May 18, Matara: Sri Lanka today staged an extravagant military parade to celebrate the monumental victory over the terrorist war waged by the Tamil Tiger rebels for three decades.
The victory celebrations presided by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa were held at Southern city of Matara with the participation of the Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne, armed forces commanders, Defense Secretary, government ministers and other political leaders, the diplomatic core and other dignitaries.
The three armed forces - Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force, police and Civil Defense Force paraded along the streets of Matara town. Highlight of the military parade was the wheel chair parade of the disabled soldiers.
The parade included 3,734 army, 1,189 navy, 1,100 air force, 643 police and 578 civil defense personnel of other ranks and 24 paratroopers of all the forces.
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5 comments:
The GOSL SHOULD NOT repeal the ban on ANY Eelamist Tamil organizations … EVER!
This is the ONLY SENSIBLE THING the GOSL has done since the war was concluded to DEFEND & PROTECT Sri Lanka from these UNREPENTANT proxies of the LTTE.
Despite overtures by the GOSL to these undeserving TRAITORS, what we saw was an UNREMITTING WAVE of plotting and undermining of the GOSL by the TNA.
The more the GOSL held out its hand in FORGIVENESS, the MORE the TNA came to believe they DESERVED that FORGIVENESS, and the MORE ARROGANT and THREATENING they became.
Clearly the TNA is cast in the same mold as the late unlamented SunGod Velupillai Prabhakaran and his murderous followers of the LTTE.
They do not acknowledge their guilt and responsibility for the pain and suffering they caused SRi Lankan citizens, nor do they understand leniency or forgiveness. To them such gestures are SIGNS OF WEAKNESS to be met with further outrageous demands.
Since they will not TAKE the offered CARROT, GIVE them the STICK!
Stop FORGIVING them, and DESTROY them COMPLETELY now, by ARRESTING, PROSECUTING, and SEVERELY PUNISHING them for ALL TREASONOUS ACTS against Sri Lanka in collusion with the Eelamist Tamil Diaspora, Tamil Nadu politicians, the Government of India, the Neocolonialist Western Countries pursuing their own geopolitical agendas, and the international and local NGOs collaborating with them.
This is the GIST of the recent 12-point Proposal from the NFF and the JHU to the GOSL; that proposal should be accepted in its ENTIRETY and IMPLEMENTED IN FULL …. NOW!
More Importantly, it is HIGH TIME that Sri Lanka wrested its Sovereign Crown AWAY from India by REPEALING the 13th Amendment and replacing the Provincial Council System with Districts Administered by Appointed Government Agents. Permanently Secure Sri Lanka’s Territorial Integrity NOW by dismantling ALL Centers of Separatist Power.
NEVER Empower MURDEROUS TAMIL SEPARATISTS hidden in Wolves Clothing as permanently Wailing Victims!
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TNA calls on Sri Lankan government to review the ban on Tamil organizations
ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
May 25, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has asked the Sri Lankan government to review its decision to designate diaspora organizations and individuals as having links to the defeated Tamil Tiger terrorist organization.
...Continued 1....
The party asked the government to review its decision to proscribe 16 Tamil organizations and over 400 individuals under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and remove from that list organizations and individuals against whom there is no evidence of engaging in or supporting any ‘terrorist acts’ under the Act.
Issuing a statement to media Saturday, the leader of TNA, R. Sampanthan “unequivocally” condemned the government’s measure to designate several Tamil diaspora organizations and individuals as having links to the terrorist group Liberations Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The government on April 01 has banned the LTTE and 15 other Tamil diaspora groups that are alleged of having terror links and involved in reviving the terrorist movement in the country.
Sampanthan noted that the government’s measure was taken in the wake of the passage of UN Resolution on Sri Lanka that called the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a comprehensive international investigation into the alleged war crimes.
The TNA noted that according to UN regulations, the Competent Authority must notify the UN, in writing, of the designation of such organizations and individuals and the written notice should contain information relating to the reasons for such designation.
“We note that the reasons for designating any organization or individual must disclose ‘reasonable grounds’ for belief that such organization or individual has committed or attempted to commit, or participated in or facilitated the commission of ‘terrorist acts’.”
However, Sampanthan said, two months has passed since the gazette notification of the ban, but the government is yet to present any reasons for the designation of the organizations and individuals.
“While acknowledging the right of any government to take appropriate steps to counter violent threats to national security-provided those steps comply with domestic and international human rights and humanitarian law-we note with serious concern that this regressive step taken by the government is consistent with many other measures that it continues to take in the North and the East that are against the spirit of reconciliation,” he said.
“We therefore call on the Government of Sri Lanka to review the decision to designate all of the said organizations and individuals and remove from that list organizations and individuals against whom there is no evidence of engaging in or supporting any ‘terrorist acts’ as defined by the 2005 Act,” the TNA leader added.
According to the government, the ban was based on the recommendation by the Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, as the Competent Authority regarding the identification of persons, groups and entities, believed on reasonable grounds to be committing, attempting to commit, facilitating or participating, in the commission of acts of terrorism.
We should call a SPADE a SPADE, and ARREST, PROSECUTE, CONVICT and PUNISH ALL of these TNA TRAITORS for their CRIMES & TREASON committed over the last 35 years.
They should be RECONCILED to their CRIMES and PUNISHED. That is all the Reconciliation they Deserve. Anything else is just PANDERING to Criminals!
Just ENFORCE the Law of the Land! … NOW!
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‘What is TNA’s true agenda’: TNA thwarts efforts towards reconciliation – Mahinda Samarasinghe
by Manjula Fernando
SundayObserver.lk
May 25, 2014
The TNA’s decision to prevent Northern Chief Minister C.W. Wigneswaran from joining President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Indian Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony thwarts efforts towards reconciliation, Plantation Industries Minister and President’s Special Envoy on Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
He told the Sunday Observer yesterday that this shows, there are extremist forces within the TNA who are not interested in working with the Government and moving towards reconciliation.”
All SAARC leaders including President Rajapaksa have been invited by the BJP to take part in the swearing-in ceremony of the new Prime Minister-elect. Tamil Nadu had opposed the invitation extended to President Rajapaksa. The Indian media forecast that with a majority in Parliament the BJP is not dependant on Tamil parties to run the government, hence there will be a ‘more independent policy on Sri Lanka’ by the Centre.
Minister Samarasinghe said the President should be congratulated for thinking so broadly when he decided to invite the Northern Province Chief Minister to accompany him to New Delhi tomorrow.
“What is the TNA’s true agenda. Is it propaganda or some political agenda being played out? The TNA must realise that this is not the way we should move towards reconciliation,” the Minister said. “The move to reject the invitation shoots down their own claim that they are not being accommodated by the Government.”
The Government has taken a positive step by symbolically inviting them to be part of the Sri Lankan delegation to India, a country where the issue of Northern Tamils has been in the forefront, but they have outrightly declined that offer.
“The world should understand the ground reality, we are extending our hand but that the TNA is not willing to take it.”
Minister Samarasinghe said with this attitude, the path to reconciliation would be very far. “We have been asking the TNA to be a part of the PSC and they have been giving all sorts of excuses to stay away,” and added, “later they go to the international community and say that the Government is not willing to work with them.”
The Minister said the Government is of the view that the extremist forces within the TNA, linked to the pro LTTE diaspora, may have influenced this decision since they are hell-bent on destroying any concrete steps being taken towards reconciliation.
Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders may have made statements against Sri Lanka in the heat of the Lok Sabha election campaign to attract Tamil Nadu votes.
What they do AFTER the election, and AFTER the people of Tamil Nadu have largely REJECTED the BJP and voted for the opposing AIADMK led by Jayalolitha, will have no relationship to what he said BEFORE to gain votes and support, ESPECIALLY now that he has won an overwhelming mandate from the people of India without assistance from Tamil Nadu.
The former UPA Govt led by the Congress Party never had an overwhelming majority since Rajiv Gandhi’s first term as Premier, and ALWAYS compromised India’s National Interest on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue by acting against Sri Lanka to curry favor with the Racist demagogues of Tamil Nadu in their quest to incorporate a part of Sri Lanka into a Greater Tamil Nadu.
The BJP under Narendra Modi’s leadership, given its overwhelming majority in the Lok Sabha, may not continue those past policies of the Indian Govt, and there are solid reasons and indications that he may not do so …. in India’s National Interest.
Sri Lanka has to HOPE for the BEST and reach out to Narendra Modi as President Mahinda Rajapaksa is now doing.
But, as I have ALWAYS MAINTAINED, Sri Lanka has to PREPARE for the WORST even if Modi adopts a positive attitude towards Sri Lanka during his tenure, because there is NO GUARANTEE that future Indian Govts will not reverse course. Tamil Nadu has always been, and will always be, a higher priority for India than Sri Lanka.
Therefore, Sri Lanka should take every possible action to PREVENT India from acquiring a DOMINANT POSITION in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs by reducing India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s ECONOMY, POLITICS, LABOR FORCE, RECONSTRUCTION, and NATIONAL SECURITY, and REPEALING the 13th Amendment at the earliest possible opportunity.
As a Sri Lankan patriot who supports Modi's ascent to power in India, and wanted Sri Lanka to reach out to him, I still think it is too early for us to decide that Modi is bad for Sri Lanka.
EVERY Indian leader will want Sri Lanka to implement the 13th Amendment in full, as it is India's baby shoved down unwilling Sri Lanka's gagging throat, and it costs them NOTHING, if we SWALLOW it ... without VOMITING it OUT.
As long as Sri Lanka DOES NOT OPPOSE IT, and DOES NOT CLEARLY CONVEY our REASONS for not wanting to Empower SEPARATISTS COMMITTED then and now to the utter destruction of Sri Lanka, India, Modi/BJP will CONTINUE to push the 13th Amendment just as the UPA/Congress Party did. They are doing favors for their Tamil citizens at Sri Lanka's expense!
The Sri Lanka Government has to STOP SAYING that we will implement the 13th Amendment.
Instead, The GOSL must say that we don't want a Federal Govt in Sri Lanka, even if India feels comfortable with that type of Govt and is prepared to cope with secessionist movements in India (Kashmir, Assam, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu and elsewhere) FOREVER! We have BEEN THERE and DONE THAT .... and WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT!
The 13th Amendment was PUSHED DOWN Sri Lanka's throat BY FORCE while India was OCCUPYING a large part of Sri Lanka. Such a Law is ILLEGAL under International Law, and Sovereign Sri Lanka is entitled to ABROGATE and REPEAL such a Law. Every sovereign nation is DUTY BOUND to its citizens to do so, as SOON as it can, just as Czechkoslovakia abrogated The Munich Agreement that partitioned it on the eve of World War II, under threat from Nazi Germany. The VICTIM is NEVER DUTY BOUND to honor an agreement it is forced into by an AGGRESSOR, UNDER DURESS! NEVER!
Until we POSE our OPPOSITION in India's own CONTEXT, and get them to wear our shoes, for example by devolving autonomy to Kashmir Muslims and face the prospect of disintegration of their own country, they will CONTINUE to PUSH Sri Lanka to devolve power to Separatists. It removes no skin off their noses! As both Sri Lanka and India learned from the British Colonialist, what is mine is mine, what is yours is negotiable.
AFTER we do that, we have to evaluate what Modi/BJP will do, and take whatever steps are needed. But until then, as long as India believes it can FORCE Sri Lanka to commit harakiri, and we DO NOT CATEGORICALLY REFUSE, they will ask Sri Lanka to devolve power and implement the 13th Amendment.
As I said before, we have to HOPE for the BEST, and PREPARE for the WORST. By reaching out to Modi/BJP we have LOST NOTHING, but there is a opportunity for gain that MUST BE TESTED.
Also, as I had said, in the LONGER TERM, Sri Lanka should DISCOURAGE ALL Indian Involvement in Sri Lanka, to wit:
in the ECONOMY, in LABOR, in BANKING, in CONSTRUCTION, in ENERGY, in OIL & GAS, in HEALTHCARE, in POLITICS, in AUTOS, TRUCKS, BUSES, in VISAS on Arrival for Indians, in TOURISM, in DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE, .... EVERYTHING ... because even if Modi/BJP favors Sri Lanka, there is NO GUARANTEE that future Indian Governments will not reverse that posture, given that Tamil Nadu will ALWAYS have HIGHER PRIORITY for India than Sri Lanka. ALWAYS! We have to ESCAPE this DEADLY Indian Embrace, because it will INEVITABLY bite Sri Lanka SOMETIME in the future. That is an ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY!
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