the general area of the Western Province and did not mention the specific area citing continuing investigations.It is alleged that the haul of explosives were recovered from Wellawatte and is suspected to have been brought for a major attack on a civilian or military target to coincide with the Heroes Week celebrations.Meanwhile Sri Lanka Air Force claimed its Kfir jets strafed a Black Tiger Base in Iranamadu imposing heavy damages, around 10 am yesterday.

Two Kfir bombers flew over Kilinochchi and bombed a location about 4 km southeast of Kilinochchi dropping more than 8 lethal cargo, the pro-LTTE website Tamil Net reported. The Sri Lanka Air Force campaign of aerial bombings continued for the fifth day as the Tiger held Vanni began to observe a 3-day remembrance celebrations which commenced yesterday, prior to the Heroes Day tomorrow (November 27). Meanwhile Habaraduwa Police recovered a sizeable quantity of C – 4 explosives and ball bearings after a female employee of the Koggala Free Trade Zone (FTZ) observed a suspicious looking parcel and reported it to police last morning.

The explosives device was deactivated by Army bomb disposal team from Boossa and Habaraduwa Police is conducting further investigations. During a combined search operation conducted in Vavuniya by the Special Task Force (STF), Army and Police yesterday, a claymore mine was recovered along the Vavuniya-Mannar Road. Two Policemen were injured and admitted to hospital when a route clearing patrol came under a claymore attack in Puwarasankulam in Vavuniya, last morning. Four LTTE cadres including an area leader was killed in Sangamankada, Ampara when STF troops on a route clearing patrol which came under attack, retaliated yesterday. A large cache of arms was also recovered and one STF officer was reported injured.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon flew to Chennai from Colombo on Friday to brief Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on the outcome of his short visit to Colombo last week.Shortly before Menon’s arrival here, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Karunanidhi expressing India’s interest in a solution to Sri Lanka’s ethnic problem "within the framework of a united and federal Sri Lanka."Diplomats said that India which had previously been speaking of a negotiated settlement within an "united Sri Lanka" switched her terminology to an "undivided Sri Lanka" following President Mahinda Rajapakse’s election in November last year. Rajapakse and his allies in the JVP and JHU campaigned on the basis of an "unitary" constitution and opposed a federal solution.

India thereafter dropped "united" from its lexicon in dealing with the Sri Lanka problem and started referring to an "undivided Sri Lanka"."This is the first time that India has reverted to state that they stood for an united and federal Sri Lanka," diplomats noted.This interest, the prime minister said, "is deep and continuous."Indian food supplies to the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka is expected to be landed here within the next few days. Current plans are for dispatching 5,200 mt. of rice, 1,500 mt. of sugar and 300 mt. of milk powder.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to take up the Indian view on the Sri Lanka problem in talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse later this week.

Diplomats said that Singh’s letter to Karunanidhi would take account of strong feelings in Tamil Nadu to events here and the wording of his letter would have taken Tamil Nadu sentiments into account."For instance, reference to Sri Lanka’s "Tamil citizens" on that letter was obviously aimed at a Tamil Nadu audience," one diplomat said.The fact that the Indian Prime Minister has stressed in his letter to Karunanidhi that ensuring full respect for humanitarian standards so that civilian casualties are prevented was the priority of the moment is significant, these sources said."We are making known our deep concern and anguish at the recent spurt of violence in Sri Lanka, which has resulted in civilian casualties among the Tamil population. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent women and children."

The European Union is looking to a greater Indian involvement in Sri Lanka's peace process, said Alessandra Baldi of the Council of the European Union's Policy Unit - Asia Task Force on Wednesday. Describing the situation in Sri Lanka as "very difficult", she said the EU was looking for closer co-ordination with India, along with Norway and other co-chairs."We are developing a dialogue with India. This year we launched the first session of our strategic dialogue with India and Sri Lanka has been one of the subjects. We are looking forward to taking it forward again," the Asia expert said. Addressing a group of visiting South Asian journalists in Brussels with Cristina Gallach, spokesperson for the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, Ms. Baldi said a framework for policy in Sri Lanka had been decided on.

"The situation has been so difficult that we really have to review our policy there, to look at fresh initiatives. It is difficult to look at fresh initiatives because we believe you need some willingness on the part of the two sides to the conflict. We have been pushing so hard and nothing positive was coming out of the ground. There has to be genuine willingness on the part of the two sides to make a step forward and re-engage with the process. We have been adamant that they have to go back to the negotiating table, they have to stop the violence," she said."We have also been in close touch with the Government of Sri Lanka. Our concerns with the human rights situation have been really heightened this year, with the situation of the NGOs, it has been really terrible. We have been in favour of investigating that, of an international investigation and we are pleased at the turn of events."

"One of the ingredients in this whole recipe is certainly closer co-ordination with India," she said adding "we want to try. Our relationship with India is much closer so we believe there is a chance." Citing the example of Nepal where an agreement was signed last week with the government and the Maoist rebels, she said the EU and India had thought along the same lines to strengthen the democratic process and encourage a comprehensive dialogue. "Working with Japan, with Norway, with the US is important but we also need the regional weight of India."

The EU would like to see more political vision on the part of the parties concerned, Ms. Baldi said, affirming that while the EU could accompany and facilitate the process, it could not work without or against the will of the parties. Also supporting the concept of regional involvement was British Member of the European Parliament, Robert Evans who told the journalists on Thursday in Brussels that Sri Lanka's over 20-year conflict had basically been ignored by the rest of the world. "Sri Lankan problems would have been solved if Sri Lanka was having more of an impact on the rest of the world. We haven't been properly involved."

Asked if India should play a bigger role, Mr. Evans said that there could be difficulties given the history of the recent past such as the killing of Indian Premier Rajiv Gandhi. "But we're almost into sort of imperial measures if it's the EU or Britain trying to impose a solution on Sri Lanka or to help them. It should be the other South Asian countries in full support and my own view is that anything that pushes the peace process forward must be beneficial to the ordinary Sri Lankan people who are crying out for peace," he said.

The LTTE last week warned that it has decided to take 'decisive action' to reopen the A9 if the highway remains closed any longer. "The highway has remained closed for way too long. Because of this the people in Jaffna are facing a starvation crisis. The closure of the highway is a violation of the Cease Fire Agreement and it is time we made the government aware of this," LTTE Military Spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan told The Sunday Leader. He added that the LTTE had last week held internal discussions on the above matter and has decided to take action if the government does not open the highway within the next few weeks. The Tigers however did not specify what action they would resort to.

Meanwhile, the SLMM has come forward to negotiate with the Tigers to reopen the highway in order to allow a one off convoy to the peninsula. During a routine meeting with the Government Peace Secretariat last week, the monitors had agreed to discuss with the Tigers modalities of reopening the highway. "We will talk to them on how to reopen the highway for a convoy to pass through," SLMM Spokesperson Thorffinur Omarsson said adding that the attempt was to get the one off convoy through in order to transport food to half a million civilians. The Tigers have been made aware of the new proposal, but have stuck to the hard line stance they have maintained since the A9 was closed in August. "We will not open the A9 just for one convoy. The government has to realise that the peninsula needs to be supplied with continuous food if the civilians are to get out of a starvation crisis," Illanthirayan said. "We will not open the A9 at any cost, even if we are approached by the UN," the Tigers said.

A Cabinet Minister and his wife recently engaged in a hand-to-hand fight at the Mount Lavinia Hotel. Eyewitnesses said the wife hit her husband after exchanging abuses. Later, she had walked out of the hotel. The husband who followed had found that his wife had parked her car blocking the road.She had once again allegedly assaulted the husband and a Sub Inspector bodyguard who accompanied him. Sources close to the Minister say he has moved out of his house and was living elsewhere after the fracas. They say he had consulted lawyers for a divorce but peace moves were under way.This is not the first time the wife had assaulted her husband in public. On an earlier occasion at a five star hotel in Colombo, she had assaulted her husband and walked out of a public event.

Four volunteers of Dalit Panthers of India's Puducherry unit were today arrested at Mudaliarpet near here for burning an effigy of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse who is scheduled to visit the country on November 27.Police also removed around 75 other volunteers of the party, including some women, who had held a demonstration urging the Centre not to permit Sri Lankan President to visit India.The demonstrators also demanded Puducherry administration to withdraw cases filed against some DPI members who had held a dharna on November 20 at the chief secretariat here seeking proper implementation of the Special Component Plan for the schdeuled castes.

Weeks of debate over measures to overcome the food crisis in the Jaffna peninsula continues, while the food situation worsens and a fresh dispute arising over government plans to send a food convoy by the A9 road. The government’s latest effort to ease the food shortages in the Jaffna peninsula by sending a large convoy as a one off measure to the peninsula by the A9 has been rejected by the LTTE on the grounds that if the road can be opened once, then it could be kept open throughout.The government on Friday called private traders to register their lorries with the Essential Services Commissioner to send supplies to the Jaffna peninsula along the A9 road, but the LTTE said it was yet to be informed about the plan to send the supplies through areas it controlled.

The LTTE has charged that the government’s announcement to open the A 9 road to send one food convoy came ahead of the Co-chairs meeting in Washington and that it was made to convince the international community that all measures were being taken by the government to send food supplies to Jaffna.As the debate continues on the mode of transporting food to the Jaffna peninsula, food prices were further sky rocketing amidst reports of severe scarcity. “Private shop keepers are reducing their staff. Some of the shops have closed down their business establishments as they do not have sufficient stocks and therefore no work for their employees,” a Jaffna Chamber of Commerce spokesman told The Sunday Times.

On Friday, the average price of a kilogram of vegetable had shot up to over Rs. 400 while rice was selling at Rs. 160 per kilo. A coconut was over Rs. 60 while a kilogram of fish was around Rs. 1,000. Potatoes are hardly available in the peninsula. Garlic prices had shot up to Rs. 1,000 a kilogram while ginger was selling at Rs. 2,000. Residents in the area said that people including schoolchildren line up at bakeries before dawn, when the curfew is lifted, to buy bread which is fast becoming a scarce commodity and selling at Rs. 30 a loaf. Supplies from Colombo by sea have been further curtailed due to rough seas and the food items are confined to rice, dhal, milk powder and kerosene and diesel. This has sent the price of other food items soaring.

Jaffna’s Government Agent K.Ganesh had requested the government to send 24,000 Metric tonnes of food for November, but so far only three shipments have been sent to the peninsula by sea amounting to 11,000 Metric tonnes. The shortage of food is also increasing the incidents of malnutrition mainly among children, health officials in the peninsula have warned.Meanwhile, Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told The Sunday Times, UN officials who visited Sri Lanka have given a preliminary report on the modalities of transporting food supplies to Jaffna by ship. “We expect them to put into operation a plan within the next three weeks. They would be sending supplies under the World Food Programme that will supplement the government supplies to the peninsula,” he said.

He said UN officials would not only be seeing to the supply of food but will also be overseeing the distribution. They have also agreed to upgrade the government warehouses and maintain a buffer stock to prevent any further shortages, Mr. Samarasinghe said.Though the Indian government agreed to send nearly 6,000 Metric tonnes of essential food items and medicines to Jaffna the stocks are yet to reach the north. The delay has been attributed to the non-availability of ships.

India has again called upon Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to honour the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement and give legal force to the Northeast merger, The Sunday Leader newspaper reported this week. Even before the Supreme Court’s ruling in October that the merger of the North and East in 1987 was ‘null, void and illegal’, Delhi had already expressed its opposition to the move, a view echoed by the Co-Chairs – US, EU, Japan and Norway – last week.The latest request by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was communicated to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse by Indian External Affairs Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon last Thursday at Temple Trees their one to one meeting.

The Sunday Leader learns Mr. Menon had told the President the Indo-Lanka Agreement was a bilateral agreement between two sovereign countries subject to international law and therefore cannot be vitiated through a reference to domestic law.Informed sources told the paper the President was also told by Mr. Menon that the merger was a consequence of the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement that was aimed at providing for the political aspirations of the Tamil speaking people and not the Tamil Tigers.The paper has learnt that Prime Minister Singh will personally inform President Rajapakse of India's position on the merger when the duo meets this week in New Delhi.

In their statement last week, the Co-Chairs reiterated their view stated in September that the present arrangements of the Northeast should not be disturbed.The main southern parties should to produce a credible power-sharing proposal that can help form the basis for a viable negotiated settlement, the Co-Chairs said.“A the same time, the specific arrangements for the north and east should not be disturbed as they are fundamental to continuing the dialogue to achieve an agreement.President Rajapakse told a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentary delegation two weeks ago that he was unhappy with the Supreme Court decision to demerge the provinces and would take remedial steps.

The President had also reiterated this position with Mr. Menon, it is learnt, The Sunday Leader said.Meanwhile main opposition United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe informed the Mr. Menon on Thursday that his party stands ready to support any legislation introduced by the Rajapakse government to give legal effect to the merger in terms of the Indo- Sri Lanka Agreement. The ultra-Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Perumana (JVP) has threatened to withdraw its support to the government if legislation is introduced to give legal force to the merger.Parliamentarians from the JVP, which campaigned strongly for Rajapakse during last year’s Presidential elections, filed the petition in the Supreme Court against the 1987 merger.

Bolstered by Pakistan's continuing military support and encouraged by the US' diplomatic support to its military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan Government of President Mahinda Rajapakse has been increasingly insensitive to India's concerns over the humanitarian catastrophe facing the Sri Lankan Tamil community. Even while describing India as Sri Lanka's "best friend"--- Mr. Rajapakse continues with his policy of targeted killings of innocent Tamil civilians through punitive air strikes and the use of heavy artillery and has been trying to bring them down to their knees through a policy of starving them.

2. His lack of concern for the humanitarian catastrophe and his indifference to India's anxieties in the matter became evident after the meeting of the representatives of the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donors' Conference of 2003 --- Japan, Norway, the European Union and the US---held in Washington on November 21, 2006.This meeting, while articulating proforma criticisms of the acts of violence and indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE, came out strongly in support of the Sri Lankan Government and showed a calculated indifference to the plight of the Sri Lankan Tamils.

3. The US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Mr. R. Nicholas Burns, was particularly forthcoming in support of the Sri Lankan Government during the joint press briefing by the participants at the meeting. The remarks of Mr. Burns and others at the press briefing have been interpreted by the hard-liners in the Sri Lankan Government as amounting to an indirect endorsement of the methods followed by the security forces in their operations against the LTTE and as indicating that the Co-Chairs are decreasingly averse to the Sri Lankan Government's efforts to solve the problem of the Tamils militarily. The hardliners have come to believe that the Co-Chairs are increasingly inclined to close their eyes to the brutal suppression of the Tamils.

4. There has been a revival of the pre-1983 interest of the US Navy in acquiring a presence in Trincomallee and hopes of achieving this with the support of the Government of Mr. Rajapakse should at least partly account for the growing open support of the US for Mr. Rajapakse and its disinclination to take a firm stand against the methods employed by the Sri Lankan security forces against the Tamil population. Trincomallee has acquired a new importance in the eyes of the US and the NATO forces presently fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan as an alternative naval base for logistic support to the NATO operations in Afghanistan should instability in Pakistan after the next year's general elections there make the continued use of Karachi untenable.

5. Mr. Burns has showered encomiums on what he described as India's responsible attitude on Sri Lanka---- which is nothing but an euphemism for its in-activism. Even while making from time to time proforma statements expressing themselves in favour of a more active role by India, the US and Sri Lanka seem happy with the present in-activism of New Delhi.

6. When Mr. Rajapakse talks of the need for Indian activism, what he has in mind is military activism in support of the operations of his security forces against the Sri Lankan Tamils and the LTTE----in the form of more training for the Sri Lankan Police and Security Forces, supply of military equipment, intelligence-sharing and joint patrolling by the Indian and Sri Lankan Navies to prevent arms smuggling by the LTTE.

7. He does not want Indian activism in the political and humanitarian fields. While India has never sought an activist role in the political field, the initiatives recently taken by our Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, for humanitarian activism under pressure from the Chief Minister, Shri M. Karunanidhi, and other leaders of Tamil Nadu have been given short shrift by Mr. Rajapakse. While welcoming the Indian offer of humanitarian supplies, Mr. Rajapakse is reported to have turned down suggestions that these should be routed to the Tamils through the International Red Cross and insisted that these should be sent to the Sri Lankan Government, which would decide how they would be distributed.

8. The Indian predicament in the face of the strong line taken by Mr. Rajapakse after the endorsement which he received from the US was obvious during the press briefing held at Chennai on November 24, 2006, by Shri M. K. Narayanan, our Prime Minister's National Security Adviser, and Shri Shivshankar Menon, our Foreign Secretary, after a meeting with Shri Karunanidhi. Shri Menon was on his way back to New Delhi after meeting Mr. Rajapakse in Colombo and Shri Narayanan had specially flown from New Delhi for the meeting.

9. Shri Narayanan told the media as reported by "The Hindu" of November 25,2006: "We will decide if there is a necessity for it (sending humanitarian aid) at all. And, if so, we will decide what will be the modalities."

10. The "Deccan Chronicle" of November 25,2006, has reported that when our Foreign Secretary raised the possibility of the humanitarian assistance being sent through the Red Cross, Mr. Rajapakse "said a big 'no' arguing that such an action would mean damning his Government as untrustworthy, apart from interfering with the island's sovereignty." But, at the same time, he has issued an appeal to all local and international non-governmental organisations to get involved in the distribution of food.

11. How to address the humanitarian catastrophe which has been facing the Tamils without seeming to support the present leadership of the LTTE, which was involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi? That is question of immediate relevance to India. India should seriously consider organising a meeting of Sri Lanka, the US, EU, Norway, Japan, the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross to discuss only the humanitarian aspects of the present situation in Sri Lanka and find out ways of assisting the Tamils. India should take over the leadership role in mobilising the international community on the humanitarian issue.

12. The strong support for the Sri Lankan Government from the Co-Chairs---particularly from the US--- has had two reactions in the Sri Lankan Tamil community----desperation and total disillusionment with the international community on the one side and a trend towards a greater radicalisation of Tamil opinion and a greater determination to keep up their armed struggle against the Government on the other. What impact it will have on the ground situation remains to be seen.

Liberation Tigers leader Velupillai Pirapaharan took part in a commemoration event held in Vanni Saturday when the three-day long 'Tamil National Heroes Day' remembrance events ware inaugurated. 18742 fighters have been declared War Heroes by the LTTE since November 27 in 1982, the date when the first LTTE fighter, Lt. Sankar, had fallen till 2006 November 20. The list also consists EROS and selected members of other organisations. 818 LTTE fighters, 568 men and 250 women fighters of the LTTE have fallen in a largely defensive war faced by the Tigers in 2006. The LTTE has released photos of Mr. Pirapaharan attending a Heroes Day event at a location in Vanni where he payed homage to Lt. Sankar and the senior commanders who have sacrificed their lives during the 24 years since 1982.

The Tiger movement, formed in 1972 as Tamil New Tigers, and renamed to LTTE in 1976, has fought four wars, each after a failed negotiation process. The occasion is being commemorated in regional wise by decorating the streets with red and yellow flags and renovating the Heroes cemeteries. Small huts were erected along roadsides where garlanded portraits of the fallen cadres are kept to pay homage. The Heroes Day events were inaugurated in Kilinochchi at LTTE Political Head Quarters where brother of late Lt. Col. Thuyavan lighted the common flame. S. P. Thamilchelvan, the Political Head of LTTE, hoisted the Tamil Eelam national flag at 8:00 a.m. Saturday. Arasanna, the director of the Thuyavan College of Political Science delivered the memorial speech. LTTE cadres, parents, and relatives of the fallen cadres lighted the flames of sacrifice for the portraits and offered flowers.

India is pressing Sri Lanka to give 'maximum devolution' to the Tamils as President Mahinda Rajapakse embarks on his second visit to this country in a year.'While we are fully for the unity of Sri Lanka, we are anxious that the Tamils should get their due,' a senior official told IANS, giving an idea of the nature of discussions likely here this week between Rajapakse and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Rajapakse, who attended an Asian mayors' conference in Dehradun Sunday, flew in overnight on a four-day trip that includes a personal leg. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday or Wednesday.

Sri Lankan officials say a devolution process can be successful only when there is a 'southern consensus', a euphemism to mean unanimity among political parties in the Sinhalese-majority southern parts of the island nation. And without such a consensus, no political deal aimed at power sharing will ever succeed.The Indian establishment is uncomfortable with this line.Indian officials say they are also concerned over the aerial bombardment of civilian areas in the northeast in the spiraling fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

The military offensives have not only sent thousands of Tamil civilians fleeing to Tamil Nadu but have fuelled a lot of heat in the Indian state, separated from Sri Lanka by a narrow strip of sea.'The aerial bombings are causing unhappiness,' said the source. 'This leads to humanitarian concerns which are best avoided. There cannot be a solution (to the conflict) where innocent Tamils indiscriminately face state action.'On Friday, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chennai with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who was on his way to New Delhi after meeting Rajapakse in Colombo.

Karunanidhi, who had earlier declared that the central government's Sri Lanka policy was his policy too, reacted to the killings of Tamil civilians by asking how long India could keep its patience.An official source here discounted any differences in thinking between Manmohan Singh and Karunanidhi saying: 'We are both on the same wavelength.'Manmohan Singh has promised Karunanidhi and MDMK leader Vaiko to take up their concerns regarding civilian casualties in Sri Lanka with Rajapakse.Vaiko, a long-time supporter of the LTTE, is to stage a hunger strike along with his party MPs here Monday to denounce 'atrocities' on Sri Lankan Tamils.

In Colombo, President Rajapakse and his advisors told the Indian foreign secretary that the government had no intention of seeking a military solution to the ethnic conflict that has claimed over 65,000 lives since 1983.They also told the Indian officials that Sri Lanka was aware of the need for a credible devolution package and to respond to international concerns on civilian casualties.At the same time, the Sri Lankans insisted that no power sharing deal could be achieved in a hurry.All these issues are expected to figure in the discussions between Manmohan Singh and Rajapakse, who is seeking joint patrolling by the navies of India and Sri Lanka in the sea dividing the two countries to check LTTE's Sea Tigers.

For now, the Indian and Sri Lankan navies patrol the waters separately although there is cooperation at various levels.Rajapakse last visited India in December 2005, and met Manmohan Singh in Havana in September this year. The two leaders regularly talk over the telephone.A Sri Lankan source had earlier told IANS: 'We are confident there will be candid and friendly exchange of views between the two countries on every aspect including bilateral relations and the situation in the island.'

Chandrika Kumaratunge, Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremasinghe, the triumvirate whose grip on the Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka is ultimate, are meeting in New Delhi on 27 November.Indian diplomatic manoeuvring has been successful in bringing together the three leaders of Sri Lanka for a parley on making conclusive decisions on the future political structuring of the country. Their meeting coincide with the annual policy pronouncement by Velupillai Pirabakaran on the Tamil Heroes' Day on 27 November.Although India is hoping to bring round the three Sinhala leaders into accepting an amicable solution to the national conflict, the Sinhala polity expects to bend Delhi into taking a vital role in facilitation and mediation.

Four STF men were killed and six wounded at the end of an hour cofrontation between the govt forces and the LTTE, Saturday morning at Thanga Velayutha Puram in the Batticaloa-Amparai district. The Special Task Force men from Kanchirankudah and Sangaman Kande military camps made a combined move on Thanga Velayutha Puram in the LTTE controlled area around 7.30am. The battle lasted for nearly an hour before the STF beat a hasty retreat carrying their dead and wounded in 3 ambulances.Ilakkiyan, 24, a Sea Tiger, Prakash, 21, another LTTE cadre, and Vasanthan, a civilian, were wounded in the skirmish.

Sri Lankan air force jets bombed a Tamil Tiger suicide fighter camp near the rebels' northern stronghold on Saturday, the military said, adding it believed it had inflicted heavy losses.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the air force had dropped bombs a few kilometres away from their nerve-centre of Kilinochchi, but had no details of any damage or casualties."The air force has hit a Black Tiger (suicide fighter) base," a military spokesman said. He said jets had dropped bombs over the village of Iranamadu, around 4 miles (6 km) south of Kilinochchi. "It is reported there were heavy losses inflicted."

The bombing comes after days of air force raids on rebel positions, and is the latest in a string of military clashes and battles that have killed more than 3,000 civilians, troops and Tigers so far this year alone.In a separate incident earlier on Saturday elite police commandos said they killed four rebels in a gunfight in the eastern district of Ampara, while police arrested a man with seven Claymore fragmentation mines and 10 kg of high explosives in the capital overnight.Claymore mines have been used in a string of deadly ambushes in the north and east and in Colombo in recent months.Many analysts and ordinary Sri Lankans fear a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 could escalate and spread across the island.President Mahinda Rajapakse has flatly rejected rebel demands for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east, and many fear the conflict could rumble on for years

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reportedly decided to extend the service of Army Commander Sarath Fonseka whose term is due to expire on December 18.However attempts by the Daily Mirror to confirm the move did not prove fruitful at the time of going to press. Informed sources said President Rajapaksa had placed his signature on the document after going through the details of the Commander. Earlier Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa had recommended one year’s extension to Commander Fonseka.According to sources the President had come under heavy pressure from various sections including diplomats and confidants not to extend the service of General Fonseka whose term had already been extended previously as well.

Six British residents Tamils were jailed for using forged cards at bank machines in Singapore to steal from British bank accounts, the second such case in two months, news reports said on Friday.They were nabbed on the fourth day of their crime spree with more than 350,000 Singapore dollars (224,000 US). The sentences imposed on Thursday ranged between four years and six months to 10 years and six months, with the longest going to ex-bank manager Arampramoorthy Ramanan, the 26-year-old ‘tech guy’ of the gang.

The court heard how the men, all British residents, entered the city-state as tourists in May, carrying with them blank white cards with magnetic strips and a laptop holding encrypted data of British bank account holders. Holed up in a hotel, they planned to embark on a cash withdrawal spree and leave Singapore within the 14 days allowed by their social visit pass, the report said.Deputy Public Prosecutor Paul Chia described how the six systematically raided the United Overseas Bank (UOB) ATMs at shopping centres and Changi Airport. The game was up when one of them was spotted by an ATM technician retrieving the white card.Because banks have payment systems allowing inter-bank transfers, money they withdrew from UOB would be reimbursed by the account holders’ bank in Britain, he said.

It was the second time that such an operation was employed in Singapore. A Sri Lankan-born Tamil based in London used forged cards in September to make similar ATM withdrawals. Navaseelan Balasingam was sentenced to seven years, six months in jail.The six pleaded guilty earlier this month to conspiracy to steal and access a computer.Unemployed Nishanthan Ramachandran, 29, and storekeeper Amirthyalingam Pukalenthy, 28, described as core members along with Ramanan, were each jailed for nine and a-half years. Nishanthan’s younger brother, Nimalan, 25, was jailed for four and a half years. Cab driver Paarthipan Nadarajah was jailed for six years and three months, while sales assistant Prathees Kumar Ratnaval, 26, was sentenced to seven and a-half years.

Prabhakaran: One man who keeps Sri Lanka burning

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran will turn 52 Sunday, presiding over a de facto state in the Indian Ocean island and still steering a cause for which he fled from his home over 30 years ago. In the three blood-soaked decades gone by, the once catapult wielding boy has leapfrogged from being the head of a small militant group of the early 1980s to one presiding over the world's deadliest insurgent outfit. The father of three evokes awe and admiration as well as fear and hatred. He is wanted by India and Interpol for the 1991 assassination of former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi, an epoch-making event that raised his profile dramatically in a world that was yet to encounter Al Qaeda.

Many countries today consider his Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) a terrorist group. Yet thousands swear by him and are willing to die for him, some by blowing up themselves in the most horrific manner. Since 1989, his birthday has come to be observed as 'Hero's Week', in memory of the some 19,000 LTTE cadres who have died fighting since 1982, when the first of Prabhakaran's colleague died - on his lap in India's Tamil Nadu state. Sri Lanka watchers in India differ in their assessment of Prabhakaran's persona but are near unanimous on one thing: The LTTE boss has not given up the fight to secure an independent Tamil state and is most unlikely to, come what may.

'He is the most important man for war and peace in Sri Lanka,' said P. Nedumaran, a Tamil Nadu politician at whose house Prabhakaran stayed for months in 1982 and the latter's most loyal backer in India. Nedumaran, speaking on telephone from Chennai, replied in the affirmative when asked if Prabhakaran remained wedded to the cause of Tamil Eelam, an independent state the LTTE wants carved out of Sri Lanka's north and east. Former Indian major general Ashok Mehta, who in the late 1980s fought the LTTE in Sri Lanka's northeast, agrees: 'He is central to everything, more so because his confidant Anton Balasingham is out of the loop now.'

The London-based Balasingham, who helps Prabhakaran prepare the annual policy speech the LTTE chief delivers annually Nov 27, is seriously ill, stricken with cancer. Calling him 'central to all decision-making in LTTE', Mehta told IANS: 'I don't foresee any softening of Prabhakaran's strategic objective of Tamil Eelam though tactically he will play around that objective.' Kuldip Nayar, a doyen among Indian journalists who recently visited Sri Lanka and urged India to lift the ban on LTTE, said Prabhakaran 'was very important to both peace and war. There is no doubt about it.

'But his ideas of peace and war do not tally with the democratic view. He is basically a very dictatorial and authoritarian person. That has affected Tigers also,' Nayar said, speaking on telephone from near Calicut in Kerala. Sri Lankan officials and Tamils opposed to him speak more harshly of Prabhakaran, the youngest of four children of a middle class family who dropped out of school to pursue Tamil militancy. He is accused of heaping misery on the Tamils, abducting Tamil boys and girls from poor families for his army, keeping prisoners in bunkers, mowing down rivals without mercy, and carrying out killings, assassinations, bombings and suicide attacks at will.

After quitting his home in 1973, Prabhakaran shot dead Jaffna Mayor Alfred Duriappah in 1975. The LTTE was formed in 1976. An LTTE ambush that killed 13 soldiers in 1983 and sparked an anti-Tamil violence truly gave birth to Tamil separatism that has so far claimed over 65,000 lives. When Indian troops landed in Sri Lanka in 1987, Prabhakaran took them on and waged a guerrilla war until 1990, when the Tigers took over much of the island's northeast. By the mid-90s he had decimated all his rivals. With the man refusing to give up, the LTTE came to control a large swathe of territory in the northeast. Sri Lanka was left with no option but to ask Norway to broker peace.

There is no sign, both Indian and Sri Lankan sources admit, that Prabhakaran has changed although the challenges he now faces have multiplied. Backed stoutly by the US, Sri Lanka is determined to cut Prabhakaran to size. Helping Colombo is Prabhakaran's estranged confidant Karuna, whose men have made life tough for LTTE in the island's east. A dramatic spurt in violence this year has left some 2,500 people dead and displaced 200,000, mainly Tamils and Muslims. Norway is fed up. Thousands of Tamils have fled to India, which is under pressure to do something to bring peace to Sri Lanka.

An Indian official who has dealt with LTTE said Prabhakaran would keep fighting until he broke up Sri Lanka. 'Prabhakaran has exhibited in no uncertain terms that he has the will to fight,' the source said. 'He is fighting for his people, nothing is more important to him than that. The Tigers can never live with the Sinhalese. He will never give up.'

India wants talks resumed in Lanka

On the eve of Sir Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's visit here, India has asked both the island government and LTTE rebels to maintain the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table to settle the ethnic problem."We are constantly watching the developments in Sri Lanka," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here last night on the sidelines of a function where he released a book 'Indian Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities'.He said India's position was that Sri Lanka's ethnic issue should be settled peacefully. "The ceasefire should continue and both sides should come to the negotiating table to resolve the problem," the Minister said.Rajapakse, who will arrive here today on a five-day India visit, will discuss the peace process in his country with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Ahead of his visit here, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon travelled to Colombo on Thursday and conveyed to Rajapakse India's concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in LTTE-controlled Jaffna as food items are unable to reach there.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is seeking neighboring India's support to patrol the two countries' maritime boundary in order to prevent cross-border terrorism. “This is something we should concentrate on to prevent not only arms and drug smuggling, but also to ensure the safety of fishermen of both countries,” said the President, who will also take up economic matters with India during his five-day visit to that country. During his stay, Mr. Rajapaksa will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “India is not only our neighbor, but also our best friend,” he said. “What I also want to do is to convey to the Tamil Nadu leadership that we do not consider every Tamil to be a supporter of the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam],” the Sri Lankan President continued. “We always look to their help and there is a lot that we can learn from them on devolution,” he said, also adding, “There are possibilities for us to buy electricity from Tamil Nadu.” Commenting on the Jaffna food supply situation, the President said, “Before the A-9 highway closed, there were over 4800 retail shops and the LTTE asked all of them to close. Now there are only 400 cooperative stores operating and they are unable to meet the demand.”

CHENNAI: National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon discussed the Sri Lankan situation with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi here on Friday. The Centre and Tamil Nadu had identical views on the Sri Lankan question, Mr. Narayanan told presspersons. "The discussions went off well," Mr. Narayanan said. "The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister have a regular dialogue, particularly on matters relating to Sri Lanka," he said. Mr. Menon, who is back from a meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said he briefed Mr. Karunanidhi on the discussions he had with the President on Thursday. "As part of our normal process of consultations, I informed the Chief Minister about my discussions in Colombo yesterday and sought his guidance on how to proceed. We will continue this process because this is an ongoing issue," he said. Asked about Colombo's response, he said: "I will let Colombo speak for themselves."

In answer to another question, Mr. Narayanan said that India's policy on Sri Lanka was quite clear. "We want a solution to the problem in Sri Lanka which takes into consideration the aspirations of all the people of Sri Lanka within the framework of a united Sri Lanka. I think that is the goal that we all are trying to work for. Now, how you do it, at what stage you do it, and what means we use, I think this is something that will evolve with the situation and we are consulting among ourselves," he said.

On the manner of sending humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka Mr. Narayanan said the Centre would take a decision on sending it. "We will decide if there is necessity for it [sending humanitarian aid] at all. And if so, we will decide what will be the modalities." Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Karunanidhi said the State Government did not raise new issues or offer new suggestion. It merely reiterated the proposals put forth earlier, he said. "The State agrees with the views of the Centre," said Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Dayanidhi Maran, who was also present. Asked if Tamil Nadu stressed on a rethink of the Indian position on Sri Lanka, Mr. Karunanidhi said: "Both of them came to rethink."

Ahead of his party workers fast here next week to protest Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's visit to India, MDMK leader Vaiko today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to "stop aerial bombings and military attacks against the Tamils". "We would humbly request you to withdraw the radars supplied by the Indian Government to the Sri Lankan Air Force and stop forthwith any training given to Sri Lankan Air Force pilots in India," Vaiko said in a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

Joined by his party's four MPs, the MDMK leader urged the Prime Minister to use diplomatic efforts to prevail the over Sri Lankan Government to open highway A-9 to remove the economic blockage against the Tamils. "The prevailing scenario is so alarming that hostilities between the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and the Tamils represented by the LTTE would break out, leading to a conventional war," he said. Thanking the Prime Minister for the decision to send food items, milk power and medicines to Tamils, Vaiko said that these items could be sent through the International Red Cross. He said that the Prime Minister assured him that he would make it clear to the Sri Lankan President that the food supply must reach the Tamils.

The EU presidency has decided to postpone the resolution against Sri Lanka condemning alleged serious human rights violations in the country, the Daily Mirror has learnt. The resolution was to be put before the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which is toconvene its third session from Monday.Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told the Daily Mirror that Finland in its capacity as the EU presidency had decided to postpone the resolution till March next year thus giving the government time to fulfill its pledges to investigate the alleged human rights abuses.

“We had requested the EU presidency to give us time till March because of the efforts we are taking to address the issues by inviting international observers,” Minister Samarasinghe said. “I’m not sure if the decision to postpone the resolution was because of our request or if they felt we should be given time.”Finland attempted to put forward the resolution before the UNHRC at the last session in September but was defeated in the process after several Asian countries and the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) opposed the move.

As was reported in the Daily Mirror earlier this month the EU presidency is bent on pursuing a resolution against the poor human rights record in Sri Lanka unless the government makes substantive progress into the latest inquiries on the spate of abductions and killings of civilians in Colombo and the north and east

It's a war that the LTTE was always getting ready for, a war that's now a bitter reality. Through the ceasefire period, every civilian in the LTTE capital - Kilinochi - was trained in the art of battle.Children like 13-year-old-Ilamaran have been trained to fight in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka, in bunkers that the LTTE has made - preparing them for the impending battle.The LTTE also has civil defence units, where civillians are trained in the use of claymore mines and guerrilla warfare.However, there is another group of people present - those who are not fighting. These are the people that are being forced to migrate to India as refugees.Over 16,000 such refugees have arrived in India so far - the highest number ever in the last 10 years - casualties of a never-ending conflict in places like Jaffna.Even before open fighting broke, Jaffna was in a state of siege as the Sri Lankan army fortified itself to hold on to the traditional capital of the Tamils.Says Vicar-General, Catholic Church of Jaffna, Father Selvaraja, "It's like a curfew. There is no safety and we are living in a state of war." As the renewed war intensifies, and as Lankan President Rajpakse gets ready for a visit to India, the LTTE are keeping their fingers crossed.The rebel group has always hoped that when it comes to relations with India, the shadow of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination would fade away. Says LTTE's Political Secretary, S P Tamizhchelvan, "Our request to India has always been that they should not side with the Sri Lankan government." In the island, posters all over the place depict a hatred between two warring sides, a hatred that goes so deep that it may never fade away, a hatred that could mean that peace may never be a reality - all this even as the humanitarian crisis only gets worse with each passing day.

Unidentified men abducted a student Colombo Technical College Thursday night in Mattakuliya in Colombo, relatives of the abducted student in Modara said. The victim, Thambirajah Kamalanath, 21, of Thambiluvil, Thirukovil in Amparai district. Mr.Rekhan Peter (Age 25) Aducted from Kotahena Last Monday. His Born Place is Jaffna. Worked at car garage in kotahena.

Sri Lankan Tamil apprehended transporting 3 tons of Cocaine in a homemade submarine

Reports from Costa Rica in Central America said that a strange locally fabricated submarine transporting three tons of Cocaine was caught by authorities with a Sri Lankan national Tamil, two Colombians and a Guatemalan.The unique 50 foot long underwater transporting vessel is made of wood and fiberglass and the men traveling inside were breathing through pipes jutting out of water, the authorities said. Fernando Berrocal, the Security Minister of Costa Rica said seizing of the strangecraft became possible since the submarine could be identified by the three breathing pipes which were mysteriously skimming the ocean top surface. Since the men were arrested in the international waters, they were taken to the United States for prosecution.

The strange craft sailed seven miles per hour just six feet beneath the sea-water, the Costa Rican Security minister told the country’s newspapers. It is still not known the name of the Sri Lankan or the names of the others involved in the act of smuggling Cocaine.This was not the first time the Sri Lankans were mentioned in the case of Cocaine smuggling from Columbia. Years ago a Columbian newspaper from Bogot mentioned there was a failed attempt on the part of the Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to supply guns to some Colombians and train them in warfare in exchange for Cocaine. But the newspaper said at that time the program did not go through and failed. It did not go beyond negotiations, the newspaper revealed.

The submarine was spotted on 17 November about one hundred miles off the coast,near Cabo Blanco National Park on the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica, the reports said."This was the first time in the country's history that a craft with these characteristics has been caught near the national coasts," the country’s Minister for Security said in a statement.U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents, FBI and Colombian officials aided Costa Rican authorities in the operation, Berrocal , the Minister revealed.According to the same sources, the arresting officials took the submarine to a Costa Rican Coast Guard station and were trying to determine its origins. It was found with several tanks of petrol, but it has been found the vessel, which had a bailer to keep out water, probably did not travel far.One aim of the investigation would be to determine whether the drug smuggling is anyway connected to terrorism. According to Colombian Police sources smuggling Cocaine by sea has become the top method of transport in recent years, as radar systems have made it difficult to smuggle drugs in small airplanes as was done in the past. So far this year, Costa Rican authorities have seized 18 tons of Cocaine, the Minister of Security said.

Indian Premier, Dr.Manmohan Singh, assures Vaiko that India would not give any training to Sri Lankan pilots on the Indian soil. He gave this assurance, when the latter met him in Delhi to discuss the Lankan Tamil issue. Vaiko told the Prime Minister in detail the sufferings of the Tamils and the atrocities committed by the Rajapkse government. Having given a patient hearing to Vaiko, Dr.Manmohan Singh promised to look into the matter personally and do the needful for the welfare of the Tamils.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday informed the All Party Representative Committee that the UNP would join only the latter half of the discussion - - when the degree and methodology of power devolution would be taken up. Mr. Wickremesinghe in Parliament yesterday informed the APRC Chairman Tissa Vitarana that the UNP had right throughout stood for devolution of power hence it would take part in discussions when the degree of the methodology would be debated. The experts’ panel of the APC is drafting a new Constitution which will serve as the basis for a final political solution to end the country’s ethnic conflict. The Committee has unanimously agreed on the devolution of power but the degree and the methodology of power devolution is yet to be finalized.

Mr. Wickremesinghe in a note to Minister Vitarana said the UNP backed devolution of power in keeping with the Oslo communiqué and fully supported power devolution at the Tokyo Donor Conference in June 2003.He said in 2001, when President Chandrika Kumaratunga was in office, two groups led by him and Ratnasiri Wickramanayake agreed on the need to devolve power hence it was of no use for the UNP to join in the talks of the APC at the moment. Mr. Wickremesinghe’s note comes amidst a protest by the representative committee over giving two slots to the UNP while the committee is represented by just one member from each political party. The UNP boycotted the APC on November 13.

The next day, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Mr. Wickremesinghe held one on one discussions where a committee from each party was appointed to ensure the smooth implementation of the MoU and also to sort out the APC wrangle. However things took a different turn, when Minister Vitarana told journalists early this week that all committee members had agreed on the devolution of power prompting the JVP to say they were not backing maximum devolution of power. Making a statement in Parliament, the JVP even threatened to boycott the APC. Setting the record straight, Minister Vitarana told the Daily Mirror there was no threat of the JVP pulling out of the APC. He said the Committee agreed on the devolution of power in principle but some papers misreported it saying the Committee had agreed on the maximum devolution of power. “We are yet to discuss the methodology and the degree of power devolution. So far, all members have supported power devolution in principle,” Minister Vitarana said.

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is in Colombo as fighting intensified between the Sri Lankan army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).The Sri Lankan army said on Friday that it killed at least 19 LTTE men in a fierce battle in the restive east, where many fear escalating violence will lead the country back to full-scale war.India's main concern centres around the plight of Tamil refugees in Jaffna and areas in the east. They are isolated and starved of supplies and at the mercy of combatants from both sides. Menon is expected to talk to President Rajapakse in this regard.Meanwhile the Sri Lankan army sent tanks and warplanes into eastern Batticaloa district on Thursday after the LTTE attacked government troops, the defense department said on its Web site on Friday. Fifteen LTTE men were killed in artillery and airstrikes, while another four others died in a separate encounter with security forces in the district, the military said.The LTTE, however, said only one of their fighters died, and claimed to have killed seven government commandoes. They also accused the government of launching an offensive to seize control of their territory in Batticaloa.

Chennai: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon reached here today from Colombo after holding "fruitful" discussions with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse."I had fruitful talks with Sri Lankan leaders and will be briefing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi about it," Menon told reporters at the airport here.Menon, who had a one-to-one meeting with Rajapakse at his Temple Trees residence, also met a cross-section of political leaders at a dinner at India House, the official residence of India's High Commissioner in Colombo.He leaves tonight for New Delhi, where he would apprise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the discussions he had in Sri Lanka.The Prime Minister had deputed Menon to Colombo to discuss the current situation in the island nation amidst reports that Sri Lankan army and air force were committing atrocities against ethnic Tamils.

Visiting India’s Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon conveyed to Mahinda Rajapakse, President of Sri Lanka, India’s concern on the fast emerging humanitarian catastrophe and emphasized on an urgent and comprehensive political settlement to ethnic issues.India’s top diplomat who is on his first visit to Sri Lanka after assuming duties as Foreign Secretary met the Sri Lanka President yesterday evening at the President’s office in Colombo.t is learnt that Sri Lanka President at the meeting with Shivashankar Menon gave detail of the work being done by the All Parties Conference and the multiethnic group of experts to provide a framework for resolution on the ethnic problem. He also briefed the Indian diplomat the efforts undertaken by Sri Lanka to bring about normalization in the country.

President also has told India’s Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka’s readiness to meet and have talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to discuss core issues.Sources revealed Shivashankar Menon at the meeting with President also held preliminary discussions on the issues to be covered during the forthcoming visit by President Rajapakse to New Delhi later this week.India’s Foreign Secretary is in Colombo on a two day visit to convey India’s concern on the deteriorating political situation in Sri Lanka. He also met Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse and acting Foreign Secretary Geetha de Silva.

Shivashankar Menon has told Sri Lanka’s President that India was ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the internally displaced as well as people of Jaffna, affected by the closure of A 9 highway. Earlier in a letter to Muthuvel Karunanidhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has informed that India was willing to dispatch essential commodities to Sri Lanka taking into consideration the situation in the northern and eastern parts of the country. In his letter Indian Prime Minister pointed out India would dispatch one time 5,200 tonnes of rice, 1,500 tonnes of sugar and 300 tonnes of milk powder. Secretary Menon who arrived in Colombo Wednesday night on a two day official visit as an emissary of the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He is expected to leave New Delhi today via Chennai. Indications are, according to a report, he will meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi, to brief him of the outcome his visit to Colombo.

In the face of persistent Indian calls to devolve autonomy to the Tamils, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse arrives here this weekend with a polite request not to rush him into a political settlement.The president is also expected to tell the Indian political leadership that if and when Colombo agrees to a negotiated settlement, it will not just be with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) but involve other Tamils as well.And such an inclusive process, one that has to satisfy all sections of the ethnic divide in Sri Lanka, will take time, maybe months or even years, and that Colombo should not be pushed into anything.

Highly placed sources told IANS that while Sri Lanka did not see India as just another global player in the ethnic conflict, Colombo was getting tired of being hectored on issues like power sharing and federalism."India must learnt to be patient," one source said, summarizing the thrust of Sri Lankan thinking on devolution of power to the Tamils and other minorities on which Colombo is being pilloried by the international community.India has repeatedly told Sri Lanka, mostly privately, that while it respects the island nation's territorial integrity, it needs to act fast to come up with a political solution to end a conflict that has taken over 65,000 lives since 1983 and shows no signs of ending.

In India's view, the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community have to be met. A top Indian official warned recently while speaking to IANS that a failure by Sri Lanka on this count could lead to disastrous consequences.Rajapakse is arriving here Saturday for his second trip to India in a year. He will open a conference of mayors in Dehradun in Uttaranchal Sunday. Later in New Delhi he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He returns home Nov 29.The sources said that India would be told that the Rajapakse administration's attempt was to move away from the "elitist manipulative" kind of dealings of the past that went in the name of political settlement.

"A manipulative mechanism may work immediately but it will never last," the source explained. "And we will not go for a settlement only with the LTTE though it is a powerful military group. Other Tamil groups will be involved. And so will be other communities."We cannot have a deal just between a section of the Sinhalese elite, however much they may be supported by Western countries, and one part of the Tamil side."India has to understand this, and India has to support us. Unlike some of the Western countries who may prefer 'elitist manipulative' settlements, India needs to see us differently."

The sources said Tamils were getting a "wrong idea" of the present government because of its dependence on Sinhalese nationalist parties such as JVP and JHU. Sections of the Indian establishment also see JVP as some kind of a spoiler, a political entity unwilling to make far-reaching and necessary compromises.But JVP and JHU have to be taken along, the sources said, because without their involvement, there could be "no southern consensus" - unanimity in the Sinhalese majority southern Sri Lanka - and without which there could be no end to war.

The sources, however, admitted that many innocent Tamils had died in recent fighting in Sri Lanka's northeast, where some 2,500 people have been killed this year, making a mockery of the 2002 Norway-brokered ceasefire agreement.Indian sources have said that the Indian leadership would like to listen to Rajapakse at some length to understand the finer nuances of the situation in Sri Lanka.The US, Norway, Japan and the 25-nation European Union this week urged both Sri Lanka and LTTE to stop fighting and return to negotiations. But few here believe this is going to happen, at least in the immediate future.

Sri Lankan military battles with rebels

The Sri Lankan military, using tanks and planes, battled Tamil Tiger rebels for three hours Thursday for control of territory in the east, a military spokesman said.At least seven government soldiers were wounded in the fighting, a military spokesman, Major Upali Rajapakse, said."We believe our attacks have inflicted heavy casualties," Rajapakse said.The Tigers accused Sri Lanka of having tried to seize control of their territory. "The military has started a big operation to capture territory," the rebels' military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said. "They have moved closer to our forward defense lines."

All the six city mayors in Tamil Nadu will stay away from the Asian Mayors’ Conference at Dehra Dun on Sunday as a show of protest against the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse for his government’s alleged role in the large-scale deaths of Tamil civilians on the island.The mayors of Chennai, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Salem belong to the ruling DMK while those heading the city corporations at Tiruchy and Coimbatore are from the Congress party. Without naming President Rajapakse and his visit to the prestigious international conference, these six mayors have decided to skip the Dehra Dun meeting citing prior commitments at home, reliable sources said.

When chief minister M. Karunanidhi was asked at a press conference here on Thursday if his DMK mayors would boycott the Dehra Dun conference, he replied that the decision was left to the mayors concerned. His close ally and PMK leader Dr S. Ramadoss had given a call a few days back asking all the six mayors from the state to boycott the conference because it would be inaugurated by Rajapakse, “who is arriving with Tamil blood on his hands.”Chennai mayor M. Subramanian has already announced he will not be able to attend the Dehra Dun meet since his presence was needed for co-ordinating relief work in rain-hit Chennai.

His party colleagues in the mayors’ posts in Madurai, Tirunelveli and Salem are also preparing their own excuses to stay away from the conference. The Congress mayor at Tiruchy, Ms Charubala Thondaman has a good reason to skip Dehra Dun. “I have accepted the invitation to attend a wedding on November 27, so I cannot go to Dehra Dun,” she told this newspaper.

The Coimbatore mayor ‘Colony’ Venkatachalam, also of the Congress, said he had already faxed his letter to the Delhi office of the All-India Council of Mayors expressing his inability to attend the conference “because I have to preside over a corporation council meeting on November 30.” He denied that his decision was linked to President Rajapakse’s presence at the mayors’ meet.

Forty mayors from 32 countries, besides delegates from the ILO, UNESCO and UNDP, are expected at the three-day Asian Mayors’ Conference being organized by the AICM at Dehra Dun from Sunday. Incidentally, November 26 happens to be the birthday of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. He turns 52 on Sunday

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers intensified aerial bombardment on LTTE controlled areas for the third day on Thursday. 2 Kfir bombers dropped bombs near a civilian settlment in Oddusuddan around 9:30 a.m. and on Mullaithivu around 1:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Kfir bombers attacked Vidathalthivu coastal area in LTTE controlled area of Mannar district between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. Some civilian boats were damaged in the bombardment, LTTE officials said.The Kfir bombers had attacked a suburb of Mullaithivu also on Tuesday.

Two cadres of Karuna paramilitary group were seriously injured in an internal fight ending in an exchange of gunfire Thursday around 3:30 p.m at Vinayagapuram in Valaichenai, Valaichenai police said. Some cadres of Kauna paramilitary group have been hiding due to differences of opinion within the group, and their opponents who had come in search of them started the firefight, the police added. The two injured in the gun fight were admitted at Polanaruwa hospital. The firefight lasted nearly 30 minutes, police said.

A President of a Hindu Temple Trustee board from Periyaneelavanai in the Maruthamunai Police division in Amparai district was shot dead by unidentified gunmen around 8:30 pm Thursday, civil sources said. The victim, S. Rubesh, the President of the Periyaneelavanai Sri Vishnu Kovil Trustee Board was at his home in Periyaneelavanai when two unidentified gunmen came in a motorbike to his house, called him by name, shot him dead at point blank range, and escaped, relatives said.The motives behind the killing is not known. Maruthamunai Police is conducting the investigation.Periyaneelavanai, a boarder village, located along the Batticaloa Kalmunai road near Maruthamunai, a Muslim village, is 33 km south of Batticaloa and 5 km north of Kalmunai.

United Nations envoy Allan Rock has been lampooned and accused of collaborating with the Tamil Tiger rebels. The special adviser to the UN's representative for children and armed conflicthas also been called a "Snow Tiger" and a "village gossip" after he alleged the Sri Lankan military helped a breakaway rebel faction recruit child soldiers. Concluding his recent 10-day fact-finding mission to the island, Rock told journalists "there is both direct and indirect evidence that elements in the Sri Lankan security forces are facilitating and, in some cases, participating in forceful abductions by Karuna of young people."

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, a.k.a. Karuna, was the eastern military commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) until March 2004, when he split from the main rebel outfit over differences with its leadership. His group has since been fighting the Tamil Tigers in a clandestine war that the military has been accused of supporting. Angry nationalists led by Buddhist monks piled in front of the UN's Colombo headquarters this week, shouting slogans and waving placards that questioned the motives of both Rock and the UN. Rising from above the sea of heads was an effigy of Rock, Canada's former UN ambassador.

"Is whitewashing Tiger terrorists the obligation" of the UN? asked one placard. "Is Allan Rock a Tiger?" asked another. Nearly 200 people joined the protest organized by the Patriotic National Movement — a key component of which is the People's Liberation Front, Sri Lanka's main Marxist party."Allan Rock is a member of the pro-Tiger international lobby and is trying to discredit the army by making false allegations," said PLF parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa. "If Rock wasn't acting on behalf of the LTTE, he would have presented his final report to the UN for appropriate action," Weerawansa said. "The fact that he made sensational announcements to the media even before the report was compiled shows his underhand motives." The PLF later issued a statement accusing the former federal cabinet minister of being part of a conspiracy against Sri Lanka.

"A responsible member of the international community would not have made such unfounded public statements in such an irresponsible manner," said Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera in an interview this week. "Even if they were true, a person of that nature should have had the decency to bring it to the notice of the government discreetly."But the Nordic Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission that oversees the ceasefire agreement between the government and rebels supported Rock's claims. The mission said his allegations came as no surprise. "We have known for some time that there is a level of co-operation between certain elements of the security forces and the Karuna faction," says Helen Olafsdottir, acting spokesperson. "We are compiling more information and will present the government with a comprehensive report on the matter."

There has been biting commentary from some who felt Rock had been "mollycoddling" the Tiger rebels while discrediting the state with unverified allegations.Rights groups have accused the Tigers of enlisting thousands of children to join their fight for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils. The militants have repeatedly appeared on the UN secretary general's List of Shame, which aims to discredit parties that engage in child recruitment and other grave crimes against children. The Island, an independent English-language newspaper, said in an editorial it was unbecoming of a UN official to go by hearsay "like a village gossip."

The state-owned Daily News said if Rock had done his homework before getting here, he would have learned it is the Tigers who have been committing child abuse, including abducting children and forcing them to join the Tigers' combat ranks.More than 3,000 civilians, troops and rebel fighters have been killed in Sri Lanka this year and many fear a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983 could escalate.

Our liberation organisation is prepared to participate in negotiations to find a political solution to the ethnic conflict through peaceful means. We are not opposed to peaceful processes of resolving conflicts. Nor are we reluctant to engage in peaceful dialogue. We are seeking a negotiated settlement that would be fair, just, and equitable and that it would satisfy the political aspirations of the Tamil people.

If racism continues to predominate as the determining force in Sri Lanka’s politics, it would certainly create the objective conditions for the emergence of an independent Tamil state

If our demand for regional self-rule based on the right to internal self-determination is rejected, we have no alternative other than to secede and form an independent state

If the Sinhala chauvinistic ruling elites continue to deny the rights of our people and oppose reconciliation and if the conditions of oppression continue we have no alternative other than to secede and form an independent state invoking the right to self-determination of our people

If the government rejects our urgent appeal, adopts delaying tactics perpetuating the suffering of our people, we have no alternative other than to advance the freedom struggle of our nation

If the new government rejects our urgent appeal, opts for a hard-line position and adopts delaying tactics, we will, next year, in solidarity with our people, intensify our struggle for self-determination, our struggle for national liberation to establish self-government in our own homeland.

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Donars condemn both sides

Sri Lanka's main international donors have condemned what they call the systematic and continued ceasefire violations by both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels in the north and east of the island. In a statement after a meeting in Washington, the four co-chairs of the Sri Lanka donor group -- Norway, Japan, the United States and the European Union -- condemned the rebels for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas, and the government for firing into such areas and killing innocent civilians. In the statement The Co-Chairs state, "The Co-Chairs condemn the continued and systematic ceasefire violations by Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE. We call on both sides to seize the historic opportunity created by the 2002 Cease-Fire Agreement to resolve the country's conflict peacefully."

Focusing on the plight of the civilians, "The Co-Chairs particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the Government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians." The donors also called on the Sri Lankan government to reopen the A-9 highway -- the main road to the Jaffna peninsula. "The Co-Chairs remind the parties of their responsibility to respect all rulings by the SLMM and to implement the Cease-fire Agreement fully, including re-opening the A-9 highway."

They call upon the Tamil Tigers to cooperate with the government in the humanitarian initiatives that are implemented through the relief organisation to help the civilians.The statement urges both parties to work together to depolitisize the humanatarian aspects of the conflict and to respect human rights. On Monday the government offered to open the highway temporarily to let one covoy of food to reach half a million civilians on the peninsula. However, the Tiger rebels dismissed the announcement.

The state of the peace process in Sri Lanka is expected to take centre stage during separate meetings between the visiting Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera today.Mr. Menon was scheduled to arrive in the country late last night on a 3 day familiarisation tour to the country during which he will also meet opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as well as politicians from Tamil and Muslim political parties.

The visit of the foreign secretary comes as President Mahinda Rajapaksa prepares to embark on a tour to India from Saturday where he will meet top Indian leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh while Mr. Wickramasinghe is also scheduled to visit New Delhi next week.Although India does not play a direct role in the Sri Lankan peace process, the “big brother” is kept updated on major development. Various Tamil political parties in India have urged the Indian Premier to offer assistance to the Tamil communities affected by the fighting in the North and East.

The Co-Chairs, who met in Washington also praised India's 'responsible role' in the peace process and met with India's Deputy Chief of Mission in the United States R.S. Jassal ‘to brief him on the results of the meeting and also seek the views and support of the Indian government’, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns said yesterday.'And we're very grateful for the role that India is playing, a responsible role, also to fulfil this mandated peace,' he said briefing the media on behalf of the group co-chaired with him by Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim, Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi and European Commission Director General for External Relations Herve Jouanjean.

Sri Lankan air force jets bombed Tamil Tiger territory for a second day on Wednesday, as the government accused Nordic truce monitors and a U.N. envoy of misleading financial donors about military truce violations.The military said fighter jets hit two rebel naval bases in the northwestern district of Mannar, while the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the army was shelling a planned humanitarian aid route to thousands of displaced in their territory in the east.The military spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that the Air Force bombed two sea tiger camps at Mannar and destroyed them completely yesterday Morning.According to him two sea tiger camps situated at Kallari South in Mannar and North Vedithalathivu of North Mannar were bombed by the Air force at 9.30 am yesterday.Two people were killed by an unknown gunman yesterday morning near the mobile police checkpoint at Trincomalee. They are Ponnadurai Ramakrishnan (64) an employee of Mitsui and Sathyaraj (24). They were killed yesterday morning on their way to the workplace.He further said that a rumor was in circulation that all vehicles coming to Trincomalee were been prevented from entering. But in reality only checking of vehicles had taken place as a security measure.

The Second reading of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Budget was approved in Parliament yesterday by a majority vote, with the Opposition parties, excepting the TNA, voting for it along with the Government. Among the parties which supported the Second reading of the Budget, were the UNP, SLMC, JHU, JVP ,CWC and Government Proxy EPDP. Altogether, there were 133 votes for and 18 against. Speaking during the Budget debate, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama said that the economy is projected to grow at 8 or 9 percent, under the 10-year Development plan.Dr.Amunugama said that they are expecting a growth rate of over 7.5 percent next year, and therefore, the Government would be able to achieve the expected revenue of Rs 599 billion.“Based on the current figures of the economy, there may be difficulties in reaching the target. But, with the economy developing, we can accumulate the expected revenue,” he said.

Despite voting for the Budget, the JVP criticized it early in the morning. JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa said that the Government had not focused on any development while promoting the country’s sovereignty. Mr. Weerawansa said there is no plan outlined in the Budget to extract the country’s offshore oil deposits, which has the potential to redeem the nation from the external debt trap. “How can we approve a Budget that does not help ensuring economic sovereignty of the country?” he asked. He said, “the Government is acting as a blind man’ neglecting a precious gem.Mr. Weerawansa said that there are several other shortcomings in the Budget, such as the absence of plans to develop the agricultural sector, while making use of the other minerals such as silica and limestone abundantly available in the country.He said that the Government should have the right to determine its future, ignoring foreign forces.“The Government attended Geneva talks also due to pressure from the international community,” he said. “Today, some Ministers are beseeching God Kataragama for a strong statement from the Co-chairs,” he said

The Co-Chairs Group on Sri Lanka has praised India's 'responsible role' in the peace process and asked both Colombo and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to return to the negotiation table to end the upsurge in violence and human rights violations in the country. The Co-Chairs of the 2003 Tokyo Donors' Conference on Sri Lanka - Japan, Norway, the European Union and the US - expressed alarm at the rising level of violence in Sri Lanka and condemned both sides for recent violations of the 2002 ceasefire agreement. The group followed it up with a meeting with India's Deputy Chief of Mission here R.S. Jassal 'to brief him on the results of the meeting and also to seek the views and support of the Indian government', US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns said Tuesday, a day after the Co-Chairs met.

'And we're very grateful for the role that India's playing, a responsible role, also to fulfil this mandated peace,' he said briefing the media on behalf of the group co-chaired with him by Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim, Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi and European Commission Director General for External Relations Herve Jouanjean. A joint statement issued by the group said the agreement between the Sri Lankan Freedom Party and the opposition United National Party should lead to a credible power-sharing proposal that could help form the basis for a viable negotiated settlement between the parties.

At the same time, the specific arrangements for the north and east should not be disturbed as they are fundamental to continuing the dialogue to achieve an agreement. The legitimate interests and aspirations of all communities, including the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala communities, must be accommodated as part of a political settlement. Burns reaffirmed the US position that the LTTE is a terrorist organisation responsible for considerable bloodshed and that the Sri Lankan government has a right to protect the country's stability, security and territorial integrity. 'We are not neutral in this respect,' he added.

But Burns said, 'There are times when a government takes actions, and we have to speak out because we are in opposition to those actions. There have been, as you know, a number of incidents over the last several months that have given us a great deal of concern about the use of military power against civilians and against aid workers.' He said the US urged the Sri Lankan government to establish a commission of inquiry to investigate those incidents and hold the responsible parties accountable. He said the government had agreed to do so.

Burns said Washington hoped 'to use the combined influence of the European Union and Japan, Norway and the US, working with countries like India, to see if we can bring our influence to bear to make some suggestions that might be helpful to the government and helpful in bringing about a ceasefire and peace negotiations'. 'India, even though it is not part of the Co-Chairs, is working hand in hand with us in promoting peace,' added Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi. Noting that the donor countries have considerable leverage with the parties through their financial assistance, he said Japan would review the appropriate mix of incentives and disincentives to encourage the government to seek 'imaginative as well as realistic offers of negotiation with LTTE'.

Japan, unlike many countries, has not severed its relations with the LTTE and has influence with that group as well, again through aid deliveries, he added. The group also condemned 'the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding civilians'. It also called for the opening of all land and sea routes. The government closure of the A-9 highway to the Tamil-dominated Jaffna Peninsula has been a key sticking point in efforts to restart the peace talks. The road closures also have prevented international aid organisations from delivering humanitarian assistance to the victims of the fighting. The Co-Chairs called on both parties to facilitate the movement of humanitarian aid.

Norwegian Minister of International Development Erik Solheim welcomed the results of an October meeting in Geneva between representatives of the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. While that meeting produced no major breakthroughs, the two sides agreed to continue discussing measures for a sustained ceasefire and ultimately a political solution to the conflict. Solheim said it was up to the two parties to achieve peace. 'We can support them, but it is their responsibility to make peace.'

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Karunanidhi has said that only negotiations can end the bloodshed in strife torn Sri Lanka. Addressing a press conference at the State Secretariat here on Wednesday, Karunanidhi said the Sri Lankan Government should work towards creating an atmosphere of peace and stop its ethnic genocide. "The Sri Lankan Government should adopt the path of peace and stop killing innocent Tamils and stop using other means to harass or suppress Sri Lankan Tamils," said K Karunanidhi, adding that he would take up the issue with the Centre during the forthcoming visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Karunanidhi's statement came even as the Sri Lankan government said it is willing to resume its stalled peace talks with Tamil rebels immediately, but accused the LTTE of not cooperating. "Our government is willing to go an extra mile to resume peace talks so that the cycle of violence can stop," chief government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella was quoted by a foreign news agency, as saying. The LTTE is fighting to create a separate homeland for the island's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority in the northeast since 1983. Its leaders could not be immediately reached for comment.

Karunanidhi's concerns surfaced as representatives of the United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway met at the U.S. State Department in Washington for two days of talks aimed at forming new strategies for encouraging peace in Sri Lanka.They warned the warring parties that they risk losing future financial aid if they do not abandon violence.According to the Daily News in Sri Lanka, Tamil civilians have been protesting in Batticaloa and Mankerni since Tuesday, demanding that the LTTE allow over 30,000 civilians forcibly kept in Vakarai and Mankerni areas to cross into the cleared areas in Batticaloa.

Military sources in Batticaloa told the paper that more than 1,500 people in Batticaloa and over 1,000 people in Mankerni were engaged in this protest.According to sources in Batticaloa, hundreds of civilians protested in front of the Batticaloa office of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission demanding the SLMM to exert pressure on the LTTE to allow civilians to move into Government controlled areas.According to the security forces since November 1, 1,787 people have arrived in Government-controlled areas in Batticaloa through the jungle and by sea.

The Tamil Nadu Government, Karunanidhi said, would also take steps to introduce legal proceedings in Tamil in courts across the state."Tamil Nadu Government has decided to introduce Tamil in all the activities of the Madras High Court. A Bill, in this regard, will be tabled in the forthcoming Assembly session," he said. He also said that section 348 (2) of the Constitution permits the delivery of legal proceedings in the mother tongue or the language of the stateHe said presently only English remained as the language used for legal proceedings. On the Mullaiperiyar Dam issue, he said he would be talking with his Kerala counterpart, V.S. Achuthanandan, in the presence of the Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh, in Delhi, only because of his respect for the Supreme Court's verdict on the issue.

Asked whether it was not a delaying tactic adopted by Kerala, Karunanidhi said such issues would be discussed at the meeting."It will not be cultured, if the issue was needlessly blow out of proportion". On Congress party statement that it was also for power sharing in the state, he said "we respect freedom of expression of everybody". Asked if Congress desire would be fulfilled, he said "I don't know if the desire will be fulfilled".

In an exclusive interview to NDTV the political wing head of the LTTE claimed that the LTTE had nothing to do with the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. He demanded that the case should be further investigated and also the banned organisation is now seeking Indian support. Are these signs of weakness or of a growing realisation that without Indian support Tamils in Sri Lanka will never be able to find a lasting solution? They call themselves the forgotten people, their umbilical cord with Indian Tamils snapped.This was in 1991, after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. The Tigers' biggest blunder the Tamils of Jaffna say that led to their being dropped off the Tamil map.But they stop short of attacking the LTTE their sole protection in times of ethnic cleansing.

Students ready to take on a larger role in Tamil politics plead for India to forgive and forget. "It was a tragic incident. I mean the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. India should move ahead. Without Indian intervention there can never be a solution," said a local.Even people in authority like the catholic bishop of Jaffna ask for India to intervene again."Certainly by ourselves we can't achieve peace. We are a very small group of people, a minority. In other countries also peace was achieved by the intervention of international community," said said Bishop Dr Thomas Savundranayagam."For us the best country is India. It's our closest neighbour and culturally we are very much linked and lot of our people have taken refuge there. India must not be simply a spectator but must play an active role in bringing a lasting peace," said Bishop Dr Thomas Savundranayagam.

The LTTE says that the public mood in India has changed and that it is in its favour now. The LTTE is seeking Indian support and is disassociating from Rajiv Gandhi's assassination. "We need the support of the Indian government and the people. They should recognise our struggle for liberation. We want to know whether we have been rightly accused of the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. The LTTE or the movement has never admitted to the murder. More details of that incident need to be examined," said S P Thamilselvan, Political Head, LTTE.The LTTE does not want to appear weak by asking directly for Indian intervention but its also clear that their lost camaraderie with Indian Tamils remains deeply felt.

Sri Lanka Tamil Tiger rebels Peace negotiator, Anton Balasingham terminally ill with cancer

The top peace negotiator for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, Anton Balasingham, is terminally ill with cancer, a Tamil newspaper reported on Wednesday. The London-based official, 68, has led negotiations with the Sri Lankan government since the latest round of face-to-face talks began in September 2002, but he was absent from a meeting in Geneva last month because of failing health. The Sudar Oli newspaper said Balasingham had been hospitalised since last week. "He is in an incurable stage with the cancer fast spreading to his liver, lungs and bone-marrow," the newspaper said in a report filed by its editor currently visiting London. Balasingham had been the main contact for peace broker Norway as well as other key international players involved in attempts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the island's drawn out Tamil separatist conflict. Ten years ago, he underwent a kidney transplant.

A body believed to be belonging to a Tamil youth was recovered buried near a desolated house in Nanthavil area in Kondavil, 5km north of Jaffna town, in the presence of Jaffna Assistant Magistrate Mr M. Thirunavukarasu, source in Jaffna said. Chunnakam Police receiving a trip, obtained legal permission from Jaffna Magistrate to exhume the remains, legal sources said. The remains of youth, believed to have been buried three months earlier, was taken with the assistance of legal medical officer, Dr S. Balasubramaniam to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further medical examinations, hospital sources said.Meanwhile, 4 youths from Kondavil area surrendered with the Jaffna offices of Human Rights Commission (HRC) Wednesday fearing danger to their lives from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and collaborating paramilitaries, HRC officials said.

This adds to the six youths from Kondavil area who surrendered Tuesday, and another four youths surrendered on Monday bringing the total to 14 youths in the last three days, HRC sources said.Youths appeared at the Jaffna Magistrates courts Wednesday before being taken to Jaffna prison for protective custody on the orders of the Jaffna Magistrate, legal sources said.With Sri Lanka Police and SLA soldiers assigned responsibilty for the security of the Jaffna prison, potential danger to the lives of the surrendered youths still remains even inside the prison, rights activists in Jaffna said.With the additional 8 youths in kept in protective custody earlier, 24 youths are currently held in the prison.

All measures have been taken to ensure the security of TNA MPs from the Eastern Province following reported threats to their lives, Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara told Parliament yesterday. He said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had also been apprised of the situation and had instructed the authorities to ensure the safety and protection of TNA MPs. The Speaker said he had also arranged for a meeting with Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Ministerial Security Division Director for further action Minister Dinesh Gunawardena who raised the issue initially, said there had been threats to the lives of the Eastern MPs and requested the Speaker to look into this. Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle drawing the Speaker's attention to the recent assassinations of two TNA MPs including that of MP Nadarajah Raviraj, said the security provided to these MPs should be increased in consultation with the Inspector General of Police. JHU MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said the Eastern MPs had been threatened by the LTTE to resign from their Parliamentary seats.

The Eastern Tigers led by former Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) military commander Karuna have been placed on the UN List of Shame over recruitment of child soldiers. The UN deserves plaudits for naming the outfit for harming children. Karuna is now in the exalted company of his erstwhile comrade Prabhakaran on the UN List!When Karuna broke away from the LTTE and released some of the child combatants in his ranks on the eve of the first battle with the Wanni Faction at Verugal, it was thought that he would be different from Prabhakaran, who recruits child soldiers while his own children are living in clover abroad. But, Karuna has proved beyond doubt that he has no concern for the unfortunate children in the conflict zone.

Citing reasons for abandoning the LTTE, Karuna said he wanted to liberate the Eastern Province Tamils from the clutches of Prabhakaran, who, he said, discriminated against them and used their children as cannon fodder. But what is Karuna doing today? The liberator has turned out to be an abductor of children! He is harming the children of the very people whom he vows to liberate. Before Karuna broke away, many parents in the East had stopped sending their children to school for fear of abductions by the Wanni Faction on the way. With Karuna, the easterner having taken to recruiting children, the situation must be far worse.

All self-appointed liberators in this country have had the predilection for harming children. It is not a phenomenon peculiar to the North and the East. In the South, too, we had a Pol Pot in the person of JVP Leader Rohana Wijeweera, who drove thousands of children to mass graves. During the JVP’s second uprising (1987-89), there were instances of children being used as killers and families including children being wiped out by JVP death squads. The JVP did all this while Wijeweera was cuddling his brood in cooler climes. Remember the Suriyakanda mass grave, where the skeletal remains of a group of school children from Embilitpitiya were exhumed in 1994. The JVP had thrown those children to the vigilantes and the killer squads of the Sri Lankan military.

True liberators never harm children, women or civilians. Those who abduct children, use them in combat, turn them into human bombs ("Children of Fire") through drugs and brainwashing and massacre them are no liberators. They are only a bunch of psychopathic eunuchs in the garb of liberators.The UN, despite all its sins, is striving hard to help the children who have been robbed of their childhood. But, unfortunately, its listing of child abductors is not backed by deterrent action. Some time ago the Security Council skirted tough measures that had been proposed against the outfits on the List of Shame.

Stringent action is called for against the outfits committing crimes against children if the List of Shame is to be of any use to the victims in the clutches of terror groups. It behoves the UN to ban all activities that help those criminals gain legitimacy. All diplomats must be debarred from meeting them until they hand over child combatants to Unicef. Similarly, the UN must be wary of entrusting the sympathisers of child abducting terror groups with the task of liberating them. UN Envoy Allan Rock, a notorious LTTE sympathiser, put his foot in his diplomatic mouth the other day during a visit here by blaming Sri Lanka for Karuna’s child recruitment.

The Eastern Tigers may be co-operating with the Sri Lanka military on my-enemy’s-enemy-is-my-friend basis but if Rock is right in blaming the state for Karuna’s child combatants, then by the same token, Norway must be blamed for LTTE child recruitment as the former is supportive of the latter. It may also be claimed that Prime Minister Tony Blair is responsible for LTTE child combatants as Britain allows the LTTE to operate from the British soil.Karuna cannot trot out any lame excuses. He must release all child combatants in his outfit if he is to be different from Prabhakaran.

TNA Parliamentarian M.K. Eelaventhan told Parliament yesterday they would attend the next budget speech in Trincomalee, the capital of Tamil Eelam.Speaking during the budget debate yesterday, Mr. Eelaventhan said this was the last budget they would be participating in this House, and they were on the verge of forming a separate state now.He said the budget had been drafted by Sinhala people, and it was meant only for Sinhalese.The TNA MP said the budget was against the Tamils as more funds had been allocated for defence expenditure. “There is no purpose in participating in this budget. Virtually, this will be the last budget we are attending here,” he said.Mr. Eelaventhan also paid a glowing tribute to their late colleague N. Raviraj who was assassinated recently.However, Deputy Minister Dilan Perera responded to Mr. Eelaventhan saying Mr. Raviraj never stood for such a stand.“Had Mr. Raviraj been alive in the House today, he would have committed suicide upon hearing this speech,” he said.Mr. Perera said Mr. Raviraj spoke for genuine peace without dividing the country.

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Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians in the east said they had received death threats by the Karuna group.In a letter to Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, Parliamentarians T. Kanagasabai, K. Thangeswari, S. Jeyananthamoorthi, P. Ariyanenthiran, K. Pathmanathan and C. Chandranehru stated they were threatened to resign their posts before next Monday (27).The MPs in the letter stated they received the threats on November 19, over the phone by a person who identified himself as Gunanan from the Karuna group."The person who spoke to each of us introduced himself as Gunanan of the Tamil Eela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) Batticaloa Office. He warned that if the eight MPs belonging to the TNA from the Eastern Province did not resign by November 27, 2006, all eight MPs will end up receiving the maamanithar (great human being) award posthumously as all eight MPs would be killed," the parliamentarians in their letter stated.They urged the Speaker to take necessary steps for them to carry out their duties properly.The Karuna group however denied the allegations levelled against them by the TNA parliamentarians.Tamil Makkal Viduthalar Pulikal (TMVP) Media Spokesperson, Asath Moulana told The Morning Leader that the parliamentarians were accusing the TMVP as an excuse for not serving the people.

Business tycoon Lalith Kotelawala has described the Tamil Tigers as ‘genuine freedom fighters’.“They (LTTE) have done great service to their people and you can’t brand them as pure terrorists as they are genuine freedom fighters,” Mr. Kotelawala who was once a victim of an LTTE attack told Dubai-based Gulf News.Criticizing the government for its hit-back policy, Mr. Kotelawala said “the current policy of the government is a hit-back policy and that is an Israeli policy. I don't think its right ,” he said. “We can't ask them (LTTE) to disarm in order to sit down and talk while we hold onto our arms. Things must be left as they are and we must talk about devolution, federal state or autonomy,” the Ceylinco group head said. Mr. Kaotelawala also said Tamil Tigers should enter the democratic path. “They should not be afraid to do that. In all fairness, the LTTE has been pushed into doing it.”He said there should be a change in the attitude of the LTTE leadership. “They must realize that the best opportunity to work things out is through a system of self-governance. That is the structure that needs to be discussed,” he said.

Sri Lankan warplanes were flying over rebel-held territory in the island's north on Tuesday and bombing the suburbs of the LTTE's political capital, a rebel spokesman said.Air force jets were conducting missions over the Tamil Tiger political headquarters of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres north of here, Tiger military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan said by telephone."We don't have details of the locations that were hit," Ilanthiriyan said.School children in Kilinochchi panicked and fled from their classrooms when they heard the aircraft."Ilanthiriyan said the air force had also bombed a hospital building further north at Pooneryn on Monday evening. There were no immediate reports of casualties.There was no reaction from the military. Fighting has been raging despite a truce that is in place since February 2002.

R.Sampanthan, TNA Parliamentary group leader, addressing the House dismissed the proposal of the government for a one-off aid convoy as an eye wash and an attempt to hoodwink the international community. He also dismissed the claim of the government that the proposal is a humanitarian mission and that there was no truth in that claim. Sampanthan stated that the government has made this proposal for a convoy through the A9 highway only on one occasion on the eve of a meeting of Co-chair countries in Washington as it fears a reprimand. Sampanthan charged that the government lacks sincerity when it proposes this one-off convoy to Jaffna is a humanitarian mission. “If the government is sincere and serious in resolving the humanitarian problems of the Jaffna people then it should provide for continual supply of provisions of food through the A9 highway to prevent any scarcity in the future.”, Sampanthan was emphatic .

Sampanthan rose to air the response of the Tamil people on the floor of the House immediately after Minister Nimal Sripala deSilva, Leader of the House, made a statement regarding the government proposal for a one –off aid convoy to Jaffna through A9 highway. Sripala deSilva stated that the provisions will be sealed and send to the peninsula where the government agent and other government officals will superwise the distribution to the people. He explained that government was considering this proposals on humanitarian grounds following appeals by clergy and public.

It is said that abductions and killings are on the rise in Batticaloa District.The committee appointed probe disappearances report that 736 people have disappeared since January.15 bodies of the people who were abducted and killed have been found. It is believed that Karuna faction is behind these abduction and even the UN too had made some adverse comments of the abductions.It is also said that Karuna faction cadres come in a white van and abduct people in government controlled areas and most of the vehicles and motor cycles used by Karuna faction does not have number plates.In the Welikanda area it is said that Karuna operates 12 camps and 700 are undergoing training in them and each trainee is paid Rs. 6000/- per month.Information has surfaced that Karuna cadres enter Sinhala and Tamil villages and abduct people and force others to work for them once a week making bunkers etc. If is also said that they carry a pass to roam about in this area freely.

In a major political consensus towards a final solution to the long standing ethnic conflict the political parties represented in the All Party Representative Committee - including the JVP and JHU – have agreed on maximum devolution of power, it was announced yesterday.APRC Chairman Tissa Vitharana addressing a media briefing yesterday said the agreement was reached at an APRC meeting on Monday night. Despite earlier differences of opinion, the parties as the next step would work out the modalities on how the devolution could be made effective, he said.

The breakthrough was reached after the APRC held 17 rounds of meetings and also carried out a fact finding visit to India to study the Panchayat Raj system which devolved power to the village level while other models were also studied.“The APRC has been meeting regularly every week and during these discussions which have been carried out in a very friendly atmosphere we were able to progress from identifying the various stakeholders involved in the current national conflict and discussing issues and problems faced by them to a unanimous consensus by all members to agree on the concept of devolution,” Minister Vitarana said.

He said the APRC would now be looking at devolution indigenous to Sri Lanka and awaited proposals by the expert panel setup by the President before reaching a common agreement on the final devolution proposals.The Minister however stressed devolution of power would not mean the abolishing of or a substitute to the current provincial council system but rather an extension of power from the province to the village level applicable to the whole country.“The members had earlier agreed to use the 13th Amendment to the Constitution as a starting point for their debate. Now there is agreement and support by all parties to solving the national problem through maximum devolution,” Minister Vitharana said.

The Minister meanwhile said the TULF, EPRLF and the PLOTE had requested for meetings with the APRC while he also expressed hope the UNP, which was also supportive of devolution, would take part at the next APRC meeting.

Sri Lanka's main financial donors on Tuesday condemned violence committed by both the government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and urged the rivals to restart peace talks and allow humanitarian aid.The main donors to the Indian ocean island state -- the United States, Japan, Norway and the European Union -- "condemn the continued and systematic cease-fire violations by the government of Sri Lanka and LTTE," they said in a statement.A litany of military clashes and attacks have killed more than 3,000 civilians, troops and Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam fighters so far this year in a new chapter of the Sri Lanka's two-decade civil war.

After a one-day meeting in Washington, the donors said they "particularly condemn the LTTE for initiating hostilities from heavily populated areas and the government of Sri Lanka for firing into such vulnerable areas and killing and wounding innocent civilians."Following failed peace talks in Geneva last month, the group said the two sides must commit to sustained peace talks without preconditions.Both sides should also allow the "immediate, permanent and unconditional opening of the sea and road routes for humanitarian convoys of essential supplies," the donors said.Many ordinary Sri Lankans fear the violence will escalate now that the island's 2002 truce has disintegrated in all but name. Fighting since the conflict began in 1983 has killed more than 67,000 people.President Mahinda Rajapakse, elected a year ago, has flatly rejected rebel demands for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east, where they already run a de facto state.

"We owe our military and political strength to our fighters who gave up their lives in the Tamils' struggle. Today we face a critical situation where we are faced with the danger of losing more lives to achieve our final goal. It is our duty to honour the parents who have made the priceless sacrifice through their sons and daughters," said Col. Theepan of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), speaking at the first event held, to honour the parents of dead cadres of LTTE, at Kilinochchi Kanagapuram Maha Vidyalayam Monday around 10:00 a.m., sources in Kilinochchi said. The parents of 297 cadres of Liberation Tigers from Thirunagar in Kilinochchi who died in the battles were honoured in the event presided by Srisath, Area head of the Political wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

This event honours the parents of martyrs of each area in the Tamil districts arranged by residents of those regions, said the organisers of the event. "Sri Lanka Government (GoSL) only understands military power. Its vocabulary does not include peace talks, negotiations, honouring pacts, promises and agreements. The International Community seems to have realised this now," said K. V. Balakumaran, a senior member of the LTTE, in his speech. Col. Theepan hoisted the National flag and Balakumaran lit the Common flame, at the beginning the event. The parents of dead cadres of LTTE were led in a procession to the school hall where the photos were kept, attendees to the event said.E. Pararajasingham, head of Tamileelam Judiciary and T. Rasanayagam, Government Agent Kilinochchi district began the garlanding of the photos followed by others. Lunch was served to the guests, and discussions were held with the parents on outstanding needs related to their welfare.

The Karuna group yesterday said it was willing to give up arms on the condition that the LTTE stops torturing the people and does not be an obstacle for their political activities.Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) Spokesperson Asath Moulana told The Morning Leader this decision was taken at the party conference held early this month."The conference was held with the participation of our Leader Karuna Amman earlier this month in our area. Several other decisions were also taken," Moulana said.He said the LTTE has been an obstacle in their political activities."The Praba group has been obstructing our political activities. The TMVP is forced to carry arms because of the attacks launched by the group. Whoever asks us to put down arms should make Praba and his group to lay down their weapons," he added.

He added the TMVP would continue to carry arms to protect themselves from future attacks by launched by the LTTE."We have never started any attacks. We have now joined the democratic streamline and are concentrating on widening our political activities to other areas. We are forced to strike back when the Wanni Tigers launch their attacks," he said.He also said the TMVP expected to take part in future talks.Speaking further, he said all communities had the right to be represented at the peace processes in the future."All the communities should be represented at the negotiating table in the future. The Muslims also should be considered as a separate entity at the talks. The Praba group can also be called for the discussions. But, they are no more the sole representatives of the Tamil people. We also should be called for negotiations in the future," added Moulana.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday urged the international community to strengthen the hands of the Government and apply pressure on the LTTE to give up violence.Speaking during the budget debate in Parliament, Minister Samaraweera said they were urging the United States, the European Union, India and Norway to strengthen the government in its effort to restore peace.He said the international community should further pressurize the LTTE to give up terrorism as terrorism would never solve the national crisis.

Mahinda’s son to join Navy

Yoshitha Rajapakse, the second son of President Mahinda Rajapakse would shortly join the Sri Lanka Navy as an officer Cadet. The President recently gave the go ahead, well informed sources said. Yoshitha represented S. Thomas College in rugby.The unprecedented move comes in the backdrop of intense efforts to attract the youth to serve the armed forces. The sources said that Yoshitha always wanted to join the SLN. The President’s brother Gotabhaya served the army and at the time of his retirement held the rank of Colonel.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), condemning the Sri Lankan military's blockade of food and medicine going into the Vaharai area as "a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws", said Monday this action "is clearly an attempt to use food as a weapon of war, and compulsively evict persons from their areas of historical habitation." In an adjournment motion moved by its Parliamentary group leader, R. Sampanthan, MP, in the House, the TNA called on the government to "rush food medicine and other essentials to the families resident at Vakarai and Kadiravelli and thereby avert an imminent and grave humanitarian disaster."
The motion was seconded by Ariyanethran MP.

I move that the following matter of urgent public importance be discussed in Parliament at adjournment on Monday, 20th November; if not, on Tuesday, 21st November.

1.Whereas around 12,000 Tamil families comprising around 38,000 persons, men women and children presently live in the Vakarai and Kathiravelli areas in the north of Batticaloa, bordering the Trincomalee District.

2.And whereas around 3,500 of the aforesaid 12,000 families are permanent Tamil residents of the Vakarai Kadiravelli areas and the balance 8,500 Tamil families are Internally Displaced People from several villages in the south, southeast and southwest of the Trincomalee District. These Tamil people were displaced consequent to aerial bombing and heavy artillery shelling from both land and sea, in areas of Tamil civilian habitation in the said villages during the military confrontation between the almost exclusively Sinhala Armed Forces of the Sri Lanka Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) between the months of April and September 2006/

3.And whereas the aforesaid IDPs abandoned all their personal belongings when they so fled and are in a state of penury and destitution.

4.And whereas in the present situation, the said people have no occupation and no income whatever and in any event, do not have access to food medicine or other essentials.

5.And whereas the only source of succour and survival that is available to these people, is the assistance provided by either government or by non-governmental organizations.

6.And whereas in the past about three months much to the detriment and harm of the Tamil people, NGOs have been prevented by the government and the Armed Forces from working in these areas and being of assistance to these IDPs, thereby compelling these people to depend only upon the assistance made available through government.

7.And whereas the supply of food, medicine and other essentials by government to these people has been scarce and irregular, and whereas these people, particularly women and children, have suffered much deprivation and undergone immense human suffering.

8.And whereas food and essentials in some adequate quantity was last made available to these people by government on 20th October 2006, and thereafter there was a further meagre supply of food and essentials on 27th October 2006 sufficient only for a limited number of people.

9.And whereas after 27th October 2006, there has not been any supply of food medicine or other essentials to these people.

10.And whereas these people have during the past three weeks suffered much deprivation, starvation and undergone unbearable human suffering.

11.And whereas at a meeting held with President Mahinda Rajapakse on 16th November 2006 also attended by the President’s Secretary and the President’s Principal Advisor, Members of Parliament of the Tamil National Alliance urged the President to immediately send food, medicine and other essentials to the people in the Vakarai and Kadiravelli areas. And whereas the said Members of Parliament were assured that food, medicines and other essentials would reach Vakarai and Kadiravelli by that very evening, the 16th of November 2006.

12.And whereas though such supplies were not sent on the 16th, 10 lorry loads of goods were sent from the Batticaloa Kachcheri to Vakarai and Kadiravelli on the 17th of November 2006, and the same was accompanied by the Divisional Secretary for Vakarai and Kadiravelli.

13.And whereas at a place called Navalladi – Cobra Bridge – some distance south of the Maankerni checkpoint the said lorries were stopped by the Armed Forces and directed to return to Batticaloa. And whereas one Brigadier Ratnayaka of the Armed Forces is said to have informed the Government Agent and the District Secretary Batticaloa that lorries should not be sent with goods towards Vakarai and Kadiravelli, and that the people living in those areas should be brought out of the said areas.

14.And whereas this matter was raised in Parliament on the 18th of November 2006 and Ministers on behalf of the government intervened, contacted the Defence Secretary and others in the Military establishment and gave an assurance in Parliament that 8 lorries with goods would go to Vakarai and Kadiravelli on that very day the 18th, and that the Armed Forces would not prevent the lorries with such goods reaching Vakarai and Kadiravelli.

15.And whereas 8 lorries with goods did leave the Batticaloa Kachcheri for Vakarai and Kadiravelli, accompanied by the Additional Government Agent for Batticaloa, the Divisional Secretary and Assistant Divisional Secretary for Vakarai and Kadiravelli, and also a representative of the ICRC Batticaloa.

16.And whereas the said 8 lorries were once again stopped at the Maankerni checkpoint and not allowed to proceed to Vakarai and Kadiravelli.

17.And whereas the 12,000 families in the Vakarai and Kadiravelli areas continue to suffer starvation and are facing malnutrition, disease and death by starvation.

18.And whereas the aforesaid actions of the Armed Forces are clearly violative of the assurances given by the President and in Parliament on behalf of the government.

19.And whereas the said actions also constitute a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws, and is clearly an attempt to use food as a weapon of war, and compulsively evict persons from their areas of historical habitation against their wishes.

20.And whereas it is the duty of the government to immediately take all necessary action to ensure that the people in Vakarai and Kadiravelli are able to receive food medicine and other essentials and thereby avoid a grave humanitarian disaster.
We call upon the government to immediately take necessary action to rush food medicine and other essentials to the families resident at Vakarai and Kadiravelli and thereby avert an imminent and grave humanitarian disaster.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	107.56		109.01
Sterling Pound	203.60		207.49
Euro	137.33		140.37
Swiss Franc	85.85		88.35
Australian Dollar	82.21		84.59
Singapore Dollar	68.78		70.42
Japanese Yen	0.9066		0.9289
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	289.27
Kuwait	Dinar	377.11
Oman	Rial	283.27
Qatar	Riyal	29.95
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	29.08
UAE	Dirham	29.69

The diplomatic sources in Colombo have speculated a devision among the co-chairs meeting in Washinton today over present situation in North East. It is said that while America and Japan hold one view, European Union and Norway hold different views.While European Union and Norway insists that both parties should suspend hostilities, American and Japanese hold opposite views. It is said that Japan and America prepare to maintain a neutral stance at the military operations conducted by the government.EU countries such a Germany and U.K. have informed the government through their respective diplomatic channels that sufficient food should be sent to Jaffna. The decision to send food through A-9 was a direct outcome of the pressure put through their diplomatic channels.

India claims hand in A-9 opening

The South Indian Jaya TV said in its morning 9 ‘O’ clock news yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapakse agreed to open the A-9 Jaffna highway after India and several other countries requested him to do so.Meanwhile, the LTTE yesterday said that it was useless opening the A -9 just to transport only food items but it should be opened permanently for the public to travel freely.

A number of diplomats and members of international humanitarian organizations will embark on a two-day humanitarian mission to the Jaffna peninsula in northern Sri Lanka. The region is on the verge of a humanitarian crisis due to the scarcity of food and other commodities. Australian High Commissioner Greg French, Swiss Ambassador Ruth Flint and British Deputy High Commissioner Lesley Craig, together with representatives from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid office (ECHO), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) are visiting Jaffna on Tuesday and Wednesday. They have scheduled to meet Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Saundaranayagam, military commanders, District Secretary K. Ganesh, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) representatives in Jaffna.The diplomats and organization representatives will also visit two welfare centres for internally displaced persons, a hospital, the warehouse of the World Food Programme (WFP) and a fishing harbour.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers on Monday rejected government plans to send a one-off aid convoy through its territory to the far north, demanding instead that island's main north-south highway be opened permanently. President Rajapakse who had vowed never to open the A9 Highway, suddenly capitulated, to stall any strong warning from the Co-Chairs at the intended meeting, Monday. Norway and the SLMM have already pointed out to the Co-Chairs that the closure of the A 9 Highway is a breach of the Cease Fire Agreement between Sri Lanka and the LTTE.

President Mahinda Rajapakse's government closed the A9 highway that runs from the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula to the south in August as a new chapter in a two-decade civil war flared, arguing rebel artillery fire had made it unsafe.That left around 500,000 Tamils cut off from the rest of the island by CFA lines, and while government has been shipping in provisions by sea, food on the peninsula is in short supply and residents say insufficient rations are distributed.

Sri Lanka Government analysts say the Tigers want the highway reopened because the closure has curbed the movement of their fighters and military equipment, hindered their ability to mount ambushes and prevented them from raising revenue with a "tax" they charge from passing vehicles. However both arguments have been proved puerile with the LTTE's proven ability to attack any strategic point at ease and with success in any part of the country and their dependence on the tax is but only to remind Sri Lanka of the Movement's de facto status.

"We want the road to be reopened permanently," the LTTE media coordinator Daya Master has told the press. "A one-off convoy is not possible," he said, rejecting the plan as an ad hoc treatment, no solution to the problem.Rajapakse's office said late on Sunday it would allow a convoy of sealed trucks to travel overland to Jaffna at an unspecified date "as a one time measure", and appealed to lorry owners to provide vehicles to take part. The President's Office has also strictly stipulated that whatever goes in those sealed trucks would not be allowed to be opened for inspection by the LTTE while being transported through the Vanni.

The gesture, which comes after weeks of requests by aid organisations and rights groups to reopen the road to allow freedom of movement and goods, raising alarm at the recent death of a local resident due to starvation, also comes ahead of a key donor meeting in Washington later on Monday.Sri Lanka's main financial donors -- the United States, Japan, Norway and the European Union -- are expected to call for a halt to hostilities that have killed more than 3,000 people so far this year and for the reopening of the A9.

"Today's important need is food at normal price. We are tired of paying 50 rupees (45 cents) for an egg," said 56-year-old Jaffna government servant James Ratnananthan."When food comes in regularly at the normal price, there will not be a rush to go to Colombo," he added.Many ordinary Sri Lankans fear renewed fighting, with near daily attacks and military clashes, could snowball into a full-blown return to a war that has already killed more than 4000 within one year after Mahinda Rajapakse assumed Presidency.

A special CID team is to probe the killing of five Vavuniya students after reports indicated that a lone policeman was suspected to have been involved in the shooting.The weapon used by the policeman has been confiscated and although he has not been interdicted his work has been curtailed pending the outcome of the investigations.Meanwhile the Vavuniya police said the weapon used in the killing on Saturday is to be handed over to the government analyst for further investigations.Vavuniya police ASP Kamal Silva said the weapons were now in the possession of the Vavuniya courts. The students were killed within minutes of a claymore mine explosion allegedly triggered by the LTTE. The mine hit a truck and killed five soldiers. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission claimed according to eyewitnesses the students who were lying face down in the garden following the explosion were killed at close range by a group of soldiers.

At least 8 Sri Lanka troops were killed on the spot and many other wounded seriously in a claymore attack on them Monday around 12.30pm at Purapporukki, 2 miles off Nelliyadi in Vadamaradchi.The area was immediately cordoned off and local Tamil civilians were attacked mercilessly by the armed forces.

Sri Lanka, earlier known as Ceylon, won its independence from British rule in 1948. Since then, the Tamil minority in the country has faced discrimination by the Sinhalese majority.To understand the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, one has to realize that there are two categories of Tamils in that country, "Ceylon Tamils" (also referred to as "Jaffna Tamils") and "Indian Tamils." Ceylon Tamils have lived in Sri Lanka as long as the Sinhalese majority community itself -- both having migrated from India thousands of years back. They are mostly an educated community of professionals.

In contrast, Indian Tamils are comparatively recent migrants from Tamil Nadu, an Indian state, starting toward the end of the 19th century. The Indian Tamils were mostly tea plantation workers in the highlands of Sri Lanka during the British colonial period.The vast majority of Tamils in Sri Lanka are Ceylon Tamils who number about four million. The number of Indian Tamils is about one million. There has been very little social interaction between Ceylon Tamils and Indian Tamils for more than a century now.To begin with, the Tamil struggle against discrimination was for local autonomy. When over the years their struggle did not yield concrete results, it took the shape of demands for a "Tamil homeland" created by merging the Jaffna peninsula and the three eastern districts of Sri Lanka.

The LTTE -- Tamil Tigers of Eelam (Liberation) was formed in 1975. Most of its members and followers are from among the Ceylon Tamils. Until 1983, the violent activities of the LTTE were sporadic. That changed in July 1983, when dozens of Tamil political prisoners were killed in Welikada prison as part of an anti-Tamil pogrom, and the LTTE's struggle became a full-scale armed conflict.By 1987, with the violent clashes of the previous four years between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE, the ethnic situation in the country had reached a dangerous stage. Vast areas had come under the virtual control of the LTTE. It was at this stage that the Sri Lankan government approached India for assistance and the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was signed; it provided for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

However, despite specific provisions in the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, promised local autonomy was not given to Tamils by the Sri Lankan government.The reason: The newly elected president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, vehemently opposed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord and the presence of IPKF in Sri Lanka.Premadasa joined hands with his enemy and started supplying arms and ammunition to the LTTE, which it could no longer smuggle into the country.The basic aim of Premadasa and the LTTE was to get rid of IPKF. This created a situation in which IPKF had to fight the LTTE to keep peace without the co-operation of the Sri Lankan authorities or the army.

Tamil Nadu is barely 20 kilometres from the shores of Sri Lanka. Fifty million Tamils live in Tamil Nadu and have historical cultural relations with the Tamils in Sri Lanka. This factor cannot be ignored by India in its relations with Sri Lanka, but it is not the only factor.And it does not mean that Tamil Nadu can dictate Indian relations with Sri Lanka. To have a stable, united and peaceful Sri Lanka as a neighbour is in India's interest and in the interest of peace and security in South Asia.Several Sri Lankan governments in the past two decades tried to solve the ethnic problem militarily. They failed because the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka is not a military problem but a political one and will have to be solved politically.

Any solution of this problem would involve a degree of devolution of powers to fulfil the Tamil aspirations for autonomy. Such a solution cannot be worked out in a unitary form of government, as is the case at present in Sri Lanka.Unfortunately, the Sinhalese government believes wrongly that a federal setup is a weak arrangement that would result in the breakup of the country. This is not so in other countries, small or big. The constituents of a federal system give strength to the centre, as can be seen in the case of Canada.A temporary cessation of hostilities in Sri Lanka with the help of Norway was a positive step. However, the talks that followed bogged down. There has been a stalemate since 2003. In the past year, the situation has worsened, with serious clashes between the Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE.

A peaceful solution of the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka is an imperative. Unfortunately, whenever a Sinhalese political party in power in Sri Lanka has proposed legislation to give a certain degree of autonomy to the Tamils, the opposition Sinhalese party has opposed it.This shows that for peace, the essential first step will be that the Sinhalese majority arrive at a consensus on what level of autonomy they are willing to give the Tamils.While arriving at such a consensus, the Sinhalese majority has to bear in mind that the degree of autonomy offered to the Tamils must be meaningful and viable. Otherwise, it will not be acceptable to the Tamils.Any such accord supported by Sinhalese national consensus will also have to be guaranteed by a credible third party. This is necessary because there is a long history of accords signed between the government and Tamil leaders that were not implemented on the ground.

This role can no longer be played by India since the assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE. The supreme leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, has been convicted by Indian courts for this dastardly act, and the LTTE is banned in India. Possibly, Norway, the current facilitator between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, could play the role of the "guarantor" with the help of the European Union and the United States.What is important is that the prevailing dangerous situation in Sri Lanka be contained and de-escalated. This becomes all the more necessary because the recent talks in Geneva between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE did not last more than a day and failed without even having touched on any substantive issue.

At the 51 st Party Convention of the UNP held today (19) Deputy leader Karu Jayasooriya and National Organizer S.B. Dissanayake and the controversial Exco were not selected. It is presumed that the above two posts will become void due to non election.Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe proposed the names of Tissa Attanayake as General Secretary, Rukman Senanayake as the President and Tilak Karunaratna as the Treasurer and their names were approved by the delegates unanimously.In addition to that 75 were appointed as executive members. Their appointment was in addition to the appointments made ex officio. The leader announced that the balance posts will be filled in a subsequent date.Not even half the crowd that took part in the last party convention held immediately after the defeat at the Presidential election, were seen this time.

The convention was held at a very low note without any message to the country.Incorporating the proposals to appoint members to the Political Committee, removing the obstacles to appoint the Leader and the General Secretary, empowering the Exco to decide on disciplinary matters, strengthening the MOU signed between the UNP and the SLFP, to force the Government to bring the cost of living, granting relief to politically victimized party members, and proposals for the party reorganization were adopted at the convention.It was quite evident that the party has split into two factions. All agreed in unison that a UNP government should be formed with all forging ahead united and peacefully. Speaking at the convention Leader Ranil Wicramasinghe said that all should assist him to move forward with the party. I will never allow anyone to destroy the party and as the leader I will defend it, review it, and lead it towards victory he said.

The JVP yesterday cautioned the government over its unexpected decision to facilitate overland movement of urgently needed supplies to Jaffna through the Muhamalai gateway.The JVP Politburo warned President Mahinda Rajapakse of the possibility of the LTTE taking advantage of the re-opening while the UNP welcomed the Rajapakse’s initiative. The decision was made amidst growing international concern over food shortage in the peninsula.Government spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that the road would be re-opened for a specific purpose. "We will move the supplies through the Muhamalai gateway with the co-operation of international agencies," he said.

The JVP urged the government to secure a guarantee, from the international community, that the LTTE would not take advantage of the re-opening. The JVP said the government should take the full responsibility if the Tigers, who are notorious for reneging promises, make use of this opportunity to destabilise the Jaffna peninsula and commence terror activities.It warned that the terrorists would use this god given opportunity to recommence collecting taxes for the transportation of commodities to the North, by the ordinary masses for their day to day use, which is a major source of their income to purchase weapons, transportation of arms and ammunition to the North and movement of cadres. It added that the Tigers generate millions of rupees a day by way of taxes and the international agents under the ‘label’ co-chairs are openly supporting the Tigers to achieve this by asking the government to reopen the A-9..

A spokesman for the party said that "The talks between the government and the LTTE failed because the latter refused to re-open the A-9 and the Tigers were demanding that it should be opened.The Government is under the clutches of these international forces operating here wearing the ‘humanitarian’ label and the decision to re –open the roadway is a clear example of this."He said the Tigers themselves closed the A-9 road prior to the signing the bogus Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) on February 22 2002 and these International elements shed tears saying that the people of Jaffna were starving. They never forced the LTTE to reopen the road, he said. But today, when the government closed the A-9 in order to defend the Jaffna peninsula from the terrorists, the food shortage has become the key issue for these international elements, he pointed out.

The government was forced close the roadway on August 11 this year, after the LTTE kept on shelling the Muhamalai check point and completely destroyed the infrastructure making it impossible to facilitate any civilian movement, he said.Although the government offered alternate arrangements to address the food shortage in the North these bogus international organisations didn’t support this idea, but forced the government to re-open the A-9 in order to help the Tigers, he said adding that the USA, EU, Japan and Norway, under the bogus name board ‘ Co-Chairs’ are bent on destabilising the country systematically.

"These international agents have been able to force the government to open the A-9 due to the fact the bogus CFA is still in force. While this will have serious implications on the security of the country, the Tigers will be able to implement their hidden agenda under the pretext of humanitarian causes," he said. Meanwhile, Gampaha district parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardane yesterday hailed the government’s move to reopen the A-9 to facilitate the transportion of food to the people in the North. He said A-9 which was closed for more than 10 years by the LTTE was reopened when Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister. It was again closed by the present government.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to hold top level bi-lateral meetings with the Indian leaders during his four day visit to Delhi and Dehradun from November 25 to 29. The President will hold discussions with Indian Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh and is expected to meet Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi during this State visit seen as important by political annalysts, given the developments taking place in the political and peace fronts. Official sources said the defence issues however, will not take centre stage. Instead, bi-lateral relations as a whole will be taken up at the discussions.

This will be the President's second meeting with the Indian Premier. Soon after taking office, the President made his first State visit to India and met Dr. Manmohan Singh at the Hyderabad House on December 28, last year. President Rajapaksa will be the Chief Guest at the Asian Mayors Conference which will be opened in Dehradun on Saturday, November 25. He will meet the Indian leaders on his way back. He is also expected to meet the Indian National Security Advisor M.K.Narayanan and the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukhrjee.

Meanwhile, the Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is expected in the country on Wednesday, on a two day official visit as a prelude to the President's forthcoming tour of india. He will meet President Rajapaksa on Thursday and is scheduled to leave the country the next day after meeting Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. Indian High Commission sources said this is also part of a customary familiarisation visit by the Foreign Secretary to its immediate neighbour upon his taking office last month. The Foreign Secretary was scheduled to visit Colombo in the third week of October, soon after his appointment but the visit was later postponed due to other official obligations, sources added.

World Islamic popular leadership (WIPL), an international body representing 42 countries, at its summit held in Tripoli on November 7 and 8, endorsed the need for independent Muslim representation at any future peace talk aimed at resolving the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict. This proposal was included in the final draft of the Tripoli declaration at the request of Hasan Ali, Secretary General at Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.

Hasan Ali sought the permission of the member countries to address an importance issue relating to Sri Lankan Muslims and went on to air the grievances of the Muslims living in the North-East and pleaded with the member countries to pressure the parties in the conflict to include Muslims as independent representative at any future peace talks. He said the help the Muslims needed was not the help to wage war with any party in the conflict but the help to negotiate peace with them.

Speaking on the plight of Muslims in the North-East, he said "Seventy five thousand Muslims were expelled form Jaffna overnight without a single dress to swap and they have been living in appalling conditions in refugee camps for the past 16 years. Five hundred Muslims, some while praying and some while returning from pilgrimage to Mecca were massacred. Ten thousand Muslims have been killed since the conflict started, forty five thousand acres of paddy land belonging to them were taken away form them Have you heard these atrocities being committed elsewhere in the world?"

The Pakistani representative fully agreed with Ali and assured the member countries that he was giving the correct picture of the plight of the Muslims living in Sri Lanka. The proposal was also fully supported by representative from Indonesia and Sudan and the body unanimously decided to include it in the final draft of the declaration.

Two cadres of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) working with soldiers of the Komanthurai Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp were shot and injured by unknown gunmen Sunday around 2:25 p.m at Thalavai in the Eravur police division in Batticaloa, sources in Eravur said. The EPDP cadres were returning from Thalvai in their motorcycle, when they were shot. The injured, identified as M. Illamaran, 29, and K. Ramesh, 33, fled leaving the motor cycle behind.The EPDP cadres returned to the Komanthurai SLA camp after being treated at the Eravur District hospital.Thalavai is located 13 km north west of Batticaloa town.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	108.36		109.72
Sterling Pound	204.73		208.46
Euro	138.49		141.43
Swiss Franc	86.48		88.92
Australian Dollar	82.74		85.06
Singapore Dollar	69.27		70.85
Japanese Yen	0.9146		0.9362
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	288.14
Kuwait	Dinar	375.63
Oman	Rial	282.16
Qatar	Riyal	29.84
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	28.97
UAE	Dirham	29.57

On the eve of the Co-Chairs of Sri Lanka conference in Washington, the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government late on Sunday night ordered opening of the A 9 highway that links rest of the country to the Jaffna peninsula for transportation of essential commodities. A 9 has been closed since August 11 after major clashes between the Sri Lanka military and the LTTE. A statement by the President's Secretariat said that in the light of representations from several quarters, Mr. Rajapaksa "directed Government authorities to make arrangements for the transport of essential goods to Jaffna by road using the A 9, as a one-time measure. "Soon, a large convoy of lorries would take essential commodities to Jaffna."

The Vavuniya town came to a standstill Monday due to a 'hartal' (general shut down) called by the Tamil National Allaince (TNA) to protest against the massacre of 5 Agricultural Farm School students by the Sri Lanka Army on Saturday. Ten other students, including 6 six girls were also injured in the incident. Public transport services in Vavuniya came to a standstill, except few long distance busses. Shops, banks, schools and government offices were closed,

Sri Lanka's government is ``blind'' to the plight of 600,000 people in Jaffna facing food shortages because road links have been cut since August, the bishop of the region said in an appeal to international aid donors. The government ``appears to be blind'' to the difficulties and won't open the main A9 road link to the peninsula, the Right Reverend Thomas Savundaranayagam said yesterday in a letter, according to the TamilNet Web site. People in Jaffna are ``suffering in an open prison'' because the road is closed. The government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have blamed each other for keeping the road closed since fighting in the region in August. A convoy of trucks will be sent shortly to Jaffna by the A9 ``as a one-time measure,'' Agence France-Presse reported yesterday, citing a government statement.

The dispute over the highway contributed to the collapse of peace talks last month between the government and the LTTE. Their meeting in the Geneva, the first in eight months, was aimed at preventing almost daily violence leading to a resumption of a two-decade civil war in the south Asian island nation with a population of 20 million. The government's attempts to bring food and fuel supplies to Jaffna by ship is a ``tedious and difficult'' process, the bishop said in his letter to the U.S., Japan, the European Union and Norway, the so-called co-chairs of a group of donor nations, according to TamilNet. ``The quantity brought is not adequate and there are delays in the arrival of ships,' he said.

As many as 38,000 people are facing malnutrition in the eastern regions of Vakarai and Kathiraveli, TamilNet cited R. Sampanthan, a lawmaker of the Tamil National Alliance party for the Trincomalee district, as saying yesterday. Fighting in the Trincomalee region erupted in May. The government said Nov. 17 it is now able to ensure the proper movement and distribution of goods in Vakarai. ``The problem of food shortages there has been caused due to the hostile acts of the LTTE, which disrupted the flow of goods, and also the movement of a large number of persons from within the LTTE-controlled areas into government-held areas,'' it said on its Web site at the time. President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week appealed to the LTTE to give up its armed struggle. ``Increased violence compelled the government to channel more resources for security and humanitarian relief operations,'' Rajapaksa said Nov. 16 in his 2007 budget speech to parliament. Development projects such as constructing houses, roads and hospitals are being delayed in rebel-controlled areas including Jaffna, Batticaloa and Trincomalee, he said.

Sri Lanka's $24 billion economy has expanded every quarter since the government and LTTE signed a cease-fire in 2002. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for a separate homeland in areas of northern and eastern Sri Lanka they control in a conflict that has resulted in the deaths of 60,000 people over the past two decades. The LTTE, classified as a terrorist group by the U.S. and the European Union, says Tamils are discriminated against by the majority Sinhalese.

The UNP entered into an MoU with the SLFP not for personal gain but to resolve the ethnic conflict and help stop bombs exploding in the South, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.Addressing the UNP’s 51 st annual convention at the Colombo Town Hall grounds, Wickremesinghe said that the southern people were living in fear, not knowing when the next bomb would go off, while the northerners were undergoing immense suffering."This is one of the reasons for signing the MoU."The UNP, he said sincerely wants to establish peace in the country and that is the reason for collaborating with the government in resolving national issues.

The UNP’s founder leader and Sri Lanka’s first Prime Minister D.S.Senanayake’s vision was for all communities in Sri Lanka to live in peace and harmony and this is what we are striving to achieve, he said.Wickremesinghe,said people have realised that the solution to the ethnic conflict has to be political and not through military means."The UNP-SLFP MoU alone cannot bring an end to the war.All sections have to unite if we are to stop the bloodshed and achieve that elusive peace.Otherwise Sri Lanka would remain a divided country".Some ,he said are of the view that the UNP will not criticise the government because of the MoU, but this is a wrong notion."We will deal with each issue on its merits once it is presented to parliament.That is the role of a responsible opposition."Wickremesinghe, appealed to the large gathering of members present to help him not only unite the UNP but also the country,so that future generations will have something to look forward to.He,also reminded the gathering that one of the issues raised with President Mahinda Rajapakse at the time of signing the MoU was redress for UNP’ers who have been victimised and Rajapakse agreed to compensating them.

We fully support Rock’s statements’- Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir in an interview Source: The Nation

Following are excerpts:
Q: What chances do you see for peace in Sri Lanka with both the Government and the LTTE continuing to engage in military action?
A: Unfortunately, the two sides are currently engaged in conflict and it is difficult to see any possibilities of de-escalation. Having said that we feel that the two sides have accepted that there is no military solution to the war. I guess what we hope is that the two sides will be able to put the hostilities aside and rather focus on the pain and the suffering of the people. With the ongoing military escalation we have, unfortunately, gone backwards and it will be difficult to remedy the situation to what it was in 2002 but there has to come a point whereby the two Parties will make a conscious decision to stop the attacks.
Q: The International Community has made several calls for a halt to violence and especially military option but despite these calls, both factions continue to fight. Does it mean both parties are ignoring the International Community call?
A: The International Community, including the facilitator and of course the SLMM, has made several appeals and there have been some loud voices recently appealing to Parties to stop the violence. We warned the Parties a year ago about the escalation at that time but to no avail. There is a sense here that the escalation has gone out of control and so we are only left with hostility and blame. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the Parties are ignoring the International Community because there are constantly matters being discussed and negotiated on. However, it is not unfair to say that the international appeal has not had the effect it should have or could have had.
Q:How is it possible for the SLMM to carry out monitoring in the backdrop of heavy fighting between the Government and the LTTE?
A: It is often difficult because of the worsening security situation but we have incredibly dedicated monitors who will sometimes stop at nothing to get the information or get involved in cases where there are civilians in need. I guess the most serious aspect that we are facing is if we have to limit our movements because of the deteriorating security situation, we are subsequently then not able to get to the people in need to hear their complaints. This has happened on a number of occasions. You might say that SLMM monitors are the witnesses on the ground and their effort ensures that we are informed about the ground situation. There is often vital information and especially now, when there is limited access to the conflict areas. We try to do a job in a tough environment but the concerns about our security are always there.
Q: The CFA has been violated and disregarded by both factions many times. Do you think this qualifies for the abrogation of the CFA?
A: It is clear that if the GOSL or the LTTE wants to resign from the CFA, all they need to do is to send a letter to the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs. However the Parties have not been willing to let go of the agreement even though they are fighting. However, if the conditions become so bad that the SLMM is not functioning, then of course we could envisage that the SLMM would have to suspend operations. Currently we are committed to our work here and it is, after all, good that the Parties at least want to keep the agreement itself because then they will have something to fall back on when the fighting calms down.
Q: The LTTE has barred some international agencies from transporting food to the North. What is your observation?
A: This is inexcusable but as always there are two sides of the coin. The LTTE is threatening the ship traffic to Jaffna and preventing e.g. the ICRC from transporting items to Jaffna. This is wrong. At the same time we have suggested to get a human corridor established in Vakarai so that aid may be transported into the area but to no avail. The SLMM feels that it has the needed guarantees from the LTTE but the GOSL is not allowing us even to go through the checkpoints. This is limiting our freedom of movement and violates the CFA. Both are not doing their best in order to alleviate the suffering of the people. Tigers are based among civilians and then the army bombs those places where civilians are. Both are wrong.
Q: How do you view the closure of the A9 road and the irregular supply of food to the North that has led to a crisis in the peninsula?
A: Our view is simple here. The A9 should be opened as soon as possible because keeping it closed violates the CFA. We can’t go into speculations. The agreement has to be respected.
Q: Are you of the view that the escalating violence and especially the assassination of Tamil parliamentarian N.Raviraj, and the general decline in the law and order situation in the country will affect the forthcoming Co-Chairs deliberations?
A: Unfortunately there is very little law and order in the North and in the East. We see it from the number of innocent civilians dying and the number of abductions taking place. Criminal elements roam around and commit atrocities against civilians. Unfortunately this thrives while the two Parties are engaged in conflict. It’s a very common factor that takes place in the shadow of wars.
Q: Ambassador Allan Rock, Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict accused Government troops of recruiting child soldiers for the Karuna faction. Is there any truth?
A: We wholly support Allan Rock’s statements. We have brought these matters up with GOSL and reported this to the facilitator but unfortunately these activities still continue.
Q: According to the findings of the SLMM, who has violated the CFA more? The Government or the LTTE?
A: Before the escalation it was the LTTE without a doubt. Now I’m sad to say that both are committing so many violations that it is impossible to count.
Q: The Government continues to deny reports that it harbours Karuna or supports his group. What is your observation?
A: The SLMM has observed a certain level of cooperation. I again say that we support Allan Rock’s statements without wanting to go into any further details here as these cases are actually being inquired into.
Q: In the North, not only the Karuna group but also EPDP cadres are freely roaming with arms and there are confirmed reports that the Government is helping them financially and otherwise. Don’t you think this is a violation of the CFA?
A: We don’t have information about any financial support.
Q: The SLMM, following a request by the LTTE was forced to reduce its strength. Are you able to carry out the normal work that was carried out earlier now with the reduced number of staff?
A: Norway and Iceland added monitors so we are 35 coming down from the previous 60. We have an excellent team and some of the monitors are coming here for the second time. We are functioning but it’s tough and a lot of strain on everybody. I guess you might say that we believe in what we are doing and this keeps our spirits up but I would be lying if I didn’t say that it is tough and very draining and the monitors experience a lot of nasty incidents, killings and desperation. The most difficult of all is witnessing all the misery but not being able to fix things and help everybody.
Q: Is it possible to continue operations with limited number of staff in the future?
A: Yes, we carry on to the best of our ability.
Q: Are monitors from non-EU countries expected to join the SLMM to monitor CFA violence?
A: We have no information on that and in any case we have to change the CFA for non-Nordic countries being able to join.

Koffi Annan
Secretary-General
Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-963-7162
Fax. 212-963-7055
Email : inquiries@un.org

We are based out of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India and having our offices at various parts across India and representatives across the globe. The state of Tamil Nadu is home to seven hundred thousand Tamils and the language, culture and ethnic ties with Tamils of Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Reunion, Singapore, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

We see that the Tamils staying in all the above mentioned nations are living peacefully and amicably with a dignified manner except that for Sri Lanka. The Tamils in Sri Lanka unlike their counterparts in other nations face lot of hardships in the place they live for thousands of years.

They are treated as second class citizens in the country they live. When the whole nation is experiencing a higher dividend on the economy of the Sri Lanka, we see that the Tamil dominated areas are sharing a very negligible dividend.

The current crisis faced by the northern part of the nation, where the locals are hundred percent Tamils except the security forces, who are Sinhalese by ethnicity is a perfect example of how the Government of Sri Lanka is treating the Tamils. The northern part known geographically as the Jaffna peninsula is facing acute shortage of their day to day needs not excluding even their food.

The only highway connecting the rest of the nation with Jaffna peninsula is closed for the past 4 months. The government says, the closure is due to security and safety reasons. We do accept the safety is a question as it passes through areas controlled by both the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE. But given the fact that LTTE gives

guarantee for the security and safety for the transportation, we are wondering why Government is not able to take any decision.

The materials were transported from the southern part of the nation to Jaffna by mainly private carriers. These carriers are still fine to carry the materials. They are not worried on the clashes. Why then the Government should worry about?

The Government says the essential rations would be flown into or sailed into the Jaffna peninsula. Yes, the Government has done that previously. But when we see from what has been done, we see that the essential rations were distributed mainly to the 40,000 security forces that are camped in the peninsula than giving it to the civilians who are living there.

The minimal rations which are available for the general public are sold in black market. The table below would give a sample feel of how the rates are increased telescopically just because the A9 road is closed.

The Prime Minister of India,
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi,
India-110 011.
Telephone: 91-11-23012312.
Fax: 91-11-23019545 / 91-11-23016857
Email : pmosb@pmo.nic.in

Greetings to you from MANITHAM, a voluntary, non-sectarian, non-political, non-profit making and secular organization adhering to the sublime ideals and the democratic values, intended and designed for the defense of life, liberty and other fundamental rights of the defenseless. We are based out of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India and having our offices at various parts across India and representatives across the globe.

We have come to know to our great dismay and disappointment, that some State Governments are planning to approach the Hon Supreme Court of India to review their order in Writ Petition (Civil) No.310 of 1996, Prakash Singh and others Vs Union of India and others, giving certain interim directions aimed at much needed police reforms in this Country. We have our police functioning under a legislation enacted in 1861 and in the present stage of our growth and development and claims to be a developed state with credible institutions of governance, this is a most reactionary and retrograde step. It is an effort to keep the police in this country as a lawless bunch and violators of Human Rights. Such a police force would not rhyme with the new society we are fashioning in this country.

Further the Government of India and the Apex Court have taken several initiatives aimed at police reform and to frame a new Police Act. These measures have met with approval by the public and it would not be good public policy to go back on these efforts at police reforms. A new Society deserves a new police.

In this background, it is a very reactionary and retrograde step to approach the Hon Supreme Court to review their interim orders. We request your immediate intervention in the matter to dissuade the concerned States from approaching the Apex Court and also to defend the interim orders if approached for a re consideration.

My name is Bairavi Ratnabal, a seventeen year old British born Tamil who shares deep concerns over my mother land.

As you may know the A9 road has been closed, this is the road which lays between Columbo and Jaffna, a access pathway to food, water and medicine but the notorious Sri Lankan Government has closed the road denying all admission to daily essentials, this is leading to the loss of delicate lives of our people. The liberation tigers of Tamil Eelam have tried many a times to negotiate with the government about this particular matter but nothing has yet won over the governments determination.

I can no longer sit and watch such absurd genocides happening and I can safely say I speak for a huge number of Tamils, so I have contributed in a minimal but important manner. Below I have pasted a website which links to a online petition to the Prime Minster about persuading the Sri Lankan government to open this road to many lives and pleading him to alert the British nation about the crimes that take place in Sri Lanka just in the way they are educated about the man-slaughters in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

I know some of you will consider this as a waste of time but I see this as the least we can do for our fellow brothers and sister at home, and I do understand that this may not lead to any improvements but like they say “there is no harm in trying”. All I am asking for is five minutes of your time to sign this online petition which will be on this website for a short period of two months. Send to all your friends and family regardless of what race they are, we want as many signatures as possible. Please please play a part.

Click on this link which will lead you to the online petition: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/A9-pathway/

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon will arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday with a strong message for President Mahinda Rajapakse from Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to address the humanitarian crisis in the north and east as a matter of urgency. The Foreign Secretary will be in Sri Lanka from November 22-24 and will meet the President on November 23.The visit of Menon is a prelude to Rajapakse's meeting with the Indian Premier in New Delhi, which is tentatively scheduled for November 28. The Indian Prime Minister in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi on November 11 said he would be sending his Foreign Secretary to Sri Lanka with a clear message on India's concern on the plight of Tamil civilians. He had also said President Rajapakse would be told 'in an appropriate fashion' India's concerns. Singh further said India does not believe there is a military solution to the ethnic conflict but believes in a negotiated settlement where the country's Tamils will be protected within a united and federal Sri Lanka. Menon during his visit is also expected to meet Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The UNP Leader is also expected to be in New Delhi between November 27-29 where he is expected to meet with the Indian political leadership.

Despite the initial urgency in soliciting the assistance of Britain's Scotland Yard to probe the Raviraj assassination, help is not forthcoming yet because of Colombo's delay in sending the terms and conditions required by the Metropolitan Police, it is reliably understood.A four-member team from the Metropolitan Police homicide and serious crime division is ready to fly to Colombo to help the local police in uncovering those responsible for the killing and building a scientific case against the suspects. But the London Police require a memorandum of understanding to be agreed first so that they are quite clear what is expected of them and where they stand with regard to the investigation.

Without such an agreement the Metropolitan Police will not make a move since its reputation is at stake. Scotland Yard had helped the Sri Lanka police at least on two previous occasions in the past 15 years or more. They were in connection with the assassinations of Lalith Athulathmudali and then president Ranasinghe Premadasa.Even on those occasions the terms and conditions of assistance had to be settled before help was forthcoming, according to knowledgeable sources. The Scotland Yard team led by a superintendent includes forensic experts. But the delay in their starting investigations due to the absence until now of an MoU is only making the scientific part of the investigations more difficult, experts here said."The crime scene by now has surely been disturbed and quite possibly valuable evidence destroyed or obliterated," one of them said.

The team is expected to spend ten days in Colombo. Sri Lanka will have to provide air fare - -possibly business class tickets -- and hotel expenses for the team. It is understood that the Metropolitan Police would probably charge a fee of £20,000 for its services.Meanwhile, in Colombo the Government Analyst’s Department was awaiting the investigators to hand over the weapon which was recovered close to the scene of Mr. Raviraj’s assassination.Government Analyst E. Somapala told The Sunday Times they had been carrying out the investigation on the vehicle and they were now waiting till the CID provided them with the weapon which was used in the assassination. More than 200 statements including that of Mr. Raviraj’s driver who was on leave on the day of the incident have been recorded.The CID is also hunting for the MP’s domestic aide who had taken leave and gone to her village.

Preliminary inquiries by the CID have revealed that an EPDP Pradeshiya Sabha member in Ampara District is allegedly involved in the assassination of Tamil National List MP N. Raviraj. This was revealed when investigating the ownership of the motor cycle bearing registration number JE 6507 which was allegedly used in the shooting. An eyewitness to the incident had told police that the registration number of the motorcycle was JE3507. However, the sniffer dogs led the investigators to Mangala Road Narahenpita where the suspicious motorcycle bearing number JE 6507 was recovered. This led to the arrest of the first owner of the vehicle, a German relief worker, who heads a Non Governmental Organization in the south. Later, the police arrested a vehicle dealer at Tangalle who undertook to sell the motorcycle and four others who brokered the deal on information provided by the German volunteer. One of them is a disabled soldier from Badulla. He is alleged to have helped an EPDP member to buy the vehicle two months ago. Five CID teams under SSP Mahesh Perera are investigating the assassination. The British government made arrangements to send two Scotland Yard Officers to assist in the investigations on the request of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Meanwhile, military intelligence reported that an expert on vehicle bombs Charles is in the East planning and attack on Colombo on government controlled areas in Welikanda.

Allaying apprehensions expressed by political parties in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said the Centre would not give to Sri Lanka "lethal offensive military hardware, especially those which could be used against the Tamil population" there. In a letter to MDMK chief Vaiko, he said at every opportunity, Indian government had put pressure on the Sri Lankan government to respect the rights and privileges of Tamils as citizens of the country. "You may rest assured that we would do everything that we can to ensure diplomatically and otherwise that the loss of innocent lives does not take place", Singh said in his letter, which was released to the press by Vaiko today.

Vaiko said the Prime Minister, who was dealing with the sensitive issue with utmost caution, should make efforts to take back the radars supplied to the Sri Lankan government. The supply or sale of arms of any kind was against the unanimous decision taken at an all-party meeting when A B Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he said.When he met Singh last time, he had brought this to his notice, Vaiko said adding that the Prime Minister had assured him that the radars would be taken back if a "warlike situation emerged in the island".

Food stuff for the island nation should not have been despatched through sea as it would not reach the needy Tamils, Vaiko said. This would also stall the reopening of the highway, connecting Jaffna with the Tamil areas, as it would lead to a conclusion that even if the highways remained closed, the Tamils were not starving, he said. This would also help the Sri Lankan government to carry arms in the guise of food items, he said. Singh, in his letter, said the collapse of Geneva talks between the Sri Lankan government and LTTE was unfortunate and had hardened attitudes on both sides."We will reiterate our demand that they must find a political solution through negotiations to meet the genuine and legitimate rights of the Tamils, rather than adopt tactics that lead to death of innocent people", Singh said in his letter.

Incriminating evidence has emerged against firebrand JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa for alleged sexual harassment of a 24-year-old Lake House employee. And the scandalous tale indicates that the pontificating politician has been in the habit of telephoning the innocent village girl from Polonnaruwa whose job at the Lake House was secured by Weerawansa, though he allegedly requested for sexual favours from her afterwards. What is more, for having resisted his overtures and for a news item that appeared in a newspaper linking her to Weerawansa following some comments made by the opposition in parliament, the MP had threatened her by phone and allegedly claimed that her entire family would be wiped out.

The immediate result of the publication of the news item terribly impacted on the girl. She had been immediately transferred from the VDT Unit, Lake House where she worked as a computer operator to the Anuradhapura branch with effect from October 31. With authorities failing to assist her in her hour of need, the victim has now sought justice from the highest in the land. In an emotional appeal to President Mahinda Rajapakse, she had claimed that she was transferred simply due to a personal vendetta which had nothing to do with her work.

The employee’s complaint
to the President

Name (Withheld)
Computer operator
VDT Unit
Lake House
06/11/06

I have been employed at the Lake House for over a period of 1 1 /2 years as a computer operator attached to the VDT Unit.

I have been transferred to the Anuradhapura branch of Lake House with immediate effect from October 31.

I am a native of Polonnaruwa and at present happen to pursue higher education in Colombo. To facilitate my education, I am currently residing in Colombo.

Further, I also wish to state that this transfer emanated from a personal vendetta the backdrop for which I seek to explain.

A newspaper recently published a news item linking a political leader's name with that of mine which was the closest reason for the fate that befell me. Despite my innocence, the final outcome had been the transfer which is a huge impediment to my studies.

When I inquired from the Lake House management, I was told that they were simply giving effect to orders from the top and that they were also helpless. Thy further told me that my personal life had no bearing on my employment.

I wish to impress upon Your Excellency, that I have diligently carried out my work at all times and would consider my services still necessary to the institution.

I have also complained to the trade union organisations seeking some redress, once again to no avail. Further, I am also suspicious as to why they were not supportive of me in this instance.

I have also been receiving threats from the wife of the said politician since September 29.Yet I continued to discharge my duties and bore the insults and agonies in silence, as I did not wish to create problems.

But I am compelled to think that my life is now in danger following these incidents.

I am the only daughter of a well-educated family. I am only 24 years of age. My family has for generations been involved in SLFP politics and has served the SLFP interests faithfully.

But what I fail to comprehend is as to why anyone would wish to penalise me based on a news item and even going to the extent of issuing death threats to me.

I do know that subjecting party members to such humiliation and suffering is not the style of our political party. As such, I appeal to Your Excellency to prevent young lives from being destroyed for no fault of their own and I am certain that you would take all possible action to prevent such things from happening in the future.

I also reiterate that I have never provided information to any institution in a bid to publishing the said news story. I also do not know any of the persons associated with the said news publication and insist that I cannot be bought over and under no circumstances would I lie with regard to anything.

However, Minister of Information and Media, Anura Yapa's wife who also functions as his secretary, got me to her residence during working hours in an official vehicle simply to verify facts.

Because I did not conceal any facts from her and believed that honesty was the best policy, she came to realise that I was innocent in this regard.

Then she asked me whether I would like to go on leave for about a month either for study purposes or to be transferred to a different place. Because I strongly believed that I had done no wrong to be penalised in any manner. I rejected both offers and told Mrs. Yapa that I am not in the habit of running away from problems, but only in confronting them. What is more, I also told her that I have not done anything wrong to run away.

What is more, I have also informed the Lake House management about the many death threats received by me, to which their laconic response was to simply continue to ignore them.

When there was no action to secure my life, I met my superiors and asked whether it would be appropriate for me to lodge a police complaint with the assistance of my lawyer for my protection.

To my shock and dismay, their reply was that whatever the course of action I decided to take had no bearing on them. They also told me that the Lake House was indeed good to its employees as long as the they were good to the institution.

Your Excellency, I asked them why I was being penalised when I have been good to the institution. In response, they could only say that this was a separate issue and orders from the top had been received.

Do I need to emphasise here your Excellency, the duty of an institution is to protect an innocent employee who is particularly not in the wrong? Yet, I was penalised for no fault of mine. Then whose fault was this?

I find that political leaders who profess to protect the rights of the working class and try to champion their causes are the very ones who abuse their positions to penalise innocent workers simply to settle petty scores.

I beg you to provide me an answer as to how these political leaders could purely act in vengeance and ruin others' lives? Isn't it most unfortunate that this ugly incident of victimisation and harassment occurred during your regime?

I have kept faith inYour Excellency, yet do you also wish to allow injustices of this nature to continue? Would you also allow other political parties to abuse the powers of your government and simply destroy the lives of youth like me?

I also reiterate that this kind of victimisation, if allowed to continue would eventually build to such a level that thousands could fall prey to the dirty tactics of politicians.

I implore your Excellency to prevent the occurrence of such incidents in the future so that innocent people would be spared of the agony of being victimised despite their sheer innocence.

I also urge some action to prevent such things from happening in the future in the name of humanity.

The effigy of Lankan President Rajapakse was burnt in Chennai as a protest against Rajapakse’s visit to deliver the inaugural address of the Asian Mayors’ Conference for genocide against Tamils by the Lankan government.There was a demonstration sponsored by the Viduthalai Sruthaikal at Chennai Poonga town. The demonstration was led by Thol Thirumavalavan, General Secretary of Viduthalai Sruthaikal .Addressing the rally, Thol Thirumavalan stated that atrocities of Rajapakse are akin to Hitler in a different century. By closing the A9 highway, he has starved 600,000 Tamils for the last three months and one person has already died of starvation in the Jaffna peninsula. He stated that it was gladdening to hear the news that the Indian government has dispatched food items to the Lankan Tamils following the request by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister but it’s distressing that they were sent through the Sinhala government. The real purpose will not be served.He appealed that these provisions should be sent directly to the suffering Tamil people at this hour of need.

Hundreds of Sri Lankans Saturday overran a government convoy of food trucks, seizing supplies meant for tens of thousands of displaced ethnic Tamils in the country's rebel-controlled east, witnesses and the rebels said. More than 40,000 people displaced in August by fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels are living in schools and temporary shelters in the rebel-held village of Vakarai, in eastern Batticaloa district. They have faced an acute shortage of food since the main access road was closed last month after clashes intensified in the area. The government sent eight truckloads of food to Vakarai, but the convoy was stopped by a mob, and five trucks were stripped of their cargo at Mankerni, the last government-controlled village before entering rebel territory, an eyewitness who traveled with the convoy told The Associated Press.

The remaining three trucks were able to reverse and returned to Batticaloa, the witness said, requesting anonymity for fear of retribution. The witness said he believed ethnic Tamils from nearby displacement camps had robbed the trucks, but it was impossible to immediately confirm this. An official at the government's Media Center for National Security said he had no information about the ambush. A statement by the rebel's peace coordination agency said a Sinhalese mob had stolen the food and accused the Sri Lankan military _ the vast majority of whom are also Sinhalese _ of complicity in the ambush. The ``Sri Lankan military and paramilitary stood guard as the Sinhala mobs looted the food,'' the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said in a statement e-mailed to the media.

Ethnic Sinhalese make up about 74 percent of Sri Lanka's 19 million people and dominate the government and armed forces. Recent fighting between Tamil Tigers and government forces in eastern Sri Lanka has left scores of people dead, including at least 23 civilians who had sought shelter at a school on Nov. 8. The Tigers have fought the government since 1983 demanding a self-ruled homeland for ethnic minority Tamils citing decades of discrimination by majority Sinhalese. More than 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before a 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire, that now appears on the verge of collapse amid near daily fighting. Even though the two side claim to honor the truce, more than 3,200 combatants and civilians have been killed since December.

SRI Lanka is facing possible strictures including sanctions by the UN Security Council if the government does not act decisively on UN allegations of child recruitment, human rights advocates warned. "The Security Council working group on children and armed conflict should be considering a report on violations against children in Sri Lanka in January. As it is now doing in other country situations, the Security Council should consider targeted measures such as travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes, against perpetrators that have continued abuses against children such as child recruitment," Senior Legal Advisor, Human Rights Watch (HRW), James Ross said.

Ross also hoped that the Sri Lankan government would take immediate action to end this abuse and return those children safely to their families. "But if that does not occur, we expect that to be at the top of the working group's agenda in January," he said. Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General's Special Rapporteur for Children in Armed Conflict, Allan Rock last week said that both the LTTE and the Karuna group were recruiting minors. He said that what was more disturbing was complicity of some sections of the government forces with the latter. Rock is due to present a report on his visit to a working committee of the UN Security Council by December. Before he compiles the report, UN sources in Colombo said he would seek details from the government and others on the action they have taken since his visit.

THANJAVUR: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the Centre to take steps to “immediately prevent the Sri Lankan military from killing the innocent Tamils in the civil war with the LTTE and send essential commodities to the affected Tamils there.”A resolution to this effect was adopted at the party’s Thanjavur district council meeting held here on Friday. District treasurer R Ponnusamy presided. National executive committee member R Nallakannu spoke on the occasion.

The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donor Conference will meet in Washington tomorrow to map out a road map for the resumption of peace talks between the government and the LTTE. The Sunday Leader learns, the Co-Chairs will urge both parties to return to the negotiation table to discuss the re-opening of the A9 highway in terms of the Ceasefire Agreement which both parties have pledged to uphold. A top diplomatic source said a time frame for the resumption of talks was also likely. The Co-Chair meeting is to be attended by Richard Boucher (US), Erik Solheim (Norway), Yashushi Akashi (Japan) and Benita Ferrero-Waldner (EU).

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Saturday urged the Centre to send the humanitarian assistance to the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka through the International Red Cross Society.In a statement here, Jayalalithaa said, “if the assistance is sent through the Sri Lankan government, it is doubtful whether it would reach the Tamils”.As such, the food and medical assistance required by the Lankan Tamils should be sent through the IRCS, she said.The AIADMK supremo also condemned the State government for refusing permission to MDMK general secretary Vaiko to stage a demonstration in front of the office of Sri Lankan High Commission in Chennai. During the AIADMK regime permissions were given for staging agitations in a democratic manner, she claimed.

The LTTE last week said more than 7,000 students were affected in the LTTE-controlled east due to the prevailing situation in the area. LTTE officials in the east said more than 40 schools in their areas were closed as civilians were displaced. They also said schools in areas such as Muttur east, Vaharai and Eechilampatru were closed as most of the students had left to safer places. "There are more than 7,000 students in the LTTE-controlled areas in the east. Their academic activities have been affected due to the frequent artillery and aerial attacks in the area," the LTTE said. The LTTE said organisations such as the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) were assisting the civilians and the students in the area. "There are problems faced by the aid organisations when coming into our areas as the approach roads to our areas in Kattaparichchan, Mahindapura and Mankerni are closed," it added.

The TRO said the pre-schools run by the organisation were also closed. TRO Media Spokesperson Arjunan Ethirveerasingam told The Sunday Leader the organisation was running around 1,000 pre-schools in the north and east. "There are more than 500 pre-schools run by the TRO. All of them are closed now. We tried to conduct classes in the schools, but it was not practially possible as most of the students have left the area and many people had come to the schools as refugees," Ethirveerasingam said. Ethirveerasingam added the schools not functioning also included government schools. Education Minister Susil Premajayanth told The Sunday Leader he was not notified of schools in the LTTE-areas not functioning."I met with the education officials of the north and east recently. But, this issue was not brought up," he said. The Minister however said he would take necessary measures if he was notified of this issue by the officials in the area.

TELO Muthalvar and TNA MP M.K. Shivajilingam, blamed the killing of fellow parliamentarian, Jaffna district MP, N.Raviraj yesterday in parliament,on certain armed groups backed by the government. Speaking during the debate on the second reading of the budget-2007, Mr. Shivajilingam said they had serious doubts about whether proper investigations are being carried out into this murder as a result.He said their colleague, Joseph Pararajasingham too was gunned down, in December last year, in a similar manner, but no one had been apprehended so far. “We do not know how long we will be able to attend Parliament in a situation such as this. It is said several persons were arrested in regard to the murder. Definitely, investigations will be undermined,” he said.

He charged there are attempts to destroy the TNA and to keep them away from Parliament by some groups, but vowed to take their ‘freedom struggle forward nonetheless. The TNA MP said they would establish a separate state called Tamil Eelam, unless the government takes corrective measures to revive the peace process. “We will go for a separate state and in the United Nations; the Tamil Eelam flag will flutter. In our state, we will also treat both Sinhala and Muslim people equally,” he said. Shivajilingam warned that the whole country would burn and violence would affect all communities if war broke out again.

Sri Lanka navy says 15 rebels killed in sea battle; LTTE say 10 navy sailors dead

Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka's military said it destroyed three Tamil Tiger gunboats Saturday, killing at least 15 rebels. The Tigers said they sank two navy boats, leaving 10 sailors dead.Also Saturday, officials said a bomb and subsequent gunfire killed four soldiers and four civilians in Sri Lanka, where violence is escalating despite a 2002 cease-fire aimed at ending the civil war between the government and rebels."Our radar detected two Tiger boats approaching our shores, and we dispatched navy boats to confront them," a navy spokesman, Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake, said of the sea battle that started just after dawn Saturday off the island nation's northwest coast.As the navy boats drew closer, seven more boats from the rebels' naval wing, the Sea Tigers, entered the fray, the spokesman said."Our sailors managed to completely destroy two Tiger boats, and we estimate that 15 men would have been on board and killed," he said.He said four Sri Lankan sailors were wounded, and that air force planes destroyed a third boat. Dassanayake had no details about casualties in the third attack.

The Tigers' military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said the Sea Tigers destroyed two of the navy's fast attack craft, killing 10 sailors, after the navy attacked their training boats.He denied military claims of heavy rebel casualties, saying only three guerrillas were wounded."Our boats are safe, and the training is continuing," Ilanthirayan said.It is impossible to reconcile the death toll or independently verify the two sides' claims.Also Saturday, an official said a suspected Tiger bomb killed four soldiers.The blast in the northern town of Vavuniya targeted a military truck and killed four soldiers and four students from a nearby agriculture institute, said the area's top police officer, Rohan Siriwardena.

A defense ministry official accused the Tigers of planting the bomb and firing at the troops, and said 11 civilians and three soldiers were also wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity due to policy.A pro-rebel Web site claimed that the military broke into the institute and killed the students.Ilanthirayan denied any involvement in the blast."We don't provoke or initiate any attacks. Even today's sea battle was only a defensive exercise," he said.The navy regularly patrols the coast to detect weapons smuggling by the Tigers, who began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.The navy has increased sea patrols after a confrontation days ago with a rebel-hijacked fishing trawler, which was smuggling in arms and ammunition.Sri Lanka, a tropical island southern India, has seen increasing violence due to near-collapse of a 2002 cease-fire between the government and rebels.Neither side has officially withdrawn from the truce, but renewed violence since last December has killed more than 3,200 combatants and civilians.

Chennai,(South India)Tamil National Movement leader P Nedumaran today urged the Centre to prevail upon the Sri Lankan government to open the Highway A-9, to ensure movement of humanitarian assistance announced by the Union Government to the affected Lankan Tamils.In a statement here, he said the Centre should also ensure that the relief materials were distributed through the Red Cross to reach the Tamils. Mr Nedumaran, while welcoming India's gesture to provide rice, sugar and milkpowder to the starving Tamils in Jaffna, said the assistance would reach the affected people in Jaffna only if Highway A-9 was opened.While shipping the materials, the Centre should not allow Sri Lanka to send military troops and arms on the pretext of escorting the Indian ship, he added.

Chennai(South India)Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam president Vijayakant, in a statement here on Friday, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should urge Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa, during their meeting, to withdraw the army from areas occupied by Tamils. Mr. Vijayakant said India should ensure that relief materials reached the Tamils in the island.

The LTTE Yesterday rejected a call from Sri Lanka's president to surrender their arms, as the military announced it killed 27 insurgents. "He must be joking," LTTE top mlitary spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, told The Associated Press today from their headquarter in Kilinochchi in the north, reacting to President Mahinda Rajapakse's call during a speech in Parliament a day before. Rajapakse urged the LTTE to renounce violence, surrender their arms, and "work toward promoting peace, democracy and development in the interest of building a new Sri Lanka." Separately, Sri Lankan military spokesman, Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, yesterday said its soldiers killed 27 LTTE cadres in eastern Sri Lanka in four separate incidents Thursday.

Ilanthirayan denied the report, but acknowledged that there had been artillery fire from Sri Lankan military in eastern Batticaloa district. "We have checked with our military commanders and they denied that there were any casualty on our side," Ilanthirayan said. "It is possible that civilians have been hit and killed," he added. The fighting occurred Thursday in Batticaloa district, said the Sri Lankan military spokesman, noting that LTTE weapons and communications sets were recovered from the area, suggesting that no civilians were involved. The call for rapprochement came from Rajapakse, who was presenting his administration's annual budget for 2007, which has a sharp 45 per cent increase in defence spending.

Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning a checkpost close to Thandikulam Agriculture Farm School entered the school premises, lined up the uniformed hostel students who were engaged in practicals and shot at them. The troopers manning a checkpost 100 meters away from the school at Soya Lane, stormed the school premises after a Claymore blast killed five soldiers opposite the school premises around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Three Tamil and a Muslim students were killed and 8 wounded. Fellow students said that the troopers shot at them while they were pleading they were innocent students.The four dead students were identified as Atchuthan of Batticaloa, Gopinath of Trincomalee, Rizwan Mohamed of Batticaloa and Sinthujan of Vavuniya, Police said. Two students who were in a critical condition were transfered to Anuradhapura, according to medical sources.

The Claymore attack had taken place 10 meters from the school, opposite the road. Five troopers including an officer were killed and the remaining four soldiers in the vehicle were wounded. The troopers were travelling towards Omanthai when their was vehicle was attacked.The soldiers who entered the school premises had come from the checkpost located at Soya Lane. Vavuniya magistrate M. Ilancheliyan visited the Vavuniya hospital and conducted initial inquiries. Thandikulam is located 4 km north of Vavuniya on A9. Omanthai is situated about 17 km north of Vavuniya.

Chennai, (South India)Over 1000 MDMK party workers led by party chief Vaiko today courted arrest for trying to take out a rally to the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission here, defying prohibitory orders in the city, to condemn the 'ethnic genocide' in Sri Lanka. They demanded that the Indian Government advocate a perennial peace solution for the Sri Lankan crisis. Before courting arrest, Vaiko said the party's aim was to send a strong message to the island nation that Tamils there were not "orphans". "We warn the Sri Lankan Government, through the Deputy High Commission here, that we will not remain mute spectators to the suffering of our brethren there," Vaiko asserted. The Sri Lankan Deputy Commissioner in Chennai also came under criticism for showing dissent to the Tamil Nadu Government's resolution passed in the State Assembly in support of the cause of the Tamils. Vaiko also asked the Centre not to allow President Mahinda Rajapakse's to visit India on November 27. "His hands have been "stained with the blood of innocent Tamils" and he should not be allowed to enter India," Vaiko said.

The Tokyo donor conference co-chairs who convene in Washington on Monday will call on the LTTE to show more flexibility on the A9 while urging both the government and the rebels to reach a compromise on the issue, the Daily Mirror learns.Japanese Ambassador Kiyoshi Araki yesterday met the government peace delegation which participated at the last Geneva talks before departing for Washington to attend the co-chair meeting.The Daily Mirror learns the government has at least 3 or 4 substantive proposals to resolve the A9 issue and as a result the co-chairs are expected to put pressure on the LTTE to compromise if it is really concerned over the humanitarian crisis created by the road closure.

The co-chairs, Norway, Japan, EU and hosts US, are also expected to commend both parties for attending the last round of Geneva talks despite the intensity in the level of hostilities on the ground and will call for more talks, without setting a time frame. “We are concerned with the situation in Sri Lanka but we don’t want to put pressure on either side despite us meeting at a critical time. Even the last time we met in Brussels the situation was very bleak, sources involved with Monday’s co-chair meeting told the Daily Mirror.The last co-chair meeting in Brussels in September ended in controversy after the donor countries announced that both the government and the LTTE were ready to meet for talks in early October, much to the dissatisfaction of the government which said there was no such agreement.Following intense deliberations by the Norwegian facilitators an agreement was reached for fresh talks to take place in Geneva last month, but the talks ended without any substantive agreements being reached or fresh dates for future talks being agreed upon.

A Tamil employee of a Scotland-based international demining group has been abducted from his home in the north the group said yesterday.Gaston Ravindra, a father of three, was abducted by unknown men on Wednesday night, said Daya Rajendram, an official for Halo Trust demining group in Jaffna.Ms. Rajendram said she had reported the abduction to European cease-fire monitors and Jaffna's military commander but Mr. Ravindra's whereabouts are still unknown. Last year, one other Tamil employee of Halo Trust abducted by unidentified men was shot and killed.Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission has said more than 400 Tamil youth have disappeared from the Jaffna peninsula since December.

The Asian Human Rights Commission, a private group based in Hong Kong, last month accused the Sri Lankan government of abducting suspected Tamil Tiger insurgents to crush a separatist uprising.The government has denied involvement in abductions and appointed an eight-member panel to investigate human rights violations blamed both on government forces and Tamil rebels.Of the 15 major cases mandated to be investigated is the August killing of 17 local workers of Action Against Hunger, an international humanitarian organization.

A youth abducted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at gun point from his house at Sebastian lane in Kondavil East Jaffna on 11 November, surrendered Friday at the Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Human Right Commission (HRC), officials at the HRC said. The youth said he had escaped from SLA's vehicle and went under ground for a week before surrendering. Jaffna Magistrated directed the police to place the youth in protective custody at Jaffna prisons, legal sources said.In a statement to the HRC, Thambyaiyah Jegan 26, a bachelor and a painter, said that he and two other youths were abducted by the SLA troopers of the Urelu SLA camp and were tortured at the camp premises for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers. Later when the three were taken in a Buffel armoured car to Anaipanthy, Jegan had managed to amid a hail of gunfire while the other two were shot dead by the troopers, Jegan said in the statement.

Armed soldiers had assaulted Jegan's mother when she had tried to stop the soldiers from taking her son. Jegan was forced to get inside the Buffel armoured vehicle waiting in front of his house, and he saw two neighborhood youths, Ravi Rajivan , 14, and Thankaroopan Jeeva, 21, already held captive inside the vehicle, Jegan said in the statement.The three abducted youths were severely tortured by the SLA troopers at the Urelu SLA camp and then taken to Anaipanthy where the SLA troopers pushed Ravi Rajivan to the ground and shot him with a pistol. When Jegan was pushed to the ground he managed to free himself and fled the area narrowly escaping several rounds of fire aimed at him.He took refuge inside a house and went underground till Friday, Jegan said in his statement.

He learnt later that the bodies of other two youths were found near Anaipanthy junction Sunday, where two SLA Intelligence Officers were killed in claymore attack on Thursday November 9, thes statement said.Meanwhile, Mathavan Subramaniam, 50, a civilian from Palavy Road in Kayts surrendered at the Jaffna HRC Friday stating that he was shot injured by three armed Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) youths inside his house. Subramaniam was also directed by the Jaffna Magistrate to be placed in the Jaffna prison for safety reasons, legal sources said.HRC sources said eights persons who have surrendered at the HRC offices have been placed in Jaffna prisons.

The Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikhal, the political party of the Karuna faction said yesterday it was the duty of the Sri Lanka army to assist and protect the political parties which were working for the country.“If the army can help and protect other political parties why cannot it help our party,” TMVP media spokesperson Azaath Moulana asked. He denied allegations by UN official Allen Rock that the Karuna faction was recruiting child soldiers. “He has made these allegations based on information provided by a third party,” Mr. Moulana said. “Before making the allegations Mr. Rock met the TMVP members but he did not make the charges that he made at the media conference,” the spokesman added.Mr. Moulana said there was no need for the Karuna faction to recruit children as the group had adequate man power to attack the LTTE. “We are very much concerned about child protection and our party is working hard on that, so why should we abduct children,” he asked.

None of the ministers in the Parliament was able to answer the question of JVP Member Sunil Handunneththi as to how many ministers were in the cabinet. Mr. Handunneththi asked this question while participating at the budget debate. At the time the JVP Parliamentarian asked the question there were a number of senior ministers of the Government including Nimal Siripala de Silva, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, John Seneviratne, Sripathy Suriyarachchi, C.B. Ratnayake and Tissa Karaliyadda in the Parliament. According to our reporter immediately after the question was asked several ministers had left the Parliament. The budget had many shortcomings and what ever has been proposed the Government doesn’t have a cabinet capable of implementing those proposals said Mr. Handunneththi.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa may struggle to convince overseas investors to fund record spending on roads and ports on concern the island-nation is sliding toward civil war.The International Monetary Fund this week warned that peace talks with Tamil rebels on the verge of failure threatened to curb investment and Standard & Poor's said its negative rating on the island nation would remain unless security improved. Sri Lanka failed to sell its first overseas bonds this year, causing Rajapaksa to miss his foreign financing target by more than a third. He needs funds for $7 billion in spending on roads, ports and power plants, equivalent to the entire stock market, as Asia's second-highest borrowing costs curb loans at home.

``It is going to be very difficult to raise the money from abroad as we've seen in the current year,'' said Dudeepa Ratwatte, head of global markets at Commercial Bank of Ceylon Ltd., Sri Lanka's biggest private lender by assets. ``While the conflict ruins things, a better sovereign debt rating would help improve prospects.'' Rajapaksa, elected 12 months ago with a mandate to renegotiate a peace treaty with Tamil separatists, is raising spending on the army, navy and air force by 44 percent next year to a record 139 billion rupees ($1.3 billion). His first year in office saw the deadliest suicide attack in Sri Lanka's two- decade conflict, a bomb blast in the heart of Colombo's business district and the breakdown of talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The president yesterday opened his budget speech with an appeal to the Tamil rebels to return to talks.

The country's surplus in the balance of payments, a broad measure strategists watch to determine the strength of the currency, dwindled to $140 million by the first week of November from $501 million at the end of last year. A deficit in a country's balance of payments adds pressure on the currency to weaken as it also means enough money from overseas isn't coming to fund the current-account deficit. ``I don't think the broader economy will be hurt because of the peace talks, but because the confidence has waned in the country's long-term prospects,'' said Arjuna Mahendran, chief strategist and economist at Credit Suisse in Singapore. ``Investment flows into the country are slowing down and this means the rupee will come under pressure. The balance of payments is my main concern.''

The central bank in a report yesterday said foreign- exchange reserves and remittances from expatriates helped stem a slide in the currency in the first nine months of the year. The government expects workers overseas to send $2.4 billion home this year, compared with $1.92 billion in 2005. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka sold $390 million of dollars from the country's reserves this year ``to provide liquidity to the market,'' Governor Nivard Cabraal said in an interview Nov. 15. The Sri Lankan rupee on Nov. 15 dropped to a record low, having slid more than 6 percent since Sept. 1. It is the worst performer among 15 currencies tracked by Bloomberg in the Asia- Pacific region. ``Sri Lanka's perceived political risk is very high and it is reflected in the currency,'' said Michael Preiss, an associate director at HSBC Holdings Inc.'s investment advisory group in Dubai. ``Sri Lanka needs foreigners more than foreigners need it.'' Overseas investment is targeted to reach $600 million this year, missing the government's $1 billion forecast, which Rajapaksa yesterday extended to 2008.

Income from overseas tourists, Sri Lanka's third-largest foreign-exchange contributors, is projected to more than double to $1 billion in two years, from $400 million in 2006, the president said. He'll need peace to meet that goal. A suicide attack on the historical port city of Galle last month triggered a 24 percent slump in tourists from Western Europe in October, the first month of the holiday season. ``The recent escalation of hostilities could pose a risk to future economic prospects,'' the International Monetary Fund wrote in a report this week. ``The setbacks in the peace process, which have caused some weakening in confidence, could further affect investment going forward.'' Still, Rajapaksa yesterday forecast the $24 billion economy will expand at a 7.5 percent clip next year, the fastest in three decades, following 7 percent growth in 2005. Shipments of tea, rubber garments and other goods from the South Asian island rose 8.8 percent in the nine months through September to $3.9 billion, according to the central bank.

Overseas investors, who last year ploughed a record 6.1 billion rupees into the local market, have bought a net 4.2 billion rupees in 2006, helping lift the benchmark Colombo All- Share Index to a record. About 30 percent of the island's stock market investors are based overseas. ``Our economy has been sufficiently resilient to withstand security concerns and the oil shock and yet come out strong,'' central bank Governor Cabraal said Nov. 15. The country has maintained ``growth at 8 percent, a reasonably stable exchange rate, reasonable interest rates and the lowest unemployment rate. That's the message we want people to understand.'' The president appealed to the Tigers to return to the negotiating table in a bid to revive the stalled talks. ``I once again request the LTTE to give up violence altogether, surrender arms,'' Rajapaska said. ``We are ready to reciprocate and continue with a dialogue to solve national problems.''

Fighting in Sri Lanka has spread since May to the northern Jaffna peninsula from the eastern region near the port of Trincomalee, threatening a return to civil war in the nation of 20 million people. The first talks between the government and the Tamil rebels in eight months collapsed in Geneva last month without any progress being made. The LTTE, classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union, has been fighting for two decades for a separate homeland in a conflict that has killed more than 60,000 people. A peace settlement is crucial for the growth of Sri Lanka's tea and textile-exporting economy, which has expanded every quarter since the 2002 cease-fire was signed.

``The big if, is if the security situation was substantially improved, international investors will be more receptive,'' said Paul Rawkins at Fitch Ratings in London. ``If there's no peace, or talks, donors will also become difficult. This could only lead to a cut back in capital expenditure or borrowing locally when credit is anyway growing very fast.'' Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor's changed their outlook for Sri Lanka's sovereign debt to negative on April 27 on the threat of an escalation in the island-nation's ethnic conflict The negative outlook means the agencies are closer to lowering their ratings, which are already non-investment grade. Standard & Poor's rates the country's foreign-currency debt four levels below investment grade, while Fitch rates it three levels below. ``The fiscal direction and the security are the key constraints and will be the considerations on whether the negative outlook will be removed,'' said Agost Benard, credit analyst at S&P in Singapore. ``Unless there is improvement in at least one of these, it is difficult to imagine that the outlook will be removed and the rating changed.''

MANDAPAM REFUGEE CAMP, India -- At 2:30 this past Monday morning, K. Thangaraja, a 46-year-old tractor driver from eastern Sri Lanka stood knee-deep in seawater fearing his end was near. Surrounding him was the murky confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, the barrier between his home in Sri Lanka and a new life in India. Five hours earlier, a fisherman pushed Mr. Thangaraja and 19 relatives, including young children, from his 26-foot wooden boat onto a shallow sand bank. "Someone will be along shortly to take you to the Indian coast," he said, before hurrying off into the darkness. No one came, not until 4:30 the following afternoon, when they were nearly unconscious from exhaustion, hunger, and dehydration. An Indian fishing vessel happened to spot their improvised white flags and brought them ashore.

"It was the worst experience of my life," said Mr. Thangaraja. "If I had to do it all over again, I would take my chances in Sri Lanka." Yet for ethnic Tamils now caught in the crossfire of an increasingly bloody civil war between Sri Lanka's government and armed Tamil rebels on the South Asian island, staying is simply not an option. On Wednesday at least 23 civilians were killed and more than a hundred injured when government shells slammed into a school in a rebel-controlled area.

Since January, more than 16,000 refugees from Sri Lanka have fled to Tamil Nadu, India's southeastern state, where they fan out in refugee camps and are given basic support from the Indian government. The refugees who have arrived in India are a small fraction of the nearly 200,000 people displaced since April, but they represent some of the most desperate — those who have given up hope of a quick end to hostilities and are trying to start anew. "It is an expensive and difficult journey to the Tamil Nadu coast," said Meenakshi Ganguly of New York-based Human Rights Watch. "These are people who are so terrified that they believe survival is impossible back home."

The number of monthly arrivals has declined since August, when more than 5,700 arrived here. So far this month fewer than 200 have come. That is partly because of the weather: Rough seas and thunderstorms make the crossing more perilous in November and December. It is also due to the hope many Sri Lankans had for peace talks that took place last month, which broke down over the issue of reopening the north-south artery that connects rebel-controlled northern Sri Lanka with the rest of the country. With the recent surge in violence, aid workers are expecting an increase in the number of arrivals in coming weeks and the months ahead. Being smuggled to India costs from 6,000 to 15,000 Sri Lankan rupees, the equivalent of $55 to $140. They often sell property or family jewelry to pay for the trip and carry with them only a small satchel of clothes, often tossed overboard if the journey gets too rough.

It is not the first time India has taken in Tamil refugees. Tens of thousands have arrived in successive waves since the war began in 1983. Manoharan Bijayaraj, 49, arrived in India for the third time in September. As a union activist for Tamil fishing cooperatives in eastern Sri Lanka, he was shot seven times in an attempt on his life in early September. He still feels dull pain around the pink two-inch vertical scar under his left arm, where a bullet lodged. "They want to wipe out Tamils," he said. "There is no solution through military means, nor through dialogue. U.N. peacekeepers must come to Sri Lanka." There are no such peacekeepers in sight. Most refugees who have reached India in the past few months fled villages near the front lines of the fighting, and expect no end to hostilities in the near future.

The official conduit for new arrivals in India is the Mandapam transit camp, a fenced group of one-story cement apartment blocks with communal water faucets. The camp was built by the British, who used it as a transit site for thousands of poor Indians being sent to tea estates in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the British Commonwealth. Today they go in the opposite direction. Mandapam has more than 5,000 residents, most of whom have been there for months, waiting to go elsewhere in Tamil Nadu state; a housing shortage precludes that for the time being.

Though conditions in the camp are substandard, its leaders don't say so too loudly. "We don't complain about the conditions because next to us there are Indian citizens who get less than we do," said S.C. Chandrahassan, an officer with the Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (Eelam is a Tamil reference to Sri Lanka), which helps run the 130 refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. The Indian government gives 400 Indian rupees (about $9) a month to heads of household and a bit less for every other family member. It also provides cooking materials, a refugee ID card, and rice at 1983 prices, which comes to less than a penny a pound — far less than Indians on the dole receive. "We always have to keep that in mind and encourage people to work," said Mr. Chandrahassan.

About 12 miles away at Arichalmunai beach is India's closest point to Sri Lanka, a frequent arrival point of refugees. That is where Sri Lankan smugglers usually drop the refugees if they bring them all the way.There are close ties between Tamils in India and those in Sri Lanka, especially the fishermen. "We are like one family," said Muneer Raj, 25, an Indian fisherman who spent about 15 weeks in a Sri Lankan jail after being caught by Sri Lanka's navy casting his net in their waters, which he says are better stocked.

Work, not just the flight from risk of arrest or attack, is another major reason refugees seek a new life in India. Here they can join the informal economy, taking jobs in rural areas that Indians don't want as their country's economy surges ahead at a breakneck speed. Vikram Raja, 36, a mason who arrived in early September with his wife and three young children, sits daily by the highway hoping to be picked up for a day's work. He has worked two days in two months, but doesn't regret leaving Sri Lanka. "My life was in danger there," he said. "The army will arrest anyone without any grounds." His home was destroyed in the December 2004 tsunami, and he paid for the journey to India by selling his wife's jewelry. His mother, father and sister live in displaced persons camps in Sri Lanka, but Mr. Raja wanted to provide for his family and not sit idly in a camp, which he considers unsafe.

Like many refugees with children, he was also increasingly concerned for the safety of his son. "If anything happened to my children, we would be without any help," he said. Young men are often forcibly conscripted by Tamil rebels, and in government-controlled areas they are under constant army and police suspicion of working or conspiring with the rebels. Subramaniam Karisuthan, 18, arrived here last week with his sister, 17. They were sent to India by their parents who remain in Sri Lanka. Wearing baggy jeans, a thin gold chain and a U2 T-shirt, he bides his time until his parents save up enough to make the journey themselves. "We were afraid to leave the house," he said. Twice he had seen tortured, headless bodies dumped along the side of the road near his home. He didn't want to become another anonymous victim. "The army targets the young," he said. "They suspect that we support the rebels." He has also heard of rebels grabbing young Tamils off the street or snatching them from school. "I'll stay here until the war is over," he said.

A 50-year-old odd-job man has starved to death in Jaffna officials said today, the first such death since state records began in 1991.But they said the death of Muthiah Chandrapala was not linked with food shortages in the peninsula due to renewed civil war.Chandrapala died on Wednesday near the town of Point Pedro in the Jaffna peninsula, where around 500,000 Tamils have been cut off from the rest of the country by the LTTE lines for months."This is the first time a person has died of starvation," said Nadarajah Thangarajah, acting Judge at the district court of Point Pedro, who conducted the inquest and signed the death certificate."But please don't try to connect this death to the shortage of food in Jaffna," he added. "It is not relevant, because this person was almost like an orphan.

He didn't have a permanent home, he was a daily wage earner doing odd jobs. He lived like a vagabond."State authorities have not kept records of starvation deaths prior to 1991. However a Tamil Tiger fighter starved himself to death in a protest in 1987.Food is in short supply in the Jaffna region because the military has shut down the main A9 highway that runs through rebel territory, saying it was unsafe because of rebel artillery fire. Food is being shipped in by boat.Residents receive rations, but say they are not enough.Local government officials say that between August and September, Jaffna peninsula was short 11,055 tonnes of essentials like rice, flour and sugar.The price of staples like fish and vegetables have soared and some goods, like matches and mosquito coils, have gone up 10-fold, in turn coinciding with a suspected outbreak of hundreds of cases of mosquito-borne Chikungaya fever.

India to raise concerns of Tamils to Sri Lanka

Expressing concern over the recent developments in Sri Lanka and the Tamils' plight there, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he will convey India's concern to the Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse in an appropriate fashion during the latter's visit to the country.In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Singh said Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon would also be visiting Colombo to convey India's concern to the Sri Lankan Government and the need to provide Tamils there the same rights and privileges as enjoyed by other citizens in the country.He said India is taking note of situation in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka was dispatching 5,200 tonnes of rice, 1,500 tonnes of sugar and 300 tonnes of milk powder.

On the current situation in Sri Lanka, Singh said, "We are making known our deep concern and anguish at the recent spurt of violence in Sri Lanka, which has resulted in civilian casualities among the Tamil population. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent women and children."Singh said the Centre would reiterate to the Lankan government that there is no military solution to the problem in that country and that the only way out was a negotiated political settlement to accomodate the genuine rights of Tamils through a process of devolution of powers."India's interest in a solution to the ethnic problem there that would protect the interests of that country's Tamil citizens within the framework of a united and federal Sri Lanka, is deep and continuous," the Prime Minister said.

"However, the priority at this time has to be to ensure full respect for humanitarian standards, so that civilian casulties are prevented," Singh said. He said the leader of the DMK party in Parliament T R Baalu had met him and handed over a letter enclosing a copy of the statement dated November 10 on the killing of hundreds of Tamils in Sri Lanka by the Sri Lanka armed forces. Karunanidhi, in a recent statement had expressed concern over the recent killings and stated that the time was ripe for the Centre to rethink and find an answer to the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka. "How long is India going to keep patient," he had asked.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday assured Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MPs that he was ready for further discussion on the controversial North-East de-merger and have it sorted out. The de-merger issue figured high, when President Rajapaksa and the TNA members met yesterday morning at Temple Trees. TNA Leader R. Sampanthan insisted that the Supreme Court verdict did not rule out the merger of the two provinces as illegal, instead, cited that there were certain procedural deficiencies in the way the provinces were merged. But the President responded that he had instructed the Attorney General (AG) to make sure that the merger was intact, which the AG had failed at.

But Mr. Sampanthan pointed out that his hands are not tied by the Supreme Court decision, since he now commands the support of the UNP, to get it passed in Parliament and go ahead for a re-merger. He noted that for 28 years, all successive Presidents renewed the contract, since they understood that it was necessary to keep the two provinces merged. Without committing himself, the President then assured the TNA that he would propose a minister to open up a line of discussion with the TNA regarding the matter, in a bid to sort it out. Not stopping at it, Sampanthan said that the de-merger of the two provinces would mean the end of the peace process. Mr. Sampanthan then pointed out that for 25 days food supplies had not reached Vakarai and Kadiraweli in Batticaloa.

He said people are almost starving there and the food supply cut off since October 25. “Four lorry loads of supplies have been turned away in Vakarai and Kantale and an ambulance that went to pick a patient too had been turned away,” Sampanthan told the President. Mr. Rajapaksa promised to send supplies urgently. The President also told Sampanthan that the Government has already made a breakthrough in tracing the killers of Nadarajah Raviraj and the culprits would be brought to book soon.

Mr Tamilselvan, Leader of LTTE Political Wing, held discussions with Northern Ireland specialists, Rt Hon Paul Murphy, Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and Christopher Maccabe, British Joint Secretary of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat, today in Kilinochchi at the LTTE Political Head Quarters. Following the meeting, Paul Murphy told the press that the meeting was extremely fruitful. He added that there are very strong similarities between the Northern Ireland and Northeast conflicts. Peace, he said is possible, when all issues are placed on the table and everyone is treated with equal respect at the tables. He also said that the CFA should be one with integrity.

Tamilselvan speaking to the press after the discussions said that he pointed out to the visitors that the failure of the peace process was due to the intransigence of the GoSL. He told the visitors that in the case of Northern Ireland peace process the British government showed dedication where as here the GoSL has neither focus nor the dedication needed.Tamilselvan told the visitors that even the CFA brought in with huge international support has lost its integrity due to blatant flouting of the CFA by the GoSL. He requested Paul Murphy and Christopher Maccabe to inform the international community to bring pressure on the GoSL to bring it in line with the CFA.

TNA parliamentarians staged a ‘Sathyagraha’ in the well of the Parliament yesterday while President Mahinda Rajapaksa was delivering the budget speech for 2007.A day after the cremation of their slain colleague N. Raviraj, the Tamil MPs including leader R. Sampanthan carrying placards in the House demanding that the government stop what they called state terrorism. The pro-LTTE Tamil party continuously staged ‘Sathyagrahas’ in the House demanding the reopening of the A9 highway and the northeast merger.

Mr. Sampanthan told the Daily Mirror they staged the protest campaign to express their disgust and dissatisfaction over the failure of the government to address several issues including the curbing of the ongoing spree of extra judicial killings. He said the TNA also wanted to protest the government’s failure to take proper action to rectify the situation of the re-merger of the north and eastern provinces and the scarcity of essential items such as food and medicine in the area, especially for displaced people.

Mr. Sampanthan said it was not their intention to disturb the President’s speech but to convey the message that the Tamil people were fed up with the attitude of the government.Despite the TNA protest, Mr. Rajapaksa started the budget speech around 4.00 p.m. and continued for more than one and half hours. Almost all members of Parliament were in parliament yesterday while JVP MP Nandana Gunatilake was also among them was for the first time since he was removed from the party.

A provincial leader of a Tamil political party is to be questioned in connection with the killing of TNA parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj and his body guard Lakshman Lokuwella.The CID said three Jaffna Tamils who were arrested recently had disclosed valuable information with regard to the killing. The fingerprints of 25 other persons already questioned are being examined. Meanwhile two Scotland Yard sleuths are expected to arrive in the island to assist the investigation.

Police sleuths investigating the assassination of Jaffna district Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviiraj have uncovered evidence that implicates a Tamil Political Party with links to the Government in the daylight murder.The motor cycle used by the assassins to get away from the scene of crime was last registered in the name of a prominent member of this party. The vehicle was bought from a garage in Tangalle in the Hambantota district. The deal was arranged by a military deserter also from Tangalle. At least five persons from Tangalle have been taken in for questioning.The Tamil politico owner of the motor cycle has gone “missing” and is seemingly untraceable. It is widely believed that the suspect is hiding in the well - fortified Colombo residence of a cabinet minister.

Police investigators fearing obstruction of justice through high - level interference have voluntarily handed over to judicial custody all files relating to the investigation.Interestingly enough the leader of the Nava Sama Samaje party Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne has said that the killer serpents of Raviraj came to the road from under the feet of the President right across the cabinet. Dr. Wicramabahu stated this at a meeting held at Viharamahadevi Park to pay homage to late Raviraj Nadarajah by the people of South. Dr. Bahu also said that if this trend continues the time will not be far when the President too could be stung by these serpents.

Meanwhile relatives of slain MP told media personnel in Jaffna that a member of a Tamil paramilitary organization linked to the Government had tried to target Raviraj when the TNA Parliamentarian visited Jaffna a few weeks before his death. Raviraj was the first MP to visit Jaffna since A9 was closed following the escalation of hostilities since August 11. He journeyed to Jaffna in an Air Force plane and was given security from Palaly to his home in Chavakachcheri.According to relatives the Tamil paramilitary operative was suspected of working with the Sri Lankan military intelligence. He had visited Raviraj’s Chavakachcheri residence and questioned people about Raviraj’s movements. Suspecting an assassination attempt Raviraj had gone elsewhere and slept at another place before leaving for Colombo.

Amidst threats to his life, Western People’s Front Leader Mano Ganesan left for Chennai yesterday. The Daily Mirror learns that despite a promise by the government to step up his security immediately, little had been taken in that regard. Mr. Ganesan sought an urgent meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday to discuss the threat to his life. The police on Wednesday warned Mr. Ganesan that he along with Ministers Nimal Siripala De Silva and Keheliya Rambukwella was on the LTTE hit list. It is learnt that though the security of the two ministers were stepped up adequate steps had not been taken to increase Mr. Ganesan’s security.
An official of the Ministerial Security Division tsaid he did not know why Mr. Ganesan left the country when the government had promised to upgrade his security.

The Karuna faction strongly rejected findings made public by Special Advisor to the United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Allan Rock, that the group was involved in the abduction and conscription of youth to fight against the LTTE.“We consider that these allegations are imposed on the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (the political arm of the Karuna faction) on the basis of information which is not clarified and a result of misunderstanding. Our organization is perturbed by these allegations and we express our vehement condemnation over these allegations,” a spokesman for the group told the Daily Mirror.The TMVP spokesman further said that the UN Special Advisor’s allegation that the faction was collaborating with certain elements of the security forces was baseless while stressing that this had been clarified time and time again.

“He has also imposed an inferior allegation on us that the Sri Lanka Army identifies those to be abducted, to us through photos. This doesn’t have any basis. We don’t have any connections with the Sri Lanka Army. We don’t know how these could be possible,” he said.Meanwhile, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle yesterday questioned the ability of Mr. Rock to come up with “credible” evidence of collaborations between the security forces and the Karuna faction after spending just a few hours in the east.“If he can make such claims then maybe he is a forensic expert. Maybe he can help us find the killers of Raviraj so that we don’t need experts from Scotland Yard,” the Minister told the media yesterday.The Minister also alleged that according to reports the UN adviser had attended an LTTE fund raiser in Canada despite intelligence reports that the event was being organised for sinister motives and not as was portrayed by the organisers.

Colombo DIG Pujitha Jayasundera has informed the Shakthi TV, that there is a threat to the life of journalist J. Sri Ranga, who presents a programme called "Minnal" on Sundays. Sri Ranga’s programme of last week featured the assassination of TNA Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj. The threat was subsequent to this programme.The Free Media Movement (FMM), yesterday said there had been threat to Sri Ranga’s life even on earlier occasions and complaints had been made to the Police, but nothing had been said about Threat to the progress of the investigations. Since journalists were killed in the recent past the threat to Sri Ranga’s life cannot be taken lightly, the FMM saidThe FMM requested the authorities to initiate investigations immediately.

Marumalarchi Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general secretary Vaiko will take up a fast along with his party members at New Delhi on 27 November in a bid to condemn the brutal killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka. In a high-level party meeting held today, various resolutions were passed, and one of the them included the fast by Vaiko on 27 November, the day when the Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to visit India. Meanwhile, in another resolution MDMK has urged the Centre to persuade the opening of A9 National Highway at Jaffna in order to safeguard the Tamils. Failing which the Centre should snap all its ties with Sri Lanka. 'The Centre should also take back the surveillance radars provided to Lankan Air force,' the resolution added. The MDMK has proposed to conduct a demonstration in front of Sri Lankan embassy at Mylapore tomorrow. A resolution was passed urging the State government to take immediate steps to increase the height of Mullai Periyar dam to 142 feet. Also, Government should compensate the farmers who have been severely affected by the monsoon rains and should also provide crop loans to them. Among those who attended the meeting include MDMK party MLAs, senior office bearers and district secretaries.

Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device Thursday around 12:00 noon killing one civilian and seriously injuring five others at Sathirachanthy near K.K.S Road-Powerhouse road junction in the heart of Jaffna town, Jaffna sources said. The dead man succumbed to his wounds while being rushed to Jaffna Teaching hospital, hospital sources said. The dead man was identified as Kanapathy Viswananthan, 74, of Velani west.The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) said that one of their vehicles had been the target of the bomb. A destroyed SLA pick-up was found at the site of the blast, Jaffna sources said,The SLA and the police conducted an intensive cordon off and search around the area for more than three hours but no one was arrested.People fled in fear from the area of busy commerical activity while traders closed their shops in haste leaving the town empty for nearly three hours.

Balance 50 percent salary increase for public servants from next year
Removal of Duty waiver on milk food imports
Heavy fuel oil, furnace oil, and electricity exempted from VAT
Employment for 8000 graduates in three government sectors.
Sweeping expenditure cuts and reforms in public sector enterprises
Programme to improve Health and Nutritional standards of displaced persons in unsafe areas
E-villages in selected rural areas to promote computer literacy
Nucleus of 1000 select temples to promote and preserve Religious and Cultural values
Imposition of 2.5% Regional Infrastructure Development levy on vehicles
Cess on imported shoes increased up to Rs.300
Customs Duty removed on items used in the film industry. VAT on such items reduced to 5%. Exemption from Port and Airport Levy, Customs Duty and VAT on films and teledramas sent abroad for further processing
Raise revenue generated by Provincial Councils from present 0.5% of the GDP to 1%, during the next two years.
Waive all penalties accrued on any Tax in default for the last five years and a three-year grace period to settle all such arrears.
Tax concessions for Professionals engaged in foreign currency earnings
Exemption of Duty and VAT on import of bus for route permit holders only, to replace bus presently in use. VAT on ticket machines reduced to 5%
Reduction of VAT on high-tech medical equipment and machinery to 5%
An insurance scheme for fishermen, their boats and vessels
Exemption from VAT on Prawns supply
Removal of Port and Airport Levy on Gems, Diamonds and Gold. VAT on Jewellery reduced from 20% to 5%
Apparel industry expected to increase exports to US$ 5 billion by 2010
A comprehensive salary policy is in progress
Withholding Tax Exemption for Deposits under Rs 300,000, 5% Withholding Tax on Interest for Deposits over Rs 300,000 and under Rs 600,000 and 10% for Deposits over Rs 600,000
Motor vehicle Import Tax up to 2.5%
Fresh funds will not be allocated to public sector institutions until already initiated projects are completed.
Ports and Airport tariff increased to 3%
Normal Passport fee reduced from Rs 3,500 to Rs 2,500. One day service charge on Passport increased to Rs 7,500.
Increased Penalty on visa related offences
Tariff waived for import of private buses

"Intervene and avert major humanitarian crisis in Vaharai," TRO urges International Community

Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) on Thursday appealed to the International Humanitarian Community to intervene adn avert a major humanitarian crisis in Vaharai.

TRO is making an URGENT APPEAL to the International Humanitarian Community to intervene and avert a humanitarian crisis in Vaharai. The International Community must pressure the Government of Sri Lanka to allow access for humanitarian agencies. Currently no food convoys have been allowed into the Vaharai area since 1th November 2006. TRO is the only organization with a continuous presence in the area and is delivering humanitarian relief (cooked meals, drinking water and temporary shelter facilities) to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Vaharai area of Batticaloa District has been continuously bombarded by multi-barrel rockets, artillery guns, and the Sri Lanka Air Force K-fir jets since the attack 8th November 2006 on the TRO IDP Camps. The areas of Maruthankerni and Kuchankerni with large concentration of civilians (IDPs) have been bombed and shelled also.

International NGOs have been prevented from entering the Vaharai area and only very limited access has been granted to the UN and ICRC. This has resulted in the depletion of food, medicine and kerosene for cooking and lamps. No food convoy has passed through the Pannichankerni Bridge to Vaharai since 5th November which has resulted in an acute food shortage. ICRC, World Food Program (WFP) and other international NGOs have not been allowed to provide emergency food provision, non food relief items (NFRI) and shelter materials.

Only one hospital is functioning in the area, Vaharai General Hospital. This hospital only has two doctors serving a population of over 35,000 IDPs and the existing “host” population. Medicines, that were already in short supply to that hospital, are close to being exhausted due to the current embargo on food and medicinal items. The hospital does not have any stock of tetanus injections, pain medication, antibiotics or bandages to dress the wounds of civilians injured by bombing and shelling. The IDPs are housed in basic emergency shelters covered by tarpaulins. These are not adequate due to the heavy monsoonal rains which the NorthEast is currently experiencing. The huts are not able to withstand the rains but due to the embargo on the transportation of building materials to the area adequate temporary shelters can not be constructed.

All government offices are closed. They are not providing any services and no government officers or machinery are working to assist the IDPs. The allowances due to be paid to widows’ and vulnerable families have not been paid. The Government’s promise to give Rs. 15,000 as immediate assistance to the families directly affected by the recent artillery shelling in Vaharai has not been followed through on. All schools in the area remain closed due to displacement and/or being occupied by IDPs. School children eligible to sit scholarship exams could not do so due to the recent bombing, shelling and displacement. Two children who were getting ready to go to the exam are among the 47 that were killed in the 8th November shelling.

The GCE (OL) Exam is to be held in December, but students are unable to study due to a lack of proper food and shelter and with the constant fear of being bombed, maimed or killed. Some students were seen studying under trees in an attempt to prepare for the exam. TRO has organized a Disaster Management Committee which comprises the temple priest, Christian priest, school teacher, principal, Grama Sevaka and prominent social workers and community leaders to attempt to deal with this crisis.

Sri Lankan president asks rebels to surrender weapons while envoy meets insurgents

Sri Lanka's president on Thursday asked separatist Tamil Tiger rebels to surrender weapons and help end decades of bloodshed in the island nation, as a British envoy met with the insurgents to salvage a tenuous cease-fire.In a speech to Parliament, President Mahinda Rajapakse asked the rebels to "give up violence altogether, surrender arms ... and work toward promoting peace democracy and development in the interest of building a new Sri Lanka."Rajapakse, who is also the finance minister, was presenting his administration's annual budget for 2007, which saw a sharp 45 percent increase in defense spending."Increased violence compelled the government to channel more resources for security and humanitarian relief operations," Rajapakse said, justifying the increase.

There was no immediate reactions from the rebels, who have in the past rejected calls for giving up arms.Also on Thursday, Paul Murphy a former British Cabinet minister closely associated with the Northern Ireland peace process drew parallels with that conflict and the separatist insurgency in Sri Lanka and said there is still hope that the separatist conflict could be resolved through dialogue."There are striking similarities between the Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka conflict," Murphy said according to a statement released after meeting the Tigers' political chief Suppiah Thamilselvan."Firstly and primarily is the loss of life — 3,500 people out of 1.5 million died in Northern Ireland. In Sri Lanka, 65,000 people out of 20 million have died as a result of the conflict," the statement said.

Murphy, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday, was the Cabinet minister responsible for Northern Irish affairs between 2002 and 2005, and was closely involved in that region's peace process."Ten years ago, people didn't think that the Northern Ireland conflict could be resolved. But it has happened through political negotiations. There are similar hopes and prayers for a political solution in Sri Lanka," Murphy said.But violence continued in Sri Lanka's northeast.

The military's spokesman, Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe, accused the rebels of using civilians as human shields in the eastern Batticaloa district, which has come into sharp focus after military shelling killed at least 23 minority ethnic Tamil civilians last week, according to foreign cease-fire monitors.Samarasinghe said that Tamil rebels fired artillery at military positions on Thursday, killing one soldier.Separately, a roadside blast targeting a military car in northern Jaffna killed one civilian and injured six others including one soldier, the military and a hospital worker said.

Norwegian peace efforts that led to a cease-fire in 2002 between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, formally called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Increasing violence has all but shattered the truce, with near-daily killings.Both sides refuse to budge from their positions. The rebels want a separate homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority, while the government says regional autonomy is the maximum it will give.More than 65,000 people were killed before the truce, and the Defense Ministry says an additional 3,200 were killed since last December.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has recommended a one-year extension for Army Commander Lt Gen. Sarath Fonseka, but President Mahinda Rajapaksa has not approved it as yet.A senior Defence ministry official said the letter of recommendation had been sent to the President as the Commander-in-Chief. Lt. General Fonseka’s current term ends on December 18 when he reaches the age of 56.It is learnt that the President is under pressure from various sections, including diplomats and top military officials in the Army, not to extend Lt. Gen. Fonseka’s term. Allegations have been made against Commander Fonseka for his role in the Muhamalai debacle, where more than 100 soldiers were killed and hundreds injured, and Lt. Gen. Fonseka accepted responsibility.Commander Fonseka who survived an LTTE suicide attempt last April, was at the centre of a controversy, following alleged irregular transfers of officers and the consequent resignation of several senior army officials, in protest.

India does not need to play a direct role in Sri Lanka peace process, says President: Mahinda

In an interesting comment, which comes in the wake of a vociferous demand in Tamil Nadu that India should intervene in Sri Lanka's ethnic crisis, the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that India need not play a direct role in the peace process in his country.In an interview to the Chennai-based Daily Thanthi reproduced by Thinakkural in Colombo on Wednesday, Rajapaksa said that it would be enough if India carried on a global campaign against the collection of funds and arms by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)."I understand India's predicament in regard to the Sri Lankan problem. India has some constraints because there is a huge population of Tamils there.""But to solve the problem, India need not intervene directly. It will be enough if it carries out a global campaign against the collection of funds and arms by the LTTE," he said.

"There is no room for tolerance of terrorism," he added.The president laid more emphasis on the development of economic and business ties between India and Sri Lanka than on New Delhi's participation in the peace process."I want India to play a leading role in the development of Sri Lanka's economy and in promoting business relations.It is in India's interest in having peace and economic development in Sri Lanka. Hence, in the economic field, the two countries should act jointly," he said."There is a long history of cultural relations between India and Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans believe in India," the President pointed out.

On the devolution of power to the Tamil minority in his country, which is the crux of the ethnic problem, the Sri Lankan President said that the committees that he had appointed to draft a constitutional reform package would be submitting their reports in three months' time."We are determined to devolve power to the Northern and Eastern Provinces. We are examining various models, including the Indian model (of federalism).We are ready to talk about the Panchayati Raj system which devolves power to the villages," he said.

"There is another truth which you must know. Sixty per cent of the Tamils live outside and the Northern and Eastern provinces, in Colombo and in the plantations in the hills," he said, hinting that too much emphasis was being put on the problems of the Tamils of the North and East."The representatives of the plantation Tamils are part of the government as ministers," he said."Furthermore, some of the richest people in Sri Lanka are Tamils. Some big organisations are run by Tamils.Tamils are among the leading doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers here. Sri Lanka is proud of their achievements," Rajapaksa said.On the frequent complaints from Tamil Nadu fishermen that they were being fired on by the Sri Lankan Navy, the President said that the LTTE often came in boats with Indian flags on them to avoid detection, and this called for action.But he had instructed the navy and other authorities to be humane towards genuine Indian fishermen who might have strayed into Sri Lankan waters, Rajapaksa said.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will meet TNA members today amidst pressure internationally and locally to urgently probe TNA Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj’s killing. President Rajapaksa sent a letter to the TNA last evening inviting its members for a meeting this morning. TNA leader R. Sampanthan along with some party members will attend the meeting but most of the members who went to Jaffna to attend Mr. Raviraj’s funeral yesterday could not come back to Colombo due to bad weather.

Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Hans Brattskar Tuesday left for Oslo after meeting the visiting Chairman of the British Intelligence and Security Committee, Paul Murphy, on a three-day mission here, to see how Britain could support the Norwegian-led peace process.The LTTE quit the peace process in April 2003 during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the Prime Minister. The Norwegian efforts backed by the US, EU and Japan had failed to convince the LTTE.A Norwegian embassy spokesperson welcomed the British initiative. "Any initiative that can help bring peace is welcome," the spokesman said. He confirmed Tuesday’s meeting while declining to elaborate.

Murphy is accompanied by Christopher MacCabe, the British Joint Secretary of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat. The British initiative takes place in the backdrop of the deteriorating situation.Their visit followed a meeting in August where British Prime Minister Tony Blair discussed with President Mahinda Rajapakse ways in which the UK could support the Norwegian facilitated peace process. In September, Rajapakse met Norwegian Prime Minister in New York where they discussed the possibility of taking the peace process forward.The Norwegian spokesperson acknowledged that International Development Minister Erik Solheim and Peace Envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer are not scheduled to visit Colombo in the near future.

Political sources said that the British initiative would not combine with the Norwegian effort. The sources said that it was not clear whether the British would differ in their approach. "There is absolutely no point in repeating the Norwegian strategy,"an official said. The LTTE resisted all international efforts to bring them back to the negotiating table for over three years, he said. If the British wanted to succeed, they’ll have to apply maximum pressure on the LTTE, the official said.Murphy was the Cabinet Minister responsible for Northern Irish affairs between 2002 and 2005, and was closely involved in the Northern Ireland peace process.

The JVP dismissed the latest initiative. The JVP accused the British of aggravating the crisis by turning a blind eye to LTTE activity. Their ban on the LTTE is a farce, JVP parliamentary group leader said, adding, "If they really want to help us, they’ll repatriate Anton Balasingham and put an end to fund collecting activity. That’ll send a powerful message."Weerawansa faulted the government for the further internationalisation of the issue. "There is absolutely no point in inviting the British," he said, blaming the government for failing to recognise the threat posed by the growing international meddling. The JVP Monday urged President Rajapakse not to increase foreign involvement. Referring to the hotly disputed decision to facilitate sea movements between KKS and Trincomalee with UN help, the JVP had said that it would be unwise. The President had said that he explored the possibility during his September visit to New York. The President had claimed that he expected the supply runs to be handled by the World Food Programme.

Slain Tamil legislator Nadarajah Raviraj was cremated at his home district of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday as supporters shut businesses to protest his assassination.Raviraj, 44, was cremated at the Chavakachcheri cemetery while heavily armed security forces kept a low profile along the funeral procession from his ancestral home. Shops and offices closed in Jaffna, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital as residents mourned his death and protested Friday's assassination carried out in Colombo, a spokesman for his Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said. The coffin, draped in the yellow, red and green flag of the TNA, was taken for cremation after Hindu funeral rites. His family and other mourners were flown in two aircraft to the Palaly military base at the northern edge of Jaffna and later taken to Raviraj's village of Chavakachcheri on Tuesday.

The family wanted the cortege to travel along Jaffna's main road. But the government refused to open land access, shut since August following fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lankan soldiers carried the coffin and escorted it out of the high security zone of the Palaly military complex before handing it over to the mourners. In the island's restive eastern regions too, shops and offices closed as a sign of protest and minority Tamils in the central tea-growing regions observed a one-day work stoppage Tuesday in a gesture against the killing. Raviraj was a personal friend of President Mahinda Rajapakse and was seen as a moderate politician who never took up arms although his party was viewed as a proxy of Tamil Tiger guerrillas, an official at the president's office said.

He said the president was deeply saddened and shocked by Friday's assassination at a busy highway in the capital and ordered police to identify the killers as soon as possible. The government has asked British police to help investigate the killing of the second TNA legislator in a year. Parliament member Joseph Pararajasingham was gunned down in the eastern district of Batticaloa on Christmas day. Before Raviraj's remains were flown to Jaffna, thousands of mourners paid their respects in Colombo and anti-war activists paraded his coffin through the streets and held a protest rally at a public park. The main opposition United National Party said the government must accept responsibility for the killing and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice. The killing was a serious breach of security in Colombo, where police and the armed forces have maintained a high state of alert for several weeks.It also came amid an upsurge in fighting in the island's separatist conflict. At least 3,300 lives have been lost in the past year, despite a 2002 truce.

Speaking in the presence of large number of civilians gathered in Jaffna on Wednesday to pay their last respects to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Late Raviraj Nadaraj, fellow parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran accused an armed group linked to Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) as directly responsible for the killing of Raviraj,sources in Jaffna said. "While one of the assailants blocked the vehicle of Raviraj, the other sprayed the MP with bullets using an T-56," Premachandran said. Pointing out that the killing took place in the High Security Zone directly across the Head Quarters of the Military Police, and the killers were able to walk away from the crime scene without any fear of being apprehended, Premachandran demanded that the GOSL should accept direct responsibility for the death of Raviraj.

The late parliamentarian was a key member of the Anti War Front and firmly believed that no peaceful solution can be reached by waging war. He fought relentlessly to find a constructive solution for the Tamils. The forces wishing to continue the war in the country must accept the blame for his assassination, Premachandiran added.TELO Leader Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Mannar District TNA M.P addressing the public spoke of the dedication of the late parliamentarian and vowed to continue to fight with increased vigour for the liberation of Tamil Nation, and added that all TNA members will continue to fight tirelessly based on the lofty ideals of Raviraj both inside and outside of the legislature.

NorthEast mourns for Raviraj, allegedly assassinated by Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP)

The people of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mulaithivu, Mannar, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee districts observed hartal (general shut down) Wednesday mourning the loss of Raviraj, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian allegedly assassinated by Eelam People Democratic Party (EPDP) cadres operating with the Sri Lankan Army (SLA). The shut down was organized to condemn Raviraj's assassination and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artilery fire killing of nearly forty-two Tamil civilians including children in Vaharai in Batticaloa. White flags and black flags were hoisted on houses and shops and normal life came almost to a standstill in the eight districts where people of Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim ethnic communities expressed the respect they had for Raviraj.All shops, schools, government and private institutions, banks, Courts of Justice remain closed while the streets were empty without civilian traffic.Fishermen in these districts abstained from fishing Wednesday as an expression of their grief, civil sources said.Vavuniya, for the fifth consecutive day observed complete shut down in protest against the assassination of Raviraj and against Sri Lanka Government's undeclared economic embargo on the Jaffna peninsula by closing the A9 route, Vavuniya sources said.

The SLMM complained that the by the government preventing them from entering Vakarai, they were unable to look into the health of the Security Forces personnel LTTE custody. However they assured that the four sailors and a soldier held by the LTTE at Muhamalai, are in good health and recovering fast. Acting SLMM Spokesperson Ms.Helen Olafsdottir yesterday said the captives were being treated well by the LTTE and were prisoner of war.She said the SLMM was exploring the possibility of obtaining permission for the family members of the captives to visit them.

Five people were abducted last Tuesday morning (14) in the government controlled area of Eravur.They were abducted near the cemetery of Batticaloa Saukade road.People say that an armed gang who had come in a van was responsible for the abductions. The victims were young people in the range of 14 & 22 years. Abductions of this nature are quite rampant around Batticaloa.As no other group or political party is allowed to carry weapons in the government controlled areas and people believe that it was Karuna faction who is responsible.

Sri Lanka plans to announce a war budget Thursday in which it will hike defence spending next year by 45 percent amid a spiralling conflict with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, officials say. The budget comes against the backdrop of an International Monetary Fund warning Tuesday to Sri Lanka that the escalating violence could prompt an economic crisis with surging inflation and dwindling foreign currency reserves. .Despite the upsurge in fighting that has claimed over 3,300 lives since December, the economy was forecast to expand by over seven percent in 2006 and more than eight percent in the coming year, government officials said. .

"We're going to see an expansion that has not been seen for nearly 30 years," deputy finance minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. Preliminary budget estimates placed before parliament projected defence spending would jump to 139.55 billion rupees (1.29 billion dollars) in the 12 months to December 2007 from an estimated 96.21 billion rupees in 2006. .The documents did not contain a 2007 deficit estimate.But the strain of spending on the three-decade-old ethnic conflict which has killed over 60,000 people was apparent even before the flare-up in violence last December in defiance of a 2002 truce. .The 2006 deficit is projected at 9.1 percent of gross domestic product, up from 8.7 percent the previous year. .

The ethnic conflict along with rising global oil prices has pushed inflation to a forecast average 12 percent for 2006 from 3.6 percent last year, the government said. In October, inflation stood at 17.2 percent. "It's difficult to see how the country can achieve high growth and keep inflation down at the same time unless there's an end in sight to the (ethnic) conflict," said Alistair Corera, director at Orion Fund management. Military purchases of weapons and other equipment jumped nearly three-fold with the army, navy and the air force budgets leaping. .Sri Lanka's finance secretary P.B. Jayasundara said overall defence spending was about 4.5 percent of GDP. Neighbouring India's defence spending represents about 2.5 percent of GDP. Jayasundara said the budget to be presented in parliament by President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is also finance minister, would target infrastructure. .

"We don't have adequate electricity and the quality of electricity available isn't good enough. We don't have roads. Our port capacity is not sufficient," he said. He said the government hoped to borrow foreign funds to finance a coal power plant, expand the Colombo port and create a southern highway network. He added 60 to 70 billion rupees (555 million to 648 million dollars) was expected from foreign concessionary loans to finance big-ticket projects next year. .The island nation imports all its oil and gas needs and is heavily dependent on textile exports and tourism, both of which have been hit by an upsurge in violence between Tamil rebels and the military since December. Sri Lanka's rupee has fallen nearly five percent since the start of the year to around 108.07 against the dollar which the government has attributed to the high cost of oil imports. .Sri Lanka's central bank said the trade deficit during the first nine months of this year widened by 2.59 billion dollars or by 38.4 percent from the corresponding period in 2005. However money sent by Sri Lankans working abroad grew by 23 percent to 1.73 billion dollars and helped contain the current account deficit, the bank said. .

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	107.40		108.81
Sterling Pound	203.20		206.87
Euro	137.13		139.94
Swiss Franc	85.95		87.95
Australian Dollar	81.78		83.89
Singapore Dollar	68.65		70.20
Japanese Yen	0.9082		0.9299
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	287.18
Kuwait	Dinar	374.38
Oman	Rial	281.22
Qatar	Riyal	29.74
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	28.87
UAE	Dirham	29.48

Black flags draped in mourning, shops shut in protest, thousands of Tamils gathered in Sri Lanka's far north on Wednesday to pay their last respects to the second pro-rebel lawmaker assassinated in a year.Surrounded by pictures of Hindu gods, mourners sprinkled flowers at the feet of Tamil Tiger-endorsed MP and human rights lawyer Nadarajah Raviraj, murdered in Colombo on Friday by an unknown gunman.Raviraj's party, the Tamil National Alliance -- widely seen as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's proxy in parliament -- have pinned the killing firmly on the majority-Sinhalese government or government-aligned forces.Angry and frustrated residents in Raviraj's Tamil hometown of Chavakachcheri in the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula, said they were sick of violence that has killed around 3,000 civilians, troops and rebels so far this year alone.

"This shows the hatred toward the Tamils the Sinhalese have," said 23-year-old Shekar Sintharajah, a student at Jaffna University, after watching a Hindu ceremony at Raviraj's family home."Murders and kidnappings have gone too far. How long are they going to kill our MPs and how many?" he added. "These killings must not be allowed nor should they be pardoned."Joseph Pararajasingam, another lawmaker from the TNA was shot dead at Christmas midnight mass in the eastern district of Batticaloa on Dec 25.Rights and aid groups say hundreds of people have been abducted or 'disappeared' in the worst violence since a 2002 truce that has raised fears of a return to a war that has killed more than 67,000 people since 1983.

Chavakachcheri, which lies along the main north-south highway which runs from Jaffna through rebel territory, still bears the scars of years of shelling. The ruins of burnt-out buildings pepper the town, which is still emerging from the rubble."This is a very, very low cowardly act. They have killed a person who struggled for the freedom of his people in a non-violent manner," said 35-year-old local commerce teacher Thangarajah Gopalakrishnan.Around 3,500 protesters marched through Sri Lanka's capital with Raviraj's coffin on Monday to demand the government and the Tigers halt fighting.With near daily artillery clashes in the north and east, around 25,000 people are queuing up to leave the Jaffna peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of the island by a "border" around the Tigers' de facto state.President Mahinda Rajapakse, under pressure to solve a rash of extrajudicial killings and abductions blamed on both sides, has called for Scotland Yard to investigate Raviraj's murder.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged by church leaders in Sri Lanka's north to 'sidetrack the past' and come to the rescue of Tamils in Jaffna peninsula reeling under serious shortages. The Commission for Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna has made the written appeal to the prime minister, with copies sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.'We do accept that your country has had sad experiences in respect to her efforts towards our problem,' said a letter from the Diocese to Manmohan Singh that has been made available to IANS.'We appeal to your magnanimity to sidetrack the past and to your ingenuity to treat them positively as experiences for seeking new approaches,' the letter said, in a clear reference to the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at the hands of a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber in 1991.

'We urgently appeal to you to play your role and exert your leadership impartially and justly as a powerful and true neighbouring nation whom almost all look up to as the only saviour of Sri Lanka,' said the letter, signed by the chairman and secretary of the Diocese.The letter makes a reference to 'physical hunger' that many reports say has enveloped Jaffna in the wake of a road blockade enforced by Colombo ever since a highway linking the mainland to the peninsula was shut in August.The communication says letters written by the Diocese to Sri Lankan authorities had gone unanswered.'Not only we but the whole world including Norway ... acknowledges that only your nation and its leadership can save this country and lead it towards a just solution, recognizing the rights of Tamil nationhood...'We appeal especially at this juncture when the population as a whole here in Jaffna is already sliding towards a slow death not only through physical hunger but by being deprived of most of the needs for minimal human survival, growth and social life.'

While the funeral of the slain TNA MP Nadaraja Raviraj is scheduled to take place in Chavakachcheri at 10 am today, the CID probing the killing is reportedly after a prominent Tamil political party member, who is believed to be absconding now.Sources said according to initial investigations the politico was the last owner of the motor cycle in which the assailants had got away.With the arrest of five suspects from Tangalle including an ex-forces personnel who had assisted this political party member to purchase the motorcycle from a Tangalle garage, the CID had been able to find more clues to the murder.Meanwhile a separate team of detectives are engaged in monitoring the call lists of the cellular phone belonging to Mr. Raviraj with the help of mobile phone service providers.The coffin of MP Raviraj which was taken over by the Air Force at the Ratmalana airport yesterday morning was air lifted to Jaffna on a special aircraft with a group of family members and TNA representatives.It was then taken over by the Army in Jaffna and later handed over to Mr. Raviraj’s family following military honours.

The main engineer of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 which ended the subversive activities of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Paul Murphy has now arrived in Sri Lanka to assist the peace negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). He will be meeting the Tiger leaders in Kilinochchi on Thursday morning.Murphy officially met the Peace Secretariat Head Dr. Palitha Kohona this morning for discussions. He is to meet ambassadors of the Donor Co-chair countries, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief, All Party Representative Committee and representatives of the civil society which includes the Foundation for Co-existence, International Centre for Ethnic Studies, and Centre for Policy Alternatives among others. The British official will visit Trincomalee today.Murphy is the current Chief of the Security and Intelligence Committee of the House of Commons in UK. He is accompanied by Mr. Christopher Maccabe, Director of the Northern Ireland Office in Belfast.

Sri Lankan rupee sank to historical low on Tuesday while share prices closed at a record high, amidst buying frenzy in conglomerate John Keells Holdings, dealers said. The rupee fell to 108.20 to the U.S. dollar from Monday's close of 107.60 as banks bought dollars to meet high import bills. The currency hit an intra day high of 108.45, but some profit taking helped to prop up the rupee a bit, traders said. Colombo's All Share Price Index jumped 2.23 per cent or 57.31 points to close at a record high of 2,619.37, with the day's turnover also hitting a lifetime high of 2.16 billion rupees. The bourse' market capitalisation also crossed a historical high of 802.8 billion rupees, the stock exchange said. Brokers were speculating that Hong Kong based GoldQuest Fund had bought 1.5 per cent of JKH today, raising their stake to 5 percent in the blue chip company. JKH, the second biggest capitalized stock on the bourse, rose 11.5 per cent to close at 199.00 rupees on volumes of 8.6 million shares. Colombo share prices are up 36.2 per cent since the start of the year from Jan-todate, with the market among the best forming indices in the Asian region.Call rates in brokers markets was 11.2 per cent amidst a sustained liquidity surplus of around 4 billion rupees.

PMK president S Ramadoss on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to depute External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to hold talks with the Sri Lankan Government on the Tamils’ issue, instead of sending Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon as planned.The PMK chief, in his letter to the Prime Minister, said considering the seriousness of the situation in the island nation, the External Affairs Minister should be assigned to hold talks on the Tamils’ issue. “This is not the expectation of just the PMK, but the whole of Tamil Nadu,” he added.Further, Ramadoss, who has been opposing the visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to India, changed his stand slightly on Tuesday. In his letter, he urged the Prime Minister to get an assurance from Rajapakse, who would be visiting New Delhi on November 26 that the A-9 Highway connecting the Jaffna peninsula with the mainland would be re-opened forthwith to enable free movement of people and materials from either side.

The PMK leader said the step would help mitigate the sufferings of Tamils.He also urged the Prime Minister that the Union Government should mount all-out pressure on the Rajapakse Government and ensure that the crucial Highway was opened well before the Lankan President’s visit to India.The Prime Minister, who is enjoying the support of the international community, should swing into action to put an end to the increasing misery of the Lankan Tamils, Ramadoss said.Meanwhile, in a statement here, Ramadoss said Mayors of the six Corporations in Tamil Nadu should boycott the first day of the convention of Mayors from Asian countries, which would be inaugurated by Rajapakse.The State Government should officially announce that the Mayors from Tamil Nadu would not take part in the convention, as a mark of protest against the Lankan Government and to express their moral support for the Lankan Tamils

The Navy yesterday destroyed another LTTE arms vessel off Kudiramalai in the Kalpitiya seas along with eight cadres on board, the military claimed.“The Navy successfully thwarted yet another LTTE attempt to smuggle in a large stock of arms to the country,” military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said.He said a Naval Craft on routine patrol off Thalaimannar detected an LTTE logistic craft around 4 pm some 40 nautical miles away from the shore near the Indian maritime border. He said though the sailors signalled it to stop to inspect and investigate the large trawler, similar to an Indian fishing trawler, the vessel had not heeded the orders forcing the Navy to fire at it using heavy calibre guns.He said the all occupants of the suspicious vessel were believed to be killed as the trawler exploded with a huge sound. “We believe the vessel was carrying a large stock of weapons, explosives and ammunition as it exploded with a big sound soon after the navy fire,” Brigadier Samarasinghe said.“This incident clearly proves that the Tigers are continuously focused on strengthening their military capacities, contrary to their claims and also violating the ceasefire agreement,” he charged.Two weeks ago the navy destroyed an LTTE’s logistics vessel that was unloading weapons at the Sand Bank off the Mannar seas.

TNA Parliamentarians on Monday paid their last respect to Laxman, the body guard of Raviraj. Laxman was killed along with the assassination of TNA Parliamentarian Raviraj by unidentified gunman. TNA Parliamentarian visited Laxman’s residence in Gampaha and expressed their sympathy and condolence to the members of the family of Laxman. Mavai Senathirajah,TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan, T.Sivanesan, Pathmini Sitharmbaranathan and T.Thuralratnasingam were the TNA Parliamentarians who paid their last respect. TELO Central committee member and Attorney- at -law N.Srikantha also accompanied them.

The regular lifestyle of many eastern areas became virtually standstill yesterday after a major hartal programme had been organised to protest against the killing of TNA MP Nadaraja Raviraj and the attack against IDP camp in Vakarai.In Ampara district the hartal was confined to the main surrounding areas of Kalmunai, Akkaraipattu and Thirukkovil throughout yesterday, except Ampara town. HQI Kalmunai police W C Wijethilake told Daily Mirror all shops in Kalmunai town were closed during the day. Many shops belonging to Tamil nationals located in surrounding areas were also closed while some shops belonging to Muslims remained open.Government offices plus schools were also closed yesterday with hardly any public transportation except buses operated regularly and bound for Batticaloa.It was reported that leaflets demanding the closure of shops on tomorrow and the day after had been distributed on Monday night by unidentified groups.

However, a group believed to have been backed by Karuna fraction had forced people to open shops and especially to operate the private bus service despite the hartal. An incident in Kalawanchikudi had been reported to the police where an unidentified group had threatened to run the Kalmunai – Batticaloa bus service as usual, HQI Wijethilake said.He said the hartal might remain today as well. Alayadiwembu in Akkaraipattu also experienced the hartal, where government offices and Tamil establishments were closed and transport services were at standstill. Meanwhile in Batticaloa, people in surrounding areas of Kattankudi, Vellaveli and Kalawanchikudi experienced the hartal programme yesterday. Tamil National Council and Tamil students’ organisations jointly called a hartal in protest against both killing of MP Raviraj and the slaughter of civilians at the IDP camp. Routine public operations came to a standstill except in Batticaloa town where shops were kept open, with transport operating regularly. In Vavuniya and Trincomalee no hartal programme was seen though public participation in daily chores was significantly poor.

Tamil People Force (TPF), a civic organization in Trincomalee, appealed to the district residents to observe three day general shut down commencing from Wednesday condemning the killing of TNA parliamentarian Mr.Nadarajah Raviraj in Colombo and killing nearly sixty five Tamil civilians including children in Vaharai in Batticaloa, sources in east port town said.TPF has appealed to all communities to close all government offices, schools and business establishments during these three days.The general shut down would come to an end on November 17th, TPF said in a press release.

Tamil workers shunned work Tuesday in the central Sri Lanka, and a complete shut down was observed in all the up-country towns, as a mark of protest against the assassination of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Raviraj and the Vaharai killings of Internally Displaced People (IDPs), Hatton sources said. P. Chandrasegaran, Minister and the leader of Up-country People's Front (UPF) organised the protest. Shops were closed and white flags were flown in the hill country towns of Hatton, Talawakella, Bogawanthalawa, Akarapthana, and Diyagama.Auto and mini-bus drivers took part in the protest and the shops in Nuwareliya, Kanthapalai and Ragala areas are to shut down to support the protest Tuesday afternoon.Tamil estate workers of Ratnapura and Pusselawa areas abstained from work participating in the protest."Hill country workers are proud to have been able to show their solidarity, amidst their own economic sufferings," Chandrasekaran said.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international media monitoring organisation has deemed Sri Lanka extremely unsafe for journalists in its 2006 Annual Report. "The dormant war between security forces and the LTTE has had harmful consequences for the safety of journalists, particularly Tamils. Murders, arrests, threats and bombings have again become the daily lot for many reporters, particularly in the North and East," the report said.Citing the murder of journalist Dharmaretnan Sivaram and TV Presenter Relangi Selvarajah as prime examples, the report stated following the arrest of just one ‘suspect’ the Sivaram case had been swept under the carpet."Violence between Tamil factions, sometimes manipulated by the security forces, has had particularly bloody results. The renowned Tamil journalist Dharmaretnam Sivaram ‘Taraki,’ head of the news website TamilNet and editorialist in the Daily Mirror, was gunned down in Colombo in April. After arresting one suspect, police abandoned the investigation," the report said.RSF further highlighted the burning of the Leader press in October last year and the labeling of The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickremetunga as a "Terrorist" by extremist elements."The most independent media have not been spared. In October, arsonists attacked the printers of the press group publishing The Sunday Leader and Irudina, near Colombo. A few weeks earlier, an ultra-nationalist leftist deputy, a member of the coalition government, called the editor of The Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickremetunge a ‘terrorist,’" the report said.

Thousands of people joined a march in Colombo yesterday to protest the slaying of TNA Jaffna District Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj and demanded the government and the Tamil Tigers halt renewed violence.Shouting "Don't kill Tamils" and waving banners that read "Stop Crimes against humanity" and "Shame," some 3,500 supporters of the non-partisan National Anti-War Front, a host of political parties, human rights groups, trade unions and other organizations accompanied the coffin of Tamil MP Nadarajah Raviraj, who was killed on Friday.The coffin was taken from the AF Raymond’s Funeral Parlour to the Vihara Maha Devi Park via Horton Place, though the earlier plan was to hold the rally at Town Hall..“This is to show our sympathy. We should eliminate this kind of killing from society,” said human rights activist Nimalka Fernando.More than 1000 police officers were deployed in a security net covering Colombo yesterday to meet a possible tense situation arising from the protest rally.

Colombo DIG Pujitha Jayasundara said security was beefed up as police received information that some groups were planning to create disturbances in the city during the protest. An additional 2000 policemen were brought to the city from the outstations as a precaution while well equipped riot squads were also placed on alert.In addition several roads in the area were closed to facilitate the maintenance of law and order. Mr. Jayasundara said the Anti War Front was told to hold the rally at Vihara Mahadevi Park instead of the Colombo Municipal Grounds for security reasons.UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said the struggle for peace could not be defeated by killing people like the slain TNA MP while Dr. Rajitha Senaratne charged that the rally was held despite attempts by some extremist forces to prevent it from being held.

New Left Front Leader Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne said the killing was carried out by extremist forces who sent a signal to the President that they were prepared to take up violence if he adopted a peaceful solution to the national question. Deputy Minister Dilan Perera who joined procession despite the government not being invited, said he participated because of his love for democracy. “Anyone who loves democracy should have joined this procession and say no to guns and violence,” he said.

Investigators are following clues from telephone calls received by Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Nadaraja Raviraj in the days prior to his assassination, police sources said yesterday (13).Three suspects are being grilled by sleuths, but police are keeping mum on their identities. Police said they were confident of getting to the bottom of the killing and bringing the assassinators to book. Police said they were also checking the telephone calls made by and to Raviraj’s driver, who too may have been killed if he had not taken leave on that fateful day.The driver was a very popular person among those who had worked for the parliamentarian and the family had a good word for him, police said. Police are questioning a number of others who had connections with the parliamentarian and they believe that Raviraj’s movements had been monitored for sometime by the killers.Meanwhile, shops in the Fort and Pettah put up shutters at noon yesterday as a mark of respect to the slain parliamentarian.

Rise As World Tamil Leader! -- Appeal to Karunanithy in Uthayan Editorial a Tamil daily, based in Jaffna

International community and India which mistakenly viewed the Tamil national struggle as terrorism, now see it in the right perspective. The recent response of India and the international community makes us believe so.The international community has made it clear that the excuses given by the Sri Lankan government regarding the attacks on the refugees are not acceptable. America has expressed grave concern over the attack on the refugees in Vaharai. The European Union including India has expressed great shock and condemned the attack. The UN has condemned this attack. The facilitator Norway is disturbed over these deaths. In India there have been waves of protest. In India all political parties have to respond to these shock waves in India.

Kalaignar Karunanithy has assumed power as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after an interval of five years. Earlier, on two occasions his supposed involvement in the Sri Lankan Tamil problem cost him his position as Chief Minister. His recent stand-off was understandable. But, since the atrocities of the Sinhala government have triggered off waves of shock and sympathy among the people in Tamil Nadu, he is compelled to act. He has stated that India could not watch the Tamil problem patiently any more and that the time has come for India to act. The situation in Sri Lanka has so worsened that Karunanithy himself had to raise the matter with the central government. Due to the escalation of atrocities against the Tamil people in Sri Lanka, he has gone to the extent of persuading India to voice against the Lankan government.

Time has come to the Tamil community all over the world to pose the same question to Karunanithy himself. Tamils rightfully make this demand since he is not merely the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu but an acknowledged leader of the Tamils all over the world. The minority government in the centre depends on the support of regional political parties like the DMK and leaders like Karunanithy for continuing in power. He is, therefore, in an unenviable position to exert pressure on the centre for right and fair action. We feel that such a remark alone from Karunanithy is adequate enough to persuade the central government to act. He should have made a stronger plea to New Delhi.

It is by engaging earnestly and associating himself with the righteousness in the cause of the Lankan Tamils that Karunanithy can prove his mettle as the accredited leader of the International Tamil community. We appeal to Kalaignar Karunanithy in all earnestness to rise with greater determination, greater will and with the dignity of the Tamil nation in mind and act swiftly in making meaningful contribution in salvaging the Eelam Tamils from the present quagmire.

At least 20 persons were feared dead when their vehicles were caught in a massive earthslip in Pussellawa on Sunday night. Police and rescuers have recovered four bodies together with two cabs, two vans and a lorry from the debris. Police say that at least 20 others are trapped under the huge earth mound which fell on the five vehicles while plying on the Gampola-Nuwara-Eliya road in Pussellawa. Earthslips and floods triggered by heavy monsoonal rains in the past few days have also displaced around 300 families in several parts of the country. Among the dead is the Deputy Post Master of the Central Province. A special police team has been deployed to clear the debris and recover the remaining bodies.

Disaster Management Centre Director General Gamini Hettiarachchi said that 300 families in Puttalam and a few other districts have also been affected by floods and landslides. Twenty five families in Godakanda in the Ratnapura district and 15 families in the Balangoda area have been evacuated since the areas are vulnerable to earthslips. "It is not a severe flood situation. But we have already allocated funds and directed the district and divisional secretaries to provide relief to the affected people," he said. A flood and landslide threat has arisen in several parts of the country as heavy inter monsoon rains continued to lash a number of areas including the Badulla, Kurunegala and Hambantota districts.

Train operations on the Colombo-Badulla Main railway line have been restricted to Hatton owing to several earthslips along the line. "There have been obstructions at three places between Hatton-Kotagala, Demodara-Hali-ela and Ella-Heeloya due to earthslips," the Railway Main Control Room said. According to the Irrigation Department, many reservoirs in the Ampara, Badulla, Hambantota, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Puttalam districts had started to spill over by yesterday while the water level of the Kelani ganga had also increased, causing the risk of a mild flood. Among the reservoirs which had started to spill over are the Rajangana tank in Ampara, Kande-Ela, Mapakada and Sorabora Wewa in the Badulla district, Debarawewa, Mavuara, Ridiyagama and Weerawila reservoirs in the Hambantota district and the Atharagallewa, Bathalegoda and Palukadawala tanks in the Kurunegala district.

"The Handapanagala reservoir in Moneragala and the Thabbowa tank in Puttalam had also started to spill yesterday while the Hakwatuna, Kimbulwana, Magalle and Inginimitiya reservoirs and the Tissa wewa have reached spill level," a Department spokesman said. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department predicted that the rainy weather will continue till December with normal and heavy rains during this period. Rainy conditions will prevail in the central hill country and other parts of Sri Lanka. "The special feature of this inter monsoon season is the occurrence of thunder and lightning in the evenings. Sometimes, it may rain heavily while mild disturbances could also develop", Meteorological Department Deputy Director S. H. Kariyawasam told the Daily News.

Sri Lanka youth 'seized to fight'

Elements in the Sri Lankan military are helping a breakaway rebel faction to abduct children as soldiers to fight Tamil Tiger rebels, the UN has said. A senior UN official said there was "credible evidence" that troops had rounded up children to fight with the renegade rebel group led by Col Karuna. His faction split from the Tamil Tigers, long accused of using children. Sri Lankan security forces say they are "perturbed" by the "completely misleading" allegations. A Karuna spokesman also denied the allegations, saying his group merely offered protection to children fleeing fighting with the rival Tamil Tigers.

But Allan Rock, a special adviser to the UN representative for children and armed conflict, said government forces had forcibly rounded up young Tamil children to fight with Col Karuna's group. "We encountered both direct and indirect evidence of... complicity and participation," he said of the government security services. The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra, in Colombo, says the allegation, the first of its kind made by the UN against the Sri Lankan military, follows a 10-day fact-finding mission. The army has long denied allegations that it actively supports the efforts of the rebel faction led by Col Karuna, following his split from the Tamil Tigers in 2004.

Mr Rock spoke of 13 and 14-year-old children being kidnapped from villages, and no arrests or investigation being carried out by the security forces. He said there was both eyewitness and anecdotal evidence to back up his claims. In a statement the Sri Lankan Armed forces said Mr Rock's claims that government troops were actively involved in the recruitment of child soldiers were "regrettable". "Security forces... vehemently deny having any involvement whatsoever with the LTTE breakaway group for abductions in Batticaloa." Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has promised a full investigation into the allegations. Mr Rock said the fact that Sri Lankan troops were complicit in the recruitment of child soldiers meant that Tamil Tiger rebels would continue to do so, as it corroded the rule of law. At least 2,000 people have been killed in violence this year in Sri Lanka, the military and ceasefire monitors say. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of the country, and claim that ethnic Tamils have suffered decades of discrimination at the hands of Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority.

International community must act !-Thinakkural Editorial a Tamil daily,based in Colombo

“We want the world to know the truth and the reality in Sri Lanka. We appeal to the international community not to be silent over the deaths of innocent civilians” This was the voice of Parliamentarian Raviraj opposite the Colombo office of the UNO. But within 24 hours, this voice was silenced. He was assassinated in broad day light on a busy road surrounded by check points in the city of Colombo in the high security zone. Abductions, disappearances and other acts of violence take place in Colombo although the city of Colombo is on high alert. People express concern whether the government machinery has lost its control over the affairs of the State. It is discussed at the international level that the law and order must be maintained in Sri Lanka. International human rights organizations have offered to extend their support to the government to ensure human and democratic rights. But forces who are not inclined to observing human rights wield great influence. The political forces in the south reject all such international offers and argue that they have adequate resources locally. Therefore, the international community must not confine itself to issuing statements and expressing shock. It must act and act fast.

A JVP delegation met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday to discuss the current political and security situation and the upcoming budget, party sources said.They said during the meeting that lasted for about two hours that the President had assured the JVP that its proposals would also be considered when preparing the budget.Ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mangala Samaraweera, Susil Premjayantha, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Dallas Alahapperuma and Finance Ministry Secretary P.B. Jayasundara represented the government side while the JVP was represented by its General Secretary Tilvin Silva, Parliamentarians Wimal Weerawansa, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and K.D. Lal Kantha.

A Voice for democracy stifled---Virakesari Editorial a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

A democrat has been silenced. Ravi Raj, who cried for justice along with his TNA Parliamentary colleagues opposite the UNO office in Colombo, was assassinated on Friday(November 10th). After having pleaded for the massacred Vaharai Tamil refugees over a private Television, he paid the price of his dear life. It has become customary in this land to silence those who support Tamil Nationalism, who voice for Tamil nationalism and struggle for Tamil nationalism. Tamils have lost one who championed the cause of his people. Earlier Tamils lost Josef Pararajasingam, a Parliamentarian who voiced the cause of Tamil nationalism. Tamil people have lost Sivaram, Nadesan, Suhirthrajan, Nimalarajan and others who penned for the cause of Tamil nationalism. But, the perpetrators of these killings have not been found and brought to book. All the killings have been branded as killings by unidentified gunmen. The question before the Tamil people is how many more are to be sniffed away by the guns of unidentified men. President Rajapakse who has expressed shock has ordered for an investigation and sought the assistance of Britain for the investigation. President and his government have a great responsibility to bring to light how this assassination took place in the city of Colombo in the high security zone.

A special team from the Epidemiology unit has been sent to Ampara to investigate the viral fever that is fast spreading in the area.The team is headed by the senior consultant Dr. Ananda Samarasinghe.The team left Colombo yesterday to carry out a full scale investigation after gathering relevant data on the disease."We will take necessary preventive measures to curb the spread of the fever", Director Epidemiology Unit Dr. Nihal Abeysinghe said.Apart from patients in Ampara, over 50 patients are treated for viral fever at the Kalmunai hospital.

All shops, schools, banks, public and private institutions remained closed and all transport ceased for the third day Monday as residents of Vavuniya district observed complete shut down condemning the assassination of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Jaffna Parliamentarian Raviraj and in protest against the Sri Lanka government's (GoSL) economic embargo on the Jaffna peninsula by the closure of A9 landroute.The shut down came in response to a call, made by an organisation called Tamil National Forces, to observe complete shut down in Vavuniya district for three days.Meanwhile, Vavuniya police said that unknown armed men had attacked Sunday night the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in the Sector 15 area on the Vavuniya-Chettikulam-Mannar road with mortar fire seriously injuring two SLA troopers. The two injured troopers were rushed to Anuradapura hospital. Around 40 mortar shells were fired in the attack which lasted for an hour, the police said. The attack took place near the Kallaru bridge on the Mathawadchi-Mannar road.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe held one to one talks last evening on the implementation of the SLFP-UNP MoU and the present security situation in the country. The meeting was held cordially for more than one hour, and the two leaders are expected to meet again soon to discuss the matter further. The MoU signed between the two parties will mark its first month next week, but the country is yet to see any progress from it.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
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The National Anti War Front along with a host of political parties will take to the streets of Colombo today to hold a mass protest rally against the assassination of TNA Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj.It has planned to go in a procession with the coffin of the slain Parliamentarian’s remains from the Barney Raymond Funeral Parlour, Borella to the Town Hall where the mass rally is scheduled to be held at 2 p.m.Kumar Rupasinghe told journalists yesterday that Raviraj was a parllaimentarian who touched the hearts of the people of the North and East as well as the people in the South both Sinhalese and Muslims. “We will tell the world that we will not tolerate this culture of violence,” he said.

UNP Parliamentarian Rajitha Senarathna said late Raviraj was a lovable character in Parliament and that though he stood for the rights of the Tamil people, he stood for the rights of all the people even of the South.He said when they organised a campaign in support of S.B. Dissanayake, Raviraj came forward and took part actively and when a massive rally was held at Puttalam against the chasing out of Muslims from North and East, he came forward and took part in it too.TNA Leader R. Sampanthan said Raviraj was committed to democracy and never tolerated injustice in any sector. He said he spoke for and worked for his community and that he was a mild person looking from a democratic perspective. CWC Vice President R. Yogarajan said it was in the recent past, that North East politicians who were vocal had become targets and that this brutality should be stopped.

He urged the government to punish the culprits. New Left Front leader Dr. Wickremabhahu Karunaratne said Raviraj stood for the liberation of Tamil people and freedom of the Tamil Homeland.Dr. Nimalka Fernando of the Women’s Alliance for Peace and Democracy blamed the government for the assassination saying it happened in a high security area.“This is a blow to the democratic and good governance of the country and a step back from a political and peaceful solution to the ethnic conflict,” she said. Western People’s front leader Parliamentarian Mano Ganeshan, Upcountry People’s Front Parliamentarian P. Radhakrishnan, Mr. Nagendran of the Sri Lanka Communist Party, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Parliamentarian K.A. Baiz and Sarath Manamendra of Nava Sihala Urumaya too were at the media briefing. Meanwhile, police announced due to the planned procession the stretch of road from Raymond Funeral parlour, Borella, through Maradana, Deans Road, Ibbanwela junction, Lipton Circus to Town hall will be closed from 2 pm. today.

Police, investigating Friday’s assassination of TNA MP Nadaraja Raviraj, yesterday recorded the statement of the slain politician’s driver.He said he took leave with the MP’s permission. "I haven’t taken leave for sometime and decided to take a couple of days off," he had told investigators. Police had also questioned the driver of the three wheeler hired by the assassin to reach the scene of the attack. According to his statement, he had not seen the suspect before and denied any involvement. The gunman had fired at the MP’s vehicle and immediately got onto a motor cycle and fled towards Narahenpita. The assassin had cleverly hidden his weapon in a travelling bag. According to investigators, he had not taken the T 56 out of the bag but fired the weapon using the