It is not a time for lots of words. Silent machine of development meets its schedules ahead of time with little or no noise. It is time to cherish the moments, accolade the work and hope for better. And be proud as Sri Lankans.
Maagampura harbour :
Initial stage completed
Mattala airport
Planned
New Colombo City
Being completed.
Entire road network being developed.
Southern high speed highway
Cheers for the great spirit!
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63 comments:
Sujeewa,
Yes, Indeed .. development proceeds apace.
Not only that, many highways and bridges were completed. The new Government Administration Complex at Magampura is ready to be declared open.
A new fish market complex was opened in Paliyagoda, and a new 10MW Wind Power plant is in operation in Puttalam.
Sri Lanka will prosper in the years ahead, sustained by indomitable indestructible patriotism.
Sujeewa,
I added your three videos, and two more videos on road development to your timely post.
No compromising Sri Lanka sovereignty for trade concessions
August 16, 2010
Sri Lankan government would never agree to barter its sovereignty for trade concessions to European Union (EU), a senior minister said Colombo Sunday.
"We are an independent and sovereign nation and we maintain our relations with all countries based on those principles", Dinesh Gunawardena, chief government Whip and Minister of Water Supplies, said.
Gunawardena was reacting to EU's decision to scrap the trade concession known as GSP+ with effect from Sunday August 15.
Sri Lankan exports were allowed in to EU nations under preferred tariff rates under the GSP+ scheme.
In February, the EU gave Sri Lanka six months to improve its Human Rights and Labour Rights regime.
Sri Lanka however was objecting to the move as the EU intervention was an interference in Sri Lanka's internal affairs.
Sri Lanka refused to even negotiate with the EU to keep the trade concessions which are vital to the island's apparel export industry, a major foreign exchange earner to the island.
The government maintains that Sri Lankan industry would be able to withstand the loss.
Source: Xinhua
Where is that Eelamist who was posting daily predictions here of Sri Lanka's imminent ECONOMIC Collapse?
LoL!
............
Sri Lanka’s FX spurts to $5.8b
August 16, 2010
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves have risen to a record $5.8 billion due to higher aid and investment flows, according to the head of the central bank’s economic research department.
“We have recently been buying dollars in the market amid inflows to government projects and portfolio investments,” K.D. Ranasinghe said in a telephone interview from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in Colombo. “There will be a further build up in reserves with exports continuing to recover.”
Remittances by Sri Lankans working abroad are forecast to rise by as much as 14 per cent in 2010 from a year earlier, helping boost reserves, Ranasinghe said. Sri Lanka’s exports rose 15.1 per cent to $620 million in May, the fourth straight month of gains.
The end of almost three decades of civil war in May 2009 has restored investor confidence and attracted foreign funds to the South Asian island, helping make Colombo’s benchmark stock index the world’s best performer this year after Mongolia, according to Bloomberg data.
The International Monetary Fund on June 28 approved the release of about $408 million to Sri Lanka under a $2.45 billion aid package that’s also boosted the island’s reserves.
Ranasinghe said an IMF mission is currently in Sri Lanka to review its loan program and for annual Article 4 consultations.
“We have met our end-June targets,” Ranasinghe said, referring to goals set by the IMF for its aid package that include the level of reserves.
What? Tiger Nominated Agents (TNA) NOT INVITED by other Tamil Parties?
Just as well .. it will be difficult to attend any political meetings when they are FINALLY IMPRISONED for their TREASONOUS ACTIVITIES in the last 30 years!
...............
Sri Lanka Tamil political parties to discuss and lobby for Tamil people's issues
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 16, Colombo: A group of Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka have formed an alliance to discuss and lobby for issues related to the Tamil community in the country.
These Tamil parties include TMVP, EPDP, and TULF. The major party Tamil National Alliance (TNA) however has not been invited for the discussions.
The Tamil political parties following a discussion during the weekend in Batticaloa have decided to submit several requests to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The issues related to the Tamil people in the country, include the implementation of the 13th Amendment and the release of Tamil political prisoners.
TNA General Secretary, Mavai Senathirajah told the local media that while the party has not received any invitation to participate in any discussion organized by Tamil political parties, the TNA is yet to decide on it.
Senathirajah has said it would be discussed after TNA Leader R. Sampanthan returns to the country from India.
Thanks ananda. there are heaps more. in East and North too. In fact most of them dont even reach the media that well. Sometimes we happen to know when opposition build up their jealous remarks that actually such a great work was done.
Fighting pussycats is gonna be a game
Ayiyo. This was my idea then [if you remember]. In fact I suggested that in teh game you can choose either side, pussycats or SLDF. While most ppl play as SLDF, the western mental asylums can use the pussycat play version to heal the gone-mad dollar-a-day idiots who were expected to join the asylums in great numbers.
Copyright is mine :)
hello...
where is everyone?
I thot entire SL was liberated. Well, not teh Madu region. The "crossed-tiger" still lives at large.
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මඩු දේවස්ථාන භූමියේ පොලිසියේ
රාජකාරිය පූජකවරු පවරාගෙන
දිනසේන රතුගමගේ
මඩු දේවස්ථානය වන්දනා කිරීමට ගිය බැතිමතුන්ගේ ගමන්මලු පරීක්ෂා කිරිමේ කටයුතු සඳහා කතෝලික පූජකවරු පිරිසක් යොදවා සිටීම පිළිබඳව පොලිසිය හා කිතුණු බැතිමතුන් සිය අප්රසාදය පළ කොට සිටිති.
මඩු වන්දනාවට සහභාගි වූ පිරිස් මත්පැන් රැගෙන මඩු ශුද්ධ භූමියට ඇතුළුවීම වළක්වා ගැනීම පිණිස යෑයි කියමින් කතෝලික පූජකවරුන් පිරිසක් බැතිමතුන්ගේ ගමන්මලු පරීක්ෂා කිරීමේ කාර්යයේ නිරත වී තිබේ.
මඩු වාර්ෂික මංගල්යයට පෙර පැවැත්වුණු සෑම සාකච්ඡාවකදීම පොලිසිය ආරක්ෂාව හා මත්පැන් රැගෙන යැම වැළැක්වීමට පියවර ගන්නා බවට මඩු දේවස්ථානයේ පියතුමන්ලාට සහතික වී ඇතත් මඩු මංගල්යය ආරම්භවීමත් සමගම කතෝලික පූජකවරුන් බැතිමතුන්ගේ වාහන හා ගමන්මලු පරීක්ෂා කිරීමට පෙළඹීම පොලිසියේ සේවය හෑල්ලුවට ලක් කිරීමක් ලෙස පොලිසිය පෙන්වා දෙයි. පොලිසිය සිය රාජකාරිය නිසි ලෙස ඉටු කරද්දී පූජකවරුන් එම කාර්යයට අත ගැසීම පිළිබඳව කතෝලික බැතිමත්තු ඔවුන්ගේ අප්රසාදය පළකොට සිටිති.
Eelamists attack playstation blog
Sujeewa,
Wow! Hunting Tiger Terrorists now in Video-Game Space!
LRRP wins the day!
LoL!
'6000 soldiers killed' in war
By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo
August 17, 2010
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
Mr. Rajapaksa says thousands of LTTE cadres were also killed
The man who oversaw Sri Lanka's defeat of the Tamil Tiger or LTTE rebels last year has said he believes more than 6,000 of the guerrillas were killed in the final stage of the fighting.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that international critics of the Sri Lankan government tend to confuse rebel deaths with civilian ones.
The controversial and powerful defence secretary and brother to the president was testifying before a commission set up to examine the war's final years.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, widely seen as the mastermind of the war victory, gave a robust response to allegations that have dogged the Sri Lankan government and military over the conduct of the campaign – for instance, a report by the thinktank, the International Crisis Group, alleging that their actions killed tens of thousands of civilians.
Rebel resurgence
Mr Rajapaksa rejected this, saying that in fact the army suffered 6,000 deaths and 30,000 injuries in the war's final stages and, he believed, the LTTE sustained as many casualties.
"If the army suffered that much of casualties because of the fighting, at least the same amount of casualties you can expect from the LTTE as well," he said.
"I am sure it is much more because the firepower of the government forces is much more."
The critics, he said, were confusing rebel deaths with civilian ones, which the military had sought to minimise.
Speaking calmly, and repeatedly passing the commissioners dossiers of information, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said it was the Tigers who had killed innocent people by shooting at them as they tried to flee.
1983 racial riots
He also denied recent reports that permanent housing for army personnel and their families was being built in northern Sri Lanka – something which Tamil MPs claim is being done to change the area’s ethnic make-up.
He said the military would continue, in his words, to “dominate the jungles” there and prevent a rebel resurgence.
But at the very end of his submission to the panel, Mr. Rajapaksa indicated that he and the government are still highly suspicious of people in the north who, they allege, may still harbour sympathy for the LTTE.
"And they are still – the worst category is that, who may be still having the same LTTE ideologies and have been brainwashed for so many years," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the panel.
Government servants 'brainwashed'
"It can include some of the government servants. So this is another danger that we have seen – people who have not surrendered or [been] identified."
Before it heard from the defence secretary, the Commission heard from Mangala Moonesinghe, the former Sri Lankan high commissioner to both Britain and India.
He said he believed “terrorism” in Sri Lankan had not arisen in a vacuum and had been a response to pogroms and killings carried out against Tamil people by organised mobs, sometimes backed by politicians.
"These people did no harm. Their houses were destroyed, their children were killed, their husbands were killed. So – who started terrorism? It was we," Mr. Moonesinghe said.
"And then – gradually naturally the youth went into terrorism, Tamil youth in the north, and in order to suppress that it was harshly brought down. Until the 1983 riots took place, when it took another form," he added.
LTTE killed TN fishermen to precipitate conflict between India and Sri Lanka.
No TN fishermen being killed now say's TN Fishermen's Federation.
................
TN fishermen safe after LTTE’s defeat
Chamikara Weerasinghe
August 17, 2010
The killing of Tamil Nadu fishermen has stopped in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Sri Lanka after the LTTE’s defeat, Tamil Nadu Fishermens’ Federation(TFF) President R. Anbazhagan said.
Over 450 Tamil Nadu fishermen engaged in fishing near the Sri Lanka’s Maritime Boundaries, had died due to LTTE attacks, he said.
“But we do not have that problem anymore since peace has been established in Sri Lanka by the President of Sri Lanka,” he added.
Anbazhagan made this observation when he called on Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratna on Friday with 15 representatives from the Tamil Nadu Federation of Fishing Societies, to discuss problems faced by Tamil Nadu deep sea fishermen in Sri Lankan seas.
TFF General Secretary S. Govindarajul said, although there is no danger posed against Tamil Nadu fishermen after LTTE’ s defeat, the fishermen of Tamil Nadu have become upset in the wake of four deaths of Tamil Nadu fishermen while they were fishing in the Sri Lankan sea.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Government has released all Sri Lankan fishermen held in their custody for trespassing in Indian territorial waters following talks with Minister Senaratna last month.
The Joint Intelligence Committee(JIC) of the Indian Government has released 57 Sri Lankan fishermen and 11 fishing boats belonging in Indian custody. Of them 21 fishermen and four fishing vessels are due to arrive in Sri Lanka this week, said Fisheries Ministry sources. Fisheries Minister Dr. Senaratna addressing the Tamil Nadu delegation said , he accepts that the fishermen of Tamil Nadu were klilled at sea by LTTE terrorist attacks prior to their the (LTTE) being subdued by the Government.
“But I cannot accept that four fishermen had died during past few months,”he said.
“We have received reports of attack on Tamil Nadu fishermen during the time of the LTTE, but not after that,” he pointed out.
There is reportedly one death of a fisherman after the LTTE’s defeat, the Minister said.
The Minister told Tamil Nadu Fisheries representatives that the ministry will send a team from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu to discuss problems affecting Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan fishermen and added that it is essential to maintain friendly-ties between India and Sri Lanka at all times.
Ghost Recon Predator video game fights Sri Lanka's war
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 17, Colombo: Ghost Recon Predator, latest video game from the Ubisoft, a French educational software and video game publishing and distribution company takes the players to Sri Lanka's jungles to fight the terrorists in hiding.
In the game, players will lead their elite squads on the hunt for terrorists in the jungles of Sri Lanka. Deep behind enemy lines, players' missions will be primarily taking out the insurgents before the situation gets out of hand.
Ubisoft further details that players will encounter the enemy on his own ground where he'll know the terrain better, has more allies, knows where to hide and where to attack.
The game is to be released in a month by September 30.
India's rising clout worries China as it builds military might: US report
Washington, Aug 17 (IANS) China remains concerned about strategic ramifications of India's rising economic, political, and military power even as it quickly modernises its own military, according to a new US defence department report.
With sights set on extending its influence deep into the Pacific and Indian oceans, the People's Liberation Army is advancing across the board commensurate with China's burgeoning economic power, said Pentagon's annual report to Congress on China's military Monday.
'To improve regional deterrence, the PLA has replaced older liquid-fuelled, nuclear capable CSS-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles with more advanced and survivable solid-fuelled CSS-5 MRBMs and may be developing contingency plans to move airborne troops into the region,' the report said.
'China is currently investing in road development along the Sino-Indian border primarily to facilitate economic development in western China,' it said noting 'improved roads would also support PLA border defence operations.
The 83-page report, 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China' noted 'China has deepened its ties with India through increased trade, high-level dialogues, and an improved military-to-military relationship.'
'China and India agreed to boost trade from $11.4 billion in 2007 to $40 billion in 2010, and they have held several rounds of dialogue over disputed territorial claims.
'Sino-Indian Defence ties were institutionalised in 2007 with the establishment of an Annual Defence Dialogue and by conducting three bilateral Defence exercises since 2007.'
'Nonetheless, Beijing remains concerned with persistent disputes along China's shared border with India and the strategic ramifications of India's rising economic, political, and military power,' the Pentagon said.
'Despite increased political and economic relations over the years between China and India, tensions remain along their shared 4,057 km border, most notably over Arunachal Pradesh, which China asserts is part of Tibet and therefore of China, and over the Askai Chin region at the western end of the Tibetan Plateau,' the report said.
Suggesting both countries in 2009 stepped up efforts to assert their claims, the report recalled 'China tried to block a $2.9 billion loan to India from the Asian Development Bank, claiming part of the loan would have been used for water projects in Arunachal Pradesh (India's northeastern state bordering China).'
'This represented the first time China sought to influence this dispute (China lays claims to Arunachal Pradesh) through a multilateral institution,' it said.
India's rising clout worries China as it builds military might: US report
....continued.....
Turning to China's cyberwarfare capabilities, the report noted 'In March 2009, Canadian researchers uncovered an electronic spy network, apparently based mainly in China, which had reportedly infiltrated Indian and other nations' government offices around the world. More than 1,300 computers in 103 countries were identified.'
Listing numerous areas in which China's military is on the march, the report said China is developing and fielding large numbers of advanced medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles and deploying a new class of nuclear-powered submarines equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles.
It is also pouring money into 'increasingly capable long-range air Defence systems, electronic warfare and computer network attack capabilities, advanced fighter aircraft, and counter-space systems.'
China has 'the most active land-based ballistic and cruise missile programme in the world,' the report said. Beijing 'now possesses one of the largest' forces of surface-to-air missiles in the world, it added. And it has the 'largest force of principal combatants, submarines, and amphibious warfare ships in Asia.'
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
Sri Lanka asks Canada to share intelligence on Tamil migrants
Toronto/Colombo, Aug.17 :
Sri Lanka has reportedly urged Canada to share more of its intelligence on human smuggling operation with ties to the Tamil Tigers.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada Chitranganee Wagiswara was quoted by the Globe and Mail as saying in an interview on Monday that there have been "unofficial discussions" with Canadian authorities in recent weeks on the subject, but that more could be done between the two countries.
"There is no deal at the moment. I think exchange of information and intelligence is the key," ," Ms. Wagiswara added.
Canadian officials refused to respond publicly to the Sri Lankan proposal, although Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has said in recent days that the only way to prevent ships from coming to Canada is to stop them before they leave foreign ports.
"Discussions we might or might not be having with Sri Lanka on the issue are privileged, and as such, details about the issue are not something we would make public," said Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Laura Markle.
Tamil groups in Canada responded that Ottawa cannot trust information from Sri Lankan officials, saying the country has been criticized for its human-rights record and is not serving the interests of its Tamil minority.
Ottawa is processing some 500 Tamil refugee claimants who arrived in British Columbia last week, and has raised the possibility that other boats on their way.
Federal officials have discussed changing laws or obtaining greater co-operation from Asian countries to stop the human smugglers, but have said they will not prevent ships from entering Canadian waters for safety reasons.
Beijing bites
DeccanHerald.com
August 10, 2010
“China has entered India’s sphere of influence.”
The Hambantota port project, whose first phase Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa unveiled to the world on Sunday, has the potential to propel the island into a global transshipment hub. Situated on the islands southern tip, Hambantota is just a few nautical miles north of the east-west shipping lane used annually by around 70,000 cargo ships. The port will initially handle 2,500 ships. This capacity will grow manifold with completion of the entire project. Besides a port, a liquefied natural gas refinery, aviation fuel storage facilities, facilities for ship repair and construction, as well as for bunkering and refuelling will come up by 2023. Sri Lanka has moved a step closer towards achieving its long-standing dream of becoming South Asia’s Singapore.
Much of the funding for the $1.5 billion Hambantota project is coming from China. Around 85 per cent of the funding for the first phase has come through a soft loan from Beijing, which has already pledged more money towards the second phase. Hambantota project is now being held up as a symbol of Sino-Sri Lankan relations. Indian security analysts are drawing attention to the implications that the project has for India. Some have pointed that a Chinese naval presence in Hambantota will provide Beijing with one more pearl in its string of pearls strategy. As part of this strategy, China is reportedly building strategic relationships with countries along sea lanes from West Asia to the South China Sea. Its funding of Gwadar port in Pakistan, its robust role in reconstruction of ports in Myanmar and now the Hambantota project must be seen in this context. Colombo has sought to assuage Indian fears by clarifying that China will not be allowed a naval presence. Still Chinese presence so close to India’s southern coast is reason for concern. Hambantota port is among the dozens of high-profile projects in the island that Beijing is involved in.
If China’s presence in the island today is as big as that of India, Delhi has only itself to blame. India could have been the one executing the Hambantota project. After all it was to India that Sri Lanka turned first with the plan. Lethargy and shortsightedness contributed to Delhi turning it down and China snapped up the opportunity. In the process, China has bitten into India’s sphere of influence yet again.
Sri Lankan minister blames opposition members for losing EU's GSP Plus facility
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 17, Colombo: A Sri Lankan minister today blamed the members of the opposition for the loss of European Union's GSP Plus tariff concession.
Minister of Youth Affairs Dullas Alahapperuma told a press conference today that the country lost the GSP Plus trade concession offered to Sri Lanka by the EU since 2005 due to the misleading campaign carried out by the opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe, Mangala Samaraweera and a section of the Tamil Diaspora.
Alahapperuma said the EU started questioning the government about labour rights, human rights and good governance after the "mud slinging campaign" carried out by Wickremasinghe, Samaraweera and certain Tamil groups who are dreaming to establish a Transnational State of Tamil Eelam.
He said the government is not ready to exchange the country's sovereignty, self respect, and integrity for a few millions of Euros.
He also observed that the EU intensified pressure on Sri Lanka and decided to withdraw the trade facility after former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka's controversial "white flag" story that tarnished the image of the security forces and the government.
PROLIFERATING PC BUREAUCRACY Eats into National Wealth!
Provincial Councils are UNNECESSARY in a very small country such as Sri Lanka. They add to the government overhead the people must bear, and create large sub-national entities that could threaten national integrity in the future.
It creates personal fiefdoms for desperate politicians and present hierarchical barriers to ordinary people in getting their needs met.
DISMANTLE PROVINCIAL COUNCILS, and have Districts as the largest administrative units.
The National Parliament and Government is ENOUGH Government!
Empower the National MPs instead!
.................
PC ministers seek better perks
By Ajanatha Kumara Agalakada.
Daily Mirror
August 17, 2010
Provincial Council Ministers have requested the Chief Ministers to enhance facilities and privileges provided to them and place them on par with those in the central government, as Deputy Ministers in the Central Government enjoy similar facilities as enjoyed by the Ministers in terms of personal staff and privileges.
Cabinet Ministers are entitled to a fifteen (15) member personal staff and a few months ago the facilities enjoyed by Deputy Ministers of the Central Government were also enhanced to match that number.
A Provincial Council Minister is entitled to a team of ten including a Private Secretary, a Coordinating Secretary, Public Relations Officer, two Administrative Assistants, two drivers , a Personal Assistant and two office peons. The Provincial Council Ministers have requested that number to be increased to fifteen (15).
However, the Provincial Councils are of the opinion that such an increase shall cause additional costs such as fuel expenses ,telephone bills and salaries in relation to the crisis situations faced by the Provincial Councils. It is also reported that the Provincial Council Ministers have kept on demanding in spite of those complications.
Meanwhile, some Pradeshiya Sabha Chairmen who are also treated on par with Provincial Council Ministers, have started to demand more facilities now, it is reported.
Good Move by the GOSL, as long as it does not drive down prices so much that private vendors cannot make a living.
After all, JOB CREATION is a national goal too!
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Sri Lanka Fisheries Corporation widens sales network to regulate prices
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 18, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Rajitha Senarathna said the Fisheries Corporation will take immediate actions to end the mafia that handles the fish markets in the country.
Accordingly, the number of fish stalls of the Fisheries Corporation is to be raised to 250, the Minister said. He added that a fish stall would be opened in each Coop City, a state-run cooperative network.
The Minister expressed these views addressing the public at the launch of fisheries promotion programme yesterday.
Minister Senarathna established Sri Lanka's first National Fisheries Federation yesterday incorporating all the fishermen belonging to 984 Fisheries Societies in the country.
According to the Minister, Sri Lanka plans to increase the country's fish production by ten percent in the next few years and the new Federation is expected to introduce modern fishing technologies to the fishermen to increase the harvest from a current 341,000 metric tons to 686,000 metric tons by the end of 2013.
Island wide Fisheries Corporation stalls have become a competitive trade network that has great impact on fish prices.
Recently, the Chairman of the United National Party-led Baduraliya Pradeshiya Sabha attacked a mobile fish outlet of the Fisheries Corporation since it sold fish at lower prices than the prices of fish sellers of the tendered local council fish stalls.
Bravo, SLC!
Even though we love our cricketers, RULES and GOOD BEHAVIOUR must be upheld, whatever the cost!
Where HONOUR is lost,
What GAIN remains?
When one great scorer comes,
To play against your name,
It's not whether you won or lost,
But, how you played the game!
..............
Sri Lanka Cricket suspends Randiv for no-ball, forfeits Dilshan's match fee
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 18, Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket irked by the no-ball incident in the third match of the triangular series today suspended the young bowler Suraj Randiv for one match and deprived the veteran batsman Thillakaratne Dilshan of his match fee for his interference in the controversial action.
Reportedly Dilshan has suggested Randiv who has not thrown a single no-ball in the season to throw a no-ball to stop Indian batsman Virendra Sehwag from scoring a century to strand him at 99.
The cricket authority also reprimanded the Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and advised him to ensure that such incidents affecting the spirit of the game will not repeat in the future.
Announcing the decision SLC said it is extremely proud of its team and their achievements over the years and it is of "paramount importance to maintain the discipline of the Gentlemen's game, especially with Sri Lanka Cricket being winners of the 'ICC Spirit of the Game' award for two consecutive years."
"As such Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a stern decision against Suraj Randiv and T M Dilshan, for their actions during the 3rd ODI of the Micromax Tri-Series held on August 16, 2010, between India, in Dambulla, wherein Virender Sehwag was deprived of scoring his century due to the delivery of a no ball by Suraj Randiv," SLC said.
Suraj Randiv has been suspended from the next match against New Zealand on August 19, 2010 and his match fee for the troubled match on August 16, 2010, has been forfeited, SLC announced.
The six-member committee which met this afternoon decided to take disciplinary action against the players on the recommendations of team manager Anura Tennakoon who probed the 'no-ball' controversy.
Sri Lanka Cricket and the team officials apologized to the Indian team and cricket authorities. Randiv personally apologized to Sehwag for depriving him of his well deserved-century. Captain Sangakkara offered his apologies to Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The apologies made the India's team management to declare the whole incident a "closed chapter". India's cricket board BCCI has decided not to pursue the matter any further.
Bravo, SLC!
Even though we love our cricketers, RULES and GOOD BEHAVIOUR must be upheld, whatever the cost!
Where HONOUR is lost,
What GAIN remains?
When one great scorer comes,
To write against your name,
It's not whether you won or lost,
But, how you played the game!
..............
Sri Lanka Cricket suspends Randiv for no-ball, forfeits Dilshan's match fee
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 18, Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket irked by the no-ball incident in the third match of the triangular series today suspended the young bowler Suraj Randiv for one match and deprived the veteran batsman Thillakaratne Dilshan of his match fee for his interference in the controversial action.
Reportedly Dilshan has suggested Randiv who has not thrown a single no-ball in the season to throw a no-ball to stop Indian batsman Virendra Sehwag from scoring a century to strand him at 99.
The cricket authority also reprimanded the Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara and advised him to ensure that such incidents affecting the spirit of the game will not repeat in the future.
Announcing the decision SLC said it is extremely proud of its team and their achievements over the years and it is of "paramount importance to maintain the discipline of the Gentlemen's game, especially with Sri Lanka Cricket being winners of the 'ICC Spirit of the Game' award for two consecutive years."
"As such Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a stern decision against Suraj Randiv and T M Dilshan, for their actions during the 3rd ODI of the Micromax Tri-Series held on August 16, 2010, between India, in Dambulla, wherein Virender Sehwag was deprived of scoring his century due to the delivery of a no ball by Suraj Randiv," SLC said.
Suraj Randiv has been suspended from the next match against New Zealand on August 19, 2010 and his match fee for the troubled match on August 16, 2010, has been forfeited, SLC announced.
The six-member committee which met this afternoon decided to take disciplinary action against the players on the recommendations of team manager Anura Tennakoon who probed the 'no-ball' controversy.
Sri Lanka Cricket and the team officials apologized to the Indian team and cricket authorities. Randiv personally apologized to Sehwag for depriving him of his well deserved-century. Captain Sangakkara offered his apologies to Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The apologies made the India's team management to declare the whole incident a "closed chapter". India's cricket board BCCI has decided not to pursue the matter any further.
WHAT IS THIS?
Is India setting the stage for further Political Inteference geared to creating an ethnic support group in Sovereign Sri Lanka?
Let the GOSL DEFINE what needs to be done in Sri Lanka's North and East, and let India decide whether to FUND IT OR NOT.
Nirupama Rao's view of Indian assistance goes far beyond assistance between sovereign countries, to DIRECT on the ground CONTROL of the North and East.
The GOSL needs to put a stop to this THIN END OF THE INDIAN WEDGE being gradually inserted ONCE AGAIN into Sri Lanka.
The GOSL needs to assert its right to be in charge of development and rehabilitation in our sovereign nation!
Nirupama Rao intones
"We would like to see recreation of that old vision of friendship, affinity that existed across the Palk Strait which had been disrupted by the civil war".
Let us not forget that we Sri Lankans have ALREADY BEAR THE WOUNDS inflicted by this kind of "AFFINITY" before!
This creeping alienation by Foreign Governments and by Foreign NGOs of the Responsibility and Control of ALL activity within the Sri Lanka by the Government ELECTED BY THE Sri Lankan PEOPLE, OF THE Sri Lankan PEOPLE, and FOR THE Sri Lankan PEOPLE should be STOPPED forthwith!
Failure to do so will ultimately result in the gradual emergence of an impotent national government without any influence over its people who will look to foreigners for their survival.
As in the case of Haiti, whose government was undermined and made irrelevant by foreign NGOs infiltrating the country, when disaster strikes, no organized effective government will exist to protect and care for the people.
That is the RESPONSIBILITY of the NATIONAL Government .. and NO OTHER!
..............
Senior Indian official to visit Sri Lanka's conflict areas early next month
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 18, Chennai: India's External Affairs Secretary Nirupama Rao said Wednesday a senior government official will visit Sri Lanka's conflict-affected areas early next month to assess the development needs in the region.
Secretary Rao revealed this to media following a meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chennai today to discuss the Sri Lankan Tamil issue and the problems faced by Indian fishermen.
Referring to the plight of the recently resettled Tamils in Sri Lanka's former war-zones, Ms. Rao said Indian government needs to assist Sri Lanka's conflict-affected people beyond rehabilitation.
"Beyond rehabilitation, we have to look at development, we have to look at livelihoods, we have to look at communications, all these aspects. So, we are looking at an integrated manner in which we can help the people of the Northern Province and the Eastern Province [of Sri Lanka]," she said.
Tamil Nadu has complained that the aid sent by India has not been properly distributed among Sri Lankan Tamils in the North and called for an appointment of a committee comprising Indian officials to supervise the aid distribution.
The Foreign Secretary said that India is committed to building 50,000 houses in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
"We are beginning with a pilot project of 1,000 houses," she said.
Ms. Rao said the India has made preparations to open a consulate in Jaffna this year to better assess the needs of the people in the region.
Indian government is keen to establish the old links that existed between the northern parts of Sri Lanka and South India before being disrupted for 30 years by the war.
"We would like to see recreation of that old vision of friendship, affinity that existed across the Palk Strait which had been disrupted by the civil war," she said.
So here we find the link between Anadasangaree and pussycats...
---------------
කැනඩාවට තවත් කොටි නැව් දෙකක්!
දෙරටේ බුද්ධි අංශ රහස් සාකච්ඡා
කීර්ති වර්ණකුලසූරිය
කැනඩාව වෙත පැමිණෙන බවට තොරතුරු ලැබී ඇති තවත් කොටි නැව් දෙකක් සම්බන්ධයෙන් කැනඩා බුද්ධි අංශ හා ශ්රී ලංකා බුද්ධි අංශ අතර රහස් සාකච්ඡා ආරම්භ කර ඇත.
මෙම කොටි නැව් කැනඩාවට පැමිණීමට පෙර නතර කර ගැනීම කැනඩා රජයේ අරමුණ වී ඇත.
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ හා කැනඩාවේ බුද්ධි අංශ අතර මෙම සාකච්ඡා පැවැත්වෙන බව කැනඩාවේ ශ්රී ලංකා මහ කොමසාරිස් චිත්රාංගනී වාගිෂ්වර මහත්මිය කියා සිටියාය.
මේ අතර කැනඩාවට පැමිණි සන් සී නමැති කොටි නැවේ යාපනයේ සිටි ද්රවිඩ මාධ්යවේදීන්, ඉංජිනේරුවන් හා ව්යාපාරිකයන් පිරිසක් සිටින බව ශ්රී ලංකා රජය වෙත වාර්තා වී ඇත.
මෙම පිරිස වෙනුවෙන් ද්රවිඩ එක්සත් විමුක්ති පෙරමුණේ නායක වී ආනන්ද සංගරීගේ පුත් ගැරි ආනන්ද සංගරී පෙනී සිටින බව ද තවදුරටත් අනාවරණය වී තිබේ.
Ananda aiya,
Apey rata rakina oba wenuwen api ediriyata enawa.
Ediriyata gath eka piyawarak wath passata ganna epa.
Oba Wenuwen Api
Sri Lanka is on the move, says Anand Mahindra
August 18, 2010
Below 10% growth in 2011 unacceptable
*Top Indian group says it needs to integrate, align itself with Lanka
India’s Mahindra Group Vice Chairman and Managing Director Anand Mahindra, a Harvard graduate, told journalists in Colombo that he did not have breaking news for them. "The breaking news in my view is Sri Lanka’s economic potential today. This is the breaking news."
Mahindra was in the island for a two day visit where he met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and other top officials of the government to explore possibilities of investing in the post war economy.
"Sri Lanka is targeting an economic growth rate of 8 percent this year and I would go out on a limb to say that before long Sri Lanka would achieve double digit growth. In fact, given the country’s potential, anything below 10 percent next year should be unacceptable to the people of this country," Mahindra said.
"This country is blessed with a resource that is genuflected to but never given prime importance. This is the human resources of the country and with a literacy rate of near 100 Sri Lanka has the resources needed to achieve growth. In fact, human resources would determine the winners and the losers in the global economy.
"There is decent stability in the country and infrastructure investments are coming in. This makes Sri Lanka one of the few countries in the world with such a favourable environment in which to attract multinational companies such as the Mahindra Group," he said.
He said the government of Sri Lanka displayed a practical approach in dealing with investors.
"They wanted us to come in quickly, finish talking and commence investing soon. They were practical in their approach, apart from the rhetoric, were mission oriented and had clear plans and policies on where they wanted Sri Lanka to be. We got a feeling that Sri Lanka is on the move."
Mahindra said the group did not have specific investment plans as yet.
In the short term it wants to expand its automobile and farming equipment sales in Sri Lanka and then it would consider investing in the leisure sector and financial services.
"We would be back soon with ten companies in the group and each of these companies would look at the specific opportunities and engage them. We have to do this. The Mahindra Group is a position to integrate and align itself with Sri Lanka’s economy and fit in like a Lego set. We want to engage Sri Lanka is it grows and all our sectors would be involved without exception," Mahindra said.
He went on to say that Sri Lanka should align polices so that multinational companies would find Sri Lanka an attractive place to invest in.
It was not too long ago that I wrote at this blog that the CEB was being obstructive with regard to renewable energy development.
I advocated that the CEB should change its attitude, and become more progressive in spearheading the needed growth in Sri Lanka's energy sector.
I WARNED that failure to do so would result in REMEDIAL ACTION by the GOSL in the form of DISMANTLING the CEB, and PRIVATISING its operations.
Well, that seems to have finally happened. It is SAD that a National Corporation could not SERVE the NATION and survive as a VALUED NATIONAL RESOURCE.
However, the CEB has only itself to blame. It cannot remain a barrier to progress and national development. Electricity is the KEY INGREDIENT ENABLING that growth; it should not be held hostage by any SELF-SERVING entity that fails to respond to national needs.
...............
Company to undertake power sector projects
Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI
The Government will establish a company under Government control to undertake power sector projects including transmission lines construction, grid substations and renewable energy development.
Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, speaking at the ‘Key Persons Forum’ organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce (FCCISL) Project SMED, said Sri Lankan engineers and experts are capable of providing necessary expertise in the power sector and they will undertake this development.
The Minister said the CEB will be converted to an institute which will contribute to national development by creating additional avenues of income, reducing generation cost, eliminating waste and increasing efficiency.
Power generation needs improvement
The CEB has to be a competitive and consumer friendly organization which will contribute to the development of the economy, he said.
The CEB has taken several measures to achieve this goal. By developing de-centralized dendro power plants the CEB can purchase low cost energy and farmers also can derive an additional income.
Residual heat from such power plants could also be used in small and medium scale industries. An integrated program will be launched to meet these objectives.
Allowing all domestic consumers to generate electricity through solar energy and all other sources of renewable energy within their household block and feed the distribution network on ‘Smart metering ‘basis will be another measure to reduce costs.
A number of new grid substations are under construction at present which will address low-voltage conditions and reliability in the 33Kv distribution system.
The CEB will provide electricity from off-grid technologies to 8 per cent of the Sri Lankan households or 400,000 dwellings before end of the next decade.
CEB Chairman Vidya Amarapala said the Electricity Board will take measures to improve efficiency in collecting outstanding dues in all regions.
He said several discussions have been held with relevant Government authorities to recover outstanding bills which runs into billions of rupees.
PM ‘will not hesitate’ to change refugee laws in wake of Tamil ship's arrival
Stephen Harper: People-smuggling ‘trend’ a threat to Canada’s borders; asylum-seekers’ continue to be detained
Tiger boot licking lunatic socialist is hurt...
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THE GAME| "කිලින් ෆො ද එටර්නල් පීස්"
ශ්රී ලංකාවේ පැවැති යුද්ධය තේමා කරගෙන පරිගණක ක්රීඩාවක් - පුවතක්
දැං ඉතිං ගහතැකි පුත්තුන්ටත්
තාත්තලාගේ මානුෂික ගේම්ස්
වර්චුවල් නන්දිකඩාල් ප්ලැට්ෆෝම්
ඔබා බොත්තමෙන් බොත්තම්.
ඇඳ කැම’ෆ්ලාජ් - කැමති හැඩකට
උර දරා හෙවි වෙපන් - බර සාරෙට
නසව් !! දකින දකින උන්
නුඹලාට හැකි වෙයි දිනන්නට.
ලැබුනත් චාන්ස් - දැක මඟෑරුණු කෙල්ලන්
සුරැකිය යුතුව ඇත - ඩිසිප්ලීන්
තවම බල්ලට ගිහින් නැති
සදාචාරය - ඉලෙක්ට්රොනික්
රෙඩ් කොම්රේඩ්ස් පුළුවං නම්
විදිමු ක්ලස්ටර් බෝම්බ්ස් පරිස්සමෙන්
තෝරා බේරා සිවිලියන්ස්
රෝහල් සහ පාසල්.
සුළු ජාතීන්හට විමුක්තිය උනත්
හිමි විය යුතු නොවේ - මහජාතිය නොලත්
වන් ලෑන්ඩ් අපි තමයි වන් නේෂන්
දිනා ඉමු පීතෘ භූමිය මුලින්
හිමිවරුනි කහ සිවුර ලෙළැවූ
සෝපාකලා මිසින් - මළ සිරුරු ඇහිලූ
ඔබා ඔය බොත්තම - පුපුරවා සරණාගත නැව
පළන්දමු දිනා රජ කිරුළූ.
සෙත් පතා - නිදි වරා - පිරිත් ගැයු තරම්
ගහලයන් අත් පුරා නූල් බැඳි තරම්
නසා ඇනිමේටඩ් රුපු ඔද තෙද
පවක් නැත මේ කරන සෙල්ලමෙන්
කවියනි, මළ කවීන් කූද්දන
එන්න අත හැර ඔය කවිකම
සෙල්ලමට අපි කරමු
ප්ලේස්ටේෂන් වෝ එක.
සිංහලෙන් නිර්වාණය දැක දැක
මළ සමනලුන් - නොදැක්ක ගානට හිටියට
හැබෑවටමයි ඔය බොහෝ කිවිවර
විකුණුවේ දෙමළ හොඳහිත් ඉස්සර
වයිට් කොලර් බුද්ධිමතුනි
නුඹලාට පුළුවනි එන්ජෝයි කරන්නට
බ්ලැක් ලේබල් සමඟ තළු මර මර
නුඹලාගෙන් අබිසෙස් ලද මෙහෙයුම.
පුවරුවේ යතුරු එහෙ මෙහෙ කර
කොම්පියුටර් තිරය අද්දර
‘කිලින් ෆො ද එටර්නල් පීස්’
දැක ගනිව්! ලේ නොහැලුණු යුද්ධය.
2010 08
Mahesh Munasinghe | මහේෂ් මුණසිංහ
Updated on : 2010-08-19 22:24:53
2,000-Year-Old wrecked ship located near Hambanthota harbour in Southern Sri Lanka
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 20, Colombo: Sri Lanka National Archaeological Department announces that an ancient ship believed to have sunk more than 2,000 years was located close to the historical Godavaya Port, close to recently opened Hambanthota harbour.
Archaeologist Sanath Karunarathne says it is believed that the newly found ship is older than 2,000 years. Historical items including a stone bench with an ancient inscription have also been discovered among the wreckage.
The exploration programme is being carried out by the Archaeological Department with the collaboration of the Central Cultural Fund, the official said.
Godavaya was an important sea port that believed to have served as a transit point on the ancient silk route to exchange goods between the East and West.
SRI LANKA AMBASSADOR IN U.S. REFUTES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CLAIMS
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Aug. 9, 2010 the Washington Post published a letter from James McDonald of Amnesty International suggesting that a shipload of Sri Lankans arriving illegally in Canada should be given asylum because they faced persecution if they returned to Sri Lanka.
I am compelled to respond to this letter because Mr. McDonald misstates so many facts and makes so many blind allegations that he must be corrected.
First, Mr. McDonald states that during Sri Lanka's "civil war, both the government and Tigers committed human rights abuses including war crimes."
Sri Lanka's long fight against a terrorist army, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, was not a civil war. That's a convenient Western characterization. The LTTE ruthlessly took over parts of Sri Lanka and killed any person – many of them Tamil – who stood in their way.
Secondly, it is outrageous to suggest that the government of Sri Lanka committed human rights abuses and war crimes as it defeated the LTTE in May 2009. In fact, the government rescued nearly 300,000 people who were held hostage as human shields by the LTTE. Furthermore, Sri Lankan forces are trained in human rights. Mr. McDonald of course cites no evidence for his allegations; in fact there is none. Sri Lanka has established a Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission to examine the most intense years of the conflict.
Finally, Mr. McDonald accuses Sri Lanka of holding hardcore LTTE militants without due process. These militants escaped by posing as civilians. They are terrorists. Yet the government of Sri Lanka has initiated a program that will offer them amnesty and rehabilitation.
Sri Lanka is working hard to provide Tamils and all others affected by the conflict with a new beginning, and so it is also outrageous to suggest, as Mr. McDonald does, that Tamils who return to Sri Lanka will be persecuted. In fact many Tamils have already returned to renew lives that were disrupted by the LTTE's violence -- another fact ignored by Mr. McDonald.
Accusations come easy without facts, but facts make it difficult to sustain tired arguments. I should think that Mr. McDonald and Amnesty International would be heartened by the fact that terrorist violence against innocent civilians has been halted in Sri Lanka for more than a year.
Sincerely,
Jaliya Wickramasuriya
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States
SOURCE Embassy of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan economy thrives, leaving civil war and tsunami far behind
By Palash R. Ghosh
August 20, 2010
Sri Lankan economy thrives, leaving civil war and tsunami far behind
Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) appears well on the way to an economic revival, with optimism boosted by the end of a 26-year civil war last May which wracked the northern and eastern parts of the island.
Sri Lanka's President Rajapaksa shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Patil as his wife Shiranthi watches
Sri Lanka's President Rajapaksa shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Patil as his wife Shiranthi watches.
Indeed, the country's GDP expanded by 7.1 percent year-over-year in the first quarter, driven largely by its strong agriculture and services sectors, robust industrial production and soaring tourism.
Ashira Perera, international economist at Capital Economics, forecast that GDP will rise 7.0 percent this year, before climbing to the current government target of 8.0 percent in 2011.
Perera partially attributes the country's improved economic performance to the end of the civil war which has opened up the North and East of Sri Lanka to increased crop production and has reduced the cost of food products. Indeed, land recovered from the losing Tamil Tiger rebels after the end of the civil war has helped to boost cultivation.
In addition, inflows of remittance payments from Sri Lankan emigres living overseas are soaring and will likely continue to support household spending, while bank lending is also accelerating.
Perhaps most importantly, peace and expectations of rapid economic growth have attracted more foreign investment.
For example, Emirates Telecommunications Corp., the largest phone company in the United Arab Emirates, recently divulged plans to spend up to $163-million over six months to expand its network in Sri Lanka. Minor International, Thailand’s biggest hotel operator, has acquired a controlling stake in Kani Lanka Resort & Spa, a resort in Kalutara, off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, to take advantage of increased tourism to the island.
In addition, Sri Lanka is improving its infrastructure – highlighted by the construction of the massive Hambantota Port project, which is expected to create new thousands of new jobs and lift private sector investment. Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa said the Hambantota port will serve as a prelude to the massive economic development ahead of the country.
Sri Lankan economy thrives, leaving civil war and tsunami far behind
Despite the growing economy, inflation is easing.
On Friday, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka unexpectedly reduced its reverse repurchase rate by 50 basis points to 9.0 percent – the lowest level since November 2004 – while keeping the repo rate on hold at 7.25 percent, in response to some benign inflation data.
On an annualized basis, CPI has fallen from 6.9 percent in February to 4.3 percent to July – far below the average inflation rate of 12 percent seen during the 2004-2009 period.
The central bank also cut its policy rates in early July.
Sri Lanka’s policy moves are in stark contrast to some of its neighbors, including India, Malaysia and Thailand, which have recently raised interest rates to quell rising prices and prevent asset bubbles.
“Inflation is unlikely to become a threat any time soon which means that a further easing of monetary policy cannot be ruled out for the near term,” said Perera.
“However, the local economic upswing looks set to stay strong and we judge it most probable that policy rates will now stay on a prolonged hold, before eventually moving up in 2011.”
Perera forecasts that inflation will average 5.0 percent in both 2010 and 2011.
Sri Lanka likely remained an unknown to much of the outside world until late 2004 when it was hit by the devastating tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people on the island.
Leopard Capital, a Cambodia=based private equity fund that specializes in investing in the Frontier Markets (and plans to launch a Sri Lanka fund in the near future) believes the country will provide rich dividends for foreign investors, due to its highly educated work force, democratic traditions, an open economy, and a well-regulated stock market, among other positive attributes.
“During the war years many avoided visiting Sri Lanka and perceived it to be a very poor country that suffering the evils of a typical war-ravaged nation,” Leopard said.
“Despite the war, it is remarkable that the country has been able to post strong economic growth, and to maintain almost first world social indicators.”
Leopard describes Sri Lanka as a “middle-income country” with an “ambitious but realistic” plan to upgrade its infrastructure.
In addition, despite the civil war, Sri Lanka has recorded a “very satisfactory" rate of growth, averaging about 6.4 percent in the last six years and has a GDP of $42 billion with a per capita income of $2014. Notably, the nation's per capita income doubled in a period of about five years while war was raging.
“Now with the end of hostilities and rapid development projects on ground, policy makers are confident and are targeting to ensure that Sri Lanka again doubles its GDP by 2015,” Leopard stated.
“This will lead to significant domestic demand led market opportunities. The most opportune moment for investors to enter the economy is now, considering the positive factors already enumerated and the policy initiatives that are already in place and likely to continue unchanged under the new government.”
Perera cautions that Sri Lanka's exports and the industrial sector will likely be hurt by the European Union’s (EU) decision to withdraw some trade concessions – reportedly due to the EU's disappointment in the country's failure to respond to demands to improve human rights.
“But the extent of the negative impact is hard to quantify at this stage and in the end may well be small,” she said.
”Moreover, domestic demand looks well-placed to take the lead as external conditions become more challenging.”
Sri Lankan exports account for about 20 percent of the island’s $42 billion economy.
I support freedom of worship and equality of all religions, but completely reject proselytizing by foreign missionaries, and their local stooges, geared to changing the religious demographics of the country, as inimical to the best interests of ALL people of Sri Lanka. It MUST BE STOPPED in its tracks, before it causes communal violence of a different kind.
............
Christian conversion in Buddhist Sri Lanka
By Kamalika Pieris
Island Newspaper
March 8, 2000
Read & Learn:
Conversion: Unethical and otherwise -A Buddhist view By Ven Dhammika, The Island, July 15, 2004
Evangelism & Conversion Methods
Read & Learn: How Foreign Proselytization Led to Religious Violence in South Korea
South Korea
Starting in the 1950s, Syngman Rhee and others worked to further divide and weaken the Buddhist Sangha in the country. Rhee campaigned in 1954 against the so-called "Japanized Buddhists". Western education and scholarship, and the empowerment of women and the poor, caused divisions among Koreans. Specifically, a deep rift opened between married priests and celibate monks. The differences were so great that fistfights over the control of temples became frequent. Monks, mostly belonging to the celibate Jogye order, threatened to kill themselves. Many of them were against the Japanized Buddhists. As the Buddhist riots continued, the influence of Buddhism lessened. Buddhism continued to lose followers to Christian missionaries, who were able to capitalize on these weaknesses.
President Park Chung-hee unsuccessfully attempted during his rule (1961–1979) to settle the dispute by building a pan-national Buddhist organization. However, he did succeed in allying himself with the celibate faction of the sangha. In the 1980s, President Chun Doo-hwan also used politics and intrigue to attack Buddhism. He sent troops to raid temples, and had hundreds of monks arrested and tortured.
Lotus Lantern Festival
During the 1990s, conflicts between the South Korean government and Buddhist leaders, and Christian denominations continued. The government accused Buddhist monks of immorality and some Christians used this to forward their missionary work. Some religious gatherings have even turned violent, with statues of Buddha and Dangun, the founder of Korea, being vandalized.
There was also a rash of temple burnings in the 1980s and 1990s, and attacks on Buddhist artwork have continued. In one instance, a Christian minister used a microphone on a cord as a bolo weapon and smashed temple paintings and a statue. In other instances, red crosses have been painted on temple walls, murals, and statues. Buddha statues have also been decapitated. Furthermore, students at Buddhist universities report aggressive attempts to convert them to Christianity on campus, especially near campus temples. See Frank Tedesco's "Questions for Buddhist and Christian Cooperation in Korea," Buddhist-Christian Studies 17 (1997).
On and off, sectarian tensions between Christians and Buddhists occasionally rises due to what was seen by a tendency of the government officials–many of whom are Christians–to tilt the political balance in favour of Christians over Buddhists which has occasionally led to discontent over some quarters.[2] Of particular note was after Lee Myung-bak's ascendency to Presidency, Buddhists drew flak over the high proportion of Christians favouring over Buddhists in the public sector–particularly the cabinet whereby there were 12 Christian ministers to only one Buddhist minister within his cabinet[3] among other reported incidences.[4]
Read & Learn: How Foreign Proselytization Led to Religious Violence in South Korea
.....continued...
Antagonism with Korean Protestantism
Protestant antagonism against Buddhism is perceived to have increased in recent years. Acts of vandalism against Buddhist amenities and "praying for the destruction of all Buddhist temples"[8] have all drawn attention to this persistent antagonism between the two religions. Some South Korean Buddhists have denounced what they view as discriminatory measures against them and their religion by the administration of President Lee Myung-bak, which they attribute to Lee being a Protestant.[9] The Buddhist Jogye Order has accused the Lee government of discriminating against Buddhism by ignoring certain Buddhist temples in certain public documents.[9] In 2006, according to the Asia Times, "Lee also sent a video prayer message to a Christian rally held in the southern city of Busan in which the worship leader prayed feverishly: 'Lord, let the Buddhist temples in this country crumble down!'"[10] Further, according to an article in Buddhist-Christian Studies: "Over the course of the last decade a fairly large number of Buddhist temples in South Korea have been destroyed or damaged by fire by misguided Protestant fundamentalists. More recently, Buddhist statues have been identified as idols, attacked and decapitated. Arrests are hard to effect, as the arsonists and vandals work by stealth of night."[11] A 2008 incident in which police investigated protesters who had been given sanctuary in the Jogye temple in Seoul and searched a car driven by Jigwan, executive chief of the Jogye order, led to protests by some claiming police had treated Jigwan as a criminal.[9]
Pakistan Needs Help;
We Sri Lankans Should Give Generously!
Sri Lanka had no greater FRIEND and ALLY than Pakistan during the last 30 years when we were beset by unremitting LTTE terrorism, and other foreign threats.
When no other nation would provide arms to save the Motherland, and the lives of our soldiers was in jeopardy .. Pakistan rushed to help and assisted us generously. We had only to ask. They provided the fire hoses we needed to douse the fire that was burning our nation down.
Today, Pakistan is suffering from a flood disaster of unprecedented proportions, that has wiped out its most fertile and productive farmlands in the Pakistani Kashmir and the Punjab.
Waters that originated in its North Western mountain ranges cascaded down to overwhelm these two provinces, and continued onwards to flood the plains lying further south.
Most people in these areas have lost everything. These are people who were already suffering from the kind of terrorist violence with which we ourselves are only too familiar. Now their misery is compounded by this monumental natural disaster. It is now our turn to help our Pakistani friends, as generously as we can.
Sri Lanka has already sent several airplanes full of aid, and people and governments all over the world are rushing to help. Sri Lanka government should do more for Pakistan at this time, perhaps by sending SLDF medical units and other forces such as helicopter transportation units for disaster relief. Let Sri Lanka demonstrate that, though small a nation, we never forget our friends.
We Sri Lankans, in particular, have a PERSONAL DEBT to repay to Pakistan .. let EACH OF US do so by getting on the Internet, finding out who is organizing assistance, and contributing in money and in kind whatever we can, to help our friends in their hour of need.
On the West Coast of the United States you can contribute to the Hidalya Foundation that is preparing several containers to send to Pakistan. You can contact them at http:\\www.hidaya.org . You can also contribute money online at that site.
A Canadian Comments on LTTE immigrants:
If you read the poll you would know that 64% of Canadians (many of whom are white, though I don't see what that has to do with it) broadly agree with the position of the Sri Lankan government. This is a position they hold despite the concerted efforts of some in the Tamil diaspora to keep the insurgency alive.
I for one am a "Canadian white", who is quite happy to see the Tamil Tigers crushed. A conflict that killed over 100,000 people is over. Normal life is returning to Sri Lanka once again (8.5% economic growth in 2010!). The destruction of the LTTE, in spite of the unfortunate collateral damage, was the ultimate humanitarian move.
I view the war in Sri Lanka as a similar one to that in Palestine, and to our own separatist pressures here in Canada. In each a liberal democratic government (and while Sri Lanka is not a perfect democracy, many of its difficulties stem from the security threat posed by an ongoing insurgency) faces separatist pressures from those who want political power, largely to violate the liberties of minorities within their own borders. "Progressive" marchers whose hearts bleed for Palestine are cheerleaders for a state that executes homosexuals and oppresses women. Tamil Eelam was a de facto state run by the military. Similarly Quebec secession has everything to do with dominating English, native and allophone minorities within Quebec.
Just because one side is the "underdog" does not make them morally superior. Indeed, it often makes them much, much worse.
Six in 10 say Tamil boat should have been “escorted back to Sri Lanka”
Poll says only 17 per cent agree that Tamils are political refugees
Friday, August 20, 2010 11:36am - 32 Comments
Six in 10 Canadians say the recent boat of Tamil migrants should have been “escorted back to Sri Lanka by the Canadian Navy,” according to a poll by QMI Agency, taken from August 2-4. Only 17 per cent agreed they should be “accepted into Canada as political refugees.” However, 24 per cent were unsure or did not want to answer the question. Albertans were, by far, the most likely to agree that the boat should be sent back, at 74 per cent. The Canadian Tamil Congress said it believes the poll results reflect general feelings toward the immigration system, rather than opposition to the Tamils themselves. “People may be reacting to certain words such as queue-jumpers and human smugglers,” spokesperson Manjula Selvarajah told Sun Media. “If people understood the immigration and refugee system and the process in place, they may have a bit more faith in the system.” Initial hearings for the 490 migrants on board the MV Sun Sea have mostly wrapped up and the migrants are being housed in BC jails until their refugee hearings take place.
Move to shift LTTE base to Canada prompted by KP’s arrest
By Shamindra Ferdinando
Island.lk
August 20, 2010
A top LTTE operative, deeply involved in the LTTE arms smuggling operations throughout the war, is believed to have taken MV ‘Sun Sea’ from Thailand to Canada. The voyage took three months while several navies in the region watched allowing the 59-metre vessel, modified for the purpose, make its way to Canadian waters.
Military sources identified the LTTEer as Vinod, widely considered to be among an elite group of cadres responsible for perhaps one of the biggest clandestine arms smuggling operations in the past few decades.
Sources say Vinod and two of his colleagues, identified as Kamal and Gaya, played a pivotal role in the arms smuggling operation, which facilitated transfer of weapons of Chinese origin and other armaments to north-east Sri Lanka.
The infamous North Korean route remained a key mode of clandestine movement before the Sri Lanka navy took the war to the high seas during Eelam War IV.
While Gaya is believed to have been killed in a confrontation with the navy on the high seas, Kamal is now in Canada.
Sources say Kamal, one of the most experienced LTTE operatives involved with arms smuggling operations took MV Ocean Lady from Mundra (an Indian port) to Canada last October. MV Ocean Lady carried 76 persons.
Canada declined to give Sri Lanka access to any of the 76 passengers.
‘Harin Panich 19’, now renamed the MV ‘Sun Sea’ carried 492 Sri Lankan Tamils to Canada. Sources say Canada is yet to share information regarding the illegal immigrants with Sri Lankan intelligence services, though there is irrefutable evidence of LTTE involvement in the operation.
Although ordinary LTTE fighting cadres are unlikely to be among the passengers of MV Sun Sea, there can be some key LTTE intelligence operatives, including some of those who escaped from military detention after the end of war in May last year.
Responding to a query by The Island, an authoritative official said that the vast majority of passengers could be those who had supported the LTTE over the years. ‘They’re not ordinary fighting cadres, but the elite, who spearheaded operations in South East Asia," he said.
According to him, they had acquired ‘Harin Panich 19’ immediately after the extradition of Kumaran Pathmanathan aka ‘KP’ from Malaysia to Sri Lanka in the first week of August 2009 and the handing over of Rajan, another key LTTE operative to Sri Lankan intelligence services. Fearing the Sri Lankan government would go after key operatives and their families living in Malaysia, Thailand and the neighbouring countries, the LTTE rump had launched MV ‘Sun Sea’. The bottom line is that Canada could become the major operations base for the LTTE rump in the wake of Sri Lanka’s success in curbing LTTE activity in South East Asia.
Move to shift LTTE base to Canada prompted by KP’s arrest
......continued....
Foreign Ministry sources told The Island that Canada had become their automatic choice due to Australia in April imposing a moratorium on processing asylum claims from Sri Lanka citing much improved security conditions in the wake of conclusion of the war in May last year.
Military sources said that the LTTE always favoured Canada due to what it perceived as soft Canadian approach towards illegal immigrants. Apprehension of LTTE owned MV Princess Krishanthalast December by the navy confirmed an abortive plan to rescue top LTTE leadership before the army overran Puthumathalan in May. The LTTE went to the extent of organizing a bogus relief ship to divert navy’s attention to facilitate the rescue operation, sources said.
Sources identified the main man allegedly involved in organizing the latest Canadian adventure as the only one to receive a Gold medal from LTTE leader Prabhakaran for carrying out clandestine transfer of armaments from big ships to Sri Lanka waters in the face of the navy. Based in Canada (name withheld), the operative is a Master Mariner, who runs a shipping training school. He is assisted by a UK based operative (name withheld) and Nidiyawan, widely believed to be the most influential LTTE operative in the wake of KP abandoning the eelam cause.
Sources said that the passengers carried by MV ‘Sun Sea’ could not be likened to any other lot as the LTTE had never tried a similar stunt before. "Of course they had no other option but to shift base from South East Asia to the safety of Canada, where a section of the politicians and officials were close to the Tamil Diaspora," sources said.
Sources pointed out that the Tamil Diaspora had got the London headquartered Amnesty International to issue a statement in support of their Canadian adventure. Sources recalled how a visit by senior Amnesty International representatives to Kilinochchi during the CFA was used to build the Tigers’ image.
On Aug. 9, 2010 The Washington Post published a letter from James McDonald of Amnesty International suggesting that a shipload of Sri Lankans should be given asylum because they faced persecution if they returned to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan officials said that this was part of the LTTE propaganda. The Canadians could accept the entire shipload if they really wanted to accommodate them and encourage asylum seekers, they said. It was Canada’s choice, sources said, emphasizing Canada could accommodate as many illegal immigrants not only from Sri Lanka but other countries, too, as it pleased. In the wake of Australia tightening its immigration laws, any country giving into MV Sun Sea could attract smugglers, they said.
The COMEDY of Canada's Pitiful Attempt to Stop the MV Sun Sea is Hilarious!
Instead of immediately arresting them, sentencing them to prison for several years for violating Canada's laws, and thereafter DEPORTING them to the point of origin in Thailand, they now have to SERVE these Criminals Hand & Foot for the rest of their lives!
This only ENCOURAGES them to continue feeding the smuggling pipeline!
Canada SIMPLY DOES NOT HAVE THE WILL TO RESIST!
...............
Canada missed chances to stop Tamil migrant ship
By Stewart Bell and Kathryn Blaze August 20, 2010
TORONTO — Canada and its allies missed several opportunities to stop the MV Sun Sea before it left South Asia with almost 500 Sri Lankan Tamil migrants on board, a National Post investigation has found.
The closest call was on May 9, when the Royal Thai Navy, acting on intelligence supplied by Australia, detected the Sun Sea in the Gulf of Thailand. But the ship was let go because it was outside Thai territorial waters.
Another chance came later in May, when the ship was reported to be having engine trouble in Cambodian waters. Canada asked for Cambodia’s help but Phnom Penh would not intercept the vessel, an official said.
The UN Refugee Agency also said it had received a fax purportedly from a Sun Sea passenger in July. The letter said the ship was destined for Canada with hundreds of Sri Lankans but was having engine trouble. The agency was unable to verify the letter’s authenticity.
When the Sun Sea appeared out of the summer sea fog off the British Columbia coast last week, few in the Canadian government were caught by surprise. The ship may have been one of the worst-kept secrets in the history of organized smuggling.
But repeated chances to prevent the crammed cargo vessel from making the risky Pacific crossing were lost, illustrating the apparent inability of governments to stop profiteers from exploiting the desperation of migrants.
“There’s no doubt that we, Australia and a lot of people knew about this ship and were it not for legal constraints, could have seized this ship,” a Canadian official said. “Everyone felt powerless by the current legal regime to do anything about it.”
If the smuggling kingpins are closely watching Canada’s response to the Sun Sea, as Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has said, they may well be encouraged. Even in a case where Ottawa was tipped off in advance, it was unable to do more than prepare for the ship’s arrival.
While Thailand supported efforts to stop the Sun Sea, officials said some Southeast Asian governments have been less than helpful. Short of offering governments large sums of cash, countries such as Canada and Australia are having a tough time convincing even friendly Asian nations to stop migrant ships. And why would they help? They have little to gain by taking responsibility for hundreds of foreign refugees.
The story of the Sun Sea, pieced together from interviews and documents, appears to underscore the need for greater international co-operation and changes to existing laws if the maritime migrant smuggling industry is to be curbed.
For most, if not all, of the 492 Sun Sea migrants, the voyage began in Sri Lanka, a lush, tea-growing island off the southern coast of India that is recovering from a devastating civil war between government forces and separatist Tamil Tigers rebels.
Canada missed chances to stop Tamil migrant ship
....continued...
The International Crisis Group, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, among others, have reported that both the government and the rebels committed widespread abuses against civilians in the final stages of the war.
After fighting ended in May 2009, ethnic Tamils were evacuated from the war zone and forced to live in temporary camps. As they were released, escaped or bribed their way out, some fled to Southeast Asia.
The smugglers were soon ready to take their money.
The Harin Panich 19 is a general cargo ship built in Japan in 1980. Until five months ago, it was owned by the Harin Group, a shipping company based in Bangkok and the southern port city of Songkla.
In March, it was purchased by Sun & Rshiya Co. Ltd., a company that lists its address simply as “Bangkok, Thailand” and has only the one ship in its fleet. The new owners renamed it Sun Sea and, on March 30, asked the Marine Department of Thailand to withdraw the ship’s registration. It was no longer flying under a Thai flag, listing its country simply as UNK — Unknown.
In late March and early April, Canadian officials were hearing that vessels were gathering in Thailand and that they could be destined for Canada. By mid-April, Canada got word that two vessels were in and around the Gulf of Thailand and that they were potentially coming to Canada.
Australia alerted Thailand to the Sun Sea.
“The Royal Thai Navy monitored the activities of the vessel, but we did not board the ship,” said Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Counsellor and Head of Chancery at the Royal Thai Embassy in Ottawa.
He said the navy detected the ship within Thailand’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. But it was outside Thailand’s 12-mile territorial limit and therefore could not be boarded.
“I presume that we had no authority to search the vessel, as we would have had to have received a request by the flag state. At the time the ship was flying no flag at all.”
Mr. Chaivaivid said the navy communicated with the shipmaster to determine the ship’s nationality, and was informed that the MV Sun Sea was not registered to Thailand. The ship reportedly made no attempt to enter Thailand’s territorial waters.
Canada missed chances to stop Tamil migrant ship
....continued 2...
“We monitored the vessel, and it eventually left our economic zone heading east on May 9,” he said, adding that the ship was then believed to be carrying “just above a hundred people on board.”
Mr. Chaivaivid said he had no evidence the operation was staged out of Thailand. But Mr. Toews said it was, and Canadian Tamil Congress legal advisor Gary Anandasangaree agreed that appears to be the case. “Most people have said Thailand was their starting place,” he said.
Later in May, the Canadian government learned the ship was in Cambodian waters. It was said to be having engine troubles and travelling at only a slow speed, no more than a few knots. The Cambodian government was not interested in intercepting the vessel, an official said.
The UNHCR office in Bangkok, meanwhile, was receiving what it called “sketchy” reports about the ship. In July, a fax arrived purporting to be a letter from a passenger on the ship.
The author of the letter, dated June 20, wrote that after travelling from Sri Lanka to Bangkok, a broker brought him to the Sun Sea. He said when he boarded there were already 300 Sri Lankans aboard. The ship had been off Thailand for two months and was having engine trouble, the letter said. He said the ship would be sailing to Canada.
“Although unverified, this information was immediately passed to the Thai authorities,” Andrej Mahecic, a UNHCR spokesman, said from Geneva yesterday. “A few days later we were told by the Philippine authorities that the MV Sun Sea might be approaching Philippine waters. We did not, however, receive any further information.”
The UNHCR communiqué to Bangkok, indicating the ship was probably in the Philippines, was dated July 12. According to Mr. Toews, the Sun Sea sailed between the Philippines and Japan before crossing the Pacific.
The Sun Sea arrived in Canadian waters off Vancouver Island at 2:41 p.m. on Aug. 12. It was intercepted by the Navy, boarded by the RCMP and brought to CFB-Esquimalt near Victoria. The Canada Border Services Agency is now screening the passengers and crew.
Mr. Toews has said the passengers paid $40,000 to $50,000 each for the voyage, which he alleged was a money-making operation organized by elements of the Tamil Tigers. The RCMP is investigating the smuggling network, which may link back to Canada.
Meanwhile, the migrants have been appearing this week before the Immigration and Refugee Board. All were ordered to remain in detention on the grounds their identities had not been confirmed (except the roughly 50 children, who are not being detained).
This week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada was working with Australia to deal with human smuggling and that “we will not hesitate to strengthen Canada’s laws if we have to.” Senior officials are said to be working on a new policy that could be ready by September.
“There’s a huge danger here. There’s enormous risk and this time around we did see one fatality. It could have been worse,” said Gary Anandasangaree, the Canadian Tamil Congress legal advisor. “These are not the types of voyages that people should be making.”
But he said he does not believe shiploads of migrants should be intercepted and returned to Sri Lanka. He said Australia had been using an advertising campaign to educate prospective ocean migrants about its immigration policies and the dangers of travelling on smuggling ships.
“Perhaps that’s something that we should take on as a proactive measure,” he said. He also said Canada needs to pressure Sri Lanka to resolve the long-standing human rights grievances that are prompting Tamils to flee their tropical homeland.
Sonia hits out at 'communal' elements
Excerpts:
Sonia Gandhi said "There are still some people, who use the poison of communalism and casteism for their personal interest. How can we compromise with such people? We have always fought against such people and will continue to do so"
....
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while lauding Khan's efforts in spreading communal amity, said, "A country like India in which people of different beliefs and languages live and where there are diverse religions and cultures, needs people like Maulana Sahab...people, who can unite the society and the country and put an end to separatism and differences."
....
Noted spiritual scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, who was honored with the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for the year 2009, said "the opportunities which Muslims get in India are not available to them in any of the 57 Muslim countries."
India, US ink pact on clean energy centre
Arun Kumar
August 20, 2010
WASHINGTON: India and the United States on Friday initialled an agreement for setting up a Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Centre to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies.
......
The areas of cooperation would include energy efficiency of buildings, smart grids, unconventional natural gas, second-generation bio fuels, clean coal technologies and solar energy.
....
Both governments would provide funding for the activities .... Private industry and academia in both countries are also expected to provide additional resources.
ULFA does not give up demand for sovereign Assam
July 25, 2010
GUWAHATI: An ULFA leader today appealed to the banned outfit's jailed leadership including Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa not to give up the demand for sovereignty.
.....
'Castro, Nediyavan aborted rescue plan'
P.K.Balachandran
August 21, 2010
COLOMBO: The detained international funds manager of the LTTE, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, says that Castro and Nediyavan, his successors in the organisation’s international set up, aborted his daring plan to rescue Tiger chieftain Velupillai Prabhakaran and his family in the final stage of Eelam War IV.
In an interview to Daily Mirror on Saturday, KP said that Castro had promised to send him USD 1.5 million needed to execute the rescue plan using a ship and a chopper.
Castro had said that Nediyavan, based in Norway, would send the money. But he did not keep the promise, despite the solemn assurance he had given to Prabhakaran’s eldest son, Charles Anthony, who was very keen that his father, mother and two siblings should escape in the way planned by KP.
NEDIYAVAN’S ROLE
Nediyavan’s culpability is seen in the way he influenced Achchuthan, the head of the LTTE’s air wing, the Air Tigers ,says KP. The plan was to hire a chopper and have it piloted by Air Tiger pilots. Achchuthan, who was in touch with KP in regard to the plan, suddenly cut off all links, because of Nediyavan’s hostility to the idea. Castro and Nediyavan did not want any credit to go to KP.
KP then tried to get mercernary pilots, but this too was not possible without money. By mid-May, the Sri Lankan forces had cornered the LTTE in the Mullivaikkal area.KP had no option but to abandon the rescue plan.
“I did it with great sorrow and I was furious with Castro and Nediyavan, but helpless,” he said.
PRABHA MAY HAVE BURNT POTTU’S BODY
KP believes that Prabhakaran’s chief lieutenant and intelligence chief, Pottu Amman, was killed in the bid to escape to the Wanni jungles across the Nandikadal lagoon.Pottu Amman and Prabhakaran, along with 60 others, had tried to break through the Lankan defence lines, but failed. While Prabhakaran managed to come back, Pottu Amman had not, and was in all probability killed.
“I am assuming that Prabhakaran himself would have got Pottu’s body destroyed to ensure it did not get into army’s hands,” KP said.
FATE OF FAMILY
Prabhakaran’s wife Mathivathani was killed in the shelling prior to Prabhakaran’s bid to escape to Wanni. Presumably, her 12 year old youngest son, Balachandran, was also killed, as he was in the habit of clinging to his mother, unable to stand the incessant shelling.
Daughter Thuvaraga and son Charles Anthony, who joined the movement as fighters “volunarily” had both died fighting. Thuvaraga was killed on May 14.
'Castro, Nediyavan aborted rescue plan'
.......continued......
SIBLINGS REFUSED TO CLAIM BODY
KP revealed that the LTTE, under his leadership after Prabhakaran’s death on May 19, wanted to keep the movement alive by asking the dead warrior’s siblings to claim his body.
The advice of diplomats was that if the siblings were to make a request for the body, international pressure could be mounted on Colombo to yield. But the siblings refused to oblige.
“ I got in touch with Prabhakaran’s brother and one of his two sisters to ask them to make such a demand.I was rebuffed.In fact, his sister’s husband snatched the phone from his wife while I was talking, and rudely hung up on me after telling me not to call again. So, there was nothing I could do, and in the meantime, the government announced that his body was cremated and ashes scattered in the sea,” KP said.
MONEY BEHIND MYTH
Asked about the constant propaganda by Vaiko and Nedumaran and some others in the Tamil Diaspora, that Prabhakaran was still alive, KP said that it was the prospect of collecting money and keeping the money already collected which was the basis of the myth building. According to KP, the money is with Nediyavan.
KP believes that Vaiko, who publicly states that Prabhakaran is alive, knows that he is dead.
“When told about his death, Vaiko Kulungi Aluthar (cried inconsolably). But in public he maintains the lie that Prabhakaran is alive,” KP taunted.
As India's External Affairs Minister Krishna arrives in SL, let us remind him to be mindful that
1. The rights of all people of Sri Lanka are EQUAL,
2. No FORCED CONVERSIONS will be tolerated, and
3. The Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka are inalienable parts of Sovereign Sri Lanka; no interference by foreign powers, or expatriate separatists will be tolerated .. just like in India's Jammu & Kashmir.
..................
J&K Sikhs told 'Convert or go': Uproar in LS, RS
August 20, 2010
NEW DELHI: Amid uproar in both houses of parliament, the government Friday assured that it was committed to the safety of Sikhs in the Kashmir Valley where some Sikh families have reportedly received anonymous letters from extremists asking them to either embrace Islam or leave.
The Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for half an hour after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded a clarification from the government. The Lok Sabha witnessed heated exchanges. While External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Home Minister P. Chidambaram made statements in the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee spoke in the lower house.
"The government is fully aware of (the threats). Not only the Muslims of the valley but whole India will rise to protect Sikhs. It a small section of terrorists and extremists (that has threatened them) and I assure you that nobody is with them," Mukherjee told the Lok Sabha after an uproar.
In the Rajya Sabha, the issue was taken up by the BJP soon after question hour. As Deputy Chairman K. Rehman Khan called for laying the papers, BJP members rose from their seats demanding a reply from the prime minister on the situation of minorities in Kashmir.
"The prime minister has said Kashmir is a part of India, then why are Sikhs being forced to leave the valley," BJP member S.S. Ahluwalia asked.
Krishna then said in the upper house: "The protection of minorities is a concern of the government and we will strive to see that minorities, wherever they are, remain protected. It is a fact that Kashmir is a part and parcel of India, there is no ambiguity and we are not open to any talks on this issue."
Krishna's assurance, however, did not pacify the members and their protests forced the house to be adjourned briefly. The home minister later stressed that Sikhs in the Valley need not fear.
"We are aware of the so-called threat but there is nothing to fear. The chief minister (Omar Abdullah) has assured that the Sikh community will be given protection," said Chidambaram.
The home minister told the house that the central government has been in talks with the state government for ensuring the safety of Sikhs in the Valley.
"Let the house be assured that the state and centre are working together and Sikhs will be protected," Chidambaram said.
He also informed the House that he will soon be meeting a Sikh delegation which has expressed the desire discuss the issue.
Stating that he was aware of a Sikh being attacked in the valley, Chidambaram said: "There has been one incident where the rights of a person belonging to Sikh community were violated."
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Rattan Singh Ajnala raised the issue in the Lok Sabha when the house met at 11 a.m. He referred to media reports about the letters threatening Sikhs if they did not join the protests against civilian killings in the valley.
The SAD member said Sikhs had "offered maximum sacrifices in the India-Pakistan wars and this is what we are getting in return".
J&K Sikhs told 'Convert or go': Uproar in LS, RS
........continued.....
National Conference MP from Kashmir Mehboob Beg condemned the incident and said the "entire Kashmiri Muslim community was with their Sikh brethren and will ensure their safety at any cost".
"After I read the report, I feel we are as much hurt as you are. Every Kashmiri Muslim will fight against it. This is a conspiracy by a few extremist elements to damage the communal harmony in the valley," Beg said.
The 60,000-strong Sikh community is the single largest minority group in the valley after Hindus fled in the early 1990s when the armed separatist war backed by Pakistan erupted in Jammu and Kashmir.
The All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (ASCC) has alleged that several community members have received these letters.
Hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani has reassured the Sikhs saying they should not feel threatened and ignore the "fake letters". He has assured the community that nobody would force them to join the protests.
Speaking to reporters outside parliament, Congress member Saifuddin Soz said that the valley belongs as much to the Sikhs as to Muslims.
"The letters which have been sent don't represent the intentions of the Muslims in the valley... an investigation must be made into this," he said.
According to KP, the Great Demagogue Vaiko inadvertently did something good for Sri Lanka: He sealed Prabhakaran's fate!
Yahoo!
...........
Vaiko thwarted Indian bid for ceasefire: KP
P.K.Balachandran
August 21, 2010
COLOMBO: Kumaran Pathmanathan,alias KP, who was the LTTE’s international plenipotentiary in the last stages of Eelam War IV, has said that MDMK leader Vaiko thwarted India’s bid to bring about a ceasefire ahead of the May 2009 parliamentary elections in Tamil Nadu.
KP, who is currently under detention in Sri Lanka, told Daily Mirror on Saturday, that the LTTE’s political commissar, B.Nadesan, had asked some “sympathisers” in the ruling DMK like Chief Minister Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi, and Catholic priest Fr.Jegath Gaspar Raj, to persuade New Delhi to help bring about a ceasefire and prevent the annihilation of the LTTE and its leader, V.Prabhakaran.
New Delhi, KP said, was open to discussion on the idea because the DMK-Congress combine in Tamil Nadu was getting worried about losing the elections with opposition AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa taking a strident pro-LTTE stance.
GIVE UP EELAM SAYS DELHI
It was Minister P.Chidambaram who was negotiating on this issue on behalf of the government of India, KP recalled.
“ Chidambaram came up with an idea. He wanted the LTTE to issue a unilateral statement with two main points: One was to agree to silence arms and surrender them in due course.The other was to accept a political settlement as an alternative to Eelam.”
“Chidambaram had himself, unofficially, drafted the statement for the LTTE to release under its name.The guarantee was that New Delhi would exert pressure on Colombo when the statement was released, and bring about a ceasefire pending negotiations,” KP said.
STICK TO EELAM DEMANDS VAIKO
The negotiators in New Delhi and Chennai adviced Nadesan not to leak details of the move to people like Nedumaran and Vaiko. But Nadesan, being unsure of about the desirability of the move, consulted K.Mahendran, the Tamil Nadu legislator of the CPI (Marxist).The CPI (M) and Vaiko’s MDMK were part of the AIADMK-led alliance. Mahendran, in turn, leaked details of the plan to Vaiko.
“Both (Vaiko and Mahendran) were worried that the Congress and DMK would get the credit for a ceasefire and do well in the elections. So they wanted to sabotage it. Vaiko got angry at the LTTE and warned Nadesan that if the Tigers opted for an alternative to Tamil Eelam, then the MDMK and other Tamil Nadu parties would permanently withdraw their support to the LTTE,” KP said.
Nadesan was given the false hope that that the AIADMK-led alliance would sweep the seats in Tamil Nadu and the BJP would form the government in New Delhi. And when that happened, pressure would be put on Colombo for a ceasefire.
LTTE SUCCUMBS TO VAIKO’S THREAT
Vaiko’s threat to withdraw support permanently frightened an already unsure Nadesan.
“So, Nadesan abandoned the idea of releasing the statement. Chidambaram could do nothing. All because of Vaiko. Even the chance of attempting a ceasefire through Indian help was spoiled by at the start itself by this man Vaiko, a selfish politician who let the LTTE be sacrificed for his election ambition. Now he is shedding crocodile tears for Prabhakaran,” KP said.
Here is an Indian Fedral System EXAMPLE OF THE BARRIERS that Devolution of Power to Provincial Councils will ERECT IN Sri Lanka!
Internecine & Unnecessary Power Struggles driven by Competing Political Ambitions of Demagogues at the Expense of THE PUBLIC GOOD!
.............
MK chants unity mantra
August 21, 2010
SALEM: In a veiled reference to the Centre’s decision on CET and making an appeal to parties in Tamil Nadu to support the State government stand, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said here on Friday that since states were slowly losing their powers to the Centre, political parties should sink their differences and fight in tandem for common issues.
Inaugurating the first Super Specialty Hospital in the state on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme at a total outlay of Rs 139.31 crore, the CM said that the recent issue of reviving entrance exam for medical courses was taken up by the State government through letters and personal contacts of Tamil Nadu leaders in New Delhi. The setback and injustice to rural students which the entrance exams will bring was well communicated. Even a case was filed in the Supreme Court. “Because of the constant follow-up, the Centre has announced that the entrance exams will be dropped. In Tamil Nadu all political parties, the allies and Opposition are fully in agreement on the issue of abolition of entrance exams for professional courses.”
Taking a dig at the stance of the main opposition AIAIDMK, the CM remarked that although the AIADMK, in principle, was in line with us on the issue, its chief (Jayalalithaa) ridiculed our communication with the Centre casting aspersions on the efficacy of such letters. “We need not care for those who try to make gains indulging in needless hairsplitting over petty Centre-State issues. But it is imperative that all parties stand in unison when common issues concerning larger interests of the people of TN come up. The State has already lost considerable amount of powers to the Centre over the years,” he rued.
In an indirect response to a Congress leader’s charges recently made on Central funding for various projects in TN, he said there was no need to differentiate between the fund components of a project as Central share and State share. “All the money is raised from the people through taxes. As ours is a federal system, the power to sanction and allocate funds for projects wrests with the Centre. As far as the State government is concerned, we get what we want from the Centre through proper relations, asserting rights in the proper channels and in some cases through court cases,” he said.
State Finance Minister K Anbazhagan, Union Minister for Health S Gandhi Selvan, State Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam, Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S Arumugam, Health Secretary V K Subburaj, Deputy Speaker V P Duraisamy and others were present.
My POST at DW:
DefenceWire Bloggers,
Please be aware that the person who is blogging here as Ananda-USA under blog ID# 13664279713372198331 is a well known FAKE who trolls DW and SLDF blogs taking over other people's blog IDs.
You can see and verify any Bloggers ID in the Lower Left Hand Corner of the screen by placing the cursor on a Blogger's handle on any post.
I am the original Ananda-USA blogging at SLDF under Blog ID# 13271938845222503043 . We do not allow his presence at SLDF. I do not blog at DW anymore because DW allows such antics by Fakes to take place.
Nothing that the Fake Ananda-USA says here at the DW blog, including his unacceptable language, should be attributed to me.
As in the past, he will reverse the ID#'s that I have posted in this message to confuse my true ID.
BEWARE OF FAKE BLOG PARASITES!
Suspicious vessel detained
By Ishtartha Wellaboda
TheNation.lk
The Sri Lanka Navy has seized a suspicious vessel off Talaimannar with four men on board and handed them over to the Talaimannar police.
Three advance Global Positioning System (GPS) devises and three mobile phones were also taken from the suspects on Thursday and handed over to the police as evidence. The arrest was made 15 nautical miles off Talaimannar coast.
Navy spokesman Captain Athula Senearath said that the boat’s suspicious behaviour was noticed by the naval troops deployed along the Fishing Marshalling Points along the Northern Naval Area.
A co-ordinated naval operation was later launched to give chase and apprehend the suspects.
The four people who were arrested are being detained by the Talaimannar police who are conducting further investigations.
Sri Lanka's Catholic bishops discuss current issues in North and East with President
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 22, Colombo: A delegation of the Catholic Bishops' Conference led by its President Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith, met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees Sunday evening to discuss current issues in the North and East.
Among the issues discussed were the resettlement of IDPs and matters affecting the Catholic community, as well as matters of religious unity and understanding in the country.
Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith and the Bishop of Jaffna Thomas Savundranayagam thanked the President for the excellent work done in resettling more than 250,000 displaced people in a short period of just over one year since the end of military operations.
The Catholic delegation appreciated the fact that resettlement was carried out in the face of immense hardship such a de-mining of the land.
The Bishops of the North and East discussed further issues of livelihood assistance and shelter for the resettled IDPS, and offered the assistance of the Church in this work.
Other members of the Catholic delegation included Vice President of the conference Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph, Secretary General of the conference Bishop of Anuradhapura Norbert Andradi, OMI, Bishop of Kandy Vinney Fernando, Bishop of Trincomalee-Batticaloa Kingsley Swamipillai, Bishop of Badulla Winston Fernando, Bishop of Kurunegala Harold Perera, Bishop of Chilaw Valence Mendis and Administrator of Diocese of Galle Very Rev. Fr. Nihal Nanayakkara.
Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne, Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Bandula Gunawardena, Rajitha Senarathna, Sarath Gunaratna, Milroy Fernando, Dayasri Tisera, Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa also participated in the discussions.
Tamil politicians in Sri Lanka's East discuss security issues with the military
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Aug 22, Batticaloa: Tamil political parties operating in the Eastern Province in Sri Lanka, especially, in the Batticaloa District had held a discussion with the military about security concerns in the area.
The local media reported today that the Tamil politicians and army personnel had discussed security issues and an incident which had occurred on Friday (20) night.
An unidentified group had stolen the weapon of a police officer while he was on duty near the Batticaloa railway station on Friday.
Representatives from TELO, TMVP, PLOTE, EPDP, EROS and EPRLF had attended the meting and had extended support to the military on security related issues.
The politicians have also expressed their support to nab the suspects involved in Friday's incident.
SLMC boycotts ‘Lessons Learnt’ panel
August 22, 2010
Nation.lk
The chances of the leading Muslim political party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress making any submissions before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission are in doubt with it sounding serious reservations about the LLRC’s mandate.
The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) cannot be considered as a platform to discuss the issues faced by the Muslims in the past due to the ethnic conflict, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said yesterday.
SLMC Secretary Hasan Ali told The Nation that the issues faced by Muslims went beyond the period looked into by the LLRC.
He said the Muslims were also severely affected during the war which lasted for three decades.
The Muslims were evicted from the north in 1990. “This issue cannot be brought up at the commission. In the same way, several mosques were also attacked before 2002. Therefore, we do not see any purpose being served here,” he added.
“The commission is looking into the time frame of seven years.
However, the actual problem goes beyond the time frame looked into by the LLRC,” he said.
The LLRC, headed by former Attorney General C.R. de Silva, was appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to report on the lessons to be learnt in the period February 22, 2002 to May 2009.
“Accordingly, the issues faced by Muslims before 2002 cannot be brought up at the commission. The whole problem goes beyond these seven years,” he added.
Meanwhile, the TNA last week said that the LLRC had no mandate to inquire about the alleged war crimes. The other members of the commission are: Dr. Amrith Rohan Perera PC, Prof. Mohamed Thahir Mohamed Jiffry, Prof. Karunaratna Hangawatta, Chandirapal Chanmugam, Hewa Mathara Gamage Siripala Palihakkara, Mrs. Manohari Ramanathan and Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama.
The commission has been conducting sessions since August 11.
Prominent people including Bernard Gunatilleke, Dr (Mrs) Hiranth Wijemanne, S L Gunasekera, TULF Leader V Anandasangari, Mangala Moonesinghe, Nihal Rodrigo, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Austin Fernando and Rajan Asiriwathan have already given evidence to the panel.
The Commission has been asked to report back to the President within six months from the date of appointment, May 15, 2010. (AW)
This is absa-hilarious :-))))))))))
Refugees travel back to Lanka for vacation – Survey
from AdaDerana RSS
It’s a “self-evident” concern that some Tamil refugees already living in Canada duped the system to get in, says Canadian Government House Leader John Baird.
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http://www.divaina.com/2010/08/31/feature03.html
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