Sunday, November 21, 2010

Devolution - A Recipe for National Suicide

By Ananda-USA
November 21, 2010

Sri Lanka is currently being pressured by various foreign powers to devolve political power to the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in what they prescribe as "the political solution" to Sri Lanka's "Tamil Problem". This effort is being orchestrated by the Eelamists of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora under the leadership of the residual LTTE terrorist network who have reconfigured themselves into various pseudo-democratic political organizations such as the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), and the Global Tamil Forum (GTF). As we all know, this snail-like shedding of one shell for another is a time-honored tactic of LTTE front organizations, designed to keep one-step ahead of the law.

The demand is for Devolution of Political Power on the basis of Ethnicity. This is in all-but-name the same demand the LTTE separatist terrorists made for the creation of a Tamil-only apartheid racist Bantustan in Sri Lanka prior to their complete military rout in 2009. It is a demand to divide Sri Lanka on the basis of ethnicity that attempts to resurrect the lost struggle for a separate monoethnic state that claimed tens of thousands of innocent lives in the last thirty years, largely due to the inaction and failure of successive Sri Lankan Governments that heeded the flawed advice of foreign powers, neglecting their bounden duty to preserve the Nation whole, and protect the lives of their People.The Tamil separatists hope to win by Stealth in "Peace" what they failed to win through Violence in "War"!

In a recent news article an Indian journalist reports that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has in mind a "Political Solution" for the Tamil Problem subject to the will of the People of Sri Lanka. In response I am writing to present the arguments why no power should be devolved to any separate ethnic community in Sri Lanka, and to identify the dangers posed by such devolution to the integrity of the Nation and the lives of its People.

I am presenting below the text of an Article that I had written and published over a decade ago opposing the Devolution of Power to the Tamil Minority that the Government of India wanted to impose on Sri Lanka. 
 India first initiated Tamil separatism in our country,  trained, armed, delivered, funded and supported the Tamil terrorists in that quest, creating the very problem for which they now propose to dictate a new "political solution." The reasons presented in that Article against Devolution of Power remain as valid today as they were then.


I still oppose any Devolution of Political Power to Regions of Sri Lanka on the basis of Ethnicity, or any other Communal Attribute. One person having the right to cast one vote for a political leader of his or her choice for election to parliament, is both necessary and sufficient franchise for any citizen. No further regional powers should be granted on the basis of ethnicity.

Let all citizens enjoy equal rights subject to an equal responsibility to love, protect and serve our country. Let there be no special rights in our country for anyone, in any region, embedded in the laws of the land on the basis of race, language, religion, sex, caste or wealth. Let all regions of the country be open to settlement by any citizen, without let or hindrance. Let culture and religion prevail, and be treasured, in all their glory in the personal sphere; not in the public domain.

Since incurable separatists, driven by prejudice, intolerance, excessive racial pride and a perception of assistance available from abroad, will try all overt and covert means to destabilize, undermine, and divide the Nation, let the Government of Sri Lanka adopt and implement a National Policy of Ethnic Integration (EI) with the goal of achieving a uniform demographic distribution of the different communities of Sri Lanka. This is the ONLY CERTAIN MEANS of PERMANENTLY banishing communal separatism from the Nation: The total eradication of the regional concentrations of different ethnic communities that form the very basis of their separatist demands for regional devolution of power.

ONE Nation of ONE People sharing ONE Destiny should be our Permanent National Goal!
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Devolution - A Recipe for National Suicide

By Ananda-USA
November, 1999

Devolution will not bring peace and prosperity to Sri Lanka, but will usher in a new era of increased internal strife, foreign threats and economic insecurity.

National Integration, not national disintegration, is the key to peace and prosperity.

Peace and prosperity cannot be won by appeasement of terrorists and bargaining away our country, our security and our future.
 

Sacrifice and eternal vigilance have always been the price of freedom.

Under the threat of terrorism, Sri Lanka is poised on the threshold of being dismembered into regions based on  ethnicity. All patriotic Sri Lankans, whoever you are, wherever you are, act now to prevent this disaster. In particular, the Sinhala people must overcome their differences, join hands and organize to let the government know that devolution in any form will not be tolerated because our country, our heritage and our future are inalienable,  non-negotiable. National integration, not national disintegration, should be our goal.

The Front for National Integration has been formed to coordinate this effort. Join us, your country and your people need your support now!

National Integrity is The Key to Survival

We believe that appeasement of terrorists and separatists-in-waiting,  through devolution of power to regions along ethnic lines, would be an unmitigated disaster for all  people of Sri Lanka and for generations yet unborn.  Foreigners  who advocate the balkanization of our country do so having nothing to lose and everything to gain. Many countries that now urge Sri Lanka to dismember itself, have fought long hard civil wars to preserve the integrity of their nations to ensure that their citizens would inherit the blessings of peace and prosperity.

Indeed, Abraham Lincoln, the Union President during the US Civil War, said that if the unity of the country can be preserved by keeping all states free of slavery he would do that; or if the unity of the country can be preserved only by keeping some states slave and others free of slavery, he would do that; but if the unity of the country can be preserved only by letting all states be slave states, then he would do that; but whatever the circumstances, he would keep the country united. He placed the value of a united country above that of his cherished dream of abolishing slavery, fully recognizing the danger posed to his people by competition between two aggressive nations born in war in the same land. The partition of British India into two countries, for example, solved nothing and condemned the populations of both countries to permanent insecurity, regular wars and staggering defense expenditures which have arrested their economic development. The wisdom of Mahatma Gandhi's unsuccessful struggle to prevent the division of British India, and Abraham Lincoln's successful campaign to keep the United States whole, is evident for all to see. The wisdom of Lincoln's vision for the future of his country, and his iron-willed determination to keep the country whole, is today obvious to all who enjoy the peace, prosperity and global respect it has brought the United States.

The people of Sri Lanka deserve and yearn for no less.  We owe too much to the memory of our thousands of honoured dead, soldiers, policemen and innocent civilians alike, who have given the last full measure of their devotion to their country, to abandon what they sought to preserve. We owe too much to our forefathers, who fought and died to keep this land free of invaders, and who preserved our heritage through millennia, to give in so easily to terrorist threats. Indeed, in the 12th century A.D. a Chola prince arriving in Sri Lanka inscribed in stone "....the illustrious Codagama Deva having arrived in the unconquerable Lanka, the forehead ornament of the earth to the Lord Siva" at Gokanna (Trincomalee) in recognition of the commonly held belief among the people of South India that despite continued invasions, Sri Lanka could not be conquered. I believe that the unconquerable spirit of the Sinhala people shines unabated, still endures, deep within our hearts.

India's Awful Legacy

India, our giant neighbour, has been a disappointment to the Sinhala people.  India bears the primary responsibility for the violence and destruction  unleashed in Sri Lanka since the early 1980's. Driven by the need to garner political support from Tamil Nadu, and by erroneous assessments of imagined threats to India from Sri Lanka's attempt to develop its economy through free market economic policies and regional collaboration with all of its neighbors, the Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi governments of India planted the seed of militant separatism in Sri Lanka, and aided and abetted its growth. India, with the enthusiastic collaboration of the Tamil Nadu state government, first provided military training and equipment, massive funding, political support and encouragement to separatist groups in Sri Lanka, next intervened to prevent Sri Lanka from rooting out the LTTE when its defeat  was imminent, violated the air space of our sovereign nation, threatened to militarily invade Sri Lanka on a massive scale, and finally forced the Sri Lanka government to accept intervention by Indian troops to oversee a de-facto partitioning of the country in favour of  the Tamil  separatists.

This invasion of Sri Lanka by Indian troops on behalf of the Tamil separatists, is now falsely represented to the world as having been at Sri Lanka government's invitation, and in response to a request for 'help' from the Sri Lanka government.  Nothing could be further from the truth. This shameful episode in Indo-Sri Lankan relations can be compared to Hitler's bullying of Czechoslovakia (and the Allies) into accepting partition, and then total occupation, on the eve of World War II.  To its chagrin, India found that instead of gaining an ally in the LTTE in Sri Lanka while "cutting Sri Lanka down to size," it had instead harbored a venomous snake in its bosom, a snake that had uncoiled and was striking at its own national integrity. The LTTE, India found, was espousing separatism in Tamil Nadu and, towards that end, was assisting separatist groups everywhere in India to destabilize and weaken the federal government and cause disintegration of India itself. Incredible as it may seem, this agenda of the LTTE and the potential threat it posed to India, obvious to all in Sri Lanka, was not appreciated by the leaders of the Indian government, overly confident of their own strength and power. When the Indian government finally woke up and sought to bring the LTTE to heel, it found a costly conflict on its hands and beat a hasty retreat back to India. Today, Sri Lanka is still coping with the awful legacy of the Indian government's interference in our sovereign country. More recently, however, India has been assisting Sri Lanka to interdict LTTE's gun-running activities at sea and has resumed its original much appreciated role as a good neighbour.

The Sinhala people have a continuing love, affection and friendship for India as the land of our origin, our culture and our religion, our comrade-in-arms in the struggle for independence, our partner in regional security and trade, and take great pride in the accomplishments of India, and Indians, all over the world. Sri Lanka and the Sinhala people will never threaten the security and the integrity of India, and wish to maintain good relations at all times. However, it is abundantly clear that Sri Lanka, as a small vulnerable country, cannot expect our friendship, respect, and non-interference in India's internal matters, to be always reciprocated by Indian governments. Sri Lanka must anticipate, and plan to defend itself against  misguided, even stupid, Machiavellian policies of isolated, but powerful, Indian politicians, at both state and federal levels. Politicians whose immediate temporary needs to remain in power often overwhelm their good sense, and their nation's long term interest in having a reliable inoffensive neighbour and ally in the majority community of Sri Lanka. As the near-fatal wound inflicted on Sri Lanka by India's recent actions show, the belief that inoffensiveness alone would guarantee the security of Sri Lanka is patently false and naive; good neighbourliness must be supplemented by the military strength and broad-based military organizations required to defend the country against all domestic and foreign aggressors.

Consequences of Devolution of Power on the Basis of Ethnicity
  
Our long history abounds with numerous examples of how internal regional divisions, that invited  foreign invasions, led to the destruction of our civilizations and the lives of our people. It is not the alleged discrimination against the Tamil people that spawned the Tamil separatist movement, but their recognition of the military weakness of Sri Lanka, the availability of support from Tamil Nadu in India, and possibility of  obtaining aid from a suitably manipulated federal government of India. The federal government of India has now recognized that the LTTE and Indian Tamil separatism is a far greater threat to India than any imagined threat from the government of Sri Lanka. Given the strained feelings between the people of Tamil Nadu and the North India, the Tamil community in Tamil Nadu will always be more susceptible to manipulation by the LTTE. Tamil separatists in Sri Lanka recognize this fully;  they will make every attempt to exacerbate and exploit separatist tendencies in India, and gain assistance from Tamil Nadu.

Given this indisputable fact,  no amount of concessions by any Sri Lankan government can satisfy the demands of the LTTE. Their territorial demands in Sri Lanka will not end after the realization of any initial Eelam, or any other unit of devolution on an ethnic basis, in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the full scope of the LTTE agenda will inevitably bring about a Tamil separatist movement and conflict in India, with Eelam territory in Sri Lanka as the springboard for that effort. The result will be the spillover of an unending war onto Sri Lankan territory, as in the case of Cambodia and Laos in the Vietnam war. There will be massive uncontrolled  influxes of Indian Tamil refugees into Sri Lanka, encouraged and aided by the LTTE, and further de-facto annexation of non-Eelam territory in Sri Lanka to accommodate these people. We have already seen the willingness of the LTTE to engineer mass displacements of  "their own people" both  within Sri Lanka, and from Sri Lanka to other countries, when it suits their political purpose. Any such massive influx of Indians into Sri Lanka, would further compound Sri Lanka's security and economic problems and would irretrievably change the demographics and the essential character of Sri Lanka as a Sinhala Buddhist country.

Have we forgotten the importation of millions of Indian laborers into the hill country, against the wishes of the Sinhala people, the last time Sri Lanka lost control of its borders and its sovereignty to the British? Have we forgotten how, contrary to the provisions of the Kandyan Convention of March 2, 1815, the Sinhala people lost political power, were gradually ousted from their lands, were relegated to the bottom rung of the citizenry, and lost the protection and government patronage for Buddhism, their religion? Have we forgotten how in the ensuing 150 years speaking Sinhala, being a Buddhist, and using our ancestral Sinhala names became disqualifications for economic and social progress of Sinhala people in Sri Lanka? The re-emergence of these indignities, and creeping alienation of our fundamental rights,  will be among the inevitable consequences of the loss of control of the coastal border, and any territory within Sri Lanka, to a group that is both ill-disposed towards the Sinhala people and has established a common cause with a foreign ethnic community.

Reject Defeatism, Organize to Win

It is clear that successive Sri Lankan governments did not recognize the full scope of the short and long term threats to the country posed by military weakness, and the penalty of allowing the separatist threat to survive and grow. That this separatist war could not have been avoided by any concessions, that it can be prevented only by early national integration and military strength, and that it was made inevitable by Sri Lanka's military weakness, cannot be over emphasized.  Furthermore, the Sri Lankan government has not yet mobilized all human and material resources that are available to combat and eliminate this threat, thereby allowing a defeatist "this war cannot be won by military means" mentality to grow and pervade the entire Sinhala population. This lack of vision, lack of recognition of the mortal danger that confronts the nation, even at this late hour, is inexplicable, inexcusable.

If the United States and Britain had faced the trials of World War II in this way, they would still be fighting it. Fighting a war with shackled limbs, without focus or full commitment, without the iron-will and determination required to win, leads to prolongation of the war and the onset of war weariness in the population. As in the Vietnam war, this war weariness  is what the LTTE, and the separatists-in-waiting in the Tamil political parties in Colombo,  count on to gain their ends. However, there is an essential difference between this war and the Vietnam war. This war is not being fought on foreign soil by the Sinhala people, nor is it being fought by an unrepresentative minority government without the support of the vast majority of the people of the country.  This war can be won because the Sinhala people live in this country and have no where else to go. Unlike the Tamils who have a 'homeland' in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka is the only 'homeland' in the world that the Sinhala people have.

 A country can be secure only if its borders can be controlled and defended.  Sri Lanka cannot be defended without complete control of its coastline; in this respect it is similar to the island nation of Britain which successfully fended off invaders from the time of William the Conquerer to the present day. Therefore, this war must be won without any form of devolution, and all of Sri Lanka's territory and its entire coastline must be secured.  A broad-based peoples defense establishment must be setup and permanently maintained to assure the security of the nation in the future. The choices are crystal clear: we can win, end the war, keep Sri Lanka whole and achieve peace and prosperity for all, or we can give up and re-enter the dark days of servitude from which we emerged in 1948. No community in Sri Lanka stands to lose more than the Sinhala people by acceding to devolution. The Sinhala people, who are just beginning to recover from the effects of a long period of colonial domination, stand to forfeit all progress made in the last fifty years. It is preposterous that a 75% majority population cannot summon the will to protect itself against the unreasonable demands of a few thousand terrorists on behalf of a 12.5% ethnic minority. It is very clear to me that the Sinhala people yearn for decisive leadership, a full military mobilization of the country, rapid execution of the war to a speedy victorious conclusion, without any devolution of power that would ultimately lead to the loss of everything we have as a people. As in World War II, there must never be negotiations with aggressors and mass murderers; they must be held accountable for their crimes when this war is ended.

False Allegations of Intolerable Discrimination

Contrary to LTTE propaganda, every statistic on Sri Lanka speaks volumes in praise of the egalitarian virtues of the society that has taken root in Sri Lanka since independence. Let us note that India, which attained independence one year before Sri Lanka, has yet to achieve this level of equity for its people. In Hindu majority India, discrimination on the basis of caste and creed is endemic. Indeed, the government of India has instituted affirmative action programs to uplift the so called "untouchables" and these programs have been violently opposed by people of the higher castes. In the United States, only in the 1960's was progress made on enfranchising and bringing  african americans and other minorities into the main stream of society - a goal that has not yet been fully attained.

When Sri Lanka became independent, the Sinhala people were the disadvantaged, disenfranchised, and suppressed people in the country who needed affirmative action. Yet, in Sri Lanka, the programs instituted were not directed towards the Sinhala people only, but towards all disadvantaged communities in the country, Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim alike. Because of their initial advantages stemming from colonial days, Tamils as a community have benefited mightily from these programs instituted by successive enlightened predominantly Sinhala governments; benefits they would not have had if they had lived in Tamil Nadu in India. Indeed, we recall the struggle by the lower caste Tamil communities in Sri Lanka to gain access to the brahmin-run Hindu temples of the Tamil community - a struggle that would have been unnecessary had they been Buddhists. I also recall that many of my Tamil colleagues at the Engineering Faculty of the University of Sri Lanka in Peradeniya could not obtain class notes during vacations from their upper caste Tamil colleagues by going to their homes in Jaffna - they were barred from visiting the latter's homes and were afraid to do so - and preferred to come to my house in the South to borrow from me! Yet, at this national university, we were all equal. No such discrimination was ever practiced by any Sinhala person against any Tamil, whatever his caste or creed.

What, then, is the reason for the much greater progress towards social justice made in Sri Lanka compared to India? An analysis of this disparity between Sri Lanka and India has made it clear to me that the great strides made in Sri Lanka are due to the general environment of compassion and tolerance engendered by the Buddhist traditions and values of the majority Sinhala community. In every country, it is the majority community that sets the tone for social progress and economic equity. The Sinhala Buddhist community has established an enviable record for social justice in Sri Lanka as documented by both domestic and international bodies (e.g., UN, ILO). Today, Sri Lanka enjoys a literacy rate above 90%, compulsory education for all its children, a children's mortality rate comparable to those of developed countries, free universal healthcare, affordable rail and bus transportation, electricity in most rural homes, widespread land ownership, full representation of women and minorities in the labor force and in government, a system of labor laws acknowledged to be a model for developing nations, the highest per capita income and lowest birth rate in the South Asian region.

This broad-based record of a caring society, and a system of laws that treats all citizens fairly within the confines of resource limitations, is inconsistent with the claims of intolerable discrimination made by the LTTE. How can it be that the Sinhala people who created a society that treats all of its people equally and well in every other respect fails to treat only the Tamil people badly? How can the Tamil people claim discrimination when they are represented  in every professionally and economically rewarding field in far greater proportion than their numbers in the population? Certainly, that proportion has decreased from the early days of independence to the present as the formerly disenfranchised people of all communities gained equal access to the opportunities for advancement in the country.

The answer is that the charge of  "intolerable discrimination" is simply a false allegation unsupported by objective statistical analyses and facts. This is a fictional allegation, a gross distortion of the truth, a molehill magnified into a mountain, engineered and crafted by the separatists to prevent the Sinhala community from defending their rights; designed to defame, demonize and isolate the Sinhala community in the eyes of the world, and to provide a basis for making unreasonable demands in the belief that Sri Lanka's military weakness, and support from abroad, would yield fruit. What the separatists are really saying is that they mourn the loss of the special privileges the Tamils enjoyed under British colonial rule in return for their collaboration in suppressing and dispossessing the Sinhala people. Emboldened by the assistance from India, they are saying that when they can carve out a large part of Sri Lanka solely for themselves, why should they accept co-existence as mere equals!

The Sinhala people cannot be held responsible for the ambitious racist aspirations and imagined grievances under the Pan-Tamil agenda in India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in the world. Pursuing the agenda, in Sri Lanka they have followed the time-honoured formula, to wit: first - engineer a series of violent incidents that invite retaliation to alienate your own community from the others, to establish a captive constituency, and to create a basis for a claim of intolerable discrimination; second - create a mass exodus of people to go abroad as refugees, elicit sympathy, spread propaganda, and form a tax base for funding terrorism derived from criminal activities and exploiting the welfare programs in the unwilling host countries; third - defame the home country to alienate, demonize and isolate it from the world community; fourth - either hoodwink/blackmail a neighbouring country into lending assistance and/or militarily invading and partitioning the home country, or carry out mass bombings and exterminations at a heightened pace until the home government caves in; and sixth, if all else fails and the terrorists are in danger of being wiped out - appeal to the United Nations for intervention and recognition on the basis of a need to prevent genocide. This, then, is how the LTTE hopes to get a lion's share of Sri Lanka through terrorism, following a well known blueprint for such landgrabs recorded in recent history.

The Sinhala people, mindful of their own history,  have always reacted angrily to demands to dismember Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, we recall that it took many years of hit-and-run terrorist attacks against the government officials and innocent civilians before the pot boiled over with communal riots in 1983. Unfortunately, this was just what the separatists had planned and engineered in order to alienate the Tamil community from the Sinhala people and to justify their continued terrorism. This retaliation by the majority community is not a response unique to Sri Lanka; such unfortunate incidents have occurred in almost every nation (India, US etc.)  where volatile elements of majority communities have been goaded into action to protect their essential interests. While any violence against innocent people should be condemned and prevented, such aberrations cannot be used to condemn an otherwise caring society as discriminatory, or to engineer the dismemberment of  the country.

As in all other countries of the world, small minorities must adjust their thinking and aspirations to accomodate the essential interests of the preponderant majority, to live under one system of law with equal rights for all. When a minority community supports the values and goals of the majority community,  it wins for itself a secure place in that society. However, if it attempts to set itself up as a special privileged group without loyalty to the society at large, then it incurs the wrath of that society. This is merely common sense that applies to getting along with any group of people in a workgroup, in a small village, or in a country. In Sri Lanka, in spite of rabble rousers such as Chelvanayakam and Ponnambalam, the Tamil and Sinhala people had developed an amicable relationship prior to the events precipitated in the 1980s through Indian interference. Therefore, Sinhala people must not become brainwashed through well orchestrated domestic and international propaganda  to accept that fighting in self-defense against politically motivated terrorism, to prevent the disintegration of one's own country,  is discrimination against a minority. If the Sinhala people acquire such a mind set through listening to the chanted mantra of alleged  intolerable discrimination, without closely examining the facts, then this war and this country will be lost. All of the hard won gains made by our  long suppressed people in the last fifty years will vanish without a trace.  Without security and the rule of law, there can be no peace, no prosperity, no future. That peace, that prosperity and that future will not come easily; it must be fought for with iron determination and single minded focus on preserving the integrity of Sri Lanka.

The Front For National Integration

The Front for National Integration has been formed to organize opposition to the disastrous concept of devolution that would embed and institutionalize ethnic divisions within the country which, as our history teaches us, would irretrievably compromise the security of the nation. The Front for National Integration rejects the allegation  that intolerable discrimination has been systematically inflicted upon the Tamil people, or any other minority community, in Sri Lanka. We maintain that it is the Sinhala people who are emerging from centuries of discrimination practiced upon them. We reject the self-serving destructive concept of separate 'homelands' for each minority that alleges discrimination to the exclusion of the right of the Sinhala people to their only 'homeland' of Sri Lanka with its natural defensible border along its entire coastline.  The Front for National Integration maintains that the solution to any alleged discrimination against any minority is not to compound one set of ill-perceived wrongs with new blunders and wrongs against the Sinhala people, but to integrate the country by restructuring the Sri Lanka government, and the laws of the land, to foster the growth of one united people within the framework of one indivisible nation. 

We say to the Tamil people: You are our countrymen, our neighbors and friends. Sinhala people wish you no harm and are not in any way your enemy. We invite you to live in harmony among us as citizens with equal rights, with equal protection under one system of laws,  in a primarily Sinhala Buddhist country, without demanding special privileges or separate homelands. This is, for example, no different from the minorities within the European-Christian society of the United States, who co-exist in complete harmony and safety, without demanding separate ethnic homelands. The social gains made in Sri Lanka by all communities in the last 50 years is ample evidence of the Sinhala people's committment to a just society.

However, you must accept that the Sinhala people will not accede to any demand for breaking up Sri Lanka into separate "ethnic homelands" or into any form of "ethnic administrative units" that would jeopardize their security, or hinder the development of all resources of the country for the benefit of all of our people without regard to race or creed. There has never been, and never will be, an exclusive Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka.  Nor can "special aspirations" of Tamil people, that are different from those of other communities in Sri Lanka, be accomodated on the basis of manufactured "grievances." It must be clear to you that communal violence has erupted only when the security and integrity of Sri Lanka is threatened, invariably by the violent actions of members of your own community, and the historical fears and survival instincts of the Sinhala people are revived. As a practical matter, you must also recognize that until the frequent terrorist activities by members of the Tamil community end,  it is unreasonable to expect that the lawful security measures and searches experienced by the Tamil community will end. Tamil people are subject to these inconveniences not just because they are Tamils, but because all acts of LTTE terrorism are committed by members of the Tamil community. These security measures are unfortunate, but necessary under the circumstances. The best way of bringing this to an end is for the large majority of law-abiding people in the Tamil community to discourage and work against those who engage in terrorism. We must all stop thinking of ourselves as Sinhalas, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians but only as Sri Lankans who want to live and prosper free of fear and suspicion.

We believe that the devolution package, and indeed the concept of devolution in any form, is misguided, dangerous, defeatist, and foolish in the extreme. The country is already strained to its limit to maintain security in the land. Imagine then, how much harder it would be to do so with a  weak central government and semi-autonomous ethnic regions. The LTTE's ethnic cleansing activities in the past give ample notice that LTTE's racist view of Eelam as a "Tamil only" monoethnic region would create an apartheid state within Sri Lanka; a concept alien to Sinhala Buddhist philosophy. Furthermore, Sri Lanka is a tiny country which must not be burdened with multiple layers of tax supported regional administrations and unnecessary government bureaucracies that would stifle commercial activity and economic growth. At a time when other nations are streamlining their governments, paring costs and gearing up to efficiently compete in the global marketplace, we are asked to proliferate minor satrapies, interminable elections to local government offices, and pave the way for an explosion of corruption and bribery that would make life impossible for all.

The devolution package should be rejected in its entirety by all patriotic Sri Lankans.  Contrary to current propaganda by misguided people committed to devolution, and former separatists clamouring for power, we believe that the  LTTE and their minions can be and should be militarily defeated, that the country should marshal all of its resources now to achieve this goal, that devolution should be abandoned as undesirable, unworkable and fraught with danger, that separatism in all of its forms should be declared treason and outlawed, and that all regions of the country should be made equally accessible to all Sri Lankans so that they can travel, settle and live wherever they wish in the country under the protection of one system of laws.

All existing political and administrative entities based on ethnicity should be dismantled, and programs should be instituted to homogenize existing ethnic concentrations of population, and to discourage the growth of ethnic regions in the country. The system of education should be revised to eliminate the segregation of children of different communities from one another, and to promote interaction with and understanding between children of different communities in their early formative years. Political organizations with names that reflect separatism in any form should be outlawed. Collusion with foreign countries and powers to precipitate their intervention in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka, without lawful authority granted by parliament, should be declared treason punishable by death. Citizenship of the country should be jealously guarded and restricted to people of only Sri Lankan origin and their first generation descendants. Given the huge disparities in wealth between Sri Lanka and other countries of the world, land ownership in Sri Lanka must be restricted to only Sri Lankan citizens  and their first generation descendants (as in most nations of the world); failure to do so will in time convert the people of Sri Lanka into a nation of landless renters in their own country.  When the land is alienated, citizenship is a meaningless concept.

The laws of the land should be strictly enforced through massively and permanently stationed military forces that are provided all amenities to live and settle with their families where they are stationed, and to integrate into and contribute to the local economies. The land resources of the country should be developed to encourage the growth of a homogeneous population for the benefit of all people of the country.

The entire adult population of the country should be trained and mobilized in the defense of the country (as in Israel, Taiwan, Switzerland etc.) through impartial and uniformly enforced universal conscription into the armed forces with appropriate safeguards against any degeneration into ethnic units. Military training and service should be maintained on a rotational compulsory basis. Such a defense force, that involves the entire population in the defense of the country, can bring this war to a speedy conclusion by denying every opportunity, and every sanctuary, to the terrorists and separatists through massive permanent presence throughout the country - a goal that cannot be achieved by the limited manpower currently available to the armed forces. It is only through such a peoples defense strategy that the cost of aggression can also be made sufficiently high to give pause to the most powerful of external aggressors - as Switzerland did in deterring Hitler during World War II, and Taiwan did in holding China at bay since the 1950s.

Sri Lanka must also transform itself into a seafaring nation with a powerful navy and coast guard, a large merchant marine, and a large fishing fleet. The naval and coast guard institutions should also serve as training institutions for civilian marine officers and seamen. Such a dual purpose naval establishment would exploit Sri Lanka's strategic location that straddles international shipping lanes, and would contribute to both Sri Lanka's coastal defence and its rapid economic development.

These military organizations and administrative structures should be made permanent features of the defense of our country to convert this island again into a Fortress Lanka - the "unconquerable Lanka" of old. They should be made into instruments for inculcating and maintaining a high-level of national conciousness and patriotism among the people, and service in the Sri Lanka Defense Forces should be elevated to an honoured preferred credential - a red badge of honour - for gainful employment in civilian life (as in Israel).

To attain these goals, the Front for National Integration asks the Peoples Alliance and the United National Party to forget their differences and the internecine jockeying for personal power, and to join hands with all other patriotic people to form a National Integration Government. Such a government, would be free of the blackmail they are currently subjected to by the separatists-in-waiting in Colombo. These separatists-in-waiting now determine who remains in power, and confound every attempt to keep the country whole. With impunity they invite other nations to intervene on their behalf  in Sri Lanka, militarily and otherwise,   without any lawful authority; these are treasonable actions punishable by death in most other countries such as the United States.

However, if the two main parties cannot reconcile their differences to save the country at this critical hour, then the people of Sri Lanka must vote all of them out of office, and form a new national government that is committed to the integration of Sri Lanka into one indivisible nation without devolution of power or dismemberment of the country into ethnic regions. It is not the survival of political leaders that is at stake here, it is the survival of Sri Lanka and its People. It is the sacred duty of all leaders to set aside their petty differences and protect the motherland. I do believe that if the leaders fail in their duty to assure the integrity and security of Sri Lanka, the rage of ordinary people would rise up in a firestorm to engulf and destroy them.

National Integration is the key to peace and prosperity. Peace and prosperity cannot be won by appeasement of terrorists and bargaining away our country, our security and our future. Sacrifice and eternal vigilance have always been the price of freedom. I urge all patriotic Sri Lankans to join and support the Front for National Integration now to help save our country and our people from destruction.

194 comments:

Ananda-USA said...

Dear President Mahinda Rajapaksa,

NO POWER should be devolved to regions on the basis of ETHNICITY, or any other COMMUNAL basis.

One Person.. One vote, irrespective of communal differences, is sufficient franchise for all citizens.

Please do not maintain large Provincial Council Administrative Units that can form the basis for future separatism; Districts are Large Enough for regional administration. Dismantle all Provincial Council bureacracies that overlap and undermine National Government authority and increase the tax burden on the people.

Adopt and Implement a Policy of National Integration of Communities with the Goal of Achieving a UNIFORM DEMOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION of the communities of Sri Lanka. Use Government incentives to make that a reality.

This will PERMANENTLY eliminate future threats to Sri Lanka's Integrity and lay the foundation for PERMANENT Peace between all of its citizens.

ONE NATION, ONE PEOPLE with ONE Shared DESTINY should be our National Goal.

Secure to Each and Every citizen EQUAL RIGHTS subject to an EQUAL RESPONSIBILITY to Love, Protect and Foster our Motherland.

That is ALL ANY CITIZEN NEEDS .. no special rights by ethnicity should be embedded in the law, or reserved to any citizen on the basis of communal attributes.

May the Holy Triple Gem Bless and Protect you Always!

Jayawewa, Sri Lanka!


......................
I have a political solution in mind: President Rajapaksa

By N. Ram
TheHindu.com
November 21, 2010

Confirming that he had a political solution to the Tamil question in mind and that discussions with political parties and the people would go ahead, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told The Hindu: “[On devolution] “we must know the minds of the people… What we want is reconfirmation of what they want… The solution that I have in mind might not be good enough for them; they might not accept it. Not only the political parties, the people must accept it… We want to appoint a committee, from both sides, and discuss all these.” He indicated that elections to the Northern Provincial Council would take place in 2011.

In a wide-ranging interview given to me at ‘Temple Trees' in Colombo, Sri Lanka's powerful President, who began his second term on November 19, answered questions about the prospects of finding a political solution to the Tamil question, the resettlement of all the displaced Tamils in the North, the role of Opposition parties, his initiative for a trilingual Sri Lanka, the jailing and conviction of the former Army Commander, General Sarath Fonseka, and some other current political issues. He characterised bilateral relations with India as “excellent, after the war, and before the war ended.”

Mr. Rajapaksa noted that the principal achievement of his first term as President was the elimination of terrorism and delivery of peace to the people. For the second term, he emphasised that his aim was to “develop the country. After that, the priorities are the people whom we have to win over — the hearts and minds of the people. Now Sri Lanka is one country; it's not divided. So what we want is to see that the whole nation gets all the benefits, not only one area, not only one community. To develop the economy so that all the people benefit.”

Ananda-USA said...

I have a political solution in mind: President Rajapaksa

......continued.....
Expressing satisfaction over the process of resettling the 300,000 Tamils displaced by the war, he noted that of the 17,000 or 18,000 who had not yet returned to their areas, at least 10,000 were from areas that had to be de-mined. He expected that by December 2010, the government would be able to “send back everyone other than the people who wish to stay there [in the camps].”

Asked about the removal, through a constitutional amendment, of the two-term bar on holding presidential office, a move which has been criticised, he provided an interesting answer: he had observed that during the second year of the second term, leaders in various countries, including Sri Lanka, became “lame ducks”; he wasn't going “to walk into that trap” and wanted to be “free from that [constraint].”

What was his message to the Sri Lankan people and to the international community at the start of his second presidential term? “The message to my people,” President Rajapaksa answered, “is that I am concentrating on development work. I want to make Sri Lanka a hub for the development of knowledge, energy, commerce, naval transportation, and aviation. To achieve that, our people must stay together…To the international community, my message is they must understand our position. We defeated terrorists, not freedom fighters. The whole world is facing this problem. So they must realise what we have achieved and help to develop the country, develop the North-East. They must help us not to widen the gap between the communities but to bring them closer. The past is past; you don't dig into the wounds. We must think positively, not negatively.”

Ananda-USA said...

Following is the speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the swearing in of the second term of office

Presidential Secretariat
Government of Sri Lanka
November 19, 2010

Friends,

You are well aware that you now stand on our motherland that is much greater than what was handed over to me five years ago. There can be no greater satisfaction to a leader than the humble joy of being able to address one's people after building a much better country than before and successfully carrying out the responsibility handed over to me by the citizens of this country.

Friends,

I recall how, five years ago on November 19, 2005, I took over this country in this premises. On that 19 th of November when I took over this country it was divided and the Sri Lankan nation was losing this country. Yet, we toiled day and night with patience and commitment, facing all hostile forces, unshaken in the midst of rising storms. Subsequently, on another memorable 19th - the 19th of May - we united this country achieving a victory over terrorism that had its global echoes. Today, on this 19th of November, I take over this country again with the determination, strength and courage to raise my motherland to a position of greatness in the world.

Sri Lanka became a united nation, freeing the country in line with the Mahinda Chinatana of 2005. From this day on, we will bring this nation to a position of greatness in this world implementing the policy of Mahinda Chintana: Vision for the future. Today, I take over this country with more courage, strength and confidence than in 2005.

Friends,

Most of us, throughout our lives, have seen two destructive uprisings in the South and a thirty year long terrorist destruction in the North. I have seen efforts to globally humiliate our motherland through terrorism and separatism, and uprisings.

Our task as a nation on the rise to be among the great nations of the world, is to prevent such bloodshed in another twenty or thirty years. Therefore our first task is to ensure lasting national unity and sustainable, permanent peace in our motherland.

I believe that the eradication of poverty is greater than the defeat of uprisings. It requires true bravery.

Friends,

In the Mahinda Chintana of 2005, we decided to develop the 16,000 villages where more than 80% of our people live. You will feel the change in cities outside Colombo and in the villages where there is a new light of progress in place of the former darkness and ruin around. When five ports are being developed the villages around them will inevitably be transformed into developed economic zones. These rural areas that were ignored from the days of imperial rule are being developed and the nation's doors open for new employment, industry, business opportunity and massive development.

Yet, we are aware that the developed countries in the world have many other cities of fame apart from their capital cities. When development spreads and the revolution of roadways expands we will have several cities that are not second in anyway to Colombo. This will inevitably lead to a completely different image of Sri Lanka that the world will see tomorrow.

Ananda-USA said...

Following is the speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the swearing in of the second term of office

......continued 1.....
The massive power projects now under construction will ensure that by 2012 every home and family in our country will have electricity. Therefore, the land that was freed from terrorism will by 2012 be a land that is freed of darkness. You will soon hear the hum of industry that is powered by this energy.

In keeping with the exhortation of our former kings that not a drop of water should flow to the sea without first serving the people, we are today harnessing the water in all our great reservoirs for the task of development. All reservoirs must be used without letting them idle. This will lead to the filling up of our barns, providing drinking water to the people. When we have enough food for our bodies, our minds will be filled with the comfort of freedom.

Friends,

What lies ahead is a period when all of us will have to work hard for our country. Our expectation is to modernize all areas of employment as to make them more productive and provide more revenue. The work of our people should be regarded as an asset and not the result of hiring or slavery. Our labour is an asset of dignity. It is by increasing the quality of work that my country can be made the Wonder of Asia.

Friends,

We have great hope for our younger generation. We will forever remember the way our young men joined the combined forces and brought victory to the nation, which bewildered the world. I lay trust in our beloved sons and daughters while remembering those unparalleled heroes of war who rest in this soil.

We must move towards a future generation that is trilingual. It is my hope to raise the level of computer literacy to 75% in the near future and make our future generation true heroes of technology in the modern world. The name of Sri Lankan youth must top the list of those employed in the fields of science and technology. Our generation can achieve this victory by making our country the knowledge hub we intend it to be.

What I seek is a country where we can travel from one end to another in a few hours; an era which provides a good income for our people. We must rise by making this country the hub of development in the five-fold areas of naval, aviation, commerce and trade, power and energy, and knowledge. We must make this a country one among those with the best quality of life.

There is no room for hatred on politics, community, caste or religion when our children are brought up in a life that is replete with all facilities, has shelter and security, and is rich in love and friendship.

Development does not mean living in isolation surrounded by concrete structures while abandoning great humanitarian values, distancing oneself from the greenery of trees, nature and other species around us. We should move towards development while safeguarding the great humanitarian traditions that exist among our people. Nature as seen in the trees, vegetation and animals in our habitat should also obtain the benefits of the development we achieve.

Ananda-USA said...

Following is the speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the swearing in of the second term of office

......continued 2.....
Remember this!

We are not a miniature of a developed country. We are Sri Lanka. Our motherland is Sri Lanka.

We have the inherited wisdom to tolerate all opinion and take mature decisions. We have a tradition of understanding our problems and conflicts and finding solutions for them.

We understand our problems with perceived wisdom, based on realities. The expectations of the people are not those of the terrorists.

We have carried out development work in the North and East as never before in the history of these regions. All development processes carried out in the North and East, are a closure of the highways to terrorism. I strongly believe that this infrastructure to banish poverty is a major part of a political solution.

The people of the North were able to use their franchise in freedom at the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. In the forthcoming elections too, we will ensure their right to vote freely and elect their representatives.

Friends,

Out policy is one of non-alignment. We do not have enemy states or such groups or blocs. During the last era, we worked with many nations in agreement and friendship for national security. We now step into the development era. We extend our hand of friendship to those who assist us in this endeavour. There will be no development in the absence of peace, nor peace in the absence of development. Therefore, we will strengthen already existing relations between nations and are ready to establish new relations for national security and development.

Friends,

I am not used to abandoning a task due to difficulty or hardship. Not only in freeing our nation, we will also not hesitate to take the boldest of decisions in resolving the deep crises that many think prevail in society. We need a land free of a lawless underworld, racketeering, extortion and the carrying of illegal weapons or drugs; a land free of corruption and inefficiency.

Friends,

We received a huge majority in all regions of this country in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections. The people of this country gave us a huge mandate which cannot be possible through proportional representation. We wish to see everyone in this land become a stakeholder in the future victories that will flow from this great victory, regardless of political differences.

Ananda-USA said...

Following is the speech by President Mahinda Rajapaksa after the swearing in of the second term of office

......continued 3.....
Friends,

There is no higher position you could elevate me to. I too do not see any higher position I could achieve in our motherland. There is only one place I can think of. It is my home at Madamulana where I will retire to. If when I go there, the people of this country who meet me tell me with gratitude, 'You have done your duty by the country'; that shall be my greatest satisfaction. I value the joy and contentment of my people more than my own.

Friends,

My dear sons and daughters,

Never in any of my speeches have I referred to my motherland as a small country. I have never called the land of my birth, 'small Sri Lanka' or 'small Island'. This is a land with a great history of many centuries, where the Kalawewa, Ruwanweliseya, Sigiriya, Yoda Ela, Lovamahapaya stand; where the Buddha has trod thrice on this land. A land that won our freedom from the world's most powerful imperialism from struggles that lasted nearly four centuries; has defeated the most ruthless and savage terrorist of the world. It is where people who follow four different faiths live in harmony and where today many communities live in brotherhood; and where the world's largest habour and five other ports are being built, and the strides of development are proceeding to build airports, expressways and massive power stations. With such an abundance of greatness who would dare to say that this is a small island?

Therefore, never ever call this a small country. You too must develop your body, mind and word to match the dignity of this land of your birth and take this country to the greatness it deserves.

Utthanavato satimato - sucikammassa nisammakarino

Sannatassa ca dhammajivino - appamattassa yaso'bhivaddhati

-Dhammapada

(The fame of him who strives after perfection, is mindful is pure indeed, considerate, is restrained, righteous and heedful spreads far and wide.)

I call on you to follow these words of the Buddha.

I wish you all a bright future!

May the Noble Triple Gem bless you!

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka President appoints new Cabinet for his second term

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 22, Colombo: Following his inauguration into a second term last Friday Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the incumbent Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne to the premier position and swore-in the new cabinet of ministers this morning.

President Rajapaksa appointed 59 senior ministers and 33 deputy ministers to the Cabinet a short while ago. Among them were 16 newcomers.

Several junior ministers in the previous cabinet including Sarath Amunugama, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Jagath Pushpakumara, Dilan Perera, T.B. Ekanayaka, Dayashritha Tissera, and Mervyn Silva received senior minister posts with the creation of several new ministries.

The recent crossovers to the government Lakshman Senevirathne and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauf Hakeem have been rewarded with ministerial portfolios.

President Rajapaksa has retained the key ministries of defense, finance, ports and aviation, and highways while most of the senior ministers have retained their portfolios.

President's brother Basil Rajapaksa will retain his portfolio as the Minister of Economic Development while Prof. G.L. Peiris will continue as the External Affairs Minister.

Footnote:

Gothabhaya Rajapaksa was the first to be confirmed in his key previous post as the Secretary of Defense.

Jayawewa!

Ananda-USA

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka's new Cabinet for President's second term

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 22, Colombo: Sri Lanka's new Cabinet of Ministers of the UPFA government was sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat this morning.

According to the Government Media Unit the new cabinet comprises 9 Senior Ministers and 49 Cabinet Ministers in addition to Prime Minister. Another 31 Deputy Ministers were also sworn in.

Following is the list of Cabinet Ministers and their portfolios:

Prime Minister
D. M. Jayaratne
Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs

Senior Ministers
1. Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka Good Governance and Infrastructure Facilities

2. D E W Gunasekara
Human Resources

3. Athauda Seneviratne
Rural Affairs

4. P. Dayaratne
Food and Nutrition

5. A. H. M. Fowzie
Urban Affairs

6. S. B. Nawinna
Consumer Welfare

7. Piyasena Gamage
National Assets

8. Prof. Tissa Vitharana
Scientific Affairs

9. Dr. Sarath Amunugama International Monetary Cooperation

Other Cabinet Ministers

1. Nimal Siripala de Silva
Irrigation and Water Resources Management

2. Maithripala Sirisena
Health

3. Susil Premajayantha
Petroleum Industries

4. Arumugam Thondaman
Livestock and Rural Community Development

5. Dinesh Gunawardena
Water Supply and Drainage

6. Douglas Devananda Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development

7. A. L. M. Athaulla
Local Government and Provincial Councils

8. Rishad Bathiyutheen
Industry and Commerce

9. Champika Ranawaka
Power and Energy

10. Wimal Weerawansa Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities

11. Rauff Hakeem
Justice

12. Basil Rajapaksa
Economic Development

13. Vasudeva Nanayakkara
National Languages and Social Integration

14. S. B. Dissanayake
Higher Education

15. Prof G.L. Peiris
External Affairs

16. W. D. J. Seneviratne
Public Administration and Home Affairs

17. Sumeda G Jayasena Parliamentary Affairs

18. Jeevan Kumaranatunga
Postal Services

19. Pavithra Wanniarachchi
Technology and Research

20. Anura Priyadharshana Yapa Environment

21. Tissa Karaliyadde
Child Development and Women's Affairs

22. Gamini Lokuge
Labour and Labour Relations

23. Bandula Gunawardena
Education

24. Mahinda Samarasinghe
Plantations

25. Rajitha Senarathna
Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Development

26. Janaka Bandara Tennakoon Land and Land Development

27. Felix Perera
Social Services

28. C B Ratnayake
Private Transport Services

29. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Agriculture

30. Keheliya Rambukwella
Mass Media and Information

31. Kumara Welgama
Transport

32. Dullas Alahapperuma
Youth Affairs and Skills Development

33. Johnston Fernando Cooperatives and Internal Trade

34.Chandrasiri Gajadeera Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms

35. Salinda Dissanayake
Indigenous Medicine

36. Reginold Cooray
Small Export Crops Promotion

37. Dilan Perera
Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare

38. Jagath Pushpakumara
Coconut Development and State Plantations Development

39. T B Ekanayaka
Culture and Aesthetic Affairs

40. Mahinda Amaraweera
Disaster Management

41. S M Chandrasena
Agrarian Services and Wildlife

42. Gunaratne Weerakoon Resettlement

43. Mervyn Silva
Public Coordination and Public Affairs

44. Mahindananda Aluthgamage Sports

45. Dayasritha Tissera
State Assets and Enterprise Development

46. Ranjith Siyambalapitiya Telecommunication and Information Technology

47. Jagath Balasuriya
National Heritage

48. Lakshman Seneviratne Productivity Promotion

49. Navin Dissanayake
State Management Reforms

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka's new Cabinet for President's second term

.....continued....
Deputy Ministers

1. Susantha Punchinilame
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development

2. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena Economic Development

3. Rohitha Abeygunawardana Port and Highways

4. Pandu Bandaranaike
Indigenous Medicine

5. Jayarathne Herath
Industry and Commerce

6. Duminda Dissanayake
Youth Affairs and Skills Development

7. Lasantha Alagiyawanna Construction, Engineering Service, Housing and Common Amenities

8. Rohana Dissanayake
Transport

9. H.R.Mithrapala
Livestock and Rural Community Development

10. Nirmala Kothalawala
Port and Highways

11. Premalal Jayasekera
Power and Energy

12. Geethanjana Gunawardena Finance and Planning

13. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan
Resettlement

14. Faizer Musthapa
Technology and Research

15. Indika Bandaranayake
Local Government and Provincial Councils

16. Mutthu Sivalingam
Economic Development

17. Siripala Gamlath
Lands and Land Development

18. W.B. Ekanayaka
Irrigation and Water Resources Management

19. Chandrasiri Sooriyarachchi Social Service

20. Nandimitra Ekanayaka
Higher Education

21. Nirupama Rajapaksa
Water Supply and Drainage

22. Lalith Dissanayake
Health

23. Sarana Gunawardena
Petroleum Industries

24. Vijith Vijayamuni Soyza Education

25. M.L.A.M. Hisbulla
Child Development and Women's Affairs

26. Weerakumara Dissanayake Traditional Industries and Small Enterprises Development

27. G.D.S. Gunawardena
Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs

28. Earl Gunasekara
Plantation Industries

29. Segu Dawood
Cooperative and Internal Trade

30. Abdul Cader
Environment

31. Dullip Wijesekara
Disaster Management

Source: www.news.lk

Ananda-USA said...

Curious ... what has the ICRC been upto in the North?
...............
ICRC told to close its offices in Northern Sri Lanka

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 21, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to close its offices in the Northern Province.

ICRC media coordinator Sarasi Wijeratne has told the local media that the government had requested the ICRC to close its offices in
Vavuniya and Jaffna and carry out its operations from Colombo.

The government has not given a reason for the decision, the official has told the media.

"The ICRC is, however, yet to receive an official communication from the government with regard to reasons behind the request to close down both its offices," Wijeratne has been quoted.

The official has said that the government has not given any time frame for the move yet.

The ICRC official said the organization is expected to meet with the government officials to discuss the situation.

In September, the ICRC said it has reviewed its operations in the country and decided to close its office in the Mannar district at the end of November 2010.

The Geneva-based organization has been working in Sri Lanka since 1989. It has over 325 staff, including 35 expatriates working in Colombo, Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Mannar.

Ananda-USA said...

Every Day in Every Way the TRUTH about the LTTE mass murderers, LEAKS OUT!

If the Dr. Shanmugarajah COULD NOT distinguish between LTTE cadre and Civilians, how can the Defense Forces do that under combat conditions?

ALL LTTE cadre had shed their uniforms for civilian clothes by this time, were carrying weapons and fighting HIDING AMONG CIVILIANS!

We KNEW that; only Sri Lanka's enemies refuse to acknowledge it.

As they say, there are none so blind as those who refuse to see!


.................
Dr. Shanmugarajah gives evidence before the LLRC

Island.lk
November 21, 2010


‘We served pregnant mothers even during last stages of war, no mortality’

LTTE forced us to inflate injury figures

Appeals to Sri Lankans and overseas Tamils to assist people-in-need in Wanni

Commended by LLRC for his dedication to patients during the war


Dr. V. Shanmugarajah, who worked as the Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital in Mullaitivu during the war in Wanni (Sept. 2006 to May 15, 2009) appearing before the LLRC on November 18 at the Kadirgamar Institute of Foreign Relations said that he and the staff with support of the health volunteers had ensured that neither pregnant mothers nor their babies died during the last phase of the war in Wanni. He said that all medical supplies and medicine including antibiotics for children had been sent by the Government of Sri Lanka even during the height of the war either directly or by ICRC supervised ships.

As the war intensified in January 2009, the Mullaitivu hospital had been set up in a school in Vallipuram. "By that time, the people in Kilinochchi area had also begun to move into our area," he said.

Dr. Shanmugarajah said: "Medical personnel in Kilinochchi too began to join us. As the front lines moved the hospital was shifted twice and finally it was taken to Vella Mullaiwaikkal in May 2009. During the time the make-shift hospitals were being operated, the staff strength was gradually reduced by about 50 percent and the support of health volunteers helped provide services to patients. We provided medicine to all those who were injured; we also transported pregnant mothers, the elderly and so on by ship with the help of the ICRC. We were able to provide medicine to people, especially children until April 2009."

Dr. Shanmugarajah informed the Commission that around that time people had been ready to flee the area at any cost. When people began to leave the LTTE area, the LTTE had opened fire on the people. "Injured people who came to us had shell injuries too," Dr. Shanmugarajah said.

On May 13, Dr. Shanmugarajah informed the Government Agent, the ICRC, and the Ministry of Health of their inability to keep the hospital functioning due to fighting close to the hospital. The GA advised him and the staff to stay in the same area so that the Army could move in to rescue them. Dr. Shanmugarajah said that on May 15 the Army had rescued all staff, the pregnant mothers, the injured, the elderly and the children. The elderly and the children were inmates of an Elders’ Home and a Children’s home respectively. They also had rushed to the hospital. The army personnel had treated and attended on the injured and the sick. Some patients had been transferred to the Vauniya hospital.

Ananda-USA said...

Dr. Shanmugarajah gives evidence before the LLRC

.......continued 1.....

The LLRC commended Dr. Shanmugarajah for his commitment and dedication to patients and his professionalism he had demonstrated even under very difficult circumstances.

Dr. Shanmugarajah said that he also wished to extend his gratitude to the doctors, paramedical staff, the health volunteers, the members of the public who had stayed on to help treat and attend on the patients, as well as the army doctors and military personnel who had helped treat and transport patients and staff.

The Commission asked him about the overall support provided to maintain health services in the area such as the support given by the authorities. Dr. Shanmugarajah said that the Government of Sri Lanka had paid the salaries of all medical staff in the area. All medical supplies and medicines had also been provided by the Government. The LTTE had not provided any financial support to maintain the services; at times LTTE doctors and nurses had helped treat patients.

Responding to a question on the major problems faced by him in maintaining medical services in the last stages of the war, Dr. Shanmugarajah said that from February to 15 May 2010, the hospital had been located in Rette Waikkal and Mulle Waikkal respectively. Lack of space and staff (by that time about 50 percent of staff had left) had been the major problems. In responding to a question whether records were maintained on categories of injured, Dr. Shanmugarajah said, "We could not distinguish between (injured) LTTE and civilians."

The Commission then asked whether he had given any reports to the electronic media about the numbers injured. Dr. Shanmugarajah said that they had been compelled or forced by the situation to ‘inflate’ the numbers of persons injured. He said that LTTE had compelled them to inflate the number of the injured persons.

Dr. Shanmugarajah informed the Commission that he did not know the whys and wherefores of the war. However, as a government servant he had served as best as he could during the war and was continuing to serve the people even then, he said.

Ananda-USA said...

Dr. Shanmugarajah gives evidence before the LLRC

......continued 2.....
"I closely associated with the people of the area; during the pre-war time they were generally happy and once the war resumed in 2006 they were worried. They became apprehensive as their free movement was restricted. Furthermore transport facilities became unavailable. Roads became bad’.

Dr. Shanmugarajah said, now, that the war had been concluded, the area was gradually being re- built. In some hospitals, about 75 percent of renovation work had been completed. The Mullaitivu District was comparatively bad (less developed) compared to other areas. Many initiatives were now being taken to develop the area. Now, the people living in the area were feeling relieved. To some extent they were beginning to be satisfied. The Government was providing grants for paddy cultivation. People in the fishery industry were being assisted. The people felt that in about two years they would be alright, Dr. Shanmugarajah said.

However, in the Mullaitivu District there was a severe shortage of government personnel, Dr. Shanmugarajah said. "I wish to recommend that when vacancies in health sector are filled consideration be given to those health volunteers who served in the area during the war time with commitment. Comparatively, the people in Mullaitivu are educationally backward. They wish to overcome this situation. I can assure you that people of Wanni do not wish to suffer any more. Now the Wanni people are beginning to feel somewhat happy; they are able to sell their fish and agricultural produce at a good price to some extent. The market for their produce is improving. People are beginning to look to the future."

Dr. Shanmugarajah concluded by pointing out that Sri Lankans and the (world) should realize that still a large group of people were living below the poverty line in Wanni. There were widows as well as former LTTE cadres who were disabled. Those categories needed further special assistance. He said, "I wish to appeal to people living in Sri Lanka, and especially to those Tamil people living overseas to do their utmost to help these special groups in Vanni’.

Ananda-USA said...

Oh My God, 59 Ministries is FAR TOO MANY for a small nation like Sri Lanka!

TOO MUCH Tax-Payer Supported Bureaucracts will burden the People of the country with unnecessary highly-paid politicians working at cross purposes.

NOTHING will get done with political infighting to defend turf! People will be imprisoned by the RED TAPE unable to get the simplest thing done without kow-towing to politicians.

Not even the USA has this many Cabinet Positions.

The GOSL should CONSOLIDATE Ministerial functions, and CUT THE NUMBER OF MINISTRIES by HALF to 30 at MOST.

Some of the Junior Ministers can be given Deputy Ministerships and become the managers who implement GOSL Policy.

The President Promised us fewer Ministries .. WHAT HAPPENED!! We understood his need to give ministerships to all and sundry in his first term to maintain a stable government .. but NOW??

IN ADDITION, we will have Provincial Government Offcialdoms as well, which should be totally eliminated. Regional administrative units should be no larger than Districts to prevent separatists from acquiring power to undermine the central government.

There are MORE BEE KEEPERS now than there are BEES!

How can Sri Lanka forge ahead to become the New Wonder of Asia with such a large and expensive Government Apparatus?

Ananda-USA said...

‘Help us bring the communities together'

TheHindu.com
November 23, 2010

'The message to my people is that I am concentrating on development work. I want to make Sri Lanka a hub for the development of knowledge, energy, commerce, naval transportation, and aviation. To achieve that, our people must stay together, rally round the government and achieve it — for the people. To the international community, my message is they must understand our position. We defeated terrorists, not freedom fighters. The whole world is facing this problem. So they must realise what we have achieved and help to develop the country, develop the North-East. They must help us not to widen the gap between the communities but to bring them closer.'

In this second and concluding part of a one-hour interview given to N. Ram at ‘Temple Trees' in Colombo, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's President, responds to questions about his ambitious initiative for a trilingual Sri Lanka, the role of the English language, the contentious 18th constitutional amendment, the jailing and conviction of General Sarath Fonseka, the status and future of 11,000 hard-core LTTE cadres and supporters, and relations with India.

You have taken a special interest in language policy. You have announced a Ten Year Presidential Initiative for a Trilingual Sri Lanka and before that the initiative to promote English. This seems to have been thought out over the long term. How do you see this going?

Last year was the Year of English and Information Technology. With that the people started spoken English, they started learning English. So I thought the best thing was that all Sinhalese must learn Tamil now, the Tamils must learn Sinhala, and they must all learn English and acquire knowledge, international knowledge. We thought the best thing was to launch this three-language initiative. We have set the target of 2020 and I think we can achieve it. One issue is teachers; we have to train the teachers. But we have to meet that challenge.

The coordinator of this initiative, Sunimal Fernando, told me about the findings of a socio-linguistic survey in Sri Lanka; it showed a surprising amount of support, even enthusiasm, among both Sinhalese and Tamils for learning each other's language. This must have come as a surprise even to you.

Yes but I have seen some of this. Government servants get from [SL Rs] 10,000 to [SL Rs] 25,000, depending on the level of competency, for learning a second language, Sinhalese learning Tamil or Tamils learning Sinhala. We pay them; I don't think any other country pays government servants like this. We are serious about this.

Ananda-USA said...

‘Help us bring the communities together'

.......continued 1.....
In your address in 2009 during the launch of the Year of English and IT, you made an interesting statement. First about Sinhala and Tamil, not merely as tools of communication but as encapsulating values and worldviews. And English is to be delivered purely as a “life skill” for its “utility value,” as “a vital tool of communication with the outside world of knowledge” and as a skill that is required for employment. Then you go on to say something very interesting: “We will ensure that there will be a complete break with the past where in our country English was rolled out as a vehicle for creating disaffection towards our national cultures, national ethos and national identity.” So you make a qualitative distinction between learning Sinhala and Tamil by people belonging to the other community and English as a life skill — but breaking with the past. So it was a real problem in Sri Lanka, the separation of the English-knowing elite and the people?

Yes. Because everybody thought that English was for the elite. And the elite used it as a sword — in Sinhala it is “kaduva.” The elite used knowledge of English as a kaduva to cut down the others from the villages. This was very prominent in high society, especially in Colombo; they thought the people who didn't know English must be somebody to be looked down upon. Now it has changed and we want to change this attitude.

And if this Trilingual Initiative really takes off and achieves its target, it will really be a unique achievement. Very few countries would have done anything like this.

Yes.

Can you tell us about your thinking behind the removal, through a constitutional amendment, of the two-term bar on holding presidential office? There has been international comment on, and criticism of this change.

The thing is I have seen the second term of various leaders, not only in Sri Lanka but also in many other countries. Because in the first year [of the second term] you can work. Yes, you make promises, you can work in the first year. When it comes to the second year, from the beginning the party is fighting within to find the next leader. Government servants will be looking out to see who will be the next leader and they will not work. And the President would be a lame duck President from the second year [of the second term]. See what happened during the last term to [President] Chandrika [Kumaratunga], what happened to J.R. [Jayewardena], what happened to others. I've seen that, so I'm not going to walk into that trap! So I thought the best thing – whether you contest or not, that is a different thing – would be to be free from that [constraint]. Because during the second term of six years that the people have given me because I have achieved during the first term, I must have that freedom, without conspiracies, without pulling you down among your people, among the government servants especially.

The second term is very important. To achieve development for the people — that was the mandate they have given me. That's why I did that. It doesn't mean … whether I'm going to contest a third term or fourth term, it's not like that. Generally, this [two-term limit] had made our leaders lame ducks during the second term.

You have told me on more than one occasion that one of the problems with the constitutional structure in Sri Lanka was that the President was away from Parliament, and that you had grown up in the parliamentary tradition and you wanted to overcome or narrow that gap. Have you been able to do that?

Yes. Now it's compulsory, after the 18th Amendment, for the President to go to Parliament, at least once in three months.

Ananda-USA said...

‘Help us bring the communities together'

.......continued 2.....
This will solve that problem?

I think so. Because then when I have the right to go there, at least once in three months, I can use it at any time when I think it is necessary or useful. Even that they criticise, saying I am trying to control Parliament! I don't want to do that; that's why I said once in three months was enough. I don't want to go and mess around with the parliamentary system. I want to be there to feel the pulse of the people, to hear the Opposition, to find out. I will give you an example. Recently, when Ranil Wickremasinghe, Leader of the Opposition, raised an issue on casinos, that somebody had started a casino on government land, I issued orders and found out it was a true story. I immediately called Ranil and thanked him for raising that. The Opposition's duty is to show us these things and if I am there, in Parliament, I will be better informed about these things. Where something wrong has happened, we can always rectify it. It is very important that I should be very close to Parliament.

The other issue that is commented upon and criticised is the jailing and conviction of your former Army Commander, Sarath Fonseka. Neither he nor any member of his family has asked for a presidential pardon. Is it a political problem in Sri Lanka?

No, it's not a political problem. The law is for all; everybody is equal before the law. Whatever wrong things they have done, they have to face it. People understand this. Some Opposition MPs, thinking they can use this as a platform to gain political advantage, are using his name. But I don't think it's a matter over which people are excited. They are not interested.

Neither the UNP nor even the JVP seems to have taken this up in a serious way.

No. When they want to say something or do something, they bring this up.

One is the rule of law and the President's role. But there is also a personal side. He was your Army Commander, you knew him personally. How do these two sides interact?

Yes, it's really difficult. But whether you are the Army Commander or not, if you do something wrong, you will have to face it. We never thought he was a man like that, we didn't know. When he came forward as a candidate, somebody informed and said his son-in-law was an arms dealer. We never knew about this. He didn't admit it either. He should have informed us. He sat as chairman of the tender board; no Army Commander had done that earlier. We made a man who was supposed to retire in a little while the Army Commander. If I had known that his son-in-law was an arms dealer, I would have warned him or tried to correct him.

There are, I'm told, about 11,000 self-confessed LTTE cadres or supporters in custody, hardcore elements and maybe some others. How do you resolve this issue?

Some of them have already been rehabilitated. Four thousand have already gone home. We have released the children and the old people. Some of them don't want to go; they are with us, for their own sake.

In your U.N. address, you extended an open invitation to all Tamil expatriate citizens of Sri Lanka who wished to come and join the development of the country. Has there been a good response to this?

Yes, there has been a lot of response, including from those expatriates who want dual citizenship. But there are also those who went away for other reasons, but showing the conflict as the reason. Many Sri Lankans have gone and settled down abroad and taken the citizenship of other countries.

Ananda-USA said...

‘Help us bring the communities together'

.......continued 3.....
You have been in close touch with Indian leaders. You have come to India; you were the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games; you have maintained continuous contact. Are you satisfied with the level and quality of India's contribution to this process, after the war ended?

Yes. Yes. Relations have been excellent, after the war, and before the war ended. We have been in close touch, the leaders of the two countries.

For example, building 50,000 houses should take care of most of the housing needs of the displaced people in the mainland North. Then there is restoration of the collapsed railway network in the North. Palaly Airfield; KKS harbour; road development projects; a power project in Sampur in the East

So all these projects have been given to India. But still some of the papers are making a big fuss over our projects and making comparisons with what we have given China.

Did the Indian government, political leaders or officials, express concern over this?

No, no. They are much more mature. Because everything had been offered to them first. The airport, the port, Hambanthotta harbour. Even Sampur was offered four years ago. We need development, rapid development. This will greatly help the people of the North, the Tamils. People who used to support the LTTE, those who made a big fuss over these projects, including Professor [M.S.] Swaminathan's blueprint for the development of agriculture and fisheries in the North, should realise this.

As you embark on your second term, your new term, as President of Sri Lanka, what is your message to your people and to the international community? How should they respond to Sri Lanka's new situation?

The message to my people is that I am concentrating on development work. I want to make Sri Lanka a hub for the development of knowledge, energy, commerce, naval transportation, and aviation. To achieve that, our people must stay together, rally round the government and achieve it — for the people. To the international community, my message is they must understand our position. We defeated terrorists, not freedom fighters. The whole world is facing this problem. So they must realise what we have achieved and help to develop the country, develop the North-East. They must help us not to widen the gap between the communities but to bring them closer. The past is past; you don't dig into the wounds. We must think positively, not negatively.

Ananda-USA said...

India KNOWS that this Tamil Tiger has not changed it's stripes, despite its pretending to be a reformed mewling and puking pussycat!

Once bitten, Twice Shy!

Tamil Nadu was ALWAYS the GREATER PRIZE for the Tigers .. Eelam in Sri Lanka was only the SPRINGBOARD!

Tamil Tiger Racists were Liars Then, Liars Now, Liars Forever!

.................
India fears revival of LTTE, extends ban

New Delhi
November 23, 2010

India has extended its ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as it fears the revival of the outlawed group, a senior official said here Tuesday.

"There is still a threat from the LTTE. The ban has been extended by the home ministry,” the official, who did not wish to be named, said. There are apprehensions about the revival of the LTTE, he said a couple of days before External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna goes to Sri Lanka for wide-ranging talks with his counterpart G.L. Peiris.

Early this month, a special tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge upheld the central government's decision to extend the ban on the terror group for two more years, stating that the organisation was regrouping in India to form a base and was thus a threat to the security of the country.

The LTTE was banned in 1992 and the government has since extended the ban every two years. The group is also banned in the European Union, Canada and the US.The LTTE, which was spearheading an armed insurgency for a separate Tamil Eelam, was vanquished by the Sri Lankan military in May last year.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have told Home Minister P. Chidambaram that it is not trying to regroup and is also not engaged in any illegal activity in this country. In an open letter to the minister, the vanquished LTTE has also described as "totally untrue" claims by Indian officials that the Tigers had links with Indian Maoists.

The letter, dated Nov 5 and reproduced by pro-LTTE websites believed to be operated from the west, has been copied to External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Ananda-USA said...

Maoists using LTTE techniques?

DeccanHerald.com
May 17, 2010

Raipur: The dreaded LTTE may have been wiped off from Sri Lanka but its lessons to naxals are showing in the form of IED attacks carried out with precision in the hinterlands of Chhattisgarh.

The Improvised Explosive Device is understood to have been planted days before today's incident and was triggered by the naxals armed with real-time intelligence that Special Police Officers (SPOs) were travelling in the civilian bus.

The Left Wing Extremists used the technique to blow-up a civilian bus today in which at least 40 people were feared killed, officials said.

They attacked by digging a tunnel on either side of the road to reach the concrete top from below to plant the IED, they said.

"In this way, they do not disturb the crust so to avoid any suspicion. The signs of dredging on sides of road can be easily wiped off. Also, in this way they can quickly fit an IED and carry out the blast in the most effective way," they said.

In a similar use of IEDs last week, the Maoists had blown up an armoured vehicle in which CRPF personnel were travelling killing eight.

Top police officials said the same technique was used by the LTTE against the Lankan forces.

Ananda-USA said...

‘New’ LTTE leader Vinayagam exposed as a ‘pretender’

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
DailyMirror.lk
November 23, 2010

Claims made by Vinayagam the new LTTE leader based in Europe that he is “Colonel” Vinayagam the sea tiger commander have been found to be false.

Vinayagam who has donned the mantle of LTTE leadership in Europe is not the well-known sea tiger deputy commander who was at one time ranked third in sea tiger seniority next to special commander Soosai and commander Chezhiyan.

Although Sea Tiger leader Vinayagam was reported killed in a battle at Challai in the Mullaitivu district on February 4 last year the man who surfaced in Europe denied reports of his death and portrayed himself as the “real Mccoy”.

Vinayagam told LTTE circles in Europe that he had been sent to India on a special assignment by former Tiger intelligence chief Pottu Amman before the Mullivaikaal debacle and that reports of his death in battle were untrue.

Vinayagam’s claim that he had made his way to a South East Asian country from where he reached Europe was widely believed by LTTE circles who hailed the “resurrection” of Vinayagam as a singular achievement.The apparent return to life of a senior LTTE leader reported dead served as a great morale booster to LTTE supporters and activists in the Global Tamil Diaspora.

Vinayagam entered into a strategic partnership with Perinbanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan who was in overall charge of LTTE branches abroad and has been engaged in efforts to revive Tiger fortunes.

Details about Vinayagam’s role as the new LTTE leader were revealed extensively in a column written by me for the Daily Mirror of November 13.

However, fresh information gathered from knowledgeable sources had exposed the fact that Vinayagam is not the senior Sea Tiger as claimed to be.

The “pretender” whose nom de guerre in the LTTE is also Vinayagam belongs to the intelligence wing led by Pottu Amman and not the Sea Ttigers led by Soosai.

While the sea tiger deputy commander Vinayagam had impaired vision in his left eye the “other” Vinayagam has perfect vision in both eyes.

According to information received by this correspondent the fall name of the former sea tiger leader was Thangavelu Vinayagam. His communications codename was “Mike Four”.

The full name of the senior LTTE intelligence operative pretending to be the sea tiger leader is Sekarapillai Vinayagamoorthy. He also uses the alias Kathirgamathamby Arivazhagan.

Both persons were known as Vinayagam in the LTTE. (Pix of both Vinayagams are published here)

The sequence of events leading to the current situation where Vinayagam of the intelligence wing is pretending to be Vinayagam the Sea Tiger leader and the underlying reasons for this pretence will be exposed in detail in the “DBS Jeyaraj Column” of November 27.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka relaxes foreign exchange controls further to attract foreign investments

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 23, Colombo: Sri Lanka on Tuesday eased its strict foreign exchange controls following the presentation of the 2011 Budget by the President yesterday.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced today that in the light of the budget it has made arrangements to simplify foreign exchange controls in order to facilitate foreign exchange transactions.

Accordingly, the Central Bank has relaxed foreign exchange regulations relating to investment by Sri Lankans abroad, foreign borrowings by resident companies and investments by non-residents in the domestic market.

In addition the Central Bank has introduced new foreign currency accounts for a number of vital sectors including tourism and gem and jewellery industry.

The Central Bank says it is of the view that the relaxation of the foreign exchange controls would pave the way to further integrate the Sri Lankan economy with the global economy by contributing to improve investor confidence, strengthening foreign reserves in the long term, maintaining a cordial relationship with bilateral and multilateral foreign institutions and stabilizing the foreign exchange market.

The Bank will implement the new policies in two stages. The first set of policies will be effective from yesterday while second set will take effect from with effect from January 01, 2011.

Among the set of policies that are to be implemented immediately the Central Bank has given permission for foreign companies to open businesses in Sri Lanka in accordance with the Companies Act to further facilitate foreign direct investment into the country.

A gazette notification outlining the procedure to be followed by overseas companies in establishing a place of business in the country has now been issued, the Bank said, adding that necessary instructions to the Authorized Dealers covering the bank accounts to be opened for this purpose have also been issued.

Under the new measures the Central Bank has allowed the foreigners to invest in Rupee Denominated Debentures to broaden the investor base and improve liquidity in the secondary market.

Recognizing the need for the country to enhance investments to maintain its high growth momentum in the coming years and to create alternative avenues to meet financing needs of the entities at a relatively low cost, the Bank has granted permission for companies that are engaged in a variety of businesses to borrow from foreign sources.

To promote the growth in tourism sector the Bank has now allowed the foreigners touring the country to open accounts in foreign currencies.

Among other measures that go into effect from yesterday are, the establishment of foreign currency accounts to facilitate staff in diplomatic missions to freely engage in foreign currency transactions with banks and increase in the advance payment for imports from USD 10,000 to USD 50,000.

The policies that go into effect from January 1st will allow Sri Lankan investors and entities to invest in international capital markets to help further integrate domestic investors with international capital market.

"Since Sri Lanka's foreign reserve had increased to a healthy level and is expected to increase further, it has now been decided to permit residents to invest in equity of companies incorporated outside Sri Lanka and to establish places of business outside Sri Lanka," the Central Bank said in a statement.

Under the new policies, insurance companies will be able to invest up to a maximum of 20% of the general funds and technical reserves over a period of three years in overseas funds and other investment vehicles.

This would facilitate opportunities for insurers to diversify their investment portfolio and contribute towards improving the long term financial stability of their companies, the Central Bank said.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka relaxes foreign exchange controls further to attract foreign investments

.....continued.....
The relaxed regulatory controls will allow the local investors to open Outward Investment Account (OIA) and foreign investors to open Inward Investment Account (IIA) to facilitate outward and inward foreign exchange transactions with regard to investment activities.

The monetary authority said these policies were also announced in the "Road Map: Monetary and Financial Sector Policies for 2010 and Beyond" in January 2010.

Ananda-USA said...

Budget boost for exports and foreign investment Commitment to trilingual Sri Lanka

Defence.lk
November 23, 2010

President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Minister of Finance presenting the first budget in his second term as the Executive President, made proposals giving a major impetus to value addition of local industrial products, to improve export earnings and also a wide range of concessions, increasing outsourcing facilities in Sri Lanka for foreign business enterprises.

After a series of revenue and expenditure measures placed before the Parliament, is extended from major investments in making Sri Lanka a tri-lingual country, increasing computer literacy by 75% by 2016, improving educational research and educational facilities in universities, expanding the tourism industry, the President told Parliament that the overall budget deficit would be 6.8%.

He emphasized that this deficit was not the result of shoring up losing business ventures but due to necessary investment in developing the country.

The budget proposals also covered major changes in Board of Investment (BOI) activities to attract more profitable business ventures to streamline the process of transacting business with foreign direct investments and also abolish all BOI projects that have been non functional for a considerable period since their approval.

Major initiative in the social welfare sector, the President said the government would establish an Employees Pension Fund to cover all employees in the private and corporate sectors not covered by the current pension for the public service. This is to be contributory pension. He also announced the establishment of a special pension fund to cover all employees in the non formal sector such as agriculture, fisheries, self employment and others. These funds will be launched with major initial contributions by the government.

In view of the large revenue for the country provided by Sri Lankan employees aboard, the President also announced an establishment of an Overseas Employees Fund which should benefit such workers in the return to the country and reach retirement age.

While appreciating offer by the Government of India to build 50,000 for IDPs in North and East, President also assured building of 80,000 more houses to serve all IDPs within 3 years. In addition he announced that one million housing units to be will be constructed within the next 6 years to meet the housing demand in the country.

President also announced to improve certain disciples of universities to international stands and also to establish a knowledge city in each province link to university townships.

Measures were announced to increase support to the tea industry with incentives for value addition in tea production and also a subsidy of Rs. 50,000 per hectare for development in the tea planting sector.

In order to face the problem of food security caused by the rising costs of food imports such as wheat, the President announced special concessions to bakery sector for the use of rice and other grains in preparation of bread and other bakery products also assured major investment to establish 10 million home cultivation units to encourage home grown production.

Ananda-USA said...

GOSL should take note:

1. EU finances are in deep trouble.

2. EU as a market for SL products will decline further ... EU citizens lack money to buy our goods.

3. GOSL should not assume more debt even for infrastructure development, until prospects for income from abroad improves.

It is time to hunker down and live within our means.


.....................
Gloom, anger spreads as European economies teeter

By ALAN CLENDENNING and SHAWN POGATCHNIK,

November 24, 2010

DUBLIN – Anger and fear about Europe's seemingly unstoppable debt crisis coursed through the continent Wednesday. Striking workers shut down much of Portugal, Ireland proposed its deepest budget cuts in history and seething Italian and British students clashed with police over education cuts.

Amid it all, analysts were deeply skeptical about the future — saying even the desperate efforts of governments, the European Union and the International Monetary might not be enough to prevent countries from defaulting or banks from going under.

The Irish Stock Exchange saw a bloodbath in bank stocks as investors pushed the panic button and bond traders were betting that it would only be a matter of time before Portugal and possibly Spain would be the next countries begging for outside help.

In Lisbon, strikers all but closed the airport, stranding passengers who couldn't get in or out of the country.

Commuter Luis Moreira, catching one of the last trains out of Lisbon, said Europe's woes only seem to be getting worse by the day. He supported the growing outrage over salary and pension cuts and wondered why billions were being thrown instead at governments and banks.

"People have to fight for their rights," Moreira, 51, told The Associated Press. "People have to fight against what is happening."

Government policies have "sent people into poverty and misery," said union leader Manuel Carvalho da Silva, noting that Portuguese civil servants will see wage cuts averaging 5 percent next year.

Italian students occupied university buildings and piazzas to denounce education cuts being debated by Parliament, clashing briefly with police in Rome and blocking five main bridges over the River Arno in Pisa.

In Britain, students decried government plans to triple tuition fees.

"Education is not a rich kid's game," said Tash Holway, a 19-year-old student in London. "If this keeps up, the entire industry will change. It won't be about talent, but only about who can pay."

While Irish bank shares plummeted for a third straight day amid fears investors would be wiped out, yields on Portuguese and Spanish government debt shot up sharply because of rising concerns that their debt loads will prove unsustainable and put them next in line for European bailouts.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced Wednesday he now expects the EU-IMF bailout loan to total euro85 billion ($115 billion). Some experts accused Ireland of minimizing the true scale of its financial disaster, saying Ireland probably needs a bailout of euro130 billion ($175 billion) because of looming defaults on residential mortgages.

"The government is completely in denial about the amount of money they'll have to borrow," said Constantin Gurdgiev, a finance lecturer at Trinity College Dublin.

He compared Ireland's plight to that of Greece, which received a euro110 billion ($145 billion) EU-IMF rescue bailout in May.

"Our economy is more than three times over-indebted than Greece. If Greece is insolvent, where does that put us?" Gurdgiev asked.

Ananda-USA said...

Gloom, anger spreads as European economies teeter

......continued.....
Eurasia Group, a New York-based research and consulting company, warned that the problems of the 16-nation eurozone won't stop with Ireland. It predicted a rescue plan for Portugal could be unveiled early next year, when Portugal needs to sell government bonds to finance spending.

"There is a strong presumption that a package will be necessary for Portugal and the related planning is under way," Eurasia Group said. "Portugal will be pressed hard to accept a package even if the Portuguese government claims the country does not need it."

Analysts have estimated Portugal will need at least euro50 billion ($67 billion), but a bailout for Spain could be exponentially costlier. Outside help for Spain — the eurozone's fourth largest economy — could even mean the end of the eurozone itself, with either Spain forced out or Germany jumping ship back to its own Deutschmark currency.

"Spain is the ultimate crisis — the one that would really matter," Eurasia Group said.

Sticking to a playbook used by every indebted nation so far, Spanish Finance Minister Elena Salgado insisted Wednesday that her nation doesn't need a bailout and that strict rules for the country's banks coupled with austerity measures cutting budgets, salaries and pensions will protect Spain's financial system.

But even other politicians were skeptical and expressed nervousness about just how bad the economic turmoil in Europe could get.

"The crisis is not over, it is continuing to evolve. Europe is threatened by stagnation and the crisis of over-indebtedness is not yet finished," French Premier Francois Fillon warned.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy — the two biggest heavyweights in the eurozone — will discuss "current problems in the eurozone" on Thursday.

Tempers even flared at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where British legislator Godfrey Bloom was expelled from a debate on Ireland's financial meltdown after he called a German legislator an "undemocratic fascist."

Critics claim Merkel's harsh stance on austerity measures has spooked the markets and is one of the reasons other European nations are in dire need of such massive bailouts — criticism that she dismisses.

Still, some countries have been in denial about the extent of their borrowing.

Portugal has borrowed huge amounts to finance welfare benefits and private consumption, at the same time protecting jobs through labor laws some call outdated that make it difficult to hire and fire workers.

Portugal's austerity package, due to be introduced Jan. 1, cuts state salaries, trims welfare benefits and hikes income tax and sales tax — but the measures are forecast to stifle already weak economic growth.

In London, the university students and even younger pupils in school uniforms marched from Trafalgar Square toward Parliament chanting, "No ifs! No buts! No education cuts!"

Hundreds of police officers kept watch as some students climbed on top of bus shelters. Several attacked a parked police van, smashing its windows and scrawling graffiti.

Ananda-USA said...

Gloom, anger spreads as European economies teeter

......continued 2.....
The unrest could easily continue, because analysts said they see no immediate end in sight for Europe's financial upheaval.

"Portugal has yet to show that the measures taken to curb the deficit are indeed bringing public finances on a sustainable path, while Spain has yet to implement significant restructuring of its banking sector," said Marie Diron, chief economic eurozone adviser for Ernst & Young.

"In this context, there is a danger that the Irish crisis cascades into (other) crises," she said.

Rising doubts about eurozone countries' ability to repay debts have driven the yields on their bonds to euro-era highs in recent weeks. If they stay at these levels, it will drive up each nation's borrowing costs when they next sell bonds.

Bond yields rose all across the eurozone again Wednesday. Spain's 10-year bonds topped 5 percent for the first time. Equivalent Irish bonds rose sharply to 8.9 percent, just short of a record high reached Nov. 11, the day before rumors of its bailout began. Portuguese bonds topped 7 percent for the first time since Nov. 11, too.

Even Germany's 10-year bonds — a benchmark of global lending safety whose yields normally fall when the others rise — rose to above 2.7 percent, reflecting investors' concerns that Germany's own finances could be taxed by the weight of bailing out its neighbors.

The yield on 10-year Greek debt, the highest in the world, edged close to 12 percent for the first time since May, right before its bailout.

......
Clendenning reported from Madrid. Associated Press writers from across Europe contributed.

Ananda-USA said...

South Korea initiated this confrontation by shelling North Korean territorial waters in the SEA.

North Korea responded by shelling a South Korean ISLAND killing several soldiers and civilians.

South Korea has retaliated to the shelling of its LAND by shelling North Korean land with 155mm artillery ... casualties unknown as yet.

South Korea's booming economy (Capital Seoul is within artillery range of North Korean guns), and economically bankrupt starving North Korea's very survival are at stake.

Will their desperation precipitate a general war neither side really wants, at a time when the US and the West are neck deep in other wars and in financial crises and cannot intervene?

Are other powers manipulating this seemingly irrational behavior for their own political purposes?

"Restrain the North" the West pleads with China .. is China punishing the West for ignoring its opposition to the Nobel Prize Award to the imprisoned Chinese dissident? Is this China's tit for Western tat?

Could this be a "misguided plea" for economic help by the North in the only language it knows to speak? Gimme .. or else!

Or, is the Rising Son of Kim Jong Il, newly promoted to 4-star general, merely firming up his impending succession to power by declaring he cannot be trifled with?

Time will tell!


..................
Responding to North Korea: The U.S. Has Limited Options

U.S.: China Pivotal in Restraining NKorea

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka’s Postwar Boom Grapples With Corruption

By Frederik Balfour

Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) -- With a postcard view of white sand and fishermen drawing in nets from the morning catch, the Chaaya Blu Hotel could be mistaken for a resort in Bali or Phuket. In fact it’s in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, a country that 18 months ago saw the bloodiest battles of a three-decade civil war.

“You went out every day not knowing what would happen,” said Richard Vokes, the country director for Asian Development Bank. Vokes used to don a flak jacket and helmet before traveling the heavily guarded 160 mile (257 kilometer) journey to the north-eastern city from the capital Colombo.

Since government forces defeated the Tamil Tigers rebels in May 2009, the sandbags and checkpoints have mostly gone. In the capital, tourists stroll along the palm-fringed seaside promenade while locals fly kites in front of Colombo’s British colonial-era Galle Face Hotel. Living in Sri Lanka is now “a very pleasant experience,” said Vokes, whose bank had almost $2 billion in loans to Sri Lanka at the end of 2009.

The Manila-based lender expects Sri Lanka’s economy to grow as much as 8 percent this year and next. Colombo’s stock market is the world’s second-best performer in 2010, after Mongolia, nearly doubling in value. A $1 billion sovereign bond issued in late September was 6.3 times oversubscribed.

Visits from foreigners have risen 40 percent so far this year and may top 600,000 for 2010, according to the government, which aims to raise the number to 2.5 million by 2016, enticing travelers with white-sand beaches, leopard safaris and mountain temples.

‘Closed Shop’

“Sri Lanka has been a closed shop for 30 years,” said Joseph Michael Suresh Brito, chief executive officer of Colombo- based Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings, which is building a $40 million villa resort on the south coast with Bangkok-based Six Senses Resorts & Spas. “People will come with no fear.” Overseas investors remain concerned about corruption and red tape. Foreign direct investment fell to $208 million in the first six months, from $253 million in the same period of 2009.

“There is a lot of renewed interest, but most of it is yet to be realized,” said Nick Nicolaou, Sri Lanka chief for London-based bank HSBC Holdings Plc.

Tourism is one of the top three industries the government is counting on to reduce Sri Lanka’s reliance on the garment trade and low-end manufacturing. At least six hotels are in the works, including a $150 million resort by Hong Kong’s Shangri-La Asia Ltd. on a former military helipad on Colombo’s waterfront.

Resort Refurbishing

John Keells Hotels Plc. spent $40.5 million refurbishing the Chaaya Blu and is building a $20 million, 200-room resort in Beruwala, south of Colombo, said Krishan Balendra, president of corporate finance & group strategy at parent company John Keells Holdings Plc, Sri Lanka’s largest listed company.

The government is promoting back-office and call-center operators, which already employ 60,000 and may bring in revenue of $350 million this year. By 2015 the government hopes business processing outsourcing, or BPO revenue will reach $1 billion.

“The BPO potential is very high,” says Nicolaou at HSBC, which employs 1,800 people doing back-office work in Colombo.

Agricultural exports, the third priority, grew 21 percent in the first eight months of the year, as farms that lay fallow during the conflict yield crops of rice, lentils, and beans.

Investment Rules

Sri Lanka is also aiming to boost investment flows in and out of the country, with the government yesterday loosening foreign-exchange controls. Sri Lankans will be allowed to invest in shares overseas and foreigners to invest in Sri Lankan corporate bonds. Authorities said they will reduce levies on tourism and construction companies.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka’s Postwar Boom Grapples With Corruption

........continued 1....
Overseas investors say the Board of Investment, a government agency that must approve foreign-funded projects, makes it difficult to do business in the country.

“It’s fair to say we could improve our services,” said the board’s chairman, Jayampathi Bandaranayake, adding that the new focus on priority areas will simplify the approval process and offer more incentives to investors.

Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International ranked Sri Lanka 91st out of 178 countries on Oct. 26 in terms of corruption, one spot behind India and 90 places below Singapore.

While Bandaranayake of the BOI acknowledges that corruption is a problem, he said it’s no worse than in neighboring nations.

In July the European Union rescinded Sri Lanka’s preferential trade access because of the country’s human rights record, particularly due to violence in the final weeks of the war that killed as many as 15,000 civilians.

One country quick to take advantage of the boom is China. A $455 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China paid for a 300-megawatt power plant, Sri Lanka’s first coal-fired facility, at Norochcholai, a coastal village 120 kilometers north of Colombo. The plant is scheduled to open next year.

Chinese Loans

Another $560 million in loans from China will go toward new roads, including a 32-kilometer expressway from the capital to its airport. Chinese companies are building a $1.4 billion port in Hambantota and a $210 million airport in nearby Mattala.

China Merchants Holdings International Co., which has stakes in ports that move about a third of China’s container traffic, has teamed up with Aitken Spence to build a $450 million container terminal in Colombo port.

“We aim to be among the 10 largest ports in the world by 2020, up from 27th last year,” said Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Priyath B. Wickrama in his office in a 19th century warehouse with exposed teak beams, overlooking a 6.8 kilometer breakwater being built by Seoul-based Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co.

Swiss cement maker Holcim Ltd.’s Sri Lanka business is up 22 percent this year, thanks to construction of roads, bridges and buildings in war-ravaged areas like Trincomalee, said Stefan Huber, Sri Lanka CEO for the Jona-based company.

“There are already a lot of hotel projects like Chaaya Blu,” he said. “It’s a great time to be here.”

--With assistance by Anusha Ondaatjie in Colombo. Editors: Adam Majendie, Chris Collins.

Ananda-USA said...

Wall Street Journal on Sri Lanka's Victory Over Tamil Tigers

LawrenceJarvikOnline Blog
May 20, 2009

I never understood why the US and the so-called "international community" insisted that Tsunami aid be funneled to the Tamil Tigers, thus reviving a moribund terrorist movement a few years back. We visited Colombo in 2003 and saw the roadblocks, heard of the 60,000 dead in the civil war, visited the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy where terrorists had machine-gunned worshippers. The Tamil Tigers invented suicide bombing, were trained by the PLO and supported by the USSR, and for a while by India (there is already a Tamil state in India). When the Soviet Union collapsed, it looked like the end...but instead so-called "humanitarian" NGOs and Western governments rushed to their support in the wake of the Tsunami... and prolonged a horrible civil war until its end (we hope) a few days ago by a decisive and crushing military attack.

Strangely, even the Wall Street Journal doesn't seem to understand that the West is partly responsible for the problem, that ongoing negotiations with the Tamil Tigers just made matters worse. Crushing them--and backing the Sri Lankan government--should have been PLAN A, not PLAN B, IMHO. Nevertheless, the paper has the only halfway reasonable commentary that I've read to date, so here's an excerpt from today's editorial:
How Sri Lanka got here is worth recounting. The island's conflict started in 1983. After Sri Lanka's independence from Britain, the ethnic Sinhalese majority pursued many discriminatory policies against the Tamil minority: a Sinhala-only language policy, preferences for Sinhalese in university admissions and government hiring, and the exclusion of Tamils from the police.

The war quickly became more about Prabhakaran's determination to form an independent Tamil state under the exclusive control of his Marxist Tigers than about those Tamil grievances. The Tigers killed many moderate Tamil politicians who would have been willing to cooperate politically with Colombo.

Prabhakaran made extensive use of suicide bombers -- including a teenage girl who blew herself up to assassinate former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 -- and relied heavily on child soldiers. Sri Lanka's conflict has claimed 70,000 lives by most counts. It should have been clear early on that government negotiation would go nowhere with such a committed killer.

Mr. Rajapaksa, elected in 2005, put an end to the "peace process" with Prabhakaran and focused on winning the military fight. In 2007, with the help of a Tiger splinter group, the government subdued the Eastern Province; the first elections were held there last year. The fighting then moved to the North. It has not been cheap or easy. Military spending in the 2009 budget is $1.7 billion, 5% of GDP and 20% of the government's budget.

Colombo also learned lessons from its earlier failures. The military improved its training in counterinsurgency tactics, and Colombo invested the resources to enable the army to hold territory it won. Moves by the United States, Britain, Canada and other countries to freeze Tiger fundraising among the Tamil diaspora helped weaken the Tigers. Mr. Rajapaksa wisely ignored international calls for a ceasefire as he got closer to victory, including threats from the Obama Administration to block $1.9 billion in International Monetary Fund aid money.

The government now faces a potential humanitarian crisis in housing, feeding and clothing the more than 200,000 Tamil civilians who have fled the fighting. Sri Lanka has to more fully address the political grievances of moderate Tamils and ensure that there are economic opportunities for all Sri Lankans. After decades of socialism, several rounds of liberalization have since paved the way for 6% to 8% annual growth even amid a civil war.

Ananda-USA said...

Wall Street Journal on Sri Lanka's Victory Over Tamil Tigers

........continued 1....
As Colombo starts to grapple with those post-conflict problems, everyone else can take note: Thanks to a strategy of defeating the insurgency, Sri Lanka is now in a position to talk seriously about peace and economic growth. When negotiating with terrorists doesn't work, Plan B is defeating them.
More on Sri Lanka from the BBC website, which describes how Western aid to Tamil Tigers has affected "hearts and minds" of the Sinhalese: Beijing has provided huge stocks of weapons to Sri Lanka in the last few years, at the same time as it has been building a new deep water port on the island's southern coast.

It has not gone unnoticed that China's oil supplies from the Middle East pass through the waters of the Indian Ocean, along the sea lanes just south of Colombo.


Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict has lasted nearly three decades

And now that China has helped Sri Lanka defeat the Tamil Tigers, it may be looking to call in a few favours, as it slowly extends its influence across the region.

All this at a time when the Sri Lankan authorities are casting around for new friends.

They have bitterly resented Western criticism of their conduct of the war.

Suggestions that the treatment of civilians demands an investigation into possible war crimes are angrily rejected.

Those who speak out are quickly condemned, no matter who they are. A few days ago an effigy of UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband was burnt outside the British High Commission in Colombo.

"Tamil Tiger Headquarters" said the graffiti spray-painted onto the wall.

UPDATE: Christopher Hitchens has some reasonable points to make about Sri Lanka in Slate:

I also became vaguely aware that, behind the general litany of Tamil complaints and grievances, many of them justified, there was another force altogether. It was referred to in rather hushed tones as "the Tigers," and its sympathizers could often be detected by their habit of referring not to Sri Lanka or even to Ceylon but to "Eelam": the name of a future Tamils-only state. Unwittingly, I was present during the early stirrings of this organization—which had a good deal of support, as irredentist and ultra-nationalist movements so often do, among the diaspora. There are many high-earning communities of Tamils in other countries of the British Commonwealth as well as in Europe and North America, and their support was a major contributing factor to the duration of Asia's longest insurgency or (if you prefer) civil war: one that may possibly just have ended.

Ananda-USA said...

Wall Street Journal on Sri Lanka's Victory Over Tamil Tigers

........continued 2....
Even if you add the two recognized Tamil populations of Sri Lanka together, they do not amount to even one-fifth of the overall population. But at the height of their desperado militancy, a decade or so ago, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, controlled perhaps one-third of the country's territory, including the Batticaloa-Trincomalee coastline in the east and the Jaffna peninsula in the north. There was never any possibility that the Sinhala parties, or indeed many of the urban Tamils, would accept such a fait accompli. Nor was there any chance that China and Pakistan would allow such an obviously strategic island, with its former Royal Navy harbors and ports, to become partitioned in favor of a minority with such strong links to India.

Under the leadership of the late Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE enormously overplayed its hand. It established a dictatorship in the areas it controlled and recruited both child-soldiers and suicide-bombers. One of the latter even assassinated Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991: a truly suicidal thing to do, given the need of the Tamils for Indian sympathy. The hardening of Sinhala sentiment, the inevitable splits and defections that arose from the Jonestown style of Prabhakaran, and, perhaps above all, the acquisition of warplanes and other materiel from China and Pakistan eventually gave traction to the central government in Colombo. Deciding to fight as a conventional army that belonged to a separate state, the LTTE has now been defeated as a conventional army, and its state has ceased to exist. Not since the British defeated the Malayan Communists, who were too much restricted to the Malay Chinese population, in the 1940s and 1950s, has any major Asian rebellion been so utterly defeated.

There remains, as there always did, the question of the Tamil population itself. It doesn't seem overwhelmingly likely that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's victorious regime, currently engaging in a spasm of triumphalism, is in the strongest position to offer a hand to the civilian Tamil leadership. But it would be a very agreeable surprise if it did.


It's just not true, as some liberals tend to believe, that insurgencies, once under way, have history on their side. As well as by nations like Britain and Russia, they can be beaten by determined Third World states, such as Algeria in the 1990s and even Iraq in the present decade. Insurgent leaderships often make mistakes on the "hearts and minds" front, just as governments do, and governments are not always stupid to ban the press from the front line, tell the human rights agencies to stay the hell out of the way, and rely on the popular yearning for law and order. It can also be important to bear in mind, as in Sri Lanka became crucial, that majorities have rights, too.

Ananda-USA said...

This Old WSJ article exposes the flawed advice of Western Pundits who still prescribe appeasement of terrorists to vulnerable developing nations while pursuing military options against their own enemies .. albeit without much success due to their lack of committment.

The West has MUCH TO LEARN from Sri Lanka's war against Tamil Tiger terrorism.

The Primary Lesson is: AVOID applying DOUBLE-STANDARDS to fellow democracies in the Developing World beset by terrorism.

Help them .. don't hamstring them!


.............
Defeating Terrorists
Sri Lanka is beating the Tigers through military force, not negotiation


WallStreetJournal
January 16, 2009

This week, the Sri Lankan army said it had captured the last piece of the northern Jaffna Peninsula, one of the few remaining strongholds of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a terrorist organization that has waged a 26-year civil war that's claimed tens of thousands of lives, including those of a Sri Lankan President and an Indian Prime Minister.

That's a huge turnaround from only three years ago, when the Tigers effectively controlled the bulk of the Northern and Eastern Provinces and were perpetrating suicide bombings in the country's capital, Colombo.

Credit goes to the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has made eliminating the Tigers a priority and invested resources to make it happen. Military spending has surged to $1.7 billion for fiscal 2009, roughly 5% of GDP and nearly 20% of the government's budget.

The expanded Sri Lankan army is now equipped to employ sophisticated counterinsurgency strategies -- such as a multifront attack and quick raids behind Tiger lines. In 2007, the army won its first significant victory by pacifying the Tamil-Muslim-majority Eastern Province, historically a Tiger stronghold. Local and provincial elections were held there last year. The military offensive will now turn to Mullaittivu, the last district controlled by the Tigers in the Northern Province.

This string of victories is a shock to those who thought this conflict, which has political origins, could have only a political solution. The violence started in 1983, ostensibly over Tamil grievances with a Sinhalese-majority government that made Sinhala the country's official language and doled out economic favors to the Sinhalese, who are Buddhist, including preferences for government jobs and schooling. Devolution of power to the provinces has long been floated as the best political fix.

But the Tigers always had other ideas. To wit: They wanted the Tamil homeland to be an independent state with the Tigers at its head. Like other terrorist outfits, the Tigers never accepted the legitimacy of any other group to speak on behalf of their supposed constituents. They were unwilling to accept any negotiated settlement that wouldn't entrench their own power.

That's why earlier efforts to negotiate away Sri Lanka's terror problem failed. In 1987, then-President Junius Jayewardene offered the Tamils a homeland in the north and east that would have given them wide powers, although not a separate state. In the 1990s, another President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, offered another devolution plan. The Tigers refused both offers and the terrorism continued.

In 2002, Norway orchestrated a peace process that resulted in a cease-fire. This time, the Tigers themselves concocted a proposal for a form of regional autonomy in Tamil areas, and the government agreed in principle. Then the Tigers nixed their own deal, betting they could do better with violence after all. They spent the next four years violating the cease-fire.

Ananda-USA said...

WSJ Article

... continued ....
Repeated negotiations made a settlement harder to achieve. The Tigers gladly murdered moderate Tamil leaders open to genuine negotiations with Colombo. The European Union dithered on declaring the Tigers a terrorist group for the sake of encouraging the peace process, hindering efforts to cut off funding and allowing the killing to continue.

Meanwhile, occasional efforts to subdue the Tigers by force failed through lack of political will or because of outside interference. In 1987, Mr. Jayewardene gained ground in the north, only to be undermined by Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who airlifted food to the militants to curry favor with his country's own Tamil population. Then the Indians changed tack, and an Indian peacekeeping force managed to quell the Tiger insurgency for a time between 1987 and 1989. But that operation was derided as a "quagmire" by some Indian politicians. The force was withdrawn prematurely in 1990. Another Sri Lankan military effort, begun in 1995, collapsed in 2000 due to insufficient troop numbers and political meddling in military decision-making.

Mr. Rajapaksa appears to have learned from all this, which is why he has insisted on military victory before implementing a political solution. It helps that India has stayed out this time around and other countries -- including the EU -- are now tracking and thwarting Tiger financing.

Peace still will not be easy or, despite recent good news, immediate. The Tigers may still be able to carry out some terror attacks, though they no longer pose a wide-scale threat. And Colombo faces questions about its commitment to a permanent political settlement. It has taken some steps, such as a 1987 constitutional amendment again making Tamil an official language, and in 2006 it convened an all-party conference to recommend further pro-devolution constitutional changes. It is dragging its feet on implementing other constitutional measures that would pave the way for devolution. But a political settlement is something to discuss after the Tigers have been subdued.

We recount this history at length to make a simple point: Colombo's military strategy against Tamil terrorists has worked. Negotiations haven't. That's an important reminder as Israel faces its own terrorism problem and as the U.S. works to foster stability and political progress in Iraq.

Take note, Barack Obama.

Ananda-USA said...

Exports need to be diversified - Dr Kelegama

By Sanjeevi Jayasuriya
November 24, 2010

Excerpts from article ...

-- The Institute of Policy Studies Sri Lanka together with International Trade Centre organized a seminar on Non- Tariff Measures held recently in Colombo.

-- The International Trade Centre carried out a large-scale company survey on non-tariff measures to facilitate trade in the long-run.



-- It is important to understand the non-tariff obstacles to trade exporters and importers experience when trading their goods. Exporting companies seeking access to foreign markets and companies importing products need to comply with a wide range of requirements, International Trade Centre Market Development Division Officer-in-Charge William Van der Geest said.

-- “These requirements include technical regulations, product standards and Customs procedures. The business sector in developing countries often lacks information, capabilities and facilities to meet the complex requirements and demonstrate compliance with NTMs at reasonable cost,” he said.“The national policy makers need to have a clear picture of what business sector currently perceives as predominant obstacles to trade.

Ananda-USA said...

Fresh queries delay India-aided project in Lanka

P K Balachandran
November 22, 2010

COLOMBO: Fresh queries by the Sri Lankan Attorney General about the conditions attached to the India-aided power project in Sampur in the Trincomalee district of eastern Sri Lanka are further delaying the construction of the 1,000 MW plant, a Lankan weekly reported on Sunday.

According to The Nation, the Ceylon Electricity Board is “surprised” that the Attorney General’s department, which has to clear the legal aspects of the joint venture (JV) agreement between the CEB and the National Thermal Power Corporation of India, has come out with queries on matters that had already been settled between the governments of Sri Lanka and India and included in the MoU they had signed in 2006.

In June, the AG’s office had raised some questions.

These were answered and the documents sent back immediately.

But the AG’s office sat on the file for six months and is now raising fresh questions just a few days ahead of the visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to Colombo, during which he is expected to raise the question of the slow pace at which Indiaaided projects are moving.

Ananda-USA said...

Karuna-NIDHI pressures for "political solutions" in Sri Lanka.

Hasn't this INCURABLE RACIST done enough damage to Sri Lanka to be strirring the pot again?

There should be NO Ethnicity-based devolution of power to regions in Sri Lanka .. none whatever.

The only ACCEPTABLE political solution is ALREADY AVAILABLE to ALL citizens: ONE person .. ONE Vote!

BUTT OUT of Sri Lanka's internal affairs, Karuna-nidhi! Go back to nidhi!


...............
Take up Lankan issue: MK writes to Krishna

November 24, 2010

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Wednesday requested External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna to discuss a political solution for the Sri Lankan Tamils and their quick rehabilitation during his visit to the island nation.

Krishna will leave for Sri Lanka Thursday on a four-day visit. He will co-chair India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission along with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris.

The Indian foreign minister will also open two new consulates - one each in Jaffna and Hambantota.

In his letter to Krishna, copy of which was issued to the media, Karunanidhi said: "The political solution and devolution of powers, which have been talked about for a very long time, are yet to be given the preliminary shape."

"One of the main issues which has been causing serious concern to me and to the people of Tamil Nadu, is the presence of about 30,000 people in the camps, as seen by the foreign secretary (Nirupama Rao) at the time of her visit to Sri Lanka," he noted.

"Though this issue was taken up with the Sri Lankan government a number of times in the past, it is really painful to note that this problem is yet to be satisfactorily resolved," he added.

Referring to the issue of resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced Tamils, Karunanidhi said the issue has not been addressed by the Sri Lankan government inspite of dialogues undertaken by the Indian government at various levels.

"Out of about 300,000 Tamils kept in the camps run by the Sri Lankan government, majority of them have been allowed to return to their places of origin," the letter said.

"But, I understand, they are still facing untold miseries and innumerable hardships to make a decent and respectable livelihood. A peaceful and dignified living has to be ensured to all the internally displaced persons," it added.

Karunanidhi suggested that the programme of the Indian government to build 50,000 houses for the displaced may be pushed through and completed in a time-bound framework, so that they are allotted to the Sri Lankan Tamils expeditiously.

Ananda-USA said...

Oi, Karuna-budhi...

Why don't you solve your own corruption problems in Tamil Nadu instead of worrying about Sri Lanka?

Pretty please?


...............
Jaya charges MK with role in CVC’s appointment

November 24, 2010

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa today said people were "suspicious" of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's "role" in the appointment of former telecom secretary P J Thomas as CVC and claimed of having 'circumstantial evidence'.

In a statement here, Jayalalithaa referred to the Supreme Court questioning the appointment of Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, who is an accused in a criminal case.

Thomas' name figures in the charge sheet filed in a vigilance court in Kerala in the palmolein import case which is due to come up. He was till recently secretary in the telecom ministry which is at the centre of the 2G spectrum scam.

"In this situation, people are now suspicious of Karunanidhi's role in this also (Thomas' appointment as CVC) and I would like to remind Karunanidhi that there is circumstantial evidence for this," she said without elaborating.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia had on Monday questioned Thomas' appointment as CVC following a pending criminal case against him and had noted that he himself will feel embarrassed as in every case the CBI will be dealing with him.

Referring to former IT and Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on spectrum pricing during his tenure as minister, Jayalalithaa alleged that this showed DMK was "hell bent" on fixing 2G spectrum prices.

Ananda-USA said...

LTTE War Crimes: Let us identify the people who murdered these captured Sri Lankan soldiers and prosecute them for war crimes, after extraditing them from wherever they reside back to Sri Lanka!

...............
Tamil Tigers executed and burnt Sri Lankan soldiers taken as prisoners of war

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 26, Colombo: Excavations of the mass grave in Kilinochchi where the bodies of 26 Sri Lankan soldiers executed by the LTTE are reported to have been buried believed to have been buried, have been completed, the police said.

The mass grave is believed to be of 26 soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war by the vanquished terrorist group and kept for years before they were executed when the military forces were approaching the Tiger territory last year.

The police yesterday said some human bones along with powdery residues believed to be of ashes and bullets have been recovered from the grave.

According to four LTTE suspects who were allegedly involved in the killing and are in custody now, the soldiers had been imprisoned at the Victor Base Prison at Vallipuram in Mullaitivu for more than three years.

Authorities have launched the Investigations based on the information received from the suspects and the Police Terrorist Monitoring Unit excavated the mass grave under the supervision of the Mullaitivu Additional Magistrate M. Iman.

Seven judicial medical officers, geologists, and archaeologists have observed the excavation and the Survey General's Department had surveyed the area.

The LTTE suspects had told the authorities that 8 Army soldiers and 18 naval ratings had been tortured from 2006 in a torture chamber at a location 10 kilometers away from the Mullaitivu highway. When the security forces were approaching, the fleeing Tigers have executed the prisoners of war on 6th January 2009 and burnt their bodies in the mass grave.

The authorities are conducting further investigations to identify. Bone fragments and ash from the site have been sent to the Government Analyst department for further forensic tests, police said. the remains.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka police send 'mass grave' ashes for testing

BBC.com
November 25, 2010

Police in Sri Lanka say that they have sent 24 bags full of ashes for testing from a suspected mass grave of government troops in the north-east.

Jailed Tamil Tiger rebels have told the authorities the grave contained the remains of 26 troops they captured and shot dead, officials said.

They said that eight soldiers and 18 navy personnel were tortured and killed there in January 2009.

Police say that a small amount of human bones had been found at the site.

Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody told the BBC that in addition a "powdery substance" was suspected to be human ashes.

He said that whatever was found had been sent for forensic testing.

A team of legal and medical officers and a government analyst has been sent to the site, bordering Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.

Sri Lanka's long civil war ended in May 2009 with the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels.

Both sides frequently accused each other of war crimes in the run-up to the end of the conflict.

Human rights groups have also accused the two sides of violating human rights, especially in the final months of the war.

The Tamil Tigers fought for 25 years for an independent state for Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority.

Ananda-USA said...

In One Word: NONSENSE!

Devolution will PERMANENTLY EMBED Ethnic Divisions in Sri Lanka and lay the foundation for future separatism!

The ONLY ADVANTAGE of Sri Lanka's SMALLNESS is that our problems are SOLVABLE without these FLAWED SOLUTIONS proposed by people trying to solve their own internal political problems of placating Tamil Nadu .. at Sri Lanka's expense.

Has "Regional Devolution of Power" on the basis of every communal divisive attribute imaginable secured peace and tranquility in India? NO!

Why are 850 million Indians still subject to terrorism over a BROAD SWATHE of Indian States, if these devolution solutions work?

The writ of the Indian government is challenged with impunity everywhere .. the Govt rules by Day, the Terrorists rule by Night, yet these idiots prescribe "devolution" as a political solution to Sri Lanka!

Why should we listen to Pusillanimous Pundits Prescribing "Political Solutions" that have FAILED BIGTIME in their own country?

If you can't get "Devolution" to work in India .. why should Sri Lanka adopt it?

Just because India is a BIG COUNTRY, and has the power to bend us to their will, perhaps?

That only allows India to make BIG MISTAKES beyond solution ... as India's misadventures of the past have already PROVED!

You have ALREADY DONE ENOUGH MISCHIEF in Sri Lanka.

PLEASE recognize that your political solutions are UNWORKABLE, Mr. Krishna.

You solve your own problems in INDIA; we will solve our problems in Sri Lanka ... if you will LEAVE US ALONE without INTERFERENCE!

Thanks, but no thanks, for your FLAWED ADVICE!

Let us not allow the FOX to MIND THE HEN HOUSE again!


.................
Devolution will help create lasting peace in Lanka: Krishna

HindustanTimes.com
November 25, 2010

India today said a "meaningful" devolution package aimed at the minority Tamil community will help creating lasting peace in Sri Lanka and hoped that discussions on that would begin soon. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, who arrived here on a four-day official visit, said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has gone on record to say that his government was committed to devolving power to all regions including areas dominated by Tamils.

"The end of the armed conflict holds out hope that an era of reconciliation and meaningful devolution package will begin in Sri Lanka," Krishna told reporters here.

"The meaningful devolution package will help create lasting peace. I would like that this provides an unprecedented opportunity to India and Sri Lanka to take things forward and my visit will set the momentum in that direction," he said ahead of his meetings with Sri Lankan leadership tomorrow.

In reply to a question, Krishna said during Rajapaksa's discussion with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June this year, the president had said the devolution issue was discussed.

"He (Rajapaksa) is on record to have said that he will certainly implement the devolution package for the minorities," Krishna said.

He also said that Sri Lanka has assured India that the remaining IDPS will be resettled by the end of this year.

"At one point of time it (the number of displaced civilians) was around 3 lakhs and over a period of time it has come down and now our assessment is there are about 17,000-20,000 IDPs in the camps," Krishna said.

Ananda-USA said...

Devolution will help create lasting peace in Lanka: Krishna

.......continued.....
He said India and Sri Lanka could enhance bilateral cooperation in areas like economy, connectivity, tourism and knowledge industry.

"We hope to intensify our trade and investments as we recover from the global recession," he said.

The minister said the two new consulates in Jaffna in the North and Hambantota in Southern Sri Lanka will serve to promote "our people-to-people links".

Krishna, who will co-chair the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission along with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Pieris, said the meeting will ensure that the decisions taken during high-level visits are closely monitored and implemented.

The meeting of Commission, the first since 2005, reviews the bilateral commitments by the two countries.

Ananda-USA said...

Bones found in mass grave

By Srinath Jayasuriya
DailyMirror.lk
November 25, 2010

The mass grave in Kilinochchi -- where the bodies of 24 soldiers killed by the LTTE are believed to have been buried -- is being excavated and some human bones have been recovered from the grave, police said yesterday. They said a powdery substance suspected to be human ash and bullets were also found from the grave located at Vallipuram on the Kilinochchi-Mullaitivu border.

An official at the excavation site said the work was observed by a judicial medical officer, geologists and archaeologists while the Survey General’s Department had surveyed the area. Four LTTE suspects reported to have been involved in the killing and burying of the soldiers had told police that the LTTE’s torture chamber was located near this mass grave.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comments on The Economist's article "One country, two nations"



Comment #1:

LTTE Diaspora supporters have tunnel vision. These are mass murderers who hoodwinked the entire world pretending to be victims abroad while committing atrocious crimes in Sri Lanka. For example, (http://print.dailymirror.lk/news/front-page-news/28157.html )
the mass grave has been found in Kilinochchi -- where the bodies of 24 soldiers killed by the LTTE are believed to have been buried -- is being excavated and some human bones have been recovered from the grave, police said yesterday.

Four LTTE suspects reported to have been involved in the killing and burying of the soldiers had told police that the LTTE’s torture chamber was located near this mass grave.

Every Day in Every Way the TRUTH & FACTS are LEAKING OUT! This is just the beginning! Stay TUNED!

Comment #2:



What NONSENSE! A 12% minority claims to be a separate "Nation"?

Well by that definition, we have an English Nation, a German Nation, an Italian Nation, a Dutch Nation, a Chinese Nation, a Mexican/Hispanic Nation, a East Indian Nation ... ad infinitum ... ad nauseam ... in the United States .. all worth of sovereign nationhood!

But, we who live in this blessed country KNOW there is only ONE Nation ... thanks be to God in the Highest!

The last time some states .. the Confederate States .. tried to create a separate "Nation" in the USA ... based on shared socio-economic ties founded on slavery .. the issue that there is, and will forever be, only ONE NATION of ONE People sharing ONE DESTINY in the USA was settled decisively.

And so it is in Sri Lanka as well: ONE NATION of ONE PEOPLE with ONE SHARED DESTINY .. FOREVER, the incessant grumblings of incurably frustrated Sun God worshippers of a Tamil-only Racist Aparthied Eelam notwithstanding!

GET OVER IT .. No Communal Bantustans in Sri Lanka .. EVER!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment #3 at The Economist:

[ The government has amended the constitution to get rid of term-limits and other tiresome checks on presidential power.]

I suppose the Economist would like to see .. as most Frustrated Eelamists do .. for this government that reunified Sri Lanka and brought peace and hope for a bright future to all of its people now go away and allow the various foreign powers, NGOs and terrorist forces that reduced it to utter impotence be allowed to destabilize it and run amok again?

The GREAT MAJORITY of Sri Lanka understand the enemies arrayed against us at ALL LEVELS and want a STABLE POPULAR PATRIOTIC GOVERNMENT in place AS LONG AS POSSIBLE to transform our country to the New Wonder of Asia. Never again will our enemies be allowed to call the tune in Sri Lanka.

[They note how he qualified that pledge in a recent interview: the Tamil parties must “realise that what we refused to give Prabhakaran, we won’t give to others.]

Indeed we don't plan to give to these murderous separatists to get by STEALTH in "Peace" what they failed to win through MASS MURDER in War. Sri Lanka's goal is to become ONE Nation of ONE People sharing ONE common destiny .. with Equal Rights for all subject to the Equal Responsibility to love, protect and foster this nation.

Embedding communal divisions, based on race, language, religion, sex, caste or wealth, within the governance of our country through regional devoliution of power on these bases is a MONUMENTALLY FOOLISH THING to do .. and we will not do it.

[Tamil politicians believe the government intends to curb Tamil nationalism through intense security and population transfer.]

The great majority of Sri Lankan Tamils live outside the North and the East claimed by the Eelamists, and among the Sinhala majority. Therefore, why should an exclusive Tamil-only mini-state, that is out-of-bounds for the other communities of Sri Lanka be granted? Is that not the purest form of inequity and racism? Security commensurate to the threats Sri Lanka faces will be maintained forever .. without a doubt.

[ The failure even to attempt it, however, is “inviting another terrorist movement”, in the words of a politician representing Sri Lanka’s Muslims, another aggrieved minority.]

This FALLACY propagated by the Terrorist Separatists should be enshrined with the others of the past, such as "The LTTE cannot be defeated militarily", "Kilinochchi will Sri Lanka Army's Stanlingrad", "Tamil civilians cannot be rescued from the Mulaaitivu pocket without massive casualties" ... ad inifinitum ... ad nauseam!

These are utter falsehoods propagated by terrorists seeking to win in peace the separate state they failed to win in war. Another terrorist movement will emerge only if these racist individuals are allowed to concoct more mischief and enslave their people again as in the past without omnipresent security to prevent it. Listening to flawed advice was Sri Lanka's mistake in the past ... it will never happen again.

Ananda-USA said...

India targets 20,000 MW in renewable energy

November 25, 2010

TIRUNELVELI: Power generation in India using renewable energy would be 20,000 MW by 2022, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said in Radhapuram in Tirunelveli district on Wednesday.

Addressing a meeting organised by the Suzlon in Radhapuram after visiting the 2.1 mw wind farm, the second largest in Asia being set up at Chettikulam, he said that tapping of renewable energy as much as possible from solar, wind, biomass and hydropower, would make the country prosperous, besides emerging as a strong nation.

According to him, 40 per cent of the villages in the country remain dark. “Renewable energy sources can be the only way to provide electricity to them,” the Minister said, adding that the country was importing coal from abroad at a huge cost for power and added that his Ministry was trying its best to see that the country no longer dependent on fuel for generating power.

“We have the potential to be world leaders in clean energy. generation in India using renewable energy will touch 20,000 mw by 2022,” he said.

Pact with Iceland: An agreement has been made with Iceland to tap geothermal energy in India, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said at Kayathar in Thoothukudi district on Wednesday.

The Minister was talking to a select group of journalists at Wind Turbine Research Station (WTRS) at Kayathar.

Speaking after inaugurating the 2 mw variable speed wind turbine, Farooq Abdullah said that India is going deep under the earth’s surface to tap l energy. “Presently, research is underway at Ladakh, Chattisgarh and Gujarat, where potential for geothermal energy has been identified,” he said.

It may be noted that the energy plant here is the first of its kind in India.

Ananda-USA said...

First private university to be established in Sri Lanka next year

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 26, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake says that a branch of Manipal University of India will be established in Sri Lanka next year as the first private university in the island.

The Minister stated that the Sri Lankan students who go to Manipal University to study medicine spend around Rs. 35 million and the cost can be reduced to Rs. 10 million with the establishment of the Sri Lanka branch of the university.

The Minister said that the dialogue with the Manipal University authorities in this regard has reached to the decision making stage.

The Minister further stated that two more international universities will be established in Deniyaya in the South and Kandy in the central hills.

Ananda-USA said...

CORRECTION!

Rs 4,347,500 million is Rs 4.3475 Trillion, not Rs 43.475 Trillion!

Rs 4.3475 Trillion ~ USD 38.136 Billion

That is Large but MANAGEABLE!

In view of the FINANCIAL WOES of our CUSTOMERS for our EXPORTS in Western Countries, SL should rein in debt financed spending before it exceeds our ability to service the debt from current income!


...............
Sri Lanka's total debt is Rs. 4,347,500 million, government says

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 26, Colombo: Sri Lanka's total debt is Rs. 43.475 trillion, the government has disclosed today in the parliament.

Chief Government Whip, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had revealed this fact in response to a question posed by opposition United National Party MP Ravi Karunanayaka.

According to Gunawardena, of the total debt, Rs. 25.442 trillion was from domestic borrowings while foreign borrowings amounted to Rs. 18.033 trillion.

Ananda-USA said...

The unpunished TRAITORS of the TNA (Tiger Nominated Agents) are at it AGAIN ... trying to revive communal conflict.

The GOSL is not FORCING anyone to settle in Jaffna against their will.

But, the GOSL should give ALL citizens INCENTIVES to settle in and develop the sparsely populated areas of the North & East as a matter of Government Ethnic Integration Policy ... the ONLY PERMANENT MEANS of ensuring Sri Lanka's integrity and communal peace in the future.

ALL of Sri Lanka belongs to ALL Sri Lankans .. to settle and live peaceably whereever they please.

There are no Ethnic Fiefdoms in Sri Lanka. If there were, what would we do with the Majority of Sri Lankan Tamils who live in the South among the Sinhala people?

TNA should be PROSECUTED not only for inciting communal discord NOW, but also for the TREASON they COMMITTED as LTTE Agents during last 30 YEARS.

When criminals go UNPUNISHED, they REPEAT their CRIMES!

Why have these TRAITORS not been HELD ACCOUNTABLE so far?

....................
Jaffna: Govt. denies allegations

By Yohan Perera and Kelum Bandara
November 26, 2010

The government yesterday denied allegations of attempts to resettle Sinhala families in the North, and requested the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) not to make racially inflammatory remarks in this regard.

Petroleum Minister Susil Premajayantha told parliament there was a Sinhala School in Jaffna at that time and added that the Sinhala population within the Colombo municipal area had also dwindled to 28 per cent but unfortunately none of the ministers had spoken about it.

“We live in harmony with all those people in Colombo and we have developed their schools,” he said while responding to TNA parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran who was critical of the government for its alleged attempts to settle Sinhala families in the North.

Mr. Sumanthiran said the Sinhala families had been forcibly been sent to live in Jaffna. “They had occupied a building belonging to the Jaffna Railway station and before they went there, toilets were constructed for their use within the premises,” he said and added that if those families had lived in Jaffna before, they were most welcome.

Ananda-USA said...

Parakramabahu the Great, who reigned over Sri Lanka's Golden Age, said

"Let not One Drop of Rain that falls on Lanka flow to the sea without service to man"!

Let us, his descendents, now extend his immortal vision thus:

"Let not One Ray of Sunshine fall, One Breeze of Wind blow, or One Wave of the Ocean flow in Lanka without being of service to man"!

Let us develop ALL of Our Renewable Energy resources and EARN REVENUE for national development by EXPORTING the EXCESS to India over this Electricity Transmission Link!

Jayawewa!


...............
Sri Lanka explores possibility of a high power transmission link with India

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 26, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government is currently exploring the possibility of commissioning a High Capacity Power Transmission Link (HCPTL) in a joint venture with India.

Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka has said the government was looking at commissioning a HCPTL with the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).

The proposal was reportedly initiated during President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to India in February this year.

Ranawaka has said that it was decided at preliminary discussions to install the HCPTL via Mannar and Madurai.

A joint feasibility study is currently being carried out at a cost of US$ 3 million and a final decision on the mega project is to be made after the report is finalized next year.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka to establish US$ 200 million credit line to Maldives

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 25, Colombo: Sri Lanka has agreed to establish a credit line worth US$200 million with Maldives to aid the country to overcome its foreign exchange crisis.

With the credit line Maldivians can purchase Sri Lankan rupees with Maldivian rufiyaa for imports as well as making Maldivian rufiyaa available to Sri Lankans who wish to buy Maldivian goods.

A Minister from the Maldives will arrive in Sri Lanka shortly to seal this currency swap agreement, the Sri Lankan government said.

The agreement was to sign by the Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed with Sri Lanka's Central Bank officials when he visited Sri Lanka to attend the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's inauguration.

However, Nasheed had to cut short his visit and return to Maldives to attend his father-in-law's funeral.

Ananda-USA said...

Combatants as civilians

Island.lk
November 25, 2010

Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva, who led the war against the LTTE from the front, made no revelation when he told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) on Thursday that the army had not targeted any civilians during the final phase of the war but the LTTE had used its combatants in civilian clothes to carry out attacks against the military. That most LTTE fighters were in civilian clothes is only too well known. This is equally true of all other guerrilla outfits in the world. Some terrorist movements, especially those engaged in urban guerrilla warfare do not use uniformed cadres at all.

The LTTE had, Maj. Gen. Silva pointed out, accepted on many occasions bodies of its combatants in civilian clothes transferred through the ICRC. Some interested parties, he said, were claiming that the LTTE cadres in civilian clothes who had perished in confrontations with the army were civilians.

The biggest advantage that terrorists have over the legitimate armies they fight is that they can pretend to be 'civilians' before and after committing crimes unless they get caught or killed in action. It is difficult to tell a Taliban fighter from an ordinary Afghan civilian unless the former carries a gun or is caught in the act of unleashing terror. Most of the Taliban combatants killed by the US-led forces were wearing civilian clothes. Naxalites in India, the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, the FARC in Colombia, the SPLA in Sudan and all other terrorist groups in different parts of the world, use their cadres masquerading as civilians in combat operations against armed forces in those countries or to carry out other acts of terrorism against civilians.

Never mind foreign terrorist outfits and the LTTE. All JVP guerrillas responsible for southern terrorism were in civilian clothes--some even wore sarongs and flip-flops--in the late 1980s. They killed civilians who held dissenting views while mingling with them. The JVP thus eliminated thousands of civilians including politicians and the personnel of the armed forces and the police before meeting its Waterloo in 1989.

Ironically, the JVP leaders responsible for killing thousands of civilians and causing tens of thousands of others to disappear at the hands of the military and vigilantes in the South have now taken up the cudgels for those who have disappeared in the North. It is also ironical that the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who championed the cause of detainees in the South during the second JVP uprising, is blamed for disappearances in the North. The JVP leaders have joined hands with some UNP bigwigs who were in charge of counter terrorism operations as well as torture chambers, which churned out corpses which the streets were strewn with in 1987-89, to campaign for human rights in the North!

Human rights must be protected, the issue of disappearances in the North and the East addressed and the details of detainees made public urgently. But, this noble cause is best left to genuine human rights activists without ulterior motives or a criminal track record. Attempts to dupe the world into believing that the dead LTTE cadres were civilians are counterproductive.

The most effective way of protecting civilians is to stand up to terrorists and force them to let go of innocent men, women and children without using them as a cover or human shields to ratchet up collateral damage as a political weapon against the States they fight. Sadly, what the self-styled human rights activists do is to mollycoddle terrorists while they are alive and then use their cadavers to keep their causes alive. What is happening in Sri Lanka is a case in point.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Nov 27th 2010 2:06 GMT

Bha3 said ...
[Tamils still 30% of the population including muslims, christians.]

Dream on .. old fellow .. dream on!

The Highly Intelligent Sun God and his Exquisitely Intelligent Followers cooked up a scheme to setup a Tax Base abroad for creating a Tamil-only Racist Apartheid state of Eelam in Sri Lanka.

They smuggled 1.5 million Sri Lankan Tamils abroad, dumping them as fake refugees on gullible Western democracies, demonizing the Sinhala people of Sri Lanka, and wailing as victims even as they blew to bits and sliced and diced thousands of innocents in Sri Lanka. They exploited the welfare systems of these Western countries, engaging in every form of criminal skullduggery, even as they violated their laws with impunity .. undermining the very nations that foolishly accepted them.

What is the NET RESULT of all this superior intelligence and heavy plotting? The Tamil population of Sri Lanka plunged by 40% making Tamils a SMALLER minority in Sri Lanka than even the Muslims. Looks like the GRAND PLAN backfired BIGTIME!

Also, try telling the Muslims .. who were sliced and diced into pieces by the hundreds, ethnically cleansed and driven from their villages in the North and East, that they should now establish common cause with the Sun God worshippers! It may happen ... but only after Hell Turns Over on Doomsday!

BTW, Did I mention that these Sun God Worshippers are the self-declared Highly Intelligent Racial Purists of Sri Lanka?

[No suprise, Tamils have been living in all parts of the island. Sinhalese themselves are origin of Tamils. Sinhalese languauage is made up by using Tamil, Pali and Sanscrit, Budhism is born in India and spread to most part of East Asia including Sri Lanka. ]

It is very strange how these Eelamist Tamil Purists seek kinship with the Sinhala people only now .. the very people who demonized the Sinhalese and wanted an exclusive racist apartheid state for Tamils-only just an year ago. We Sinhalese are very comfortable with living together with our law-abiding Tamil brothers and sisters .. in ONE Nation as ONE People sharing ONE Destiny.

It is also curious how the Sinhala people .. demonized as distinct barbarians just yesterday .. are NOW said to have Tamil roots, and somehow the Tamil origins are linked to Pali, Sanskrit and Buddhism as well, while non-Dravidian Indians who answer to these attributes are declared aliens-non-grata in the Dravidian South. LoL! Bravo! A piece-de-resistance of circumlocution indeed!

The only truth in the statement is that they all originate in mother India! Rewriting history to serve their purpose is an art perfected by the Tamil Eelamists .. we know that well. Yesterday the Sinhalaese were savage demons, today they are dear kinfolk.

Good .. I like the trend towards becoming kinfolk for that is the way I view my law-abiding patriotic Tamil friends, neighbors. Let us concentrate on achieving that goal; a bright future lies ahead for Sri Lanka if that kinship becomes an omnipresent reality. I care not what our origins are .. but I do care that Sri Lanka remains ONE Nation of ONE People with ONE shared Destiny so we can all work towards a great future for all of our people, in amity. That amity is not promoted by the persistent undermining of Sri Lanka's integrity that I see here.

Although kinship is bandied about here, the cry among the Eelamist Diashoras and among Tiger Nominated Agents of the LTTE (aka TNA) is for "Devolution of Power" on an ethnic basis to Tamils in the North and East as a "Political Solution" so they can set about resurrecting the murder and mayhem of the past!

I Think Not! We PATRIOTS OF SRI LANKA will not let it happen! NEVER AGAIN!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Nov 27th 2010 2:57 GMT

Since DEMONIZING Sri Lanka continues UNABATED here, here are two Global Statistical Rankings to CONFOUND THE CRITICS!

Long Live Sri Lanka!
.................
World Charitable Giving Index

Sri Lanka is 8-th in World Charitable Giving TYING with the UK!

Country, % of population who have given money, % of population who have given time, % of population who have helped a stranger, Wellbeing score out of 10

1 Australia 70% 38% 64% 7.3
1 New Zealand 68% 41% 63% 7.4
3 Canada 64% 35% 68% 7.5
3 Ireland 72% 35% 60% 7.0
5 Switzerland 71% 34% 60% 7.5
5 USA 60% 39% 65% 7.2
7 Netherlands 77% 39% 46% 7.6
8 United Kingdom 73% 29% 58% 5.6
8 Sri Lanka 58% 52% 50% 4.2
10 Austria 69% 30% 58% 7.2

.......................
Global Gender-Gap Index Rankings

Sri Lanka is 16th in the World Gender Gap Index just behind the UK!

Country/Rank/Score

Iceland 1 0.8496
Norway 2 0.8404
Finland 3 0.8260
Sweden 4 0.8024
New Zealand 5 0.7808
Ireland 6 0.7773
Denmark 7 0.7719
Lesotho 8 0.7678
Philippines 9 0.7654
Switzerland 10 0.7562
Spain 11 0.7554
South Africa 12 0.7535
Germany 13 0.7530
Belgium 14 0.7509
United Kingdom 15 0.7460
Sri Lanka 16 0.7458
Netherlands 17 0.7444
Latvia 18 0.7429
United States 19 0.7411
Canada 20 0.7372
Trinidad and Tobago 21 0.7353
Mozambique 22 0.7329
Australia 23 0.7271

Ananda-USA said...

Indian ports, threatened by Hambanthota, scrambling to upgrade!

..............
Lanka's Hambantota emerging competitor for Indian ports: Shipping Secretary

By Vinson Kurian
iStockAnalyst.com
Thiruvananthapuram
November 26, 2010

The upcoming southern Sri Lankan port of Hambantota may prove a new rallying point for container transhipment industry in the subcontinent and put up fresh competition to Indian ports.

The first phase of the Chinese-aided port went on stream just the other day; a full-fledged container terminal is envisaged in the second phase.

The port city of Colombo is already an international container transhipment terminal.

ENOUGH SPACE

The Union Shipping Secretary, Mr K. Mohandas, said here on Friday that existing Indian ports as well as those on the drawing board would now need to come up with qualitatively and economically differentiated proposals to stay in business. Delivering the keynote address at the Kerala Ports and Maritime Business Conclave organised here jointly by the State Government and State Council of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), he conceded, however, that there is space for each player to exist if projected growth in sea-based trade is any indication.

This should not be an excuse to let off our guard though, Mr Mohandas said.

What would differentiate the men from the boys would be a competitive tariff and ease of and efficiency in transacting business.

ELIMINATE RISK

Investors are wary of risk while taking a decision on committing big money to develop a Greenfield project of the size and scale of the proposed Vizhinjam international deep-water container transhipment terminal near here. “We must ensure that all parameters such as land acquisition are tied up well in advance and all such perceivable risks are eliminated before entering into a contract with the private developer.”

The landlord model that the special purpose vehicle Vizhinjam International Seaport Ltd (VISL) has opted for should take care of most of these concerns as the State Government is investing significantly in the initial infrastructure.

By the same token, it would also allow the port authority some elbowroom to fix tariff competitively and attract incremental container transhipment business being generated in the east-west shipping route.

Putting this in perspective, Mr Mohandas said that Indian ports handled 850 million tonnes of cargo during 2009-10, with two-thirds gong to the 12 major ports and the rest to the non-major ports.

HEAVY LOAD

On the downside, though, this was achieved at 91 per cent capacity utilisation, which means that the port infrastructure may already be creaking under the heavy load. This also translates into enforced waiting period at the anchorages, bringing traffic to a slow grind with implications for the industry and economy.

The capacity utilisation would need to be adjusted to around 70-75 per cent in line with the global pattern.

To achieve this, additional capacities would need to be created for which massive funds need to be sunk.

It is estimated that Indian ports would need to handle 2,500 million tonnes by 2020, which would entail at least a 25 per cent ramp-up in capacity.

Most of the cargo handled would be those needed to fire the growth of energy and hydrocarbon sector.

Liquid petroleum and thermal coal traffic would continue to grow while that of iron ore may slow down, Mr Mohandas said.

Ananda-USA said...

YES on Trade & Security Cooperation between Sri Lanka & India,

NO on Indian Interference in the Internal Politics of Sri Lanka!

NO Devolution of Power based on Ethnicity ... EVER!

That is not "Reconciliation" between Communities but "Appeasement" of Incurable Separatists placing the Nation at PERMANENTLY RISK again!

One Person One Vote is SUFFICIENT Franchise for ANY & ALL Citizens!

No Tamil-only FIEFDOMS in Sri Lanka EVER!

ONE Nation of ONE People with ONE Shared Destiny!


............
Delhi shrugs off Chinese influence in Sri Lanka

ThePeninsular.com
November 27, 2010

COLOMBO: India has no worries about rival China’s expanding ties with Sri Lanka, India’s foreign minister said yesterday, a week after Colombo unveiled a $1.5bn Chinese-funded port.

S M Krishna, who met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse earlier in the day, said Colombo’s ties with Beijing and other capitals would not impact “historic relations” between the two South Asian neighbours.

Asked if New Delhi was concerned about increased Chinese interest in its southern neighbour, Krishna told reporters it was up to Sri Lanka to decide on its external relations.

“The relationship between India and Sri Lanka need not be at the cost of other countries. Sri Lanka’s relationships with other countries depends upon Sri Lanka itself and we respect that,” he said.

“Our ultimate objective is to see a prosperous, stable Sri Lanka at peace with itself,” said Krishna, who was on a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka.

The Indian minister’s comments came just over a week after a $1.5bn Chinese-funded port was commissioned in the Sri Lankan town of Hambantota.

Analysts have said New Delhi is concerned that Hambantota is part of a Chinese policy to throw a geographical circle of influence around India.

India said earlier in the year that China was displaying “more than normal interest” in the Indian Ocean region. China is also developing port facilities in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan, and has plans for rail projects in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Krishna also urged Sri Lanka to share power with minority Tamils as the island emerges from decades of ethnic bloodshed following the crushing of Tamil separatist rebels last year. Krishna said Colombo had a “historic opportunity” to address the underlying political causes of the Tamil separatist campaign in the Sinhalese-majority nation.

“The cessation of hostilities in May last year provides a historic opportunity to address all outstanding issues of resettlement and a political settlement in a spirit of mutual accommodation,” he said. New Delhi has been urging Sri Lanka to share political power with Tamils who share close cultural and religious links with the 62 million Tamils in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

India, which is assisting Sri Lanka in reconstruction of its war-ravaged northern region, yesterday extended more than $416m as Line of Credit for building three railway projects in this country.

S M Krishna witnessed the signing of the credit agreement for $416.39m along with his counterpart G L Peiris in the presence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The Line of Credit is being extended for three projects - Omanthai-Pallai, Madu Road-Talaimannar and Medawachchiya-Madu Road.

The seventh Joint Commission meeting between India and Sri Lanka co-chaired by Krishna and Peiris expressed satisfaction that contracts for the three projects had been signed, an official statement said.

Krishna and Peiris welcomed the fact that the work on the Northern Railway Line was commencing from today.

Ananda-USA said...

Delhi shrugs off Chinese influence in Sri Lanka

.....continued....
The Joint Commission reviewed the utilisation of the existing Lines of Credit (LOC) offered by the Government of India to Sri Lanka, especially those pertaining to the rehabilitation of the Southern Railway corridor costing about $167.4m.

Krishna arrived in Sri Lanka late on Thursday on a mission to deepen ties with Sri Lanka. He was due to travel to the island’s northern Tamil region of Jaffna today to open an Indian consulate before returning home tomorrow.

India, which has 62 million Tamils in its southern Tamil Nadu state, wields considerable diplomatic influence over Colombo and has been urging the Sinhalese-majority government to share power with minority Tamils.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka, India talks on sharing offshore oil, maritime border

LankaBusinessOnline.com

Nov 27, 2010 (LBO) - India and Sri Lanka are to hold talks soon on sharing offshore petroleum resources straddling their maritime boundary and resolving conflicting claims to the continental shelf, an official said.
A meeting of officials of the two neighbours is to be convened "at an early date", said a statement at the end of the seventh session of the Indo-Lanka joint commission, a forum to discuss economic and political issues, Friday.

"Among the issues taken up at the joint commission were claims to the continental shelf and exploration for oil and gas resources straddling the maritime boundary," Sri Lankan foreign minister Gamini Pieirs told a news conference.

He co-chaired the talks with visiting Indian foreign minister S M Krishna.

"Bilateral discussions to come to a mutually acceptable and beneficial settlement would be useful," the joint statement issued by the Indian high commission said.

Claims of the two countries on extending their continental shelf margin have been submitted to the United Nations with some overlap in certain areas.

The statement also said the Joint Commission agreed that Indian companies would be encouraged to participate actively in future oil and gas exploration activities in Sri Lanka, including in the Cauvery and Mannar basins.

Cairn India is already exploring in the Mannar basin and is scheduled to drill test wells next year.

India is also considering a Sri Lankan proposal to establish a joint information exchange mechanism on the possibility of oil and gas fields straddling the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary.
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Ananda-USA said...

HERE COMES THE THIN EDGE of the EELAMIST WEDGE!

Tamil Political Parties Forum (TPPF) representatives state:

1. the Tamil parties have come to an understanding and formed the common forum to find along lasting political solution to the ethnic crisis

2. which enables the Tamil people to participate fully in their own governance in the North and East

That sounds ominously like a demand for "Devolution of Power" to the North and the East on an ETHNIC BASIS, with Tamils-only special rights, and a legal cover under which they can resurrect their separatist struggle.

Such powers must NEVER BE GRANTED and PERMANENTLY EMBEDDED in the constitution of Sri Lanka.

That denies the INALIENABLE RIGHT of ALL CITIZENS of Sri Lanka to ALL of its land and the right to move freely ans settle whereever they please.

It will make PERMANENT the existing regional ethnic concentrations that form the BASIS OF SEPARATIST CLAIMS in the past.

The GOSL must MAKE CLEAR that

1. Ethnicity Based devolution of power is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

2. Adopt ETHNIC INTEGRATION as National Policy.

3. Adopt Government Incentives and Policies to eliminate ethnic population concentrations and attain a n early uniform demographic distribution throughout the country at some early future date. This is THE ONLY RELIABLE & PERMANENT MEANS of PROTECTING Sri Lanka's Territorial Integrity.

4. Dismantle Provincial Councils as Administrative Units that are LARGE ENOUGH to POSE SEPARATIST THREATS to the Central Government in the future. Districts should be LARGEST sub-national administrative units. This will reduce separatist threats and drastically cut the bureaucratic burden on the tax payers.

5. Assert One Person - One Vote in Parliamentary Elections as the ONLY basis for enfranchising all citizens .. No further regional devolution of power or elections to Provincial administrative units are necessary.



...................
Sri Lanka President meets with Tamil political party leaders

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 26, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today met with a 16-member delegation of the Tamil Political Parties Forum (TPPF) comprising representatives from majority of Tamil political parties of the country at Temple Trees to discuss aspects of post-conflict reconciliation.

Key members of the delegation included Minister Douglas Devananda, V. Anandasangaree, PLOTE leader D. Siddarthan and Chelvanayakam Chandrahasan, son of the former Federal Party and TULF leader S J V Chelvanayakam.

The Tamil leaders have commended the President's efforts in the North to resettle the displaced and to develop the region.

The leaders have informed the President that the Tamil parties have come to an understanding and formed the common forum to find along lasting political solution to the ethnic crisis while working to resolve immediate problems faced by the Tamil community.

The Forum has agreed that a political solution to the ethnic problem should be found within the framework of a united Sri Lanka which enables the Tamil people to participate fully in their own governance in the North and East.

The TPPF raised the issue of long term detention of Tamils under the Emergency Regulation or the Prevention of Terrorism Act without being indicted, with the President and requested him to take a speedy measure.

The Forum also raised the issue of missing Tamil persons who are believed to be in the custody of security forces.

The President had assured the delegation that their issues will be duly addressed to find solutions to their grievances.

Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunge also participated in the meeting.

(Photos by Sudath Silva)

Ananda-USA said...

Supporters of Sarah Malanie Perera, a convert from Buddhism to Islam, argue she is only exercising her freedom of speech; but it is really a case of Political Agitation and Undermining Sri Lanka.

If she had insulted Islam in Bahrain .. she would be EXECUTED!

Here is a threat to Sri Lanka from a new direction.

This UNDERSCORES THE URGENCY of attaining ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE for Sri Lanka.

...............
Blasphemy trial hope for family

By ANIQA HAIDER
November 27, 2010

RELATIVES of a Bahrain-based author on trial in Colombo for blasphemy are praying that she will finally be released today.

Sarah Malanie Perera has been in custody for eight months after being arrested in Sri Lanka for the publication of a book, which described her conversion from Buddhism to Islam.

The 38-year-old's trial is set to resume at the Colombo Magistrate Court.

"I am hoping she will be released as she is not a criminal and she has not done anything wrong, she only expressed her feelings about a religion in her book," said Ms Perera's sister Mariam.

"A travel ban was imposed on her after the arrest and her passport confiscated by the government.

"I don't know what will happen, but I am hoping and praying she will be allowed to travel back to Bahrain.

"At least they should allow her to come to Bahrain and then she can go to attend any future court dates.

"We miss her so much.

"We don't know how she has been doing there or what her condition is, although we are able to speak to her over the phone."

Ms Perera, who first came to Bahrain in 1985, was arrested for allegedly distributing anti-state and anti-government information across the border related to her book From Darkness to Light.

However, she claims she was simply trying to send copies of the book along with another she wrote to Bahrain and denied having links to extremists.

Ms Perera was detained on March 20 after being accused of "anti-state" activities and having links to Islamic militants.

She was released in June after paying a bail of 50,000 Sri Lankan rupees (BD166), having been charged under two sections of a law that makes it illegal to insult the religion of others.

The first carries a maximum 12-month jail sentence, while the second can result in up to two years in prison and a fine.

Her lawyer has previously argued she had no intention of insulting the Buddhist faith and there were no grounds for a criminal case.

However, prosecutors claimed her book was offensive to Buddhists.

aneeqa@gdn.com.bh

Ananda-USA said...

Colombo to become a CLEANER, GREENER, SLUM-FREE CITY!
.........
Systematic plan to develop Colombo city

By Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA
DailyNews.lk
November 27, 2010

The Colombo city will be developed according to a systematic plan. The city beautification process will be carried out simultaneously, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.


Defence Secretary Rajapaksa

"Colombo will be a slum free city," he said at a panel discussion yesterday.

"Colombo has the major administration facility. The strategy to develop Colombo is important. We have identified certain areas for this purpose where rapid development will take place," the Defence Secretary said.

"The Government is faced with the challenge of relocating 75,000 families who are mainly occupying the most valuable land and strategically vital canals in Colombo. We need to develop the city to attract global investors and to make it a beautiful capital," he said.

Measures will be taken to relocate the slum dwellers in a place where it is decent and with improved living standards. They will be given space in condominiums which will be built shortly. The UDA high rise building process will be fast tracked where it will build 30,000 housing units by next year, he said.

The Defence Secretary said discussions are under way with foreign partners to construct 4,500 housing units in Kolonnawa for low income families. There are 800 acres of land occupied by people which will be of better use as hotels and condominiums.

A feasible project will be implemented shortly to develop the Colombo city to reach international standards, he said. With the execution of the development plan, the flooding of the city too will be addressed. Canals will be cleaned and will be used as water sport centres. Solid waste management will also be regularised and streamlined to ensure Colombo has a clean environment, he said.

"The high security zone will also he included in the development plan. Buildings will be renovated. We are moving forward rapidly and will make Colombo a greener city," he said.

Ananda-USA said...

GREAT NEWS! Regional Income Distribution becomes less concentrated; shifts from the Western Province to the other Provinces of Sri Lanka!

..............
Income distribution happening well

By Indunil HEWAGE
DailyNews.lk
November 27, 2010

Certain key economic activities have been shifted to other Provinces without being confined to the Western Province indicating improved macro economic management in the nation.


Central Bank Governor
Ajith Nivard Cabraal

Certain key economic activities have been shifted to other provinces more than ever before. During the last five years Western Province’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was 52 percent and remaining eight provinces managed to contribute only 48 percent to the GDP during the same period. These numbers are changing rapidly since last year, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said.

Addressing a seminar on Budget proposals 2011 he said the Western Province’s contribution to the GDP has come down to 42 percent during the last year indicating the improved macro economic management in the nation.

Income distribution is also happening well in the country, poorer people are getting rich and rich people are also showing financial capabilities more than ever before.

The Governor said the country should not only target over US $ 4,000 per capita income but aim to elevate poverty goals and other key economic and social indexes to gain higher per capita income targets.

“The Government also needs to be e-friendly using IT tools by facilitating citizens to pay taxes, EPF and other prominent economic activities as e-approvals are happening around the world rapidly,” he said. Private sector borrowing processes have been relaxed by the Government allowing private sector to borrow from outside to establish their ventures locally and internationally.

“Private sector industrialists are also entitled to invest abroad. These outbound local investments would generate higher returns, increase venture capacity and assets accommodation for the country,” the Governor said.

Ananda-USA said...

Tamil Nadu, the Karunanidhi Family Business

................
Tapes talk volumes about MK’s family: Jaya

November 27, 2010

CHENNAI: The telephonic conversations corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had with former Union telecom minister A Raja, some industrialists and journalists “mainly show the first family of Tamil Nadu in their true colours,” AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa charged on Friday.

In a statement, Jayalalithaa said: ”In the brouhaha over the Rs1,76,379 crore 2-G spectrum scam perpetrated by A Raja of the DMK, an interesting side-show has gone largely unnoticed, at least in Tamil Nadu: the series of telephonic conversations between the various dramatis personae with Niira Radia, a liaison agent for large corporates like the Tatas and Ambanis, who is also a political wheeler-dealer, apparently wielding considerable extra-constitutional influence in the corridors of power.“

“A conversation between Niira Radia and senior journalist Vir Sanghvi (who was apparently an interlocutor between the Karunanidhi family and the Congress leadership), shows the utter disdain the Central leadership has for its Tamil Nadu allies.”

An excerpt from the tapes shows Sanghvi as saying: “As far as we are concerned, there are two wives, one brother, one sister, one nephew… It’s all got very complicated for us… This is not a Congress-DMK problem. This is an internal DMK problem because they can’t get their act together between all his wives and children and nephews…”

Ananda-USA said...

Tamil Nadu, the Karunanidhi Family Business

........continued......
Jayalalithaa said Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi is on record demanding for herself the Environment portfolio, failing which she wants Health or Aviation or Tourism and Culture. Kanimozhi is also on record making an impassioned plea for the telecom portfolio for her close friend, A Raja, while foul-mouthing another aspirant, her nephew and Karunanidhi’s grand-nephew Dayanidhi Maran.

“Another senior journalist Barkha Dutt is recorded conveying the Congress leadership’s exasperation over a media announcement by T R Baalu that the DMK was planning to boycott the swearing-in ceremony to embarrass the Congress and pressure them to yield to the DMK’s multifarious demands,” she pointed out in the statement.

One conversation reveals that Dayanidhi Maran had been carrying out a smear campaign in Delhi circles against his uncle and Karunanidhi’s elder son M K Alagiri, whom Dayanidhi had described as uneducated, having studied only up to Class V and illiterate in English. Yet another conversation indicates that Dayanidhi was canvassing for a “lucrative“ infrastructure portfolio for himself, against the wishes of the DMK chief.

“A person like Alagiri, whom the Tamil Nadu population know as one accused in murder cases, and whose close circle of friends include ‘Attack’ Pandi, ‘Sori’ Murugan, ‘Auto’ Ravi, ‘Ochu’ Balu and ‘Blade’ Pakiri, has been projected to the Central leadership as a ‘mass leader’.”

“In yet another conversation between Niira Radia and Vir Sanghvi, it comes out that despite Karunanidhi’s objections to Dayanidhi Maran, the Maran scion’s candidature was being actively canvassed by M K Stalin and M K Selvi, who is married to Murasoli Maran’s brother Selvam.”

The reason for pushing Dayanidhi does not apparently stem from blood ties, but “from the fact that Dayanidhi had paid a whopping Rs 600 crore to Stalin and Selvi’s mother and one of Karunanidhi’s wives, Dayalu.” This is in addition to the “rounded up” sum paid by Kalanidhi Maran to the Karunanidhis for relinquishing their shares in the Sun TV network in 2007, the AIADMK leader said.

She said the period of the recordings leaked in the media relate to the days of ministry formation of UPA-2, when Karunanidhi was bargaining hard to get the maximum number of plum portfolios with money-earning potential, not for the DMK members, but for the various members of his own huge family.

“The IT Department was trying to trace the trail of the illegal funds of political persons obtained through extending favours to corporate houses and for this purpose had placed the telephones and mobile phones of Niira Radia under surveillance for a certain period,” Jayalalithaa said.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Nov 27th 2010 12:59 GMT

Sinna Siththar wrote ..

[Its a good idea let us remove immigration controls and abolish land ownership laws.]

That would be nice for generating a flood of unrestricted immigration from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka wouldn't it .. like in the jolly old British colonial times when the Sri Lankan natives had no say on such things? LoL!

Not a good idea at all ... old chap! It would DEATH for the current citizens of Sri Lanka which already is one of the most highly populated countries in the world!

Instead, what we MUST have, and WILL have, is ZERO immigration into the country, land ownership LIMITED to its CURRENT CITIZENS only, and the FREEDOM FOR CITIZENS to move to and settle anywhere in the country.

The latter right is already enjoyed by Sri Lanka's Tamil citizens, as demonstrated by the majority they attained in Colombo and its suburbs, hiding out in safety among the demonic Sinhalese away from their dear old sole-representatives of the LTTE. But that right was denied to the Sinhala and Muslim communities of Sri Lanka by those very same ethnic cleansing experts .. I recall that history rather vividly.

These murderous terrorists now wailing all over the globe, pretending to be victims, are trying to regain unequal privileges in Sri Lanka as a "political solution" to the problems of their own creation. That attempt will fail as disastrously as the military approach that ended on the banks of the Nanthikandal lagoon.

In the future, Sri Lanka will evolve towards a uniform demographic distribution and become ONE Nation of ONE People with ONE Shared Destiny, and Equal Rights for ALL, irrespective of race, religion, language, caste, sex or wealth, excluding any possibility of creating Ethnic Fiefdoms anywhere within it.

There is NOTHING that the Eelamist Diashoras can do about it; Sri Lanka will rise as the New Wonder of Asia in spite of them.

Those racial purists who cannot live as equals among people of other communities indeed should emigrate to any other country that would permit them to create a Tamil-only racist apartheid Valhalla.

I will watch with great interest any and all such attempts to earn the undying friendship of the natives by excluding them and demanding special rights that the natives don't have. Good luck to them in finding such a country .. they will need it.

Indeed, the Tamil Valhalla of Tamil Nadu in India might be the only place of residence acceptable to them .. but wait ... they don't consider Sri Lankan Tamils to be quite good enough to live among them either .. as numerous news articles show. Well, too bad .. I guess the only option for them is to step down from that marble column, forget about the Tamil-only Valhallas, and join the rest of humanity as ordinary garden-variety humans.

BTW, my dear fellow ... get some psychiatric help ... your rantings about Vijaya make me quite concerned about your health.

"Pan Metron Ariston" ... my dear chap!

Ananda-USA said...

Major Corruptions in INDIA?

Impossible, Unbelievable, Incomprehensible!

INDIA ... dishing out political solutions to all other countries ... is PERFECT ... I fondly thought!


...............
FACTBOX - Four major corruption scandals rocking India

November 26, 2010

REUTERS - India has been rocked by a series of corruption scandals that have embarrassed the ruling Congress party, rattled markets and deferred reform bills as opposition stalls parliament.

Here are details on the four major scandals in banking, telecoms, housing and sports:

LOAN BRIBERY CASE

Top officials of Indian banks, lenders and financial firms have been accused of taking bribes to grant corporate loans. While the size of the scandal is not known, it would have to be considerably larger than the alleged bribes paid.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested on Wednesday eight people, including the chief executive of LIC Housing Finance and senior officials at state-run Central Bank of India, Punjab National Bank and Bank of India.

The bribes were allegedly paid by private finance firm Money Matters Financial Services, which acted as a "mediator and facilitator" for the loan beneficiaries, the CBI said.

Three Money Matters executives, including the managing director, have been arrested for offering bribes.

Government investigators did not say who the beneficiaries were. Local media said Money Matters' clients included Suzlon Energy, developers DB Realty and Lavasa, a unit of Hindustan Construction.

Companies whose officials have been arrested as well as those named in the local media have all denied any wrongdoing.

Government officials, including ministers, have said this is a case of individual wrongdoing and not a widespread scam.

TELECOMS LICENCE ROW

Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), the official watchdog, said in a report this month that the telecoms ministry gave lucrative licences and spectrum at below-market prices, depriving the government of up to $39 billion in revenues.

The auditor also said several rules were flouted when the licences were given out in 2007/08, which led to many ineligible firms getting licences.

While nobody has been charged yet, investigations have focused on the telecoms ministry, firms and lobbyists.

Telecoms minister Andimuthu Raja was ordered by the government to resign after the report was released.

Raja has denied any wrongdoing. The CBI has also launched an investigation into alleged corruption at the ministry.

The CAG report says units of realtor Unitech were given licences despite not having adequate capital. The units are now part of the India operations of Norway's Telenor.

Swan Telecom, which has since been bought into by UAE's Etisalat, was given a licence despite being disqualified as No 2 telecoms firm Reliance Communications owned more than 10 percent in it, the auditor said.

Reliance Communications was also given undue benefits as it sought permission to offer services under the more popular GSM technology, the auditor said.

All firms have denied wrongdoing and have said they complied with all rules when licences were given.

Authorities have questioned Niira Radia, a top lobbyist who represents companies like Tata and Reliance Industries, as part of an investigation into whether money laundering and forex laws were broken when the licences were purchased.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been criticised for sitting on a request to grant permission to charge Raja with corruption and been forced to answer questions from the Supreme Court.

Ananda-USA said...

FACTBOX - Four major corruption scandals rocking India

.....continued....
COMMONWEALTH GAMES

The sporting extravaganza in October, which cost up to $6 billion, was dogged by several cases of alleged corruption, including the purchase of equipment and issuing contracts. The anti-corruption watchdog has identified more than 16 projects with possible irregularities.

The ruling Congress party sacked Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of the organising committee, as secretary of the Congress party's parliamentary wing. Three of his close aides have been arrested and local media has said Kalmadi could be arrested once he returns from a foreign trip.

The allegations include manipulations of tenders in the building of stadia and other games infrastructure, and inflating bills for equipment such as treadmills and toilet paper rolls.

Several bodies, including the anti-corruption watchdog, the state auditor, the CBI and a special committee set up by Prime Minister Singh, are probing the allegations.

HOUSING SCAM

Congress party politicians, bureaucrats and military officials have been accused of taking over land meant to build apartments for war widows. After the story broke in local media the government sacked the powerful chief minister of Maharashtra, who is a member of Congress.

The Arabian Sea-facing block with 103 apartments in an upscale Mumbai district, that is amongst the world's most expensive pieces of real estate, is also being investigated for several violation of norms, including environmental laws and land-use rules.

Apartments were sold for as little as $130,000 each, while local media estimated their value at $1.8 million each.

Since the scandal broke out, the government has effectively taken back permissions allowing owners to occupy the apartments, leading to the disconnection of water and power supply.

The CBI had begun investigating the case.

(Compiled by C.J. Kuncheria in NEW DELHI; Editing by Paul De Bendern and Jui Chakravorty)

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

..............
Sinna Siththar complains that too few Cabinet Secretaries are Tamils.

He PRETENDS not to understand how governments of parliamentary democracies allocate these high level government positions. They were given to the leaders of political parties that support the government, and help win parliamentary elections.

Leaders of Tamil parties that support the present government have won Cabinet Minister positions for themselves (see below). Even Vinayagammoorthy Muralitharan .. former LTTE leader .. is now a Deputy Miniter ... because he has ababdoned terrorism and has joined the democratic process.

Muslims have done much better than Tamils, because the main Muslim parties support the government, and have never supported terrorism in Sri Lanka. In contrast, the Tamil party that won the most parliamentary seats, the TNA (aka Tiger Nominated Agents) is the resurrected political arm of the LTTE terrorists. It opposes the government tooth and nail, and for all practical purposes is still agitating for a separate state .. so they are distinguished by their absence in the ranks of Cabinet Ministers.

Only an addle-pated fool would expect the Government of Sri Lanka, or any government of any country, to give Cabinet Positions to its political enemies?

Those Tamil Parties who abandon anti-national politics and join the democratic process have won for themselves a share of political power, and Cabinet Positions, with the consent of the people. Those who do not, will become marginalized, and may even end up in prison if they engage in treasonous activities ... as they would in ANY OTHER DEMOCRACY.

Sinna Siththar misinterprets everything through the lens colored by his Eelamist objectives, which are ultimately racist. His difficulty is that the MAJORITY OF Sri Lanka understand and reject anti-national agendas.

..............

List of TAMIL & MUSLIM Government Ministers

MINISTERS:

Arumugam Thondaman TAMIL
Livestock and Rural Community Development

Douglas Devananda TAMIL
Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development

A. L. M. Athaulla MUSLIM
Local Government and Provincial Councils

Rishad Bathiyutheen MUSLIM
Industry and Commerce

Rauff Hakeem MUSLIM
Justice

DEPUTY MINISTERS:

Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan TAMIL
Resettlement

Faizer Musthapa MUSLIM
Technology and Research

Mutthu Sivalingam TAMIL
Economic Development

M.L.A.M. Hisbulla MUSLIM
Child Development and Women's Affairs

Segu Dawood MUSLIM
Cooperative and Internal Trade

Abdul Cader MUSLIM
Environment

Ananda-USA said...

LTTE atrocities unearthed

By Tissa Ravindra Perera
Nation.lk
November 28, 2010

Investigations launched following the recent sensational discovery in Mullaitivu of a mass grave of at least 26 service personnel summarily executed by the LTTE is now unfolding another weird and gruesome massacre by them.

It has transpired during investigations that two of four hardcore terrorists in custody had been directly involved in the execution of the soldiers held prisoner by the LTTE.

One of these two terrorists had been one of the hitmen who shot the soldiers in cold blood.
The other terrorist had been involved in burning the bodies.
After burning the bodies, the ashes and the skeletal remains had been buried in an abandoned bunker and a trench close to it.

Fourteen of the victims have been identified by these hardcore terrorists from photographs shown to them.

They include three lieutenant commanders of the Navy
This massacre, according to evidence that has surfaced, had been carried out on January 17, 2009.

One of the victims is believed to be Lieutenant Commander Ratnayake, who went missing when Dvora fast attack craft P 413 came under LTTE heavy gunfire on seas off Delft.

Another victim Lt Cmdr Edirisinghe had been captured by the Tigers after his craft Dvora P416 was attacked and sunk off Vettilaikerni while it was escorting troop carrier ‘Pearl Cruiser’ on May 11, 2006.

The four terrorists in custody have revealed that the 26 security forces personnel were held in a torture chamber on the orders of Ratnam Master when the troops began their march towards the LTTE fortress in Pudukudiiruppu after taking the LTTE Kilinochchi base.
The terrorists had poured diesel and kerosene oil and emptied two bags of sugar on the firewood piled up on the dead bodies before setting fire to the `pyre’.
The mass grave was exhumed under the supervision of forensic experts and the Chief City JMO too was present.

There were several spent bullet casings among the ashes and other remains collected from the grave and stuffed into 24 gunny bags.
Ratnam Master was killed by the troops when he was making an escape bid along with Prabhakaran’s son Charles Anthony during the final battle at Wellamullaivaikal.

A close confidant of LTTE Prabhakaran, Ratnam Master was the brain behind the LTTE attack on Anuradhapura air base and Vavuniya army headquarters.

Troops had come across a number of torture chambers where captured security personnel were held captive during the humanitarian operation in Vanni.

However, they had not come across any evidence pointing to the fate that befell those held in those cells until the discovery of the Mullaitivu mass grave.

It is believed that the investigators will shortly discover more mass graves which would account for most armed forces personnel who went missing in action.

Ananda-USA said...

The 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka's Constitution was imposed on Sri Lanka by India under the threat of military invasion.

No Nation is bound by law to accept and implement agreements imposed by force by other countries.

For example, NONE of the Agreements and Treaties imposed on other nations by Nazi Germany are VALID. The annexation to Germany of the Sudentenland belonging to the Czechs, in particular, was declared null and void.

Similarly, the 13th Amendment imposed on Sri Lanka by India should now be declared NULL and VOID.

The People of Sri Lanka WILL NOT ACCEPT IT!

The 13th Amendment embeds the devolution of power on the basis of ethnicity in the North & East of Sri Lanka.

That PERPETUATES ethnic divisions in Sri Lanka, promotes separatism and the ultimate disintegration of the Nation.

DISMANTLE ALL Provincial Councils, to ELIMINATE separatist threats and REDUCE bureaucracy. Let Districts be the largest sub-national administrative units.

ADOPT ETHNIC INTEGRATION as National Policy with the goal of achieving a UNIFORM DEMOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION throughout the country. This is the ONLY RELIABLE & PERMANENT SOLUTION to ethnicity-driven separatism.

Let Parliamentary Elections be the sole means of ensuring freedom of choice in electing national leaders.


................
Tamil parties push for deal

By Arthur Wamanan
Nation.lk
November 28, 2010

Tamil parties are optimistic that the government would take adequate steps to the issues they had raised when they met President Mahinda Rajapaksa last Friday.

The Tamil Political Parties Forum (TPPF) had handed over a letter to him with their concerns during the meeting.

The TPPF, in its letter to the President, had said that a political solution to the ethnic question should be found within a framework of a united country, enabling the Tamil people to participate fully in their own governance in the North and East.
“The implementation of the 13th amendment in full will be a positive beginning of the political process in this regard,” the TPPF said.

Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) leader M K Shivajilingam told The Nation that the forum discussed at length with the President on several issues that needed immediate attention, including resettlement, compensation and adequate support for affected people, the release of detainees, missing persons and the reduction of excessive military presence.

Shivajilingam said no decisions were reached at the meeting.
“This is just the beginning. We did not find solutions. However, we hope to follow up on these issues and expect to have more meetings in the future,” he said.

Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Minister Douglas Devananda, meanwhile, said the meeting with the President was encouraging and he had responded to the issues raised in a positive manner.

According to a media communiqué from the President’s office, Rajapaksa had assured the forum that the government would continue with its policy of humane resettlement of IDPs and would take into consideration the matter of providing adequate compensation by way of services and not necessarily by way of cash.

The President, however, refuted claims by some that people of the North and East were being ignored in development activities. He said he had visited these places and found work on construction projects were carried out by local Tamil speaking residents. The President had stated that he would instruct to expedite the inquiries on the detainees, but added that it would take a certain amount of time.

He told TPPF that there were a large number of hardcore LTTE elements and that some had begun to speak only now. He added that all those against whom there was no evidence of offences and those involving minor offences would be released. The President had also requested for the list of names of those who had been reported missing and had assured that he would look into the matter.

Ananda-USA said...

Tamil parties push for deal

......continued....

Devananda stated that the issue of High Security Zones (HSZ) was also brought up at the meeting. “The government has already taken steps on this issue. We have removed several high security zones. The process is continuing,” Devananda said. He said the President had pointed out to the TPPF members that all issues faced by the people could not be addressed immediately.

The TPPF was also scheduled to meet Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.

Krishna, meanwhile, said Sri Lanka had the historic opportunity to address its outstanding issues after the cessation of hostilities.
“The cessation of hostilities is a historic opportunity for Sri Lanka to sort the outstanding issues and to find a political solution,” he said during a media briefing in Colombo on Friday.

He said a structured dialogue mechanism with a mutual understanding of both parties in finding a political solution to the ethnic issue. He also said India would continue to assist Sri Lanka on various issues such as resettlement, rehabilitation, demining and agriculture development.

Krishna said works had begun on the construction of 50,000 houses for the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Ananda-USA said...

‘Top Tiger’ nabbed at hotel

By Tissa Ravindra Perera
Nation.lk
November 28, 2010

A top operative of the international LTTE network who had returned to the country in the guise of an investor was nabbed last week by the State Intelligence Service (SIS) from a leading hotel in Colombo.
The sleuths had been on the trail of this Tiger operative for sometime, informed sources said.

It has been revealed that this Tiger operative, known as Kiran was among the Tiger leaders who had been handling the financial transactions relating to the LTTE’s illegal armament purchases via Thailand. He had been functioning as the leader of the LTTE fund-raising wing in Australia and Switzerland. He had also been engaged in human trafficking by sea.

Kiran, who had been on the ‘most wanted’ list of the national intelligence services since 1999, had returned here under an assumed name purportedly to start a foreign exchange centre. He is also said to own a tea estate in Deniyaya.

It has now come to light that about 50 former LTTE operatives and sympathisers who had skipped the country and found refuge in certain European countries have returned to Jaffna recently posing as investors.

Sujeewa Kokawala said...

Amazing... nobody noticed maha joker day...

Sujeewa Kokawala said...

Sarath Manamendra is sacked...

Ananda-USA said...

If the BBC laments the absence of the MahaBooru Day, and the eradication of LTTE war cemeteries in Sri Lanka, perhaps they should also support the Glorification of Nazi Germany through a Nazi Remembrance Day and the resurrection of the Nazi Cemeteries and Commemorative sites.

Those who call LTTE War Cemeteries just "Memorials to the dead who fought for the Tamil People" forget the tens of thousands of innocent Tamils who were murdered by these monsters who enslaved them and destroyed the Tamil Community of Sri Lanka. These are not just cemetries, but tools that were used to sustain and gain acceptance for their program of wholesale murder, mayhem and ethnic cleansing.

Just as every Nazi Memorial Glorifying their Racist Supremacy was eradicated after the WWII by the victorious allies, so should Tamil Tiger Moemorials Glorifying their Program of Death & Destruction be Totally Eradicated from the face of the earth. Only those extensive Torture Camps in the Wanni, and the Mass Graves filled with bodies of innocents and captured Sri Lanka Defense Personnel should be PRESERVED and made a part of the Wanni Gulag Holocaust Memorial Tour to make certain that the DIABOLICAL NATURE of these events do not vanmish from our collective memory.

ERADICATE every VESTIGE of LTTE MEMORIAL GLORIFYING their Racism in Sri Lanka.

PRESERVE the Wanni Torture Chambers & Mass Graves of their VICTIMS as a Permanent Enduring Memorial & Lesson to the People of Sri Lanka.

NEVER AGAIN must these things be allowed to happen!

...............
Why Sri Lankan Tamils won't remember war dead this year

By Swaminathan Natarajan
BBC.com
November 29, 2010

Around the world, Sri Lanka's diaspora Tamils are meeting to mark Maveerar Naal (Heroes' Day) and remember those who died during the failed insurgency.

But back in the Indian Ocean island nation, many Tamils are either too scared of official retribution, or too apathetic to mark the second 27 November commemoration since the rebels' defeat last year.

The Sri Lankan government has meanwhile been busy destroying the war graves and other memorials for the 20,000 insurgents killed during the three-decade conflict.

One such cemetery has been turned into a playground; another in Jaffna was converted into an army camp.

"Destroying graves is unacceptable, those people who were buried there are humans” Suresh Premachandiran MP

And no-one knows what has happened to the records scrupulously kept by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are thought to have financially supported the bereaved families.

Suresh Premachandiran, an MP from northern Jaffna, says his party, the Tamil National Alliance, has tried in vain to stop the demolition of war cemeteries.

"Destroying graves is unacceptable," he said. "Those people who were buried there are humans. They fought for the Tamil people."

He continued: "Recently when some Tamil civilians lit lamps to mark a Hindu festival in Kilinochchi, the local police thought they were trying to pay homage to the LTTE war dead and beat up them up."

Ananda-USA said...

Why Sri Lankan Tamils won't remember war dead this year

.....continued....
In the past, large numbers of Tamils visited these war graves. In many places, cultural programmes would also take place.

But now they're not sure what to do.

"Those who lost their relatives would like to remember them," says Selva, a resident of Colombo, who did not want his full name published.

"But if they do any kind of public display - like garlanding the photos of people in LTTE uniform, they will be arrested."

Sri Lanka's deputy high commissioner in the UK, P M Amza, defended his government's decision to demolish war graves, labelling them a rebel propaganda tool.

"We consider the LTTE a terrorist organisation," he said. "We feel all those associated with it form part of terrorism."

"There is no evidence to show the LTTE represented collective Tamil aspiration. They have killed many Tamil leaders."

Time to move on?

Human rights groups say both government forces and the rebels committed crimes against humanity during the conflict.

The LTTE were accused of recruiting children and firing at fleeing civilians during the final weeks of war.

It is an established fact that the LTTE killed thousands of Tamil youths who joined other armed groups in the early years of the rebellion.

But many Tamils who are outspoken about the government's alleged war crimes say little about the charges against the LTTE.

Internally displaced people in one of the internment camps in Vavuniya in January 2009 (Human Rights Watch photo) Eighteen months after the war, people are still living in refugee camps like the one in this 2009 photo.

For many in the diaspora across the world, Heroes' Day is an opportunity to gather and reaffirm their loyalty to the Tamil Tigers.

Large gatherings are planned in Britain, Canada, Switzerland, France and Australia.

Sam Krishna, media co-ordinator of the British Tamil Forum, said: "In addition to remembering those who sacrificed their lives for the Tamil cause, we will use the occasion to focus on the war crimes.

"We will once again press for an independent inquiry."

Velupillai Prabhakaran, killed on the last day of the conflict in May 2009, traditionally marked Heroes' Day with a speech outlining his agenda for the year ahead, and the Tigers would stage a military parade.

But no organisation in Sri Lanka plans to commemorate 27 November this year. Some even say the time has come to move on.

A refugee who lives in the government-run camp in Vavuniya, in the north, said: "War has ended last year, but still we are in the camps. We lost everything due to war. There's no point in talking about it."

Some expat Tamils feel that overseas organisations behind the Heroes' Day commemorations would do better to use their resources helping those back home who are struggling to restart their lives.

Ananda-USA said...

Nepal Maoist Party should SHUT UP.

India is ENTITLED to act against ANY & ALL terrorists in their own country to secure their country and the lives of their people AS INDIA SEES FIT.

"Peaceful Resolution" of the "Problem" is NOT POSSIBLE without destroying India.

Get the Job Done ASAP ... India! Don't let foreigners and bleeding hearts dictate your policies! Do what you MUST!


..............
Nepal Maoists condemn Indian operation against rebels

Kathmandu, Nov 28 (IANS)

A year after India started paramilitary operations against its own outlawed Maoist party and nearly five months after security forces killed a top guerrilla leader, Nepal's Maoist party has finally reacted to the incidents officially, condemning both and underlining its continued antagonism towards the Indian government.

The week-long plenum of Nepal's largest party, that ended in a remote village in western Nepal Saturday, has formally condemned India's 'Operation Green Hunt', the offensive started in five Indian states in November 2009 to flush out underground Maoists, known as Naxalites in India.

'We condemn the oppression of the Indian people in the name of Operation Green Hunt,' the plenum declaration said. 'We urge for a peaceful resolution of the problem.'

The 14-point statement also condemned the 'immoral and planned murder' of Cherukuri Rajkumar, who was the spokesman of the Indian Maoists under the nom de guerre Azad.

Indian police say Azad was killed during a gun battle with the guerrillas in Andhra Pradesh state in July, a claim rejected by the rebels who allege he was captured and shot dead in cold blood.

The official show of solidarity by Nepal's Maoists with the Indian Naxalites comes after their chief, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, came under fire from his own party members at the plenum for the long official silence of the party on their fellow ideologues in India.

The week-long Maoist extravaganza, expected to formulate future strategy, however ended in a whimper after widening animosity between Prachanda and his two deputies.

Prachanda, whose leadership is under challenge, has advocated a new revolt if 'reactionary forces' at home and foreign intervention prevent the implementation of a new constitution by May 2011.

However, the Maoists have been advocating a fresh 'people's revolt' since the fall of Prachanda's short-lived government last year and their effort to create public support and return to power has consistently fallen flat.

Now, as the decision-making central committee of the party has been given the task of resolving the leadership tussle, the former guerrillas have fallen back on their pet hate, India.

When the Maoists started their 10-year insurgency in 1996, anti-India tirade had accounted for a fourth of the 40 demands.

They were revived at the plenum once more with the Maoists demanding an end to the 1950 India-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty that grants equal status to each other's citizens, and all other 'unequal pacts', an end to encroachment on Nepali territory and the return of Indian soldiers from Nepal.

It is also asking for a review of all projects related to the development of hydropower and water resources, a demand primarily targeting India since most of the nascent republic's water agreements have been signed with either the Indian government or Indian companies.

Some of these projects were agreed upon during Prachanda's own government and passed by parliament when his party was a dominant partner in other coalition governments.

Ananda-USA said...

Nepal Maoists condemn Indian operation against rebels

.....continued....
The plenum has also condemned the recent formal charge by India that the Maoists were providing arms training to their Indian peers in Nepal with the help of militant Islamic terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

What the plenum rhetoric failed to address is the crucial issue of nearly 20,000 Maoist guerrilla fighters, who are yet to be discharged four years after the Maoists signed a peace agreement.

Unless the Maoists' People's Liberation Army is disbanded, the promulgation of a new constitution has been ruled out by the other parties.

Less than 50 days now remain for the rehabilitation of the PLA before the UN agency that is monitoring them begins to exit from Nepal.

Ananda-USA said...

DEPORT ILLEGALS: Throw the Bums Out!

..............
Sri Lanka deport foreigners for gaining employment while on tourist visas

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 28, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Immigration and Emigration Department says that over 600 foreigners have been deported this year for gaining employment in the country after arriving on tourist visas.

A spokesperson for the Department has told the local media that most of the deported tourists were Indian nationals while others also include people from Pakistan, China, and Bangladesh.

According to the Department statistics, some 300 foreigners had been deported in this manner in the past three months alone.

Most of these foreign nationals have gained employment in restaurants and jewelry making businesses amongst others.

Ananda-USA said...

"I Survived!" declares the ex-Sun God on MahaBooru Day, 2010!

Velupillai Prabhakaran Speech 2010 November 27 Maaveerar Naal - Tamil Tiger Heroes Day

Ananda-USA said...

IMPRESSIVE .. 18GW in 5 years!

GOSL,

Let SL add 5GW in RENEWABLES (Wind and Solar-PV, Solar-Thermal)in the same time.

Let us plan for another 10GW in NUCLEAR Power between 2015 and 2020

Let us SELL POWER to India and go ALL-ELECTRIC on Transportation!


................
TN to add 18,140 MW in five years: MK Stalin

November 28, 2010

CHENNAI: Private players are expected to increase Tamil Nadu's power generation by 18,140 MW in five years at an outlay of Rs.910 billion ($20 billion), Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said Sunday.

Speaking at the All India Conference of Chairmen of Central and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions here, Stalin said: "Private power developers are putting up power projects to the tune of 18,140 MW at an investment of Rs.91,000 crore (Rs.910 bn) within the next 3 to 5 years."

He said the government, in its efforts to promote clean energy, has mandated a major shift from coal fuel to renewable energy.

Seven developers from the state have been shortlisted by the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency to set up solar power plants with a total capacity of 7 MW, he added.

According to him, the additional wind power generation potential estimated in the state is around 5,530 MW and that of bagasse based co-generation capacity is around 800 MW.

Referring to the Tamil Nadu Energy Regulatory Commission's (TNERC) renewable energy purchase obligations with a conducive tariff policy, Stalin urged the power tariff regulators to have similar renewable energy purchase obligation targets.

Declaring that open access to power does not mean transmission of power from a place of acute shortage purely on price consideration to outside the state, he said: "It is in this context that the role of regulators like you and the governments become crucial."

Ananda-USA said...

Vaiko suffering from DELUSIONS again .. sees his umbilical cord brother .. the ex-Sun God .. in his dreams!

Vaiko has no power to "demand" anything. He is just a LYING GAS-BAG of NO CONSEQUENCE.

He should be EXTRADITED to SERVE PRISON TIME in Sri Lanka for violating Sri Lanka's anti-terrorism and immigration laws instead!


.................
Prabhakaran safe: Vaiko

November 28, 2010

CHENNAI: MDMK leader and pro-Eelam supporter Vaiko on Saturday once again claimed that LTTE chief V Prabakaran was ‘alive and is in safe house’ and would emerge at an appropriate time.

Addressing a gathering in the city as part of the November 27 Maaveerar Day celebrations, Vaiko said, “Don’t bother about rumours floating on the internet… it’s a conspiracy against us. Prabhakaran is safe and in hiding for security.”

Vaiko also said that the claims on rehabilitation of Lankan Tamils displaced during the ethnic war by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was a farce.

He also demanded the immediate dismantling of military camps from Tamil territory to ensure safety of innocent Tamil men and women in the island nation.

Ananda-USA said...

India now wary of Tamil issue, says daily

November 27, 2010

COLOMBO: Indian leaders are becoming wary of the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka, now that the war in the island nation is over, a daily said Saturday.

Referring to earlier times when New Delhi at times seemingly acted under pressure from Tamil Nadu leaders, the Daily Mirror said the situation had now changed.

It said that Tamil leaders in Sri Lanka "cannot expect decisive political maneuverings against Sri Lanka by Indian leaders".

The article said Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna's ongoing visit to Sri Lanka was seen here as a "significant event".

Krishna, who has met Sri Lankan leaders and will open Indian consulates in Jaffna and Hambantota, ends his four-day visit Sunday.

Ananda-USA said...

India should BUTT OUT of Sri Lanka's internal politics.

NO DEVOLUTION of Power to ETHNIC REGIONS!

India should practice what it preaches by devolving power to Muslim Separatists in Kashmir.

If India CANNOT DO THAT, they should stop PREACHING to Sri Lanka.

In ANY CASE, Sri Lanka should not do this STUPID THING!

Let India have its AID MONEY back if necessary; Sri Lanka's SOVEREIGNTY & INTEGRITY are NOT FOR SALE!


...............
Krishna in Sri Lanka, to push for devolution

November 25, 2010

COLOMBO: External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna arrived here Thursday on a three-day visit during which India is expected to push for the devolution of powers and renew a $1.7 billion-pledge in the form of loans and aid for development of the war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka.

Pushing for an early resettlement of the displaced Tamil civilians, Krishna said India would "certainly propose to Indian investors to take a look at Sri Lanka as one of the favourable investment destination".

"At one point of time it (the number of displaced civilians) was around 300,000 and over a period of time it has come down and now our assessment is there are about 17,000-20,000 IDPs in the camps," said Krishna, who was received by his Lankan counterpart G.L. Pieris at the airport here.

"And we have taken a decision to build 50,000 houses to rehabilitate the IDPs, and the first 1,000 houses are being constructed and we would like to see and hasten the process of these constructions," he said.

Krishna will launch Indian consulates in Jaffna, where Tamil militancy began in the 1970s, and Hambantota, located in the Sinhalese south about 240 km from Colombo.

Indian officials disclosed that India will pledge $1.7 billion in the form of loans and aid to be spent in the next three years on various projects, including the modernisation the Kankasanthurai Harbour in Jaffna.

Krishna will hold bilateral talks with Peiris with whom he will co-chair the 7th meeting of the joint commission. He will call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a host of Lankan leaders.

In his interactions with Sri Lankan leaders, Krishna is also expected to press for a "meaningful devolution", an official said.

Sources said that Krishna will remind Colombo of its pledge during Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi in June this year and push for a meaningful devolution package, building upon the 13th Amendment in the Sri Lankan Constitution, to create conditions conducive for a lasting political settlement.

The inauguration of a pilot project of 1,000 house units for internally displaced Tamil civilians and rail links in Sri Lanka's north, which was the main war theatre, will be some of other highlights of the visit.

The speedy resettlement of the 20,000 IDPs, who continue to remain in camps, 18 months after the end of the armed conflict will also be an important issue during the discussions.

Ananda-USA said...

INDIA is continuing its unwarrented INTERFERENCE in Sri Lanka's Internal Matters.

First, they trained, armed, funded, and supported Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka.

Second, they PREVENTED the SLA from rooting out the terrorists when the terrorists were on the verge of annhilation.

Third, they forced Sri Lanka to accept an INVASION by Indian troops to protect the Tamil separatists, and carve out a separate state for them.

Fourth, they forced the 13th Amendment of Sri Lanka's CONSTITUTION while militarily occupying a large part of our country.

Fifth, now when we have DEFEATED the terrorists at great cost in lives and treasure, they want to APPEASE Tamil Nadu at Sri Lanka's expense, by insisting on DEVOLUTION OF POWER on ETHNIC BASIS to the Tamil community in the North & East.

All of their financial aid etc is geared to creating a pro-India Tamil separatist constituency in Sri Lanka .. whereas Sri Lanka views the aid as WAR REPARATIONS for the DAMAGE India caused to Sri Lanka.

Just say NO!

Say NO to the 13th Amendment!

Say NO to Devolution of Power on Communal Bases to Regions!

Say NO to excessive Indian interference in Sri Lanka, both economically and politically!

Say NO to Provincial Government and go back to Districts as the LARGEST Administrative Units. Large PROVINCIAL GOVTS, empowered by the constitution, are a SEPARATIST THREAT to the authority of the CENTRAL Government which is the ONLY FORCE that can PREVENT the DISINTEGRATION of SRi Lanka.

ONE Sri Lankan Nation of ONE Sri Lankan People with ONE Sri Lankan Destiny should be our GOAL.

Let us say NO! NO! NO! NO! and NO! to foreigners solving their internal political problems at Sri Lanka's expense!


..............
Visiting Indian Minster calls for a peace and development process in Sri Lanka through the 13th Amendment

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 27, Colombo: Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna today traveled to Sri Lanka's Northern Jaffna peninsula to open the Consulate General of India in Jaffna.

Addressing the gathering, Krishna said that Sri Lanka needed to continue with a meaningful peace and development process in the North and East through the 13th Amendment.

He said that Sri Lanka has come through its most difficult period in its history.

He noted that while the conflict that ended had impacted on all sections of the population, it did so disproportionately on the civilian population of the Northern Province.

"India has tried to contribute whatever it can to alleviate to miseries and difficulties the people in Northern Province underwent.We are now looking at the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Northern Province and supplement the efforts of the Sri Lankan Government," Krishna said.

"We will stay engaged to revive the livelihood of those in the Northern Province and help people rebuild their lives," he promised.

Ananda-USA said...

Visiting Indian Minster calls for a peace and development process in Sri Lanka through the 13th Amendment

.....continued....
The visiting Minister assured that India will remain committed to the longer term reconstruction of the North.

Later today the Minister is scheduled to launch an Indian government-funded pilot project to build 50,000 houses in the North and East.

He will also inaugurate the work to be carried out by an Indian company, IRCON, on the reconstruction of the Northern Railway from Medawachchiya to Madhu. Work will also begin simultaneously on the Madhu-Talaimannar and Omanthai-Pallai railway lines.

Recalling the times when there were direct flight from Palaly to Trichy and a ferry service from Thalaimannar to Rameswaram, Krishna said it is time to revive those links.

In view of reviving old ties and linkages of connectivity that existed between the two countries, India has recently completed negotiations on a Memorandum of Understanding on resuming ferry services, both from Colombo to Tuticorin and Thalaimannar to Rameswaram, Minister Krishna said.

The old pier at Thalaimannar, will be rebuilt with the Indian assistance, he said adding that India has already started a project to rehabilitate and reconstruct the Kankasanthurai harbor and restore it as the hub of Jaffna's commercial lifeline.

Ananda-USA said...

Pakistan, Sri Lanka's most reliable ally in South Asia, to upgrade economic ties with Sri Lanka.

...............
Pakistan, Sri Lanka vow to defeat terror

November 29, 2010

* Zardari, Rajapakse agree to expand ties beyond political, defence paradigm to ‘overall comprehensive engagement’

COLOMBO: Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Sunday agreed on defeating terrorism as well as expanding their relationship beyond political and defence paradigm to an “overall comprehensive engagement”, including trade, joint investments and cooperation in new areas.

President Asif Ali Zardari, in a one-on-one meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapakse at the Presidential Secretariat overlooking the Indian Ocean, held extensive talks on bilateral, regional and global issues.

During the meeting that lasted for one hour, the two presidents agreed on taking the existing level of Pak-Sri Lankan relationship to “new heights”, encompassing a multi-sector engagement in addition to defence, which had been a major sector of collaboration between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the past.

Zardari said Pakistan greatly valued its close relationship with Sri Lanka and said both countries always stood by each other in turbulent times and shared commonality of views on regional security.

He said Pakistan was happy to note that the Sri Lankan government had been able to defeat terrorism, and stressed the need for continued intensive cooperation to counter this menace.

Defence Minister Ahmad Mukhtar later said the talks were “positive”, with both the leaders upbeat on ingchart a new course in their relations.

He said Sri Lanka welcomed Pakistan’s $200 million buyers credit facility and offered it to make the payment either on barter or in local currency, to ease pressure on their foreign exchange reserves.

He said Pakistan always supported the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka and assured that despite its own economic difficulties, Pakistan would continue to contribute towards the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka.

The minister said that despite external pressures, Sri Lanka was keen to enhance relations with Pakistan and agreed to the different proposals presented by Pakistan.

Zardari noted significant increase in volume of trade between the two countries in the last four years after the signing of the Free Trade Agreement, but stressed that both sides needed to continue striving, jointly, to further expand their commercial ties.

Zardari also offered to open a branch of the National Bank of Pakistan in Colombo on reciprocal basis. The president emphasised the need to reactivate the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation and monitor its progress.

A meeting of the JEC was long overdue, with the last being held way back in 2007, and the president called for holding another round in Colombo.

Briefing journalists, the president’s spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, said the high water mark of the meetings was a decision to reinvigorate the Joint Economic Commission and task it to work out modalities for a new and unconventional phase of economic cooperation marked by barter trade, currency exchange and banking interchanges.

Calling it a “win-win situation for both”, Zardari suggested that the finance ministers of the two countries immediately sit together to work out the details.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka President leaves for London

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 29, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa has left for London Monday evening on a private visit.

President Rajapaksa had been invited by the Oxford Union and the Sri Lanka Society of Oxford University.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to address the Oxford Union on December 2nd, the Government Information Department said.

President Rajapaksa postponed his visit to London that was scheduled earlier this month due to the inauguration of his second term of office in on November 19.

Certain media reports said the President cancelled his trip to the UK fearing arrest under British law for alleged war crimes during Sri Lanka's war against Tamil Tiger rebels.

President Rajapaksa previously addressed the Oxford Union in 2008.

Ananda-USA said...

The proposed BAN on the Racist Tamil-Community Thesavalemai Law in the North, which prohibits the sale of Tamil-owned land to non-Tamils, is the ONLY pro-National step the UNP has proposed in many years! I hope it happens!

I also hope we will see MORE UNP MPs changing their views to a pro-National stance.

The TNA (aka Tiger Nominated Agents) party politicians speak from BOTH SIDES OF THEIR MOUTHS.

They protest Government sponsorship of Sinhala settlement in the North on purchased or crown-owned land, while defending the reservation of Tamil-owned land for Tamils-only under Thesavalamai Community Law, and Tamil settlement in Colombo and its suburbs!

Bloody Racist TNA Hypocrites should be TARRED & FEATHERED!

I propose that the GOSL pass a law in Parliament IMMEDIATELY prohibiting limitations on land-ownership in Sri Lanka on the basis of communal attributes such as race, religion, language, sex and wealth, and in particular the Thesavalamai Tamil-Community Law!

However, land-ownership in Sri Lanka should be STRICTLY LIMITED to citizens, and to organizations whose majority stake is owned and controlled by Sri Lankan Citizens.



..............
Change Thesavalamai Law, says UNP MP

By Kelum Bandara
DailyMirror.lk
November 29, 2010

Amid allegations by the Tamil parties about state- sponsored colonization in the North and the East, the UNP had stressed the need to amend the Thesavalamai law followed by people in Jaffna so that persons belonging to any community could live there. Speaking during the budget debate, UNP MP Sujeewa Senasinghe noted that people should be able to work and live in any part of the country despite whatever community they belong to.

Mr. Senasinghe who is also a lawyer by profession said on Saturday that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran was critical of the alleged government’s attempt to settle Sinhala people in the North.

“In Colombo, people of all the major communities live without any problem. Likewise, it should be allowed in Jaffna. Yet, the traditional Thesawalamai law is a hindrance to this. In this law, there are restrictions in transferring the ownership of properties to persons outside Tamil family circles. Therefore, Sinhala and Muslim people find it difficult to purchase lands there. Therefore, I believe that the law should be amended in Parliament,” he said.

However, TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said that Tamil people had settled down in Colombo and other parts of the south on their own, but not through planned colonization efforts.

“Sinhala or Muslim people can live in Jaffna if they wish. We are only against the state-sponsored colonization of Sinhala people to change the demographic pattern,” he said.

With regard to the amendment of Theswalamai law, he said that it was not a law passed in Parliament.

“It is practised according to tradition. Therefore, I do not think Parliament can do anything in this regard,” he said.

Ananda-USA said...

Sujeewa,

I know Sarath Manamendra is the leader of the Nava Sihala Urumaya, and he was sacked from the DNA, but nothing else.

Is this news important? What do you know about him?

Ananda-USA said...

The D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture highlights the inadequacy of the Provincial Council structure for addressing District Level development and administration problems.

............
D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

DailyNews.lk
November 27, 2010

National development is not merely about the economy but the economy is central. It entails economic, social, political, cultural and even moral aspects. The contribution of the North and the East during the last three decades or so was hampered in all these spheres by the separatist and the terrorist war. It is necessary to emphasize not only the terrorist character of the war but also the separatist aspect. One cannot be separated from the other. If terrorism was the symptom, as some people argue, separatism was the cause. However, as the war is over and peace is established, prospects are high for the people, the institutions and organizations of these provinces to participate in the processes of national development and contribute to its progress. D A Rajapaksa

This Memorial Oration of Hon. DA Rajapksa, one of the most illustrious and committed national leaders of Sri Lanka, highlights both prospects and challenges of the north-east participation in the national development. It takes Mahinda Chinthana as the main framework of analysis which outlines not only the directions but also various projects and plans for the national development in the ongoing future.

Present Context

Sri Lanka has entered the category of the middle income countries with over 42 billion economy and little above a population of 20 million people. This means that the country is still at the lower level of the middle income countries with a per capita income of around USD 2,085. There are vast disparities in the income distribution in the world today and Sri Lanka's per capita income is 17 times lower than the United Kingdom, the country's former colonial master. When Britain left Sri Lanka in 1948, the gap was wider. Sri Lanka has managed to catch up to an extent, but not to the extent of people's aspirations or country's capacity.

Sri Lanka was a typical 'export-import' economy at the beginning of independence with the agricultural sector contributing to over half of the GDP. The exports and thus the foreign exchange earnings depended primarily on three main products of tea, rubber, and coconut. The situation has drastically changed by now the sectoral composition shows the following picture in Table I in contrast to 1950.

It is mainly the expansion of services and industries that has changed the composition. Although the plantation agriculture has contracted, the food producing domestic agriculture has expanded and increased. It is believed that the present composition is akin to a 'modern economy', the service sector taking the lead in the economy. While the spread of infrastructure and services is uneven between the provinces and districts, the overall availability of facilities is conducive to domestic development and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The most important is the growth that Sri Lanka could sustain during the last five years irrespective of the war, Asian Tsunami and the international economic/financial crisis. Sri Lanka could maintain 7.6, 6.8, 4.2 and 3.5 growth rates respectively in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. While the growth rates were only 1.6 and 2.1 for the first two quarters of 2009, when the war culminated, after the defeat of the LTTE in May that year the growth picked up by 4.2 and 6.2 respectively in the last two quarters. The growth rate rose to 7.1 in the first quarter of this year followed by 8.5 in the second quarter. This figure is higher than what prevailed before the Eelam War IV that broke out in mid 2006.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

.....continued 1 ....
The other main index of economic performance after the war is the Stock Market. There are two indexes, All Shares Price Index (ASPI) for all stocks listed in the market and the special index called Milanka Price Index (MPI) for blue chip companies. The market was extremely sluggish throughout the war. In May 2009, both indexes were just above the 2,000 mark. By the end of the year ASPI exceeded the 3,000 mark while MPI recoding 3,500. Together this was over a 50 percent growth; since than MPI performing always better than the ASPI as could be anticipated. So far since the beginning of this year growth has been around 100 percent. By the end of 2009 Sri Lanka was considered the best performing stock market.

There are other economic fundamentals that indicate that Sri Lanka could 'take off' for a higher growth and development making the economy elevated to the upper range of the middle income countries. One objective of Mahinda Chinthana is to increase the present per capita income to the level of around USD 4,000 by the year 2016. Sri Lanka appears well into that direction.

For and efficient market economy, supervised by the state, both the inflation rate and the interest rates are maintained low. Low interest rates are an inducement for the small and medium scale enterprises (SME); which is mainly the nature of the Sri Lankan economy. The unemployment rate is all time low within the range of 5-6 percent of the labour force.

The gross official reserves now stand at their highest level of USD 6.1 billion, which is equivalent to six months of imports. Following the successful completion of the fourth review of the Standby-Arrangement, the IMF has released the fifth tranche to the value of USD 212.5 million. This shows to the confidence that the IMF has placed on the Sri Lankan economy.

Three rating agencies, Standard and Poor's, Fitch and the Moody's, upgraded Sri Lanka's rating standards primarily in capital markets from B to B+, from Stable to Positive and from B to B1 repectively in September, 2010.

When Sri Lanka made its third global debt issue aiming at USD 1 billion, it was oversubscribed by more than 6 times within 14 hours.

Between January and June this year, Sri Lanka's exports improved by 13.7 percent and internal remittances by 13.5, compared to the same period last year. The balance of trade, however, shows a 108 percent deficit due to the heavy import of investment and infrastructure material including motor vehicles.

Although the FDI inflows are still sluggish due mainly to the world decline by 29 percent in 2009, for example, it is estimated that the situation would improve after the favourable international ratings and confidence. So far this year, USD 124.2 million flowed into the infrastructure sector, USD 55.6 million to the manufacturing sector and USD 25.9 million to the service sector. A reason for the FDI reluctance into the country could be the prevailing fiscal deficit which might be improved or corrected after the new budget for 2011.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

.....continued 2 ....
North and East

Traditionally, the East was considered the granary of the country. The North and the East are two distinct and important portions of the Sri Lanka's national economy that became obliterated by the war for nearly three decades.

As the Governor of the Eastern Province Mohan Wijewickrama stated at the inauguration of the new Provincial Assembly in June 2008,
Table 1
Sectoral Contribution to GDP
1950 2010
Agriculture 50.1 11.9
Industry 11.2 28.1
Services 38.7 60.00
Source: Snodgrass and Central Bank

The Eastern Province contributed around 14% to the national GDP in the early eighties which declined to about 8% thereafter because of the unsettled conditions in the Province.

The above is to highlight the essence of this Oration before going into some description of the two provinces under discussion.

Provincial demarcations were first devised by the British for revenue and administrative purposes in 1883 and later abandoned considering the importance of the district for both purposes. As a result, the district was the main focus of analysis before the provinces again became a major unit under devolution of governance in 1987.

In terms of total area, the Eastern Province is the second largest province (9,996 km2) after the North Central (10,472km2) and North is the third largest (8,884km2) in the country. However, in terms of land area, the North becomes third to Uva because of high inland water area (594km2). When considered the population percentage or population density, the North and East stand two of the lowest in the country with North Central and Uva. The relative land area of the East constitutes 15.2 percent of Sri Lanka's total and the North 13.5 percent.

In contrast, while the Northern population is 5.8 percent of the country's total, the East constitutes 7.5 percent. These population figures and land areas should be taken into consideration in estimating and generating possible contribution by these provinces to the national economy in the foreseeable future.

The disparity between the area size and the population perhaps is one major factor why these provinces were relatively underdeveloped with similar provinces like the North Central and Uva. These are the predicaments of uneven development linked to climatic and other conditions which could also give rise to social unrest again and again.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

.....continued 3 ....
All these provinces by and large constitute the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Unless these areas are planned, irrigated and taken care of by proper national policies in coordination with provincial administrations, disregarding ethnic or political considerations, the lives of the people inhabited in these provinces may remain largely destitute. North-East in Sri Lanka is not unique in underdevelopment. Like in the world at large, there are many countries where there are 'centres and growth poles as well as peripheries and underdeveloped regions.

The objective of sustainable development is to avoid them. There is the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region in India established in 2001 by the central government to take care of development planning and projects in eight states of North-East India covering Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Even in Egland, the North-East is considered relatively underdeveloped and special attention is made to develop the areas from Northumberland to Durham and from Tyne to Middlesbrough.

However, before the separatist war began, the conditions could not be considered singularly unsatisfactory in the North or the East in overall terms compared with many other regions or provinces. For this period, national accounts or survey data was not available for provinces.

Most of the data was compiled on the basis of agro-climatic zones and all the districts in the North-East except Ampara came under Zones 3. The following Table 2 gives Consumer Finance Survey (CFS) data for four years between 1973 and 1986 presented in index form compiled taking Zone 5 or the Colombo Municipality area as the base (100) at a previous year.

Table 2

1973 1978 1982 1986
Consumer Finance Survey
One Month Income as Index of Different
Agro-Climatic Zones
Zone 1 262 627 1126 2001
Zone 2 262 654 1183 1989
Zone 3 273 742 1133 --
Zone 4 178 445 983 1400
Zone 5 275 972 1979 3846
Source : W.D. Lakshman, Dilemmas, p. 192

While the above data corroborates with many other data available for the period, what can be seen is the common predicament that Sri Lanka has been facing in respect of centre-periphery dichotomy.

This dichotomy was significantly enlarging particularly after the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mullativu, Trincomalee and Batticoloa. This zone did not have any special disadvantage in overall terms before 1978, and by 1986 it was virtually impossible to conduct any reasonable survey to gauge the socio-economic conditions of these areas.

However, there were clear indications of significant disparities between districts within the zone, before and after, perhaps which led to unrest among the people who lived in these marginal districts. One implication of the situation is that even in the future, the allocation of resources and funding should be primarily on the basis of districts and not merely on the basis of provinces.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

.....continued 4 ....
Prospects for Development

The major premise for the North and East contribution to the national development is peace. An extremely volatile region before, the provinces have not reported any type of disturbing violence since May 2009 and even the crime rates have gone down with the establishment of law and order in 1977. Zone 5 was the centre and all others represented the peripheries. Zone 3 composed.

The economic cost of the war has been estimated to be around USD 200 billion in the last decade only. This is around five times of the annual GDP estimated from the present amount. Now the 'cost of war' has stopped except for the maintenance and payments for the armed forces. As the most successful section of the public sector in recent times, the armed forces are contributing immensely for the resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction. Development will be one outcome.

There was no doubt that even the 'illusive peace' during the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in 2002-2004 also resurrected the economy to an extent until the Asian Tsunami came. However, the economy was kept apart from the national economy for the benefit of the war efforts of the LTTE. Many of the foreign funded projects and their monies also were channeled for war purposes than peace or people's benefit.

The contribution of the North to the national GDP has been the lowest for a very long period. It was around 2.5 percent in 1999 which went only up to 2.9 percent in 2004. While the contribution of the East has been double of the North, yet it was around 5 percent in 1999 which went up to 5.4 percent in 2004. One reason attributed to the low contribution was the informal or the LTTE war economy which has completely ended with the end of the war in May 2009.

In 2009, the contribution of the East was around 8 percent and hope that it would go up to at least 14 percent this year as it was the pre-war contribution in early 1980s. Likewise, the contribution from the North is expected to be at least around 5 percent this year.

What would matter is not so much the percentage contribution in the short term. Since some of the other provinces (particularly the Western Province) are on a rapid growth path, obviously the contribution of the North or the East might be depressed for some time until the regional imbalances are corrected. When sectoral composition of the North and the East is compared with each other and with the national economy, there are interesting revelations. While the Northern economy is predominantly service dominated (65 percent), the East is basically an agricultural economy (39 percent) according to 2004 figures. It might be the case that the service sector in the North appeared bigger because of the war conditions. What are clearly resuscitated at present are agriculture, fisheries and the service sector. An author from a Tamil nationalist point of view nevertheless reported the resurrection of the economy in following terms.

As for the Tamil Homeland, there is already some signs of increased economic activity in the North and East with trade booming between North East and the rest of the country and while tourism is another thriving industry. Opening of the major banks, supermarket chains in the North are signs of increased economic activity. Further more, the rise in property value over past 6 months in and around Jaffna has been phenomenal combined with the fall in property values in Tamil dominated areas in Colombo, indicating a tendency of return of the local Tamil economic 'migrants' to the North. This seems a clear sign of economic prosperity in the North and East in the short period."

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

..... continued 5 .....
Challenges for Development

A major challenge that needs to be taken into consideration in terms of economic development in the North and the East is the vast disparities between districts. This is not only in respect of population but perhaps related to that as well. In respect of population distribution, Jaffna district has more people than the rest of the other three districts of Mannar, Vavuniya and Mullativu taken together. This is very much the case at present and even before the war. In the case of population in the East, disparities are less conspicuous except between Ampara and Trincomalee.

The socio-economic disparities between districts are more significant which might impinge on development strategy. If the consumer finance surveys (CFS) of the good old days were of any indication, there were major disparities between Jaffna and rest of the three districts in the Northern Province. Perhaps this has enlarged further due to the fact that Jaffna was largerly liberated from the LTTE well before the other district. This is not unusual in Sri Lanka as a whole either.

When household output, consumption, sales and stocks were surveyed for a month for non-seasonal crops in 1984, Jaffna district stood 30 times higher than Vavuniya and 90 times of Mullativu. Only Mannar could compete with Jaffna yet with a 50 percent disparity.

All other survey indicators on trade, transport and livestock also indicated to that direction. In the case of the Eastern Province, Ampara was similarly ahead of Batticaloa and even Trincomalee on the same indicators. There is much talk about provincial disparities after the introduction of the provincial council system, which is important. However, it should be noted that the district or even divisional disparities are equally or more important which needs priority attention.

There are other challenges which are economic as well as non-economic. When the war ended, there were over 300,000 internally displaced people. It was independently estimated that over two years might take to resettle them particularly due to the spread of landmines in areas where they had to be resettled. It is reliably estimated that almost 95 percent of the case load is now cleared, after one and half years, and only around 20,000 remain to be resettled. This does not however mean that the resettled IDPs would automatically contribute to the economy. There are considerable social dislocation among IDPs and others. It is estimated that over 89,000 women are widowed as a result of the war; 40,000 in the North and 49,000 in the East. The most devastated is children's education. All these might affect economic development adversely for some years to come.

The Northern Province or particularly Jaffna was well prominent for its educational and professional contribution the national economy in yesteryears. By the time of independence, Jaffna produced around 15 percent of the key three professions of doctors, lawyers and engineers. Even by 1985, educational standards of the Jaffna community were exceptionally high, with 25 percent of the age group of 15-60 years having GCE (O/L) and 10 percent of the same age group attaining GCE (A/L). There were 1,411 degree holders, with 140 of them having postgraduate degrees. Irrespective of the war, the educational standards of Jaffna have not deteriorated.

Thanks to the functioning of the University of Jaffna under trying conditions, there are more graduates today than anytime in the history. This is a welcome sign for the resurrection of the economy in the North and their contribution to economic planning. The situation in the East is not dissimilar with having two universities functioning under similar circumstances.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

..... continued 6 .....
In considering the North and East contribution to the national economy or national development, the 'ethnic challenge' cannot be ignored or overlooked.

As there had been open discontent from these provinces in the past three decades, a political reconciliation is in order. The following is what President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated recently on the subject.

The entire focus of our nation is now on building a lasting peace; healing wounds, ensuring economic prosperity and guarantee in the rights of the whole nation to live in harmony. We are mindful that in order to fulfill these aspirations, economic development and political reconciliation must go hand in hand.

There are provincial structures in place under devolution to address many of the issues as the obstacles of terrorism are now eliminated. However, two important matters have to be reconsidered under devolution. First is whether, the provincial councils have the competence or full capacity to handle all the 37 functions attributed to them under the 13th Amendment.

Second is how far the present system obliterates the issues of districts or the local government system as a result of the overwhelming concentration of power in the hands of the provincial councils. There need to be some form of rethinking about devolution, moving towards more cooperation between the central government, provincial councils and local governments. 'Cooperate devolution' might be the right word and the formula.

Ananda-USA said...

D.A. Rajapaksa Memorial Lecture: National development of North and East

..... continued 7 .....
Conclusion

Sri Lanka is in a different paradigm altogether after the end of the war. There were various reasons why Sri Lanka could not progress enough compared to some other countries in the region in the past. It is an exaggeration to consider the north-east issue or the war as the only reason. The main reason was the 'lack of a proper strategy' in addressing the fundamental issues, including the war, in a comprehensive manner. This gulf has now been filled by Mahinda Chinthana. Connected to this issue is the question of political leadership and political will.

Sri Lanka inherited a political culture from Britain and according to this culture political plurality was overemphasized to the extent that 'concerted national effort' for development of social progress was almost impossible until recently. This has changed dramatically after Mahinda Chinthana.

A concerted national effort is now forged through broad political coalitions of various parties and formations, minimizing divisiveness and also maintaining the main tenets of dissent, freedom and political plurality. The most important need of the hour is for the political parties and the groups representing the North and the East to participate in this 'grand coalition' more broadly than as at present.

There are different views as to how a national economy could be constructed and developed. In economic terms, the infrastructure development is emphasized along with the importance of technology. There are other factors and sectors that need to be developed. While there is no much dispute over what appear to be technical or pure material conditions necessary for such a development, the main controversy appear to be on two directions. First is the private sector public sector mix or the role of the State.

While there are extremes of view on the matter, Mahinda Chinthana has developed a conception of a 'developmental state' where the market is allowed to function with public sector participation and supervision. Second is the center-provincial policy mix in the national development. Yet again there are extremes of view, and the present paper argues for a mixture of national-provincial participation in development where devolution could be implemented in a cooperate fashion. It might be on that basis that 'expected contribution from he North and the East' could be anticipated for the 'national development of Sri Lanka'.

Ananda-USA said...

MahaBooru Day celebrations continue unimpeded in Germany!

............
Germany’s ‘Maveerar’ Day plans come under flak

Nation.lk
November 28, 2010

German authorities have come under fire from terrorist critics for letting LTTE proxies to celebrate Maveerar Day (Heroes’ Day) in Berlin and several other cities saying that it is indirectly supporting terrorism.

Dr Udo Ulfkotte in an article published in German media says: “There is terror alarm all over Germany these days. The dome of the Reichstag in Berlin has been closed to visitors out of fear that it might become a terrorist attack target. The police presence near atomic-electricity power plants, railway stations and airports are enormously strengthened. And in the whole Federal Republic the police are not allowed to go on holidays, after all it is more important to fight terrorism now.”

He also says that while the Federal Republic functionaries responsible for the safety and security are on the lookout for terrorists, friends and members of the families of one of the terror groups which is forbidden in Europe, are celebrating joyfully in a town hall where there is space for 4,500 persons with great pomp, suicide bombers and a terrorist leader at the occasion of a ‘Heroes’ Day.’

“Do you think this is a joke? No, it is no joke. The City Dortmund has lent one of the largest halls officially for a meeting of the supporters of a group that has been officially listed and forbidden as a terrorist group by the European Union.”

The Helmut Koernig Hall in the City of Dortmund is a part of the Olympia base of Westfalen. The hall accommodates up to 4,500 spectators and is often used for athletic sports events. On November 28, 2010, a Sunday (and the first Advent) there will be Heroes’ Day celebrations.

“Quite likely there will be praising of the suicide bombers and with the selling of tickets, souvenirs and food items they will be collecting money for a terror organisation that is forbidden in Europe. In the past years the authority for the protection of the constitution (Der Verfassungsschutz) of NRW has observed in this group at the occasions of similar events and in its report of 2009 it has written about this observation.

“Perhaps policemen of Nordrhein-Westfalia have even to have protect the big event of the forbidden organisation this year. The whole episode is totally crazy and it might take place in a far away banana republic, but not again in Dortmund.

When you talk about terror suspects in Europe, then at once many think of Al Qaeda and the Islamic terrorists. But the world record of terrorist attacks is not found in the circles of those morose radical Muslims, but in the circle of the Sri Lankan Tamils of the organisation ‘Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’ (LTTE),” he added in his article. (GW)

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka Connection Key as Ethnic War Fears Grow

By SIMON ROUGHNEEN
Irawaddy.org
November 29, 2010

BANGKOK—With one thousand refugees fleeing fighting in eastern Burma into Thailand's Tak Province over the weekend, fears are growing about renewed war in eastern Burma and elsewhere in the ethnic minority-populated borderlands close to Thailand, India and China.

Several deadlines for ethnic militia, such as the 30,000 strong United Wa State Army (UWSA), to join the Border Guard Force have expired, amid speculation that once a new government is in place in Naypidaw, attention will turn to the ethnic issue.

Since her Nov. 13 release from house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a second Panglong Conference to discuss long-standing ethnic minority demands for a federal-type solution to Burma's governance problems. Sixteen militias have long-established cease-fires with the junta.

However, the recent purchase by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of 24 Russian military helicopters, as well as the establishment of new helicopter bases near the Salween River, suggests that the Tatmadaw, the name for the Burmese military, is gearing up for a “military solution” to the ethnic issue.

In response to fears that renewed war looms, six ethnic militias have agreed to form a mutual defense pact, suggesting that if one of the groups is attacked by the Tatmadaw, the others will retaliate against the junta army. The militias can field a combined total of around 60,000 fighters.

However, a united militia front could be difficult to realize in practice. According to Aung Naing Oo, speaking at a forum on post-election Burma, “an ethnic militia alliance will be difficult to realize in practice on the ground, as the various groups are separated from each other physically by the army.”

Fears of renewed fighting are contributing to regional drug trafficking. At a UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report launch in Bangkok last week, official Gary Lewis reminded that late 2009 saw significant increases of methamphetamine flooding into Thailand. At the time, the increased traffic suggested that cease-fire groups were selling stocks in order to acquire arms. In August 2009, the army destroyed the stronghold of the ethnic Chinese Kokang militia, raising the alarm among the other, larger and more powerful cease-fire groups.

However, it is unlikely that the drug trade is completely controlled by ethnic militias. Launching a report on poppy cultivation in Shan State, Shan researcher and journalist Kheunsai Jaiyen said that “most of the poppy-growing areas in Shan State are under the control of militia groups backed by the Tatmadaw.” According to the Shan Drug Watch newsletter, 46 of 55 townships in the region are poppy-growing areas, as the Tatmadaw’s presence in Shan State has increased to 150 battalions—five times the number deployed to fight Chinese-backed Communist rebels in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka Connection Key as Ethnic War Fears Grow

....continued....
In September 2009, in a rare show of anger against the Burmese junta, China voiced displeasure at the attack on the Kokang, which saw almost 40,000 refugees—mainly ethnic Chinese—flee into Yunnan. Chinese arms and diplomatic support were central to the Sri Lankan crushing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgency in 2008, an outcome that critics described as marred by widespread human rights violations and attacks on civilians.

Sri Lanka, like Burma, is part of Beijing's “string of pearls” strategy in the Indian Ocean, refurbishing existing facilities or building new ports such as Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Sittwe in Burma. China began building a new naval facility at Hambantota in 2007, around the same time as Sri Lanka began its final offensive against the LTTE. As western loans and aid to Colombo dried up, China stepped in with massive financial support, becoming Sri Lanka's biggest foreign donor in 2009.

Sri Lanka President Mahindra Rajapakse visited Burma, meeting junta leader Than Shwe, shortly after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. In June 2009, Than Shwe and other leading generals visited Sri Lanka to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, where the senior-general was thanked by President Mahinda Rajapakse for the the government's support to "combat illegal activities carried out by the LTTE in the past and in drug trafficking in the region." Both governments lauded their common heritage, rooted in Theraveda Buddhism.

The two governments appear to be sharing military information, with the Tatmadaw eager to learn from Sri Lanka's bloody culmination to war with the Tamil Tigers.

Ananda-USA said...

US wanted to know UN position on Sri Lanka: Wikileaks

By Sutirtho Patranobis,
HindustanTimes.com
Colombo
November 29, 2010

The United States wanted its diplomats at the UN headquarters to find what the global agency was thinking about the human rights situation in Sri Lanka, new documents released by the whistle blowing website Wikileaks have revealed. Some of the cables released by the website pertain to queries made by the US state department about what the UN was doing about human rights violation and war crimes in countries like Sierra Leone and Rwanda.

The Guardian newspaper published the secret cables sent to the US diplomats in which enquires were made about Sri Lanka.

One such cable was dispatched in July, 2009; two months after Lankan government troops defeated the separatist Tamil rebels amid allegations of human rights violations by both sides.

``Views and intentions of UNSC (UN security council), UN human rights entities, and members regarding Sri Lankan government policies on human rights and humanitarian assistance; UN views about appointing a Special Envoy for Sri Lanka,’’ the cable queried from the diplomats.

Next, it goes on ask the diplomats to find out, ``Plans and perceptions of member states toward establishment of new measures to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other systematic human rights abuses; plans and intentions of member states toward proposals and resolutions supported by the US or like-minded states, including those advancing democracy.’’

It was at about the same time the enquiries were made that many western countries including the US had said that an independent international probe was needed to investigate the alleged human rights violations committed as the civil strife came to an end.

It was in June this year that UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon appointed a three-member international team to probe and advice him on the last phase of the war.

Ananda-USA said...

Qureshi visits Buddhist temple to promote inter-faith harmony

App.com
November 29, 2010
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple here on Monday and said Pakistan takes pride in sharing the Buddhist heritage with Sri Lanka. At the country’s holiest temple in Kandy city, that enshrines the relics believed to be the Buddha’s actual teeth, Qureshi said his visit was a gesture to promote inter-faith harmony.

Qureshi mentioned that the Gandhara civilization, which flourished in area that is now Pakistan, spread Buddhism across this region. He said in fact, the remains of the first Buddhist University in the world were discovered in Pakistan’s Taxila city.

He noted with appreciation that the Temple was in the process of establishing an International Buddhist Museum, which would also house a Pakistan Gallery.

Foreign Minister Qureshi, who is in Sri Lanka along with President Asif Ali Zardari on his state visit, evinced keen interest in the Temple’s fine artistic work, especially unusual carvings, brightly coloured frescoes and the images of Lord Buddha. He also viewed the crystal statue of the Buddha placed in an attractive shrine case.

Yellow-robed priests were present in large numbers, as Foreign Minister Qureshi visited the historic site, while the temple chimes and the rhythmic beat of traditional drums filled the air with exotic music.

Ananda-USA said...

Indian Minister Krisna did well to avoid the TNA (aka Tiger Nominated Agents) party which has still not changed its Tiger stripes.

TNA's SEPARATIST policies and demands REMAIN LARGELY UNCHANGED from its days as the puppet political arm of the Tigers, as they plot and plan to WIN BY STEALTH in PEACE what they failed to WIN BY VIOLENCE in WAR.

Moreover, the TNA still has to ANSWER FOR THEIR TREASONOUS ACTIVITIES during the last 30 years!

If Sri Lankan officials met with anti-India terrorists, and discussed their demands while visiting India, how would INDIA FEEL?

Don't give OXYGEN TO SEPARATIST TERRORISTS!

DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WANT OTHERS TO DO UNTO YOU!


................
Krishna puts off meeting with proxy LTTE party

November 29, 2010

COLOMBO: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna on Sunday concluded his four-day visit to Sri Lanka without meeting the country’s main Tamil political party, TNA, once considered as a proxy of the LTTE.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said Krishna was to hold talks with them on Sunday morning, but the meeting was put off till noon giving him time to return to Colombo from the southern town of Hambantota where he opened a consulate.

“Later we were told that the minister is flying straight from Hambantota to the (international) airport and there is no possibility to have the scheduled meeting,” TNA legislator Suresh Premachandra said.

Tamil parties were disappointed over the failure to meet Krishna who had been pushing Sri Lanka to press ahead with devolution of power after the end of hostilities last year.

The TNA which was once seen as a proxy of Tamil Tigers has distanced itself from the guerrillas after their defeat in a no-holds-barred military campaign that ended in May last year with the killing of the top Tiger leadership.

Krishna’s visit to the island coincided with what the Tigers used to mark as their heroes’ week.

Ananda-USA said...

Study of Issues in Resettling Muslim IDPs expelled by the LTTE from the North

As stated by Hasbulla (2007a), the changes in the lives of the northern Muslim IDPs began with the eviction by the LTTE on 22 October 1990. Here the Muslims of the districts were asked to leave their homes within a span of 24 hours that was later extended
to 48 hours. The order was announced through loudspeakers and enforced by armed LTTE cadres who went from house to house ordering the Muslims to leave the town and
village. The incident was a shock to many Muslims who have had cordial relationships with the Tamils for a very long time. The expulsion was ruthless and a population of 75,000 men, women and children left the area (Hasbulla, 2001:44).

Many of the Muslims fled by sea or land. Most theMuslims of theMannar fled by sea and arrived at the Puttalam and Kalpitiya coasts while others crossed the Vilpattu and Madhu jungle trekking several miles and arriving at Medawachchiya, Horowupotana, Gambrigaswewa and other settlements in Anuradhapura district (ibid, 2001:45).

Ananda-USA said...

ICRC scale down activities in Sri Lanka, closes office in Mannar today

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 30, Colombo: The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has announced that 18 months after the conclusion of the war in May 2009, the organization has decided to scale downs its operations in the war-torn region.

Accordingly, the ICRC will close its office in the Mannar district from today and also close the offices in Vavuniya and Jaffna in the future although a date has not yet been set for closing them.

The new head of the ICRC in Sri Lanka Yves Giovannoni who assumed duties on November 15 had assured that the ICRC will continue to address humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected people even though the armed conflict has ended.

Giovannoni has explained that people displaced during the final stages of the conflict and are now gradually returning to their homes need help rebuilding their lives and ICRC will be helping such people in need.

The ICRC will continue to address the needs of people arrested during the conflict and who remain in custody visiting them visit regularly and help the people physically disabled during the conflict.

The new head of the organization says at all times even during a transition phase such as this one, the ICRC carries out its work in full transparency with the authorities.

He says the cooperation with the authorities help to bring aid directly to those who need it, and to assess whether the aid was appropriate and whether gaps remain to be filled.

Giovannoni has confirmed that the ICRC will scale down the operations although physically disabled people and detainees will need help for many years.

"I do not see the ICRC continuing with the major setup it had during the conflict years, when the need for humanitarian aid was considerable," Giovannoni has said.

"We have been discussing the eventual phase out of emergency relief with the government authorities, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and other agencies concerned. It is clearly understood that there will be a reduction of activities," he has added.

Although the ICRC has been gradually scaling down its activities since hostilities ended, it still endeavours to meet residual needs resulting from the conflict, he has said.

Ananda-USA said...

TNA condemns the GOSL for "Insufficient Rehabilitation & Relief Funds" in the 2011 budget.

This is the HEIGHT OF HYPOCRISY!

During the last 30 years the Tiger Nominated Agents of the TNA promoted separatist terrorism in Sri Lanka as the LTTE's puppet-like mouthpiece. That terrorism basically destroyed all government built infrastructure in the North & East painstakingly built in the first 30 years after independence.

In addition, they vociferously supported the LTTE's SCORCHED EARTH POLICY of destroying buildings and homes, and removing and carting away every removable object, including the tin roof sheets, with them as they retreated driving the Tamil population ahead of them in the final phase of the Eelam War.

INSTEAD, they should have begged the LTTE to let the citizens remain behind in their homes and carry on their businesses and livelihoods.

In particular, we recall TNA's Sivajilingam decamping to Tamil Nadu to orchestrate support for "human shield" strategy of the LTTE.

All of those activities basically destroyed all of the homes, businesses and government building in the North that now they want the GOSL to Reconstruct.

Why don't they PREVAIL ON THEIR LTTE NETWORK BUDDIES among the Eelamist Diashoras to help Reconstruct the North with their VAST ILL GOTTEN GAINS?

We hear of NO SUCH MOVE BY THE TNA. LTTE's coffers are RESERVED FOR DESTABIZING Sri Lanka and resurrecting the Eelam struggle. They CARE NOT about their umbilical cord brothers and sisters in the Wanni .. except when they need more suicide bombers and cannon fodder!

The GOSL is MAKING A BIG MISTAKE by not holding the TNA leaders responsible for their TREASON against Sri Lanka during the last 30 years, prosecuting them and sending them to PRISON FOR LIFE! Requesting India to INVADE Sri Lanka, for example, is TREASON!

Instead, here they are PONTIFICATING on what needs to be done to RECTIFY THEIR OWN CRIMES, and CRITICIZING THE GOSL that is spending vast sums of Sri Lanka's taxpayer money to Reconstruct facilities and Rehabilitate its Tamil citizens!

The TNA's CHUTZPAH is UNBELIEVABLE!

We DESERVE it, because we TOLERATE it, and have not held the TNA ACCOUNTABLE!


................
Fit enough to get loans, says Basil

By Kelum Bandara & Yohan Perera
DailyMirror.lk
November 30, 2010

In a new post-war political development, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) abstained from voting against the 2011 budget in Parliament yesterday as a gesture of goodwill towards the ruling coalition to engage the party in resettlement and development work in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The second reading vote on the budget was passed with a resounding majority of 104 votes in Parliament. The government received 150 votes for the budget which placed emphasis on development work, and the UNP and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) against it. TNA General Secretary MP Mavai Senathirajah said that his party had never voted for a budget in the past, and this time too, it would be impossible. Yet, he said that the TNA would abstain from voting instead of voting against.

However, the TNA MPs were critical of the budget during their speeches in the House earlier citing that the government had failed to make substantial allocations for the relief, rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced Tamils.

Ananda-USA said...

Fit enough to get loans, says Basil

....continued.....
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, delivering the conclusion speech of the budget debate that lasted for one week, said that the government welcomes the latest move by the TNA.

In his one and half hour speech, Minister Rajapaksa rebuffed, with facts and figures, the arguments raised by the Opposition MPs.

Referring to the high defence budget, he said that various departments and institutions such as the Coastal Conservation Department and the Urban Development came under the Defence Ministry today.

“The security of the country is fundamental to all other needs in the country. In the absence of security, we cannot do anything,” he said.

Also, he said that the allocations for capital expenditure in the defence sector had been cut down from Rs.30 billion in 2009 to Rs. 14 billion in 2009 and Rs.11 billion for the next year in the absence of war now despite the opposition grumbling about a high allocation for the defence ministry.

“We have to look after the families of fallen soldiers and those who were maimed due to the war. We cannot be ungrateful to them as a nation which upholds moral civilizations from time immemorial. That is our ingrained quality,” he said.

Scotching at the opposition’s allegation of the country being in a debt trap, he said that the government had been able to increase its borrowings for the acceleration of development work because it had proven itself capable of debt servicing.“We are economically sound enough for debt servicing. That is why, we are given loans,” he said.

Besides, he stressed that the Capital Account would not be opened beyond limits though the Opposition had made different allegations.

The Minister outlined in his speech the numerous measures announced in the budget for the development of the fisheries, agriculture and small and medium scale enterprises in the country.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lankan minister says WikiLeaks issue confirms US position in international operation against Sri Lanka

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Nov 30, Colombo: A Sri Lankan government minister has said today that the controversy regarding the WikiLeaks documents substantiated the fact that the United States has led an international operation against Sri Lanka.

Housing and Construction Minister and leader of the National Freedom Front (NFF) Wimal Weerawansa told the media today that the US wanted to defeat the current administration as it did not follow dictates from the US.

He said that the whole Wikileaks issue has revealed the truth behind what was being said by the likes of the NFF.

According to Weerawansa, it was the wish of the US to get a government appointed in Sri Lanka that was loyal to them.

Ananda-USA said...

Mullaitivu jungles CONTINUE as a sanctuary for WILD ANIMALS!!

Sanctuary for in-human wild animals ... the Tamil Tigers ... THEN, and a sanctuary for non-human wild animals NOW!

...........
S.Lanka turns rebel hideout into wildlife sanctuary

November 30, 2010

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka is to turn a vast jungle area that was a base for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels into a wildlife sanctuary, 18 months after the end of island's bloody civil war, the government said Tuesday.

The jungles of Mullaittivu, from where the rebels launched attacks for decades until they were defeated by government troops last year, has been declared a safe haven for wild animals, the information department said.

"The wildlife sanctuary would be a solution for the conflict between the humans and elephants in the surrounding areas," it said in a statement, adding the sanctuary would be about 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares).

Spreading human settlement has left elephants short of habitat in Sri Lanka, with the animals often entering villages and farms looking for food.

Sri Lanka's elephant population has dwindled to about 4,000 from about 12,000 in 1900, according to wildlife officials.

Ananda-USA said...

Why did the Oxford Union extend this invitation if they can't Police Their Own Backyard? Idiots!

The Eelamist Diashoras will pay for this in SPADES!

Long Live President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Saviour of Sri Lanka!

.........
Oxford Union cancels Sri Lanka President's address due to security concerns

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 01, London: The Oxford Union which invited the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to address their members has cancelled President's speech scheduled for December 2nd due to security concerns, the Union said in a hurriedly issued press release.

"Due to security concerns surrounding Mr. Rajapaksa's visit which have recently been brought to our attention by the police, the Union has regretfully found that the talk is no longer practicable and has had to cancel his address," the press release said.

The organizers said they have extensively consulted with Thames Valley Police as well as with the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on security arrangements for the President's visit.

The Union said their decision was not taken lightly and deeply regrets the cancellation.

"The Union has a long tradition of hosting prominent speakers and upholding the principles of free speech. However, due to the sheer scale of the expected protests, we do not feel that the talk can reasonably and safely go ahead as planned," the Union said.

The Union has a policy of inviting a broad range of prominent politicians and heads of state from around the world and the invitation to President Rajapaksa has been made within the context of this policy.

The Union said it holds a politically neutral stance with regards to speakers and the decision was not made in relation to any aspect of President's political position, the policies of his administration or any allegations against his government.

"As the President of Sri Lanka for the last five years, the Union felt that Mr. Rajapaksa would provide a unique insight into the political climate of the region in his speech," the Union said in its statement apologizing to its members for the cancellation.

Pro-LTTE Tamil organizations have gathered to protest President Rajapaksa's visit to London calling for his arrest for alleged war crimes.

Ananda-USA said...

Hot Diggity! More Skullduggery?

................
Sri Lanka to obtain WikiLeaks messages relevant to the country

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 01, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government is in the process of obtaining the United States diplomatic cable messages related to Sri Lanka among over 200,000 messages released by WikiLeaks over the last weekend.

The External Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka in a statement released today said it is in the process of obtaining the contents of the documents allegedly pertaining to Sri Lanka put in the public domain by WikiLeaks.

The Ministry said that though in principle, it does not wish to comment publicly on privileged communications of a foreign government but if the contents reveal any material relevant to Sri Lanka's interests, the Ministry will take up them through diplomatic channels.

The Ministry of External Affairs said it does not condone the act of putting privileged and confidential information in the public domain in an illegal manner.

Interestingly, the cable messages on Sri Lanka are relatively much higher compared to other countries.

According to WikiLeaks there were 112 secret messages, 1,680 confidential messages, and 1,533 unclassified messages originating from the U.S. Embassy in Colombo.

The U.S. Ambassador to Colombo Ms. Patricia Butenis was quick to condemn the leak and said the U.S. has worked hard to assist the government and people of Sri Lanka to strengthen security, to further economic development, and to foster political reconciliation.

The Ambassador promptly pointed out that the people of good faith will recognize internal reports of diplomatic missions do not represent the U.S. government's official foreign policy and they are only one element of many that shape the foreign policy.

Ananda-USA said...

Yes, most Tamils in Sri Lanka KNOW how they were ENSLAVED and KILLED by their Tamil SAVIOURS, and WHO RESCUED THEM from that PLIGHT!

Why would they want to act against their TRUE LIBERATORS?

Long Live our LAW-ABIDING Tamil Brothers & Sisters!

Only the Tiger Nominated Agents of the TNA are raising such issues as a DEFENSE against being PROSECUTED FOR TREASON!

Fortunately, MOST of the main WAR CRIMINALS of the LTTE, the Sun-God and his leading subordinates have already PAID IN FULL for their CRIMES!

Jayawewa!

...............
Accountability not a high profile issue for most Tamils in Sri Lanka, US Embassy cable says

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 02, Colombo: In a cable sent on 15 January this year, the United States Ambassador in Colombo, Patricia Butenis has said that while regrettable the accountability for alleged crimes during the later stages of the war has not been a top priority for most Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The cable received from the WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian newspaper on Wednesday says while the Tamils would like to see some form of accountability, they have been pragmatic in what they can expect and have instead focused on securing greater rights and freedoms, resolving the IDP question, and improving economic prospects in the war-ravaged and former LTTE-occupied areas.

Most Tamil politicians the U.S. Embassy interviewed have said that now is not the time to investigate the accountability issue but wanted to keep the issue alive for possible future action.

Butenis in the cable classified as 'secret' informs her government that one of the reasons that there was an unsurprisingly lack of attention to accountability is that country's senior political and military leadership are directly responsible for the alleged war crimes.

While admitting that there are no examples of a 'regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power, Butenis holds the country's senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka, responsible for the alleged war crimes.

The cable, sent before the January 2010 presidential elections, reveals that only Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) leader and former TNA MP M. K. Sivajilingam has publicly spoken of the accountability issue and would like to see an international inquiry to get justice for the deaths and suffering of the Tamil people.

It further says that the TNA leader R. Sampanthan, although believed accountability was important and welcomed the Tamil diaspora's interest in the issue, he has failed to provide any ideas on an accountability mechanism that would be credible to Tamils and possible within the current political context.

Most local Tamil politicians the Embassy consulted did not raise accountability for events at the end of the war as an issue of immediate concern, focusing instead on current bread-and-butter issues, such as IDP releases, concerns about Sinhala emigration to traditional Tamil regions, Butenis said in her cable to the U.S. State Department.

Pushing for an international inquiry, Butenis has feared, would "play into the super-heated campaign rhetoric of Rajapaksa and his allies that there is an international conspiracy against Sri Lanka and its 'war heroes.'"

Ananda-USA said...

Mahindapala TELLS IT LIKE IT IS!

Jayawewa!


...............
Mahindapala tells Diaspora: Forget returning to post-Nanthikadal situ

By Shamindra Ferdinando
November 30, 2010

H. L. D. Mahindapala, former editor of The Sunday Observer, says the Tamil Diaspora and the LTTE rump should be made to understand that a separate State in the Northern and Eastern Provinces would never be a reality. The Australia-based activist insists that those who still harbour separatist sentiments should realise a post-Nanthikadal scenario isn’t realistic. The LTTE collapsed on May 19, last year on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon.

Testifying before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) on Monday (Nov. 29) Mahindapala, who represented the World Alliance of Peace in Sri Lanka, discussed several issues, including the pivotal importance of engaging the Tamil Diaspora and meeting the threat posed by foreign funded NGO/INGOs.

Referring to the Vadukkoddai Resolution of May 14, 1976, Mahindapala asserted that the country wouldn’t revert to that situation. The veteran journalist said that with the collapse of the LTTE the entire political landscape had changed. The Vadukoddai Resolution had lost its political rationale and its power to spawn violence, he said. Responding to a query by LLRC member Mrs. Mano Ramanathan, Mahindapala said the Tamil Diaspora and the LTTE rump had been split into three sections, with two of them headquartered in Oslo and Germany still advocating violence.

But the New York-based group led by lawyer V. Rudrakumarana, which recently formed a ‘provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam’, could be a bit more amenable to a settlement, he asserted.

Asked by LLRC member Dr. Rohan Perera whether failures on the part of the traditional Tamil political leadership as well as the southern political leadership had contributed to the rise of Tamil terrorism, Mahindapala said that the Sinhalese were willing to accommodate the Tamils. Unfortunately, some Tamil leaders, particularly G. G. Ponnambalam and S. J. V. Chelvanayagam had pursued separatist policy at the expense of the national interest.

Ananda-USA said...

Mahindapala tells Diaspora: Forget returning to post-Nanthikadal situ

.....continued.....
Mahindapala alleged that their policy of seeking territory and political power had caused mayhem. He accused the Tamil political leaders of triggering ethnic riots way back in 1939, whereas many tend to believe everything started after Black July of 1983.

Supporting what he called a trilingual government, Mahindapala said that Chinese would be the language of the future. He stressed the importance of ensuring that all communities deal with government offices in their languages. He went on to cite an incident in a court to show how people had been at the mercy of translators, with former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, who heads the LLRC listening to him attentively.

Responding to LLRC member H. M. G. S. Palihakkara, Mahindapala described the Diaspora as solid powerful political block, which could interfere in both foreign and domestic policies in Sri Lanka. In the wake of the LTTE’s defeat, the government had to launch a special effort to win over the Diaspora, Mahindapala said.

Unlike in the past, the Diaspora had indicated its readiness to change, though the new generation of Tamils could pose a serious problem due their ignorance of the situation back at home, he said.

Citing the international media focus on some 300,000 IDPs at the end of the war against the LTTE in May last year, Mahindapala said that wouldn’t have been possible without lobbying by the Diaspora. In the post-LTTE era one of the most important issues was a strategy to tackle the Diaspora, he said, adding that the government should set up a special unit within the External Affairs Ministry or the Presidential Secretariat to deal with the situation.

Mahindapala emphasised the importance of all communities contributing to national reconciliation. He said that unlike the conflict between the Jews and Arabs, here in Sri Lanka Sinhalese and Tamils could reach a settlement.

Commenting on UN panel inquiring investigating alleged war crimes during the Eelam war IV, Mahindapala said that the UN was trying to discount Sri Lanka’s greatest achievement in the living memory of Sri Lankans.

Mahindapala lashed out at NGOs and their funding agencies for undermining less developed countries like Sri Lanka. In his written submissions to the LLRC, Mahindapala said: "To the West it is cheaper to outsource their foreign policy agenda to hired hands in local NGOs because they have proved to be highly sophisticated agents who can push the Western political agenda at a cheaper rate than their costly career diplomats posted in Adis Ababa, Islamabad or Colombo."

Mahindapala said: "When we talk of reconciliation, we mean essentially the reconciliation of the Sinhalese with the Tamil speaking community that took up arms demanding a separate State. What has been ignored is that the majority community’s relations with the other two Tamil speaking communities, the Muslims and the Indian Tamils, have remained undisturbed. This single political statistic is revealing because the Sinhalese who have been denigrated as extremists, chauvinists, anti-Tamil racists could never have succeeded in co-existing peacefully with two Tamil speaking communities if they are bad as they are painted to be."

Ananda-USA said...

AVERAGE Generation Capacity corresponding to electricity demand:

2010: 1,049 MW generating capacity for 9,190 GWh electricity generated.
Current Installed Capacity: 2,017 MW.

2015: 1,477 MW generating capacity for 12,941 GWh electricity generated.
Projected Installed Capacity: 3,035 MW.

The installed power plant capacities need to be significantly higher than the average capacity to accommodate plant inefficiency, plant downtime, and daily and seasonal peak loads.


.............
In the year 2015: Power demand to be 12,941 GWH

By Charumini de Silva
DailyNews.lk
December 01, 2010

The demand for power in Sri Lanka is increasing by seven to eight percent annually. The country currently needs 9,190 GWH and the energy demand will increase to 12,941 GWH by 2015.

Speaking at the press conference held yesterday Panasian Power Ltd., Director, Deepal Sooriyaarachchi said the power sector is a pivotal component of any economy. The demand for power in Sri Lanka is increasing by seven to eight percent annually. However, with global warming at a high level, the world is now focusing at renewable energy sources. Thus, mini hydropower plants are ideal as they are green energy, he said.

“Sri Lanka currently needs 9,190 GWH and the energy demand will increase to 12,941 GWH by 2015.

At present the peak demand for power is in the night and it accounts to 2,170 MW.

However, with the country having an accelerated development plan the energy peak demand will increase to 3,035 MW,” Sooriyaarachchi said.

The Government is expecting to increase the mini hydropower capacity to 350 MW by 2015 and has invested Rs 40 billion in installing mini hydropower plants in the country.

The use of hydropower helps to save a large sum of foreign exchange and 136 million litres of fossil fuel annually.

He said the private sector provides 16 percent of hydropower while 84 percent is thermal power. The contribution of hydropower is a very small sector compared to the thermal power, but there is plenty of scope for the private sector to be in the industry. Hydropower is one of the cheapest energies as it costs only Rs 14.25 per unit.

Panasian Power Limited (PAP) will open its Rs 600 million Initial Public Offering (IPO) on December 7.

The main objective of the IPO is to acquire Manelwala Hydropower Limited (MHPL) and settle the debts. The company expects to identify more locations while increasing the hydropower capacity to 15 MW within the next five years.

With the acquisition of MHPL, PAP plans to increase the capacity to three MWs with an investment of Rs 100 million. The Small Power Project Agreement (SPPA) is to be signed with the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) within the next three months.

Ananda-USA said...

GOSL steps in to protect water resources from HAPHAZARD mini-hydro plant construction.

Yes, standards for environmental protection need to be set, monitored, and enforced.

However, I hope that this does not bring mini-hydro power plant construction to a COMPLETE HALT. The stipulated 10MW minimum plant size is far too large; that will kill most, otherwise viable, mini hydro plants.

LOCAL small-scale DISTRIBUTED POWER GENERATION from renewable resources makes more sense than highly disruptive, mainly fossil-fuel fired, centrally located large power plants requiring power-dissipating high-voltage long-distance transmission networks.

All forms of power generation must be considered on their individual merits, with environmental impact also being factored in as a true cost.


..............
No more mini hydro power plants

By Sandun A. Jayasekera
DailyMirror.lk
December 01, 2010

The Irrigation and Water Resources Management Ministry is to take measures to prohibit the construction of Mini Hydro Power plants with permits issued by local government bodies, Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said.

Minister de Silva made these remarks when he chaired the progress review meeting at his ministry yesterday. “Investors obtain permits for mini hydro power projects to utilize small scale water resources in a haphazard manner from Provincial Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas which is highly harmful to the natural habitat and the water resources. We expect to protect these small scale water resources by prohibiting the use of them for the construction of mini hydro power plants,” Minister de Silva said.

Permits will hereafter be issued only for over 10MWs capacity hydro power projects and the investors must submit their proposals with Environment Impact Assessment Report, he said.

There are about 100 mini hydro power plants in operation in the country right now and Mahaweli Development Authority’s permission is compulsory for the construction of mini hydro power plants in future, Minister de Silva said.

Ananda-USA said...

Government says Sri Lanka's FTA with India is favorable to India

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 02, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government today said that the balance of trade between Sri Lanka and India is highly favourable for India since the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The Indo-Lanka FTA was signed in December 1988 and entered into force on March 18, 2010 and at that time the balance of trade stood at US$ 544.4 million in favour of India.

Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen made this comment in parliament in response to a question posed by United National Party MP Ravi Karunanayaka.

The Minister's response stated that the balance of trade between the two countries under the FTA in favour of India was US$ 665 million in 2002, US$ 835 million in 2003, US$ 972 million in 2004, US$ 881 million in 2005, US$ 1.3 billion in 2006, US$ 2.2 billion in 2008 and US$ 1.3 billion last year.

Ananda-USA said...

US deploys 'game-changer' weapon to Afghanistan

December 01, 2010

WASHINGTON (AFP) – It looks and acts like something best left in the hands of Sylvester Stallone's "Rambo," but this latest dream weapon is real -- and the US Army sees it becoming the Taliban's worst nightmare.

The Pentagon has rolled out prototypes of its first-ever programmable "smart" grenade launcher, a shoulder-fired weapon that uses microchipped ammunition to target and kill the enemy, even when the enemy is hidden behind walls or other cover.

After years of development, the XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, about the size of a regular rifle, has now been deployed to US units on the battlefields of Afghanistan, where the Army expects it to be a "game-changer" in its counterinsurgency operations.

"For well over a week, it's been actively on patrols, and in various combat outposts in areas that are hot," said Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner, program manager for the XM25.

The gun's stats are formidable: it fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to 2,300 feet (700 meters), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralize insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.

"This is the first time we're putting smart technology into the hands of the individual soldier," Lehner told AFP in a telephone interview.

"It's giving them the edge," he said, in the harsh Afghan landscape where Islamist extremists have vexed US troops using centuries-old techniques of popping up from behind cover to engage.

"You get behind something when someone is shooting at you, and that sort of cover has protected people for thousands of years," Lehner said.

"Now we're taking that away from the enemy forever."

PEO Soldier says studies show the XM25 is 300 percent more effective than current weapons at the squad level.

The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.

Previous grenade launchers needed to arc their shells over cover and land near the target to be effective.

"It takes out a lot of the variables that soldiers have to contemplate and even guess at," Lehner said.

If, for example, an enemy combatant pops up from behind a wall to fire at US troops and then ducks behind it, an XM25 gunner can aim the laser range finder at the top of the wall, then program the shell to detonate one meter beyond it, showering lethal fragmentation where the insurgent is seeking cover.

Use of the XM25 can slash civilian deaths and damage, the Army argues, because its pinpointed firepower offers far less risk than larger mortars or air strikes.

The result, the Army says, is "very limited collateral damage."

The Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns -- at a price tag of 25,000 to 30,000 dollars each -- beginning next year, enough for one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team.

Lehner said the XM25 was special in that it requires comparatively little training, because the high-powered technology does so much of the work.

"This system is turning soldiers with average shooting skills into those with phenomenal shooting skills," he said.

Ananda-USA said...

TOP TRAITOR BooruBahu Karunaratne continues his TREACHERY on MahaBooru Day in London, UK!

Let us remember this MAN of INFAMY, this WORSHIPPER of the late unlamented Sun God, Vellupillai Prabhakaran!


.........
This is a struggle for all of us: Vikramabahu tells Heroes Day congregation

November 29, 2010

"This is a struggle for all of us: Vikramabahu tells Heroes Day congregation

Tamils were killed by successive Sinhala chauvinistic governments and at last but not the least by the Mahinda regime.

This is a struggle for all of us. Yes, we have gone through defeat. Now we have to get up and fight to overthrow this chauvinistic military regime to have democracy in the land, said Dr. Vikramabahu Karunaratne, Secretary of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP), who was a star speaker at the Maaveerar (Heroes) Day gathering in London, Saturday."

Ananda-USA said...

MORE Fake "War Crime Art" Videos by LTTE Tamil Eelamist Diashora Con-Artists!

They are just trying to UNDERMINE the President while he is the UK!


..........
SL refutes new canard

DailyNews.lk
December 02, 2010

*Elongated version of earlier video

*Common pattern in sinister moves

The Sri Lankan High Commission in London in a statement issued Tuesday categorically denied that the Channel 4 News TV video is authentic.

When Channel 4 News telecast a similar video last year, the Sri Lankan Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that it was not genuine but fake. The present video is nothing more than an elongated version of the same video, the statement said.

It added: “It is observed that there is a common pattern in these sinister moves.

“Some sections were replete with photographs of alleged war crimes when Sri Lanka’s application for the extension of GSP+ facility was being considered by the European Commission.

“A leading British newspaper had received photographs of alleged war crimes when the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister visited the United Kingdom last October.

“The suppliers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place or the veracity of the material supplied by them. The latest move coincides with the visit to the United Kingdom of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“It is no secret that the anti-Sri Lankan separatist lobby which is behind these moves live in comfort mainly in the West, and have not contributed towards restoration of normalcy and livelihoods of the deprived people affected by the conflict. Instead they continue to resuscitate the separatist ideology.

“Defeat of the LTTE has opened up democratic freedoms to the entire country. An eight member Lessons Learn and Reconciliation Commission appointed after the end of the conflict which is tasked to report on the lessons to be learnt from the past events and recommend measures to ensure that there will be no recurrence of such a situation.

The Commission has sat many times including in the former conflict zones and made interim recommendations.

The support for the extremists who seek resurgence of violence in order to incite hatred is fast diminishing."

Ananda-USA said...

CLOSE Sri Lanka to Norwegian Quislings who AIDED & ABETTED the LTTE tear Sri Lanka apart!

.........
Norwegian inquiry: Lanka denies visas to inquiry INGO men

December 1, 2010

Sri Lanka has denied visas to members of two INGOs hired by Norway to evaluate its failed peace bids in Sri Lanka (1997-2009).

Sources told The Island Sri Lanka wouldn’t cooperate with the inquiry.

According to sources, two INGO personnel, including Gunar Sorbo, head of Norway-based Chr. Michelsen’s Institute had sought to visit Sri Lanka to meet several key people involved in the peace process, particularly the disastrous Feb. 2002 bid. Recently, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe met Sorbo in Oslo.

The other institution involved in the evaluation process is UK School of Oriental and African Studies (SF).

Moshe Dyan said...

the truth about LTTE's latest video gimmicks. visit SLDA forum. click here.

Ananda-USA said...

Wikileaks Confirms what WE KNEW THEN:

UK's Milibanda helped orchestrate rescue of the cornered LTTE in 2009 to WIN VOTES in the UK!

These FOREIGN CROOKS can be BOUGHT SO EASILY!


..........
David Miliband called for Sri Lanka aid 'to win votes'

By Tom Peck and Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
December 02, 2010

The former Foreign Secretary David Miliband's campaign to champion international aid and human rights during last year's humanitarian rights crisis in Sri Lanka was driven largely by the need to win the votes of the UK's large Sri Lankan Tamil population, according to the latest Wikileaks releases.

Richard Mills, a political officer at the US embassy, reported: "He said that with UK elections on the horizon and many Tamils living in Labour constituencies with slim majorities, the government is paying particular attention to Sri Lanka."

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 2nd 2010 1:22 GMT

Bha3 wrote ...
[The population of Montenegro in the Balkans is only 600,000; it was one of the latest to become independent through UN supervised referendum. Another is Kosovo.]

Well, if local concentration of an ethnic community, no matter how small, and irrespective of its relationship to the nation as a whole, is the basis for independence, then the following communities should also become sovereign states:

.. Chinatown in San Francisco as a "Chinese Homeland"
.. Greektown in Chicago as a "Greek Homeland"
.. Scarborough in Canada as a "Sri Lankan Canadian Nadu"
.. State of Florida in the US as a "Cuban Homeland"
.. State of Utah in the US as a "Mormondom"
.. Entire swathe of Southwestern Hispanic Majority States of the US become sovereign as the "Republica Del Norte"
.. Northern Tamil Nadu emerge as an independent "Vanniyar Kingdom" as demanded by Ramdoss with himself as king.
.. Southwestern part of Tamil Nadu can breakaway anfd join their compatriots in Kerala
.. Remaining rump of Tamil Nadu can proclaim the Karunanidhi Family to be their Royal Dynasty and live happily ever after.
.. Assam in North India can emerge as an "Assamese Homeland"
.. Kashmir in North India could transition to a "Moslem Kashmiri Homeland"

ad inifinitum .. ad nauseam! Every community street, with a local ethnic majority can wall itself off and become sovereign.

But why stop there, let us preserve freedom and culture at the finest granular level and require every person's home to be declared sovereign, and move onto enforcing mandatory formal diplomatic relations between even spouses to reduce the concept to absurdity.

[They qualify for independence under UN rules.]

The UN has no "rules" that dictate that every local ethnic concentration be declared sovereign. From its very inception the UN has been a Power Club established to preserve international peace and the status quo by the victors of World War II. The UN intervenes very selectively according to the biases and preconceived notions of those who dominate it.

The Tamil Eelamists want to precipitate UN intervention in Sri Lanka to gain a racist monoethnic Tamil-only aparthied state for themselves by yelling "discrimination" and "genocide", fabricating false videos and photographs, forcing doctors to inflate civilian casualties under the threat of a gun, forgetting that it is now obvious to the whole world that it is the Tamil Eelamists who discriminated against others, ethnically cleansed entire communities, killed innocents by the tens of thousands without pity, kidnapped and conscripted child soldiers, even as they were wailing around the world PRETENDING TO BE VICTIMS. Demonizing Sri Lanka in the hope that the UN will carve out a "Tamil Homeland" for the Machiavellian Eelamist monsters SIMPLY WILL NOT WORK.

[Over 200,000 Tamils have so far been killed by the Singhala savages.]

As an intrinsically Superior, Highly Intelligent Eelamist you should properly inflate this number further from 200,000 killed to 2,000,000 killed by the Sinhala savages. With every telling, the number should be increased by at least 10%, don't you think?

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 3rd 2010 3:36 GMT

OldThomian wrote ...

[But how could he have forgotten the other leaked content: ... by Butenis]

Have you asked WHY US Diplomats, such as Butenis, are keen to hold Sri Lankan leaders "accountable" for "war crimes" in PRIVATE but wear a SMILING MASK in public, while US & UK leaders getting away SCOT-FREE with their GLOBALLY ACKNOWLEDGED crimes in Iraq and elsewhere?

It is the Red Herring strategy to DISTRACT ATTENTION my friend. When your own ARSE is on FIRE, LIGHT a FIRE under someone else's ARSE and yell FIRE! FIRE! with all your might. Preferably that someone should be from a VULNERABLE country with NO DEFENDERS. But in Sri Lanka's case .. they are going to RUE THEIR MISJUDGEMENTS .. because Sri Lanka is not going to be SPOOKED into doing rash things and is not without POWERFUL ALLIES of its own.

Powerful politicians whose election campaigns were liberally funded by Eelamis Diashora groups .. wants to keep the money rolling in for future campaigns towards presidential bids. So, instructions go out to US diplomats to lay the groundwork for returning the favors of their generous sponsors.

At the same time, EVERY DAY, in EVERY WAY the Machiavellian Real-Politik anti-terrorism strategies of Running with the Hare and Hunting with the Hounds are LEAKING OUT! This places those corrupt politicians who bargain away their nations policies for election donations at great risk of EXPOSURE at the penultimate hour .. only to come crashing down in abject defeat! This is just the TIP of the ICEBERG of disclosures to come as the next battle for the US Presidency revs into overdrive!

What ETHICAL & MORAL standing do Western politicians, including those who masterminded an Illegal invasion of Iraq .. ignoring UN opposition .. based on Cooked up WMD allegations, oversaw Abu Garib Abuses and Guantanamo Bay Water Tortures, sold their country to banned terrorist organizations for Election Campaign Funds, those Millibandas who engaged in vote bank politics in favor of LTTE have to critisize Sri Lanka? Answer is: NONE! The EMPERORS are ALL NAKED, my Old Thomian friend!

From one Old Thomian to Another, I could no worse than to appeal to you in verse in familiar refrain ...

BE THOU FOREVER, MOTHER LANKA!

Patriots Young,
Patriots Old,
Patriots Staunch and True,
Rally around the Lion Flag,
The Red, and the Gold, in Hue!

To Your Mother Lanka Sing,
Patriots Near and Far!
Loudly Let the Echoes Ring,
For All We Have, and Are!

Esto Perpetua!
Esto Perpetua!
Esto Perpetua!
The Red and Gold Lion Flag, Forever!

Adapted from
S.Thomas College Song

Ananda-USA said...

Accountability not a high profile issue for most Tamils in Sri Lanka, US Embassy cable says

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 02, Colombo: In a cable sent on 15 January this year, the United States Ambassador in Colombo, Patricia Butenis has said that while regrettable the accountability for alleged crimes during the later stages of the war has not been a top priority for most Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The cable received from the WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian newspaper on Wednesday says while the Tamils would like to see some form of accountability, they have been pragmatic in what they can expect and have instead focused on securing greater rights and freedoms, resolving the IDP question, and improving economic prospects in the war-ravaged and former LTTE-occupied areas.

Most Tamil politicians the U.S. Embassy interviewed have said that now is not the time to investigate the accountability issue but wanted to keep the issue alive for possible future action.

Butenis in the cable classified as 'secret' informs her government that one of the reasons that there was an unsurprisingly lack of attention to accountability is that country's senior political and military leadership are directly responsible for the alleged war crimes.

While admitting that there are no examples of a 'regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power, Butenis holds the country's senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka, responsible for the alleged war crimes.

The cable, sent before the January 2010 presidential elections, reveals that only Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) leader and former TNA MP M. K. Sivajilingam has publicly spoken of the accountability issue and would like to see an international inquiry to get justice for the deaths and suffering of the Tamil people.

It further says that the TNA leader R. Sampanthan, although believed accountability was important and welcomed the Tamil diaspora's interest in the issue, he has failed to provide any ideas on an accountability mechanism that would be credible to Tamils and possible within the current political context.

Most local Tamil politicians the Embassy consulted did not raise accountability for events at the end of the war as an issue of immediate concern, focusing instead on current bread-and-butter issues, such as IDP releases, concerns about Sinhala emigration to traditional Tamil regions, Butenis said in her cable to the U.S. State Department.

Pushing for an international inquiry, Butenis has feared, would "play into the super-heated campaign rhetoric of Rajapaksa and his allies that there is an international conspiracy against Sri Lanka and its 'war heroes.'"

Ananda-USA said...

UK government proposes amendments to universal jurisdiction

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 03, Colombo: The government of Britain has proposed an amendment to the arrangements for obtaining arrest warrants in respect of universal jurisdiction, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

The amendment, which has been presented to the British parliament on November 30 in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, proposes to obtain the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions before an arrest warrant could be issued to a private prosecutor in respect of an offence of universal jurisdiction.

Under the present form the universal jurisdiction allows activists and private groups to obtain an arrest warrant on visiting foreign officials accused of alleged war crimes regardless of where the crime occurred.

The proposed amendment is aimed to prevent activists and groups abusing the law for political gains.

Commenting on the proposed amendment to the law, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague has however, emphasized that those guilty of war crimes must be brought to justice.

"UK is committed to upholding international justice and all of our international obligations. Our core principle remains that those guilty of war crimes must be brought to justice," he has said.

Hague has noted that the current arrangements for obtaining arrest warrants in respect of universal jurisdiction offences are an anomaly that allows the UK's systems to be abused for political reasons.

"The proposed change is designed to correct these and ensure that people are not detained when there is no realistic chance of prosecution. It is now important that the amendment is considered by Parliament in line with normal constitutional practice," Hague has clarified.

Pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora groups in UK are calling for President Rajapaksa's arrest under the universal jurisdiction for alleged war crimes committed during the final stages of the war last year.

Although the functioning heads of state have immunity to the Universal Jurisdiction from the state, a private person can obtain an arrest warrant against the visiting official. Under the present law the pro-LTTE diaspora can do so just to embarrass the President and the Sri Lankan government even if prosecution is not possible.

Tzipi Livni, who was Israel's Foreign Minister during the 2009 military action in Gaza, cancelled a trip in December 2009 after a London court issued a warrant for her arrest under this law.

During his recent official visit to Israel Secretary Hague faced a severe problem when Israel postponed its annual "strategic talks" with UK on defence and security related matters in protest over the universal jurisdiction law.

In the wake of these developments the Cameron government has initiated measures to amend the law in the UK.

Ananda-USA said...

I urge the US Government to adopt more supportive policies towards Sri Lanka in every sphere.

The United States should RECOGNIZE Sri Lanka as one of its STRONGEST ALLIES in the War against Terrorism.

The United States should RECOGNIZE that Sri Lanka is the ONLY FUNCTIONING DEMOCRACY that has SUCCESSFULLY Fought Terrorism by itself without foreign troops using its own strategies, and that Sri Lanka is COMMITTED to EQUAL Treatment of ALL CITIZENS irrespective of community.

How Sri Lanka achieves the latter goal in this period of post war reconstruction while protecting its national integrity must be left for Sri Lankans to decide with their own inherited wit. The US should not attempt to impose its own methods and solutions on Sri Lanka.

Instead, the United States should extend much greater Diplomatic Assistance, Economic Aid, and Favorable Trading Privileges than it does now to cement its ALLIANCE with this SMALL DEMOCRACY that is now RACING TO BECOME an important economic power in South Asia.

Let us not be MYOPIC and UNDERESTIMATE Sri Lanka; let us reach out and WIN Sri Lanka's FRIENDSHIP NOW by helping in more substantial and meaningful ways!


..............
U.S. Ambassador clarifies position on Sri Lanka's accountability issue

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 03, Colombo: While welcoming the appointment of a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to probe Sri Lanka's brutal conflict, the United States today clarified its position on implementing a credible and independent process to address the accountability issue.

A press statement, issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo in response to the disclosure of a secret diplomatic cable on Sri Lanka's accountability issue by a British newspaper, said the United States policy on accountability in Sri Lanka has been made clear many times by the U.S. Ambassador Patricia Butenis, by visiting officials, and through published statements.

"We believe that in cases where allegations of possible violations of human rights have been made, the primary responsibility for investigating them lies with the sovereign national government," it said.

"We have consistently expressed to the Government of Sri Lanka the importance of implementing a credible and independent process through which individuals responsible for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law are held accountable for their actions," the statement continued.

Butenis, in a cable, dated 15 January 2010 and classified as 'secret', has informed her government that one of the reasons that there was an unsurprisingly lack of attention to accountability is that country's senior political and military leadership are directly responsible for the alleged war crimes.

In the cable, received by the Guardian newspaper from the WikiLeaks and published it on Wednesday, Butenis has held the country's senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka, responsible for the alleged war crimes.

The Embassy today strongly condemned the disclosure of the alleged State Department cable on Sri Lanka.

"The United States strongly condemns the illegal disclosure of any classified information. It threatens our national security, it undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared problems, and it puts people's lives in danger. It is an irresponsible and destructive act," the U.S. Embassy said in its statement.

Ananda-USA said...

U.S. Ambassador clarifies position on Sri Lanka's accountability issue

........continued......
The statement said that as a matter of policy, the U.S. Department of State does not comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked.

"Although we cannot speak to the authenticity of any documents appearing in the press, we can speak to the diplomatic community's practice of cable writing. Cables reflect the internal day-to-day analysis and candid assessments that feed foreign relations deliberations. These cables are often preliminary and incomplete interpretations of events, and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy."

The Embassy welcomed President Rajapaksa's appointment of a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

"Although the work of that LLRC is ongoing, the Government of Sri Lanka has established an Inter-Agency Committee, which met for the first time last week, whose purpose is to implement the LLRC's recommendations. We believe it is important that the LLRC's and the Inter-Agency Committee's work, in consultation with Sri Lankan Tamils and other minority communities, address reconciliation and the needs of the citizens of Sri Lanka who were, after all, the primary victims of this long and terrible conflict," the press statement concluded.

However, the Ambassador has recognized that while regrettable the accountability for alleged crimes during the later stages of the war has not been a top priority for most Tamils in Sri Lanka and instead they have focused on securing greater rights and freedoms, resolving the IDP question, and improving economic prospects in the war-ravaged and former LTTE-occupied areas.

Ananda-USA said...

Tamil Tigers aided Al-Quaida groups

..................
Tamil Tiger links uncovered

BankokPost.com
December 04, 2010

MADRID: Spanish and Thai police investigating a gang that supplied forged passports to al-Qaeda-linked groups have found new evidence of links to Sri Lanka's defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, Spanish authorities say.

Spanish and Thai police are analysing material seized late on Tuesday in a joint operation in which 10 people - eight Pakistanis, a Nigerian and a Thai national - were arrested in the two countries, Spain's interior ministry said yesterday in a statement.

The 10 are suspected of providing forged passports to organisations linked to al-Qaeda, including the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, accused of plotting the attacks in Mumbai that killed 174 people in November 2008, as well as to the Tamil Tigers.

Police seized forged passports, immigration documents, faked rubber stamps, computers, mobile phones, passport photos, British driving licences and sophisticated counterfeiting equipment in the swoop named Operation Kampai.

Spanish police experts "have travelled to Thailand and are working with Thailand's Department of Special Investigation to analyse the numerous documents seized from the cell'', the Interior Ministry said yesterday.

"An initial examination of photographs seized has turned up evidence of the membership of some members of the terrorist organisation the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam."

The LTTE "has perpetrated bloody attacks, many of them by suicides, such as that which killed the former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

"Many of its members were based in Western countries, where they obtained financial assistance for the organisation through extortion and drug trafficking," it said. (AFP)

Ananda-USA said...

With Sinhala UNP MPs like these, who needs Tamil Tigers as ENEMIES?

Bloody Traitors!


..............
Sri Lanka main opposition agrees to investigate its MP for protesting in London

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 03, Colombo: Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) today has agreed to initiate an investigation on UNP legislator Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena.

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has told parliament that the UNP was ready to face an investigation on Dr. Jayawardena who is accused of instigating protests against the President in London.

Wickremasinghe made this statement in response to a proposal by Chief Government Whip, Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to bring forward a motion against Jayawardena for allegedly participating in anti government conspiracies.

Wickremasinghe also proposed that a parliamentary select committee be appointed for the purpose.

Ananda-USA said...

Is the LTTE re-grouping in Kerala?

By Diya Gojer , CNN-IBN
IBNLive.in.com

Tiruvananthapuram: A documentary screened a few days back at a hall in the heart of Trivandrum city has sparked suspicion that the LTTE might be regrouping in parts of Kerala.

The film exhibitors were questioned by the Kerala Police who fear that it could be a garb for the outfit to regroup.

Mullaiteevu Saga, a film about Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka towards the end of the civil war has been dragged into an unwarranted controversy.

A popular Malayalm daily quoting IB sources reported that the screening of the movie which the organizers say was well advertised was actually a secret meeting for regrouping of the LTTE. The state police immediately launched an investigation.

"It is very strange. We do not know how it happened. The newspaper tells us that the IB asked them whether they knew about such a program and that's how they reported it. But how come the IB did not ask us about the program and asked the media? And how did the paper give such distorted information to the public?" said Elizabeth Philip, Organizer, Pedestrian Pictures.

At a press conference attended by social activists and senior journalists in the city the organizers raised many such questions.

"I don't know why this screening has shocked the establishment here. It is extremely unfortunate. Sections of the press and the police owe an explanation to the filmmaker," M G Radhakrishnan, senior journalist.

The police said they are only trying to find out whether the report was true.

"There was a discussion after the movie screening. We are finding out who all were present. Whether there was anybody from outside the state or country. There is nothing wrong in screening a documentary as long as it doesn't affect the country's integrity," said Ajith Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Trivandrum.

Ananda-USA said...

When Sri Lanka bans press reports that jeopardize national security, Western Countries Lectured us about "Denial of Free Speech" and "Freedom of the Press"!

Yet, when France, UK and US bans Wikileaks, and the monkey is on their backs ... it is "Upholding the Law"!

HYPOCRITICAL Double Standards ... Me Thinks!

GOOD for the GOOSE
BAD for the GANDER!


................
France to ban WikiLeaks

December 04, 2010

PARIS: France moved Friday to ban WikiLeaks from using its servers, a day after the whistleblower website was kicked out of the US.

French Industry Minister Eric Besson wrote a letter to business and technology leaders calling for ways to ban WikiLeaks from using servers in France, Xinhua reported, citing local media reports.

"I ask you to indicate to me as soon as possible what action can be taken to ensure that this internet site is no longer hosted in France," Besson wrote in the letter.

"France cannot host an internet site that violates the secrecy of diplomatic relations and endangers people," the letter added.

The letter was addressed to the French General Board of Industry, Energy and Technology, demanding concerning organizations and leaders to stop WikiLeaks from using the facilities of French company OVH located in the northern region, the report said.

WikiLeaks released over 250,000 US secret diplomatic cables Sunday, which has irritated Washington. Amazon, an online retailer, stopped hosting for the "violator" Thursday.

The French government declared after the disclosure by WikiLeaks that US-French ties would not be harmed in the wake of the incident, reaffirming its "solidarity" with the US administration.

Reports said WikiLeaks was forced Friday to switch to a Swiss domain name, wikileaks.ch, since its US domain continued being attacked until the US domain provider withdrew service.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka's Tamil MPs condemn Tamil diaspora actions

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 04, Colombo: Two Tamil MPs of Sri Lanka government coalition convened a press conference today to protest the actions of the Tamil diaspora against the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the UK.

Colombo district Parliamentarian Praba Ganeshan and Nuwara Eliya district Parliamentarian P. Digambaram condemned the disruptive actions of the Tamil diaspora and urged them to assist to rebuild the lives of the displaced Tamils if they really want to help them.

The actions of the Tamil diaspora break the building up of harmony between the Tamil and Sinhala communities, Ganeshan said.

Ganeshan and Digambaram were elected as MPs of the opposition United National Party (UNP) but joined the government to strengthen the hands of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Ananda-USA said...

Every Day, in Every Way Sri Lankans are Coming Together!

One Sri Lankan Nation of
One Sri Lankan People sharing
One Sri Lankan Destiny!


...............
Resettled Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka rally against pro-LTTE protests in London

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 04, Kilinochchi: Sri Lanka's recently resettled Tamils in the North today staged demonstrations against the pro-LTTE protests held in London during President Mahinda Rajapaksa's recent visit.

Thousands of resettled Tamils marched across the North Saturday morning in Visuamadu, Oddusudan, Vallipuram, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu to show support to the government.

The protesting crowd shouted slogans and held placards that asked the overseas LTTE sympathizers not to kill their freedom and showed support to the government's rehabilitation programs.

The protests said the LTTE destroyed their lives for decades making them helpless and they did not receive any relief from those protesting abroad. They thanked the President for freeing them from the LTTE and expressed support to the government's development programs.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka to be self-sufficient in dairy products by 2016

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 04, Colombo: Sri Lanka's domestic dairy production will be increased to 100 percent of self sufficiency within five years, the government says.

The current cabinet Minister of Livestock and Rural Community Development Arumugam Thondaman has said that the milk production in the country now estimated at 30 percent of the country's need will be increased to 100 percent by 2016.

The Minister has made this claim in the parliament during the committee level debate for fund allocation to ministries of Cooperative and Internal Commerce, Fishing, Water Resource, Industry, Livestock Development, Rural Development, Rehabilitation and Prisons Reform and Justice.

Sri Lankan government spends 20 billion rupees annually to import milk powder products. The amount could be saved and utilized for other development activities if the country achieves self-sufficiency in dairy production.

Speaking at the debate Minister Thondaman has said that poultry and livestock also will be developed during this period.

The Minister has said that the government also will implement programs to improve the living standards of the estate sector.

Ananda-USA said...

Birth certificates for Sri Lankan refugees

By S. Sundar
TheHindu.com
December 04, 2010

Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Southern India Vadivel Krishnamoorthy handing over birth certificate to a Sri Lankan Tamil at a special camp at Virudhunagar on Saturday. Treasurer of Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation S. C. Chandrahasan (third from right), is in the picture. Photo: K. Ganesan

Chandra had a reason to smile. The Sri Lankan Tamil at the refugee camp in Vembakottai, Virudhunagar district, on Saturday received the birth certificate of her daughter Sitradevi from the Government of Sri Lanka after 16 long years.

This was made possible by mobile consular services, a new initiative jointly organised by the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka and the Government of Tamil Nadu, with the assistance of the Organisation for Eelam Refugees' Rehabilitation (OfERR).

Among the services offered at these special camps are issue of birth certificates and registration for Sri Lankan citizenship. The special camp organised here will issue birth certificates to 238 children of six refugee camps on Saturday and Sunday, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Southern India, Vadivel Krishnamoorthy, said.

A similar camp organised in Madurai saw 251 out of 303 applicants getting birth certificates of their children on the day of submitting the application. “The certificates for the rest are now ready,” said Mr. Krishnamoorthy. Such camps would be conducted in every district wherever there were refugee camps.

“This (birth certificate issued by Sri Lankan Government) is an important document which every child born (to Sri Lankan parents) overseas should possess to return to the motherland,” Mr. Krishnamoorthy said. It is a mandatory document for getting Sri Lankan citizenship, passport and admission in schools there once they go back to Sri Lanka.

“Though they were getting the birth certificates by visiting our office in Chennai, they have to bear travelling expenses. Hence, we are providing these services near their camps,” said Mr. Krishnamoorthy. They come free. “Otherwise, they will have to pay Rs.3,770 per person,” he said. A total of 70,754 persons of 19,934 families are living in 122 camps in the State.

Treasurer of OfERR S. C. Chandrahasan claimed that the mobile consular service was the first of its kind for refugees from various countries living across the globe. “Elsewhere, these services are offered only after they go back to their motherland. Here, it is given much before they would return home.”

A total of 21,000 children were born to Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu ever since their influx started in 1983. “But, only a little over 1,000 children got the birth certificates till recently. But, in the last special camp conducted in Madurai itself 300 children got it,” he said.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:


Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 5th 2010 11:10 GMT

OldThomian said ...

[By the way, that was a dire parody of the college song.]

I don't think so ... no Patriotic Old Thomian would!

S. Thomas is a venerable school in Sri Lanka that has produced many of Sri Lanka's PATRIOTIC leaders. The College Song echoed and reverberated deep within their minds as true Thomians, as long as they lived. It helped inculcate in them the virtues of honor, duty and courage, reminding them of the duty they had to sustain the school that molded them, and serve their duty to protect the country that sheltered them and their school. That is the essence of what I learned at S. Thomas College from Lower School Class 1B to Upper School College Form A.

If you find it difficult to lend the College Song to the Nation that sheltered you and your school, and consider it a "dire parody" .. then your are a poor Old Thomian indeed!

I am an Old Thomian, I know an Army of Old Thomians, Old Thomians are friends of mine, but you ... who denies your Motherland the honor of your College Song ... is no true Old Thomian!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 6th 2010 12:09 GMT

TJustice wrote:

[The humiliated people were forced by the srilankan intelligence to carry those placards against their own sibling, is pure violation of their human rights.]

Any protest against the LTTE supporting Eelamists by Tamils will be cast as "Government Orchestrated" by the very same con artists who are experts in art of COERCION both in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, even in the LTTE orchestrated Eelamist Diashora protests in London.

Even in jolly old England, the LTTE enforcers still rule their captive Tamil Diaspora slaves with an iron hand .. largely beyond the view of the forces of law and order ... who are still ignorant of, and oblivious to, the danger of the LTTE network poses to Britain itself.

By definition, these LTTE Eelamists want to be "the sole representatives" of Sri Lankan Tamils everywhere, just as the late unlamented Sun-God Velupillai Prabhakaran enforced "sole representation" by the barrel of his gun in Sri Lanka.

What you fail to understand, is that the great majority of the Sri Lankan Tamils, victimized and enslaved by the LTTE, are heartily glad to see them wiped out by leaf, branch, trunk and root in Sri Lanka, and be liberated from their grasp, free to pursue their ordinary lives in security with their families.

Only those incurable racists of the Eelamist Tamil Diaspora, driven by ethnic pride and a false notion that with help from abroad they cam impose their will on Sri Lanka, want to foment violence and discord in Sri Lanka, and continue the destruction of the Sri Lankan Tamil community.

But know this: IT WILL NOT SUCCEED .. because no one in Sri Lanka .. not the Sinhalese, the Tamils, or the Muslims ... want to reopen that PANDORA'S BOX ever again!

[I want to ask you one question, demonstrating against Rajabaksa in London, how it is going to affect our siblings in Srilanka?]

Contrary to how the Eelamist Diashoras, who want to create a racist mono-ethnic apartheid Eelam in Sri Lanka, describe President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he is viewed as the Saviour of the Nation and the Liberator of Sri Lankan Tamils by the great majority of Sri Lanka's citizens, just as President Abraham Lincoln was by Patriotic American citizens over a 150 years ago.

As in Lincoln's day, those who lost the battle for the creation of an racist minority state will fume until the gas runs out. As Lincoln advocated, and President Ulysees Grant implemented, President Rajapaksa will bind and heal the nation's wounds and set Sri Lanka on the path towards One Sri Lankan Nation of One Sri Lankan People sharing One Sri Lankan Destiny, with Equal Rights for all Sri Lankan citizens irrespective of race, religion, language, caste, sex and wealth.

That is the GOAL of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. No special rights will be devolved to any ethnic community of Sri Lanka; one person one vote will be the sum total franchise of any citizen.

To answer your specific question: The protests orchestrated by the LTTE Eelamists against President Mahinda Rajapaksa will have no effect on his vision as described above, and will no adverse impact on ordinary Sri Lankan Tamils affected by the war. He is fully committed and eager to help them progress as Sri Lankan citizens.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

....continued....
On the other hand, those protests will only increase his resolve to oppose the Eelamist agenda with redoubled vigor, harnessing all available resources at Sri Lanka's disposal. In that, he has the FULL SUPPORT of the majority of patriotic people of Sri Lanka and the PATRIOTIC Sri Lankan Diaspora .. the Eelamists are simply wasting their time and isolating themselves from their bretheren in Sri Lanka, without helping them recover from the effects of LTTE enslavement lasting over 25 years.

[I don’t understand how far this kind of violations can go, and when the justice going to be served for the perpetrators?]

Yes, it is clear that YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL .. just as the die-hard Confederates did not understand either the vision of Abraham Lincoln for his country, or the futility of continuing the struggle to maintain a state founded and maintained on slave labor.

Let compassion for your own people in Sri Lanka .. to allow them to live free of fear and poverty again, as equal citizens in one great nation .. guide you in the future.

Ananda-USA said...

Tigers bought Japanese Coast Guard vessels

By Shamindra Ferdinando
December 05, 2010

The LTTE is believed to have acquired at least four utility vessels formerly of the Japanese Maritime Safety Agency/Coast Guard through an agency handling sale of used ships.

Sources say ‘Blue Hawk’, ‘Magamai’, ‘Rakuy’ and ‘Expor’ had been used by the LTTE to move arms, ammunition and equipment from floating warehouses over many years in its war against Sri Lanka.

The vessel destroyed on Sept. 17, 2006 about 120 nautical miles off Kalmunai on the East coast could be one of the 22 metre Japanese vessels, sources believe.

The LTTE is believed to have purchased as many as 30 ships of different categories since 198, the majority of them hfrom Japanese firms, though theJapanese government wasn’t aware of the transactions. Those who handled the purchases on behalf of the LTTE had acted as legitimate ship operators.

Ponnaih Anandarajah alias Iyanna, one-time KP’s second-in-command is widely believed to have handled the transactions. Anandarajah succeeded ‘KP’ during the Norwegian-arranged CFA, though the LTTE reinstated KP a few months before the collapse of the group in May last year. Anandarajah visited Vanni, where he met LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the CFA.

Sources said that Anandarajah’s whereabouts weren’t known. It is believed that Anandarajah could be working with one of the three Diaspora factions now engaged in a major propaganda campaign against the Sri Lankan government. Sources said he was having a substantial amount of funds at his disposal.

Of the LTTE ships numbering about 30, the Sri Lanka Navy sunk about a dozen vessels. India destroyed one and another was detained by another country. Even if a few vessels had been disposed of by the LTTE, about ten ships could have been engaged in legitimate business one and half years after the conclusion of the war, sources said.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lankan Tamils protest pro-LTTE demos in London

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 05, Mullaitivu: Sri Lankan Tamils recently resettled in Mullaitivu district held a massive demonstration against the pro-LTTE Tamil groups who launched protests last week in London against the visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Thousands of Tamils including women and children carrying black flags and holding banners and placards marched through the town of Mullaitivu Saturday afternoon.

The placards displayed in Tamil and English read "When we suffered you enjoy the luxury, come back see the development help us,", "Together we protest our President who rescued Tamils."

"Thanks to President my children are in school now," another placard said. "We hate the War again," another said.

The demonstrators burned the effigies of dead LTTE leaders Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman. Traders also joined in the protest, closing their shops and hoisting black flags.

President Rajapaksa visited the UK to address the Oxford Union on an invitation from the prestigious organization but the Union succumbed to the pressure from the pro-LTTE diaspora and cancelled the event.

(Photos by Sudath Silva)

Ananda-USA said...

Western Double Standards on Terrorism and Sri Lankan Traitors aiding LTTE demonstrations against President RAjapaksa in London.
..............
Sri Lankan Premier calls on democratic nations to expose the double standards of some Western nations

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 05, Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne has said today (5) that the double standards of some European and Western nations in relation to terrorism should be revealed to the world.

Issuing a statement, Jayaratne said that democratic nations should not keep silent with regard to the incident in London, where some LTTE sympathizers held demonstrations against the visiting President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

The Prime Minister said that Sri Lanka has faced several such situations in the past as well and this incident has clearly shown that LTTE remnants are still alive at the international level.

The PM said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has rewritten history by uprooting terrorism in the Sri Lankan soil and it is mandatory to protect the President from onslaughts of external factors.

Jayaratne emphasized that however, no subversive element will be able to hinder the onward march of the nation.

Commenting on the accusations leveled against the opposition United National Party parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena who allegedly supported the pro-LTTE protests held in London, the Premier said if the allegations are true he should be considered as a traitor and not a public representative.

The Prime Minister called on all Sri Lankans to unite to face this strongly and stand to defeat such forces.

Ananda-USA said...

Ambedkar confronted caste barriers in India.
...........
Ambedkar not just a 'dalit leader': BJP

December 06, 2010

BANGALORE: Shedding caste barriers in totality instead of merely preaching about it, will be the real tribute to late Babasaheb Ambedkar, BJP's Karnataka unit President K S Eshwarappa said today.

"Instead of mere preaching about oneness and equality, the actual practice of shedding the caste barriers will be a real tribute to Ambedkar", he said addressing a function commemorating the death anniversary of Ambedkar.

Eshwarappa said it was "unfortuntate that a mass leader and father of the Indian constitution" like Ambedkar had come to be known as a "leader of the dalits".

Ambedkar's vision was not confined to the uplift of the dalits but all those who are "weak and the downtrodden".

Later responding to a query on BJP President Nitin Gadkari's visit to the city tomorrow, he said Gadkari, besides having a series of interactions with party leaders and ministers, would be holding a meeting with the state unit office bearers.

The talks would also focus on the preparations for the upcoming zilla and taluk panchayat polls.

Ananda-USA said...

Prosecute and Convict Jayalath Jayawardene for TREASON, and Throw him out of Parliament, and into Prison!

This SHOULD BE DONE as the FIRST OF A SERIES of LONG OVERDUE prosecutions of TREASONOUS ACTIVITIES by MPs in the PAST and in the PRESENT.

I have long advocated prosecution of TREASONOUS Activities by Sri Lankan politicians and MPs.

It is the FAILURE to HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE that ENCOURAGES such TRAITORS to support terrorists and invite foreign powers to invade Sri Lanka with IMPUNITY!


..............
‘Resolution can’t unseat an MP’

By Kelum Bandara
December 06, 2010

Amidst talks about the government’s attempts to unseat UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardane, former Secretary General of Parliament Priyani Wijesekara said yesterday that an MP could not be unseated through a ‘mere resolution’ in the House.

Mrs. Wijesekara said that it could be done only through a judicial process.

Earlier, the government vowed in Parliament to bring a resolution against Dr. Jayawardane alleging that he violated the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution by partaking in a protest rally along with LTTE activists in the UK last week.

The government viewed the MPs could not promote separatism in whatever manner according to the oaths they take under the Constitution.

The former Secretary General, however, said that an MP could be de deprived of his or her civic rights if he or she espoused the establishment of a separate state within Sri Lanka.

The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution says, “No person shall, directly or indirectly, in or outside Sri Lanka, support, espouse, promote, finance, encourage or advocate the establishment of a separate state within the territory of Sri Lanka. (2) No political party or other association or organization shall have as one of its aims or objects the establishment of a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka”.

“This is a judicial process. If an MP is deprived of his civic rights, he will automatically lose his parliamentary seat,” he said.

Besides, Article 81 of the Constitution also provides for the expulsion of through a special Presidential Commission appointed.

“This commission should comprise Supreme Court and Appeal Court judges. Again, it is a judicial process. A mere resolution in Parliament cannot unseat an MP,” she said.

The Commission should submit a report with recommendations in this regard, and it should be passed in the House with a two-third majority to expel the member concerned.

Article 81 says, “Where a Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry established under the Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry Law, No. 7 of 1978, and consisting of a member or members each of whom is a Judge of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Court or the District Court recommends that any person should be made subject to civic disability by reason of any act done or omitted to be done by such person before or after the commencement of the Constitution, Parliament may by resolution passed by not less than two-thirds of the whole number of Members (including those not present) voting in its favour -(a) impose civic disability on such person for a period not exceeding seven years, and (b) expel such person from Parliament, if he is a Member of Parliament”.

Ananda-USA said...

Mapping the route from Oxford to Sirikotha: MIDDLE GROUND

By Kalana Senaratne
Island.lk
December 05, 2010

Sri Lanka has been provoked, and that too, in an unprecedented manner. Not necessarily due to the Oxford Union’s unilateral decision to cancel the scheduled speech of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. But very simply because the cancellation was an outcome of the threats posed by the pro-LTTE, pro-separatist/eelamist groups which, having supported terrorism and the killing of thousands of innocent Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people are now demanding an international investigation concerning alleged ‘war-crimes’ committed by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.

President Rajapaksa, even under such provocative circumstances, responded in an admirable manner, stating that he will continue in his efforts to unite all the people. "As a united country we have a great future. If we allow divisions to dominate we will not realize our true potential", stated President Rajapaksa. As veteran journalist DBS Jeyaraj very correctly pointed out: "A lesser man could have erupted into bitter, caustic sentiments but the president to his credit remained graceful under pressure." Clearly, then, President Rajapaksa’s "immediate statement was admirably magnanimous and highly commendable."

While the response of President Rajapaksa was magnanimous and commendable, the response of the government, within the Parliament of Sri Lanka, was not such a commendable one. An acrimonious and bitter debate followed when on 2nd December, MP Dinesh Gunawardena accused UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena of being in London at the time of President Rajapaksa’s arrival. Attempts are being made to bring a resolution against Dr. Jayawardena. Accusations of MP Dr. Jayawardena having violated the 6th Amendment to the Constitution have been made.

The editor of ‘The Island’ (on Saturday) interestingly argued that this move by the government was somewhat bemusing. This is true, due to a number of reasons. Firstly, that Dr. Jayawardena may have established links with pro-LTTE elements is not news. This is an accusation leveled against him for years. Secondly, the sad and unfortunate manner in which those in government behaved runs contrary to the "statesmanlike statement" (as per DBS Jeyaraj) issued by President Rajapaksa. Thirdly, one cannot imagine why such a popular government should feel so threatened by a most unpopular politician in the country.

But there is another critical question that arises here. If the matter was so serious, why did the government target a single individual? Why did the government target a member of the Opposition who was alleged to have been in London, and not the very Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe? If Dr. Jayawardena had violated the Constitution, if he had really participated in the pro-LTTE demonstrations at the Heathrow Airport, could it have happened without the approval of the Leader of the Opposition? The accusation is a very serious one, and given the seriousness of the accusation, one cannot imagine how the government missed targeting Mr. Wickremasinghe. The government ought to have taken action, first and foremost, against Mr. Wickremasinghe.

Is it, then, an unimaginable development? Absolutely not! Mr. Wickremesinghe would not be targeted, he would not be attacked, so severely today. The reason why the government bypasses Mr. Wickremasinghe and attacks the likes of Dr. Jayawardena is obvious, since having Mr. Wickremesinghe as the Opposition Leader is a supreme political investment for the government.

Ananda-USA said...

Mapping the route from Oxford to Sirikotha: MIDDLE GROUND

.....continued....

The government is mindful of the political context, about the somewhat precarious position that Mr. Wickremasinghe is in, today. Speculation is rife that finally, after many years, there will be a change in leadership taking place at Sirikotha, sometime on the 12th of December or soon after. ‘Change’ remains doubtful of course, but the fact that there needs to be a significant change in the UNP leadership cannot be doubted. In such a context, it causes no great wonder to witness Mr. Wickremasinghe enjoying his leadership position, untroubled by the government, even though Mr. Wickremasinghe is perhaps the most prominent political leader in Parliament to have denigrated the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. More importantly, that Mr. Wickremasinghe has done so especially during the final stages of the conflict, has been so prominently and forcefully pointed out by the government – especially during election time – when day after day statements made by Mr. Wickremasinghe denigrating the Armed Forces are repeatedly shown in the government’s news channels.

Such is the irony of this episode, and some in government continue to tell us that they are deeply wounded and angered by the alleged pro-LTTE activity of Dr. Jayawardena. Plans are devised to investigate whether he was instrumental in instigating the protest movement of the pro-LTTE groups, and Mr. Wickremasinghe very happily agrees that some form of inquiry should take place! Dr. Jayawardena’s past causes so much concern. Mr. Wickremesinghe’s past is conveniently forgotten.

Suddenly, we also realize that Mr. Sajith Premadasa is facing an uphill task. His political rivals are not only Mr. Wickremesinghe and those close to him (many of them being MPs, let us not forget, who denigrated and ridiculed the Armed Forces not so long ago) - but also those in government. That is why the challenge faced by the UNP-reformist group is a gargantuan one, and the struggle is not only a political struggle confined to the UNP, but in a sense, a national struggle with formidable forces working against the reformists.

Ananda-USA said...

Mapping the route from Oxford to Sirikotha: MIDDLE GROUND

.....continued 2....

In addition, however, it needs to be noted that the suggestion made by some that there should be a reformation of the UNP and its brand of politics before a leadership change takes place is an important one. Yet, it is quite clear to many that such change ought to have come sometime ago. That necessary reformation did not take place for so long affirms the view that under the present leadership, no such reformation can be expected, anytime in the near future. There was time to reform, there was time to reorganize, if such reformation or reorganization was considered to be necessary by Mr. Wickremasinghe and his group. Today, ‘reorganization’ seems to mean one thing: a new leader. As MP Dayasiri Jayasekera once noted, this is what the people seem to be demanding today (as he pointed out in a speech some months ago, prathi-sanwidhaanaya kiyanne ekai; apita aluth naayakayek denna). And importantly, the concern raised - that the UNP needs to be reformed before leaders are changed - can be addressed if that very change in leadership is a change which promises a reformation of the party, its politics and its message.

There is then a subtle relationship between the raucous and cackling response of the government, and the upcoming UNP Convention. Especially at a time as this, when so many are playing so many different political roles and so much is at stake, one cannot deny this. The government has made a lot of noise. Mr. Wickremesinghe seems to have understood the hidden message. But let us hope that the government is more serious about the accusations it levels against members of the Opposition. The government cannot ignore the importance of holding an inquiry into the accusations leveled, for a long time now, against Mr. Wickremesinghe; since it could turn out that it was Mr. Wickremesinghe who remains the main culprit in this entire episode. That inquiry needs to take place before the 12th of December!

(Kalana Senaratne is a postgraduate research student at the University of Hong Kong: kalanack@gmail.com)

Ananda-USA said...

Opportunistic Power Hungry Politician Karu Jayasuriya joins the anti-national REGIME CHANGE Bandwagon.

Scramble into Power SOMEHOW!
Who the Hell Cares HOW?

INSTEAD, He too WILL SINK INTO OBLIVION!

.................
No confidence motion against Sri Lanka opposition party deputy leader

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 06, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government has today said that a no confidence motion will be brought against the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya.

Ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) General Secretary and Minister Susil Premajayantha has said that the motion would be brought against Jayasuriya for making a statement to a local weekend paper claiming that alleged war crimes in the country should be probed.

National Freedom Front (NFF) Leader and Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa posed a question today on this matter to UNP Hambanthota district parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa, who said that war crimes were committed only by the LTTE.

Jayasuriya, in a lengthy statement to The Nation newspaper, while condemning the Britain's treatment to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to the UK, said the government has consistently denied the allegations of war crimes and human right violations.

"The government, playing constantly to the sensibilities of its hawkish support base has consistently denied the allegations, refused to investigate even the more serious incidents of violence and extra-judicial killings and adopted an obtuse approach to global criticism by constantly making wild claims about international conspiracies," The Nation quoted Jayasuriya.

"While some may argue that there is a Western conspiracy to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka it would better serve us to realise that the image is but a reflection of reality. If the Sri Lankan government has intentionally targeted our own fellow civilians during the later part of the conflict, if its agents have killed and hounded journalists, stifled free speech and made a mockery of this country's proud democratic traditions paving the way for a dynastic autocracy then we, more than any other should be concerned regarding our plight. It will serve us well to introspectively reflect on what our own government has done or in many cases not done to attract such sanctions in the international arena", the statement has said.

During President's visit to London pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora groups in UK protested calling for President Rajapaksa's arrest under the universal jurisdiction for alleged war crimes committed during the final stages of the war last year.

President Rajapaksa in May 2010 appointed the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission to probe the violations that took place during the last seven years of war which ended in May 2009.

Ananda-USA said...

ONLY the LTTE committed WAR CRIMES declares UNP MP Premadasa!

Will he now be EXPELLED from the UNP?


............
Sri Lanka opposition MP says LTTE committed war crimes

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 06, Colombo: Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) Hambanthota District parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa today said that only LTTE committed war crimes in Sri Lanka.

"If war crimes had been committed in Sri Lanka they were only committed by the LTTE," Premadasa said in the parliament today in response to a question raised by Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa.

Minister Weerawansa has raised a question regarding a statement given by Karu Jayasuriya to a newspaper criticizing the government's denial of allegations and refusal to investigate more serious incidents of violence and extra-judicial killings.

Ananda-USA said...

Pakistan tells the truth about India's role in fomenting Tamil terrorism in Sri Lanka.


................
A new dawn in Pak-Lanka ties

By Sharmila Faruqui
December 06, 2010

The relations between Pakistan and Sri Lanka date back to formative years of the two countries that laid the foundation of their friendship in 1948 when then Sri Lankan prime minister DS Senanayake visited Pakistan. The two countries have continued to maintain strong, robust and reliable relations through increased interaction at the highest political level and people-to-people contact. Their bilateral relations, under the overarching umbrella of SAARC, help promote a brighter and integrated future for the people of South Asia.

The recent visit by President Asif Ali Zardari is a watershed in Pak-Sri Lanka relations. Zardari made it clear that with the continued commitment of the Sri Lankan political leadership and with the dawn of the Pakistani government, the people and the government of Pakistan stand with the Sri Lankan government and people in their march towards a future of progress and prosperity.

Zardari and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse agreed to expand mutual ties beyond political and defence paradigm to “overall comprehensive engagement”, including trade, joint investments and cooperation in new areas. A number of agreements were signed between the two countries. Pakistan and Sri Lanka agreed on defeating terrorism in all its forms. The two presidents agreed on taking the existing level of Pak-Sri Lanka relations to new heights, encompassing a multi-sector engagement in addition to defence, which had been a major sector of collaboration between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the past.

Both the countries have always stood by each other in turbulent times and share common views on regional security. They are facing existential threat from a hostile India that has destabilised Sri Lanka by supporting the Tamil Tigers. But thanks to Pakistan’s active support to the Sri Lankan government, the latter has been able to defeat the enemy.

On the economic front, Sri Lanka has welcomed Pakistan’s $200 million buyers’ facility and offered it to make the payment either on barter or in local currency to ease pressure on their foreign exchange reserves. Zardari suggested that Pakistan and Sri Lanka should carry out barter trade in natural resources. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have natural resources, which could be exchanged, without tying the trade to the dollar. Zardari called it a “win-win situation for both the countries” while addressing a business forum in Colombo. He also suggested a system of bilateral trade, wherein capital could be repatriated, but not the profits, so the profits earned by a Pakistani investor in Sri Lanka would be retained in Sri Lanka to be ploughed back into business.

Zardari has urged the trade and investment officials of the two countries to meet soon to work out details of barter trade and profit retention. He said that the next 10 years would be crucial for the development of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka needs a lot of cement and steel and Pakistan has the potential to supply these items.

Zardari stressed the need to firm up defence ties. During Sri Lanka’s civil war, Pakistan was the main supplier of military hardware to Colombo, second only to China. Personnel from the Lankan armed forces often get trained in Pakistan.

Ananda-USA said...

A new dawn in Pak-Lanka ties

......continued....

The volume of trade between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has increased in the last four years after the signing of the free trade agreement. Bilateral trade has doubled within a short time from $150 million to $300 million during the last three years, a direct outcome of the FTA. Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka within the South Asian region. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have identified cement, sugar, dairy production, chemical plants, textiles, tourism and pharmaceuticals as potential areas of mutually beneficial collaborative projects in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistani government has offered scholarships to Sri Lankan students to pursue medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and engineering for the academic year 2010-11. The scholarships are granted under the Pakistan Technical Assistance Programme, aimed at enhancing people-to-people contact.

In the past, Pakistan helped the Sri Lankan state for three reasons. First, increasing Pakistan’s ability to participate in South Asian politics and posing itself as a counter-balance to India. Second, increasing its value in the region. Third, fighting Tamil militant forces, which are considered a product of Indian intelligence agencies.

Pak-Sri Lanka ties can serve as a shining example of cooperation at the bilateral, regional and international levels. As the business and trading communities of both countries complement each other’s strengths, we rejoice over the fact that this has been a relationship of choice and not compulsion. We take pride in the unconditional support and diversification of the relationship that has manifested itself on a broad base. We take strength in our deep continued ties, of our 2,500 years of the Buddhist and Gandhara eras, and mutual respect on sovereign equality, and move to the future with a common and shared objective to faithfully and sincerely contribute to regional and global peace.

The writer is the adviser to the Sindh chief minister on information and archives as well as PPP Sindh Women’s Wing information secretary.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lankan Premier calls on democratic nations to expose the DOUBLE STANDARDS of some Western nations

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 05, Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne has said today (5) that the double standards of some European and Western nations in relation to terrorism should be revealed to the world.

Issuing a statement, Jayaratne said that democratic nations should not keep silent with regard to the incident in London, where some LTTE sympathizers held demonstrations against the visiting President Mahinda Rajapaksa last week.

The Prime Minister said that Sri Lanka has faced several such situations in the past as well and this incident has clearly shown that LTTE remnants are still alive at the international level.

The PM said President Mahinda Rajapaksa has rewritten history by uprooting terrorism in the Sri Lankan soil and it is mandatory to protect the President from onslaughts of external factors.

Jayaratne emphasized that however, no subversive element will be able to hinder the onward march of the nation.

Commenting on the accusations leveled against the opposition United National Party parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena who allegedly supported the pro-LTTE protests held in London, the Premier said if the allegations are true he should be considered as a traitor and not a public representative.

The Prime Minister called on all Sri Lankans to unite to face this strongly and stand to defeat such forces.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 7th 2010 4:21 GMT

Sitharth wrote ...

[As an evidence, there have been a number on incidents, murder of number of journalists, a few media stations which located within HSZ were burnt down, media like BBC is not allowed to travel to North and East, etc. These are hard evidences against SL, so why should someone believe whatever a local media report is in fact true picture?]

Only a true simpleton would fail to recognize that there are various forces at play to induce a REGIME CHANGE in Sri Lanka by ousting the MR-GOSL from power, because it represents a formidable barrier to achieving their own goals in Sri Lanka.

These forces include the Eelamists both at home and in the Tamil Diaspora, those espousing the Pan-Tamil agenda in South India, the hegemonistic India that wants placate its Tamil citizens at Sri Lanka's expense by padering to that Pan-Tamil agenda, Western Powers fearful of their loss of political, economic and military leverage in Sri Lanka, born-again evangelical missionaries hankering for an opportunity to prosletize and convert Sri Lankans to their faith .. as in South Korea, the massive NGO and iNGO industry that has a vested interest in the continuation of societal conflicts that they feed and prosper upon, and last .. but not the least .. those anti-national politicians in Sri Lanka .. ousted from power by a votes of patriotic citizens .. now attempting to scramble back into the seat of power even if it requires TREASONOUS ACTS against the motherland.

The Eelamists play upon all of these forces inimical to the survival, integrity and economic progress of Sri Lanka, trying to create a nexus between these disparate forces to help them achieve their goal of a racist mono-ethnic apartheid Eelamist Bantustan in Sri Lanka.

It will not succeed in Sri Lanka, because the Patriotic People of Sri Lanka HAVE WOKEN UP .. has RECOGNIZED THE ENEMY IN ALL ITS FORMS .. and will never abandon the Government that has DEMONSTRATED BEYOND ALL DOUBT its COMMITTMENT to The Interests of the GREAT MAJORITY OF ORDINARY SRI LANKANS.

None of us PATRIOTIC Sri Lankans give ANY CREDENCE to what BBC ... a captive of the Eelamists .. says. Neither do we care, what the TOP TRAITORS of the TNA and the UNP, who opposed by every means the Liberation of the Nation from the Terrorists, in their desparate moves to exploit "DEmocracy", "Press Freedom" and "Human Rights" in between their trips abroad to consult their foreign masters and arrange funds for the destabilization of, and REGIME CHANGE in, Sri Lanka.

The supporters of the Eelamist terorists who presided over, and applauded, the blowing to bits thousands of people in buildings, trains, buses and cars; the slicing and dicing of entire villages of people in the dead of the night; and the ethnic cleansing of entire communities; the kidnapping and conscription of child soldiers; the brain washing of children into human bombs; the criminal human smugglers, drug and gun runners; the "human shield" operators; the bribers of media and politicians in foreign countries; the Photo Shop graphics con-artists faking pictures and the vidoes of "war crimes", the violators of immgration laws and exploiters of welfare systems ... have all of a sudden become PARAGONS OF DEMOCRACY & FREEDOM in the world, are PREACHING TO US a litany of "crimes" in Sri Lanka.

Is this PREACHING to PREVENT being held ACCOUNTABLE for YOUR CRIMES in Sri Lanka and elsewhere? Is it also to resurrect that failed attempt to create a Tamil-only racist mono-ethnic apartheid Eelamist Bantustan in Sri Lanka?

GIVE IT UP ... Patriotic Sri Lankans have WOKEN UP .. They will NEVER YIELD!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

.....continued....
Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 7th 2010 4:21 GMT

Sitharth wrote ...

[As you’re saying that you’re an old Thomian, I expect you to show some respect to democracy and my request below?

Please do not put President MR is the same basket as Abraham Lincoln. I think you bring great shame to President MR by doing this!]

Yes, I am an Old Thomian ... but a request to "respect for democracy" by one who clearly supports those who violated democracy and fomented terrorism Sri Lanka .. is rather ludicrous ... don't you think?


I also think you bungled what you REALLY wanted to say.

To my mind, there is a close similarity between what President Abraham Lincoln achieved 150 years ago in keeping the United States whole, and what President Mahinda Rajapaksa achieved in Sri Lanka in liberating his nation from a monstrous evil and reunifying it for the benefit of all Sri Lankans living now, and for generations yet unborn. Just as President Abraham Lincoln was vilified and called a tyrant by the Confederates, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is now being defamed and assailed by those who supported the Tamil Tiger terrorist movement.

Nevertheless, I have no doubt that history will show, long after we are gone, that this was the beginning of a resurgent Sri Lanka that will resume it ancient position as the Resplendent Pearl of the Indian Ocean .. the New Wonder of Asia!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 7th 2010 4:29 GMT

[Sitharth wrote ...

Also the heavy military present in North and East indicate that there is something not correct!]

On the Contrary, the heavy military presence in the North & East indicate that all is well with decisionmaking in the Government of Sri Lanka, and that no opportunity is being given for the resurgence of terrorism as the Eelamists would dearly love to see.

Clearly, you know nothing of how nations return to normalcy after destructive civil and international wars.

In the US, after the Civil War a heavy military presence and garrisons were maintained for decades in the defeated South to prevent the revival of the Confederacy. In fact, there were a few such attempts that were suppressed.

After WW-II, American, British, French and USSR troops were maintained IN STRENGTH in Germany until very recently. Today, even after the reunification of Germany, there are US troops stationed there as a part of NATO. After WW-II, Japan was ruled by Gen. MacArthur under a military government, and US troops were maintained there IN STRENGTH for many decades.

The reason for that, was to ensure that the fascist movements defeated in WW-II at great cost in lives and treasure will not have the opportunity to rise again to threaten peace.

Likewise, in Sri Lanka we have lost many tens of thousands of lives of patriotic soldiers and civilians in this unhappy conflict against terrorism and separatism ... in a war that was extended over three decades because successive Governments did not fight with the will and determination needed to win and maintain security.

It is the duty of the elected government of the country to ensure that it never happens again. The continuing activities of the Eelamist Diaspora only confirms and reinforces that need.

There is also threat of invasions by foreign nations that Sri Lanka must defend against. It could not do so in the past resist because of the inadequacy of its small ... largely ceremonial .. armed forces. We have learned our lesson ... Guns must come before Butter .. or we will have neither the Guns nor the Butter. The integrity of the Motherland and lives of ALL of our people depends on readiness to fight.

For these compelling reasons, Sri Lanka in the foreseeable future will not only maintain a MASSIVE MILITARY PRESENCE in the North & East, but also will develop a formidable, even larger, Sri Lanka Defense Force than it has now, and a Universal National Guard in which every adult citizen able to bear arms will participate compulsorily.

NEVER AGAIN will Sri Lanka be left DEFENCELESS!

Ananda-USA said...

WikiLeaks: Al Jazeera used as diplomatic tool

December 06, 2010

LONDON: The state-owned Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera is used as a diplomatic tool in the Middle East, despite claims of its independence, according to US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks.

"Al Jazeera Arabic news channel will continue to be an instrument of Qatari influence, and continue to be an expression, however uncoordinated, of the nation's foreign policy," according to an assessment contained in one of the cables.

In another cable, US diplomats referred to the satellite "station's political masters". Media freedoms were not advancing as a whole in the Gulf country, according to the documents.

"The Qatari government claims to champion press freedom elsewhere, but generally does not tolerate it at home," the US embassy in Doha reported in June 2009.

WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website, gave Britain's Guardian newspaper access to the confidential correspondence.

US diplomats also reported that Qatar was "supporting problematic players such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria" and was continuing to "pragmatically pursue relations with Iran".

The diplomats also noted a more positive portrayal of the US by the channel since the election of Barack Obama.

"We expect that trend to continue and to further develop as US-Qatari relations improve, particularly to the extent that Al Jazeera coverage is made part of our bilateral discussion," US diplomats wrote.

"This is the US embassy's assessment, and it is very far from the truth," Al Jazeera said in response to the release of the cables, saying it was "guided by the principles of a free press".

Also noted in the cable was "Qatar's annoyance" with infractions of immigration and customs laws by US soldiers in the country, but the diplomats said measures were being taken to address the tensions.

Qatar holds the third largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and also hosts US military bases. It has been selected to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

Ananda-USA said...

Iran claims self-sufficiency in uranium

December 06, 2010

TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday claimed to have become self-sufficient in uranium concentrate, or yellowcake, production when its first batch was produced in the Gachin uranium mine in southern Iran, the news network Khabar reported.

The yellow cake from the Gachin mine was delivered to the Isfahan uranium conversion plant in central Iran for further processing, Iran's Atomic Chief Ali-Akbar Salehi said on the network.

Yellowcake is processed and converted into uranium hexafluoride and then enriched for eventually producing nuclear fuel.

The process was made under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Salehi added.

The Iranian announcement came just one day before the start of talks on its nuclear activities with the world powers in Geneva.

In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the announcement "calls into further question Iran's intentions and raises additional concerns at a time when Iran needs to address the concerns of the international community".

He stressed the importance of the talks in Geneva. "We are looking to see if Iran will enter into these discussions with the seriousness of purpose required to begin to address international concerns with its nuclear programme," he said.

Ananda-USA said...

ALERT: GOSL create a Special Investigative Unit dedicated to nipping-in-the-bud Jihadi terrorist cells in Sri Lanka!

.....................
LeT planned to set up base in TN: Wikileaks

December 06, 2010

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu was on the radar of the Lashkar-e-Toiba when it was planning to set up training sites and operational bases in southern India in the middle of 2009, according to US embassy cables released by WikiLeaks.

A June 18, 2009 document, titled ‘US climate change negotiators targeted by cyber attack’ and “derived from multiple sources”, said Pakistan-based LeT member Shafiq Khafa was “possibly preparing for operations” and an LeT member based in India, Hussein, continued operational planning on three tasks, including a possible assassination of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, in early June.

Khafa, who along with an India-based associate, SJ, prepared for operations in mid-June, was looking for information on possible training sites in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, revealed the document, uploaded by the Guardian newspaper’s website.

The network of Khafa strove to put up two teams in the South, which would rely on the support of LeT members in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal, though specific details of planned attacks remained unknown.

Intelligence gathered in late- May, however, indicated Khafa’s cell was engaged in surveillance activities of potential targets in southern India, stated the document.

Early May reports stated that Tamil Nadu and Kerala could be used as a base of operations following the establishment of a facilitation team in Sri Lanka.

The document added that the facilitation route and camps were estimated to be set up in two to three months.

The source for the document was marked 25X1-human and the reference to south India and Tamil Nadu is made under sub-head ‘Key Concerns’.

Ananda-USA said...

OMG, Democracy being Suppressed in TN?

Impossible to believe!

..............
Ruling DMK fears losing 2011 elections: Swamy

December 07, 2010

CHENNAI: Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy today said police had denied permission for a public meeting, scheduled to be addressed by him on December 9 at Tirunelveli, and said it was the "first indication" of the ruling DMK's fears of losing next year's Assembly polls.

"The sponsors of the meeting, the AIADMK-backed Voters' Forum, informed me today that the police denied permission due to apprehension over law and order...(this) is the first indication that the DMK and its allies fear to lose the 2011 elections," he said in a statement here.

He alleged that the incident showed that the DMK was "misusing" its authority to "suppress" Opposition from expressing its views.

"Or it shows that the DMK government has lost control over the state and cannot carry on administration according to the provisions of the Constitution. In either case, I demand that the Centre dismiss Tamil Nadu government and impose President's rule till elections are held in the state," he said.

Swamy, who had moved the Supreme Court over alleged 2G spectrum allocation, said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was "panicky" that the DMK will lose elections over the alleged scam, involving party leader A Raja who eventually quit as Union telecom minister.

Thusitha said...

Ananda-USA said...
Prosecute and Convict Jayalath Jayawardene for TREASON, and Throw him out of Parliament, and into Prison!

This SHOULD BE DONE as the FIRST OF A SERIES of LONG OVERDUE prosecutions of TREASONOUS ACTIVITIES by MPs in the PAST and in the PRESENT.

I have long advocated prosecution of TREASONOUS Activities by Sri Lankan politicians and MPs.

It is the FAILURE to HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE that ENCOURAGES such TRAITORS to support terrorists and invite foreign powers to invade Sri Lanka with IMPUNITY!

..............
‘Resolution can’t unseat an MP’

Mrs. Wijesekara said that it could be done only through a judicial process.

Earlier, the government vowed in Parliament to bring a resolution against Dr. Jayawardane alleging that he violated the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution by partaking in a protest rally along with LTTE activists in the UK last week.

----------------------------
*$&*, these guys should be presecuted with the maximum force of the law. Never shall this type of traitors be allowed to work against SL.

Thusitha said...

WikiLeaks founder Assange arrested in London

-----------------------
Where are the human rights nitwit. Can't they see the parellels with him and SF? Where is Navi Pillai?

Thusitha said...

Fox seems to be going nuts because they caught Assange. I think Wiki Leaks is one of the best things that happened to the world this Century. This will reduce U.S. ability to manupulate the world and take it towards war.

Would be interesting to see what it kind of material come out on SL.

Ananda-USA said...

Hard work ahead for Sri Lanka’s economy

Poverty to be reduced to 4%
Growth estimated at a higher 8%, from earlier forecast of 7.6%

Island.lk
December 6, 2010

Sri Lanka is aiming to bring down poverty to 4 percent during the next few years and Central Bank statisticians have estimated that the economy would grow by 8 percent this year, and around 10 percent during the next few years.

Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday said poverty would be brought down to 4 percent within the next few years.

"There is no use of having high per capita incomes and GDP growth if it does not trickle down and every citizen feels it," he said.

Speaking to bank directors at a forum in Colombo, Cabraal said poverty had come down to 7.6 percent of the total population this year from 15.7 percent in 2006. The poverty rate in Sri Lanka in 2002 was 22.7 percent and 28.8 percent in 1995/6.

Despite the conflict, Cabraal said, the government had ensured that basic infrastructure was improved so that the benefits would trickle down to low income households. He said more homes had electricity, access to better roads while major infrastructure activities such as ports and airports are expected to bring tangible results as quickly as possible.

"We can bring down poverty, it is not impossible if we all focus our attention to this," Cabraal told the senior bankers.

In 2006, the all island poverty rate was 15.2 percent with poverty in the estate sector at 32 percent and 15.7 percent in the rural sector. This year all island poverty is estimated at 7.6 percent while estate sector poverty is 9.2 percent and rural poverty is 7.6 percent.

Stronger growth...

Cabraal also said Central Bank statisticians had estimated the economy would now grow at 8 percent this year, bettering an earlier forecast which was published in November where growth was estimated at 7.6 percent with 8 percent growth for 2011.

"This is very high growth compared to most other economies and western economies would give and arm and a leg to have this kind of growth," Cabraal said.

The economy recorded a 8.5 percent economic growth during the second quarter of this year.

Unemployment , which is at 5.2 percent, is expected to be brought down to less than 5 percent.

"We need to keep unemployment consistently down and we are aiming at about 3 percent and this would lead to higher productivity and higher growth," Cabraal said.

IT literacy, which is at 35 percent, is also expected to increase to 75 percent by 2016.

Higher per capita income...

The government envisages per capita income would increase to US$ 4,000 by 2016. In 2009 per capita income doubled to US$ 2,000 from US$ 1,000 in 2004, which took more than 50 years after independence to reach the four figure mark.

"This is no mean achievement and it was done at a time Sri Lanka had to undergo tremendous pressures," Cabraal said.

Post independence Sri Lanka’s inflation had averaged around 12 percent during the past 30 years and was particularly high in 2008, peaking at 28.2 percent in June, as external factors exacerbated domestic pressures. Leading up to 2009, high interest rates were bad for business and both corporate and consumer borrowers increasingly defaulted on their loans. The country also faced a balance of payments crisis with reserves falling to near US$ 1 billion early 2009; All this while waging a war against separatist rebels.

But since the end of the conflict, inflation and benchmark interest rates have come down to single digit levels, while gross official reserves reached US$ 6.1 billion as at end September 2010.

Ananda-USA said...

Hard work ahead for Sri Lanka’s economy

......continued....

Attracting investment...

"Now we have to take on the challenge to double per capita income (by 2016) but it won’t be easy and it is going to be a tough journey but we must prepare ourselves to meet the challenges," Cabraal said.

Maintaining high growth would require investments to increase to 32 to 35 percent of GDP from current levels in the mid twenties. Private sector investments, from foreign and domestic sources, would have to increase to 26 to 28 percent from current levels of 19 to 21 percent. Public investment would more or less remain the same at around 6 to 7 percent of GDP, which makes it crucial to attract private sector investment.

Cabraal said the government was making a conscious effort to improve Sri Lanka’s ranking on the World Bank’s Doing Business index.

"We are looking at every aspect of the index where we are ranked a low 105th place and we are focused, together with the Ministry of Economic Development, to reach the 40th position within the next two to three years.

"Some may think it is impossible but we need to pitch high, we need to aim high if are going to make a change that is visible to all Sri Lankans," Cabraal said.

Ananda-USA said...

Economy poised for growth

By Ramani Kangaraarachchi
DAilyNews.lk
December 07, 2010

*Increase in private sector investments
*Poverty, unemployment level down

Sri Lanka’s economy is poised to grow by an encouraging eight percent in the medium term and 10 percent thereafter Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said. He was speaking about Sri Lanka’s new vision at the Bank Directors Symposium at Cinnamon Grand Hotel yesterday.


Ajith Nivard Cabraal

“There will be increase in private sector investments from domestic and foreign sources from current levels of nine to 21 percent of the GDP to a range of 26 to 28 percent. The public sector investments will be enhanced to a range of six to seven percent and total investment will increased to a range of 32 to 35 percent” he said

Cabraal said the poverty level in the county will be brought down to less than four percent from the present 7.6 percent and unemployment level will be reduced to around three percent within the next five years. The IT literacy ratio will achieve 75 percent by 2016 which was only 16.6 percent in 2007.

Sri Lanka will become a dynamic global hub comprising a naval hub, aviation hub and energy hub. The commercial hub will envisage banking as a preferred destination for commercial activities while the knowledge hub will adopt new knowledge and technologies. The country’s image has been improving gradually and it is considered as the second fastest growing Asian economy. It was upgraded to a middle income emerging market status.

He said a number of new and large infrastructure development projects such as ports and airports, roads and flyovers, power and water projects, economic zones, hotels and hospitals are under way making a visible change.

Referring to macro economic fundamentals he said the country suffered 12 percent inflation but handled it carefully ensuring the basics were right. “Likewise many things can be corrected by putting the basics right,” he said.

Ananda-USA said...

Useful Win-Win Help from Israel: Technical Training & Pay for farm workers.

Both the money and the technology can be used by these workers to improve their own farms in Sri Lanka!

.............
Sri Lankan agriculture workers in Israel - A mutual success story

December 07, 2010
DailyMirror.lk


Last week, the Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Israel Donald Perera, together with senior representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, visited a number of Israeli farms where Sri Lankan workers are employed.

The workers are part of a group consisting of 300 Sri Lankan seasonal agriculture workers who arrived in Israel over a month ago under a joint pilot project between the Governments of Israel and Sri Lanka.

The workers will stay in Israel for a period of six months, after which they will return to their own farms in Sri Lanka and use the knowledge they gained in Israel. During their stay in Israel, the workers are entitled to a minimum monthly wage of $ 1,000.

The Sri Lankan workers spoke of the excellent treatment they were receiving from their Israeli employers. The Israeli employers also expressed their satisfaction with the Sri Lankan workers and said they were looking forward to employing more Sri Lankan agriculture workers in the future.

Ambassador of Israel to Sri Lanka Mark Sofer, commented in this regard, said: "The Lankan agricultural workers have proved their mettle and they are doing a good job. While they have displayed their skills they have also learned new technologies adopted in Israel, and once they return to Sri Lanka, they will implement them in their own farms. Therefore, it is a win-win situation between the two countries in the field of agriculture".

In January 2011, Israel's Minister of Agriculture Shalom Simhon will be visiting Sri Lanka to obtain firsthand information on the agricultural sector in the island and to further agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 7th 2010 7:31 GMT

Sitharth wrote ..

[If SL spent majority of GDP on defence, how are they going to fund, Education, Health, Infrastructure development, etc?]

On the Contrary, you have to pop out of the depressed Eelamist mental state you are now living in to see what the rest of the world sees happening in Sri Lanka: a nation RAPIDLY progressing towards becoming the New Wonder of Asia. They are rushing in to INVEST in Sri Lanka .. voting with their MONEY!

Since independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has achieved much more than, for example, India in uplifting its people. Today, Sri Lanka enjoys a literacy rate above 95%, compulsory education for all its children, a children's mortality rate comparable to those of developed countries, free universal healthcare, affordable rail and bus transportation, electricity in most rural homes, widespread land ownership, full representation of women and minorities in the labor force and in government, a system of labor laws acknowledged to be a model for developing nations, the highest per capita income and lowest birth rate in the South Asian region.

Since the Mahinda Rajapaksa GOSL came into power, this progress has accelerated by leaps and bounds, every attempt of the Eelamist Diashoras to undermine Sri Lanka has been CRUSHED!

Sri Lanka's stock market was the World's best performing market last year, a feat it is projected to match this year as well.

Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal yesterday said poverty had come down to 7.6 percent of the total population this year from 15.7 percent in 2006. The poverty rate in Sri Lanka in 2002 was 22.7 percent and 28.8 percent in 1995/6.

Cabraal also said Central Bank statisticians had estimated the economy would now grow at 8 percent this year, bettering an earlier forecast which was published in November where growth was estimated at 7.6 percent with 8 percent growth for 2011. "This is very high growth compared to most other economies and western economies would give and arm and a leg to have this kind of growth," Cabraal said.

Unemployment , which is at 5.2 percent, is expected to be brought down to less than 5 percent.

IT literacy, which is at 35 percent, is also expected to increase to 75 percent by 2016.

The government envisages per capita income would increase to US$ 4,000 by 2016. In 2009 per capita income doubled to US$ 2,000 from US$ 1,000 in 2004, which took more than 50 years after independence to reach the four figure mark.

Private sector investments, from foreign and domestic sources, would have to increase to 26 to 28 percent from current levels of 19 to 21 percent.

[Prostitution increasing, More and more young people are taking drugs]: Every country is now suffering from these socials ills, as traditional values breakdown. In Sri Lanka this is exacerbated by the growth of the tourist industry, and breakdown in law and order as the nation coped with 30 years of rampant terrorism. With the LTTE wiped out and law and order restored, these socials ills are being rapidly eradicated from the country as are reported everyday in local newspapers. There are none so blind than those who refuse to see!

[Child abuse is increasing, Underage pregnancy is increasing]: No, No! ... This has decreased since the LTTE was wiped out and the child soldiers were rescued! Also, 1.5 million Eelamist Diahoras going abroad as fake refugees has siginficantly reduced child abuse in Sri Lanka.

[Life expectancy is decreasing]: BOLONEY! .. it is increasing, and is the highest in South Asia! See Wikipedia stats.

[People under poverty line increasing]: NONSENSE .. see, for example, Cabral's statement! BTW, Sri Lanka is the 8th most charitable nation in the world .. on par with Britain and ahead of the US .. see the Global Giving Index.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

.....continued....
[SL are killing the beggars and calling it cleaning up the city!]: The MR-GOSL has launched a campaign to clear slums, house these people in low cost apartment buildings, employ them, and beautify and cleanup every city in Sri Lanka. Ask the beggars and homeless, who benefited. Eelamists can DIE FROM JEALOUSY!

[People are in prison for very long time without any charge]: You decry crime yet expect prisons to be empty! Where do you live ... in LaLaland? All those who have gotten used to breaking the law in the last 30 years, will do hardtime now in prison. This includes 8,000 hard-core LTTE cadre as well.

[More and more maids are eating needle!]: These women taking jobs as maids abroad are earning a LAWFUL and HONEST living to sustain their families better. That is more than I can say about the Eelamist lawbreakers, con-artists and fake refugees living off welfare handouts in Western countries. This is a case of the POT calling the KETTLE black!

Ananda-USA said...

Book honoring the world's first female Prime Minister, Siramavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka launched

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
December 08, 2010

Colombo: "SIRIMAVO Honouring the world's first woman Prime Minister", a book honouring the life of world's first female Prime Minister Siramavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka was launched today at the BMICH in Colombo to honor the 50th anniversary of her election to the country's then highest post.

Chairman of the Bandaranaike Museum Committee and the eldest daughter of late Prime Minister, Ms. Sunethra Bandaranaike presented the first copy of the book to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

Former President of Sri Lanka and the youngest daughter of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Ms. Chandrika Kumaranatunga was also at the presentation.

According to the editor, Tissa Jayatilaka the book is a composed analysis of Sirimavo Bandarnaike's contribution to public life and contains well-balanced contributions from 14 eminent personalities such as late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, former diplomat and UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs Jayantha Dhanapala, Professor of Political Science in the University of Colombo Jayadeva Uyangoda, and Official Secretary to seven Prime Ministers Bradman Weerakoon.

Venerable Maha Sangha, other religious dignitaries, Prime Minister D. M. Jayarathne, diplomats, parliamentarians, and distinguished invitees participated in the event.

Ananda-USA said...

From DBSJeyaraj's Blog

131. Padmini | December 4th, 2010 at 8:27 am

Dear DBS

We Tamils living in London watched with anxiety and disgust these worthless,offensive activities of British Tamil Forum people mobs demonstrating like rowdys against Mahinda in Hotel and High Commission and Air Port

But we are helpless to stop it due to fear

I hope people in Srilanka understand only a few thousands out of more than two hundred thousands tamils are doing this

I write here DBS because you are the only Tamil voice we Tamils have to show the world that the majority of us are not with the tigers

Ananda-USA said...

Deshapremi Rana Viru Sri Lanka Navika Hamudawata JAYAWEWA!

..............
International naval ships arrive to participate in Sri Lanka Navy's anniversary celebrations

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 07, Colombo: International naval ships participating in Sri Lanka Navy's 60th anniversary celebrations called on port yesterday at Colombo.

Eight ships from Bangladesh, China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Thailand Navies are to participate in the International Fleet Review and International Sail Past.

Sri Lanka Navy ceremonially welcomed the ships upon their arrival at the Colombo harbor.

The event will take place on 09th and 11th of December 2010 in the seas off Galle Face.

(Photo courtesy of Sri Lanka Navy)

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at DBSJ's Blog:

...........
Once again the Eelamist Diashoras have DEMONSTRATED their UTTER STUPIDITY by humiliating the ONLY MAN in Sri Lanka who can help them help their relatives in the Tamil Community in Sri Lanka.

As DBSJ says, these LTTE-ers make a mockery of democracy, human rights and decency accusing others of the crimes they had perfected and refined into a fine art over 30 long years.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will not be swayed from his deep committment to rehabilitating and uplifting the war-affected Tamil citizens by what they have done.

But, I can tell you this: He will now also work with redoubled vigor to bring all Eelamists who committed war crimes in Sri Lanka to answer for their crimes. You ain't seen nothing yet!

He will also be less amenable to devolving power to regions on ethnic bases .. for he now has a better appreciation of the continuing threat from the LTTE terrorists. Many of patriots had opposed ethnicity-based devolution as posing an extreme danger to the integrity, peace, and future growth of Sri Lanka. Once again, he has been reminded of the racist communal nature of the Eelamists supporting the LTTE.

As far as those criminals are concerned .. they can forget about Sri Lanka for good ... they are persona non grata.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will have the FULL SUPPORT of all Patriotic Sri Lankans ... in Sri Lanka and in the Sri Lankan Diaspora .. to shut the door in the face of these die-hard monsters who have never cared for the wanton destruction they brought down upon the our law-abiding Tamil brothers and sisters, and all citizens of Sri Lanka.

We don't need your Treacherous Eelamist money .. keep it, and choke on it.. We patriotic Sri Lankans .. Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers alike .. will take care our needy Tamil citizens ... with our money .. sharing what we have .. more effectively than we had done during the war years , now that we have access to the North & the East.

Long Live President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Saviour of Sri Lanka and Liberator of the Sri Lankan Tamils!

Ananda-USA said...

NO! We really don't need the Norwegian Embassy or Norwegian Investments in Sri Lanka.

These are among OUR TRUE ENEMIES; they should be kept out of Sri Lanka lest they begin thier LTTE-leaning iNGO activities undermining Sri Lanka ALL OVER AGAIN!

Let us not open the door AGAIN to these SNAKES!

..............
High level Norwegian business delegation to arrive in Sri Lanka

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 08, Colombo: A high level business delegation from Norway will arrive in Sri Lanka early next year, Norway's Ambassador to Colombo Ms. Hilde Haraldstad has said.

During a meeting with Sri Lanka Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne at his official residence the Norwegian Ambassador has said that her Government is prepared to expand investment opportunities in Sri Lanka.

The high level business delegation would be planning to open industries in the island, she has told the Prime Minister.

Haraldstad, has commended the government's measures to rebuild relations between the communities and assured her government's support.

The Prime Minister apprised the Norwegian envoy of the government's plans that are in place to boost economic development in Sri Lanka under the President Mahinda Rajapaksa's leadership.

The Norwegian Ambassador recently signed two agreements with Swiss Foundation for Mine Action and HALO Trust extending their support to Humanitarian Demining activities in the North.

Under the agreements, the Government of Norway will provide Rs. 125 million to Swiss Foundation for Mine Action and Rs. 112 million to HALO Trust to expand their participation in the Sri Lankan Government's Humanitarian Mine Action Programme.

Ananda-USA said...

FAKE LTTE-refugees Arrested in Thailand!

.............
Thai police arrest 50 illegal Sri Lankan immigrants

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 08, Bangkok: The Thai police have arrested 50 illegal Sri Lankan immigrants in Bangkok early Wednesday morning, Thai media reports said.

Suspected members of Sri Lanka's vanquished terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were believed to be among them, the police have said.

The police have rounded up the Sri Lankan immigrants living in rented rooms on the Soi Phermsin off Phahol Yothin Road in Bang Khen district.

The immigrants have been sent to the Immigration Bureau for further questioning, The Nation reported.

A Globe and Mail report in August said the Tamils arrive in Bangkok from Sri Lanka on two-week tourist visas and stay in rented apartments pretending to be tourists until a ship is ready to take them to Canada.

In October this year Thai immigration officials with the aid of the Crime Suppression Division of Thai police raided several apartments in Bangkok city and arrested 155 illegal Sri Lankan immigrants.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:
....................
Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 8th 2010 11:57 GMT

Sitharth wrote ...

[You try to paint a positive picture of SL, you know in your head and I know the reality is almost opposite!]

I paint the picture that I see with MY OWN EYES as a PATRIOT who sees my HOPES & DREAMS of a lifetime coming TRUE in Sri Lanka. It is the REALITY of Sri Lanka today, not the GLOOM & DOOM seen through the jaundiced eye of an Eelamist.

[20 yrs ago, an ordinary shopkeeper would have hardly seen a SLR 500 or 1000 note, but it is quite common nowadays, what do you call this deflation or inflation? On top of it SL have now SLR 2000 note, soon we may have SLR 5000 note.]

Have you EVER heard of any country in which the currency has not inflated over a 60-year period? There are NONE. Gasoline in the US was $0.35/gal 60-years ago, today it is $3.50/gal .. a 10-fold increase almost paralleling the increase in a Submarine ham-sandwich!

On the other hand inflation in Sri Lanka has indeed been greater than in the United States for 30 years. Forty years ago, the exchange rate was Rs. 34/ USD, today it is Rs. 110 ... showing that the Sri Lanka Rupee has inflated relative to the dollar.

That is what happens when consumption exceeds production and expenditures exceed savings over 30 years. Remember, Sri Lanka had enormous defence expenditures, and a stagnating economy that could not grow because of terrorism. Likewise, much of the current economic problems and unemployment in the US stem from the excessive government spending on the Iraq/Afghan wars and Homeland Security after 9/11, compounded by consumers spending beyond their means on homes and imported goods.

Today, with the Eelam War IV successfully concluded, and terrorism eradicated from the land, Sri Lanka's economy is growing rapidly relative to the developed world, and its infrastructure, essential for business, is being developed nationwide. Essentially no investments were made in infrastructure in Sri Lanka for 30 years; that is rapidly being corrected now.

Yes, as a scientist/educator, businessman and investor, I am ECSTATIC and OPTIMISTIC about Sri Lanka.

[If you call our people are educated, how did we mess up with our country so much! And we are still a developing nation after 62 yrs! How long are we going to call ourselves as developing nation? Do not you feel shame, I do?]

Yes, by all norms our people are EDUCATED; go to India and see what lack of education and ABJECT poverty REALLY looks like. As an incurable Eelamist, you know better than I what arrested Sri Lanka's economic development over the last 30 years: Eelamist terrorism and successive weak and vacillating governments that did not have the will and determination of the present government to ENFORCE SECURITY with the necessary force. What could have been stopped in a few years, was extended to 30 years at untold cost in lives and treasure. NEVER AGAIN!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

........continued ...........
Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 9th 2010 12:04 GMT

Sitharth wrote...

[Who is waiting with money, all the Lankan I know when they left country they only use it for creating wealth for them in western country, they do not want to go back to SL. I am talking about educated (doctors, accountant, engineers, software and IT programmers, etc), If SL is better place, why do not they want to go back?]

Don't worry ... Patriotic Sri Lankans ARE GOING BACK .. becoming a VERITABLE Flood .. only the Eelamists are leaving in droves to keep ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE LAW .. Good Riddance!. Many of them are Sri Lankan professionals with expertise in science & technology. I have invested half of my own assets are now in Sri Lanka, and .. guess what .. they growing by LEAPS & BOUNDS yielding returns I can't get elsewhere!

[Go and stay in the arrival lounge at Bandaranaike Airport, the treatment those poor who worked in Middle East received when the arrived there is pathetic!]

I pas through BIA very often and I have seen them. They are treated like everyone else. Coming from the US, I am treated no differently. Where do you get this strange notions from? Peculiar, indeed!

[Stop wasting your time calling those who do not agree with you as LTTE and terrorist and killing them.]

And I urge you to STOP WASTING YOUR TIME demonizing Sri Lanka, and carrying on the Eelamist agenda to cause a REGIME CHANGE in Sri Lanka, and create a racist mono-ethnic aparthied Bantustan in Sri Lanka. IT SIMPLY WON'T WORK .. because the MAJORITY OF PATRIOTIC SRI LANKANS have WOKEN UP!

[There is no point defending the wrong just for the shake of patriotism, wrong is wrong! Killing someone is wrong, not allowing someone to express his/her view is wrong, destroying someone property is wrong, etc.]

Where were you when your Sun-God was killing everyone in sight? Too busy gathering funds to support the EELAMIST cause perhaps? How come only now you have gained this RELIGION, this ENLIGHTENMENT.

As DBS Jeyaraj says, Eelamists make a mockery of democracy, human rights and decency when they start running around accusing others of violating them! Bloody HYPOCRITES!

[You are not a patriotic Lankan! You’re destroying my country!]

Indeed! When Eelamists claim defenders of Lanka are destroying it, after enthusiastically defaming and undermining Sri Lanka in all of their posts, their completely AMORAL HYPOCRITICAL nature is AMPLY DISPLAYED for all to see!

Ananda-USA said...

Good! Let us help China, our close ally, to oppose and prevent Norway from undermining and destabilizing China, as they did in Sri Lanka!

.............
Sri Lanka to boycott Nobel Peace Prize Awarding ceremony

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 08, Colombo: Sri Lanka Ambassador of Norway Rodney Perera has told a radio in Sri Lanka that the state would boycott the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony scheduled to be held on Friday in Oslo.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 to Liu Xiaobo, a political prisoner of China who is serving an 11-year prison term, for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.

However, China has protested the move and campaigns against it among the nations to boycott the awards ceremony. A number of countries have already expressed that they would not represent the awards ceremony.

Several nations including China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran have said they will not attend the ceremony. The Nobel committee has said that so far 19 countries had declined the invitation to attend the ceremony.

Sri Lanka Ambassador of Norway Rodney Perera further stated that the decision of Sri Lanka has been informed to the Nobel Committee.

Ananda-USA said...

Hooray for CHINA!

Let us BOYCOTT en masse' ALL OF the Norwegian neo-colonialist REGIME CHANGING Nobel Peace Prize Clowns!

Let China offer CONFUCIUS PRIZES in ALL DISCIPLINES and Level the Playing Field for DEVELOPING NATIONS without Western Political Agendas!

We don't need the Nobel Peace Prize controlled by TERRORIST LOVERS!

Sri Lanka is in Great Company: The Current List of Nations boycotting the Nobel Peace Prize award include:

Afghanistan
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Oran
India
Iraq
Kazakhstan
Morroco
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Vietnam


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Who Needs Nobel: China Launches the Confucius Peace Prize

By Krista Mahr
December 08, 2010

It's been a tough month for China's PR machine. First Beijing had to figure out what to do about its belligerent pals in North Korea, and now, as all eyes turn to Oslo for this week's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the government faces renewed global condemnation over the continued detention of this year's Nobel laureate, Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.

In Liu's case, the settled-on solution — in tandem with having a government spokesperson call the Nobel committee “clowns” for having awarded a person Beijing considers a criminal the prize — falls squarely in the if-you-can't-join-them-beat-them category.

Confucius Peace Prize was awarded — a newly launched, China-approved alternative to the Nobel. The first honoree is former Taiwan vice president Lien Chan for promoting peace between Taiwan and mainland China. Not much is known about the committee that awarded the prize, but its chairman told the AP that it works closely with the Ministry of Culture.

(See the top 10 political prisoners.)

In any case, it's all happened pretty fast. The idea was publicly aired just three weeks back in an opinion piece run in the government-backed paper Global Times, which called for the establishment of a Confucius Peace Price in order to provide “the best opportunity for the Chinese to declare China's view in peace and human rights to the world” and to “teach Westerners how to cultivate their own spirits and kindly treat people that have different national values and lifestyles.” (via AP)

Ananda-USA said...

This should give pause to anyone contemplating running drugs into Malaysia in the future.

The name of this game is: DETERRENCE!

...............
Malaysia to hang Indian for drug trafficking

December 08, 2010

GEORGE TOWN (MALAYSIA): An Indian man convicted on charges of drug trafficking in Malaysia will be hanged, a media report said Wednesday.

Bahurudeen Mohamed Yusoff Ghaney was caught at the Penang International Airport with 10 kg of ketamine last year. He was travelling from India.

Ghaney, 41, broke down when High Court judicial commissioner Mohammed Amin Firdaus Abdullah Wednesday sent him to the gallows.

He sobbed in the dock when the decision was read out, the New Straits Times reported on its website.

Ghaney was accused of committing the offence at the Passenger Checks Special Unit at the arrival hall of the airport, about 6.15 p.m., Jan 14 last year.

The judge said the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution's case. The court also found there was no merit for Ghaney's defence.

Ghaney in his defence said that the bag containing the drugs was given to him by his neighbour Farouk, who told him to bring it to Malaysia.

The accused said that he did not know the contents of the bag and he only found out the contents at the airport here.

"As a highly educated man, won't you ask yourself, what was in the bag? You would not simply bring the bag," the court said.

"When somebody gives you RM3,000 ($953) as expenses, and when on return to Madras you would get another 10,000 rupees ... it is unreasonable," the court said.

Ananda-USA said...

Imprisoned Soldiers had been tortured for over three years before they were executed and burnt when the security forces were approaching, says LTTE prisoners.
...............
Sri Lankan Premier says LTTE had executed prisoners of war

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 08, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government today said that the LTTE terrorists had executed Sri Lankan security forces personnel imprisoned by them during the final stages of the war last year.

Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne told parliament that several hardcore LTTE cadres who were arrested from the Vavuniya welfare camps had revealed that 60 soldiers who were in LTTE custody were executed by them during the finals stages of the war.

Jayaratne made this statement during the committee stage debate on the Defence Ministry today.

Despite the peace time in the country the government has allocated highest budgetary amount for the year 2011 to the defence sector.

The Tigers had shot the soldiers and then burnt their bodies, the Prime Minister said.

Jayaratne added that the mass graves of the soldiers that have been found proved that the LTTE executed prisoners of war.

The authorities on information received from the arrested LTTE cadres recently unearthed a mass grave in Kilinochchi where the bodies of 26 Sri Lankan soldiers executed by the LTTE believed to have been buried.

According to four LTTE suspects who were allegedly involved in the killing and are in custody now, the soldiers had been imprisoned and tortured for more than three years before they were executed and burnt when the security forces were approaching.

Ananda-USA said...

Sri Lanka needs to institute annual medical checkups for all, including CANCER SCREENING!

............
15,000 cancer patients diagnosed annually in Sri Lanka

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 08, Colombo: Sri Lanka Ministry of Health says that around 15,000 cancer patients are diagnosed in Sri Lanka annually.

A 25 percent of the diagnosed cases suffer from breast cancer and 30 perrcent of them die since the cancer is diagnosed at late stages.

National Cancer Prevention Programme recently examined 11,000 women and 2,000 of them were diagnosed of having irregularities that could develop to cancer, the Ministry announced.

These facts were revealed at a function held in Narahenpita Cancer Diagnosis Center to launch a mammogram machine that was offered to the center by the Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Ananda-USA said...

It is about time that Norway was STOPPED from using the Nobel Peace Prize to undermine emerging nations in collusion with neocolonial Western powers.

May CHINA SUCCEED GLORIOUSLY in growing an array of Confucius Prizes to Topple the Nobel Prizes from their pedestal!

We are tired of Norway using the Nobel Prizes to arrest the rise of developing nations!


...............
China to award prize to rival Nobel

By Tini Tran
December 08, 2010

BEIJING: Only three weeks after the idea was first publicly floated, China has cobbled together its own peace prize and plans to award it Thursday — the day before the Nobel Committee honors an imprisoned Chinese dissident in a move that has enraged Beijing.

Since Liu Xiaobo's selection, China has vilified the 54-year-old democracy advocate, called the choice an effort by the West to contain its rise, disparaged his supporters as "clowns," and launched a campaign to persuade countries not to attend Friday's ceremony in Oslo. The government is also preventing Liu — who is serving an 11-year sentence for co-authoring a bold appeal for political reforms in the Communist country — and his family members from attending.

Amid the flurry of action came a commentary published on Nov. 17 in a Communist Party-approved tabloid that suggested China create its own award — the "Confucius Peace Prize" — to counter the choice of Liu.

Three weeks later, The Associated Press has learned, China is doing just that.

Named after the famed philosopher, the new prize was created to "interpret the viewpoints of peace of (the) Chinese (people)," the awards committee said in a statement it released to the AP on Tuesday.

Awards committee chairman Tan Changliu said his group was not an official government body, but acknowledged that it worked closely with the Ministry of Culture. He declined to give specifics about the committee, when it was created and how the five judges were chosen, saying it would be disclosed later.

The first honoree is Lien Chan, Taiwan's former vice president and the honorary chairman of its Nationalist Party, for having "built a bridge of peace between the mainland and Taiwan." A staffer in his Taipei office said she could not comment Tuesday because she knew nothing about the prize.

Lien was chosen from among eight nominees — some of whom are regularly mentioned for, or have already won, that other peace prize: including billionaire Bill Gates, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and the Panchen Lama, the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

While China regularly disparages the Dalai Lama, the religion's spiritual leader, the current Panchen Lama is a 20-year-old who was hand-picked by Beijing. The original boy named by the Dalai Lama has disappeared.

"We should not compete, we should not confront the Nobel Prize, but we should try to set up another standard," said Liu Zhiqin, the Beijing businessman who suggested the prize in The Global Times. "The Nobel prize is not a holy thing that we cannot doubt or question. Everyone has a right to dispute whether it's right or wrong." Liu said in the phone interview that he was not involved in setting up the new awards.

Tan, who leads the awards committee, acknowledged that the new prize, which comes with a purse of 100,000 yuan ($15,000), doesn't have international recognition: "It needs to grow gradually, and we hope people will believe the award is of global significance."

China is not the first nation to be rankled by a Nobel Peace Prize. During Nazi Germany era, Adolf Hitler created the German National Prize for Art and Science in 1937 as a replacement for the Nobel. He had forbidden German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting his Nobel awarded in 1935.

Ananda-USA said...

China to award prize to rival Nobel

.....continued...
This year, China's clampdown against Liu and his supporters means the Nobel medal and money won't be handed out for the first time since that period. Nobel officials say the prestigious $1.4 million award can be collected only by the laureate or close family members.

In the meantime, China is chipping away at the Nobel: It succeeded in persuading 18 other countries to boycott the upcoming ceremony, including longtime allies like Pakistan, Venezuela and Cuba as well as business partners Saudi Arabia and Iran, Nobel officials said Tuesday.

Beijing sharpened its denunciations, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu accusing the Nobel committee of "orchestrating an anti-China farce by themselves."

"We are not changing because of interference by a few clowns and we will not change our path," she said.

But Beijing's hastily arranged efforts to provide a distraction to the Nobel ceremony are counterproductive, said Oxford University China scholar Steve Tsang.

"The whole thing is too obviously being rushed to counter the Nobel Prize to Liu Xiaobo. People will see it for what it is. That being the case, it's not going to be very credible," he said.

If anything, China's heavy-handed reactions in the wake of the announcement, which include putting Liu's wife and other supporters under house arrest and barring dozens of activists from traveling to Oslo, "simply give the rest of the world the impression that human rights is really in trouble in China," he said.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:
.......
Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 9th 2010 10:37 GMT

Sitharth wrote..

[Sound like you are not seeing full picture!]
Who sees the "full" picture, You with the Eelamist eyeglasses? LoL!
Don't woory .. I have contact with vast numbers of ordinary people of Sri Lanka, and know that their lot has vastly improved since the Mahinda Rajapaksa Govt came to power. More than anything, they can expect to go to their jobs and return home in one piece without being blown to bits by LTTE terrorists.

[Yeah, they going back and investing and not for nothing for better return!]

Not really! I have been investing in Sri Lanka for 30 years out of patriotism, but I am getting very good returns only now. And I am not the only one; there are many people like me!

As I said before, how can we expect a jaundiced Eelamist .. in an incurably depressed state of mind .. to see that the glass is half full and not half empty? It will take two decades for you to recover from the deep funk you are immersed in now!

[While every major countries are keep slashing their defence budget!]

Countries that are faced with big enemies need strong defences. The traditional big enemies of the major countries that you keep talking about are no more. They are largely .. but not entirely .. replaced by small terrorist movements thinly distributed worldwide. Nothing .. except a suitcase nuclear bomb .. can threraten the survival of these countries. So, having exhausted themselves fighting thousands of miles away from home, they are cutting back expenses.

Sri Lanka .. on the other hand .. is defending its own soil .. not fighting in foreign countries. And when fighting for your very survival .. and you are threatened by large enemies collaborating with terrorists .. you need to large peoples defence force. Guns before Butter; otherwise there will not be either Guns or Butter. By restricting yourself to defending your own soil, you can use the Defense Forces in a multipurpose way .. for national development as well, as Israel did and still does.

[By calling section of people in SL as Eelamist, you are separating them and accepting they have their own country!]

There you go spinning again! I use the word Eelamist to differentiate separatist terrorist Tamils (supporting the LTTE and other terrorist separatist groups) from law-abiding patroitic Sri Lankan Tamils who I consider to be my brothers and sisters! I do want to cull out the Eelamists and isolate them into impotence .. at least that seems to have gotten through!

[improving behaviors, approach, understanding, showing empathy, respect.]

And now we have an Eelamist PREACHING TO THE CHOIR about the finer aspects of human emotions! Really, there no limit to Eelamist chutzpah! Read DBSJ's comment on Eelamists making a mockery of such things!

This is like the MURDERER who having axed his PARENTS to death, pleaded with the judge for lenient sentence because he is now an ORPHAN! LoL!

[but in the name of optimism do not try to silence the voice of poor. Do not force the venerable into Dark Age and do not kill the poor and beggers in the name of patriotism and cleaning up cities]

Who is forcing anyone, but the Eelamists, into anything .. I said no such thing .. stick to the facts! Give the poor and homeless brand new apartments and jobs, and cleaning up the cities in the process to improve the lives of Sri Lankan citizens is not compassion, patriotism and progress? Get a life! You are now leaving your wits behind.

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:
.......continued....
[Have you seen $100 in great deal in circulation in US? $50 is in circulation however ordinary people often carry $20, $10, $5 and $1, this is happening very long time. This is show the US economy is stable and strong.]

Confused, AGAIN! People in the US carry very litle money .. they use credit and debit cards for anything excess of $40 or so. In Sri Lanka .. it is the opposite .. very few people carry credit/debit cards; they use cash for most transactions. That will change in the future .. as their incomes grow and bankcard services become commonplace.

[I am not talking in support of LTTE! I am talking about government actions and people in my country! .... I think LTTE’s concept was right, may be their approach and tactics were wrong.]

Well, you could have fooled me. Anyone who simultaneously denies being an Eelamist .. then says the LTTE concept was right .. and makes an apology for their misguided "methods" .. is an addle-pated fool who thinks others can be fooled too.

The central LTTE concept was to carve out a racist monoethnic aparthied state for Tamils only from Sri Lanka. To that end, they rewrote Sri Lanka's history, eliminated all dissenters, glorified war and wholesale murder of totally innocent civilians, created a Sun-God cult where all good things (like marriage, parental authority, etc) were reserved for the Sun-God but denied to the rank and file, and essentially destroyed the Sri Lankan Tamil Community in the process, even using them as a massive "human shield" to protect the LTTE leadership.

Bloody HYPOCRITES!

Ananda-USA said...

My Comment at The Economist:

...........
Ananda-Sinha wrote:
Dec 10th 2010 9:38 GMT

Sitharth wrote..

[I HOPE MY FELLOW COUNTRY MEN AND WOMEN WILL NOT MAKE THE VERY SAME MISTAKES!]

Don't worry about that.

The Great Majority of Sri Lankans ALREADY have made up their minds about people like you .. who wailed all over the world as VICTIMS but committed MONSTROUS crimes in Sri Lanka. We see it EVERY DAY in EVERY WAY even now in the activities of the Eelamist Tamil Diaspora.

It is very interesting how all of a sudden you talk about "my fellow countrymen" when before you were nailed to the wall, you were making common cause in your posts only with the Eelamists! What? .. gave up the Eelam strategy of setting yourselves up as a sepcial people endowed with special rights? Came down from the pedestal to live among the ordinary people of Lanka .. have you?

But, we Sri Lankans know that is only a temporary ploy .. just to get by the current difficulty by squirming out of the hole you dug yourself into. That is the way with ALL Eelamists .. deception, obfuscation, misdirection, and outright lies EVERY DAY in EVERY WAY trying to hoodwink and win in peace those unreasonable demands you lost in war.

It only required the Patriotic People of Sri Lanka to WAKE UP .. now THEY HAVE WOKEN UP and ACTED!

[I will stand for democracy, respect all my fellow country men and women in the same way. I will stand against cruelty, torture, injustice, intimidation, discrimination.]

BS! Readers here can review everything you have [posted here about Sri Lanka, and decide for themselves what you really stand for.

[People like you are destroying the nation, stopping the development, stopping all progress, creating division. All this for your own benefit!]

On the contrary, people like me, in their thousands, tens of thousands, thousands of thousands, are now speaking out against the Eelamist agenda that arrested the progress and development of Sri Lanka for 30 long years and killed 150,000 innocents. The Eelamists are the ones creating DIVISION, demanding devolution of power on ETHNIC COMMUNAL BASES .. not the Patriotic Sri Lankans who want to live in One Sri Lankan Nation as One Sri Lankan People sharing One Sri Lankan Destiny, as I advocate and support. You seem to have abandoned your separatist ideology ... temporarily!

[You have, no principle, no decency, ready to kill or destroy anyone who shout or rebel against your idea, stamp anyone not agree with as separatist and terrorist.]

On the Contrary, I am VERY SELECTIVE about those whom I oppose, and what agendas I oppose.

I oppose seperatist terrorists and communal agendas that have wrought havoc in Sri Lanka. What I want is a United Sri Lanka devoid of communal divisions with Equal Rights for all, irrespective of the communal attributes of race, religion, language, caste, sex and wealth, with Equal Reponsibilities for EVERY CITIZEN to Love, Protect, and Foster this Resplendent Island of Lanka we Sri Lankans call Home!

When I see devious people demonizing Sri Lanka on the world stage to gain unfair advantages and special rights in Sri Lanka through globally orchestrated propaganda, I condemn them and their agendas .. as I condemn and expose yours.

If you want to be freed from condemnation by Sri Lankan patriots .. then ABANDON your attacks on Sri Lanka and your destructive Eelamist agenda. But, as long as you persist, you will be opposed by the Patriots of Lanka.

Ananda-USA said...

I condemn the theft of US Govt documents compromising the security of the United States.

Likewise, the US should not support dissidents in other countries and interfere in the internal affairs of other countries to induce REGIME CHANGE either.

In that context, Putin's demand to give Julian Assange the Nodbel Peace Prize instead of to Liu Xiaobo is VERY APPROPRIATE & HILARIOUSLY FUNNY!

...............
Russia calls for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be given the Nobel Peace Prize as Putin lashes out at America

DailyMail.co.uk
December 10, 2010

* Kremlin takes a dig at the U.S. over Assange's arrest

* Facebook and Twitter delete the accounts of cyber activists

* Swoop against 'Operation Payback' follows attacks on credit card giants

* 5,000 'hacktivists' believed to be behind electronic onslaught

* Dutch authorities arrest 16-year-old boy suspected of involvement

Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Russian officials said this afternoon.

The Kremlin urged non-governmental organisations to consider 'nominating Assange as a Nobel Prize laureate'.

A source from inside president Dmitry Medvedev's office told Russian news agencies: 'Public and non-governmental organisations should think of how to help him.

'Maybe, nominate him as a Nobel Prize laureate.' Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin

WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange has been remanded in custody over claims that he sexually assaulted two Swedish women

Anger: Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Targeted: The WikiLeaks homepage. It started to publish the leaked US diplomatic cables last Sunday

The statement appeared to be designed to antagonise Washington over leaked US diplomatic cables. Elsewhere, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin lashed out at the United States, saying the West had no right to preach to Russia about democracy.

When asked about cables which cast him as Russia's 'alpha-dog' ruler of a corrupt and undemocratic bureaucracy, Putin snapped: 'Do you think the American diplomatic service is a crystal clean source of information? Do you think so?'

He then went on to criticise the West over the arrest of Assange, who turned himself in to the authorities in Britain this week.

Operation: Payback was formed in September to target groups opposed to internet piracy

'If it is full democracy, then why have they hidden Mr Assange in prison? That's what, democracy?' Putin said.

'So, you know, as they say in the countryside, some people's cows can moo, but yours should keep quiet. So I would like to shoot the puck back at our American colleagues,' Putin said at a briefing with his French counterpart Francois Fillon.

The phrase is a colloquial term which is a Russian equivalent of 'the pot calling the kettle black'.

The leaked U.S. cables cast Putin as a ruler who allows a venal elite of corrupt officials and crooked spies to siphon off cash from the world's biggest energy producer.

Today Facebook and Twitter deleted the accounts of cyber activists who targeted Visa and other Internet payment sites that sought to block the WikiLeaks website after its release of U.S. diplomatic cables.

Facebook confirmed it had removed the activists' Operation Payback site on Thursday because it was promoting a distributed denial of service attack -- an illegal form of freezing websites. Twitter declined to comment.

The swoop against Operation Payback's self-described campaigners for Internet freedom followed their online attacks on the credit card giants.

Ananda-USA said...

Russia calls for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be given the Nobel Peace Prize as Putin lashes out at America

.....continued 1....
Tonight Dutch authorities said they had arrested a 16-year-old boy suspected of being involved in the digital attack.

In a statement, the prosecutors' office said the teenager is believed to have participated in attacks by WikiLeaks supporters on the websites.

The statement said the unnamed youth was arrested in The Hague, but did not give full details of what part he played.

Experts said the outages were unlikely to have much effect on the pro-WikiLeaks cyber campaign as activists were using separate chatrooms to organise.

A representative of one of the groups involved in the online campaign said on Thursday that more cyber attacks in reprisal for attempts to block the WikiLeaks website were likely.

On Thursday, supporters of WikiLeaks were plotting attacks on online payment service PayPal and other perceived enemies of the publisher, which has angered U.S. authorities by starting to release details of 250,000 confidential cables.

Up to 5,000 hackers have combined under the 'Operation Payback' umbrella to target Visa and Mastercard

A screen shot of the Mastercard website showing technical problems yesterday afternoon

Amazon, Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and arch-WikiLeaks critic Senator Joe Leiberman were also cited as targets.

'The campaign is not over from what I've seen, it's still going strong. More people are joining,' a spokesman calling himself 'Coldblood' told BBC Radio 4.

The speaker, who had an English accent, said he was aged 22 and was a software engineer.

'Anonymous has targeted mainly companies which have decided for whatever reason not to deal with WikiLeaks. Some of the main targets involve Amazon, MasterCard, Visa and PayPal.'

The websites of credit-card giants Mastercard have already been brought down through distributed denial-of-service attacks that temporarily disable computer servers by bombarding them with requests.

Demonstrators take to the streets during a rally in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Brisbane today

In a statement on Thursday, Mastercard said although there was a limited interruption of some online services, cardholders could continue using cards for transactions worldwide. Its main processing systems were not compromised, the statement said.

AnonOps also claimed responsibility for bringing down Visa's site, which was temporarily unavailable in the United States, but later restored.

In an online letter, Anonymous said its activists were neither vigilantes nor terrorists.

It added: 'The goal is simple: Win the right to keep the Internet free of any control from any entity, corporation, or government.'

THE VOLUNTEER NETWORK OF HACKERS CALLED 'ANONYMOUS' WHICH HAS BROUGHT CHAOS TO THE INTERNET
Target: Sarah Palin signs her new book 'America By Heart, Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag'

Target: Sarah Palin's website has been attacked

The hackers targeting Visa and Mastercard work by overwhelming a websites' servers with enormous volumes of traffic, dubbed 'distributed denial-of-service' attack.

Operation: Payback supporters volunteer their computers to become part of a remotely controlled network, called a 'botnet'.

This allows the hackers to disable targeted websites by directing millions of requests for information from multiple sources, making the internet site inaccessible to other users.

Anonymous - the shadowy group behind the attacks - has handed thousands of followers a user-friendly tool to download and join the assault.

'Think of it like a voluntary botnet,' says an installation guide for the tool.

Anyone taking part in the cyber attacks can then claim they have a computer virus if they are accused of participating.

Ananda-USA said...

Russia calls for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be given the Nobel Peace Prize as Putin lashes out at America

.....continued 2....
The chances of being arrested for using the tool are said to be 'next to zero' as a result.

If users follow the instructions for the Anonymous botnet, once it is up and running, they are told to: 'Sit back and watch the show.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said the Swedish government's website was down for a short time overnight in the latest apparent attack.

Sweden has issued an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over sex crimes and he is in jail in London, awaiting an extradition hearing.

Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, has been hailed as an advocate of free speech by supporters, but now finds himself fighting serious sexual allegations made by two women in Sweden.

Assange will have another court appearance next Tuesday and his supporters assert he is being victimised for his work.

In the Internet Relay chat channel where activists coordinated the attacks, conversations were short and to the point.

Participants asked what the target should be and reported progress. Some bemoaned the fact that paypal.com remained up despite efforts to bring down its transactions server.

'The only thing most of these CEOs understand is the bottom line. You have to hit them in the bank account, or not at all,' said one participant called Cancer.

WikiLeaks is continuing to drip-feed cables into the public domain despite the legal woes of its founder.

Those released on Thursday showed U.S. diplomats reporting that the illicit diamond trade in Zimbabwe had led to the murder of thousands, enriched those close to President Robert Mugabe and been financed in part by the central bank.

Assange's online supporters hit the corporate website of MasterCard on Wednesday in reprisal for its blocking of donations to the WikiLeaks website.

'We are glad to tell you that http://www.mastercard.com/ is down and it's confirmed!' said an entry on the Twitter feed of a group calling itself AnonOps.

'Coldblood' said a battle was under way to protect the Internet.

'I see this as becoming a war, but not your conventional war. This is a war of data. We are trying to keep the Internet free and open for everyone, just the way the Internet always has been,' 'Coldblood' added.

Assange's main London lawyer has denied that the WikiLeaks founder ordered the attacks.

'It's very hard to get hold of anyone from WikiLeaks.

'The only (person) you could really get hold of was Julian, but unfortunately he's not available at the moment,' said 'Coldblood'.

Ananda-USA said...

China finances road projects in Sri Lanka

ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Dec 10, Colombo: The government of China has granted a US$ 259.78 million credit facility to Sri Lanka for road development projects in the island.

The loan is provided through the Export Import Bank of China to finance 85 percent of the total cost of US$ 305.63 million for several road projects. The Sri Lankan government is to provide remaining 15 percent of funds.

The government said US$ 158.2 will be provided in 2010 and the balance in 2011 to finance these road projects.

According to the government media, the road projects to be undertaken include,

* Rehabilitation and improvement of 67 km of Navatkuli-Karaitivu Mannar (A032) road
* Rehabilitation and improvement of 113 km of Puttalam-Maarichchi Kade-Mannar (B 379, B 403) road
* Southern Transport Development Project - 15 km of highway section from Pinnaduwa to Kodagoda (Package 1)
* Southern Transport Development Project - 15 km of highway section from Kodagoda to Godagama
* Remaining work in Galle Port Access Road (Package 2)

A total length of 1,174 km of roadways throughout the country will also be improved with Chinese financial assistance, the government said.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet on Wednesday has decided to obtain a loan facility of US$ 500 million from China Development Bank Co-operation to finance improvement and rehabilitation of priority roads, the government announced Thursday.

Ananda-USA said...

Patriots,

There is a new post; Please shift over to it. Thanks!