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 Tuesday, 06 September 2011 07:06 AM  

LTTE Tamil Tigers under the banner of "Refugees" seek UN intervention to secure asylum in Australia

Tamil National Alliance should be disbanded, and its members Prosecuted for aiding and abetting terrorism in Sri Lanka - By Charles. S.Perera TNA as a political party came into being as a brain child of the terrorist leader Prabhakaran. The MPs of the TNA were the voice of the terrorist in the Parliament of Sri Lanka. After attending the Parliamentary session the MPs of the TNA led by Sambanthan went to Kilinochchi to place before their terrorists masters a report of the proceeding of the Parliament, and to be instructed what action they should take to promote terrorism as a representative group of the Tamil people of the North and East. In other words through out the terrorism since they were « appointed » by the terrorists Prabhakaran to be the voice of the terrorists, they were working for the terrorists to achieve their objective of setting up a Tamil Eelam State. The TNA therefore represented the terrorists and not the Tamil people of the North and East. The TNA is still the proxi group of the terrorist front organisations of the expatriate Tamils. TNA’s allegiance is to the Tamils in India and not to Sri Lanka. This is evident from their frequent visits to India, probably to meet the terrorist rump who may have settled down some where in India or Tamil Nadu. Vaiko, Nadumaran and Ramados are sworn terrorists, who were even planning to come to Sri Lanka to fight alongside the terrorists. The TNA’s connection to these Tamil Nadu rabid political maniacs like Vaiko is evident from the latest demand they made to stay the death penalty passed on the murderers of Rajiv Gandhi. What right has the TNA as Members of the Parliament of Sri Lanka to interfere in to matters related to the Government of India ? What right have the TNA to plead for the lives of the three terrorists who have been proved to have participated in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, if the TNA MPs are not sympathizers of terrorism and still working for the terrorist agenda ? If they wish to make such a demand on humanitarian ground, they should have appealed to the President of Sri Lanka requesting him to intervene. Even the Tamil Nadu political leaders appealed to the Central Government to intervene on their behalf, in Sri Lanka (LankaWeb : 31 August 2011).

Sri Lanka to bring in new laws to deal with LTTE as emergency rule ends today - Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to handle possible future and past terrorist activities by the defunct terror group LTTE as the emergency regulations that were imposed on and off for the past 30 years cease to be in operation from today. Sri Lanka's Attorney General Mohan Peiris has told the media today that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to declare four regulations under section 27 of PTA to handle matters related to the terrorist organization in the absence of the emergency law. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on August 25 proposed to lift the powerful emergency regulations. The new laws cover the continuous proscription of the terror outfit and its front organization Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), detention of the LTTE suspects and rehabilitation of the LTTE cadres who surrendered. With the end of emergency regulations the proscription of these terrorist organizations will also end unless the new laws become effective. The new declarations will come into force as the emergency lapses by midnight today and provide the legal framework to handle the LTTE threats, the Attorney General said. The government is preparing to present a draft bill to the parliament to enact the new laws in the absence of the emergency law. The Attorney General has said that the removal of emergency regulations will not result in the release of some 6,000 persons detained under the emergency regulations and their release or prosecution is to be decided case by case (Colombo page : 31 August 2011).

Bridge between North, South through art and culture

Now, Sri Lankans seek UN intervention to secure asylum in Australia - Four Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka, who were denied visas in Australia after being assessed as a potential security threat, are among a group of immigrant detainees who are seeking UN intervention into their case. The men who are in immigration detention have been assessed as genuine refugees, but had their visas knocked down after being declared security threats by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), an ABC report said. They are part of a group of 38 immigration detainees who are directly petitioning the United Nations to be immediately released into the community. The men said they left behind their lives, family and country in 2009 because they were harassed by the Sri Lankan military and paramilitary forces. "We lived in constant fear, we wanted to escape that and lead a normal life – that is why we have come here," Subramaniam Kokulakumar, one of the Tamils, was quoted as saying. But after having their refugee claims upheld, the men were denied entry on security grounds. "ASIO claims that we are a threat to national security," Tamil asylum seeker Sithiraseyanam Nigethan said. "We have been classified as such even before we had entered the country. We don’t know what to do next and it is affecting us psychologically," he said. Another asylum seeker, Nararatam Selvakumar, said he had no links to the Tamil Tigers, yet their fate was hanging in balance. "A murderer may be imprisoned for 10 years. But us, who have not done anything wrong, are here for an unknown period of time. No one is able to give us an answer," he said. "I have a common knowledge of the Tigers, just like any other person in Sri Lanka. I know as much as what the international community knows. I don’t know any more than that," Nigethan said. Commenting on the issue, law expert at Sydney University, Ben Saul, said many people in Sri Lanka would have had some association with the Tamil Tigers. "In a civil war like that, everybody in the north or east of Sri Lanka has some association with the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil Tigers (were) the government," he said. Saul has been co-ordinating an appeal to the United Nations Human Rights Committee on behalf of 38 asylum seekers in indefinite detention. The case also affects three children. He said they cannot go back home because they have already been assessed as genuine refugees (Island : 31 August 2011).

Two suspected LTTE cadres held Fake card racket - (DNA) A 100-strong international gang of credit card fraudsters, who hacked into bank accounts across the globe through internet from Malaysia and used the details thus obtained to swipe fake credit and debit cards in India, has been busted by the Bangalore police. Two persons have been arrested by Sampigehalli police and property worth over Rs2 crore recovered from the duo. The remaining gang members, including the kingpin who resides in Malaysia and six local operatives, are yet to be arrested. The arrested have been identified as Jaikumar alias Shyamvel alias Shyam, 39, a resident of Kengeri Main Road, off Mysore Road and Vaseem Pasha, 25, a resident of JJ Nagar, Mysore Road. Jai Kumar was in the fake credit card business for over two years now. The gang is believed to have links with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which allegedly received some cash payments from the operatives. "Kumar has admitted to paying some cash to LTTE cadre who used to come to city and collect the amount from him," the police said. They are also verifying if any payments had been made to the LTTE through bank accounts. "The mastermind stays in Malaysia. He hacked bank accounts across the globe, including India, through internet and collected their unique identity details including PIN numbers and pass on the same to a contact person in Chennai, who forwarded the same to the gang members who have settled down in various parts of the country," commissioner of police BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji said. The Malaysian mastermind had equipped his Indian counterparts with blank credit and debit cards. The gang members in India were also equipped with credit card printing and punching machines. They used the machines to print the unique identity details on the blank credit and debit cards in their possession and swipe them for their purchases. Jaikumar and his associates in Bangalore had purchased about 5.5-kg gold jewellery, electronic goods and liquor, among other things from the hacked bank accounts. The police said that Jaikumar claimed ignorance about hacking of accounts but said he was using the PIN numbers sent from the Malayasian mastermind and use the same to swipe fake credit and debit cards. He has also told the police at least 100 members of the gang were operating in various parts of the country (Island : 31 August 2011).

Death for leaders, life for killers! - The late LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran chose to have his erstwhile mentor and former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi blown to bits in 1991 by way of punishment for what he called atrocities committed by the Indian army in the North and the East of Sri Lanka in the late 1980s. But, the Tamil Nadu politicians are all out to pervert the course of justice and thwart the implementation of the judicially determined punishment for the LTTE cadres involved in the assassination of Rajiv. They have unanimously passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu assembly seeking to have the Rajiv killers' death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. If they succeed in achieving that objective, though odds are stacked against them, they are sure to campaign thereafter for the release of those criminals on the grounds that they have already spent twenty years behind bars. Some lawyers looking after the LTTE's interests have managed to get the execution of the Rajiv killers stayed by a Tamil Nadu court for eight weeks. That is a matter best left to the learned judges of India. It must not be politicised. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, Karunanidhi and other LTTE backers took for granted the killing by Prabhakaran of his rivals and hostile political leaders in India and Sri Lanka, but they have joined forces to challenge the authority of the State of India to punish convicted criminals the way it deems fit. It is a sad day for India! (Island : 31 August 2011).

Should the Perpetrators on Rajiv Gandhi’s Killing be Pardoned? - by Dr. Chandana Jayalath - Rajiv Gandhi who remained aloof from politics accidentally entered into mainstream politics with the demise of his brother Sajay Gandhi in a plane crash. Following the assassination of his mother in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, Indian National Congress nominated him to be the Prime Minister. In 1988, it was Rajiv Gandhi who reversed the coup in Maldives launched by LTTE. Rajiv Gandhi who forcefully airdropped foodstuffs to then the terrorist controlled areas was also responsible for sending Indian troops (IPKF) to Sri Lanka in 1987. Rajiv Gandhi’s last public meeting representing then the opposition was at Sriperumbudur on 21 May 1991, in Tamil Nadu, while campaigning for the Lok Sabha. The Supreme Court of India confirmed that the killing was carried out due to personal animosity of the LTTE chief Prabhakaran towards Rajiv Gandhi arising out of sending the IPKF to Sri Lanka. Not only Rajiv Gandhi, 14 other people also lost their lives in the blast. After 15 years, the LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham told the Indian television channel NDTV that the killing was a great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy which we (LTTE) deeply regret. India was the first country to ban the Tigers as a result of this killing (LankaWeb : 31 August 2011).

Swamy condemns interim relief to Rajiv Gandhi's assassins - Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday condemned the interim relief to the three convicts, who are on death row for their role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Swamy said that the resolution passed in the court is stupid and the assassins cannot be let off if a handful of Tamilians oppose their death sentence. "It is a very stupid resolution. It says that respecting the Tamil sentiments; these three people (assassins of ex-Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi) should be let off. What do you mean by respecting the Tamil sentiment? Tomorrow the Kashmiris say Kashmir assembly passes a resolution that respecting the Kashmiri sentiment, Afzal Guru should be let off and Prakash Singh Badal passes a resolution that respecting the Sikh sentiments, Bhullar should be let off. Where is this country going to be?" Swamy told mediapersons in Chennai. "We are one country, there is no such thing as Tamil sentiment, there is an Indian sentiment. Whatever the Tamil sentiment is there, it has to be in consonance with the Indian sentiment, we are Indians first, Tamils afterwards," he added. Swamy further said the stay is illegal and should be quashed by the Supreme Court with immediacy. "There is no interim order, they have given a stay, that stay is illegal because the Supreme Court has already announced in 1989 and there is also a division bench judgment of the Gujarat High Court. It says that once a mercy petition is rejected you cannot have a stay order of another mercy petition," said Swamy. "This case won't last very long and it is only a question of time, I have urged the Prime Minister to send the attorney general to the Supreme Court and get this high court stay removed," he added. Lashing out at the convicts, Swamy said that they are cold-blooded murderers and shouldn't be let off easily. "These are not people who have done in anger, they are cold-blooded murderers, they were part of a terrorist organization. Two of the three are foreigners they are not even Indians," said Swamy. "They are LTTE terrorists from Sri Lanka so they have said that we wanted to teach Rajiv Gandhi a lesson for sending IPKF to Sri Lanka, so there is no question of any consideration. None of the previous judgments on undue delay will apply to them," he added. The Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed the death penalty of three assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi after hearing their review petitions presented by eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani here. The court also asked the central government to explain within two months (eight weeks) why it delayed in carrying out the death sentences for over eleven years. The court order came days after President Pratibha Devisingh Patil had rejected the mercy petitions of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, and fixed September 9 as the date of execution. The Tamil Nadu Assembly also passed a unanimous resolution asking President Patil to commute the death sentences on the three and grant them clemency immediately. The motion for the resolution was introduced by the Tamil Nadu Government, which is headed by AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa. Meanwhile, commenting on veteran social activist Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption, Swamy said: "Anna Hazare should be congratulated for exciting the sentiments of people but he is concentrating on only one thing and that is stronger laws, I am concentrating on another side, making the action from the laws." (ANI) (NewstrackIndia ; 31 August 2011).

Bangalore police bust fake card racket, arrest two suspected LTTE members - A 100-strong international gang of credit card fraudsters, who hacked into bank accounts across the globe through internet from Malaysia and used the details thus obtained to swipe fake credit and debit cards in India, has been busted by the Bangalore police. Two persons have been arrested by Sampigehalli police and property worth over Rs2 crore recovered from the duo. The remaining gang members, including the kingpin who resides in Malaysia and six local operatives, are yet to be arrested. The arrested have been identified as Jaikumar alias Shyamvel alias Shyam, 39, a resident of Kengeri Main Road, off Mysore Road and Vaseem Pasha, 25, a resident of JJ Nagar, Mysore Road. Jai Kumar was in the fake credit card business for over two years now. The gang is believed to have links with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which allegedly received some cash payments from the operatives. “Kumar has admitted to paying some cash to LTTE cadre who used to come to city and collect the amount from him,” the police said. They are also verifying if any payments had been made to the LTTE through bank accounts. “The mastermind stays in Malaysia. He hacked bank accounts across the globe, including India, through internet and collected their unique identity details including PIN numbers and pass on the same to a contact person in Chennai, who forwarded the same to the gang members who have settled down in various parts of the country,” commissioner of police BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji said. The Malaysian mastermind had equipped his Indian counterparts with blank credit and debit cards. The gang members in India were also equipped with credit card printing and punching machines. They used the machines to print the unique identity details on the blank credit and debit cards in their possession and swipe them for their purchases. Jaikumar and his associates in Bangalore had purchased about 5.5-kg gold jewellery, electronic goods and liquor, among other things from the hacked bank accounts. The police said that Jaikumar claimed ignorance about hacking of accounts but said he was using the PIN numbers sent from the Malayasian mastermind and use the same to swipe fake credit and debit cards. He has also told the police at least 100 members of the gang were operating in various parts of the country (DNA : 31 August 2011).

Vavuniya GA blasts BBC for twisting war-related news - Vavuniya Government Agent P. S. M. Charles yesterday blasted the BBC for twisting war-related news to compromise the national reconciliation process. An irate Ms Charles said that a calculated attempt was being made to deceive people living here and abroad regarding the number of missing in Sri Lanka during eelam war IV. Responding to a query, Ms Charles said that BBC Tamil Service posted an unsubstantiated report captioned "1,000 children 'still missing' since war" on its website on Aug. 29 in spite of her briefing the BBC's local correspondent regarding progress made by a Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) Unit with the support of the UNICEF. She said that information provided by her had been used to propagate a lie that nearly 1,000 children reported missing during the final phase of the war were still unaccounted for. Ms Charles said that when it was alleged that nearly 1,000 children disappeared during the final phase of the conflict she would like to know what exactly the media meant by 'final phase.' Was it a reference to the fighting from January to May 2009 after the fall of Kilinochchi or a longer period," Ms Charles said. "The FTR activity spearheaded by the UNICEF was launched following a spate of complaints received by me and the Probation and Childcare Commissioner in charge of the Northern Province. In fact, the process began at the end of the conflict in May 2009. The FTR received only 2,564 tracing applications up to June 30, 2011. Of them 676 related to missing children," Ms Charles said. Based on complaints received by the FTR unit, UNICEF said that 64 per cent of the complaints regarding missing children were lodged by parents who accused the LTTE of conscripting them. The UNICEF recently handed over a copy of its report to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The government made available a copy of the report to British Defence Secretary Dr. Liam Fox when he visited Colombo to deliver the Kadirgamar memorial lecture. Ms Charles said that since the conclusion of the conflict they had been able to locate many of those missing children. Among them was a child missing for the past 15 years, she said. The official expressed confidence that more missing persons could be found with the help of various government and non-government agencies involved in the process. Ms Charles said that anyone wanting to make further inquiries could get in touch with the UNICEF in Colombo (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 31 August 2011).

Rajiv Gandhi's killers get 8 weeks’ breather from Madras HC

for details of assassination of former Prime Minister of India, please click here

India defers hanging of Rajiv Gandhi killers

Rajiv Gandhi murder: Court stays hanging of plotters - A court in southern India has stayed the execution of three men in connection with the 1991 assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The men known as Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan were to be hanged at a jail in the State of Tamil Nadu on September 9. The date for the hangings was set after Indian President rejected mercy pleas from the men. The killing of Rajiv Gandhi by a LTTE suicide bomber shocked India. All three of the condemned men were convicted of plotting the assassination. Murugan and Santhan are from Sri Lanka and Perarivalan is an Indian Tamil. They were LTTE members. In 2006, the Tigers expressed “regret” for the murder. The Supreme Court in 1999 confirmed the death sentences of the three men, but commuted capital punishment to life imprisonment for Nalini Sriharan, an Indian Tamil woman married to Murugan who was also convicted in connection with the assassination. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J Jayalalitha, said on Monday that she did not have the power to annal the death sentences or put the executions on hold. But the three men filed a petition in the Madras High Court on Monday. The court stayed the execution for eight weeks and asked the government to file an affidavit in that time with their response to the court petition. The execution order has sent ripples of unrest through southern India, correspondents say. Ms Jayalalitha appealed to the public “not to act on impulse” when a woman died after setting herself on fire demanding that the three men’s lives be spared. Earlier, the leader of the State’s opposition DMK party, M Karunanidhi, appealed to the federal and the state government to save the lives of the condemned men. The death penalty is rare in India. The last execution was in 2004 when a 41- year-old former security guard was hanged for the rape and murder of a 14-year- old schoolgirl (Daily News : 31 August 2011).

Death penalty - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa deserves to be congratulated on passing a resolution in the legislature, appealing to the President to commute the death sentence of Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. One is reminded of the saying “Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love.” (Hindu : 31 August 2011).

HC stays Rajiv killers’ execution; TN Assembly appeals for mercy - Amid the raging debate on the death sentence to Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts, the Madras High Court on Tuesday stayed their execution for eight weeks, even as the Tamil Nadu Assembly appealed to President Pratibha Patil to reconsider their mercy pleas. While the Assembly adopted a unanimous resolution moved by chief minister J Jayalalithaa requesting the President to reconsider the mercy petitions, which the President had rejected early this month, a high court bench of justices C Nagappan and M Sathayanarayanan granted the stay, pointing out that there had been a delay of over 11 years in the disposal of the petitions. Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, lodged in the Vellore Jail, were convicted and sentenced to death in the case related to the assassination of former prime minister and Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi by an LTTE suicide bomber at an election rally in Sriperumpudur on May 21, 1991. The three convicts’... (Financial Express ; 31 August 2011).

STF to commemorate dead heroes - by Ridma DISSANAYAKE - The Police Special Task Force is to hold its 27th War Heroes commemoration ceremony today and it will continue until September 3, under the auspices of STF Commandant DIG R.M.W.C. Ranawana. Plans are afoot to hold an overnight Pirith chanting ceremony at the Katukurunda Training School today, while a Sangika Dhana will be offered to 50 Bikkhus tomorrow. Several programmes have been planned in Weherahena, Matara, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura and at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy as well. Simultaneously, at the 27th War Heroes commemoration celebrations, a special exposition of the sacred Tooth Relic will be held at the Sri Dalada Maligawa on September 3 for the benefit of families of STF personnel who had scarificed their lives for the defence of their country. The STF also plans to award scholarships to children of STF families who had been affected by the war. Currently, they have donated nearly 1,000 scholarships, while money will be deposited in accounts of the children of War Heroes (Daily News ; 31 August 2011).

NATO sees no evil - ..... One of the unsubstantiated allegations of war crimes levelled against Sri Lanka is that it cut off food supplies to the LTTE-controlled areas during its successful war on terror. When the leaders of the LTTE described as the 'most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world', were trapped in the Vanni, the US and the EU frantically called upon Sri Lanka to suspend its military offensive. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner flew here posthaste to negotiate a truce. The UN got into the over-drive mode to prevent the LTTE leadership from being decimated, to no avail. But, the very international coalition that strove in that desperate manner, on some flimsy pretext, to save Sri Lanka's terrorists notorious for numerous massacres, child recruitment, political assassinations, bombing of civilian targets, gun running and narcotics trade, has no qualms about continuing to back a rebel outfit which is trying to surround and starve a populous city wherein is said to be trapped Gaddafi, who remained the de facto Libyan leader (recognised by the West and the UN for four decades and visited by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) and served as an African Union president (invited to a G-8 summit as a special guest and given warm handshakes by Blair's successor PM Gordon Brown and US President Barack Obama). (Island ; 30 August 2011).

Execution of Rajiv assassins stayed for 8 weeks -  The Madras High Court today stayed for eight weeks the execution of three Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convicts. The three — Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan— lodged in Vellore Jail, were scheduled to be hanged on September 9. Granting the interim stay, a bench comprising justices C Nagappan and M Sathayanarayanan observed there had been a delay of over 11 years in the disposal of the mercy petitions filed by the convicts to the President seeking clemency. The matter involved a question of law, the judges said and admitted the writ petitions and issued notices to the Centre, the state and Tamil Nadu police. Their case was taken up by senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani and others. A crowd that had gathered outside the court welcomed the court order. MDMK leader Vaiko, who strongly pleaded for the commutation of capital punishment, was also present in the court. Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, R Vaigai and Colin Gonsalves, appearing on behalf of the three convicts, contended that the "inordinate and inexplainable delay" in disposing of their mercy petitions violated Article 21 of the Constitution (Protection of life and personal liberty). Jethmalani later told reporters that the delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy plea was "mental torture" for the convicts. "You make him suffer thousand times. Is this justice?" he asked (Island : 30 August 2011).

VISEROY ROBERT BLAKE IS COMING – TO DELIVER INDIA’S ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING? - by hela puwath - In response to a media query at Thursday’s press briefing the U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said the U.S. sees Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s proposal to the parliament to withdraw the emergency laws as a positive step for the Sri Lankan people (LankaWeb : 30 August 2011).

Emerging into light and promise of future - (Continued from yesterday) - Excerpts of Keynote Address by Prof. G.L Peiris, Minister of External Affairs at the Annual Symposium 2011 "Challenges of Post Conflict Sri Lanka" at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University – 18th August 2011. Before I address the manner in which the armed forces should respond to contemporary challenges, I would like to say a word about the singular contribution that was made by the armed forces during the period of the conflict. The Panel then submits their report to the Secretary General. The Panel says in the report that they have prepared the report in a manner that is appropriate for publication. The Secretary-General did not ask them to prepare the report in that form. And if the purpose of the panel was simply to offer advice to the appointing authority, it is difficult to understand why the panel should take it upon themselves to prepare the report in a manner that is appropriate for publication. They say so categorically and explicitly. What is more, the panel travelling completely outside their mandate, makes the recommendation to the Secretary-General that their report should be submitted to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. That is not their business at all. Their business is simply to advise the Secretary-General. It is for the Secretary-General to decide what he proposes to do with the report. It is certainly not the function of the Panel to decide what should be done with their own report (Island : 30 August 2011).

Rajiv Gandhi's killers get 8 weeks’ breather from Madras HC - The Madras high court on Tuesday stayed the September 9 execution of three assassins of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for eight weeks even as the Tamil Nadu assembly appealed to President Pratibha Patil to reconsider their mercy pleas. The interim stay came on a review petition of the death row convicts, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. A division bench comprising justice C Nagappan and justice M Satyanaranan directed the Centre to explain the delay – 11 years and four months – in the rejection of their clemency petitions. The trio is on death row for assassinating the former prime minister at an election rally at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. The trio has been charged with conspiring to Gandhi’s murder by a suicide bomber. Fourteen others were killed in the attack linked to the LTTE. The legal battle to save the three from the gallows was led by lawyer Ram Jethmalani and Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) leader Vaiko, who represented Perarivalan. Jethmalani questioned the decision to hang the convicts after keeping them in suspense over the mercy petitions for more than 11 years. “The delay, unless properly explained and justified, makes the death penalty immoral, illegal and, according to me, unconstitutional,” he argued in the courtroom, which was packed an hour before proceedings began at 10.30am. Vaiko told the court that the death row convicts had been shifted to condemned prisoners’ cells at the Vellore Central Prison. He sought their transfer from these cells and the court agreed. The stay order came minutes after the assembly unanimously passed a resolution, moved by chief minister J Jayalalithaa, urging the President to review the mercy petitions. Former chief minister M Karunanidhi said the Centre should free the convicts because they had spent more than 20 years in jail. The court ruling and the assembly resolution – 10 days before the convicts are to be hanged – were in accordance with popular sentiments sweeping across the state. Cheered by hundreds of people – campaigning for mercy for the convicts – on the court premises, Perarivalan’s mother Arputhammal said, “I am thankful to the judiciary, the assembly and above all, all the people who came to support my innocent son.” (Hindustan Times ; 30 August 2011).

India defers hanging of Rajiv Gandhi killers - Judges in India have delayed by two months the execution of three men convicted of the 1991-assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The three men were due to be hanged on September 9 at a jail in the southern state of Tamil Nadu after India's president rejected their final mercy pleas earlier this month. However, a court in the sourthern city of Chennai said on Tuesday that it had "stayed the execution of the capital punishment by eight weeks" after a further round of appeals from lawyers and state politicians who oppose the executions. On August 11, India's president Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petition of the three men who were linked to neighbouring Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which ordered Gandhi's killing. A woman suicide bomber blew up Gandhi, who was prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989, at an election rally in Sriperumbudur near Chennai on May 21, 1991. Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan and others were charged with criminal conspiracy that led to Gandhi's killing. In 1998, all 26 accused in the case - including the three - were sentenced to die by a special trial court. In 1999, the Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences of four, Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan and Nalini, an Indian Tamil woman married to Murugan who was also convicted in connection with the assassination. The death sentence of Nalini was commuted to life imprisonment after her mercy petition was accepted. The capital punishment of the others was reduced to varying terms of imprisonment. In 2006, the Tamil Tigers expressed "regret" for the murder. The death penalty is rare in India. The last execution was in 2004 when a 41-year-old former security guard was hanged for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old schoolgirl (Alzageera : 30 August 2011).

TNA MP writes to Patil over Rajiv killers'' hanging

Minister Peiris tells diplomats: Post-war development at a pace in North - Political institutions resurrected - Appreciates contribution by int’l community - by Rasika SOMARATHNA -  Despite challenges, the government has been able to achieve impressive and sustained progress in developing the former conflict-torn North, both socially and economically, External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L.Peiris told the diplomatic community.“Most impressive here is the pace of development carried out during the short span of two and a half years since the Lankan conflict ended,” he said while giving a detailed report on the progress of development work in the area. Addressing foreign diplomats in Colombo recently, the minister said that the government had also been able to establish civil administration and resurrect political institutions in the area which were dormant for the major part of the last 30 years due to acts of terrorism. He said that this exercise would be completed with the holding of Provincial Council elections in the North, most probably early next year. Prof Peiris noted that the government appreciates the contribution made by the international community and other organizations in various development initiatives. According to the report given to diplomats, compiled by the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development, and Security in the Northern Province, 420,888 people have been resettled in the area, since the end of conflict. No welfare centres in other districts remain other than two in Manic farm (Daily News : 30 August 2011).

Irene postpones Blake's visit - US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert O Blake who was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka from August 29 to 31 has postponed his visit due to hurricane Irene that is lashing the Eastern coastal belt of the US (Daily News ; 30 August 2011).

Lankan Tamil MP writes to Patil over Rajiv killers'' hanging - A Sri Lankan lawmaker representing the main Tamil party TNA, has written to President Pratibha Patil pleading for clemency for Rajiv Gandhi's killers, who are to be hanged on September 9.The mercy petitions of the three convicts, two of whom are Sri Lankan Tamils, which had been with the President for over 10 years, were rejected early this month.The authorities have set September 9 as the date for the hanging of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, who have been convicted for the 1991 assassination of the former Prime Minister and the then Congress Party leader.Murugan and Santhan are Sri Lankan Tamils.Senior Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Suresh Premachandran told PTI that his colleague S Sreetharan has written to the Indian President seeking clemency for the three.Premachandran, however, did not detail the contents of the letter. Sreetharan is currently overseas.TNA was seen as the proxy-political party of the LTTE whose leader Velupillai Prabakaran was declared a wanted man by India for the killing.India repeated their extradition request on Prabhakaran on an annual basis. Prabhakaran was killed in May 2009 during the last phase of the war against the LTTE (IBN Live ; 30 August 2011).

Media Release Issued by the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra (Read the PDF file in Sri Lanka News Online ; 29 August 2011).

STORY UNTOLD ON CFA - By Gomin Dayasiri - An extraordinary story was unearthed placing the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002 (CFA) in a frame hitherto unknown, when Sunday Island’s investigative journalist Shamindra Ferdinando interviewed diplomat John Gooneratne, associated with the Peace Secretariat (2002 to 2006). It’s a point of departure from which social scientists can research for conclusions on the CFA. According to popular belief, Norwegians on the instigation of the LTTE rammed the CFA, down the throat of Ranil Wickremasinghe. It was presumed, administration was hardly given preferences by the Norwegians, at a time, militarily was depicted frail against the LTTE and the ground conditions were deemed insecure and unstable. It was held out, options were virtually non-existent; peace was a paramount, available at a price. It was marketed as an instrument of peace. Defense Forces were aghast of the contents in the CFA. Expectation of no explosions and assassinations were attractive: CFA was lauded and denigrated. During the pause, the guns were silenced and the public made secure, for a while. Furtively, LTTE utilized the provisions in the CFA to further their goal of achieving their objectives. They provoked the UNP and UPFA governments to retaliate by provocative acts: both maintained remarkable restraint not to stray from the peace zone. With the LTTE exploiting the CFA to their vantage, the benefits conferred on the Tigers’ were unmasked. The defenders of the CFA, for its many lapses, tendered excuses. It occurred because the Norwegians did not give adequate time, even to get the President’s consent, as they rushed the agreement. LTTE were adamant in sticking to obnoxious provisions: the best was extracted for the sake of peace. Constraints imposed prevented introducing the required safeguards (LankaWeb ; 29 August 2011).

Emerging into light and promise of future - Excerpts of Keynote Address by Prof. G.L Peiris, Minister of External Affairs at the Annual Symposium 2011 "Challenges of Post Conflict Sri Lanka" at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University – 18th August 2011. Before I address the manner in which the armed forces should respond to contemporary challenges, I would like to say a word about the singular contribution that was made by the armed forces during the period of the conflict (Island : 29 August 2011).

To hang or not to hang - It is a supreme irony that the stage is now set for hanging three LTTE activists for their involvement in the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi way back in 1991, in Tamil Nadu itself, where political leaders are baying for their Sri Lankan counterparts’ blood over the killing of LTTE leader Prabhakaran and his fellow criminals in 2009. The scheduled hanging of Rajiv killers is a real challenge for India, which has come under tremendous pressure from LTTE sympathisers active on its soil not to execute the convicts. Vaiko has already warned that Tamil Nadu will secede if the executions are carried out! One woman has committed self-immolation in support of the LTTE protests. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is in an unenviable position. She must be wishing she were out of power! Her predecessor Karunanidhi must be grinning from ear to ear thanking his stars for having spared him the trouble of presiding over these troubled times (Island : 29 August 2011).

Australian boost for northern fisheries sector - The northern fishing community will receive a tremendous boost courtesy of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Australian Agency for International Development (AusAid) today (Aug. 30) when they are given newly built fish market and storage facility. A spokesperson for the IOM told The Island that the large auction centre and multi-purpose storage facility would be a boon for Madagal Rural Fishermen Organization (MRFO) in the Sandilipay DS Division of Jaffna District. "The buildings will be used by 700 fishing families from Madagal East, West and South registered with six Fishermen’s Cooperative Societies (FCS) to auction their catch and to store their tools and equipment at their anchoring point. The facility will also provide an area for engine repairs and maintenance and a place to mend their nets," the spokesperson said. The LKR 5.9 million (USD 55,000) project is part of a 3-year IOM community stabilisation programme in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Central Provinces funded by AusAID (Island : 29 August 2011).

Arrest warrants on absconding TRO members - By Jayantha de Silva - Colombo High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundera yesterday issued warrants on several members of Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation who had been absconding from cases pending against them in the High Court for providing funds , aiding and abetting the proscribed LTTE. The Judge ordered to initiate action against all accused under the section 241of the Penal Code. The accused are Vellupillai Sivanadiar, Murugesu Shanmugaraja, kanthilingam Prem Regie, Kathiravelu Ganeshalingam, Eliyathambi Nadaraja, Balasubaramanium Sri Kandaraja, Komaliyan Prabakaran, Kandiah Kunjipadan, S.G.Jojanas , T,Raymond and K. Thevarasa (Island : 29 August 2011).

Those all out to save Gandhi’s killers want GoSL punished for ‘war crimes’ – ex-Foreign Minister - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Former Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday said that the ongoing protests aimed at saving those facing the hangman for their role in Gandhi assassination was manifestation of now desperate tactics of those supporting the LTTE’s cause. In a brief interview with The Island, Bogollagama said that those demanding freedom for three persons-two Sri Lankans and one Indian Tamil found guilty of Gandhi assassination wanted to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal on the basis of unsubstantiated and controversial ‘Darusman report’ and ‘Sri LankaKilling Fields.’ Bogollagama alleged some Tamil Nadu groups and various other interested parties were obviously playing politics at the expense of India and its judiciary. Responding to a query, the former Kurunegala District MP said that in spite of some political groups based in Tamil Nadu and so-called civil society groups taking up LTTE’s cause, Sri Lankan activists so far remained silent on the issue. "Don’t forget two of the convicts are Sri Lankan Tamils and key members of the LTTE during its heyday (Island : 29 August 2011).

Uncle Sam’s crimes - by Mano Ratwatte, USA - Minister GL Peiris refers to the wholesale massacre of innocent Koreans at the railway bridge at No Gun Ri, Korea on July 26th 1950, where U.S. troops slaughtered 300 Korean civilians and the US covered it up for over 50 years without even a casual investigation. Here is another specific example of US duplicity that Mr. Blake or Ms. Butenis will be unable to spin for propaganda purposes to show how righteous US war policy has been or is in comparison to other nations that have had prolonged conflicts with unconventional enemy forces. Oh by the way, Bush and Cheney still defend the use of "waterboarding" and other enhanced interrogation (torture) techniques to extract information from terrorists. Actually that is not wrong and I have no doubt Obama has to resort to such measures and rendition (the practice of holding terrorist suspects in third country locations where torture is not illegal) too. Blake first represented the Bush regime and I doubt if Bush would have wagged righteous fingers the way the current US administration is doing (Island : 29 August 2011).

Tamil Diaspora’s bid to mislead us will not succeed Says S. P. Thamilselvan’s wife

Mrs Shashirekha Thamilselvan, widow of LTTE political wing leader Thamilselvan

Shashirekha Thamilselvan, widow of LTTE political wing leader Thamilselvan, said that Pulidevan, Nadesan and Soosai had died in battle during the last days and no one from the LTTE area came with white flags to surrender

Asylum-seekers branded a risk by ASIO appeal to UN - ALMOST 40 asylum-seekers who have been denied visas after ASIO declared them threats to national security will today appeal to the UN Human Rights Committee in a bid to end what they say is cruel and unusual punishment. The 38 asylum-seekers, most of whom are Tamils, will today ask the committee to direct the Australian government to release them into the community while a decision is made about whether their detention is lawful. Ben Saul, professor of law at the University of Sydney, is co-ordinating the complaint on behalf of the 38, some of whom have been in detention for 2 1/2 years. Professor Saul said the complaint was being made under the optional protocol on the UN Covenant International and Civil Rights, to which Australia is a signatory. Under the protocol, individuals can directly petition the UN if all domestic legal options have been exhausted. Professor Saul said indefinite administrative detention was "clearly illegal" under international human rights law (The Australian : 29 August 2011).

Don’t hang them, TNA tells India - By Kelum Bandara - The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) which acted as a proxy of the LTTE had requested India not to hang the three convicts of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, the party said. Prison authorities in India set the dates to hang the convicts - Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. They were convicted of plotting the assassination of the Prime Minister, an incident which shocked India. He was assassinated by a female suicide bomber of the LTTE at an election rally. The convicts are to be executed in the early hours of September 9. Asked for comments in this regard, TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said his colleague S. Sritharan had already written to India’s President on the matter. “There is growing opposition against the implementation of the capital punishment on these three persons. Therefore, it is unlikely that they will be hanged,” Mr. Premachandran said. Of these convicts, Santhan and Murugan are Sri Lankan nationals, Perarivalan is an Indian Tamil. The LTTE, in 2002, regretted the assassination of Mr. Gandhi. During a news conference in 2002, the late LTTE ideologue Anton Balasingham said it was a grave mistake done by his organization (Daily Mirror : 29 August 2011).

Defence Secretary inspects KKS harbour reconstruction project - Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visited the Kankesanthurai Harbour on an inspection tour of the ongoing wreck removal operation on August 25. He was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonatilake. During the visit, Northern Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral RC Wijegunaratne briefed the Defence Secretary on the Kankesanthurai harbour shipwreck removing activities and its progress. Project manager of the contractor M/s Resolve Marine (USA) Anuj Sahai explained the work scope and the latest diving and underwater cutting devices used for the project (Daily News : 29 August 2011).

500 more ex cadres to be released - By Supun Dias - Another batch consisting of 500 rehabilitated LTTE cadres who are in their early twenties is to be released to society next month in Vavuniya, according to the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prisons’ Reforms. Presently the cadres in the rehabilitation process are undergoing a final test in masonry skills, handicraft work and paintings. The rehabilitated cadres have been given vocational, language and communication training to improve their skills and their educational knowledge. Though there had been 24 rehabilitation centres for ex-LTTE combatants at the inception, there are only nine rehabilitation centres at present. According to the Ministry so far 7969 out of 11,700 surrendered LTTE cadres have been released and a further 2879, are being rehabilitated in camps. A sum of Rs.750 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation process for this year (Daily Mirror : 29 August 2011).

Giving Blake some food for thought - President Mahinda Rajapaksa, within a little over two years of the decimation of the LTTE's military muscle announced in Parliament last Thursday that his government would not extend Emergency laws, though, as is obvious, the LTTE rump is still active overseas and its threat to Sri Lanka's national security is far from over. The US State Department has, in its Country Report on Terrorism 2010 (released this month), stated that 'despite its military defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan government in 2009, the LTTE's international network of financial support persists. It says the LTTE continues to 'collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia. What the report, however, has not revealed is that some LTTE combatants operate openly in Tamil Nadu enjoying as they do patronage from Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa herself and other political leaders including Opposition bigwigs. It was only last week that Vaiko threatened that if the LTTE cadres sentenced to death over the Rajiv Gandhi assassination were executed, Tamil Nadu would secede! Jayalalithaa has vowed to carve out eelam in Sri Lanka. The Indian media has reported that the LTTE is planning to set up training facilities in South India, though New Delhi has sought to dismiss such reports as baseless. But, Sri Lanka came under tremendous pressure from the US, India, the EU etc to do away with its extraordinary laws aimed at countering LTTE threats (Island ; 28 August 2011).

EU yet to respond to Sri Lankan government's request to outlaw LTTE front organizations - Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the European Union Ravinatha Aryasinha notes that the European Union (EU) is yet to respond to a request from Sri Lanka on listing LTTE front organizations in Europe as terrorist entities. The Sri Lankan government requested the EU last month to list LTTE front organizations operating in Europe as terrorist entities. The EU listed the LTTE as a terrorist organization in 2006. The government has noted that individuals arrested by the European and other authorities last year and this year, have been found to be members of the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC), the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) and other LTTE front organizations. Aryasinha has told the media that Sri Lanka is trying to maintain the spotlight on the activities of LTTE front groups still operating overseas. He has said the only meaningful way to deal with the LTTE is to not just ban the organization but also ban its affiliated groups operating under different names (Colombo page : 28 August 2011).

Top Lankan delegation for key session of UNHRC - Sri Lanka will send a high-level delegation to a key session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) next month, amid a row with the world body over allegations of war crimes during the final phase of the ethnic conflict in the country. The Sri Lankan delegation, headed by Foreign minister GL Peiris, will include senior ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Anura Yapa and Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Foreign Ministry said here today. Sajin Vaas Gunawardena, a member of parliament and president Mahinda Rajapaksa?s international affairs co-ordinator would also be a member of the delegation. The UNHRC session would be crucial for the government in the face of the UN secretary general Ban Ki Moon?s panel report which accused the government and the LTTE of war crimes during the final phase of the conflict which ended in May 2009. Sri Lanka is opposed to the UNHRC sessions taking up the panel report issued by the former Indonesian Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, Steven Ratner, a US based lawyer, Yasmin Sooka, a South African human rights activist. Ban appointed the panel to advise him on the alleged rights abuses during the final battle. The government asserted that the report was bias in nature as the LTTE diaspora had contributed to it through unsubstantiated allegations against the government troops. Sri Lanka had demanded more time to investigate the allegations through the proceedings of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission. The report released in April was the subject of government led extensive local protests. A petition with one million signatures was organized against it. The government also went on a diplomatic offensive against the report by making representations to Non Aligned Nations, most prominent of them India. The governments of US, UK and India alongside the European Union have called for a Sri Lankan investigation in to the panel report findings. Peiris last week told the Colombo based diplomatic community that it was unfair on the part of the international community to bring pressure on Sri Lanka to expedite reconciliation (Times of India : 28 August 2011).

LTTE supporters in special camps to be shifted to Trichy sub-jail - As the hangman's noose awaits the three Rajiv Gandhi killers, the Tamil Nadu government has made quiet preparations to use the Trichy sub-jail to accommodate LTTE supporters and other Sri Lankan inmates housed in Poonamallee and Mandapam camps. There are several hundred inmates in the Mandapam camp and about 20 in the Poonamallee special camp. Most of these men have been detained for various offences, including pro-LTTE activities. Earlier, the government issued orders for converting the Poonammallee special sub-jail as a "special camp" to accommodate the Sri Lankan Tamils. However, the government had dropped the idea as prison department reports suggested that the Poonammallee sub-jail was not suitable. The state government has now issued an order to shift the inmates of the two camps to the Trichy sub-jail complex. "The government, after careful consideration, has decided to accept the above proposal. Accordingly, the government hereby orders that the Trichy sub-jail enclosure be converted into a "special camp" to accommodate Sri Lankan inmates from Poonammallee and Mandapam special camps," a recent government order said. Prison department sources said the ADGP (Prisons) had been directed to make necessary arrangements for handing over the Trichy sub-jail to the collector who will take administrative and operational control of it. "The PWD have started the modification works on the premises. When it is completed, we will take over it," Trichy collector Jayashree Muralidharan told TOI. The inmates of both camps complain that the rooms are small and they do not have sufficient space for moving around. The Sri Lankan inmates especially in the Poonamalee special camp have staged hunger strikes several times in the past demanding better living conditions. In 2010, a Sri Lankan refugee in the Poonamallee special camp filed a writ petition in the Madras high court seeking a direction to the government to shut down the camp and shift the refugees to other camps in the state. The petitioner alleged that the camp was in a bad state and the refugees were living like prisoners and it could not be considered as a decent living quarters. After accepting the petition, the high court also issued orders to the state government to look into the matter. After considering these aspects, the prison department sent a proposal to the government that the Trichy sub-jail complex was suitable to accommodate the Sri Lankan inmates from the Poonammalle special camp. The proposal further said necessary instructions had been issued to the PWD authorities to carry out repair works in the Trichy sub-jail complex. The order further said the Q branch superintendent of police will send necessary proposals to the government for issuing fresh orders under section 3(2)(e) of Foreigners Act with respect to LTTE inmates/supporters lodged in Poonammallee special camp for transferring them to the Trichy sub-jail (Times of India : 28 August 2011).

LTTE supporters in special camps shifted to Trichy sub-jail; As hangman’s noose awaits Rajiv killers - CHENNAI: As the hangman’s noose awaits the three Rajiv Gandhi killers, the Tamil Nadu government has made quiet preparations to use the Trichy sub-jail to accommodate LTTE supporters and other Sri Lankan inmates housed in Poonamallee and Mandapam camps. There are several hundred inmates in the Mandapam camp and about 20 in the Poonamallee special camp. Most of these men had been detained for various offences, including pro-LTTE activities, according to an online The Times of India report dated Aug. 28. Earlier, the government issued orders for converting the Poonammallee special sub-jail as a "special camp" to accommodate the Sri Lankan Tamils. However, the government had dropped the idea as prison department reports suggested that the Poonammallee sub-jail was not suitable. The state government has now issued an order to shift the inmates of the two camps to the Trichy sub-jail complex. "The government, after careful consideration, has decided to accept the above proposal. Accordingly, the government hereby orders that the Trichy sub-jail enclosure be converted into a "special camp" to accommodate Sri Lankan inmates from Poonammallee and Mandapam special camps," a recent government order said. Prison department sources said the ADGP (Prisons) had been directed to make necessary arrangements for handing over the Trichy sub-jail to the collector who will take administrative and operational control of it. "The PWD have started the modification works on the premises. When it is completed, we will take over it," Trichy collector Jayashree Muralidharan told TOI (Island ; 28 August 2011).

Pongu - Tamil No 2 in Jaffna - by Keerthi Warnakulasuriya (Divaina Defence Column: 28 August 2011).

Greese Yakku - by Prof Nalin De Silva (Sunday Divaina ; 28 August 2011- read the PDF)

No double standards please, Lanka urges int’l community Accountability issues - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Defending its right to eradicate the LTTE by military means, the government on Saturday (Aug. 27) urged those wanting to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal not to play politics at the expense of Sri Lanka. Addressing a gathering, following the appointment of Dr. K. Sudhakar as Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Bangalore, the UPFA MP, Sajin De Vass Gunawardena, pointed out the irrationality in trying to differentiate between the LTTE and other terrorist groups. The presidential aide emphasized that the LTTE was not different from any other terrorist organization. The MP questioned the wisdom of categorizing some of those taking up arms against elected governments as ‘good terrorists. Vass asked: "Can any country or any person blame Sri Lanka for eradicating terrorism? Can there be good terrorists and bad terrorists? Whether it is in Sri Lanka, India or any other country, terrorism is terrorism and needs to be eradicated," The MP was speaking in the wake of a festering dispute over India supporting the post-war recovery process in Sri Lanka, while Tamil Nadu pushed for economic sanctions, targeting the Sri Lankan state. Indian External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna on Friday briefed the Lok Sabha regarding ‘steps taken by India to provide relief and resettlement of Tamils’ following the conclusion of the war in May 2009. The External Affairs Minister was responding to allegations by a section of MPs that India had turned a blind eye to atrocities committed by the government of Sri Lanka. Responding to developments taking place in India, MP Gunawardena said that the conclusion of the war had led to rapid development and local government polls. The next step would be a long-lasting political process to pave the way for post-war national reconciliation among all communities, he said. The MP expressed his opposition to restrict the political process to any particular region (Island : 28 August 2011).

Sampoor power plant agreement to be signed on Sept 06 - By Rohan Abeywardena - An Indian delegation headed by the Secretary to their Power Ministry will be in Sri Lanka from Sept. 05 to 07 finally to sign the joint venture agreement with the Ceylon Electrify Board (CEB) to build the country’s second coal power plant at Sampoor, Trincomalee. Authoritative energy sector sources said the crucial agreement was now tentatively scheduled to be signed on Sept. 06. During their three-day stay the top level Indian delegation is also scheduled to visit the site of the proposed plant at Sampoor (Island : 28 August 2011).

‘I saw no white flags,’ says Thamilselvan’s widow - When we came in from the LTTE controlled area to the government administered area in May 2009, I did not see the Sri Lanka Army firing at anyone who was coming to surrender. Pulidevan, Nadesan and Soosai had died in battle during the last days and no one from the LTTE area came with white flags to surrender, Shashirekha Thamilselvan, widow of LTTE political wing leader Thamilselvan, said in an exclusive interview with The Nation. “But we all queued up to come to the Army held area as we saw that it was safe. If the Army personnel were firing their guns at the time, we would not have come towards them. When we were coming to Army held area the soldiers treated us as fellow human beings. The story that some LTTE leaders who came to surrender with white flags were shot dead by the Army is a totally false,” she said. When we were coming towards the Army held area some people among us started shouting that the LTTE cadres were firing at the fleeing civilians and some even went back in fear but we kept going without turning back and now we are being treated well by the Army. My two children and my parents are living with me and my children have a good education and I am happy about it, Shashirekha said (The Nation : 28 August 2011).

Diaspora’s bid to mislead us will not succeed Says S. P. Thamilselvan’s wife - By Chamara Lakshan Kumara - The widow of the late LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan, Shashirekha in an exclusive interview with The Nation goes back to her youth, learning Bharata Natyam, becoming a dancing teacher, meeting with the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and Thamilselvan. She recounts her experiences in the terrorist group-controlled north including the fate that befell her. The unknown agonies she suffered after the death of her husband and the plight all Tamil people fell into under the LTTE and the warning that the Tamil diaspora is trying to drag the Tamil people into danger and destruction are told by her in this candid interview.  Following are the highlights of the interview: (The Nation : 28 August 2011).  (Full interview re-produced in Sri Lanka News Online: 28 August 2011).

U.S. reiterates ‘international mechanism’ will take effect to probe Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes - by Daya Gamage - “We continue to urge the Government of Sri Lanka to meet its international humanitarian law and international human rights law obligations, and we continue to say that if they cannot do this nationally, then the international community will have to step in. So Bob Blake will be talking about all these issues on his visit” declared State Department spokesperson as Thursday 25 August mid day media briefing. The spokesperson Victoria Nuland responded to a question raised by India Globe correspondent Raghubir Goyal. Ms. Nuland revealed, as the Asian Tribune earlier report noted, that assistant secretary Robert Blake “will be talking about all these issues on his visit” to Colombo end of this month. Mr. Goyal referring to Sri Lanka ambassador to Washington statement that none of the atrocities were committed by his government, spokesperson Nuland responded in saying that “We stand by the reporting that we (State Department) have done, and we call on Sri Lanka to have a transparent, open, and accountable process.” In a letter to Mr. Goyal dated 19 August Ambassador Jaliya Wickremasuriya refuted the Indian journalist’s claims that Sri Lanka killed thousands of Tamils during its battle with the Tamil Tigers: Mr. Wickremasuriya’s letter to Mr. Goyal said: “In another question at the State Department briefing, you have stated that atrocities were committed against “millions” of Tamil Sri Lankans by the government of President Rajapaksa. I assure you this is a horrendous falsehood (Asian Tribune : 28 August 2011).

Sri Lanka can overcome any challenge successfully – Minister Samarasinghe - By Manjula FERNANDO - Plantation Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who also oversees the subject of human rights, in an interview with the Sunday Observer says the lifting of the Emergency is a commitment the Government has fulfilled to ensure that the right conditions exist on the ground for national reconciliation. “There are certain points of view now being expressed that we are totally relaxing the Emergency due to international pressure. This could not be further from the truth. As early as May 2010, we reduced the scope of the Emergency Regulations in keeping with the ground situation. In March and in June this year we told the community of nations in Geneva that we would consider lifting the Emergency when it was warranted. This has been our consistent message.” He said the Sri Lankan team to the UNHRC in September will not shy away from aggressive and biased criticism, but on the contrary, confidently attack anti-Sri Lanka propaganda and project the true picture of a nation trying to rebuild after successfully crushing the scourge of terrorism. “As I said earlier, we have nothing to be shy or diffident about. We have impressive achievements to talk about and we also acknowledge that there are challenges that we must overcome”, he said (Sunday Observer : 28 August 2011).

Lanka ready for pro - LTTE challenges at UNHRC - Sri Lanka is ready to counter pro-LTTE propaganda during the UNHRC sessions in September and post-conflict development and resettlement progress will help us counter-attack these dark forces, Plantation Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said in an interview with the Sunday Observer. Minister Samarasinghe will lead the Lankan delegation to the UN Human Rights Council’s 18th regular sessions that will be held from Sept 12 - 30. It has been predicted that international forces still influenced by LTTE ideologies will once again make use of this sessions to attack Sri Lanka and the Government with ‘accountability’ and ‘human rights allegations’. ”We have nothing to be shy of or diffident about. We have impressive achievements to talk about,” the Minister said adding however they were aware that there were challenges to overcome. “ I would be the last to state that we have a perfect record. "That is why initiatives like the National Action Plan for the promotion and protection of Human Rights which is now before the Cabinet of Ministers for approval, are so important to carry through.” He said impunity occurs when there is a collapse of legal and institutional safeguards to protect the people’s rights and that no one with any sense of responsibility can say that of Sri Lanka. He said the lifting of the State of Emergency, a long felt need and a commitment the Government had been aspiring to fulfil, will have a positive impact on Sri Lanka and dissuade forces that work with the country’s downfall in mind. "I am confident that we as a Government and a united Sri Lankan nation can face any challenge and overcome it just as we did in overcoming terrorism just over two years ago.” (Sunday Observer : 28 August 2011).

Terror suspects cannot go free – Susil Premajayantha - By Sriyan Obeyesekere and Arthur Wamanan Terrorist suspects in detention, who were either arrested under the provision of the Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act or had surrendered to the armed forces towards the final phase of the humanitarian operation conducted by the armed forces, will not be freed though the State of Emergency was revoked by President in Parliament last Thursday (25), authoritative sources said yesterday. General Secretary of the UPFA, Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Susil Premajayantha, who is also a lawyer told The Nation that the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act empowered the authorities in taking legal action against terrorist suspects. “LTTE suspects now in detention cannot be dealt with under the provisions of the normal law. Those who were arrested as terrorist suspects or those who surrendered to the armed forces have to be dealt with under the Prevention of Terrorism Act,” said Susil. He said all countries have special laws for dealing with terrorism and terrorist suspects and such suspects could be held under those specific legal provisions. Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms, Suhada Gamlath said terrorist suspects arrested under the Emergency Laws could be prosecuted even under the normal law. The government would introduce a new law, Emergency Consequential Bill in Parliament, to empower the authorities to take legal action against those arrested terrorist suspects or those who had surrendered. The proposed draft legislation is now before the Attorney General’s Department and the procedural action is being pursued. Attorney General Mohan de Silva is currently out of the country and was expected to return soon. It is learnt that he would take up the draft legislation Emergency Consequential Bill as soon as he returns. Those terrorist suspects now in detention will not be automatically released though the emergency has lapsed as persons suspected of committing criminal offences including those committed by terrorists could be held in remand custody under the normal laws of the country also and their terms of detention could be extended with the permission of the courts of law (The Nation : 28 August 2011).

Rajiv Gandhi assassination case: ‘Law should be allowed to take its course’ - Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President K.V. Thangkabalu said yesterday that the law should be allowed to take its own course on the issue of hanging the three convicted in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He was alluding to demands made by certain politicians and pro-LTTE groups to stop the executions. He told reporters, that the Congress activists were suffering without Rajiv Gandhi for the past two decades (Sunday Observer : 28 August 2011).

J’lalithaa, Swaraj invited to Lanka - Sri Lanka has invited Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and an Indian parliamentary delegation to visit the country, External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna said here Friday. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj has been invited by the speaker of the Sri Lankan parliament to visit the country. Swaraj has accepted the invitation and is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka September 16-20, Krishna told the Lok Sabha. “During his recent meeting with the chief minister of Tamil Nadu in Chennai, Sri Lankan high commissioner to New Delhi has conveyed the invitation of the president of Sri Lanka to chief minister of Tamil Nadu to visit Sri Lanka,” Krishna said. He said so while replying to a short duration discussion in the Lok Sabha on steps taken by the government for the relief and resettlement of Sri Lankan Tamils. “He has also invited a parliamentary team, not only from Tamil Nadu but also from other areas to visit Sri Lanka, including northern Sri Lanka,” said Krishna. “We would work out a suitable time frame for the visit (of a joint parliamentary delegation) in consultation with the Sri Lankan government,” said Krishna. During the discussion, MPs cutting across party lines voiced concern at human rights violations during the armed conflict with the LTTE and after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers over two years ago. The opposition Thursday had accused Sri Lanka of ill-treating Tamils even after crushing the Tamil Tigers, while a Communist leader also flayed New Delhi for its silence on “war crimes”. Krishna underlined that since the end of conflict in Sri Lanka, India’s focus has been on the welfare and well-being of the Tamils citizens of Sri Lanka. “Their rehabilitation and rebuilding have been of the highest and most immediate priority,” he said (The Nation : 28 August 2011).

Lanka ready for pro - LTTE challenges at UNHRC

"Treat us like any other,’’ Blake to be told - By Shamindra Ferdinando - The government is likely to urge US not to adopt a different approach relating to accountability issues vis-a-vis Sri Lanka to appease those undermining post-war recovery plans on behalf of the LTTE, a proscribed organization in many countries including the US, UK and India. Sri Lanka will assert that it should be treated like any other country fighting terrorists and not isolated at the behest of those wanting to avenge the eradication of the LTTE’s conventional military capability. Government sources told The Sunday Island these issues could be discussed with US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake scheduled to begin a three-day visit tomorrow (Aug. 29), his second this year. Blake will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa tomorrow. Responding to a query, sources emphasized that Sri Lanka wouldn’t expect any special treatment but consistency on the part of the international community when dealing with so-called accountability issues regardless of ongoing propaganda campaign against the government. The international community shouldn’t try to appease the LTTE and its agents at the expense of Sri Lanka, sources said. External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, on three separate occasions recently said that existing international mechanisms shouldn’t be exploited to take up the controversial ‘Darusman report’ at the forthcoming Sessions of the Geneva Human Rights Council. Citing several cases, including the now disgraced ‘Goldstone report’ on Gaza war, the External Affairs Minister highlighted the absurdity in the position taken by some countries and NGOs vis-a-vis Sri Lanka. Addressing the Colombo-based diplomatic community last Tuesday, Peiris explained action taken by the government to provide relief to those affected by the conflict. He also explained the efforts made by the government to resume talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) by offering to have bilateral discussions with the one-time LTTE proxy on devolution issues parallel to Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) deliberations (Island ; 27 August 2011).

SL remains committed to peace keeping under UN mandate - By Shamindra Ferdinando - In the midst of a simmering confrontation between Sri Lanka and a section of the international community on the ‘human rights front’, President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government on Friday (Aug. 26) reiterated its commitment for further deployment of Sri Lankan peacekeepers at world trouble spots. Ambassador Maj. General Shavendra Silva, Charge de Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, told the UN Security Council of Sri Lanka’s readiness to take new peacekeeping assignments at short notice. The former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of celebrated 58 Division which spearheaded the offensive against the LTTE on one flank emphasized that the Sri Lankan military could contribute both men and women for peacekeeping missions. The Gajaba veteran was speaking during an Indian initiated open debate on peacekeeping operations. Maj. Gen. Silva also endorsed a statement made by Morocco on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ produced by Channel 4 News and telecast by Channel 4 targets Silva over accountability issues. In spite of efforts to bring the Sri Lankan military to disrepute over unsubstantiated allegations, Sri Lankan troops continue to engage in joint exercises with foreign personnel. A case in point is just concluded ‘Pacific Airlift Rally 2011’ jointly hosted by US and Sri Lanka. The serving officer said that the military was determined to preserve highest standards of peacekeeping. Silva said: "Sri Lanka’s steadfast commitment to UN peacekeeping is reflected in our strategic reserve of a highly professional and fully equipped battalion for deployment within forty-eight hour notice. In keeping with the UN’s goal of ensuring gender parity in all areas, Sri Lanka also has in reserve highly professional and well trained female personnel to serve as peacekeepers." (Island ; 27 August 2011).

Gota recalls yesteryear battlefield experiences during visit to Jaffna Fort - Recalling memories of yesteryear when the Jaffna Fort was under siege as terrorists intensified their onslaught against the security forces deployed in and around it, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, on Friday visited Jaffna Fort, spent some time and saw for himself how renovation work was progressing there. On a two-day tour of the peninsula, accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunathilaka, Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, he stopped over at the Jaffna Fort and recalled how he, as one of the Army Commanding Officers, at that point of time, stood firm and mobilized his troops to defend the Fort despite heavy enemy resistance. He recalled his battlefield challenges at that time and exchanged views with senior officers present, explaining the series of threats that loomed large while under siege. The visiting Secretary Defence afterwards made a visit to the Cey-Nor fishing jetty and saw for himself how the fishing industry continues unaffected in the area after all restrictions were relaxed by the Security Forces. As the second leg of the day’s itinerary, he saw 40 houses, earlier built by the Army for resettled people in the Vettalkerni area. Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya and Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, Commander, Security Forces, Jaffna explained to Rajapaksa how the housing project came into being due to initiatives taken by the Army. Rajapaksa appreciated the achievements and asked the Army to continue its good humanitarian work for the benefit of Jaffna civilians (Island ; 27 August 2011).

Defence Secretary opens Nachchikudah Naval Deployment - At the invitation of Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa opened the Nachchikudah Naval Deployment last week. The opening ceremony began with Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic religious dignitaries bestowing their blessings on the newly-opened Naval Deployment. Thereafter, Secretary of Defence made an inspection tour in of the Deployment, including its agricultural project and the jetty. Established under the direction of the Ministry of Defence, the Naval Deployment is strategically positioned in an area which was once an LTTE Sea Tiger stronghold. It consists of four Naval Detachments and comes under the North-Central Naval Command. The Nachchikudah Naval Deployment provides security to the lagoons, North-Western coastal belt, civilians in Vedittaltivu, Illuppakadawai, Waleipadu and Devil Point and functions as deterrent against smuggling of drugs and contraband by sea, and timber racketeering. Commander North-Central Naval area Rear Admiral Rohan Amarasinghe and senior naval officers attached to NHQ along with Naval personnel of the North-central Naval Command were also present (Island : 27 August 2011).

Probing the Darusman Report - by Foxwatch - The Darusman report, despite all its flaws, is being cited by countries and media as gospel truth. This is partly our fault, for sitting on our hands for too long and allowing the report’s conclusions, in the absence of any detailed challenge, to take root internationally. This note seeks to point out some key flaws in the report. All that is needed to grasp the hollowness of the report is to read the entire text carefully. The "own goals" that turn up are a revelation (Island : 27 August 2011).

The Fog of War – Channel 4 and the Fog of Words - By Padraig Colman - You are hearing it through the crackling radio and it’s the fog of war stuff and it is difficult to make crystal-clear perfect decisions all the time." The Lambeth Borough Police Commander, Nick Ephgrave, said he "bitterly regretted" not containing the Brixton riot. The same words were used to excuse the slaying of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian gunned down by police at Stockwell tube station, also in Lambeth. Reports are coming in of British soldiers mutilating Taliban corpses and sexually abusing under-age Iraqi boys (Island ; 27 August 2011).

Rajiv killers to hang 20 years after assassination - BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent - NEW DELHI, August 27: Three death row convicts, including two Sri Lankan Tamils, will be hanged to death on the morning of September 9 for killing late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi over 20 years ago. The last execution was carried out in this country in 2004. The convicts are: Sri Lankan Tamils T Suthendraraja alias Santhan and Sriharan alias Murugan, and Indian Tamil A G Perarivalan. They will be hanged at the Central Prison in Vellore in Tamil Nadu, where they have been lodged since they were convicted along with 23 others on 28 January, 1998. President Mrs Pratibha Patil rejected their mercy petitions, pending for 11 years, on August 11. Prison Superintendent Arivudai Nambi said on Friday that he received an official communication rejecting the clemency petitions of the three men, thus paving the way for their hanging. Visits of members of their families will be disallowed from now on, he added. Nambi said necessary arrangements are being made for the execution after the Union Home Ministry sent a formal communication to the Tamil Nadu Government. Soon after the communication reached the prison chief on Thursday evening, commandos were employed to enhance security in and around the prison. The premises have also been subjected to a thorough search. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by Dhanu alias Thenimozhi Rajaratnam, a woman suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at an election rally at Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Tamil Nadu capital Chennai on the night of 21 May 1991. On that grusome night, 18 others were killed along with Rajiv Gandhi and his assassin Dhanu. Thirty three others were injured (Island : 27 August 2011).

Clemency rejected; Date set for hanging Gandhi killers

for details of assassination of former Prime Minister of India, please click here

Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Date set for hanging Gandhi killers; Clemency rejected: Three men convicted in connection with the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi are to be hanged on 9 September, officials say. They will be hanged in the early hours of the morning, an official at the prison where they are being held in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu said. The move comes after India's president rejected mercy pleas from the men known as Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. The killing of Rajiv Gandhi by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber shocked India. All three of the condemned men were members of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers militant group and were convicted of plotting the assassination. Murugan and Santhan are from Sri Lanka and Perarivalan is an Indian Tamil. In 2006, the Tamil Tigers expressed "regret" for the murder. The Supreme Court in 1999 confirmed the death sentences of the three men, but commuted capital punishment to life imprisonment for Nalini Sriharan, an Indian Tamil woman married to Murugan who was also convicted in connection with the assassination. "The three convicts are personally informed that today that they will be hanged," Mr Pugazendhi, a lawyer representing the three men, told the BBC Tamil service. He said they had expected the chief minister of Tamil Nadu state to make a personal intervention. "As there is no sign regarding political intervention, we are exploring other legal options," he said. The mother of Perarivalan also told BBC Tamil that he denied the charges and said that she believed the judgement was based on a forced confession. The death penalty is rare in India. The last execution was in 2004 when a 41-year-old former security guard was hanged for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old schoolgirl (Daily News : 27 August 2011).

Don't hang them - Preparations have begun at the Vellore Central Prison for hanging Murugan, Santhan, and Perarivalan — convicted for their involvement in the 1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Jail officials have fixed September 9 as the date for the executions. The mercy petitions of the three were rejected by President Pratibha Patil earlier this month, 11 years after they were filed, and the Union Home Ministry has notified her decision to the Tamil Nadu government. Of the three, Murugan and Santhan are Sri Lankan Tamils. They were core members of the LTTE team that carried out the ground work for the assassination, acting as its conduits for money and messages; and Perarivalan, an Indian, was charged with buying the battery cells used in the belt bomb worn by Dhanu, the suicide bomber who carried out the assassination. He also bought the battery for an illegal wireless set the assassination squad used to communicate with the LTTE in Sri Lanka. All three were convicted and sentenced to death for murder and criminal conspiracy, along with Nalini, who was granted clemency in 2000. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was on the comeback trail two decades ago, shook India. The monstrous crime, months in its planning and cold-blooded in its execution, deserves the harshest civilised punishment. Capital punishment is a throwback to a medievalist bloodlust that has no place in a modern criminal justice system. The sanction of law does not mitigate the cruelty of taking another person's life. It has been The Hindu's consistent stand for decades that, regardless of person, place, and circumstance, India must abolish capital punishment. The just punishment for crimes such as the Rajiv Gandhi murder must be a lifetime in prison without any possibility of remission (Hindu : 27 August 2011).

Indian Supreme Court clips wings of Chief Minister - While India presses Sri Lanka to devolve land and police powers to provincial councils, the Indian Supreme Court Thursday ruled that the chief minister of a state cannot allot land directly to a person as it amounts to "transgression" of the law and "usurpation" of the competent authority's power vested under the statute (Island : 26 August 2011).

Liars And Broadcasters Of Innuendo and Blatant Concoctions Towards Cheap Publicity Of His Book “The Cage” Should Be Locked Up In A Cage Fit For His Type! - Lankaweb Weekly Editorial August 26th 2011 - The Man just like another of the same ilk in a high profile international capacity the ignominious Eric Solheim of Norway has the nerve to enter Sri Lanka, avail himself of an all expense paid vacation under the guise of a UN posting and then publicises lies and innuendo without a shred of evidence beyond hearsay and the apathetic bleatings of pro Tamil Tiger sympatisers and Tamils who started the decades long insurgency. In a book he calls the Cage he seems to have taken many liberties to paint Sri Lanka as a Nation of criminals and perhaps appropriately relative to the title of his book, he needs a cage to be locked up in for the mischief he is attempting to cause! As UN spokesman during the bloody end of Sri Lanka’s civil war, Gordon Weiss says the organisation ‘should have pushed harder’ to save lives, especially those of trapped civilians… but he does not seem to have an answer as to why the UN has been brought to so much disrepute albeit with impunity through the bunglings of leaders such as Koffi Annan and Ban Ki Moon who were not only dubious personalities where the latter has had some good fortune towards a second term based perhaps on the apathies of those who continue to tolerate them despite their transparencies towards inefficiency rather than being dumped for someone with better credentials! where both leaders turned a blind eye to many attrocities around the world during their tenure and fiddled away with their tunes as did a despotic Roman emperor once where all aroung him was burning! (LankaWeb : 26 August 2011).

Are we seeing the partition of Africa for a second time?: Lessons for Sri Lanka - By Garvin Karunaratne - The Daily Telegraph today stated that British SAS forces guided the rebels in Libya for weeks in the past, dressed in Arab attire and are now hunting for the head of Colonel Gaddafi. It reminds me of what I wrote on Sri Lanka coming under an International Conspiracy, as published in the Lanka Web of 25 th March 2010. » Excerpts from that Paper as would be appropriate for what is happening in Africa and our Sri Lanka today are quoted below. “Sri Lanka today is in the throes of an International Conspiracy aimed at throwing out President Rajapaksa, balkanizing Sri Lanka and destabilizing our motherland. It is sad that very few of us realize what is happening. The International Community is the key player through their NGO, with support from the Tamil Diaspora, and Sri Lanka’s Opposition led by the United National Party (UNP) (LankaWeb : 26 August 2011).

Tamil Nadu Illegal Fishermen in Lankan Waters Could be Poaching 95,000MT Fish Valued Over US$750 Million Annually - Kumar Moses It is a national crime by any standard. Over the years of LTTE activity, South Indian illegal fishermen entered Lankan waters and illegally fished. It went on for over 20 years during which time Tamil Nadu fish production kept going up leaps and bounds. After the decimation of the LTTE, Lankan fishermen started to fish freely in their own national waters only to find swarms of illegal South Indian fishermen exploiting the waters belonging to Sri Lanka. Illegal fishing problem reached international levels when Tamil Nadu fishermen alleged they were attacked by the Sri Lankan Navy; a charge denied by Sri Lanka. There cannot be any compromise on what belongs to Sri Lanka. A just resolution is needed (LankaWeb : 26 August 2011).

Sri Lanka - Minister of External Affairs briefs Diplomatic Community at the launch of the Status Report on ‘Rehabilitation of the Northern Province’ - The Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris briefed the Colombo-Based diplomatic corps on 24th August at the Ministry of External Affairs, on the status of the Rehabilitation Activities of the Northern Province. A report compiled by the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province, was shared with the representatives at the briefing. While highlighting the key activities undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka over the last two and a half years, since the end of the conflict, on reconstruction, livelihood support for the people in the North and demining in order to bring normalcy to the region. the Minister also took the opportunity to share some general thoughts with regard to the principles that need to be adhered to and emphasized following key points: 1. It is absolutely necessary to have clarity, precision and predictability with regard to the procedures that are being followed by the global intergovernmental systems such as the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the General Assembly or the Security Council in New York. Any arbitrary departures or distortion of the established procedures by these global systems for political reasons to deal with any particular situation, would only put in jeopardy the genuine respect for these institutions. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in the Human Rights Council is such an established procedure where country situations come up for discussion and there are also established norms and principles on the nature of the documents that can form the subject of discussion, and how matters can be brought to the notice of the Council. Hence, departing from the established practice would not only be “fundamentally unsatisfactory”, that indeed sets “extremely dangerous”, precedence and far reaching impact not only regarding the specific issues concerning Sri Lanka, but to the international legal system as a whole (ISRIA : 26 August 2011).

LTTE Tigers convicted of Rajiv Gandhi killing to be hanged on September 9 - The three men convicted of assassinating former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi are scheduled to be executed by hanging on September 9, Indian media reported. The three men, known as Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan were all members of Sri Lanka's terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Murugan and Santhan are Sri Lankan Tamils and Perarivalan is an Indian Tamil. "The three convicts are personally informed today that they will be hanged," a lawyer representing the three men, had told the BBC Tamil service. A female Tamil Tiger suicide bomber killed former Indian PM at a public rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. India's Supreme Court in 1999 handed the death sentence to the three men and a fourth convict, another female LTTE member named Nalini, for their involvement in the assassination. However, the apex court commuted Nalini's sentence to life in prison. Recent appeals by the three convicted to commute their death sentences failed when Indian President Prathiba Patil turned down their pleas. The lawyer for the convicted has said that the men have appealed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for intervention. They would soon decide on the next plan of action, the lawyer has said. India earlier provided training for the LTTE but the assassination Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE changed India's attitude towards the rebels (Colombo page :  26 August 2011).

Emergency Regulations Lifted In Sri Lanka?

President proposes to lift Emergency Democracy secured by holding elections: - Govt maintaining law and order - No terrorist activity reported - Sandasen MARASINGHE and Irangika RANGE - President Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed to Parliament yesterday that the state of Emergency needs to be repealed. Making a special statement he said: “I am satisfied with the fact that there is no need of an Emergency law for the administrative activities of the country now. The country can function democratically under the ordinary law”. President Rajapaksa added: “I inform Parliament that we will not extend the Emergency any more”. The President also told Parliament that there have been no terrorist activities since the end of the conflict in May 2009. “The fact has been accepted by the international community as well,” he added. “During this period through the conduct of several elections, the country moved further towards democracy. The society has accepted that these were peaceful and fair elections,” he said. “Accordingly, in the recent past we have been removing various clauses of the Emergency regulations and steadily bringing society to normal administration,” he added. President Rajapaksa recalled that the government introduced internationally recognized laws and regulations to avoid monetary activities, exchange of goods, drug trafficking, banking and financial risks carried out by terrorists engaged in further nurturing terrorism. “In addition to strengthening national security, we have worked towards pre-empting opportunities for terrorism to emerge through these laws and regulations,” he added. On the success of these achievements, the President noted: “We are proud to mention that our government has succeeded in protecting the law and order and peace through rules and regulations approved by Parliament based on the constitution. Therefore, it is our responsibility to protect the democratic freedom achieved after many years.” (Daily News : 26 August 2011).

Lifting of the Emergency and democratic vibrancy - A great weight will be lifted off the shoulders of the citizenry of this country with the lifting of the prolonged Emergency and President Mahinda Rajapaksa could not have made a more correct decision for the country at this juncture. His special announcement in Parliament yesterday on this issue could not have come at a more correct time because it was yesterday that the country's major political parties handed in their nominations for the October 8 remaining Local Government elections. The holding of the Local Government polls in the country is proof of Sri Lanka's democratic vibrancy and more solid proof of this came with the conduct of such elections in parts of the North a few weeks back. It should be noted that although the Emergency was on at the time these polls were held in the North, the majority of local bodies in the province were won by the TNA, further establishing that the government was not at all inclined to misuse or abuse its power for the purpose of winning at the polls. Therefore, in a very importance sense, democracy was the victor at the polls. It also reflects well on the state that the decision on the Emergency has been taken in the aftermath of some bouts of public unrest in parts of the country. If, as sections within the UNP claimed, the government was behind the unrest, with the aim of prolonging the Emergency, a decision to end the state of Emergency would never have been taken (Daily News : 26 August 2011).

All Sri Lankan welcomed the president’s decision of lifting the emergency regulations after three decades - By Muditha Gamage - Sri Lanka’s political parties, religious leaders and civil society activists today welcomed the proposal brought forward by the government to remove the emergency regulations currently being imposed in the country. Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed to the Parliament today that the emergency regulations need to be repealed. “I am satisfied with the fact that there is no need to extend emergency regulations for the administrative activities of the country now”, He noted while making this proposal. The country can function democratically under the ordinary law, he further said. Speaking at the parliament, opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinhe today said that this was a good beginning to laying the foundation for a proper democracy in Sri Lanka. “Lifting the emergency alone would not fully establish a democracy. Further laws have to be amended”. He said that the opposition would work with the government in future to solve issues within the country. However, the government said that there would be no affect to the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Meanwhile, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna issuing a statement said that this is a victory for the people of the nation who value democracy. “Our party continuously pressured the government regarding the removal of these laws.” Full text of the statement by the President: (Asian Tribune ; 25 August 2011).

Blake to travel to Sri Lanka - A top Obama administration official will travel to Sri Lanka next week, days after the US warned Colombo that an international inquiry could be launched against it if it did not take adequate steps for a credible probe into charges of humanitarian crimes during the LTTE war. Robert Blake, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, will visit Sri Lanka from August 29-31, an official announcement said here today. "He will meet with government officials, civil society representatives, university students and political leaders while in Sri Lanka," the State Department said. The announcement follows State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland''s remarks earlier this month that the US would like the Sri Lankan government "to establish the kind of accountable system that its people can have confidence in." "If that does not happen and does not happen expeditiously, then we reserve the right to discuss international mechanisms," Nuland had said. A UN panel had also called for setting up of an "independent international mechanism" into what it called "credible" allegations that Sri Lankan military committed war crimes in its final decisive offensive against LTTE rebels in 2009. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has dismissed the charges as "unsubstantiated" (MSN News ; 25 August 2011).

Naam Thamilar leader Seeman wants a referendum on Eelam in Sri Lanka - A separate country for Tamils is the only practical solution to the never ending miseries of the Sri Lankan Tamils, said Naam Thamilar leader Seeman in an interview to The Weekend Leader. Seeman said reports of Sinhalisation of Tamil areas clearly established that the Sinhalese had no intention of giving equal rights to Tamils.  He said the situation in North Sri Lanka was quite grave. “Tamil women continue to be raped and their breasts are being cut off by so-called ‘grease devils’. The government is doing nothing to prevent the attacks on the hapless Tamils,” he said. Accusing the army of terrorising Tamils in the garb of ‘grease devils’, he said in one incident the assailants had slipped into an army camp when they were chased by an angry crowd. “The Sinhalese want to wipe out the entire Tamil race from Sri Lankan soil. But they will not succeed in their efforts. The Tamil community will use its intellect to defeat their plans. This intellectual warfare will be more powerful than any weapon that had been used by Tamil fighters in the past,” he said. Seeman said he would mobilise international opinion in favour of a referendum in Tamil areas with the options of an independent Tamil Eelam or a united Sri Lanka. “South Sudan was created through a referendum. There are other precedents as well. The Sri Lankan Tamils issue, which has been dragging on for over five decades is a fit case for a referendum,” he reiterated (The Week-End leader ; Vol 2 Issue 34, 26 Aug - 1 Sep, 2011).

Tamil Nadu MPs attack India for ‘not doing enough’ for Lanka Tamils - BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent - NEW DELHI, August 25: Agitated parliamentarians from Tamil Nadu today lambasted the Indian government for "not doing enough" for Sri Lankan Tamils. In the Lok Sabha, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) made an impassioned plea for settling problems of Sri Lankan Tamils and urged the government to take steps in the global fora to bring all human rights violators to justice. Initiating the discussion on steps taken by India for relief and rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils, DMK member TR Baalu described in detail the "atrocities" against ethnic Tamils in the island nation. He lamented that the Government of India had not taken enough steps to protect the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka. "Indian Tamils felt that the mighty Government of India will come forward to see that the killings of Sri Lankan Tamils is stopped," Baalu said. He said there were expectations that India would take action as it did in the case of the then East Pakistan by supporting Mukti Bahini in 1971, which led to the break-up of Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh (Island ; 25 August 2011).

Indian govt. betrayed Lankan Tamils - Communist leader D. Raja Thursday accused the Indian government of betraying the Sri Lankan Tamils at a crucial time by not raising their mass killings in international forums. Initiating a debate, Raja asked why the government never took up the issue of "war crime" in Sri Lanka. "Government of India betrayed Sri Lankan Tamils at a crucial moment," Raja contended in the Rajya Sabha. "There is a demand for international impartial investigation. So far India has not raised this demand. The European Union has come out with a strong statement," the Communist Party of India (CPI) leader said. He quoted a report by a committee formed by the UN secretary general to state that more than 40,000 civilians were killed and more than 50,000 went missing as the Sri Lankan military crushed the Tamil Tigers in May 2009. "What happened in May 2009 was nothing but genocide. We have not seen such genocide in any country in contemporary history," Raja said. "I do not stand here to condole their death but to demand justice for those who were killed and for those who are alive in Sri Lanka. I stand here to demand an impartial international investigation on war crimes and abuse of human rights.” Raja quoted Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa as stating that he was fighting the war for India. "What the Sri Lankan government told the world, the government of India was a collaborator (in the war against the LTTE), what is the meaning of your silence, why are you not speaking?" Raja asked New Delhi to take up the issue internationally and to establish a mechanism to monitor the aid given to Sri Lanka for the resettlement of war displaced Tamils there (Daily Mirror : 25 August 2011).

DMK, AIADMK members walk out on Tamils' issue - Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha in India yesterday after the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam protested against postponing of discussion on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue. They staged a walkout after Deputy Chairman K. Rahman Khan said the issue of corruption would be taken up on Wednesday against the listed item of problems of Tamils in Sri Lanka. MPs from Tamil Nadu, including some from the Left parties, were insisting on the short duration discussion on the problems of the Sri Lankan Tamils, pending since the session started. To resolve the issue, Mr. Khan adjourned the House for 15 minutes after the question hour. When the House reassembled, it was announced that the Sri Lankan Tamil issue would be taken up today. This led to the DMK and AIADMK members protesting and staging a walkout (Daily Mirror ; 25 August 2011).

Army thwarts ‘Pongu Thamil’ style raid on Jaffna detachment - Students among attackers

Sri Lanka Defence Secretary to open Nachchikuda Navy camp today - Sri Lanka Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa will declare open a new permanent Navy camp in Nachchikuda in Mannar district today. The new camp located along the Mannar - Pooneryn road comes under the North Central Command of Sri Lanka Navy. The camp will carry out the security activities of the Nachchikuda land and marine zone from today. Nachchikuda was a major strong point of Tamil Tiger terrorists in the northwestern coast and an area where the LTTE had a Sea Tiger base and carried out attacks before the area was taken into control by the state security forces in 2008 (Colombo page : 25 August 2011).

Minister Prof G L Peiris tells diplomats: Intl. bodies must adhere to procedure - Govt committed to dialogue with TNA - PSC will not supersede bilateral talks - by Rasika SOMARATHNA - Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L.Peiris said yesterday that it was unreasonable for the international community to expect a complete remedy for all issues in the short span of two and a half years since the Lankan conflict ended. Addressing the diplomatic community in Colombo he pointed out that certain other countries which have faced similar situations had taken a number of years to come up with lasting solutions to major issues. He pointed out to countries such as Cambodia and Bangladesh and said that in the latter it had taken nearly 25 years to achieve expected standards after a series of assassinations caused political turmoil. He stressed the importance of having clarity with regard to procedures by international bodies when dealing with related issues. He said that there should be clarity with regard to procedures in international bodies for there to be precision and predictability in their functions. He added that in turn this would ensure cohesion and stability to the global system. The minister noted that the United Nations Human Rights Council had a procedure when discussing issues related to countries, such as, the Universal Periodic Review. He emphasized the importance of abiding by those procedures (Daily News ; 25 August 2011).

STF War Heroes’ commemoration ceremony - by Ridma DISSANAYAKE - The Police Special Task Force is to hold its 27th War Heroes commemoration ceremony from August 31 to September 03 under the inspection of STF Commandant DIG R.M.W.C.Ranawana. An overnight Pirith chanting ceremony will be held at the Katukurunda training school and a sangika dhana will be offered to 50 Bikkhus. Several programmes are planned in Weherahena, Matara, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, Anuradhapura and Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy as well. The STF established in 1983 with 60 police personnel has today developed into a major security arm of the State involved in VIP security and suppressing activities posing a threat to national security. It also helped the Police and the Sri Lanka army in defeating terrorism in the country. The Defence Ministry decided to deploy the STF in active duty in the North and East including the Jaffna peninsula during the height of LTTE terrorism. For the first time four STF officers laid down their lives in defence of the country on September 1, 1984 in a LTTE landmine explosive in Tikkam, Jaffna. The four officers were constables Ekanayake (4100), Mathupala (2539) Nanayakkara (3928) and Driver Sumanasekara (13029). Thereafter September 1 was celebrated as the War Heroes Day of the STF. To date 462 STF members and six civilian staff have laid down their lives in defence of the unity and territorial integrity of the motherland. The STF plans to give scholarships to children of STF families who were affected by the war. Currently they have given over 1000 scholarships and money will be deposited in accounts of children of war heroes. The National Savings Bank, People’s Bank, Bank of Ceylon and large number of sponsors will contribute towards this effort. Personal contributions can be made by contacting 0112588481 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0112588481 (Daily News : 25 August 2011).

Is Sri Lanka a target of Western regime change? - by Shenali Waduge - Wars are today considered “commercial opportunities” for economic success & define political power in today’s competitive political climate. It was these American MNCs that turned US into a great power so naturally all successive American governments end up governing the most liberal country according to the dictates of the businessmen who run the foreign affairs of mighty USA! The first regime change by the US took place in 1893 with the overthrowing of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii. Since then the US has indirectly & directly been involved in coups, invasions, regime changes in Iran 1953, Guatemala 1954, British Guyana 1953-64, Cambodia 1955-70, Laos 1958-60, Ecuador 1960-63, Congo 1960, Brazil 1962-64, Dominican Republic 1963, Bolivia 1964, Indonesia 1965, Ghana 1966, Chile 1964-73, Greece 1967, Bolivia 1971, Australia 1973-75, Portugal 1974-76, Jamaica 1976-80, Chad 1981-82, Grenada 1983, Fiji 1987, Libya 1980s & present, Nicaragua 1981-90, Panama 1989, Bulgaria 1990, Albania 1991, Iraq 1963, 1991 & 2003, Afghanistan 1980s & 2001, Ecuador 2000, Venezuela 2002, Haiti 2004 & Cuba from 1959 to present where over 300 attempts have been made to overthrow Castro (LankaWeb ; 24 August 2011).

Talks, PSC could go hand in hand – Govt. PC polls in North likely early 2012 - By Shamindra Ferdinando - External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday said that bilateral talks between the government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the national issue could take place simultaneously. Prof. Peiris emphasized that the PSC was not a substitute for the two-sided talks between the government and the TNA. Addressing the Colombo-based diplomatic community at the External Affairs Ministry, Prof. Peiris assured that bilateral talks between the government and other parties, particularly the TNA and PSC deliberations would help speed up the process. The minister discussed issues, ranging from post-war recovery process to the ‘accountability issues’ regarding Sri Lanka’s successful war against the LTTE (Island : 24 August 2011).

The US state department further declares the LTTE as a terrorist organization

Civil Security Committees to be re-activated - Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Inspector General of Police Illangakoon have instructed for the reorganization and restoration of the inactive Civil Security Committees on or before August 30. The Civil Defence Committees were the best civil organizations which played a vital role to do away with the insurgency in Sri Lanka. During the time of insurgency in Sri Lanka, the Civil Defence Committees looked after their villages while the forces were engaged in war. More than 14,000 civil defence committees had protected their villages. With the end of the war most of the civil defence committees had fallen inactive. The Defence Ministry and the Police Department have instructed Police Stations island wide to restore and reorganize the Civil Defence Committees in villages. These facts were highlighted at a meeting of the Police officers and Civil Defence Committee office-bearers of the Nugegoda Police Division recently held at the Maharagama Urban Council Auditorium. The Defence Ministry has also taken steps to help the health sector in the dengue epidemic campaign (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 24 August 2011).

Farewell to another veteran - Amila Prabath WANASINGHE - ‘Tina’ the veteran Police dog attached to the Anuradhapura Police kennels who had helped Police to detect the largest amount of explosives during the humanitarian operation to free civilians from LTTE clutches died of a sudden illness on Monday causing immense grief among its handlers and the Police rank and file and the public at large. Tina’s handler Police Sergeant Thushara said the animal fell ill on August 16 and it died at Navula, Matale while being taken to the Peradeniya University’s Veterinary Faculty for further diagnosis and treatment. Tina’s remains were buried at the Anuradhapura Headquarters Police Station premises with full Police honours. Among the prize detections made by Tina were two suicide kits a claymore mine, explosives and a remote control device hidden in a van to Colombo at the Vavuniya checkpoint on September 22, 2006. Apart from this, Tina had assisted security duties at public meetings attended by VVIPs and helped in the arrest of many criminals. Tina who belonged to the German Shepherd breed was a gift from India trained at the Asgiriya Police kennels (Daily News : 24 August 2011).

Maximum penalty for peace violators - Defence Secretary Govt will ensure security of everyone: Law and order will be maintained: by Chaminda PERERA - The government yesterday stressed that it will deal firmly with terrorist elements who were responsible for recent incidents in several parts of the country. According to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the maximum punishment will be meted out to the criminals who were involved in the murder of a policeman in Puttalam. He said that the government is bound to ensure the security for each and every person in the country and criminals who are involved in certain incidents in several parts of the country would be brought to book soon. He said that the incident which took place at Puttalam claimed the life of a police officer who had no connection with any incidents. He said that the wrong doers in those incidents and in the following murder of the police constable would be given the maximum punishment according to the law. He said that the government is ready to deploy the Police and the Security Forces to nab the wrong-doers behind this incident. “This police constable who was on traffic duty was beaten to death by them,” he said. The Defence Secretary was addressing the trustees of mosques in the Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee and Puttalam districts at the Defence Ministry yesterday. Defence Secretary Rajapaksa requested the public not to fall prey to those who have resorted to various means to incite the people against the law enforcement authorities to achieve what they want. The Defence Secretary added that the members of the public have all the rights to make complaints to the senior officials of the Police if they are not satisfied with the investigations that were carried out over several incidents involving the grease monster (Daily News : 24 August 2011).

The US state department further declares the LTTE as a terrorist organization - The US state department further declares the LTTE as a terrorist organization. It has been revealed that the LTTE is still engaged in illegal fund raising, smuggling of weapons and many other illegal activities. Although, the LTTE has been defeated militarily by the Sri Lankan government some elements of the LTTE are still extorting money from Tamil diaspora in abroad. The US state department says that the US government has focused special attention to defeat LTTE international network (SLBC : 23 August 2011).

Army thwarts ‘Pongu Thamil’ style raid on Jaffna detachment - Students among attackers - By Shamindra Ferdinando - The Army on Monday night (22) thwarted a ‘Pongu-Thamil’ style attack on an army detachment at Navanthurai, Jaffna by civilians demanding the immediate handing over of a ‘grease yaka,’ taking refuge there. At the behest of the LTTE, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) launched a ‘Pongu Thamil’ protest campaign in the immediate aftermath of Feb. 2002 Oslo-arranged Ceasefire Agreement. Under ‘Pongu Thamil’ banner, civilians, including hundreds of students launched violent protests targeting the military and police in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Mobs struck in Jaffna in the wake of disturbances in some parts of the East and Puttalam, where unruly group of civilians went on the rampage causing damage to public property. A senior military official told The Island that troops acted swiftly and decisively to quell the protest leading to the arrest of 102 persons, including two Advanced Level students. The official said that the two students were released on compassionate grounds to sit for the examination. The remaining persons were to be produced before Jaffna Magistrate’s Court. Security Forces Commander Jaffna Maj. Gen. Mahinda Hathurusinghe told The Island that a large group of civilians armed with clubs and swords had blocked the entrance of the Navanthurai detachment at 10. 30 a.m. "Troops weren’t initially aware of that they were being accused of harbouring a ‘grease yaka’. We alerted the police and took immediate steps to neutralize the threat," the Jaffna Commander said. The Defence Ministry said that those bent on destabilizing post-war recovery efforts were taking advantage of ‘grease yaka’ myth to wreak chaos. Navy headquarters said that a major destabilization effort was underway to pit civilians against the police and the military (Island : 23 August 2011).

Praba’s house not bull-dozed: MCNS - The Director General, Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Lakshman Hulugalle denies former TNA MP Sivagilingam’s claims that ancestral house of LTTE Chief Prabhakaran in Valvettithurai was bulldozed last night (Daily Mirror ; 23 August 2011).

India Globe accused of ‘horrendous falsehood’ targeting GoSL, President - Amb. Wickramasuriya calls for Washington-based correspondent - By Shamindra Ferdinando - In the run-up to the forthcoming sessions of the Geneva Human Rights Commission, Sri Lanka has accused India Globe of carrying out a campaign to vilify Sri Lanka in the eyes of the global community. Authoritative sources told The Island that Raghubir Goyal, who is accredited to the State Department in Washington, had been making unsubstantiated allegations against the government of Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the military. The External Affairs Ministry has taken up the issue with India Globe with Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Washington Jaliya Wickramasuriya firing a letter to Goyal accusing the journalist of supporting those on a campaign to haul up Sri Lanka before an international war crimes tribunal. Commenting on a question attributed to Goyal at the State Department press briefing on Aug. 11, 2011, Wickramasuriya alleged that his assertion that President Rajapaksa’s government had committed atrocities against millions of Sri Lankan Tamils was nothing but a ‘horrendous falsehood.’ Sources alleged that raising factually incorrect questions was part of the eelam-lobby’s strategy to undermine Sri Lanka. Ambassador Wickramasuriya hit back at Goyal for making what he called (Island ; 23 August 2011).

SL foreign policy might lead to Indo-Lanka Accord Two - By Shanaka Jayasekara, Associate Lecturer, Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism (PICT), Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia - The Rajapaksa administration at the commencement of the war in 2006 developed an astute Indian policy for which the groundwork had been by the then Indian High Commissioner in Colombo at the time Nirupama Rao. The plan was very simple, the most influential bureaucratic troika in Colombo would meet their counterparts every three months for a debriefing and respond to Indian concerns. In India the process was guided by the National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and former High Commissioner Nirupama Rao, loosely referred to in Colombo as the "Kerala Trio". The troika meetings worked extremely well with regular visits to New Delhi by Presidential Advisor at the time, Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga; they briefed M.K. Narayanan, Shiv Shankar Menon and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh on the ground situation. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a veteran of Operation Liberation in 1987, was well aware of possible Indian intervention and evinced a keen interest in ensuring continued Indian support for the military effort. The Sri Lankan side understood Indian concerns and worked with the Indians to overcome pressure from Tamil Nadu. The futile hunger strikes by DMK leader Muthuvel Karunanidhi was handled cleverly through quiet diplomacy. The date for the final assault on Vellamullivaikkal was postponed by a few days to 17-19 May in view of the India general election on 13 May, 2009. After the war the focus was lost, Sri Lanka was captivated in euphoric victory celebrations and the troika meetings in New Delhi abruptly ended. However, the personal rapport between these individuals continued as a back channel for Indo-Lanka relations. In August 2009 Nirupama Roa became Foreign Secretary and in January 2010 M. K. Narayanan was replaced as National Security Advisor by Shiv Shankar Menon. In August 2011, Nirupama Rao was shipped off to Washington as Indian Ambassador to the US (Island ; 23 August 2011).

Muslim Council Heads meet Secretary Defence - Representatives of the All Ceylon Jamiyathul Ullama (ACJU) and Mosque federations in Ampara, Batticalao, Trincomalee, Kurunagala, Kandy and Puttlam Districts met Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa today (Aug 23). Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa while briefing the gathering on the current development projects undertaken in the respective districts also informed the representatives to be aware of certain subliminal attempts aimed at disrupting normalcy. "It is the responsibility of the concerned representatives to keep the public informed on the current developments. Awareness has to be increased in order to defy cynical efforts by a few outlaws to sway the public towards fear and uncertainty", he said. "Hence, it is upon the representatives along with the public to assist law enforcement authorities including security forces", he further said. Western Provincial Governor Alavi Maulana, Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Roshan Goonatilake, Tri-Forces Commanders, Inspector General of Police N. K Illangakoon, Director General MCNS Mr. Laxman Hulugalle and senior officials of the ministry were also present at the occasion (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry ; 23 August 2011).

Devolution of power on ethnic basis could lead to a major ethnic tension and irrecoverable disaster

Ambassador refutes claims by India globe reporter Goyal WASHINGTON - Sri Lankan Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya has notified India Globe reporter Raghubir Goyal that statements he recently made during a U.S. Department of State news briefing are drastically incorrect. In a letter to Mr. Goyal, Ambassador Wickramasuriya corrected accusations made by Goyal, and suggested that they meet to discuss the current situation in Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry ; 23 August 2011).

‘Rapid resettlement and economic empowerment in North’- The following is the full text of responses to questions from Associated Press with regard to Reconciliation, given by Prof Rajiva Wijesinha MP, Adviser on Reconciliation to the President. The article by Associated Press carried little of this. It should be noted however that it did not distort the responses or present a one-sided perspective. Given the generally biased nature of international reporting on Sri Lanka, we must be thankful for this, since we cannot but accept with gratitude the crumbs from rich men’s tables. However, since all AP carried was the following - ‘Rapid resettlement and economic empowerment is taking place...though obviously more needs to be done,’ said Rajiva Wijesinha, a lawmaker and Adviser to President Rajapaksa. He denied that the military was taking over land and said it would pay compensation for any land it acquired.’ It seems desirable to place the full text on record (Daily News : 23 August 2011).

LTTE party to be de-registered - By Kelum Bandara - The People’s Front of Liberation Tigers (PFLT), the political party formed by the LTTE in 1989 when it began peace talks with the then government of late President R. Premadasa, will be removed from thelist of registered political parties in terms of the new procedure introduced for the recognition and registration of political parties in Sri Lanka, informed sources said yesterday. The LTTE appointed the organization’s one time strongman Yogaratnam Yogi as the general secretary and its deputy leader Gopalaswami Mahendrarajah commonly known as Mahataya as the chairman. Later, Mahattaya was alleged to have been executed by the LTTE. The PFLT has continued to be a registered political party but it has not participated in active politics as such. At the 2008 election to the Eastern Provincial Council, however, some candidates had handed over nominations on the party ticket. “The party’s tiger symbol appeared in the ballot papers printed for three districts in the east. Nobody noticed it for objections to be raised by the time of the handing over of nominations,” informed sources said. According to the new criteria, the parties are required to submit their report on annual accounts and conventions to the Elections Commissioner. There are several parties including the PFLT which had failed to adhere to these requirements for years now, and therefore they are to be cancelled. The government defeated the LTTE terrorism on May 19, 2009. Meanwhile, another Tamil party called Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) which is now based in India is also among the parties to be cancelled this time (Daily Mirror : 23 August 2011).

tissa, dew, vasu for devolution - The combined Socialist Alliance (SA) yesterday strongly supported the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) as a means of finding a lasting solution to the North-East conflict and said the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) report could be used as a launching pad to start talks. Lanka Sama Samaja Party leader and Senior Minister Tissa Vitharana told a media conference that it was sad to see some members of the government and the opposition having a misconception that development alone could resolve the longstanding ethnic conflict. “They think an ethnic conflict does not exist in post war Sri Lanka and the problems of Tamil-speaking people can be resolved by constructing a road or a culvert,” the minister said. He said no country could achieve sustainable development without peace and harmony among the people and where Sri Lanka was concerned peace and harmony among all ethnic groups would come only through genuine power devolution. “The Tamil people must be convinced that they are part and parcel of good governance,” the minister said. He said the alliance expected to talk to the constituent parties of the government and the opposition about the PSC and urged them to take part in the PSC. “Especially the United National Party (UNP) has a big role to play in this exercise. All parties must take part in the PSC discussions and they can leave if they feel it is a futile endeavour,” he added. The minister warned that extremists both in the government and the opposition may attempt to disrupt the functioning of the PSC and added that administrative, financial and political power must be devolved to the grassroots level using the ‘Gam Saba’ as the base. He said the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has received an overwhelming mandate from the Tamil-speaking people and should participate in PSC discussions with an open mind now that it was not a proxy of the LTTE. Communist Party General Secretary and Senior Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had gone on record saying he would accept whatever recommendations suggested by the PSC and as such the devolving of police and land powers would not be a stumbling block to the PSC (Daily Mirror : 23 August 2011).

LTTE global presence still a threat: Prof. Gunaratne

The forthcoming UNHRC meeting and Darusman Report - by Neville Ladduwahetty - The UN Chief’s Deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, is reported to have stated that the Darusman Report "has not been formally submitted to the Human Rights Council by the Secretary -General at this stage, although that could still happen in the future. Right now, what we expect and hope to see is that concerned Member States who are now appraised of the contents of the report will take it up and push for something further."(Daily Mirror, August 17, 2011). The UNSG cannot "formally" submit the Darusman Report because this document has no legitimacy as it is an internal document prepared only to advice the UNSG on the "standards, benchmarks and parameters" that should guide an investigation into the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka, by a panel external to the UN system and therefore in violation of the UN Charter. Under the circumstances, a formal submission of the report by the SG would amount to setting a precedent with serious consequences regarding the internal issues of a sovereign Member State. Since the SG is conscious of the issues at stake, he expects Member States to "take it up and push for something further". In order to prevent such violation of the UN Charter in the future, the Government of Sri Lanka should initiate a resolution that reports or documents not officially sanctioned under the UN system are NOT tabled for discussion (Island ; 22 August 2011).

I am grateful to President Rajapaksa for saving my people - Opinion By: Dr.Noel Nadesan - Once again the Tamil leadership is resorting to the old tactic of threatening the Government with demands and deadlines. The latest is the TNA setting conditions for talks with the Government. It has not only put forward three conditions but also insisted that the Government should respond within a period of 10 days. It is insisting that the Government delegation, with whom it is having talks, should inform the TNA in writing of its position on the following matters: (1). the structure of governance; (2). the subjects and functions allocated to the central government and the provincial councils and (3).the issues pertaining to fiscal and financial devolution. These are the failed and arrogant tactics of the LTTE at a various negotiations held in various international capitals. Where did it take them? I also like to ask what will the TNA do if the Government refuses to go along with their demands and deadlines? Do they have any plan Bs? Are they going to run to India? Do they want to ride on the backs of the Tamil youth once again as they did in passing the Vadukoddai Resolution in 1976? Or are they planning to stage satyagrahas like S. J. V. Chelvanayakam in the 60s and 70s? Any responsible leadership that gives priority to the overall interests of its community has a duty to look back and consider the lessons learnt from the past before rushing into places where angels fear to tread. Since Independence the Tamil politicians have plunged headlong into one crisis after another at great cost to the Tamil community. They are the worst gamblers I ever have come across. In the Hindu Epic Mahabharatha , Dharmar gambled with wife Draupathy only but our politicians are gambling with the life of every Tamil. Their misguided political programmes have put back the North and East clock to 1920 (Sri Lanka Defense Ministry ; 22 August 2011).

LTTE financing and SL’s Janus-faced critics - The gradual doing away with the Emergency by the state has been warmly welcomed by the public but this does not mean that the LTTE menace has been completely laid to rest. The truth of this proposition is being underscored by a US State Department Report which points to the continuing dangers posed to Sri Lanka’s security interests by LTTE fund-raising operations abroad. Besides other things, the document titled ‘Country Report on Terrorism 2010’ states that an LTTE network engaged in fund-raising for the group ‘continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, where there were reports that some of these contributions were coerced by locally-based LTTE sympathizers.’ While we are provided a glimpse of the remaining dimensions of the LTTE problem, and, hopefully, state action would be speeded-up from now on, to bust the remaining LTTE operations abroad, the Report should also be used by the state to impress on the international community the need for continued and accelerated co-operation world wide to put the LTTE completely out of action and business. Sections of the West have been doubly prompt in pointing an accusing finger at Sri Lanka on what have come to be known as accountability issues, but we wonder what they have to say about these disclosures of continued LTTE fund-raising under their very noses. Should not they be doing more and at a very accelerated pace too, to neutralize these LTTE underhand operations, if they are in earnest when they say that they have some humanitarian concerns? (Daily News : 22 August 2011).

Set-up Permanent Military Garrisons in Areas Affected by Satanic Mobs - by Kumar Moses - Satanic mobs have spread to the north-western coast as well. There are no “grease devils”. It is an imaginary creation of foreign funded satanic mobs to ethnically cleanse certain areas of the island nation. Their latest victims in Puttlam are three Sinhalese civilians including one policeman who was killed most barbarically. Their act falls nothing short of a race riot. These barbaric groups must be wrestled down without any mercy. If left unattended, they will create mono ethnic enclaves where people of other ethnicities cannot settle down or even travel. What is most despicable is these barbaric acts take place during the time of Ramadan. Peace loving Muslims must do their share by condemning this violence and help put an end to it. Kinniya and Puttlam hold special strategic value to the nation. Violence created in these areas by extremist satanic mobs is directly connected to various illegal and possibly international terrorist activities. During the Kinniya mob attack, the rioters demanded that the navy camp is removed from the area. It is a clear manifestation of their objectives. Kinniya is strategically located around the Trincomalee harbour and military base. Navy presence in Kinniya is essential to provide security in the form of a “satellite base” to the main military base. The longest bridge of the country runs from Kinniya which further increases its strategic worth. If fundamentalist terrorists manage to get rid of the navy camp, they will use it as a terrorist transit hub. A large and permanent army base should be established in Kinniya to permanently control this slide to extremism and associated violence (Lankaweb ; 22 August 2011).

Effective campaign needed to counter false allegations – President - President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized on an effective pro-Sri Lanka campaign through a strong communication network to counter bogus publicity generated overseas against the country. Addressing a group Sri Lankan expatriates from the Europe and Australia at Temple Tress on Saturday, President said the expats can play a leading role in such mechanism. "It is the duty of our expatriates to counter this disinformation and build a healthy public opinion in the West for Sri Lanka," the President said. Participants at the discussion too, agreed with him that there is need for a stronger mechanism to counter LTTE propaganda. President appreciated the contribution made by the Sri Lankans living aboard during the period of the conflict and urge them to use their knowledge, entrepreneurship and financial support to rebuild the country (ISRIA : 22 August 2011).

LTTE financing and SL’s Janus-faced critics - The gradual doing away with the Emergency by the state has been warmly welcomed by the public but this does not mean that the LTTE menace has been completely laid to rest. The truth of this proposition is being underscored by a US State Department Report which points to the continuing dangers posed to Sri Lanka’s security interests by LTTE fund-raising operations abroad. Besides other things, the document titled ‘Country Report on Terrorism 2010’ states that an LTTE network engaged in fund-raising for the group ‘continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, where there were reports that some of these contributions were coerced by locally-based LTTE sympathizers.’ While we are provided a glimpse of the remaining dimensions of the LTTE problem, and, hopefully, state action would be speeded-up from now on, to bust the remaining LTTE operations abroad, the Report should also be used by the state to impress on the international community the need for continued and accelerated co-operation world wide to put the LTTE completely out of action and business. Sections of the West have been doubly prompt in pointing an accusing finger at Sri Lanka on what have come to be known as accountability issues, but we wonder what they have to say about these disclosures of continued LTTE fund-raising under their very noses. Should not they be doing more and at a very accelerated pace too, to neutralize these LTTE underhand operations, if they are in earnest when they say that they have some humanitarian concerns? There is ample duplicity here on the part of those sections of the world community which have been critical of Sri Lanka on ‘accountability’ issues. The main thrust of the Report is that LTTE fund-raising abroad has been continuing right through 2010, the year during which criticism of Sri Lanka reached shrill proportions in some Western quarters in particular. We are also given to understand that the railway blast in June in Tamil Nadu could very well have been the handiwork of the LTTE (Daily News ; 22 August 2011).

Countering terrorist financing and money laundering:US report lauds Lanka’s commitment - by Rasika SOMARATHNA - Sri Lanka has shown a high level of commitment to counter terrorist financing and money laundering, a US state department report on terrorism said. The ‘Country Reports on Terrorism’, released last Thursday, said that while there were no terrorist incidents within Sri Lanka in 2010, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning and therefore, most counter-terrorism activities undertaken by the Sri Lankan government were targeted at countering terrorist finance. In February, Sri Lanka provided a high-level written commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to implement the following corrective measures: (Daily News ; 22 August 2011).

Overseas members of Sri Lanka’s terrorist group LTTE continued to procure weapons in 2010 - US report; ;Courtesy: Colombo page - The overseas members of Sri Lanka’s terrorist organization, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued to procure weapons while the LTTE diaspora continued to support the organization financially, a report released by the United States Department of State on Thursday (18) said. In the ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2010' an annual congressionally mandated report released by the State Department says While there were no terrorist incidents within Sri Lanka in 2010, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning. The report, which provides an assessment of trends and events in international terrorism revealed within the last year, continues to list the LTTE as a U.S. government designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. It says that despite its military defeat in Sri Lanka at the hands of government forces in May 2009, the LTTE’s international network of financial support persists. The report reveals that the LTTE network continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia and locally-based LTTE sympathizers reportedly have coerced some of these contributions. Further the outfit has also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fundraising to procure weapons, communications, funding, and other needed supplies. Following Sri Lanka’s victory over the LTTE, the report says some of the LTTE members have fled the country and have since attempted to reorganize in India. According to the report, a failed attack against a railway in Tamil Nadu has been carried out by suspected LTTE members. Separately, in March the German police have arrested six Tamil migrants living in Germany for using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the LTTE (Sinhale Hot News ; 22 August 2011).

Overseas LTTE got arms in 2010 - By S. Selvakumar - Despite the war against the LTTE won by the Sri Lanka armed forces in 2009, overseas members of the terrorist group continued to procure weapons in 2010 the US State Department said in a report on Thursday. The Tamil diaspora continued to support the organisation financially, it further asserted. The report ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2010’ revealed that the LTTE network continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe and Australia and locally based LTTE sympathizers reportedly coercing some contributions. Further the outfit has also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fundraising to procure weapons, communications, funding and other needed supplies. Some LTTE cadres who fled the country after defeat had also attempted to reorganise its activities in India, the report said. According to the report, a failed attempt to explode bombs in a train in Tamil Nadu has been suspected on LTTE activists. In March the German Police arrested six Tamil migrants living in Germany for using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the overseas LTTE group. Most counterterrorism activities undertaken by the Sri Lanka government after the defeat of the LTTE were targeted at countering terrorist financing in foreign countries, it said. The report also observed that since the defeat of LTTE terrorism in 2009 there were no terrorist incidents within the country in 2010. However, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning hence the concentration on countering terrorist financé. “In order to address lingering resentment in areas that were formerly held by LTTE combatants, the Sri Lankan government was working to restore civil administration, resettle internally displaced persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encouraging private sector participation and promote the development of industries,” the report said. “Domestically, there was a large budgetary allocation (about 4 per cent of the country’s GDP) for defence and monitoring of Tamil diaspora activity in coordination with foreign governments. The US provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants. The Sri Lankan government implemented the Container Security Initiative and Megaports programme at the Colombo Port’. In October, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the FIU of Bangladesh to share financial information to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of persons suspected of money laundering and terrorist financing. Sri Lanka has already signed MOUs with the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, South Korea and Indonesia, the report further said (The Nation : 21 August 2011).

MR wants additional facilities to Delft - President Mahinda Rajapaksa had instructed all facilities needed be provided to the Delft Island where the UPFA government had won the local government election with a higher percentage than what they obtained in the Hambantota district. Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development Douglas Devananda made this comment at the Velanai Divisional Secretariat Division Development Council meeting where it was disclosed that all roads will be rehabilitated and concreted and maintain a satisfactory SLTB bus service. Rs. 100,000 for drinking water wells to the Delft PS, rehabilitation of three tanks and 53 ponds too will be provided and in addition to the 529 houses constructed by the Navy, 10 houses will be distributed per month to the homeless. Minister Basil Rajapaksa has has aside Rs. 50 million for the development of Delft Island too (Island : 21 August 2011).

Devananda hopeful of PSC solution in six months - by Rohan Abeywardena - Douglas Devananda, the man with more than nine lives having survived numerous LTTE assassination bids - overcoming suicide attacks, poisoning attempts, and gun, knife, and improvised weapon attacks. Yet he never ran away from here in fear unlike most Tamil leaders and their families. Although he is a much maligned by sections of the Tamil media he says his hands are not sullied. He reveals in this interview that it was he who had a hand in abducting senior journalist Cecil Wickramanayake in 1984 when the maverick journalist just wondered into Jaffna Town at the height of violence. Devananda is now very hopeful of settling the ethnic issue through the Parliamentary Select Committee within six months of it going into work. Q: Tigers killed even their perceived enemies. They made so many attempts on your life, but you survived. How do you explain your survival? (Island : 21 August 2011).

UK WAR CRIMES IN IRAQ - Shenali Waduge The invasion of Iraq had nothing yet everything to do with weapons of mass destruction. While Iraq did not have WMD, UK & US political leaderships wanted to use WMD as a strategy to bring about “regime change”. If that rings bells about current accusations & allegations against other countries by the US & UK the world must be ready to admit that it is all because of their desire for “regime change” or to secure “economic & resources”. So the March 2003 invasion of Iraq was illegal. In 1990 the UN adopted resolution 678 authorizing coalition forces “to use all necessary means” against Iraq for its invasion of Kuwait. The US used this resolution to provide legal basis for US Operation Desert Storm & ceasefire imposing obligations on Iraq to eliminate WMD. The use of “weapons of mass destruction” as a pretext for the invasion is proposed to have come from UK in order to obtain UN backing as regime change was illegal under international law. UK however argues that Resolution 678 can be revived & this formed the basis of force used in 1998 by both US & UK in the Operation Desert Fox & 2003. It mattered not whether Iraq cooperated or not, allowed UN weapons inspectors into their country or not, it didn’t matter if Iraq had WMD or not….US & UK correction – Bush & Blair & their advisors had already decided to take military action against Iraq. So it really was no important whether Iraq was innocent of the allegations been thrown at them. The West had taken a decision & that decision was to invade a country. So these UN inspectors, the innumerable meetings, closed door discussions were all a whitewash & just a waste of public funds. While on the other hand the UN tightens Iraq with resolution after resolution ending with the food-for-oil program that ended up with UN officials pocketing millions from the deal! Sri Lanka is currently experiencing a similar situation. Scores of allegations are being thrown at Sri Lanka & no matter what trouble the country takes to prove its innocence the fact that these countries have already labeled Sri Lanka’s as the guilty party was obvious even before the allegations. Allegations are a mere whitewash (LankaWeb ; 21 August 2011).

LTTE global presence still a threat: Prof. Gunaratne - Despite LTTE being wiped out in Sri Lanka, their international presence still posed a threat to the country, Professor Rohan Gunaratne, a specialist in terrorism research said addressing the fifth annual symposium of the Sir John Kotalawela Defence University. He said their threat was present in foreign political and diplomatic circles and emphasized the need to create special units in the External Affairs Ministry to challenge these global threats. Sri Lanka was the only country that was capable of eradicating terrorism totally while countries like US, with all their modern technology and resources, were still struggling to see an end to terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan, Proif.Gunaratne said. He cited Rev. Fr. Immanuel, R. Rudrakumaran and Sivaparan as those who still engaged in propagating LTTE terrorism based in foreign soil. He praised the Sri Lanka security forces for eradicating terrorism and the Government for accommodating nearly 300,000 internally displaced Tamils of the North in camps providing them with essentials like food and drugs and providing security. “Yet the LTTE intruded into these welfare camps and shot at civilians,” he recalled. “The LTTE purchased arms through foreign based diplomatic, political and NGO sources in foreign countries and smuggled them to the country through sea routes. But since 1997 it purchased arms from North Korea with funds collected in the US, Canada and Europe. He advised that the political, diplomatic and foreign affairs circles in Sri Lanka should be geared to nip in the bud any future LTTE threats to Sri Lanka.(SS) (The Nation ; 21 August 2011).

An Incovenient Truth - by Ratanapala - In the early years of Rajapakse Presidency, well before MavilAru and the Great Humanitarian War, Sri Lanka sank to the depths of joining the happy company of Solomon Islanders in the Pacific to be theonly other country in the world to ban the book by Dan Brown – The Da Vinci Code. How this came to be about is no secret – it was one of the many occasions where the asymmetrical influence of the Catholic Church affectedour affairs in Sri Lanka however mundane they are. Although there weren’t many who would have been able or interested in this piece of fiction, the Catholic Church went on the extra mile to assert its authority on deciding what the Sri Lankans, majority of who are Buddhists, read. This showed in clear contrast the length to which the Catholic Church will go to control events and micro manage how Sri Lankans think and act. Ever since the coming of the despicable Portuguese to our island nation 500 year ago, the CathloicChurch has always been the shadowy power behind the political power in Sri Lanka. According to late GaminiIriyagolle , to tell the story of Sri Lanka during the last 500 years would be tantamount to narrating Hamlet without mentioning the Prince of Denmark. It is this inconvenient truth that we have to confront, to understand the happenings behind the power politics of Sri Lanka. Although the Catholic Church vehemently opposed the election of MahindaRajapakse to the Presidency of Sri Lanka, the President has so far visitedtwice the Pope in the Vatican- thegreat humanitarian protector of pedophile priests. In order to understand the happenings in Sri Lanka in finding political solutions to Tamils we must clearly understand how the Catholic Church is influencing the Presidents hand. President should understand that he is a ‘child playing with fire’, and he will suffer burns, if he thinks he can handle the Church in the same way he handled the Indians during the last few months of Eelam War IV – for the Church has a way of running with the hares, in Sri Lanka and hunting with the hounds, abroad! (LankaWeb : 21 August 2011).

TNA Leader R.Sampanthan and his Adjournment motion in Parliament - By Charles.S.Perera - TNA has been elected to the Local Government Councils in the North and East. But what ever the reason for the Tamils in these provinces to have given their precious votes to TNA, TNA cannot continue any more with their separatist politics. They cannot above all attempt to bring together the Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils. TamilNadu Tamils are different from the Tamils in the North and East and their problems too are different. Therefore the TNA should engage in affairs nearer home and do all they could to bring the Sri Lanka Tamils and the Sinhala people together. TNA after its victory should have awakened to the fact that being the representative of the people who elected them they should now be a bridge between the South and North of Sri Lanka to bring the two communities together. It is their duty to tell the Tamil people that it is time that they change their racism against the Sinhala majority, and force them into a non racist existence as people of Sri Lanka- the mother land of all born in Sri Lanka or accept Sri Lanka as their home, working for its welfare, not against it as the expatriate pro-terrorist Tamils abroad. The Tamils in the North and East should change from detached isolation into active participation for a meaningful reconciliation with the rest of the Communities in Sri Lanka.. It is only in achieving such a noble attitudinal change among the Tamils, that TNA will receive any respect as representatives of the Local Government Councils for which they have been elected. Their visit to India immediately after their victory on a lecture tour make them suspect not as patriotic Sri Lankan politicians but as a group of racist Tamils with an agenda of their own to break away North and East if possible with the help of India (LankaWeb : 21 August 2011).

UK documentaries to be part of Lankan war panel - A key Sri Lankan panel looking into the LTTE conflict will include in its final report the details of its investigation of the two video documentaries aired by the British Channel 4 TV accusing armed forces of war crimes. Lakshman Wickramasinghe, the spokesman of the Lessons. Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), on Sunday said the findings on the two videos would be incorporated in the final report that is schedule to be handed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa by November 15. The LLRC was appointed by Rajapaksa in May 2010 to look into the three decade old conflict with LTTE covering the period of February 2002 and May 2009. The Channel 4 videos featured LTTE cadres being executed by Sri Lankan soldiers during the last stages of the conflict. However, the Lankan government claimed the visuals in the video showed the execution of government soldiers by the LTTE. The international community including the US, UK and the European Union have urged an independent investigation into the videos. Sri Lanka answered that LLRC was the forum to probe the videos. Wickramasinghe also said that the LLRC had come under pressure from international forces to issue its report in time for the UN Human Rights Council. The LLRC headed, by the former attorney general CR de Silva, has toured the former conflict zones in the northern and eastern part of the country to interview victims. Wickramasinghe said the commission was busy finalising its report as compilation of the summary of evidence had neared its end. Sri Lanka has dismissed the doubts raised by international human rights watch dogs such as Human Rights Watch on the credibility of the panel (Island ; 21 August 2011).

Human rights violations and double standards - By Our Political Correspondent The leading Western nations like the US and UK have pursued a policy of attacking countries like Afghanistan, Iraq or even Libya professing to protect human rights and democracy but committing genocide on the pretext of fighting terrorism. In the United Kingdom the LTTE front organization Tamil Transitional Government in Exile is openly flying the LTTE flag calling for a separate state but the UK does not impose a ban on it, Professor Asoka Bandaranayake said Friday. Prof Bandaranayake a senior Sri Lankan academic who was on the panel of advisors on South Asian affairs, USA was delivering her address to the symposium Defeat War Crimes Conspiracy held at the Mihilaka Medura auditorium, BMICH. She said the US and other western countries involved in violation of human rights in other countries were targeting Sri Lanka after it was able to defeat the LTTE terrorists. They are calling for investigations into the alleged violation of human rights in Sri Lanka during the final phase of the humanitarian operation. The US congress has called for cut on aid to Sri Lanka and its State Department recently issued an ultimatum. But neither the US nor countries like the UK have any moral or legal right to call for an investigation of that nature. It could not be forgotten that the LTTE was fighting for a separate state encompassing one third of the landmass and two third of the coast of this country while according to census and statistics Tamils of the north and east were 12.6 percent of the population in 1981 while their number came down to 8.2 percent by 2002. The fight for partition, externally inspired was begun by the Wellala elites of the North. They are still in the lead, though dismembered, now changing their strategy. Their call for devolution would end up in separation therefore it has to be viewed with caution, she said (The Nation : 21 August 2011).

Death sentence on Rajiv assassins; Some TN parties call on Jayalalithaa to intervene - By S.Selvakumar - Several Tamil Nadu political parties have urged Chief Minister Jeyalalithaa Jeyaram to urge the Central Government to stop the hanging of the three accused convicted and sentenced to death in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, according to reports published in Chennai dailies. Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sri Perambadur in Chennai in 1991 by the LTTE through a suicide bomber while he was engaged in electioneering. Four people were prosecuted by a special team and the Indian Supreme Court convicted all four and sentenced them to death. The four, Perarivalan, Santhan and Murugan were sentenced to death along with a woman Nalini. However, Nalini was later pardoned while she was in jail and released. The death sentence of the three men were confirmed by President Pratiba Patel last week and the Tamil Nadu Police were awaiting confirmation from the Tamil Nadu Governor to inform the Velore jail authorities to carry out the death sentence. Meanwhile on receipt of information that the Indian President had confirmed the death sentence, Secretary General of the Central DMK Y. Gopalaswamy also known as Vaiko conducted demonstrations all over Tamil Nadu requesting the Central Government to cancel the death sentence. Vaiko was well known as an LTTE sympathiser and said to have travelled to Jaffna and met LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Meanwhile when the Tamil Nadu State Aeembly met on Wednesday several opposition political parties in the House including the main opposition urged Chief Minister Jeyalalithaa to pass a resolution calling on the Central Government to cancel the death sentence on the three convicts. These opposition members cited a similar incident in 1974 where the death sentence inmposed on one Balan in the Kaliyaperumal case was cancelled following a resolution passed in the Kerala State assembly. Meanwhile former Chief Miniuster M. Karunanidhi also requested the Central Government not to carry out the death sentence on the three convicts (The Nation : 21 August 2011).

LTTE Senior leader Uganda Bala arrested at BIA, Katunayake

An effective programme to counter the LTTE’s false propaganda mechanism needed - The President - President Mahinda Rajapakse has pointed out the need of an effective programme to counter the LTTE’s false propaganda mechanism instead of responding to its continuous baseless allegations. The President stated this when he met a group of Sri Lankan expatriates at Temple Trees yesterday. A group of Sri Lankans living in the European region and Australia took part in this meeting. At the occasion they commended the efforts taken by the President to protect the image of the country as well as to reveal the true situation of Sri Lanka to the international community. Responding to it President Rajapakse noted that Sri Lankans who are living abroad could immensely contribute to those efforts as well (SLBC ; 21 August 2011).

A US report says SL govt. has taken number of measures to dismantle the LTTE’s fund raising activities -  A report compiled by the United States has stated that Sri Lankan government has taken a number of measures to dismantle the LTTE’s fund raising activities. The government of Sri Lanka was able to defeat the LTTE, which is also a US designated foreign terrorist organization in 2009.  Although, there were no terrorist incidents reported from Sri Lanka within last year, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning. The office of the coordinator for counter terrorism in its report says therefore, the government of Sri Lanka implemented counter measures targeting fund raising activities of the LTTE. Under this legislative efforts were taken focussing on limiting financial support for the remnants of the LTTE. Agreements were also reached with foreign governments in this regard. Under this the United States provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants. The report goes on to say the Sri Lankan government also implemented the container security initiative and the mega ports programme at Colombo harbour. Furthermore, the Sri Lankan government provided a high-level written commitment to work with the financial action task force to implement various measures to counter terrorist finance. Under this stern legal action was taken against money laundering. Measures were also taken to freeze their assets. In addition to this number of MOU’s were signed with various countries including Bangladesh, Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia to share information with regard to terrorist activities (SLBC : 21 August 2011).

Arrangement of five men in credit card racket: Exposé of LTTE’s new Mafia cloak - By Manjula FERNANDO - The recent arrests of five men of Malaysian and Sri Lankan origin in Australia, in connection with a sophisticated international credit card skimming racket, could be an expose of the LTTE’s transformation into a global mafia and its continuing global criminal activities. Although the details are yet to be revealed of the ‘nerve cell’ from where these arrested men - all Tamils as far as the locked up Lankans are concerned - were being string-puppeted, the group have had their network operations in places where the LTTE concentration is disturbingly high, Canada, Britain and the western Europe. The global fraud scheme involved credit card numbers stolen in Britain being emailed to Australia and encoded onto blank ‘Coles Myer’ and ‘Crown cards’, which were then used to withdraw cash at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), the Australian media reported. These men have also stolen credit card information of Australian citizens and transmitted details overseas to their other wings and criminal cells. Of the five men, three were key members of the Australian wing of the global syndicate. Their arrests last Sunday is reported to be a massive blow to the operations of the criminal wing. The Sydney police took into custody two more individuals aged 22 and 28 on Wednesday in connection with the skimming racket, bringing the total number arrested so far to 27. During the trial of the three men, the court heard more than 1,500 credit and debit card details were stolen in the scheme to fleece major banks. These three are said to be masterminds of the scam which the police identified as one of the largest credit card skimming rackets in Australia. They have lived on refugee status. One of the arrested had installed a skimming device in his Strathfield grocery store. Police has also described a Sri Lankan man arrested that day as an “international organiser” for the syndicate, and a Canadian national as a “technician”. The masterminds, Karan Nada, 42, of Endeavour Hills, Ramesh Rasanayagam, 32, of Hallam, and Udayakumar Vivekanandan, 32, all pleaded guilty. All three were handed jail terms but the jail terms of Rasanayagam and Vivekanandan were suspended by the Judge (Sunday Observer ; 21 August 2011).

US avows need to focus on LTTE financing - by Manjula FERNANDO - A report analysing the situation of global terrorism by the US Department of State has recognised the need for Sri Lanka to focus on countering LTTE financing in the international front, although the terror outfit has been defeated within the country’s boundaries. The report ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2010, released on Thursday, said” despite its military defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan government in 2009, the LTTE’s international network of financial support still persists.” Identifying LTTE still as a US government designated foreign terrorist organisation, the report said “In 2010, LTTE members reportedly fled Sri Lanka and have since attempted to reorganise in India,” adding that a railway attack in June in Tamil Nadu may have been the work of this remnants. The report compiled by Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism said, “This network (LTTE) continued to collect contributions from the Tamil diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, where there were reports that some of these contributions were coerced by locally-based LTTE sympathisers. The LTTE also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fund-raising.” Within 2010, the report said, the LTTE members in the West continued to procure weapons while the LTTE diaspora continued to support the organization financially. It has cited as an example the arrests of six Tamil migrants by the German police in March 2010, on charges of using blackmail and extortion to raise funds for the LTTE. According to the report the United States has provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants. In the overview on Sri Lanka the Report identified the efforts the Government has taken to counter radicalisation and violent extremism among the communities, especially the North and the East where the LTTE presence was intense. It said, “In order to address lingering resentment in areas that were formerly held by LTTE combatants, the Sri Lankan government was working to restore civil administration, resettle Internally Displaced Persons, provide immediate infrastructure development, encourage private sector participation, and promote the development of industries,” under the sub topic ‘Countering Radicalisation and Violent Extremism’. The report was prepared for the Secretary of State who is mandated by law to table a full and complete report on terrorism to the Congress. But the report said there were no reported terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 2010. The Report has also recognised the action the country has initiated and the commitment shown to counter crimes such as money laundering and terrorist financing through joint cooperation with the US as well as Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Malaysia, Afghanistan, South Korea and Indonesia to share financial intelligence (Sunday Observer ; 21 August 2011).

Those accusing SL have hidden agendas - Defence Secretary - Baseless allegations are levelled against Sri Lanka continuously by certain western countries and pro-LTTE foreign media institutions have a hidden agenda, Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa said. He said that the government has already responded to those baseless allegations by rescuing nearly 300,000 civilians from LTTE clutches, successfully resettling over 95 percent of them in their native places, rehabilitating nearly 11,000 ex LTTE combatants and reintegrating them into the society and establishing clear future for ex-LTTE child soldiers by sending them back to schools. The Defence Secretary made these observations as the chief guest at the symposium ‘Battles won and wars that must still be fought’ organised by the Strategic Initiative for the Protection of Sri Lanka (SIPOS) together with Federation of National Organizations at the BMICH. Rajapaksa further said that foreign forces are levelling these allegations to bring some other groups into power as they are fully aware that the President or the present government will not fulfil their needs. Former acting Chief Justice and Supreme Court Judge Rajah Wanasundara who chaired the event ceremonially launched the website following the welcome address by the convenor of the Federation of National Organisations, Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara. Professor Asoka Bandarage of George Town University of America delivered the special guest lecture on “Globalisation and Conflict Resolution”. Senior Attorney-at-Law Gomin Dayasri and senior journalist Malinda Senevirathna also spoke. At the event three maiden publications were also released. The publications cover key aspects of Sri Lanka’s struggle to eliminate terrorism from the soil of this country and were under the themes ‘The LTTE: The most disciplined fighting force the world has ever known’, ‘Unpardonable crimes against humanity’, and ‘ Out of the Cage: the greatest hostage rescue operation ever’ (Sunday Observer ; 21 August 2011).

Rs 200 Million water projects for North

Will new Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office Ms Tamara Kunanayakam be able to deliver the goods? - By Malin Abeyatunga, Melbourne, Australia - We have no qualms of the appointment of Ms Tamara Kunanayakam as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva. Do we? May be she will join the caliber of our gentleman Politician late Lakshman Kadirgamar. However, having observed and experienced the biased attitudes towards LTTE by a Tamil Sri Lankan Radhika Coomaraswamy holding one of the UNO top positions, Sri Lankans at large will be little more skeptical of this appointment to that prestigious position at a crucial time which is a life and death situation for Sri Lanka. It is crucial because there is open conspiracy by the west at the next UNHRC session in September to drag Sri Lanka to the war crime gallows. The government strategy (if there is) will be successful only if she acts as a Sri Lankan but not as a Tamil. It was Dr. Dayan Jayatilake and his efficient colleagues who saved Sri Lanka at the last session from another catastrophe on a venomous campaign launched against Sri Lanka by the west. Tamara has to perform better than Dayan as the things have gone from bad to worst against Sri Lanka’s image after the infamous Channel 4 fake film clip which the gullible west is banking on as a proof of war crimes and the Darusman Report (not a UN report. Even SG Ban-ki-Moon doesn’t want to proceed further on this report). Will she or can she perform fearlessly as we will have to accept the fact that the Tamil Diaspora’s propaganda is very strong in Switzerland and other EU Countries in influencing the gullible. She may have to expect some aggressive demonstrations by the LTTE rump opposite UN Office in Geneva. Can she deliver the goods the way Sri Lankan Governments expects? (Sri Lanka News Online : 20 August 2011).

Lanka's probe panel's report on ethnic conflict by Nov 15: LLRC - A Sri Lankan panel looking into the ethnic conflict in the country will submit its crucial report by November 15, a top official of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has said. President Mahinda Rajapaksa set up the LLRC in May 2010 to probe the events from February 2002 to May 2009 when the civil war came to an end with the defeat of the LTTE. LLRC spokesman Lakshman Wickremasinghe said there was no pressure on the reconciliation panel. Neither the United Nations nor the government could pressure the LLRC to complete its probe report by September to present it to the UN General Assembly, Wickremasinghe was quoted as saying by Colombopage, the Sri Lankan online newspaper. He said the government was unlikely to put pressure on the LLRC and seek the commission's final report in a hurry. The LLRC said its final report would be submitted on November 15 and not before the set date due to any pressure (Indian Express : 20 August 2011).

Continuing concerns over LTTE’s international network of financial support: US State Dept.- While there were no terrorist incidents within Sri Lanka in 2010, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning. Therefore, most counterterrorism activities undertaken by the Sri Lankan government were targeted at countering terrorist finance, states a report by the US Department of State.In chapter 2 of its report for 2010, the US State department states: Overview: In 2009, the Government of Sri Lanka announced formally the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. While there were no terrorist incidents within Sri Lanka in 2010, there were continuing concerns that the LTTE’s international network of financial support might still be functioning; therefore, most counterterrorism activities undertaken by the Sri Lankan government were targeted at countering terrorist finance. Legislation and Law Enforcement: Legislative efforts were focused on limiting financial support for the remnants of LTTE. Domestically, there was a large budgetary allocation (about four percent of Sri Lanka’s GDP) for defense and monitoring of Tamil diaspora activity in coordination with foreign governments. The United States provided training for relevant Sri Lankan government agencies and the banking sector in combating the provision of financial support to the LTTE remnants. The Sri Lankan government implemented the Container Security Initiative and the Megaports program at the Port of Colombo. Countering Terrorist Finance: In February, Sri Lanka provided a high-level written commitment to work with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to implement the following corrective measures: (1) adequately criminalizing money laundering and terrorist financing; and (2) establishing and implementing adequate procedures to identify and freeze terrorist assets. The government was drafting amendments to the 2005-2006 laws on money laundering and terrorist financing, in accordance with FATF recommendations, at year’s end (Sunday Observer ; 20 August 2011).

High demand for teachers in former conflict zone  - As thousands of students begin uninterrupted schooling after a lapse of years, education officials in Sri Lanka's former northern conflict zone are facing a shortage of teachers. John Edward Solemn, Assistant Education Director of Vavuniya South, an educational division, said the lack of teachers, especially in rural schools and in the subjects of English, mathematics and science, was a major concern for the region. In 26 years of fighting, schools were destroyed and children's access to education was disrupted. Now, more than two years after the government declared victories over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), many structures have been repaired, students are primed, but heads of classrooms are scarce. The situation in Vavuniya South was bad, Solemn said. From a required 197 English teachers, the division had less than half. There are only 87 science teachers, out of 199 slots. But Vavuniya South, farthest from where the fighting took place, was not the worst. Solemn said the situation was the most dire in the two rural divisions of Vavuniya: Vavuniya North and Chettikulam, with only two teachers for 10 classes sometimes. Similar shortages are faced in Kilinochchi District, at the heart of the fighting in the last days of the war, where some 400 posts needed to be filled. The largest shortages were recorded at secondary school level, but primary schools are part of the problem too, Solemn said (Daily Mirror ; 20 August 2011).

Rs 200 m worth water projects for North - by Chamikara WEERASINGHE - Hundreds of thousands of people who have been resettled in the Northern Province have access to clean water and sanitation, National Water Supply and Drainage Board chairman Karunasena Hettiarachchi told the Daily News yesterday. He said that although there are some villages that may not have the supply of water for all 24 hours, they too get their share of water from the Board's water bowser service in the province. "None of the families who have been resettled in the province is water-starved," said Hettiarachchi. He said they have started new water projects in Kilinochchi and Jaffna with the help of the Asian Development Bank and the French government. They provide funds to the tune of Rs 200 million. The Board recently started a project to provide water to Mannar and Vavuniya districts with the help of Japanese funds, he said. The National Water Supply and Drainage Board will have to address their water and sanitation issues fully by the end of the year. The board has started a campaign to raise funds for water projects in the province. The estimated cost of the project is 20,000 million US dollars, according to sources at National Water Supply and Drainage Board (Daily News : 20 August 2011).

Gomin faults government for failing to expose UK double standards : Ex-UK Intelligence Chief heads probe on secret US prisoner transfers - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Senior lawyer Gomin Dayasri accuses the government of failing to exploit international developments in the human rights field to expose Western double standards and the on-going attempts to isolate Sri Lanka on the basis of the controversial ‘Darusman report’ and a video titled Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields produced by the pro-LTTE Channel Four. Had there been a cohesive strategy on the part of the government, the country could have launched an effective counter-attack on those wanting to haul Sri Lankan political and military leaders before an international war crimes tribunal, Dayasri said. Dayasri was speaking at a symposium on post-war challenges organised by the Federation of National Organisation at the BMICH on Thursday (Aug. 18). Dayasiri said it was inexcusable that Sri Lankan High Commission in London had failed to pursue the on-going probe into Britain’s involvement in CIA prisoner transfers (Island ; 19 August 2011).

Kokavil transmission tower available to private media networks? - By Pabodha Hettige - Ministry of Mass Media and Information says that discussions are being held on the possibility of making available the facilities of the newly built Kokavil transmission tower to private media networks in the near future. "Currently the discussions are underway with the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Media and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC)," a Media Ministry official said. Once the approval of the Ministry of Media was granted the TRC could provide transmission facilities to seven radio networks and any number of television networks, Chairman, TRC, Anusha Palpita said. Currently the tower is being used by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini and Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporations to carry out experimental transmissions (Island ; 19 August 2011).

Buddhists build two kovils in North at a cost of Rs 1.2 million

Was Nallur the capital of the Nagas in ancient Nakadeepa? - ?by Prof. Chandre Dharmawardana, Ottawa, Canada - Romesh Jayaratnam, has writen in the Sri Lanka Guardian of the 17th August (www.srilankaguardian.org/2011/08/in-veneration-of-nallurs-vira-ma-kali.html), about Nallur’s Vira Ma Kali devotional tradition. He mentions that the Temple in Nallur was `built by a king in pre-colonial Jaffna’, and also makes a timely plea against animal sacrifices and calls for reform in such Hindu practices. The more well known aspect of the Nallur temple is the Kandaswamy Kovil, (or Nallur Murugan Kovil), probably constructed in the 10th century CE. Subsequently, Sapumal Kumaraya’s name has also been associated with the restoration of this temple (regarding “Sapumal Kumaraya”, see the Sri Lanka Guardian article: www.srilankaguardian.org/2008/12/sapumal-kumaraya-and-puran-appu-later.html). In this brief note I wish to touch on a topic that has intrigued many scholars including Gnanaprakasar and Rasanayagam – namely, the origin of the place name Nallur. Much of the speculative writing has evolved around the prima facia interpretation of Nallur as having something to do with “nalla-(p)ur”, or “good-city”, a suggestion attributed to Fr. Gnaprakasar as well as to Pandit W. F. Goonawardena. In a similar vein, Pandit A. M. Gunesekera, a Sinhala scholar of the 1890s had suggested that Nalluruva was originally ‘Yahapura’. There is of course, little or no literary support for such views, and they lead to no associated historical context (LankaWeb : 19 August 2011).

Sri Lanka, August 10,2011 – If there is to be Peace there must be Justice, A. Neve of Amnesty International - by Ira de Siva London, Canada - The Editor Embassy Magazine Ottawa, Ontario. Dear Sir: I am responding to the article by A. Neve of Amnesty International titled “If There is to be Peace there must be Justice”, because I have had continuing correspondence with Mr. Neve regarding Amnesty’s continued vilification of Sri Lanka without any attempt to verify the information on which he bases his arguments and judgements. The problem could be that Amnesty’s mandate concentrates on being critical, judgemental and proposing actions for state governments faced with armed aggression and terrorism but tends to deal lightly with the terrorists themselves. Amnesty is also selective in their choice of whom to criticise, it does not dare criticise the major countries of the west in their continuous, murderous assaults on civilian populations perhaps because they are indebted to these countries. Amnesty concentrates on countries like Sri Lanka, who they criticise at length, according to the dictates of their benefactors who are the very same countries that are continuing to terrorise millions in their self proclaimed war on terrorism. Sri Lanka, a small third country, is not permitted to deal with terrorism in it’s own territory except in a manner dictated by those who believe they run the world (LankaWeb : 19 August 2011).

Darusman Report not admissible at UNHCR - Min. G L Peiris - Dangerous results if entertained - UNSG sole authority in such decision - Disna MUDALIGE - The Darusman Report prepared by the advisory panel to the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) cannot be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) since it is neither an official document by any means nor has it any kind of legitimate nexus to any UN organ, said External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris. He was delivering the keynote address at the fourth annual symposium of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) at the university premises yesterday on the theme “Challenges of Post Conflict Sri Lanka”. Minister Peiris said that considering the document or any part of it at the UNHRC will constitute unsound and dangerous results not only for Sri Lanka but also for the whole international community in general. He observed that the advisory panel straying completely out of its mandate had recommended to the UNSG that the report should be submitted to the UNHRC (Daily News ; 19 august 2011).

New signalling, telecommunication systems for Northern railway line - Irangika RANGE - An agreement for the installation of new signalling and telecommunication systems on the Northern railway line from Anuradhapura to Kankesanthurai and Medawachchiya to Thalaimannar section was signed at the Transport Ministry. The total cost for the project which will be completed in three years is US$ 86.51 million. Sri Lanka Railways General Manager B.A.P. Ariyarathna and Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) Managing Director Mohan Tiwari signed the agreement in the presence of Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha and Transport Minister Kumara Welgama. The proposed signaling and telecommunication systems will be installed at two sections Anuradhapura - Kankesanthurai (208km)and Medawachchiya-Thalaimannar (105km) covering 28 railway stations located in these two sections. The proposed signalling system includes centralized control panel interlocking, colour light signal with electrically operated points and train detection system. Seventy six level crossings located along these two sections will be interlocked with the proposed new signalling system, thereby enhancing the safety at rail road at level crossings will be enhanced (Daily News ; 19 August 2011).

Some are never satisfied -- Gota - Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday that the elements that made war crimes allegations against Sri Lanka were never satisfied, whatever response was given by the government to counter them. The defence secretary was speaking at a function to mark the launch of the website ‘www.outofwar.com’ and three publications to counter certain sections of the international community who make various allegations against Sri Lanka concerning war crimes and human rights violations during the latter part of the war. Mr. Rajapaksa said that the government had countered these allegations in the best possible manner, but these elements persisted in making allegation after allegation against the Sri Lankan state. “They know the credibility of our replies. Yet these forces are not satisfied with our responses. It is patent that they have a hidden agenda. They continue to assail Sri Lanka with more and more allegations. They are aware that they cannot achieve their goals as long as President Mahinda Rajapaksa is at the helm of affairs. Therefore, their motive is to bring about a change in the system,” he said. He recalled how the government took steps to rehabilitate all the child soldiers and reintegrate them into society through an effective mechanism – which steps had been acclaimed by various international organisations. Also, he said, 95 percent of the displaced civilians had been resettled in their original places of residence. “Fewer than 8000 people are yet to be resettled. All the child soldiers have been rehabilitated and reunited with their families. Steps have been taken to conduct elections democratically in the areas cleared of LTTE terrorism,” he said. Despite all these positive steps by the government, he said, it was all the more regrettable to note that it was some Sri Lankans who were responsible for giving information to these elements with vested interests to cook up allegations against Sri Lanka. “It is some of our own people who do it. It is regrettable,” he said (Daily Mirror ; 19 August 2011).

Buddhists build two kovils in North - Sandasen MARASINGHE - Buddhists in Kandy constructed two kovils for Hindu devotees in two villages in the Vanni, strengthening the friendly ties between the two communities thus boosting the peaceful environment in the aftermath of the humanitarian operation. Two Muththumari Amman Kovils were newly constructed in the villages of Madukulam and Sinnathampane in Vavuniya which was a need of the devotees to conduct their religious observances. An officer of the Vanni Security Forces Headquarters said the constructions were funded by businessmen under the instructions of the chief organizer of the Mahanuwara Thisarana Sarana Bauddha Sangamaya and Chief Buddhist Prelate of Africa Ven. Yatirawana Vimala Thera. He said that the people in these two villages never had Kovils. He added that those newly resettled people have beginning to develop economically and the construction of the Kovils will support them to develop spiritually as well. He also stated that the two Kovils were constructed at a cost of Rs 1.2 million. The Army provided the labour for the construction work under the supervision of the Vanni Security Forces Commander Major General A K S Perera. The Kovils were declared opened by Division Commander of 61 Division Brigadier A Kariyakarawana. African national Dr Husman Daundras also was present at the occasion (Daily News ; 19 August 2011).

‘UNHRC won’t take up Darusman report’; GL wants US to treat all countries fighting ‘non state actors’ alike - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Sri Lanka would strongly oppose ongoing moves to take up the controversial ‘Darusman report’ at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva, External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said. Taking up of such an unofficial document at the Geneva conference would be grossly inappropriate, he said. The next UNHRC sessions are scheduled for Sept. 2011. Delivering the key note address at the inauguration of two-day Kotelawela Defence University symposium 2011, yesterday, Prof. Peiris said that Sri Lanka’s case couldn’t be different from any other country fighting terrorism. In spite of being asked to function in an advisory capacity to UNSG Ban Ki-moon, the three-member Darusman panel had gone to the extent of recommending that its report be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council session, Prof. Peiris said. The Darusman panel had also declared that its report had been prepared in a way to make its release possible, though it was only asked to advise the UNSG, he said. Welcoming the rejection by the USof the ‘Goldstone report’, which dealt with accountability issues in the Gaza conflict, Prof. Peiris said that the international community couldn’t adopt a different approach as regards Sri Lanka. Among the invitees were Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, service chiefs, the IGP and representatives from the Colombo-based diplomatic community. Prof. Peiris warned that taking up the ‘Darusman report’ at the UNHRC sessions would set a dangerous precedent. It would be a danger not only to Sri Lanka but those fighting ‘non-state actors’ as well. Commenting further on the US position on the ‘Goldstone report’, Prof. Peiris said that none other than US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had strongly opposed the recommendations made by the four-member UN commission. Referring to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimony before Congress, Prof. Peiris said that she had articulated that if the international community had accepted rules as compulsory standards binding upon governments grappling with terrorism, it would be impossible for legitimate and established governments to prevail over the forces of terror in circumstances where the insurgents mingle with civilian populations. Prof. Peiris quoted Clinton as having said that if the Goldstone Report was to be followed, then lawful governments would be horrendously handicapped in the task of vanquishing the forces of terror (Island : 18 August 2011).

High Commissioner for Sri Lanka briefs Australian Parliamentarians -  Media Release - Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner for Australia, Thisara Samarasinghe addressed a gathering of Federal Parliamentarians, Australian Government officials and Australian Print and Electronic Media yesterday (16th August 2011) at an event co-organized by the High Commission and the Australia- Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group. Hon Chris Hayes, Chair of the Group and Hon Don Randall, Vice Chair of the Group whilst introducing the High Commissioner did not fail to congratulate him on the initiative taken to brief members of Parliament. Both Members expressed the hope that Sri Lanka could now move forward with the end of the conflict. The High Commissioner briefed those present on the factual context of the Humanitarian Operation undertaken by the Sri Lankan armed forces to rescue 300,000 civilians from the clutches of terrorists who were holding them hostage as human shields. Admiral Samarasinghe spoke from a unique vantage point having been involved in the last stages of the conflict as Commander of Northern and Eastern Naval Areas and as Director General of Naval Operations since 2007. He also shared his perspectives on post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts of the Government, a process he was directly involved in as Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. In his presentation, High Commissioner Samarsinghe emphasized that training in IHL, Rules of Engagement in Armed Conflict and Human Rights Laws was an integral part of the training given to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel and this moulded their conduct in the final phase of the conflict. He highlighted the measures taken by all armed forces personnel to prevent civilian casualties throughout the conflict. He drew the attention of the audience to the fact that the Sri Lankan armed forces had received military training alongside the best in the world at different stages of their careers and highlighted the investment made by the country in sophisticated radar and other equipment to identify terrorist targets and to take maximum precautions to save civilian lives in all combat operations (Sri Lanka High Commission in Canberra ; 18 August 2011).

No-one can give deadlines: LLRC - The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) said today that neither the UN nor the government could pressurise the LLRC to complete the commission’s report immediately in order to present it to the UN General Assembly next month. LLRC Spokesman, Lakshman Wickremasinghe responding to reports that certain members of the international community had requested Sri Lanka to produce a report on war crimes allegations against the country before September 21, the UN General Assembly’s next session, said that the LLRC report would not be completed by next month. “The commission’s due date is November 15 and that is when we intend on handing in the report as we are duty bound to give it by then. No one can tell us what to do or when we have to do it,” Wickremasinghe said. He said the LLRC has never come under pressure from the government and said the government is unlikely to request the commission to complete its report in a hurried fashion. Government officials said recently that the US State Department and other international agencies had requested a report on the war next month at the UN General Assembly. Meanwhile the US has requested for the LLRC report to be presented at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in March next year. The ‘Darusman’ report compiled by the panel appointed by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki moon is expected to be discussed at the upcoming UNHRC sessions in September (Daily Mirror ; 18 August 2011).

THE SENATE PROOF QUESTIONS ON NOTICE, Australian Federal Police (Question No. 680) - by Vajeera Warnakulasuriya - Senator Mr.Bob Brown. Canberra, ACT; Dear Senator Brown, In response to your THE SENATE PROOF QUESTIONS ON NOTICE, Australian Federal Police (Question No. 680) QUESTION on; Looking back at the formation of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, it is a well known fact, the Australian Adel Ann Wilby ex nurse who was also married to the senior Tamil Tiger leader (LTTE) Anton Balasingham is the mother of the Cyanide capsule suicide brigade. Australia can take pride in this creation! She recruited the young girls to be the LTTE combatants, who were sent on suicide missions throughout the thirty-year brutal conflict in Sri Lanka. All the LTTE cadres were introduced to wear the cyanide capsule in order to prevent divulging LTTE strategy to the Government forces in the event of been captured! It was this determination to take one’s own life that was inculcated by this woman practiced by the LTTE cadres. The governments during the thirty-year period of this conflict offered many times amnesty offers to the LTTE cadres to dropdown the weapons and come to the negotiating tables, but the offers were ignored opting to fight on! Then with a deceptive M.O.U initiated by Erik Solheim, a slimy character from the Norwegian Parliament started sham negotiation sessions at various international locations buying time for the LTTE to arm to the teeth waiting for an opportune time to strike the Government unawares. He believed Prabakaran was a military genius and has advised not to go to war with him! (Lankaweb ; 18 August 2011).

US double standards exposed - This is in reference to the article in The Island, ’Accountability issues: Lanka points finger at Goldstone report’, which I read with great interest. In fact, our country should have pointed out the US’s and the UN’s double standards long ago, whenever pressure is brought on us for a war crime inquiry. Even the recent UN report held on Israel’s flotilla massacre of nine Turkish peace activists in the high seas also was suppressed by the US and prevented the UN from releasing it. If this is not double standards what is it? The US House of Representatives rejected the Goldstone report on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza by voting 344 to 36. Richard Goldstone, a former South African judge is a Jew himself. During Israel’s offensive in Gaza, it killed 1400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The casualty figures on the Israeli side were 13 in all, 10 from the forces and 3 civilians (Island ; 18 August 2011).

High Commissioner for Sri Lanka briefs Australian Parliamentarians - Sri Lanka's High Commissioner for Australia, H.E Thisara Samarasinghe addressed a gathering of Federal Parliamentarians, Australian Government officials and Australian Print and Electronic Media yesterday (16th August 2011) at an event co-organized by the High Commission and the Australia- Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group. Hon Chris Hayes, Chair of the Group and Hon Don Randall, Vice Chair of the Group whilst introducing the High Commissioner did not fail to congratulate him on the initiative taken to brief members of Parliament. Both Members expressed the hope that Sri Lanka could now move forward with the end of the conflict. The High Commissioner briefed those present on the factual context of the Humanitarian Operation undertaken by the Sri Lankan armed forces to rescue 300,000 civilians from the clutches of terrorists who were holding them hostage as human shields. Admiral Samarasinghe spoke from a unique vantage point having been involved in the last stages of the conflict as Commander of Northern and Eastern Naval Areas and as Director General of Naval Operations since 2007. He also shared his perspectives on post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts of the Government, a process he was directly involved in as Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. In his presentation, High Commissioner Samarsinghe emphasized that training in IHL, Rules of Engagement in Armed Conflict and Human Rights Laws was an integral part of the training given to Sri Lankan armed forces personnel and this moulded their conduct in the final phase of the conflict. He highlighted the measures taken by all armed forces personnel to prevent civilian casualties throughout the conflict. He drew the attention of the audience to the fact that the Sri Lankan armed forces had received military training alongside the best in the world at different stages of their careers and highlighted the investment made by the country in sophisticated radar and other equipment to identify terrorist targets and to take maximum precautions to save civilian lives in all combat operations (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry ; 18 August 2011).

Sri Lanka High Commissioner, Admiral Tisara Samarasinghe, has implemented a campaign in Australia to counter the pro-LTTE media.

Info sought on LTTE suspect - Thirunavukarasu Balachandran alias Uganda Bala involved in human smuggling activities and suspected of LTTE connections was deported by the Malaysian authorities to Sri Lanka on August 13. CID Investigations have revealed that the suspect had been involved in human smuggling activities and cheated several Sri Lankans, especially in the North and East. Balachandran frequented Wellawatta, Jaffna and Vavuniya and Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. Any information about him can be forwarded to the director CID, Criminal Investigation Department, Colombo 01 or contact 0112422176 or 0112392917 (Daily News ; 18 August 2011).

A positive approach to ‘Darusman’ - by Somapala Gunadheera - Gathering clouds in the national horizon appear to signal a catastrophic storm. The Darusman Report and "Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields" have stirred up a hornet’s nest in Sri Lanka. The European Union has shown concern with the way the country was addressing these issues and now the US congress is threatening withdrawal of aid unless ‘accountability for those involved in violations of human rights and war crimes at the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war,’ are addressed promptly and an improved climate for freedom of the press, an end to emergency regulations and information from the government on the fate of people unaccounted for at the end of the civil war were not forthcoming (Island : 17 August 2011).

Why did Tamils of North and East voted Terrorist proxy TNA ? and Has White West a Divine Mission on Earth ? - By Charles.S.Perera - The saddest day after the elimination of terrorism in Sri Lanka was the day after the local government election of the 23 June,2011, when the election results of the North and East of Sri Lanka were announced. When I wrote two days before the election, that the Local Government elections of the North and East which would certainly be favourable to the Government, would finally settle the incessant interference of the West to destabilise Sri Lanka and accuse the Government Forces for violation of human rights and war crimes, a reader commented, « No disrespect, but this is only wishful thinking. Just wait 2 days and you will see in the election result. The commentator was correct, the Tamils of the North and East were not generous, but were furious that terrorism had ended. It is sad , but the reality is that those who suffer get used to it as a way of existence, and fearing the opposite of it prefer to continue suffering without making an effort to surmount misery. What can the TNA give the Tamils in North and East more than what the President Mahinda Rajapakse has already given to them for their comfort and wellbeing? A political devolution ? Is that what is most essential for the Tamils in the North and East ? or has the TNA got their priorities wrong ? (Lankaweb : 17 August 2011).

Amnesty International on post-war Sri Lanka - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor, THE EMBASSY, Ottawa, Sir: I am disappointed with Alex Neve , the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, with his opinion piece on Sri Lanka, as Amnesty International has always had difficulty to acknowledge the positives on Sri Lanka when it comes to Human Rights. Here’s what he missed to inform your readers. He says, “Early 2009 was a frightening, chilling time for hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. Trapped between an advancing Sri Lankan military offensive and the retreating armed opposition LTTE (or Tamil Tigers), they were caught in the middle of intense, unrelenting fighting and suffered abuses from both direction.” I cannot see any difference between these Tamils and the majorities Sinhalese and minorities Muslims when they were experiencing “ a frightening chilling time…” for 30 long years of this war as the Tamil Tigers were bombing willy-nilly with claymore mines and suicide bombers all over the island killing thousands of innocent Sinhalese and Muslim civilians. When daily commuters before getting on the buses and trains make a sign of the cross or put their palms together in prayer wanting to get back home in the evening in one piece and not as a puzzle of blood, flesh and bones, in a wooden casket. And mothers standing at their door-steps looking down the road in the afternoons wanting to see their children return home in one piece without being bombed to smithereens at a street corner by the Tamil Tigers. This went on for 30 long years. There is no difference between the Tamils during the last five months of the war and the Sinhalese and Muslims during all 30 years of the war (Lankaweb ; 17 August 2011).

Tense situation in Batti - Tear gas was used to disperse a crowd that was gathered at Urani Batticaloa. The crowd had protested violently in front of the Urani Police post, burning tires. The reason for the protest was a girl who was alone being attacked by the so called “Grease Devil” (Daily Mirror : 17 August 2011).

The Eloquence of Democracy & The Survival of a Nation - BY Dr.Telli.C.Rajaratnam - Sri Lanka’s proper role in promoting democracy and freedom in the world was a big issue during the Presidential and General elections. The eloquence of democracy emanates from the norms of democracy. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has advocated of committing Sri Lanka to a “forward strategy of freedom,” declaring that “the advance of freedom is … the calling of our country,” and that “freedom is worth fighting for, dying for, and standing for” (an odd anticlimax, by the way) is being heralded as eloquent. Which it is. Some of the finest eloquence that can turn the minds of many. A beautiful endorsement of an activist foreign policy that goes beyond protecting our interests to advancing our values. The eloquence would be more impressive if there were any reason to suppose that all forms of terrorism were eradicated. The Nation thinks words have meaning. One test of meaning is the future: what the words lead to. As even some admirers of the speeches of Eminent Leaders point out, the details of this “forward strategy of freedom” are missing, except for pursuing our current military adventure of winning the war against the LTTE but not Terrorism as the people are still being terrorized by the Tamil Militant mobs disguised as Political Parties under the same names of the Militant Terror Groups. But meaning can also be tested by looking at the past. Eloquence is just a hooker if it will serve as a short-term no-commitments release for any idea that comes along (LankaWeb ; 17 August 2011).

Indo-Lanka co-operation helped in ending terrorism - Defence Secretary

TNA Nadagama - by Nalin de Silva - Nadagama in Sinhala does not mean quality drama in spite of so-called adaptations from Nadagam to the Sinhala Theatre. Prof. Gamini Dela Bandara of the University of Kelaniya has brought my attention to the terms "Gee Naluwa" and "Kavi Naluwa" that had been in use even during Dambadeniya period. However, in this article I am not interested in Sinhala Natya but the behaviour of TNA Leader R. Sampaanthan, MP and the other seniors of that party, which amounts a Nadagama at best in common Sinhala parlance. The TNA leadership consisting mainly of Tamil Vellalas who speak English in addition to Tamil or of so-called bilinguals is attempting very hard to put the clock back by fifty to sixty years. I have argued in few articles after the humanitarian operations and also in many articles and in a book before and during the operations that Prabhakaran only continued the politics of Ramanathan, Arunachalam, G. G. Ponnambalam, Chelvanayakam, Amirthalingam and Anandasangaree by other means. If the latter campaigned for devolution of power and for Eelam through the legislature at various stages the former adopted what may be called the military method. Of course from the time of Ramanathan, the politics of Tamil leaders have evolved around the much quoted phrase little now and more later of Chelvanayakam, and one could say that the Tamil racist movement that has attracted many a Marxists not to speak of liberals, university lecturers and NGO pundits, also wanted little now and much later. Little now and more later though formulated by Chelvanayakam, if we believe in the implication by his son in law A J Wilson in his biography of the former, has been the main strategy of politics of Tamil Vellalas from the very beginning (Sri Lanka Guardian ; 17 August 2011).

The truth about the Darusman report - by Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka -  With the solitary, honourable exception of Sunday Times columnist Lasanda Kurukulasuriya, (‘Give a dog a bad name and hang him’, From the Sidelines, Sunday Times, Colombo, August 14, 2011), the Lankan media and Colombo’s commentariat completely missed the most important intellectual event in civil society in this post-war phase of our contemporary history. A media accustomed to lionising the less distinguished among our retired senior professionals and intelligentsia, was either ignorant of or chose to ignore a symposium held by the oldest among our independent think tanks, the MARGA Institute, precisely on the most pressing subject of the day, the Darusman report or more accurately the UNSG’s Advisory Panel Report. Worse, the media and our commentators seem unaware of the extended analysis of the Darusman Report by the doyen of Sri Lanka’s intelligentsia, one of our most refined literary critics, most distinguished civil servant, and among a handful of our globally most respected minds, Godfrey Gunatilleke. Entitled ‘Truth and Accountability: The Last Stages of the War in Sri Lanka’, and subtitled ‘An Analysis and Evaluation of the Report of the UN Secretary General’s (UNSG’s) Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka’, it is a Working Paper prepared by him for the MARGA seminar on ‘Accountability, Restorative Justice and Reconciliation’ (21/07/2011). (Sri Lanka Guardian ; 17 August 2011).

What is Terrorism? Are those who fund and support terrorism equally guilty as those who perpetrate it? – Part 1 - By Raj Gonsalkorale One could say that terrorism is like a mutating virus, showing itself in numerous forms and demonstrating resistance to attempts made to eradicate it, just like a virus. The international community has to make a stand whether terrorism is a crime or a holy duty, and whether it is a justified reaction to oppression or whether it is an inexcusable abomination. Terrorism however is not a virus, and it can be eradicated by those who have the ability to discern between good and bad. Terrorists practice violence against non combatants, innocent civilians, to register a message. This surely cannot be good. No other reason should be sought as to why terrorism has to be considered bad. In defending those who were targeted by a terrorist group, the question whether the State apparatus acted against its own laws or international covenants pertaining to war against a terrorist group is a separate issue that needs to be investigated, and anyone who did identified and action taken against. This however should not be allowed, wittingly or unwittingly, to support the objectives of those who are attempting to reinvent a terrorist organization as the victim and not the perpetrator (Asian Tribune ; 17 August 2011).

Indo-Lanka co-operation helped in ending terrorism - Defence Secretary - Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa giving evidence before the Mount Lavinia District Judge MCBS Moraes yesterday said that the government succeeded in eradicating terrorism in the country due to the close co-operation between Sri Lanka and India. The Defence Secretary said that the Indian government was regularly kept informed of what was happening in Sri Lanka during the humanitarian operation. This strategy averted many misunderstandings which could have resulted in abrupt halts as was the case in the Vadamarachchi operation in the 1980s. He was giving evidence in the defamation case against Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunga and the Leader Publications company when it was taken up for hearing yesterday. The plaintiff Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa complained that his reputation and good name was ruined due to the articles published between July and September 2007 in the Sunday Leader newspaper and claimed Rs 1,000 million as damages (Daily News ; 17 August 2011).

A batch of 152 Ex-LTTE cadres were released after rehabilitation - A batch of 152 Ex-LTTE cadres who were rehabilitated by the Sri Lankan Army was handed over to their family members at Vavuniya Cultural Centre on 12th August. They have undergone vocational training in many areas such as Computer, Mason, mechanical training course on Radio repairing. Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, the commissioner general of rehabilitation was the chief guest in the occasion and this was his last event attending as the commissioner general of rehabilitation. Major General Chandana Rajaguru has been appointed as the new commissioner general of rehabilitation and he was due to assume office on the same day – 12th August. The striking feature of the event was the musical band played at the event. It was “Friends of Peace” – group formed by the Ex-LTTE cadres who are currently rehabilitating in the Senapura Centre. As per Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, with the release of this latest batch, the total number of rehabilitated Ex-LTTE cadres released to civil society within the last one and half years is 8240 in number. And 2700 more Ex-LTTE cadres are currently rehabilitating and they are to be released within the next few months (Sinhalaya.Com ; 17 August 2011).

A wider propaganda campaign has been implemented in Australia to counter the pro-LTTE media - wider propaganda campaign has been implemented in Australia to counter the false news reports spread against Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Thisara Samarasinghe says that an awareness programme in this regard was held in the Australian parliamentary complex recently. At this meeting, Australian parliamentarians and media personnel have been informed on the real situation prevailing in Sri Lanka at present. Copies of the video film prepared by Sri Lankan government to counter the Channel-4 so-called video film were also distributed among them. The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia expresses confidence that this propaganda campaign will lead to safeguard the good image of the motherland (SLBC ; 16 August 2011).

Set up a War Crimes Tribunal within Canada to punish those who funded Tamil Tigers

REAL SITUATION IN SRI LANKA CLARIFIED TO AUSTRALIAN MPs AND MEDIA - Parliamentarians and media personnel in Australia have been apprised of the false propaganda launched against Sri Lanka. This was carried out under the guidance of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Australia Thisara Samarasinghe. The briefing was carried out at the Australian Parliamentary Complex. Thisara Samarasinghe clarified at length on the propaganda mooted internationally against Sri Lanka. He made detailed submissions on the malicious propaganda launched by Channel 4 through the fake video footage against the island nation. He emphasized the programmes launched by the Government to resettle the families displaced in the North and the East due to terrorism and meeting their requirements and the development taking place in these Provinces. Dr. Ishara Kotigodavithana appraised the Australian Parliamentarians about the programmes that are in place to upgrade the health facilities of the civilians displaced during the humanitarian operations. Diplomat Thisara Samarasinghe promptly responded to queries made by Australian Parliamentarians and media personnel (ITN News ; 16 august 2011).

Battle against LTTE - an internal conflict – Former Navy Chief - The top Sri Lankan diplomat in Australia has rejected a call by the Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, for the United Nations to re-examineallegations of war crimes during the bloody end to the country’s three decades of civil war. Last month a spokeswoman for Mr Rudd called on the UN Human Rights Council to revisit the claims of war crimes and to ‘‘examine whethertheir original findings on the civil war can still be regarded as well-founded.’’ But the Sri Lankan high commissioner, ThisaraSamarasinghe, said yesterday the allegations upon which Mr Rudd based his call - including video footage from a British documentary whichshowed unarmed Tamils being shot dead - were ‘‘biased and unsubstantiated’’. ‘‘That is a statement made by your honourable Foreign Minister,’’ Admiral Samarasinghe said. ‘‘He had his reasons to make that requestand it will take its natural course, if anybody is interested.’’ Admiral Samarasinghe, who was in charge of naval operations against the Tamil Tigers in early 2009, made his comments during an address atParliament to present a Sri Lankan government report, Humanitarian Operation - Factual Analysis, which challenged the claims of war crimes. Referring to civilians killed in that period as ‘‘collateral damage’’, Admiral Samarasinghe said calls for a formal international probe wereinappropriate. ‘‘It was not an international conflict, [it was an] internal conflict and we fought it ourselves and we manage our citizens and I don’t seeany reason why an international investigation should be carried out,’’ he said. Much of the international concern has arisen since Channel 4 in Britain aired a documentary, Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, in June showing unarmed Tamils being shot dead by men in Sri Lankan army uniforms (Sunday Observer : 16 August 2011).

LLRC and the future of Sri Lanka - by C. Wijeyawickrema, LL.B., Ph.D.  - Eurocentric thinking ; Those who argued unjustly for a South Africa/Rwanda-type “truth and reconciliation commission” in Sri Lanka (impermanence and EhiPassiko as guiding principles Sinhala Buddhists never discriminated against their minority communities) disliked the LLRC from its inception,and tried to “humiliate” it by questioning the qualifications of its membership. In addition, several local politicians and foreign entities who had no courage to face the reality or admit their past and present mistakesdecided to boycott it (CFA -2002, the subject matter of LLRC, was described as the “greatest give-away in world’s history” by the Englishman Paul Harris, a prediction for which he was deported from Sri Lanka). But as the date for the LLRC final report becomes nearer, a group of writers are “self-lobbying” for a report favorable to both their open and hidden agenda. For example, Mr. JehanPererarecently suggested that LLRC resurrect the infamous Majority Report of the APRC (Island, 7/19/201). That report was an example of the Eurocentric thinking (Europe is superior in body and mind) of some Colombo officers and a Marxist minister.On another front, Mr. Rajan Philips (The Island, 7/2/2011),piggybacking on two essays written by Dr. N. Chandrahasan argued that 13-A must be “honestly” implemented because it is the law of the country. Missing were the jurisprudential (applied law) issues such as who created 13-A law and for whom (Lankaweb ; 16 August 2011).

Sri Lanka: NDP, Liberals & Conservatives request for an Independent Inquiry - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - Editor EMBASSY , Ottawa; Sir: Kristen Shane’s article ‘Sri Lanka investigation calls about values or votes?’ (August 10), invariably produces two questions that need answers for the curious. Firstly, if according to 2006 census there are only 122,020 Canadians whose first language is Tamil, which would include the Canadians whose origins are not only Sri Lanka but also Tamil Nadu in India and Malaysia, then how is it that the Sri Lankan- Tamils in Toronto keep telling us that there are 300,000 Tamils in Canada concentrated mainly in the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver? Does it mean that there are 177,980 Tamil refugees still waiting to have their cases heard to prove their legitimacy that they are indeed true convention refugees? Or is that number thrown at us for psychological impact to say that “our community is big in numbers!” Secondly, if the NDP, Liberals and Conservatives are basing their call for an independent UN investigation into alleged Sri Lanka war crimes committed in the dying days of the Tamil Tiger terrorist war to the recommendations in the report released last spring by an advisory panel of experts that the UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon, can we count on the report’s honesty when the three panel of experts have their proven biases against Sri Lanka (LankaWeb ; 16 August 2011).

The Tamil problem - by Gunadasa Amarasekera - This document was presented by Gunadasa Amarasekera in his evidence before the Sinhala Commission last week (12-Nov-1997). The English language established a socio-economic class hegemony centred in the commercial capital Colombo, that has remained largely unchanged from colonial times. On the other hand, the continuing transfer of surplus money, knowledge and skills from the rural periphery to the mercantile centre led to rural underdevelopment and exploitation, and its inevitable consequences: impoverishment, unemployment, and a marginalised angry, frustrated, militant youth, impatient for the fruits of the affluence being flaunted by the privileged minority in the mercantile centre, Colombo. The rate of this transfer of surplus to Colombo was highest from the Tamil population in the North, for causes attributable, not to the Sinhalese, but the Tamils themselves. Asian cultures place high value on education. The conversion of material surplus into intellectual capital is an established tradition in these cultures. Governor Colebrook has made pointed reference to the extremely poor quality of both government and Dutch and British missionary education in the South, in the Sinhalese areas. On the other hand, he is full of praise for the endeavours of the American missionaries in the North, where he had noted creditable proficiency in mathematics, English and other branches of useful knowledge. Colebrook goes on to say: “As the northern districts of the island are chiefly indebted to these missionaries for the progress of education, the benefits of which are already experienced, it is but just to recommend that they should receive all the encouragement from the government, to which their exertions and exemplary conduct have entitled them” (Lankaweb ; 16 August 2011).

ORGANISED TAMIL GANGS –AUSTRALIA MUST BAN THE TAMIL TIGERS AND THEIR AFFLIATED ORGANISATIONS AT LEAST NOW (QUITE BELATEDLY) - Media Release – SRI LANKA SUPPORT GROUP, CANBERRA Re. news story about the Tamil Credit Card fraud in Australia amounting to approximately $200 million – it is widely believed that the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers (LTTE) and/or their affiliated organistions are behind the scam. Sri Lanka Support Group has vehemently lobbied the Australian Governments to ban the Tamil Tigers as a Terrorist Group in Australia. Liberal’s Phillip Ruddock was adamant that he would not ban the Tigers. The same approach is now being followed by Labor’s Kevin Rudd. Australians are paying a high price for the lapses of our politicians. Tamil Tigers keep coming to Australia in large numbers. Former Tamil Tigers have been positively identified in some of the asylum seeker vessels that have reached Australia, (ASIO identified 4 Tamils as being of bad character on the Oceanic Viking). Of the 260 Tamils who are on a boat currently berthed in Merak, Indonesia, who are eagerly waiting to come to Australia (some have already been given visas to come to Australia), several Tamil Tigers and Tamil thugs (both male and female) have been positively identified (Lankaweb ; 16 August 2011).

Bloodying of Uthayan News Editor: Main suspect in attack held - by Sandasen MARASINGHE - *Police hunt for accomplice; Attack a routine underworld crime - A special Police team from Jaffna yesterday arrested the main suspect in the brutal attack on Uthayan News Editor Gnanasunderam Kushantha. The special team from Jaffna arrested the suspect in Colombo, while he was being treated at the Kalubowila Hospital. Senior DIG Jaffna Gamini Silva said that the main suspect, a resident of Jaffna, was an underworld figure of the area and was involved in a series of crimes in Jaffna. He added that there was ample evidence to this effect. He said Police also found evidence indicating that the main suspect was assisted by another person in the attack on the 58-year-old Kushantha. He added that the Police had deployed another team of officers to arrest him. The Uthayan News Editor was attacked by two men with iron rods causing severe injuries, while he was returning to his Navalar Road residence which is about half a kilometre from the Uthayan office in Kasturiar Road, Jaffna. The journalist was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Jaffna Hospital and later discharged (Daily News ; 16 August 2011).

Strengthening child protection - ..... The condition of Lankan children could never have been the same following the conversion of some of them into cannon fodder by the LTTE in the course of its 30-year long terror campaign against the state and the people of Sri Lanka. Physical and emotional abuse of children was always present in our midst to a degree, but the evil took on the magnitude of an overwhelming outrage and shame with the brute force the LTTE unconscionably directed against the children of the North and East. The LTTE child soldier phenomenon could be described as one of the worst forms of inhumanity the children of Sri Lanka were compelled to suffer. That such suffering should never be the lot of our children, is our wish..... (Daily News ; 16 August 2011).

"Set up a War Crimes Tribunal within Canada to punish those who funded Tamil Tigers" - "It is Pro Tamil Tiger Diaspora in Canada who funded the proxy war in Sri Lanka; where was the NDP when Tamil Tigers were blasting bombs in every corner of Sri Lanka killing innocent civilians, Politicians, clergy etc ? Set up a war crimes tribunal within Canada to punish those who funded Tamil Tigers to kill thousands of innocent civilians in Sri Lanka, throughout last 30 years"; Sivam Vinayagamoorthy along with the members of "Friends of Sri Lanka" - an association of Sri Lankans residing in Canada - including Mr. Hasaka Ratnamalala and Dr. Asoka Perera challenges Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP). Sending an official statement to SINHALAYA News Agency, members of Friends of Sri Lanka has expressed their great displease over the comments made by the NDP on Sri Lanka on August 3rd with regard to the alleged war crime ethnic Issues. In the statement Friends of Sri Lanka states that NDP is making use of Sri Lanka for their political gains and urges not to trap to Tamil Tiger slogans and distort facts which will affect badly on Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process, and also the community harmony in Canada. "Friends of Sri Lanka" states that Sri Lanka is capable of counting any crime as it has well established laws and judicial system just as any other sovereign nation. Furthermore, interpreting that it’s UN which wanted a War Crime Tribunal in Sri Lanka is totally incorrect as there is no such decision taken by any division of UN. Alerting the Sri Lankans spread across Canada about the pro-LTTE propaganda of the NDP "Friends of Sri Lanka" urges the Canadian government to push for laws at the UN to protect Sri Lankan Security Forces that defended the innocent civilians kept as a Human Shield by the LTTE terrorist organization and states that the world should credit them for that; rather than criticizing them (Sinhalaya.com : 16 August 2011).

Campaign to save Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts gathers steam - The campaign to save three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, whose mercy pleas were rejected by President Pratibha Patil recently, gathered momentum with MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan announcing separate demonstrations to stop them from being sent to gallows. While Mr Vaiko has called for a peaceful protest at Parry's Corner area in the city on August 20, Mr Thirumavalavan will spearhead an agitation in the city on August 19. In separate statements, both Mr Vaiko and Mr Thirumavalavan, who were espousing the cause of a separate Tamil Eelam to save the Sri Lankan Tamils, urged the Central and the Tamil Nadu Governments to take steps to prevent their hanging. The President had rejected the mercy petitions of Sriharan alias Murugan, Santhan, both LTTE militants, and Perarivalan, a local Tamil, who were awarded capital punishment in the assassination of the former Prime Minister on May 21, 1991. Claiming that no one had been hanged in India in the last 17 years, Mr Vaiko appealed to the Governments to stop the hanging (Net Indian ; 15 August 2011).

There’s pussy-footing galore around the TNA ‘ultimatum’ - by Malinda Seneviratne - (August 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) gave the Government a deadline to respond to three specific issues: (1) The structure of governance (2) The division of subjects and functions between the centre and the devolved units and (3) Fiscal and financial powers. The Government refused, point blank, claiming that solutions for a decades long problem cannot be found in 10 days. I believe that the TNA was not out of order in setting a deadline. After all, these are issues that were raised long before this deadline was set and moreover have been articulated one way or another by various Tamil representatives (armed and otherwise) for years and years, decades upon decades. Successive governments, perhaps eyeing the Tamil vote, have pussy-footed around these issues, balking at commitment one way or another and in this and other ways giving an unintended fillip to Tamil communalism that harps on non-existent grievances and aspirations that are politically unfeasible. The TNA is without doubt the political heir to the Eelam project blueprinted by the like of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam and G.G. Ponnambalam and blood-marked by the terrorism of VelupillaiPrabhakaran. This does not mean that the TNA can’t ask questions or demand responses, especially when the Government invites it to discussions on issues pertaining to Tamils. In this sense, it is silly to say that the TNA ought to have chosen a better time to make such demands, for example during Chandrika Kumaratunga’s tenure when ‘there was a relative (greater?) strategic balance’ as Dayan Jayatilleka argues (‘Breaking the deadlock; avoiding a breakdown’, Daily Mirror, August 9, 2011). (Sri Lanka Guardian : 15 August 2011).

Respectful advice to H.E. the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa - by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole - (August 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) As I enjoy a well-deserved rest in London, having fled there because of harassment and threat of arrest, TamilNet has issued a description of my travails with inaccuracies and the claim that I have fallen out with the President. This is not surprising that when I was a candidate for Vice Chancellor of Jaffna, both Douglas Devananda and the Tamil Diaspora as represented by the New York Ilankai Tamil Sangam were campaigning against me using my Christian background and the same newspaper report in the Uthayan. The extremes of the right and left at some point coalesce. However, I must say that I have never worked for the President or the PA. My relationship with President Rajapaksa has been as a public servant with the customary courtesy due to each other. Except for bumping into him at UGC and Education Ministry functions when he was Prime Minister, my real person to person contact was when I was elected one of three finalist candidates for VC and he invited me to tell me of my impending appointment as would be necessary to ensure it would not be turned down before making it. After I was displaced as VC by LTTE threats and Tamil Sangam dribble in 2006, I was in the US in contact with my department at Peradeniya and the UGC and returned towards my three years’ release from Peradeniya in December 2008 only to be told that I was vacated from my post. I returned to the US. As the war drew to a close and the President and G. L. Peiris made public announcements calling displaced Sri Lankans to return, I spoke to my friend Carlo Fonseka and he contacted the President who gave the assurance that I would be reinstated if I were there on the ground. So my wife and I did return on September 2, 2010 and the President issued a directive on September 13, to have us both reinstated in the system and appointed to Jaffna as ordered by the USAB in my case and in my wife’s case because the Human Rights Commission had declared her rights violated through her termination. This has not been done (Sri Lanka Guardian : 15 August 2011).

A new breed of terrorists in the East trying to take law into their dirty hands. Nip it in the bud.

Eastern Terror on the March - by Kumar Moses - One needs not be a prophet to foretell what happens and what will happen in the east. This is certainly not the continuation of the sudden spring spreading in parts of the world but a ludicrous spate of mob violence. Not even two days passed since the last episode of eastern terrorism emerged and there are many other similar events especially in the east. Manic mobs arbitrarily attack fellow human beings calling them “grease devils”. This barbaric madness fuelled by demonic following must stop forthwith. No one has the right to take the law into their dirty hands. There is only one law of the country and that is the supreme law of the land. After the events in Potuvil and Katankudy, similar events have occurred in other parts of the country too, notably in strategically important Kinniya in Trincomalee district. Why is it growing like another cancer? Simple; the first attacks were not properly handled by security forces. Emboldened by inaction, they are now taking more and more police functions into their hands! East is fast descending into another Pakistan of lawlessness (LankaWeb ; 15 August 2011).

Help uphold Rule of Law - A country’s problems are compounded and aggravated when sections of its citizenry take it upon themselves to put right what is seen by them to be wrong. That is, when citizens take the law into their own hands, law and order issues are rendered more complicated than before. Unfortunately, such a tendency is re-emerging in some areas of Sri Lanka and this is a cause for profound concern and regret. A communique‚ from Police Headquarters which we front-page today, focuses on this disconcerting tendency of some sections taking the law into their hands and thereby subverting the Rule of Law. Enforcing law and order is a function of the Police and is best left to the latter. Citizens, whoever they are or wherever they may be, cannot and should not take upon themselves the responsibilities of the law and order authorities. This could only lead to social anarchy and such a situation would be in no ones interests. The background to these cautionary words from the Police, are some instances of criminality in the provinces, where some persons who were believed to be law-breakers were done to death by some civilians of the relevant areas. Thus, is the Rule of Law being stood on its head (Daily News ; 15 August 2011).

‘Join in developing the country to avoid another war’ - by Nadira GUNATILLEKE - We suffered for 30 years due to war and lost everything. We do not need a similar thing to happen in the future. To avoid this we have to get together and develop the country. We need to change our attitude, said Resettlement Deputy Minister Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan during an interview with the Daily News. There was a 30-year long war but things are getting better now. Anybody who visits the North and East can see that, he said. Following are some extracts of the interview: (Daily News ; 15 august 2011).

Nip it in the bud! - Tension prevails in some parts of the Eastern Province following violent clashes between angry mobs and the police, who shot a protester dead the other day in a desperate bid to bring the situation under control. The government has flown in a group of Muslim ministers to the flashpoint to defuse tension. People would not have risen in protest and dared take on the police, unprovoked. There is reason to believe that it was a strong sense of injustice that jolted them into such aggressive action. But, on no ground should anyone be allowed to take the law into his hands in that condemnable manner in any part of the country. The protesters obviously overstepped their limits by mounting attacks on the police, the army and public institutions. It is hoped that the ministerial team will be able to help bring the situation under control and the government will have the incidents thoroughly probed. If the police are at fault, stern action must be taken against the culprits. What usually irks people and drives them to violent protests is the government’s inaction vis-à-vis police excesses and the resultant public consternation. The East is recovering from nearly three decades of war and the people there once bore the brunt of terrorism. They fully cooperated with the government to defeat terrorism. So, it behoves the police and security forces personnel to act cautiously in handling them. Similarly, community and religious leaders and politicians in the East ought to tell the protesters in no uncertain terms that they are not above the law and they will have to pay for unleashing violence and damaging public property (Island ; 14 August 2011).

Vaiko appeals to Jaya on Rajiv Gandhi’s killers - (PTI)Chennai: MDMK leader Vaiko on Saturday requested Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to make efforts for cancelling the death sentence awarded to three convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. President Prathibha Patil had rejected the clemency petitions of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, recently. They were three of the four persons awarded death penalty with the sentence of another convict Nalini, being commuted to life. Vaiko, who recently took up the case of Perarivalan with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram, said there were provisions allowing the Centre to still cancel the death sentence of the three "and there are precedences." "Even after the President rejected the clemency petitions, the Centre can still cancel the death sentence. It has the right to do that and there is precedence. As a humane gesture, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister (Jayalalithaa) should take all steps to cancel the death sentence for these three young Tamils," he said. Vaiko said in the last 17 years, none had been hanged in Tamil Nadu and that the last person to be executed in the country was in 2004. Meanwhile, VCK founder and Lok Sabha MP, Thol.Thirumalavan said that he would take up the issue in Parliament next week (Island ; 14 August 2011).

Raising funds through illegal means: International crackdown on Tiger activities - by Shanika SRIYANANDA - International investigations are under way by the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany to crack down on LTTE activities, specially its international financial network, by which it is still raising funds through illegal means. Intelligence sources told the Sunday Observer that the government is engaged at diplomatic level with these and other countries in the European Union to expose the LTTE’s financial network. Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany have arrested several prominent LTTE fund raisers recently. The US State Department, earlier claimed that although the LTTE had lost its war on the ground in Sri Lanka, its international financial network has remained largely intact. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa launching the Report on ‘Humanitarian Mission: Factual Analysis’ recently said; “It is important to realise that although the LTTE had been militarily defeated in Sri Lanka, its international organisation remains largely intact to this day. As the Report demonstrates, the LTTE had at its disposal a vast international network that was active in many parts of the world. A significant component of that network was its propaganda arm. This continues to work actively, though often in disguise, to promote the separatist cause and discredit the Government of Sri Lanka. This network has funds at its disposal, and pushes its agenda through influential international figures and misled media outlets, which continue to accept and even promote this propaganda with very little objective examination”,. The Dutch authorities which launched an investigation called ‘Operation Koninck’ to expose the role of LTTE leaders in the Netherlands sent a team of investigators to Sri Lanka recently to gather evidence against the LTTE leaders, involved in the LTTE’s financial network in the Netherlands. Intelligence sources said that the team, which visited Sri Lanka thrice had collected more evidence from hardcore LTTEers, including those in custody, two weeks ago. The sources said that the LTTE fund-raising groups, which are still actively involved in collecting funds in European countries resort to blackmail and extortion to raise funds from Tamils in these countries (Sunday Observer ; 14 August 2011).

Lankans protest against biased ABC reports - Sydneysiders witnessed an unusually large and strident protest demonstration against anti Sri Lanka, pro LTTE reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The protest by the large unexpected number of Sri Lankan Australians and their friends was staged right in front of the ABC Head Office in the Sydney city. ABC is one of the two Australian Government funded media institutions, the other being the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The protest was organised by the Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights (SPUR), New South Wales with the co-operation of several other Sri Lankan expatriate organisations. Sri Lankan viewers and listeners had been observing that the ABC had been disseminating distorted anti-Sri Lanka news items for a number of years. Their patience came to an end when the ABC ignored appeals from a large number of Sri Lankan Australians requesting the ABC TV Four Corners Program not to broadcast the LTTE propaganda based Ch 4 film “Killing fields of Sri Lanka” and telecasted it on 4 August 2011. Two days later, ABC Radio PM programme interviewed a self acknowledged former Tiger woman cadre to promote her book “Tamil Tigress”. It was obviously a free advertisement with compliments from the ABC. That was the twin-trigger which made the Sri Lankans react with this demonstration. The large crowd braved the chill of the Winter morning and held giant banners and placards and shouted slogans for over two hours. At the end of the demonstration, the organizers handed over to the ABC a package that contained: 1. A letter with their two demands: Initiate a credible and transparent investigation into the infiltration of ABC by LTTE agents, and broadcast the film “Lies agreed upon” produced to counter the allegations made by the Ch 4 film. 2. A CD of the film “Lies agreed upon”, and 3. Three books that explicitly describe with photos and illustrations the atrocities committed by the LTTE in the last 3 decades. One of the books is exclusively on the LTTE murders of moderate Tamil Leaders (The Nation : 14 August 2011).

http://www.divaina.com/2011/08/14/defence01.html http://www.divaina.com/2011/08/14/feature01.html http://www.divaina.com/2011/08/14/news05.html

Time for diaspora to adjust their future strategy - By Sarath WIJESINGHE - Sri Lanka was unfortunate to witness bloodshed and terror orchestrated by the most ruthless and feared terrorist outfit which the Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa successfully eradicated to the amazement of the Western countries that considered it an unwinnable battle. The war against the people of Sri Lanka was conducted by the LTTE, managed by NGOs and certain politicians and mainly funded by the Tamil Diaspora backed by some Western countries. In the aftermath of the destruction, Sri Lanka was left to face the misery of darkness. War is the opposite of peace. War is bitter, unpleasant but inevitable in complicated human societies. The result of war is disastrous. Sri Lanka has been throughout a peaceful, peace-loving country especially after embracing Buddhism which was brought to Sri Lanka from India by Arahat Mahinda and Sangamitta, the beloved son and daughter of Emperor Asoka who conquered India, having massacred a large number of human beings. At the end of the victory, Asoka was a very unhappy person due to the high death toll and the destruction. After cultivating a friendship with a junior Buddhist monk, he embraced Buddhism. The initial step he took was to impart his realisation to his close friend Devanampiyatissa, the King of Sri Lanka to whom he sent his beloved son and daughter as emissaries (Sunday Observer ; 14 August 2011).

TNA team to New Delhi - By Arthur Wamanan - A delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is to head to New Delhi later this month to take part at a conference organised by the Forum for Human Rights for Global Development. The conference is to be held on August 23 and 24 and it is expected that the TNA would hold discussions with the Indian Parliamentarians on the prevalent political situation and explain the state of the discussions with the government. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran told The Nation that the party was yet to finalise the members who would represent the party at the conference. India had on several occasions encouraged the talks between the government and the TNA and added that the process would be a good platform to go towards a lasting solution to the longstanding ethnic question. However, the discussions between the government and the TNA hit a roadblock when the latter demanded that the government responds to its set of proposals by August 18. The TNA had placed the demand during its last meeting on August 4. Premachandran said that the government was yet to get back to the TNA on its position with regard to their proposals. “They (government) has not got back to us yet. They should let us know of their position, even to say that the time frame given is not enough,” he said (The Nation : 14 August 2011).

Investigations are under way by the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany to crack down on LTTE activities

‘Resettled families doing well’: Vavuniya GA refutes Tamil media reports - by P. Krishnaswamy - Vavuniya GA P.S.M. Charles has strongly refuted reports in some sections of the Tamil media alleging that the health of a large number of families who have been resettled in the Wanni is in a precarious condition and are facing the threat of death, after the Government’s relief assistance was discontinued. She told the Sunday Observer that this report is totally incorrect and misleading because no such situation was brought to her notice nor have any complaints been received either in her office or in any of the Divisional Secretariats in the district. The news report, in question, said that “relief assistance has been discontinued in respect of a large number of families who have been resettled in the Wanni and as a result, those among them who are living below the poverty line are facing the threat of death due to malnutrition”. The GA said that a large majority of the resettled families continue to receive relief assistance which is being extended to nine months instead of the originally specified six months. The families are also engaged in agriculture and other traditional professions, she said. The Yala paddy cultivation was a hundred percent success in the region and they are now getting ready for the Maha season, she said. She said that if there are families who do not have working members or only disabled members and need special assistance to eke out a living, they should apply to the District Secretariat, through the Divisional Secretary’s offices so that their requests can be considered. WFP Project Director R.H.W.A. Kumarasiri of the Ministry of Economic Development who also denied the reports said that 112,405 persons received relief assistance this month and this number almost corresponds to the figure in last April. Therefore, the allegations that relief assistance to a large number of families has been discontinued is unfounded, he said. He said that WFP relief assistance has been extended for another nine months or even beyond that in the case of deserving families. Dry rations under the ‘Work for Food’ program of the WFP are provided after the nine-month relief assistance, he said (Sunday Observer : 14 August 2011).

Nagarkovil Villagers Attend Mine Awareness Programme Conducted by Army Engineers - According to accelerated resettlement programme for civilians who were internally displaced due to the war in the north, Jaffna peninsula recently completed resettling of all IDPs after de-mining the lands earlier used by the terrorists. On successful completion of early resettlement, Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna (SF-J) has further planned to launch mine awareness programmes for newly resettled families to avert any unforeseen instances of mine-related incidents. Point Pedro-based 521 Brigade of SF-J on the 1st of this month conducted a mine awareness programme for civilians of Nagarkovil village to educate them on unexploded ordnance, land mines and booby traps using computer presentations. Almost all villagers participated in this workshop conducted by the soldiers of 10th Sri Lanka Engineers (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 14 August 2011).

No Tamil Homelands – Part 3 – Sinhala Origin of the Word Jaffna, not Tamil - by Dilrook Kannangara - The aim of the series of articles is to prove that there never were any Tamil homelands in Sri Lanka. Obviously Tamils lived in the island nation as long as the Sinhalese lived and every Tamil individual is entitled to the same rights as any other individual. Tamil racist websites and other propaganda machines are in full swing trying to prove there was a Tamil homeland in the island using hilarious claims. Although the truth is obvious, not encountering these hilarious claims gives them a walkover which must not be allowed. This attitude of ‘truth shall prevail’ or ‘truth will eventually win’ or ‘truth needs no mentioning’ has given Tamil racist elements a distinct propaganda advantage. It is time to state the obvious truths no matter how obvious they are. The term Jaffna is at the centre of Tamil homeland claims. Fake historians claim the existence of a Tamil kingdom by the name the Jaffna Kingdom. Jaffna Kingdom did exist according to most accounts but it was far from a separate kingdom and it was not a Tamil kingdom. It hardly existed for a long time (LankaWeb : 14 August 2011).

India rejects mercy pleas for LTTE cadres - The President of India has rejected mercy pleas from three LTTE cadres convicted of the 1991 assassination of then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, paving the way for their execution. The appeal, sent to President Pratibha Patil by the men Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, all known by single names was their last hope of escaping the hangman's noose, the AFP reported. All three belonged to terrorist LTTE, which was accused of plotting the May 21, 1991 murder of Gandhi by a female suicide bomber. Gandhi had become India's youngest ever prime minister after his mother, former premier Indira Gandhi, was assassinated in October. The shredded clothes and the shoes he was wearing when he was killed while on an election tour in the southern of the country 20 years ago remain on display in a museum in the Indian capital. "The rejection (of the clemency petitions) happened last week after the president returned from a foreign tour," presidential spokeswoman Archana Datta told AFP. Although the Supreme Court upheld the original death penalty verdict for the three convicts it later commuted the capital punishment to life in prison for Nalini Sriharan, an Indian Tamil woman who was also convicted. The three men had sought a presidential pardon after the top court's verdict. Gandhi's killing was seen in India as retaliation for a 1987 Indian government pact with the Sri Lankan government to disarm the guerrillas, who had been trained and armed by New Delhi in the early 1980s. After that pact, the LTTE fought Indian troops deployed to Sri Lanka by Rajiv Gandhi's government to supervise the accord. India withdrew its troops after 32 months in which it lost 1,200 soldiers at the hands of the terrorists. Ten Indians and nine Sri Lankans sentenced to death by a lower court for their involvement in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination were freed after they were acquitted by the Supreme Court in 1999 (Sunday Observer : 14 August 2011).

Boost for N-E fisheries industry - by Mohammed NAALIR - The fisheries industry in the North and the East is returning to the state of normality which prevailed in the region before the emergence of LTTE terrorism. The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry targets the increase of the fish harvest in the North to 50 percent within the next two years, Ministry sources said. Meanwhile, the Ministry has implemented various welfare programs in the North and the East to uplift the living standards of the fishermen. As a first step 75,000 fingerlings worth Rs. 150,000 were released to the Udayarkattu reservoir in the Pudukudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat Division recently. Twenty fishing boats and 20 fishing nets worth a million rupees were also distributed among the fishermen in the area. The Ministry intends to provide employment to 2,000 unemployed youth in the North on the completion of these development projects. Ministry sources expressed confidence that the fish harvest could be increased to 50 percent in the North within the next two years. The Government created a favourable situation in the North and the East, eliminating LTTE terrorism so that fishermen can carry out their livelihood without fear, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said. Various countries are ready to extend assistance to Sri Lanka in this peaceful situation. The Karainagar boatyard is being developed with all facilities at a huge cost. A large anchor point will also be set up in Karainagar (Sunday Observer ; 14 August 2011).

Projects for welfare of widows in North and East - Women numbering 59,601 have become widows in the Northern and Eastern Provinces due to the battle and other reasons. Child Development and Women's Affairs Minister Tissa Karalliyadda said. The Minister said the Government is continuing relief and other assistance to them uninterruptedly. There are 42,665 widows in the Eastern Province and 16,936 in the North, he said. Minister Karalliyadda noted that besides the battle, natural disasters have also made some women widows. The Government has implemented welfare programs in the North and the East towards the well-being of these widows. Livelihood and psychological guidance are also being provided to them.The Child Development and Women's Affairs Ministry, Economic Development Ministry, Social Services Ministry and Resettlement Ministry have implemented welfare projects to improve the living standards of these widows (Sunday Observer : 14 August 2011).

British riots, a grim reminder - ..... Although the US Assistant Secretary of State, Robert O'Blake on his last visit to Sri Lanka last May, said that Velupillai Prabhakaran and Osama bin Laden were two of the world's most ruthless terrorists, most countries in the West consider these killings from different viewpoints. Sri Lanka does not view terrorism in the US or UK from a different perspective. More than any other country, Sri Lanka had suffered untold misery for nearly three decades due to the LTTE's barbaric terror acts. Similarly, the West too, at least after the recent ghastly incidents should cease to view Sri Lanka in a different light. Certain countries in the West which pontificate to us on peace and view terrorism in keeping with their own agendas, should at least now withdraw their war crimes charges against Sri Lanka (Sunday Observer ; 14 August 2011).

Brig.Hapuarachchi, new Military Spokesman - Brigadier H. A. Nihal Hapuarachchi of Sri Lanka Corps of Engineers assumed office as the twelfth Director of Media at Army Headquarters, last week. He will also serve as the Military Spokesman. Brigadier Hapuarachchi succeeds Major General U.A.B Medawela, who is proceeding on overseas training. During his Army career which spans 29 years since his enlistment to the Sri Lanka Army (Regular Force) on 25 May 1982, Brig.Hapuarachchi has held a number of Command and Staff appointments, including some in the Engineers Regiment. During decisive battles against terrorists, he served as Brigadier General Staff at the Wanni Security Forces Headquarters. Brigadier Hapuarachchi was the Commanding Officer of the 7 Field Engineers of Sri Lanka Engineers in an Infantry role and as a Commandant, School of Military Engineering, Commander, 513 Infantry Brigade, and had the opportunity of working as an Officer Instructor and subsequently as the Chief Instructor at the Sri Lanka Military Academy (Sunday Observer : 14 August 2011).

In Remembrance of Lakshman Kadirgamar - by Tissa Jayatilaka - Given the shrillness of the nature of public debate in recent times, especially postwar, most Sri Lankans I know have avoided getting involved in them. The latter have resorted to ‘quiet discussion’ with fellow citizens who are not uncomfortable with points of view that are not in harmony with their own and who indeed are looking for such carefully articulated alternatives. The late Lakshman Kadirgamar was one such Sri Lankan with whom I could trade ideas and opinions with utmost ease even when they did not necessarily mesh with his own. He had the emotional intelligence and the humility of the truly educated human being to be open to such give and take at all times. In an exchange similar to the ones I used to have with the late foreign minister that I now have with a few very close friends, we happened to discuss, among other issues, what Lakshman Kadirgamar would have done to extricate Sri Lanka from the unfortunate predicament it is in had he yet been with us today. I thought it might be useful to reflect and expand on this particular theme as a tribute to the man whose sixth death anniversary fell on August 12 (Island ; 13 August 2011).

Kandy Randoli Perahera

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) threatens reconciliation talks walkout

A New Breed of Terrorists in the East Trying to Take Law into Their Dirty Hands - Kumar Moses A new breed of terrorists is emerging in the east. Blaming police ‘inaction’ they take the law into their own dirty hands and use it with a racist agenda. These criminal elements in the society must be identified and eliminated as soon as possible before it grows into a major cartel. Police ‘inaction’ doesn’t allow anyone to take law into their hands! There are set punishments for crimes. No additional or different punishments can be levied upon alleged culprits according to the fantasies of mobs. Even surrendered LTTE terrorists were subjected to the norms and laws of the country. No one tortured them or punished them at will. Certainly a section of the people has no right to execute its own laws. Worse part of it is, in one such incident a group of people protested the deployment of the army which is totally unacceptable. Any violence should be matched with decisive and well channelled violence to tame these vile elements trying to raise their ugly heads once again (Lankaweb ; 13 august 2011).

Police leave cancelled in the East - The Police headquarters have issued notice to all police Stations in the Eastern province to cancel all pending leave of the officers, DIG Trincomalee Ravindra Vaidyalankara said. Accordingly the DIG's of the province were sent notices to this effect a short while ago. The notice comes as a result of the tense situation prevailing in the East of the country. There have been protests against the police in the east due to the "Grease devil" pandemic spreading around the Eastern region. However, the cancellation of leave doest not apply to emergency situations (Daily Mirror ; 13 august 2011).

Government Ministers hold meeting in Pottuvil - Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Minister of Justice Rauff Hakeem, Senior Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, Minister A. L. M Athaullah together with Senior Provincial Ministers and members of the councils held a meeting with residents of Pottuvil at the Grand Jumma Mosque in Pottuvil today. The meeting was held after the funeral of M. Maujoom a 32 year old father of three and fomer candidate for the SLMC who was shot during protests yesterday. Speaking to Daily Mirror online just after concluding the meeting Minister Rauff Hakeem said that he had appraised the people present about the meeting he had with the President at the Katunayake Airport upon his return to the country. "I told the people that the President was concerned about the situation here in Pottuvil and that he condemned the killing in no uncertain terms. We assured them that everyone responsible will be held accountable." Twenty youth have been arrested by the police for vandalism and damage of state property after yesterdays protests. Hakeem went on to say, "We have spoken to all relevant authorities and they have assured us that they will ensure peace and calm in the area." Commenting on the rumours of the 'Mystery Man' Hakeem said, "We told the people that there were people with vested interests who are formulating these reprehensible rumours, with the idea of putting the government into difficulty." The leader of the SLMC which has a strong presence in the East reiterated that the government will take all neccessary steps to get to the bottom of the incident. "The police and armed forces are doing there best to restore public confidence and maintain law and order. The situation is calm in Pottuvil as of now and I will remain here until I am assured that the situation is under control. The government will do its utmost to bring normalcy back to the area," he added (Daily Mirror : 13 August 2011).

An Open Letter to David Cameron - by Stanley Perera from Melbourne - It is my view that the liberation fighters of Tottenham, London and elsewhere in the U.K. are calling for a regime change. Your barbaric action in killing a civilian sparked wide spread riots in U.K. Your racist and discriminatory action against migrant community has backfired on you. That Sillyband fellow is hiding his head in the sand who conducted a vigorous campaign against the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka and supporting the Terrorist group LTTE. It was an open secret that Sillyband fellow was a corrupt politician who was in the pay roll of LTTE. This fellow fought tooth and nail to rescue the Terrorist leaders. You silly fellow Milliband, do you realise now that your corrupt pas has boomeranged you. Why not you speak up and support the rioters? Is it that they do not pay you the kick backs? David Cameron it is time up you pack up and go home. We Sri Lankans are calling you to hold an impartial investigations into human rights violations and killing of innocent civilians. The regime change is warranted with immediate effect. In the U.K. there is a very large number of Sri Lankans living under extreme hardships. It is our responsibility to speak up for the equal rights and opportunities of Sri Lankans living in the U.K. So my dear David I must remind you that your colonial day’s attitude must be changed for good now that we are living in a civilised society. It is with great importance that I re-iterate here that you are a failure and leave with respect if you have any. That Gordon fellow is gone and that fellow the liar is gone and minting in luxuries provided by that little Bush fellow and now you are going, going and going. Go to hell Cameran go to hell without killing the black people (Sinhale hot News ; 13 August 2011).

Full scale LLRC probe into second C-4 video - by Chaminda PERERA - The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has begun a full scale probe into the second video telecast by British Channel 4 titled "Killing fields of Sri Lanka". According to LLRC spokesman, Lakshman Wickramasinghe, the Commission has completed the investigation into the first Channel 4 video and the second video is being examined by the Commission members. He said the opinion of the Commission over the Channel 4 video would be incorporated in the final report which would be handed over to the President before the deadline. Wickremesinghe added that the commissioners have already started writing the final report which will include details about the Commission's investigation into the Channel 4 videos and their views at length (Daily News ; 13 August 2011).

Lankan pilgrims visiting TN to be registered - by Mahinda ALUTHGEDARA - A programme to register all Sri Lankan pilgrims and tourists visiting Tamil Nadu in India has been launched by the Tamil Nadu Police. All Sri Lankans visiting Tamil Nadu are required to register their names with the relevant Police station in the areas they are visiting, said Sri Lanka's Deputy High Commissioner in India Vadivel Krishnamoorthy. This means that Sri Lankans should inform Tamil Nadu Police about the areas they are visiting and taking lodging facilities.This step has been taken to ensure the security and safety of Sri Lankans visiting the Indian Southern state following the attack on a group of Sri Lankan pilgrims by a group of LTTE sympathisers (Daily News ; 13 August 2011).

Australia provides new schools for Kilinochchi children - Two schools damaged prior to 2009 have been rebuilt with funding from the Australian Government. These schools were handed over to education authorities in Kilinochchi at a ceremony to mark the occasion. The schools were constructed at Rs 112 million as part of a joint partnership between the Australian government and UNICEF together with the Education Ministry. The Pallai Central College and Massar Primary will now provide good quality, modern facilities for nearly 2,000 children. Both schools were listed by the government as priority schools requiring immediate construction and renovation in the aftermath of the conflict. At the official opening, Australian High Commissioner, Kathy Klugman, said yesterday: "The Australian government is very pleased to be able to make such a significant contribution to the lives of children and families in Kilinochchi". "This will allow these schools to extend good education services to much of the region, particularly given Pallai Central College's importance to the district. Through the partnership with UNICEF and the government, we have built schools that are bigger than originally designed and should be able to meet the needs of local communities for many years to come," she said. Additional work are still to be undertaken at the schools, although students can now look forward to starting the third term in the new classrooms in September UNICEF Sri Lanka Representative Reza Hossaini thanked the Australian government for their support. "Education is the foundation of a nation's development and these schools will help in rebuilding a better future for the children of Pallai and Massar," he said. The schools were constructed as part of a Rs 1 billion partnership between the Australian government and UNICEF to rebuild or repair around 23 conflict affected schools in the Northern Province. The project will continue until late 2012 (Daily News ; 13 August 2011).

JHU urges India to protect Buddhist pilgrims in TN - The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) urged the Indian Government to take necessary action and to ensure the security of Buddhist pilgrims who have been threatened and physically abused in Tamil Nadu. “Groups with links to the LTTE had threatened most of pilgrims not to visit the state,” Ven Hadigalle Wimalasara Thera said. The JHU further stated that these incidents arose following the meeting US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa. “More than 300,000 Buddhist devotees visit Tamil Nadu and millions of devotees come to the state from all parts of the world. This is not a threat to our pilgrims but to all Buddhist devotees in the world”, Ven. Wimalasara Thera said. Most of these Buddhist worship places were protected by law and given to Buddhist devotees through struggles made by Anagarika Dharmapala who is regarded as a true son of our country, the Thera added. “We request Buddhists around the world to visit our island as it has a rich history as the country has a peaceful environment”, the Thera noted. Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said that they hope that the Buddhist community living in India would take these incidents seriously and act against them. “We will soon inform our partners and Buddhist organisations about the incident which took place in Tamil Nadu and also about the steps taken by them to spread these incidents”, the Thera said (Daily Mirror ; 13 August 2011).

Forced to leave, says Prof. Hoole - by R.K. Radhakrishnan - (August 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole, a respected Sri Lankan Tamil academician and a prominent returnee after the military defeat of the Tamil Tigers, said on Thursday that he was forced to leave the country. “Yes, I left through Colombo airport for London before [sic] I am arrested. I will work in the U.S. till lawyers can sort this out for me,” he told The Hindu via e-mail, when asked if he had fled Sri Lanka. “I will return because Sri Lanka [Jaffna in particular] is my home,” he asserted. Prof. Hoole, one of the few Tamils who was vocal in his criticism of the Tamil Tigers when the outfit ruled the Northern Province had had to flee Sri Lanka then. This time he had to leave because of his differences with the lone Tamil Minister in Sri Lankan Cabinet, Douglas Devananda. Mr. Devananda had filed a defamation case against Prof. Hoole in the Kayts court over articles that the academician had written in the media, which were highly critical of Mr. Devananda's role in the North, and the ruling UPFA in general. “My story is in the last three [editions of] the Sunday Leader. In the first of three articles, I saw what was going on during the Local Government elections [July 23] and reported it. That has upset Douglas [Devananda] in whose hands the government has… placed the full govt. apparatus, especially in Kayts [island],” he said in an e-mail communication. “The next Court date is the [August] 15th [fortunately for me, because this week is court vacation]. I was advised to be out of the island by then — not only by my lawyers but by all my friends in Jaffna,” he added. Prof. Hoole had come back to Sri Lanka to help rebuild systems in the island after the conclusion of the war. “When he [The President] invited displaced expatriates to return, Prof. Carlo Fonseka approached him and he promised to have me and my wife reinstated as a professor if I was here. Although he issued the order when I came, it has not been implemented. My wife has been unemployed for a year. I was on an appointment until further notice,” he said when asked to clarify on him coming back to Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Guardian : 13 August 2011).

6th Death Anniversary of former Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar falls today. 

Sri Lanka's former Foreign Minister Kadirgamar was brutally assassinated by LTTE in Colombo on 12th August 2005.

Special Web-Edition of Sri Lanka's former Foreign Minister, Hon Lakshman Kadirgamer (a well respected Sri Lankan Tamil Leader who fought against the Tamil Tiger Terrorism). (click here for details in Sri Lanka News Online)

Lakshman Kadirgamar: The Architect of the Strategy to curb Terrorism and promote Reconciliation and a man of wisdom in Diplomacy - by Satarathilaka Banda Atugoda - The Sunday Island of August 7th carried the address made by late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister in Warsaw, to the First Ministerial Meeting of the Community of Democracies, on 26th June 2005. Quite coincidentally, when I was contemplating on the fate that befell our beloved Foreign Minister and how we could pay a tribute to him, by way of an essay once again, it was timely that this address was published in the Sunday Island. In fact, it was the address that I had previously referred to. There is no question in my mind and right-thinking persons, that Hon. Kadirgamar was a global leader, who has etched for himself a niche, in world history. His speeches, writings, contributions as a professional legal luminary and actions as a world statesman, who lived in this tiny Island, all point to his multi-faceted personality (Island ; 12 August 2011).

DEMOCRACY, DIVERSITY AND A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS - Statesmen or stateswomen and philosophers have repeated and reiterated the truism that the cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy. This view was shared by one of Sri Lanka’s statesmen of recent times, though fortunately he did not rise to the levels of an all powerful executive president and even when he was tipped to become the prime minister, racist or extremist forces intervened to block his appointment. Lakshman Kadirgamar, like the world famous and widely revered Thomas More, was a man for all seasons. At a time when the government is embroiled in Sri Lanka’s worst ever international crisis that appears to be getting worse by the week, Lakshman Kadirgamar is the man that a time like this demands. It was Lakshman Kadirgamar who through extraordinary diplomacy using facts and figures instead of slogans and rhetoric convinced the international community that the LTTE was not a liberation force or the representatives of the Tamil-speaking people but one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist movements run by a fascist dictator Velupillai Prabhakaran. As we mark today the sixth anniversary of Lakshman Kadirgama’s assassination, we need to acknowledge that it was he who was largely responsible for the banning of the LTTE in the United States and most countries in Europe. Tragically today external affairs have been messed up badly by the appointment of large numbers of non professional political stooges as envoys to important countries. As a result Sri Lanka is facing heavy fire from the United States, India, Western Europe, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and his experts’ panel which probed war crimes issues here while the United Nations Human Rights Council is likely to take up the accountability issue at its sessions next month (Daily Mirror ; 12 August 2011).

US State Department believes Indian journalist on Sri Lanka issues - By Daya Gamage - When the Indian journalist Mr. Goyal who is accredited to the State Department in Washington makes a statement at daily press briefings spokesperson who conduct the briefings accept his submissions as ‘Gospel truth’. Either the spokespersons do not have facts in hand to refute Mr. Goyall’s diabolical lies about the Sri Lankan situation allowing Mr. Goyal’s accusations go unchallenged to make them international news, or they are incompetent to reach Sri Lankan diplomats in Washington to get the facts right. Or, the Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry and its overseas diplomats along with their lobbying firm Patton-Boggs do not see the damage caused by the Indian journalist Mr. Goyal to Sri Lanka’s image abroad. As a result, Mr. Goyal’s half truths, misinterpretations and diabolical lies go unchallenged to make international news against Sri Lanka and provide political ammunition to a section of the Sri Lankan Diaspora that is still supporting the Eelam agenda of the late Tamil Tiger leader V. Prabhakaran. Mr. Goyal has been going on with his misinformation for a while at State Department press briefings, and Asian Tribune has not seen the Washington Sri Lankan diplomats reaching to Mr. Goyal to put the record right. At the State Department briefing on Thursday, August 11 Mr. Goyal accused the Sri Lanka president of ordering the killings of the Tamils – even now – long after the Eelam War 4 has been completed over two years. But the spokesperson made no attempt to refute Mr. Goyal’s submission but allowed it to be a global news to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka. Following is the full text of the dialogue that went at the State Department press briefing on August 11, and Asian Tribune readers could assess the damage it has caused to Sri Lanka’s international image. These are been allowed to go unchallenged in a strategic manner by Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Ministry and its overseas diplomats (Asian Tribune ; 12 August 2011).

Sri Lanka's main Tamil party threatens reconciliation talks walkout - The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the political proxy of the now-defeated Tamil Tiger separatists, accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government of carrying out a "deceitful process" in talks which have reached their tenth round. "While attempting to show the world that the government was engaged in a political process as an integral part of reconciliation, what the government was really engaged in was no more than a mere facade," the TNA said in a statement. The government in turn blamed the TNA for trying to force its demands without wider consultation, and moved to appoint a committee to handle the talks in parliament, where Rajapaksa's ruling alliance has a two-thirds majority. "We do not think that the ultimatum delivered to the government by the TNA, which is tantamount to the attitude portrayed by the LTTE, is at all helpful or constructive," Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, a senior presidential ally involved in the talks, said in a statement. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged as the most ruthless of several armed groups that began fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Sri Lanka's minority Tamils, in response to political marginalisation and ethnic violence under successive governments ruled by the Sinhalese majority. Rajapaksa's government crushed the LTTE and killed its leadership in May 2009, winning what was one of Asia's longest-running civil wars at almost 26 years. Since then, Western governments including Britain and the United States, and ally India, have pushed Rajapaksa to engage with the TNA to strike a political deal acceptable to Tamils, with the aim of forestalling renewed conflict (Radio Netherlands : 12 August 2011).

US warns Lanka of international probe into war crimes - The United States has warned the Sri Lankan government of a possible international inquiry into the alleged war crimes unless Colombo launches a credible probe. The US told the Lankan government it wants Colombo to take responsibility and establish a kind of accountable system that its people can have confidence in or else face intervention from international mechanisms. But China has seized the opportunity to gain Colombo's confidence. It assured visiting Sri Lankan President M. Rajapaksa of Beijing's full support at the international fora. Sri Lanka had earlier dismissed a UN panel report on the war crimes as a devious western plan backed by the pro-LTTE diaspora. Alleged war crimes by Lanka during its battle to finish off the LTTE has rocked the Tamil Nadu assembly as well. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Thursday criticised Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa's remarks on the issue. "Gotabaya claims that there were no war crimes and the reports are false and misleading. The Tamil Nadu resolution on Lankan Tamils is beyond politics," Jayalalithaa told the assembly. Jayalalithaa also took a dig at the Centre, saying: "The Indian government being a mute spectator has boosted the morale of Sri Lanka. The government must send an envoy to condemn Gotabaya's insensitive remarks." (India Today : 12 August 2011).

The Displaced Northern Muslims of Sri Lanka (2) - by ARM Imtiyaz (Temple University, USA ) & MCM Iqbal (Sri Lanka Civil Service (retired)) - (August 12, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In March 1990 the LTTE encircled the Jaffna Fort and in September 1990 they succeeded in taking control of the Jaffna Peninsula. This was followed in October 1990 by the expulsion of the Muslims from all the Districts in the North, although the Muslims of the Northern Province by and large had cordial relations with the Tamils of the Northern Province. A section of the Northern Muslims had a tactical understanding with the LTTE as well, despite their strict reservations about the LTTE’s wider separatist agenda (Sri Lanka Guardian : 12 August 2011).

An identical article appeared in ‘Khalije Times’ and ‘India Today’- by Herold Leelawardena - An identical article appeared in ‘Khalije Times’ and ‘India Today’. Later says the writer is a man named Priyamvatha. I do not know this Priyamvatha from Adam. But one thing I could say for sure form its contents is that, Priyamvatha is a part of rump LTTE or is hired by them. Whatever it is, it is rather pity he hadn’t made his trip immediately after IPKF left Sri Lanka for he would have witnessed hundreds if not thousands of true accounts of atrocities committed by illiterate Indian javans and not pseudo ones as he presented in this write up here. If civilians of the North live in fear, these writers must blame Tamil politicians first. I say that because leaders of TNA (the political party of Tamils, today) are the same people who led ITAK (another yesteryear political party of Tamils) or their progeny. And it is the founder ITAK, a self confessed but trousered Gandhian, S.J.V. Chelvanayagam who declared war on Sri Lankan government first: On May 14th, 1976, Chelvanayagam and other members of his party had a mass public rally at Waddukkodai and passed a resolution that urged all Tamil youth to take up arms and never to lay them down until ‘Tamil Eelam’ was won. A youth named Velupillai Piripaharan who was at that rally took it to the zenith in true sense and fashion. He made his outfit called LTTE, the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world and demanded nothing but Eelam and had not lay down arms even at his last breath. Piripaharan used all cease-fires and peace-talk offers by the Sri Lankan government to buy timed and expand his hold to strengthen his outfit for another war (LankaWeb : 12 August 2011).

Norwegian boost for Vanni youth : Ex-LTTE combatants among beneficiaries - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Sri Lanka’s post war efforts aimed at rehabilitating those who once fought for the LTTE and other youth will receive a big boost, courtesy the Norwegian government. Norway has provided funds through the World University of Canada (WUSC) to set up a vocational training facility at the one-time LTTE stronghold at Jayapuram, and two Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) centrers in the Vanni. Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister, Dallas Alahapperuma’s media spokesman Nimal Weeratunga told The Island that Sri Lanka was grateful for post-war overseas assistance aimed at helping war affected communities. Weeratunga said that those who had experience in various fields could enroll at RPL centers in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi to secure recognition. Acting Norwegian Ambassador John Otto and Sri Lanka director of WUSC Ingrid Kanutsan will join Minister Alahapperuma today (Aug. 13) for the inauguration of the three facilities in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts (Island ; 12 August 2011).

SRI LANKAN TAMIL TERRORISTS vs AUSTRALIAN CATTLE -CHANNEL 4 VIDEO Vs ABC FOUR COURNERS VIDEO - By M D P DISSANAYAKE - The two notorious videos released in England and Australia in recent months have targeted Sri Lankan Defence forces and Indonesian Abattoirs. The Channel 4 video had been produced with the sole intention of discrediting the Sri Lankan government and to tarnish its image internationally. Sri Lankan government has thus far produced overwhelming evidence to prove that the video released on June 14 this year titled “Sri Lankan Killing Fields” was a fake. The forensic tests have thus far proved that the script of this “Film” was not authentic. On May 30, 2011, the Brendan Trembath and Sarah Dingle of ABC Four Corners programme televised a footage of cattle being whipped and slaughtered in an inhumane manner at the Indonesian Abattoirs. Following the telecast of this video footage, there was a spontaneous outcry from the so called “Animal Groups” demanding immediate stoppage of live cattle exports to Indonesia. The video had a massive impact and sadness on animal cruelty on many Australians who may not have seen the internal operations in an Abattoir in either Australia or Indonesia. Since the telecast, the developments that took place in Australia was unimaginable and sometimes laughable. They are: (LankaWeb ; 12 August 2011).

Accountability issues: Why focus only on GoSL? – Gomin - Senior lawyer Gomin Dayasri alleges that those attacking Sri Lanka over so-called accountability issues have been silent on the atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) during its deployment here. Responding to a query by The Island, Dayasri said: "On Tamil civilian casualties there are allegations against Sri Lankan Forces and the IPKF. It is ironical that there should be cacophony of shrieks about the Sri Lanka forces and an eerie silence as regards the IPKF. Is it not a case of deliberate fire at a selected target with double standards? Are lives lost by Indian fire irrelevant and harm caused by Sri Lankan fire that needs accountability? Is it that India can do no wrong and only Sri Lanka violated international humanitarian laws?" Dayasri said: "Name a country that asks for an inquiry against India over the years? If asked, would India comply?" (Island ; 12 August 2011).

Nearly 60,000 widows in N&E - Child Development and Women’s Welfare Minister Tissa Karalliyadda told Parliament Friday that at the end of the North East Conflict the two provinces had 59,501 widows. He said that his ministry had launched a project to collect details of widows countrywide and propose measures to uplift their welfare and economic improvement. Responding to questions raised by UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa, the minister said for the widows in the North and East his ministry was conducting counseling and guidance services and several ministries have come forward to provide welfare and economic assistance for them (Island ; 12 August 2011).

London Bridge is burning down - ... Democracies are not known to encourage vigilantes. We recall the days when the West and their local agents in "phoney" human rights activism here, raised hell over the forming of citizens committees under the local police, to be watchful in one’s neighborhood for threats from the LTTE. There are no such problems for vigilantes in the UK today. The British media and the defenders of democracy are full of praise of the vigilante groups, be they Sikhs, Bangladeshis, Pakistanis or those from other ethnic backgrounds, who weld cricket or baseball bats, golf clubs or other weapons and patrol their areas to fight it out with the criminal elements. This is good western democracy at work. They can soon take a lesson from what is left of the Ku Klux Klan on the on the power of vigilantes. The spread of the vigilante message will make it easier for David Cameron to impose even more cuts on the Police Budget than he has planned. All that work could be done by vigilantes. Hurrah for those who keep the vigil.... (Island ; 12 August 2011).

Lady JJ's conniption - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa has, true to form, flown off the handle at a remark by the Sri Lankan Defence Minister Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that she had got a resolution passed in the State Assembly calling for economic sanctions against Sri Lanka, to gain political mileage. While venting her spleen on the Defence Secretary, Jayalalithaa has called for the Centre to condemn him through an envoy. She seems to be still living in the world of celluloid fantasies, where she reigns supreme. For the past few years she has been hurling abuse at the government leaders of this country to her heart's content. She has gone so far as to call President Mahinda Rajapaksa a war criminal and is openly campaigning for his arrest. She also backs the LTTE rump to the hilt vowing to create eelam in Sri Lanka. But, she throws a tantrum when she comes under criticism. She, in fact, should be thankful to the Defence Secretary for being charitable in replying to her the way he has done. Let her be asked to do unto others as she would have them do unto her! (Island : 12 August 2011).

In UK., USA., Norway ‘KARMIC FORCES’ at work ! -  Dr.P.A.Samaraweera, Australia - ...... A few weeks ago, Oslo was devastated by a terrorist attack. Norway was a key partner in bogus peace talks with Sri Lanka and siding the LTTE. So they had a taste of terrorism. Then, there was an uproar in the UK due to a media phone hacking scandal. Now the London city is on ‘fire’ while rioting young gangs are having a field day. This had created a question mark about security for the 2012 Olympics. At the other end, the US, apart from terror attacks in the past, has an enormous debt of $14.3 trillion. Once President Obama was regarded as the most powerful and popular person in the world. Last week, he lost his arguments on raising taxes, ceiling on debt, govt. expenditure on wars etc., and was humiliated by the Republicans who control the Lower House. As it is Obama will be limping until the elections next year and the forecast is not rosy (Lankaweb ; 12 August 2011).

Sinhala Family in the South donates 1500 books to Jaffna Library - By Janaka Alahapperuma - Jaffna Library received another round of generous donation of 1500 books from new supporters, this time a Sinhala family in Nugegoda, Colombo. With sheer intention of quenching the thirst for knowledge of Jaffna students and other interested readers, a generous family in the south donated a volume of valuable books to the Jaffna Library recently. The donation coordinated by the Security Forces Headquarters- Jaffna included 1500 books on various disciplines such as a set of encyclopedia, novels, famous story books for children and a rare collection of educational books. The latest donation by Mr. Vipula Wijeratne, Ms Nilmini Jayasinghe and Ms Menaka Jayasinghe of Nugegoda reached the Security Forces Headquarters- Jaffna as a response to the request. On behalf of the Sri Lanka Army, Security Forces Headquarters- Jaffna, General Officer Commanding 51 Division Major General Janaka Walgama and Lieutenant Colonel Deeptha Ariyasena handed over the consignment to library authorities on Tuesday 09 July. Both the authority of the library and the Army expressed sincere thanks to the generous family for their book donation. The library authority also said “we are extremely grateful for this assistance. It is certainly a worthwhile cause” (Sinhale Hot News ; 12 August 2011).

Indian president rejects mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers

Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists in Sri Lanka (read details in Sri Lanka News Online)

Does Raj Rajarathnam deserve any leniency for the worst white collar crime ever committed in the history of United States - By Malin Abeyatunga, Melbourne, Australia - The latest reports from Reuters say that Raj Rajaratnam ‘s lawyers are seeking leniency for the worst ever white collar crime in the history of States committed by him. The lawyers have given some flimsy reasons such as ill health and his philanthropically acts. It is alleged that thousands of letters have received of his generosity and portray him as a philanthropists. Is he painted as a modern Robin Hood? Does robbing from one source and giving to another source qualifies to be a Philanthropist? The lawyers have cited in their memo that donations of more than 45 million to charities in the US and abroad including $5 million spent building new homes for Tsunami victims. The Defence lawyers have let another cat out of his bag. This is very interesting and needs further investigation by the FBI to find out the recipients of blood money to find answers for the following concerns: (Sri Lanka News Online ; 12 August 2011).

London is burning - Colombo in tranquil - By Malin Abeyatunga, Melbourne, Australia - An innocent unarmed black man named Mark Duggan shot by the Metropolitan Police has sparked off violent riots starting from Tottenham and spreading to other London suburbs . According to latest news, it has now been spread to Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol , Nottingham, Manchester and to some other countryside big cities. This is a repetition of Broadwater Farm incident in 1985. This is what Wikipedia says about the Broadwater Farm Riots Quote“On 5 October 1985 a young black man, Floyd Jarrett, was arrested by police, having been stopped in a vehicle with an allegedly suspicious tax disc. Four police officers searched his home. In a disturbance between police and family members, his 49-year-old mother, Cynthia Jarrett, fell over and died almost instantly.” Cynthia Jarrett's death sparked outrage from members of the black community against the Metropolitan Police. There was a belief in the black community that the police were racist. A black woman, Cherry Groce, had been shot by police a week earlier in Brixton. Four years earlier the Scarman Report into an earlier riot in Brixton criticised police Un quote. Is killing this black man the main cause or something different has brewing in these suburbs. To me, this appears to be an external manifestation of internal frustration of one part of the community who are unemployed, living in poverty, desperate and helpless. However, Metropolitan Police and the Government so far have ruled out this as an act of terrorism but isn’t it something against the ruling establishment like what’s happening in Libya. Unfortunately, the reverse is happening and the NATO including UK is arming the rebels against establishment and bombing the Libyan Governments forces. Hypothetically, what happens if China or Iran arms these looters against the established UK Government? When a protester at a demonstration against the Government got killed (not deliberately aimed at this man) in Colombo recently, the whole of western world was criticising Sri Lanka blaming Human Rights violation. Isn’t this a similar situation here in London and the west is condemning the looters and condoning the Metropolitan Police having killed an unarmed man (Sri Lanka News Online ; 12 August 2011).

Mercy petitions in Rajiv assassination case dismissed - Twenty years after the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, three men responsible for his killing are soon to face the gallows with President Pratibha Patil rejecting their mercy petitions. The three convicts are Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. While Murugan and Santhan are Sri Lankan nationals, Perarivalan is an Indian. The wife of Murugan, S. Nalini, was also sentenced to death but it was later commuted to life imprisonment at the intervention of Congress president and Rajiv Gandhi's wife, Sonia Gandhi. Nalini is serving her sentence in a prison in Tamil Nadu. Rashtrapathi Bhavan sources told The Hindu that the mercy petitions, pending for about six years, were rejected by the President last week, paving the way for their execution. The Union Home Ministry had sent its opinion on June 21, 2005, which was called back for review on February 23, 2011 and was re-submitted to the President on March 8 this year. It was on May 21, 1991 that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) used a woman suicide bomber Dhanu to blow up Rajiv Gandhi at an election rally at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Dhanu died in the blast (Hindu : 12 August 2011).

Amnesty International: Channel 4's Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - Mr. Alex Neve, Secretary General, Amnesty International, Laurier Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario. Dear Alex Neve: I appreciate it very much for you to find time out of your extremely busy work in office to respond to my letter. And I am sincere when I say that and I thank you. But all what I can tell you is, No…no…no…I don’t agree with the majority of what you said. There have been moments when I was even resentful and I don’t want you to second guess me as you will hear my voice loud and clearly while you read more of this letter. But before I spray you with my bile, I want you to know who I am, in case you think that I am just another hot-headed ‘Johnny-come-lately’ on this Sri Lankan issue to make an effort to change your perceptions of me, if you have any, and also to know that I am having a love-affair with Sri Lanka, my Mother-country, and that no one hurts her unfairly, and that includes Amnesty International, or the NDP crowd like Wayne Marston, Paul Dewar, Rathika Sitsabaiesan and Peter Julian. The operative word is “unfairly”, as I like to believe that I am a reasonable man with a humanitarian heart. I will claim my bragging rights just to introduce myself to you (LankaWeb : 11 August 2011).

‘C4 undermining SL’s peace-building’ - BJP National Convenor - by Rodney MARTINESZ - National Convenor (External Affairs Cell) of India’s main Opposition Bharathiya Janatha Party Sheshadri Chari yesterday slammed Britain’s Channel 4 for what he said was an attempt to poison the conducive environment that is now being built between the government and the Tamil population for peace and reconciliation. In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Chari said the “Channel 4 documentary which in any case does not appear to be made on any verifiable proof was derogatory in nature and only helps in vitiating the atmosphere (of peace building).” Chari who had visited the North and spoken to the Tamil civilians said the Sri Lankan government was doing excellent work in the North by strengthening the peace process and undertaking economic development. “For instance the three language formula is also an excellent initiative at creating social harmony asserting that there is “an urge for peace, progress and prosperity in the North”. “The Tamil population is fearless today. In my interaction with some of them during my visit I found that they are enjoying freedom from the tyranny of the LTTE”. Issues like Channel 4 is bound to poison this atmosphere the ground reality is so very different” he said. He also noted that Sri Lanka was probably the only country in the last half a century which decisively won a war against terrorism. “I can’t recall any other country which has won a war against terrorism. Maoist terrorism, the IRA, Al- Qaeda still exist. They have not been totally annihilated as your country has done(with the LTTE)” (Daily News ; 12 August 2011).

TNA’s ultimatum to government - By Neville Ladduwahetty - Negotiating a political arrangement for post-conflict Sri Lanka can be considered daunting for Sri Lanka as it is for the US to resolve its debt crisis. The hard stand taken by the TNA even after three decades of death, destruction and untold suffering by the Tamil people is comparable to the unyielding stand taken by the Tea Party in its approach to the US national crisis.  The global economic melt-down has left many developed countries bruised and helpless to cope with their inability to meet their financial commitments to their citizens and to their debtors. Although these countries are preoccupied with their respective financial situations they were also deeply concerned and watchful as to how the United States was going to deal with its own financial situation knowing the impact the situation in the US would have on the rest of the world. Fortunately for all concerned, a crisis in the US was averted hours before the dead line. Despite the good news, the hard bargaining that enabled the US to avert a crisis has damaged its image and it is now seen as a country unable to come together politically to resolve issues of national interest. The result has been that its credit rating was downgraded from a triple A rating (AAA) to AA +. The settlement reached between the Democrats and Republicans is far from what is generally considered to be in the best interests of the country. An outcome that would have been in the long term interest of the US was not possible due to the obduracy of a determined minority within the Republican Party that has come to be called the "Tea Party". The Tea Party consists of 65 Republicans out of a total of 240 Republicans in the current Congress. Party solidarity compelled the rump of the Republican Party to go along with the ideology of the Tea Party which inter alia, wants to cut expenditure without raising taxes in order to reduce the national debt; an ideology that was considered by the moderates to be detrimental to the long term interests of the nation. The determination of the Tea Party in the face of an irresolute majority (both Republican and Democrat), that sought a more balanced approach of cutting expenditure with related increases in revenue through tax reforms held sway, despite its negative effects on the long term interests of the nation (Island : 11 August 2011).

Champika lashes out at US, Jayalalitha - By Harischandra Gunaratna - The Power and Energy Minister Patalee Champika Ranawaka yesterday charged that the attacks by LTTE supporters on Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil Nadu started only after US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had discussions with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha recently. Ranawaka in a scathing attack on the US said that it is urging the international community and various international bodies to investigate alleged war crimes against Sri Lanka which they claim took place during the "Humanitarian Operation" conducted to liberate the country from the clutches of the LTTE. "The irony is that the US is trying to implicate Sri Lanka without any valid or concrete evidence, but there is strong evidence of US killings of Iraqi civilians during the US-Iraqi war where the American soldiers have killed 109,000 Iraqis according to leaked official war documents of the country," he said. The Iraqi city Falluja, was razed to the ground by the Americans and not even a brick was not left, he added. Further, no one has rejected these charges, the Minister said. "One of their own soldiers who had hacked the e-mails in the Iraqi war logs obtained this information and that’s how Wikileaks big man Julian Assange obtained this vital information, Ranawaka said. He was addressing a news conference organized by the Jathika Hela Urumaya in Colombo. Ven. Athuraliye Ratana said that the party condemned the recent attacks on both Buddhist and Catholic pilgrims in Tamil Nadu and appealed to pilgrims to avoid travelling to Boddhagaya via Chennai and instead travel via Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. The thera said that the cost of travelling to Bodhgaya via Hyderabad would be little more and not so convenient as there are only a few direct flights from Colombo to Hyderabad, but we need to teach a lesson to the Jayalalitha administration. "We should also boycott Indian goods and most food stuffs from India which are coming to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu," he added. "We will also launch an awareness campaign among the Buddhists in India about the atrocities committed by the Tamil Nadu administration against Sri Lankan pilgrims and their duplicity. Minister Ranawaka said that Jayalalitha and other Tamil Nadu politicians are shedding crocodile tears about the Tamils in Sri Lanka and asked aren’t they depriving the Lankan Tamil fishermen of their livelihoods by large scale poaching on our northern waters and attempting to acquire Kachchativu which is solely used by Tamil fishermen (Island : 11 August 2011).

The truth will prevail eventually - The truth will prevail eventually. That is the hope Sri Lanka has in her present beleaguered state. She is under siege, so to speak, being subjected to a form of ‘international’ pressure for no justifiable reason. What ordinary Sri Lankans cannot understand is why unrelated outsiders are so hell bent on negating the hard won sense of relief they are savouring on being finally saved from three decades of relentless terrorist persecution, and why their path to recovery and reconciliation should be strewn with roadblocks. Those who didn’t care to utter a word in protest when hundreds and thousands of our men, women, children, and even babies were massacred, but instead maintained an acquiescent or conspiratorial silence while actually supplying moral and material support to the perpetrators of those crimes, are now hounding our political and military leaders who brought us solace at great personal sacrifice, and amidst many obstacles (Island : 11 August 2011).

Sri Lanka’s rebuttal of C4 allegations screened in Bangkok - Sri Lanka’s video rebuttal of the Channel 4 allegations was screened this week at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok before an audience of journalists, foreign diplomats, representatives of NGOs and other interested persons giving viewers the opportunity of listening to a different narrative that challenged the British TV network’s contentions. This is perhaps the first time that this video launched by the Defence Ministry was aired outside Sri Lanka before a foreign audience. The FCCT had initially intended to screen Channel 4’s original video and a subsequent programme where its correspondent Jonathan Miller is seen confronting Ambassador Shavendra de Silva on the street outside Permanent Mission building. This screening was to be possibly followed by a discussion at which the former UN spokesman in Colombo and the author of the book on Sri Lanka "The Cage" was expected to participate. Sri Lanka’s Embassy in Bangkok urged the FCCT to grant it the right of reply if it was going to have a discussion on the Channel 4 video. Subsequently when the Embassy heard that the video rebutting the UK TV station’s allegations was available, it arranged with the External Affairs Ministry to have the video sent urgently to Bangkok (Island : 11 August 2011).

Catholic Church condemns attack on pilgrims in Tamil Nadu

Indian president rejects mercy plea of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers - Indian President Pratibha Patil has rejected the mercy plea of three ex-LTTE members, who are charged with the assassination of former premier Rajiv Gandhi in early 90s. A female suicide bomber killed Gandhi, while he was on an election tour, in the southern Indian town of Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991. With the president’s rejection, the last hope of escaping the execution order vanished for the three condemned men, known as Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan. "The rejection (of the clemency petitions) happened last week after the president returned from a foreign tour," presidential spokeswoman Archana Datta told the press. Eight years later, the Supreme Court announced death sentences for three men. The court also reduced capital punishment of convicted Indian Tamil woman Nalini Sriharan to life imprisonment. The men later sought pardon from the president after SC’s verdict. The Indian government blamed LTTE for their role in Gandhi's assassination – a charge the militant group always denied contrary to the fact that group’s leader Velupillai Prabhakaran honored assassin's father as a great person, who contributed to the Tamil cause. New Delhi sees Gandhi’s assassination as retaliation by the LTTE against the 1987 pact between Indian and Sri Lankan government to disarm the guerrillas. Following the pact, Rajiv Gandhi-led Indian government sent troops to Sri Lanka fight against LTTE and guard the accord. However, Indian troops pulled out in 32 months after losing at least 1,200 soldiers in their war with rebels (All Headlines news ; 11 August 2011).

European court to annul ban on LTTE - Dutch lawyer Victor Koppe is representing the Europe-based political wing of the Tamil Tigers before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has asked the court to annul the EU Council’s decision (Regulation 83/2011), reassigning the LTTE to the EU’s terrorism list. Koppe argues this decision is null and void because the LTTE, as it is described in the decision, has ceased to exist. It has declared it will no longer engage in military strategies to further its political goals. Koppe claims the EU ban is legally flawed and labelling the LTTE a terrorist organisation is contrary to international law as it frustrates the pursuit of the right to self-determination for the Tamil population. He told International Justice Tribune (IJT) that his demand is partly to stop the prosecution of Tamils in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland and other EU member states: “One of our main arguments is that the Tamil groups are fighting a legitimate battle for self-determination. You know the right to self-determination is one of the fundamental principles of international law. And it is within the context of an armed conflict that there were two parties fighting each other. Obviously things have gone wrong, but to call the LTTE a terrorist organization rather than one of the two fighting parties is in our opinion contrary to international law.” (Daily Mirror : 11 August 2011).

Former Indian PM Gandhi's killers to hang - By Pratap Chakravarty (AFP) – 3 hours ago NEW DELHI — India's president has rejected mercy pleas from three men convicted of the 1991 assassination of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, paving the way for their execution, an official told AFP on Thursday. "The rejection (of the clemency petitions) happened last week after the president returned from a foreign tour," presidential spokeswoman Archana Datta told AFP. The appeal sent to President Pratibha Patil by the three -- Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, all known by single names -- were their last hope of escaping the hangman's noose. The condemned men, who belonged to Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militant group, are charged with plotting the May 21, 1991 killing of Gandhi by a female suicide bomber. The Supreme Court in 1999 confirmed the death sentences of the three men, but commuted the capital punishment to life in prison for Nalini Sriharan, an Indian Tamil woman who was also convicted. The three men sought a presidential pardon after the top court's verdict. A woman with explosives strapped to her body blew herself up, killing Gandhi instantly while he was on an election tour in the southern Indian town of Sriperumbudur. His shredded clothes and the shoes he was wearing at the time are on display in a museum in the Indian capital. The LTTE, wiped out by Sri Lankan forces in 2009 following a bloody offensive by government troops on the island, always denied its hand in Gandhi's assassination. But the militant group's now-slain leader Velupillai Prabhakaran went on to honour the assassin's father as a "great person who contributed to the Tamil cause." (Google News : 11 August 2011).

The International Crisis Group Report on Sri Lanka- Can We Avoid Emotional Exaggeration and Stay With the Facts? - By Dilup Nanayakkara The ill timed report of the International Crisis Group will only contribute to reopen the healing wounds of conflict and revive communal hatred and ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka. It tries to portray the conflict in Sri Lanka as being ethnically driven and not as a war against terrorism; this is simply a fabrication of a deluded mind because the war was not the creation of the government of Sri Lanka. The conflict began in the late seventies and early eighties following the LTTE’s reliance on bloody violence and terrorism to achieve a separate state in the small island of Sri Lanka (25,000 sq. miles). The military offensive which ended the war followed repeated efforts to end the conflict through negotiations by successive governments since 1985, including with the intervention of international mediators. All of which were rebuffed by the LTTE (Asian Tribune : 11 August 2011).

Networks of Informers 7: Does Obama have a ‘Multiple Civilian Casualty Policy’ in dealing with terrorism? - Prof Rajiva WIJESINHA, MP - The double standards endemic in international reporting of conflict is apparent in the manner in which Sri Lankan officials are turned into witnesses against the Sri Lankan state whenever they say things that go against the standard view of Sri Lankan officials. We are co-opted as it were into temporary membership of the network of informers the nastier elements in the international community have set up, if we declare that there were civilian casualties during the conflict. This is never treated as a statement, but is rather almost always described as an admission. This makes no sense except in terms of a discourse redolent with preconceived prejudices. In itself the existence of civilian casualties in modern warfare is not something surprising, but what occurs in Sri Lanka has necessarily to be accompanied by finger pointing (Daily News ; 11 August 2011).

Rajaratnam seeks leniency - Raj Rajaratnam, the Galleon Group hedge fund founder who was found guilty on insider trading charges in May, asked a judge on Tuesday to impose a sentence "substantially below" what is called for under federal guidelines. Prosecutors have said that under federal rules, Rajaratnam faces between 15-1/2 and 19-1/2 years in prison. In a court filing, lawyers for Rajaratnam said such sentence would overstate the seriousness of his crimes. Lawyers for Rajaratnam also cited his health, arguing that such a sentence would ensure that he "will die in prison and will die much sooner than he otherwise would." Reuters (Daily News : 11 August 2011).

Ignoring practices in the rest of the world - By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha - One of the most interesting aspects of the recent visit to India by a Parliamentary delegation was the opportunity it gave us to learn more about the Indian upper house and the way it functions. We were taken in to a meeting of the Rajya Sabha as it is called, and did not have to endure any protests, as had happened in the Lok Sabha – though I should note here that, while media attention was concentrated on the ten or so members who shouted at us, the 500 and more who cheered us were ignored, friendship obviously not being as notable in media parlance as hostility. And we should also register the authoritative but dignified way in which the Lady Speaker handled the situation, shooting down singlehanded it seemed the vociferous shouts of the unruly members. There was a different scene in the Rajya Sabha, when one member insisted on making a protest and then walking out. I was told later that this was a member of the DMK, and he could not allow his party to be outdone, since the protest in the morning had been led by Jayalalitha’s AIDMK. The Chair of the upper house, who is also Vice-President of India, an extremely dignified Muslim gentleman, was not equal to shouting down his recalcitrant member, but that would not have been appropriate perhaps in that house. His apology however was equally sincere, and the rest of his membership, including a very articlulate member from Tamilnadu, more than made up for the embarrassment (Island : 10 August 2011).

Leniency sought for Lankan convicted of insider trading -  A Sri Lanka-born one-time billionaire convicted on insider trading charges should receive leniency at sentencing because of his failing health, because the government has exaggerated his crimes and because a life of good deeds separate him from notorious white-collar criminals, his lawyers argued in court papers submitted Tuesday. Raj Rajaratnam, free on $100 million bail, is scheduled to be sentenced next month after his May conviction on nine counts of insider trading and five counts of conspiracy, crimes that occurred after he founded the Galleon Group of hedge funds more than a dozen years ago. He is the top defendant in a case prosecutors have described as the biggest hedge fund insider trading probe in history. Lawyers for Rajaratnam, 53, said they have submitted to his probation officer information about "significant and challenging medical issues" that are expected to worsen soon. "Mr. Rajaratnam is not a healthy man, and his death will be hastened by a term of imprisonment," the lawyers wrote. But federal prosecutors recommended he be sentenced to a maximum term of 24 1/2 years in prison. Calling Rajaratnam’s criminal conduct "brazen, arrogant, harmful and pervasive," federal prosecutors said in a memo to the judge that the defendant "operated as a billion-dollar force of deception and corruption on Wall Street." "He is arguably the most egregious violator of the laws against insider trading ever to be caught," they argued. "He is the modern face of illegal insider trading." During a two-month trial, prosecutors said Rajaratnam used a network of friends and old college buddies to cheat on Wall Street, making more than $63 million illegally (Island ; 10 august 2011).

Another batch of 150 rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres to be released

On the elections in the Northern Province - by Prof. Nalin de Silva - The so-called scientific method, which is long term politics, can take a back seat as we are already lagging behind issues raised by elections to the local government bodies in the northern province. In both case the hand of western Christian colonialism is clear but we will first concentrate on elections in the Northern Province. The TNA, the TULF and the UPFA won in the respective areas of the leaders conforming to the voting patterns of the Tamil population in Sri Lanka in general. Tamil politics as we have often said is top down and the Tamil people usually do not go looking for leaders. They in general follow the leaders depending on a number of factors the caste being one of the prominent. Except for in the islands around Kayts the Tamil people have followed their traditional Vellala leaders in spite of the fact that the other casts are suppressed by the Vellalas. In the islands around Kayts people voted for minister Douglas Devananda who has stood up to the terror of the LTTE and also the repression of the Vellala leadership and established a formidable leadership. This does not mean that the development programmes of the government have had no effect on the elections but the leadership factor had been the most important. If minister Douglas Devananda had been able to establish leadership in the other areas as well the results would have been very much different. However, it is evident that the UPFA has eaten into the vote bank of the Tamil racist parties to a certain extent through the development programmes, but it is also clear that the government has to adopt a different strategy to win elections in the northern province. The politics among the Tamils is very much different from that among the Sinhalese and UPFA has to learn as fast as possible if it were to be successful in the future (Sri Lanka guardian ; 10 August 2011).

Rajaratnam sentencing may be a fight to the death - A U.S. government request that Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam spend as much as 24-1/2 years in prison -- a term associated more with murder than financial crimes -- raises the ante in the biggest individual insider trading case in a generation. Whether Rajaratnam, like Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, deserves the type of sentence often given to drug kingpins and Mafia bosses comes down, fundamentally, to the strength of the case against him, and the assessment of his presiding judge. "I think what he did was terrible, corrosive and harmful to the markets," said James Cox, a securities law professor at Duke University. "At the same time, where are the bodies, where is the blood?" Cox and other legal experts believe Rajaratnam will get a substantial sentence, but less than the prosecutors requested in a sentencing memorandum filed with the court on Tuesday. Prosecutors said a 19-1/2 to 24-1/2 year term, reflecting nonbinding federal sentencing guidelines, is appropriate for Rajaratnam, a Sri Lankan-born former billionaire whom they called "the modern face of illegal insider trading." (Reuters : 10 August 2011).

Motion to be presented in House soon: PM - By Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera - The government, in consultation with the National Security Council, is now taking steps to scrap the state of emergency, and the motion in this regard will be presented to Parliament soon, Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne told Parliament yesterday.The Prime Minister, making his remarks during the debate on the extension of the state of emergency, said that he gave a detailed account on the circumstances that led to the re-imposition of the state of emergency on August 13, 2005. He said that the emergency regulations were scaled down on May 2, 2010, a year after the end of the war. He said though emergency regulations were still being used to provide security to nerve centres in the Colombo city, the government had taken steps to do away with the regulations immediately. The Prime Minister said some foreign forces were trying to strengthen the hands of the LTTE internationally though the organization had been decimated in Sri Lanka. He said LTTE fronts such as the Global Tamil Forum, the Transnational Government of Tamil Ealam, the British Tamil Forum and the Tamil National Council were active outside the country. He also said in Tamil Nadu, pro-LTTE elements were trying to force the central government of India to impose economic sanctions on Sri Lanka (Daily Mirror ; 10 August 2011).

Emergency to go soon - Sandasen MARASINGHE and Irangika RANGE - Prime Minister D M Jayaratne yesterday told Parliament that the government has already taken measures after consulting the Security Council to repeal the Emergency regulations soon. The Prime Minister was presenting the motion to extend the State of Emergency by another one month. Premier Jayaratne also stated that the government was taking measures to move the necessary motions in Parliament, in this respect without delay. He also stated that the Emergency regulations imposed on August 13 and continued were scaled down by a gazette notification on May 02, 2010. With this notification several clauses of the State of Emergency were repealed and most of the other clauses were amended for the public welfare following the elimination of LTTE terrorism on May 19, 2009 (Daily News ; 10 August 2011).

'Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis timely' - by Sarath MALALASEKERA - The report titled "Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis" published by the Defence Ministry is timely and contains a detailed account as to why the Humanitarian Operation conducted by the Armed Forces was just, said Senior Attorney-at-Law Upali Denaratne. The report serves the necessary purpose of clearing all doubts as to the necessity of the Humanitarian Operation conducted under the unwavering political leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The report reveals the barbarity with which the LTTE conducted its terror-campaign killing thousands of innocent men, women and children as well as numerous religious dignitaries and moderate Tamil and Sinhala political leadership. Senaratne said that together with the invaluable documentary titled "Lies Agreed Upon" the Sri Lankan Government has come up with a response that should debunk much of the false accusations and harmful propaganda carried out by elements that are determined to tarnish the image of Sri Lanka. The effort made and the commitment shown by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, is praiseworthy. In the midst of mounting malicious propaganda Defence Secretary Rajapaksa's attempt is not only an attempt to defend himself, but more importantly, his Armed Forces and the entire country, Senaratne said. The international community should take a more objective and impartial stand on the malicious and unsubstantiated accusations levelled against the country, as External Affairs Minister Prof. G L Peiris pointed out, Senior Attorney Senaratne added (Daily News : 10 August 2011).

Catholic Church condemns attack on pilgrims in TN - By Noman Palihawadana - The Roman Catholic Church in Sri Lanka yesterday condemned the attack on a group of pilgrims, who were on their way to Vellankerny in South India last week, allegedly by a group of LTTE supporters. "Over 100 Sri Lankan’s who were members of the Dehiyangatha Parish in Ja-Ela, accompanied by Rev Fr Terrence Bodiyabaduge and Rev Fr Patrick Perera, were the victims," the church said. The Sri Lanka Catholic Church also made a request to its counterpart in India to make proper security arrangements for the pilgrims who are visiting the religious site and ensure their safety. It is the first time that a group of Catholic pilgrims had been threatened in this manner, a senior member of the church said. It was revealed that the South Indian police had tightened security in the area surrounding the Vellankerny church following the attack. A large number of Catholic devotees visit the Vellamkerny church during this period (Island : 9 August 2011).

PM says emergency needed as LTTE sympathizers active - By Saman Indrajith - The Government is in consultation with the National Security Council to bring about an early abolition of the emergency regulations, Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne told Parliament yesterday.  Speaking during the debate to extend the emergency by another month, the Premier said that 28 clauses in the Public Security Ordinance, which had been place since August 2005, had been abolished since the war against the LTTE ended in 2009 and only a few remain in place.  "The LTTE continues to be active overseas with their sympathizers still working to destabilize the country. Hence, the need for the emergency to continue for a while, the Premier said.  LTTE remnants abroad operate to discredit Sri Lanka and they have the backing of some European countries and INGOs operating in those countries. The Global Tamil Forum, Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam, British Tamil Forum and the Tamil National Council are working together to revive the LTTE’s international network. They have sent their members all over the world to resurrect the LTTE’s international network which had been dismantled after the elimination of the terrorist outfit in Sri Lanka, he said. The premier said that there are forces sympathetic to the LTTE in Southern India demanding that the Indian government impose economic sanctions against Sri Lanka. Those pro-LTTE forces and anti-Sri Lankan elements were making use of false video tapes such as Channel 4 to discredit and tarnish the image of Sri Lanka. They had started a campaign to canvass State leaders using this DVD tape. A large number of LTTE cadres who had fled the country during the last phase of the humanitarian operation are now attempting to develop contacts with cadres being released after rehabilitation. This is a serious threat to national security. Unearthing of firearms and explosives buried by the LTTE on retreat is still taking place. On July 11, the army recovered a haul of explosives and firearms on information received by the military intelligence units. To support these activities the state of emergency has to be extended for one more month, he added (Island : 9 August 2011).

They never came, they never saw but they are marvellous liars - By Lalin Fernando - There is a concerted propaganda effort by the scattered and battered but still evil and scheming remnants of the terrorist LTTE like the GTF and their despised British mercenaries (political and media elements)to attempt to frighten SL with R2P(ee) (Western intervention/isolation. Like the scattered Nazi war criminals who lived in South America they have been granted havens in countries that have been brain washed to believe the LTTE are the innocent victims and not the heinous oppressors in 30 years of violence and brutality. Their choice is not South America but the liberal West that unfortunately for them is slowly but surely turning viciously extreme right. Like the Nazis they have implicit faith in Goebbelsian tactics that the bigger the lie, repeated often, the more likely are people to believe it. Their ‘Eelam’ is UK’s Channel 4 TV (CH4) together with schemers in the UN like ‘expert’ in children’s rights but not of the LTTE Baby Brigades and rape, Coomaraswamy, playboy Darsuman and Pillai. They having paid Brit politicians and TV presenters many times what they earn annually conjured the deaths of 40,000 Wanni ghosts in May 2009.Like Prof GL Peiris said they are trying to ransom SL after 30 years of ruthless terrorism that caused 70,000 deaths with allegations of assorted atrocities in the last 10 days of the conflict. Unsurprisingly, not one country in the 3rd world has criticised SL for its conduct during the conflict. Is this American Custer’s and European Buster’s last stand before monetary collapse, Norwegian super star Breivik and right wingers, al Qaida, racial minorities and the 3rd world finally catch up? (Island : 9 August 2011).

Sri Lanka - 150 rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres to be released - Another batch of 150 rehabilitated LTTE cadres will be reintegrated into society on Friday in Vavuniya. Presently the ex-cadres in the rehabilitation process are undergoing a final test in mason skills, handicraft work and paintings Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe said. The rehabilitated cadres have been given vocational, language and communication training to improve their skills and their educational knowledge. Though there had been 24 rehabilitation centres for ex-LTTE combatants at the inception, there are only nine rehabilitation centres at present Major General Ranasinghe said. According to the Commissioner General so far 7969 out of 11,700 surrendered LTTE cadres, have been released and further 2879, are being rehabilitated in camps. A sum of Rs.750 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation process for this year. Meanwhile, one hundred and eight former members of LTTE are sitting for the GCE Advanced Level examination. Over 50 percent of the rehabilitated ex-combatants had successfully completed the GCE Ordinary Level examination last December (ISRIA).

New book targets India over ‘accountability issues’ in SL - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Those wanting to haul up Sri Lanka before an international war crimes tribunal, on the basis of ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’, now have an opportunity to learn all about about atrocities committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from its deployment in Sri Lanka during July 1987 to March 1990. Government sources told The Island that unlike unsubstantiated allegations propagated by the UK-based Channel 4 News, at the behest of the Global Tamil Front (GTF), a new book ‘In the Name of Peace: IPKF Massacres of Tamils in Sri Lanka’ documented violations of the International Humanitarian Laws (IHL). Sources said that those Tamil Nadu politicians, demanding economic sanctions targeting Sri Lanka, had been silent though the book was launched in early April 2011 ahead of the release of controversial ‘Darusman report.’ Recently Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dismissed a Tamil Nadu demand to isolate Sri Lanka. All three groups turned down an invitation by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to testify. They alleged the LLRC was nothing but a government apparatus, which wouldn’t conduct an impartial examination (Island ; 9 August 2011).

Sri Lankan Australian taxpayers demand investigation into possible LTTE influence / infiltration of the ABC

See details in URLs given below;

Sydney Ptotest in ITN News 7;00 pm on Saturday, 06 August 2011

Protest organized by SPUR (NSW) dated 06 August 2011 in ABC News

Sydney Protest in Ada Derana News on 06 August 2011

http://www.slnewsonline.net/Channel_4_and_ABC_Sydney_Protest_on_20110806.asp

Govt. prepared to join hands with TNA - By Buddhiaka Kumarasiri - The Senior Minister of Good Governance and Infrastructure Facilities, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said that the people consider the Tamil National Alliance as a pro-LTTE political party and that it still comprised pro-LTTE elements at international level. Addressing a ceremony to commission the Olabotuwa Water Supply Scheme in Horana, he said the Tamil community supported the TNA despite its relations with pro- LTTE elements. The Olabotuwa Water Supply Scheme costing Rs 2.1 million was funded by the Sri Lanka Samurdhi Authority. Minister Wickremanayake went on to say: “However, the government is prepared to join hands with the TNA to find a political solution to the problems of the Tamil community. All parties concerned should meet and have a one-to-one discussion to find a viable political solution. It should not be postponed for a moment. However, it will not be possible to find a solution overnight. They must workout a formula acceptable to both the North and the South. We must not rush things in our endeavour to solve a national issue that has been gathering momentum at international level. All parties concerned should put their heads together to solve the issue.” (Daily Mirror ; 9 August 2011).

Envoy expresses concern over Chennai attack - Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner V. Krishnamoorthy said yesterday he expressed his concerns to the Tamil Nadu Police about the recent attack on 74 Sri Lankan pilgrims. Three pilgrims were injured in the attack, which was alleged to have been carried out by a pro LTTE group last Thursday. “I did not protest but expressed my concern about what happened in a diplomatic manner,” Mr. Krishnamoorthy said and added that he had also informed the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry. He said he spoke to Egmore police officials in Chennai and they had assured the safety of Sri Lankan pilgrims. They had informed Mr. Krishnamoorthy that they had not asked any of the hotels to keep away Sri Lankan guests as reported in some of the Indian media. At present some 1,000 Sri Lankan tourists are in Chennai and some 300 pilgrims in the Egmore Mahabodhi Centre. Mr. Krishamoorthy said the police were providing them security. He said he was in touch with the Mahabodhi Centre’s Ven. Kalawane Mahanama Thera who had informed him that the Sri Lankan pilgrims at the centre were safe (Daily Mirror ; 9 August 2011).

Whither Government-TNA Talks? - At the time of writing, it appears that the talks between the UPFA government and the Tamil National Alliance are on the verge of collapse. It has been reported that the TNA wants the government to address some issues if the latter is willing to continue talks. The government’s argument varies. Some Ministers have said that the issues raised by the TNA are fundamental so that 10 days period is not adequate to take a decision on the issues of such importance. On the other hand, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has informed us that the issues raised by the TNA can be placed before the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee for discussion. If the government wants more time and can inform the time period it seeks, I am sure the TNA will accept that, provided it does not appear as a dilatory tactic. However, if the issues should be placed before the select committee as the Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva proposes, it is imperative to reach a prior agreement through discussion before the appointment of the proposed PSC. As TNA MP Sumanthiran correctly said, "the PSC is useless unless it is a mechanism to implement the agreement with regard to the substantive issue of devolution (Island : 8 August 2011).

India regrets attack on Lankan pilgrims in Chennai - NEW DELHI, August 5: Three people were arrested for their involvement in an incident in which a group of Sri Lankan pilgrims was attacked in Chennai by a bunch of suspected LTTE sympathisers on Wednesday even as India strongly disapproved the assault. In response to a question on the subject, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vishnu Prakash said the Government of India considers it to be an unfortunate incident, and regrets the inconvenience caused to the visitors from Sri Lanka. The government strongly disapproves this kind of behaviour towards visiting the country, especially religious pilgrims. "India has always made its guests feel welcome, and such incidents do not go with our highest traditions of treating guests with respect and dignity," Prakash said. He also noted that, following investigations, three people have been arrested for their involvement with the incident (Island ; 8 August 2011).

SL war crimes: Gotabaya hits out at Jayalalithaa; confident of Indian support - Sri Lanka's defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has hit out at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for her recent comments seeking international war crimes investigations and economic sanctions on Sri Lanka. Talking to Headlines Today exclusively in Colombo, Rajapaksa said. "This (the resolutions in the assembly and statements by J. Jayalalithaa) must be for her to gain political advantage...It is not reasonable, because in Sri Lanka regardless of being Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim, we are Sri Lankans. We are more worried about our citizens than anyone else. This (the resolution and statements by Jaya) is without knowing facts." "If she is so concerned about the welfare of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, the first thing you know what she must do...they must stop Indian fishermen coming into Sri Lankan waters and fishing in areas predominantly dominated by the Tamil fishermen of Sri Lanka. "When it comes to that, they do not talk about the welfare of the Tamil people...people just talk about welfare of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, but when it comes to the real thing they are not shouting. This is what Ms Jayalaithaa should address first if she is very keen on the welfare if the Tamil people of this area. This is what she must do," Rajapaksa said. He advised the Tamil Nadu chief minister to focus her attention instead on the need for rehabilitation of the Tamil people in the war ravaged areas of Sri Lanka (India Today ; 8 August 2011).

Rehabilitation in final stages - Another batch of 150 rehabilitated LTTE cadres who are in their early twenties are to be released into society on Friday in Vavuniya, Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe said. Presently the cadres in the rehabilitation process are undergoing a final test in mason skills, handicraft work and paintings. The rehabilitated cadres have been given vocational, language and communication training to improve their skills and their educational knowledge. Though there had been 24 rehabilitation centres for ex-LTTE combatants at the inception, there are only nine rehabilitation centres at present Major General Ranasinghe said. According to the Commissioner General so far 7969 out of 11,700 surrendered LTTE cadres, have been released and further 2879, are being rehabilitated in camps. A sum of Rs.750 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation process for this year (Daily Mirror : 8 August 2011).

Dangers of India’s business in Sri Lanka - by Shenali Waduge - With the dawning of peace upon a nation that withstood 3 decades of terror, Sri Lanka is looking towards development & aiming at economic revival. While lobbying foreign investors to invest in Sri Lanka, it is no surprise to see India engage its neighbor – this time from the economic front. Indians are no strangers to Sri Lanka & with peace Indian companies are keener than ever to put their foot into Sri Lanka through various development projects in the goods & service sectors as well as through Indian labor into Sri Lanka. Most of these projects have had land identified & Government approvals already obtained much of the time without taking into consideration the opinions of country-proud businessmen or professionals. Should we then be surprised that over 50% of Indian investments in SAARC countries are located in Sri Lanka. Of these joint ventures 54% are with Sri Lankans & located in Sri Lanka. Principle sectors attracting Indian investment in Sri Lanka are steel, rubber, cement, power & energy, oil exploration, production, telecom, real estate, tourism, computer software, IT training & other professional services. The better question is to wonder what sectors Indians have not ventured into in Sri Lanka (Lankaweb : 8 August 2011).

Chennai police to ban Lankans - The Chennai city police has in a shocking move instructed hotels in the city not to accommodate pilgrims from Sri Lanka after two attacks on visitors from the island nation. The knee-jerk reaction by the police has led to pilgrims cancelling their plans to visit the Maha Bodhi Society in Chennai. “A few hotels and lodges in North Chennai are denying rooms to the pilgrims from the Maha Bodhi Society, citing orders from the police,” said officials of the society. With season for pilgrimage commencing from the end of July, the Maha Bodhi Society, a religious centre which can accommodate only 250 people, is now struggling to find place to accommodate the overwhelming pilgrims. Now that hotels are turning them away, the pilgrims say they have no place to stay. The Lankan nationals say the police action is like insult added to injury. When contacted, additional commissioner of police (law and order) Thamarai Kannan denied that the police had issued instructions to hotels not to take Lankans as guests. Hotels say they were ordered by cops. While the Chennai police has in an outrageous step allegedly instructed hotels and lodges not to provide accommodation to Sri Lankan pilgrims and then denied that any such instruction had been issued, officials at a hotel in Egmore who refused to give rooms to the pilgrims last week told them that they were acting on the directions of the city police. “Two pilgrimage organisers in Sri Lanka were forced to cancel their bookings after a hotels in Egmore and other localities in north Chennai turned down their request for rooms,” said an official of the Maha Bodhi Society in the city. “A few pilgrimage organisers have cancelled their visits to Chennai and instead headed for Delhi en route to Bodhgaya,” he said. “Around two lakh pilgrims visit the society every year. There is every chance that the numbers will fall if this persecution continues.” That the cops reportedly took the unconsidered decision after two attacks on visitors from the island nation has angered the pilgrims. However, the official said a few other hotels in and around Egmore are defying the police diktat and are providing them with rooms. Before providing them with rooms, the hotels officials take details of the pilgrims and keep copies of their pilgrimage visas and passports that they forward to the police (Daily Mirror : 8 August 2011).

Special Web-Supplement commemorate the Heroic Sons of Sri Lanka who laid their lives to preserve the Unity of Mother Lanka 19-years ago, on 8th of August 1992.

Full details in special web supplement in Sri Lanka news Online (click here)

Please read an article by Keerthi Warnakulasuriya on Gen. Kobbekaduwa and other war heroes in Divaina (07 August 2011)

Giant demo in Sydney to condemn biased ABC reports against Sri Lanka

Click here for more photos and details

Report by Sathyananda - Sydneysiders witnessed an unusually large and strident protest demonstration against anti Sri Lanka, pro LTTE reporting by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The protest by Sri Lankan Australians and their friends, numbering nearly a 1000 was staged right in front of the Australian Head Office of ABC in the Sydney city. ABC is one of the two Australian Government funded media institutions, the other being the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The protest was organized by the Society for Peace, Unity and human Rights (SPUR), New South Wales with the co-operation of several other Sri Lankan Expatriate organisations. Sri Lankan viewers and listeners had been observing that the ABC had been disseminating distorted anti-Sri Lanka news items for a number of years. Their patience came to an end when the ABC ignored appeals from a large number of Sri Lankan Australians requesting the ABC TV Four Corners Program not to broadcast the LTTE propaganda based Ch 4 film “Killing fields of Sri Lanka” and telecasted it on 4 August 2011. Two days later, ABC Radio PM program interviewed a self acknowledged former Tiger woman cadre to promote her book “Tamil Tigress”. It was obviously a free advertisement with compliments from the ABC. That was the twin-trigger which made the Sri Lankans react with this demonstration. The large crowd braved the chill of the winter morning and held giant banners and placards and shouted slogans for over two hours. As if to prove that not all ABC journalists are unethical, two journalists and a video cameraman from ABC TV News and ABC Radio covered the event extensively and interviewed the Event Spokesperson. The journalists assured that the segment would be broadcast in the evening news on the same day. However, although the interview was lengthy, only a short clip is possible as the news program lasts only 30 minutes, they added. This assurance was observed, ABC TV telecasted the demo as well as a part of the interview on their 7 pm News, as best as they could, given the time limitations: (details in Sri Lanka News Online).

• Details in Lanka CNews http://lankacnews.com/sinhala/main-news/18070/ and

• Details in Lanka CNews http://lankacnews.com/english/main-news/ch4-sydney-protest/

Report on Final Months of LTTE Conflict Issued - The government of Sri Lanka on Aug. 1 issued a 169-page report detailing the final months of its conflict against the terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a document that goes step-by-step through some of the most critical actions in the long-running war, including the rescue of nearly 300,000 civilians held hostage by the LTTE. Specifically, the new report discusses in detail the steps taken by Sri Lankan forces to create escape paths for civilians held by the LTTE, and how the civilians were handled after their rescue. Please click here to download the report. The report focuses both on the conflict in the Eastern Province beginning in 2006 and in the North, where the 26-year-long fight against the LTTE ended on May 19, 2009. The document covers the human rights training of soldiers involved in the conflict, and the prosecution procedures of those in the military who may have violated government policies. It noted that several such prosecutions have taken place (The Official web portal of the Government of Sri Lanka ; 8 August 2011).

It’S just an empty roar with no substance: Maj. Gen. Silva - Major General Shavendra Silva, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, tells Daily Mirror that despite repeated attempts by paid activists of the LTTE failing to discredit the government and the forces, the agenda will continue to block the path of development and peace on the ground. ‘Channel-4 or another LTTE funded media outlet may conceive similar fabrications. It’s latest film is not the answer to my questions. I would be seeking very factual evidence face to face without mine and the Defence Secretary’s wartime images, which were also found to be cunningly sucked from other channels and propaganda pieces taken from the internet since there really is nothing to make things colourful. All these things are baseless accusations which have no validity at all,’ he added (Daily Mirror ; 8 August 2011).

US fighter jets intrude into Lankan air space Govt. to protest; combat planes believed to be from the Seventh Fleet - By Leon Berenger - The government will protest to the United States over the intrusion of Sri Lanka’s air space by a squadron of ten fighter jets. The Sunday Times learns that the protest will be handed over to the US Embassy in Colombo by the Ministry of External Affairs. “What we are trying to establish is whether the US fighter jets had violated the oceanic air space or the territorial part of it,” Civil Aviation Director Genera H. M. C. Nimalsiri told the Sunday Times yesterday. “In terms of accepted international norms, anyone wanting to use the country’s air space is required to file flight plans and obtain prior approval,” he said. A senior Air Force official speaking on grounds of anonymity admitted that there were periodic incursions by US combat aircraft into Sri Lanka’s air space. “There were occasions where we had to tell them to move out,” he said. “We have communication intercepts to confirm that they were carrier-based aircraft. In this instance we have reason to believe that the jet squadron was from the US Seventh Fleet,” he said. The tracking station atop Pidurutalagala -- the tallest point in Sri Lanka -- was the first to identify the intruding US aircraft. Officials there immediately conveyed it to the Civil Aviation Authority and the Sri Lanka Air Force. The tracking station with modern radar equipment with a range of 200 nautical miles and covers 380 kilometres of airspace. A US embassy spokesperson declined to comment yesterday (Sunday Times ; 7 August 2011).

Air space violation! - High echelons of power were abuzz over violation of country’s air space by planes belonging to a super power whose fleet is present in the region. Possibly the flights would have been a part of their routine exercises, but the question was why necessary clearance was not obtained. According to internationally accepted norms of good behaviour, even the mightiest are expected to respect the sovereign rights of small nations (The Nation : 7 August 2011).

Let the diplomats decide if diplomacy is more difficult than war ---- Channel 4 targeted Shavendra says... - I was the commander of the division which actually achieved the most number of victories during the humanitarian operation and now I am countering allegations against the country and our professional army. During the screening of “Killing Fields” in New York, where I underlined the circumstances under which the humanitarian mission was carried out, it was difficult to avoid being noticed by the film producer and the three INGOs that were present at the film screening when I stressed that it was a propaganda ploy. None of the INGOs or the film producer accused me there of war crimes. The representative of one INGO, who spoke about crimes, never mentioned me or my division. But after they failed in New York they, now have started accusing me, purely because they were made speechless in front of the diplomatic community on that day. Not only the Channel 4 but another group is trying their best to give negative publicity about me. Whether its negative or positive publicity, I am here to do my assigned job for my country. I only focus on that and I’m not interested in the negative publicity (Lakbima News).

Murder and Mayhem of LTTE in Sri Lanka - The report, Humanitarian Operation, Factual Analysis July 2008 – May 2009, compiled by the Ministry of Defence, was launched at the Colombo Hilton last week. The report includes details of the humanitarian mission conducted by the Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force. It also refers to atrocities committed by the LTTE against civilians, use of child soldiers by the LTTE, the global threat posed by the LTTE, its supply network and international network, peace talks between LTTE and successive governments, Norwegian and Indian role in peace talks, the Wanni operation and the civilian rescue mission. Following are some excerpts: (The Nation ; 7 August 2011).

Channel 4 unravelled, lies unpacked - By Lasanda Kurukulasuriya - The government-produced video titled “Lies agreed upon - an investigative documentary into the final days of the Sri Lankan conflict” comes across as the best antidote yet, to the unadulterated LTTE propaganda contained in Channel 4 TV’s controversial “Killing Fields” documentary released in June this year. The Channel 4 (C4) production contained footage of summary executions blamed on the Sri Lankan army. The government video, introduced along with the Defence Ministry’s report “Humanitarian operation – factual analysis” that was launched at an event attended by the diplomatic community on Monday, demonstrates a degree of professionalism hitherto not seen in governmental responses (Sunday Times : 7 August 2011).

Publicity blitz to counter concocted video: Channel 4 replaying Tamil Selvam’s old record - by Uditha KUMARASINGHE - Youth Affairs and Skills Development Minister Dullas Allahapperuma said that the British Channel 4 is today playing the same role played by LTTE Political Wing Leader Tamil Selvam to promote the concept of separatism. The Government has a responsibility to debunk this ploy to the world. The Defence Ministry has already launched its publicity blitz to counter the concocted Channel 4 video, the Minister told the Sunday Observer. He said the video documentary compiled by the Defence Ministry has clearly proved that this is a concocted video. Minister Allahapperuma said that according to the theory adopted by the West, an internal conflict in a country can be solved only through negotiations and not by military means. He said there is an organised conspiracy to dislodge the Government. This conspiracy comes as a result of the collapse of the theory adopted by the West. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the only leader who challenged this Western theory and eradicated terrorism by military means. Our former leaders such as R.Premadasa, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga also accepted this Western theory. However, President Rajapaksa said the terrorist problem in Sri Lanka can be solved by military means. Therefore, the West is exerting pressure on Sri Lanka over the past two decades, he said. The Minister said “We should not provide any room for the conspiracy launched to undermine our humanitarian operation which set as example to the entire world on how to defeat terrorism.” (Sunday Observer : 7 August 2011).

302 LTTE cadres to sit GCE A/L - A total of 302 ex LTTE cadres now undergoing rehabilitation would sit for the GCE Advanced Level Examination, Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Susantha Ranasinghe said. Exams are scheduled to begin tomorrow (8) and these ex LTTE cadres would sit the examination at the Vavuniya Tamil Maha Vidyalayam. Of these 302 candidates, 230 would sit in the arts stream, 57 in commerce, 12 in biology and 3 in the maths stream, he said. Last year 371 ex LTTE cadres sat the GCE Advanced Level examination and 222 of them passed. Fifty of them gained admission to universities (The Nation ; 7 August 2011).

Kattankudy massacre Remembered - by S.H.Moulana - Riyadh -  The Muslims of Kattankudy, in the eastern part of Sri Lanka, commemorated the tragedy befell on their community, 21 years ago. On August 3, 1990, around 30 heavily armed Tiger terrorists crossed a lagoon and entered the town of Kattankudy, predominantly a Muslim town. At around 8.00PM, they entered three main mosques in the locality where hundreds of devotees were attending Friday Isha prayers. The LTTE cadres were disguised as Muslims to avoid suspicion. As the worshipers knelt in prayer the Tiger terrorists attacked them, spraying automatic fire and hurling hand grenades at them. Most of the victims were shot in the back or side. The Tiger terrorists fled as Sri Lankan soldiers, notified of the ongoing massacre, arrived at the scene. The final death toll was 147 men and young boys. Harrowing eye witness accounts appeared in all the international media. Speaking to New York Times, Mohamed Arif, a 17-year old student who survived the massacre said ‘Before I escaped from a side door and scaled a wall, I saw a Tiger rebel put a gun into the mouth of a small Muslim boy and pulled the trigger’. Such was the brutal killing of the innocent worshipers, who had nothing to do with LTTE’s conflict with the Sri Lankan government. Do terrorists need reason to kill? Prior to the incident, it was reported, the Tigers have warned the Muslim residents of the town to vacate. At the time of the warning there were 60,000 residents 90 percent of whom were Muslims and they were relatively prosperous. It is the same tactics the LTTE adopted in the north too to carry out their ethnic cleansing. Until the birth of LTTE there was perfect harmony between the Muslims and the Tamils of the north and east of Sri Lanka. With the elimination of the terrorist menace, we note, normalcy is returning to the areas once dominated by LTTE. This ‘liberation’ is, in fact, being enjoyed by all three major communities in the island, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. May peace and harmony prevail forever! (Asian Tribune : 7 August 2011).

Enhancing the Post War Peace Dividend - The country is experiencing what is described as the post war peace dividend. The increase in tourist arrivals and earnings is a clear example of this benefit. Agricultural production too has increased owing to uncultivable areas during the war coming into production. Fisheries have expanded owing to the lifting of security restrictions. The improvement of internal trade with the North and East has also spurred increases in production, lower consumer prices and higher levels of economic activity. There is a revival of construction especially of commercial buildings and hotels and a consequent shortage of cement. The investment climate too has improved and there are both expansion of existing business activities and new investments. All these and more are the results of the peace. Whether these increases in production alone are adequate for the country’s economic development remains a pertinent question. Much more is perhaps expected now that the main obstacle to the country’s economic development has been removed (The Nation : 7 August 2011).

‘Tiger -flag -carrying goons removed our T- shirts and burnt them’ Lankan pilgrims’ attack in Chennai - By Chandrasiri Gunasekera - A pilgrimage to Buddhist places of worship in India turned into a bitter experience for a group of Sri Lankans last week when they were confronted by a group who threatened and attacked them in the Southern Indian city of Chennai. Eighty four Sri Lankan pilgrims, mostly elderly females and males came under attack by a group identifying themselves as members of ‘Nan Thamilan’(I am Tamil) and burnt the T-shirts with Sinhala words imprinted ‘Indunil Dambadiva Vandana’ worn by the pilgrims. Sarath Jayewardene The pilgrims had left for India on July 17 and after a brief stopover in Chennai had travelled to northern India by train. The group spent 15 days visiting Buddha Gaya and other places of worship. On August 2, they returned to Chennai with the hope of spending a day shopping before leaving for Sri Lanka the following day. Sunil G. Kukulegama, one of the Lankan pilgrims said that on August 3 at 1.30 pm, attackers wearing clothes with the imprint of the tiger emblem of the LTTE, stormed their hotel and attacked some of the fellow pilgrims. “Around afternoon the attackers came to the hotel in motorcycles and three wheelers that carried the tiger flag on them. They also showed us a picture of former LTTE leader Prabhakaran,” he said. The gang had also threatened the hotel owner saying if the pilgrims were not sent back the next day, the hotel would be set alight (Sunday Times ; 7 August 2011).

Reflections on local government elections in North - The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the umbrella organisation of once unabashed apologists for the LTTE secured control of 18 local government authorities while its arch rival, the Tamil United Liberation Front, which openly criticised the LTTE, won two while the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance also took control of two bodies in the strongholds of key ally, the Eelam People’s Democratic Party of Douglas Devananda. The results have provoked hurrahs on all sides, some chest-beating and some condemnation of an ungrateful and even communalist electorate. Cogent arguments have been presented to support each thesis, referring numbers, contexts and the dimensions of ingratitude and racism. I am of the view that it is too early to be hasty in concluding this, that or the other about the election result. It is useful, however, to review the various ‘last words’ on the results (The Nation : 7 August 2011).

“Keep Your Hands Off Maj. Gen. Jagath Dias!” - by ?Janaka Yagirala To:Christoph Wiedmer, Director of The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) Philip Grant, Director of TRIAL (Tracking Impunity Always). Keep Your Hands Off Maj. Gen. Jagath Dias! War crimes are indeed a sad thing, sadder still is when hearsay allegations against some are taken up with so much international trumpeting while real heinous war crimes go on around the world with absolute (yes indeed absolute) impunity. Lets be frank and get straight to the point, to the “western world” (the US, lapdogs of Western Europe and bootlicking mongrels in the rest of the world), any nation, any body or in short anything that stands up against their agenda (neo-colonial agenda) is a war criminal by default. The people of Sri Lanka suffered for 30 years from a group of terrorists known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Among the heinous crimes committed by these terrorists were suicide bombings which killed so many innocent civilians often on a daily basis. Major General Jagath Dias was one of the most capable and respected military commanders who led the armed forces of Sri Lanka in a decisive campaign against these barbarians. Today, the people of Sri Lanka can go about their daily activities without fear thanks to great people like him (LankaWeb : 7 August 2011).

Wild allegations of the West debunked - The bogus claims, allegations and sinister campaigns carried out by certain organisations with vested interests, local and international, were debunked in toto with the release of the Factual Analysis report by Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Colombo last Monday. The report was indeed an apposite reply with conclusive proof to counter the concocted stories churned out by the West. Each and every allegation levelled against Sri Lanka and its valiant Security Forces by the controversial British television Channel 4, were factually countered by the report ‘Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009’ and its documentary video. The convincing statements by the wives of former senior LTTE leaders amply demonstrate the lofty standards maintained by the Security Forces and the humaneness shown by the Sri Lanka Army in dealing with its worst enemy. The wife of former LTTE ‘political wing’ leader S.P. Thamilchelvan and wife of LTTE Sea Tiger leader Soosai candidly said that the Security Forces treated all of them including their children quite well. This runs contrary to the concocted stories which the Tamil diaspora has been disseminating across the West. As the Defence Secretary had explained, why should the Government, which directly looked after the families of LTTE leaders, kill those who surrendered to the military? The sole purpose of those instrumental in spreading these concocted stories was to discredit Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world and disrupt the prevailing peace in the country (Sunday Observer : 7 August 2011).

Sri Lanka; Ulterior motive of the Tamil Diaspora is to jeopardise yet another attempt at reaching a political solution - By Raj Gonsalkorale As far as this writer can recall, none of the previous attempts at reaching a political solution to the conflict with Tamil political parties have been approved by the Parliament of Sri Lanka (or Ceylon prior to that). Numerous Pacts, understandings, agreements entered into have all been between two political leaders. The Bandaranaike/Chelvanayakam Pact and the Senanayake/Chelvanayakam Pact are the much publicized Pacts, while some understandings between leaders are also mentioned as attempts made and failed to reach a solution to this issue over the years. None of these Pacts/Agreements/Understandings have had the benefit of a broader discussion amongst the people of the country, and people of all communities. Mention is also made of more recent All Party Conference, which in the end was not such a Conference as the UNP, TNA, TULF and the JVP did not take part or opted out of that conference. Unless we are all suffering from amnesia, that conference was held when a large segment of the country was controlled by the LTTE, and the rest of the country was terrorized by them, making the deliberations of that conference meaningless. The conference could have come up with a specific solution, but that would not have been applicable in most of the North and the East, as the LTTE wanted nothing but a separate State in those areas. The TNA members loved their lives, naturally, and did not participate in that conference. If they had, they would have added many numbers to the list of Tamil politicians murdered by the LTTE. They were under pressure then, and they are still under pressure now (Asian Tribune : 7 August 2011).

Formation of PSC this week - The government is expected to form the much talked about Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) mid this week, informed government sources said. The government last week announced that it would go ahead with the formation of the PSC as it considered it to be the platform to look for a solution to the longstanding ethnic question. The statement was issued soon after the 10th round of talks with the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) held on Thursday. The TNA had given a time frame of two weeks for the government delegation to respond to its proposal. The statement issued by the government stated that the given time frame was inadequate. “This (PSC) is the appropriate forum for a discussion in which all the representatives of the people can participate with a view to identifying the constitutional reforms that are needed as the country emerges from the anguish of terrorism and faces with courage the challenges of accelerated economic and social development,” the statement said. Meanwhile, the TNA said it would decide on its participation once the mandate of the PSC is defined. The UNP too has not made a decision on its participation (The Nation : 7 August 2011).

Conclusive proof in Factual Analysis report : Humanitarian Operation was just - by Gotabaya Rajapaksa - The purpose of releasing the Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis report and video is to set out the factual background and operational context, which brought peace to Sri Lanka by liberating our people from the brutal terrorism of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the LTTE, in May 2009. The report begins with a detailed analysis of the LTTE, including its true nature, and its growth and sophistication over the years, and the threat it posed to all Sri Lankans. The LTTE was a vicious terrorist group that suppressed democracy in the areas it dominated, killed all its rivals and assassinated moderate Tamil politicians and intellectuals, and spread terror throughout Sri Lanka with its many attacks on innocent civilians. Raising funds through its international criminal network, the LTTE not only had the ability to use semi-conventional tactics on land, but also acquired sea and air dimensions to strengthen its offensive capability. The size and scale of the LTTE was equivalent to many conventional forces; any attempt to defeat it militarily required the proportionate use of force (Sunday Observer ; 7 August 2011).

The tears of Kumaratunga kids – Oh, what a feeling! - by ?H. L. D. Mahindapala - Whenever Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) opens her mouth it reminds me of her own characterization of the way Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) talks. Tired of getting nowhere with RW in their numerous talks to arrive at a formula to solve the north-south conflict she said: “Ranil katha karanney katin nowei” (Ranil does not speak with his mouth) meaning that he speaks through an unmentionable part of his anatomy located roughly a span or so beneath the navel but slightly off-centre. CBK’s latest speech delivered at Justice Palakidnar Memorial Oration in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 24 July 2011 indicates clearly that she is better at speaking like Ranil than Ranil himself (LankaWeb : 7 August 2011).

Ch4 – Sydney protest - A large crowd gathered in front of Australian Broadcast cooperation (ABC) today (Saturday 6 August 2011) to protest against the recent telecasting of Channel 4 documentary “Sri Lankan Killing Field” on the ‘Four Corners’ program’. The protest was organized by the Society for Peace, Unity and human Rights, New South Wales (SPUR – NSW), Sri Lankan viewers and listeners had been observing that the ABC had been disseminating distorted anti-Sri Lanka news items for a number of years. Their patience came to an end when the ABC ignored appeals from a large number of Sri Lankan Australians requesting the ABC TV Four Corners Program not to broadcast the LTTE propaganda based Channel 4 film “Killing fields of Sri Lanka”. Two days later, ABC Radio PM program interviewed a self acknowledged former LTTE woman cadre to promote her book “Tamil Tigress”. It was obviously a free advertisement with compliments from the ABC. That was the twin-trigger which made the Sri Lankans react with this protest (Lanka C News ; 6 August 2011).  and in Sinhala

Sri Lankans in Australia protest against Channel 4 - Sri Lankans in Australia have rallied against the Channel 4. A massive protest was held by the patriot people. The protesters gathered in Sydney said that Channel 4 has attempted to create a crisis in Sri Lanka by disturbing the peace prevailing in the country. They also protested against the ABC channel in Australia for telecasting the baseless video of Channel 4. They also presented the latest video that reveals the real situation of the humanitarian operation and the deception of the Channel 4 documentary. The ABC Channel has agreed to telecast the new video. One expatriate Sri Lankan said that he was Muslim and his wife was Tamil. They were against such deceptions and that was why he was participating in the protest. He said he was proud that the Sri Lankans came forward to protest. He was in Sri Lanka last week and there were no communal problems in the country as all communities live in peace. Another Sri Lankan said that ABC is maintained by the government and therefore thrives on tax-payers money. Earlier too the channel telecast distorted news items against the Sri Lankan government for the advantage of the LTTE terrorists. Patriotic Sri Lankans have made arrangements to hold a number of protests in the next few days to reveal the true nature of the humanitarian operation (ITN News in Sri Lanka ; 6 August 2011).

"Don’t play politics at expense of the Tamils" - Govt. to ignore TNA’s 10-day ultimatum says angry Basil - By Shamindra Ferdinando - The government on Friday (Aug.5) indicated it wouldn’t meet TNA’s 10-day ultimatum to keep talks on devolution on track with Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa lashing out at the party for playing politics at the expense of the Tamil community. The TNA on Thursday demanded President Mahinda Rajapaksa to reveal within 10 days its position on the structure of governance, the allocation of subjects and functions of the Centre and Provincial Councils and issues relating to financial devolution. In an obvious response to the TNA’s move, an irate Basil Rajapaksa alleged that the Tamil party, which did nothing to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamil speaking people during the conflict was hell-bent on destabilizing post-war Sri Lanka. Addressing a gathering at Thandikulam, Vavuniya, Minister Rajapaksa emphasized that the government would never allow the TNA to achieve what he called its narrow political aims. The Gampaha District leader reiterated the UPFA’s commitment to the well being of the Tamil speaking people, though their elected representatives were still pursuing a separatist agenda. In spite of eradication of terrorism, efforts were being made to obstruct ongoing national reconciliation process, the minister alleged. He urged the TNA not to cause chaos as part of its overall political strategy. Government sources told The Sunday Island that the TNA could be acting at the behest of foreign elements to pressure the government. The TNA, which at gun point recognized the LTTE as the sole representatives of the Tamil speaking people in the run-up to April 2004 parliamentary polls, appeared to have forgotten the past, sources said. The bottom line was that the TNA couldn’t have even sat at a negotiating table with the government had the LTTE survived the war, sources said. That was the reality the TNA and its overseas supporters had ignored (Island ; 6 August 2011).

Peter Roebuck’s Wrong ‘Un - .... Reading his column in The Age I was amazed by Roebuck’s drawing attention to the British Channel 4 film ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ and quoting former England captain Michael Atherton as saying after he viewed the film that England ought to consider its position before undertaking its scheduled cricket tour to Sri Lanka. One must surmise from his writing that Roebuck has not viewed the Channel 4 "documentary" himself. Perhaps he is not aware that the "documentary", which he claims "shows footage of soldiers executing Tamils, prisoners and civilians alike’, has not been verified or proved to be authentic. However, he boldly states "The regime in Colombo carried out these atrocities". He may not be aware that during the latter period of the conflict against the LTTE (which was NOT a war against the Tamil people) the Sri Lankan armed forces rescued 300,000 innocent Tamil civilians who were being held hostage and used as human shields by the LTTE. Dr Francis Deng (current UN Under Secretary General and at the time United Nations Secretary General’s Representative on Internally Displaced Persons) is on record as stating that the situation in Sri Lanka was "unique as the Government of Sri Lanka continued to supply food and medicine to the population that lived under LTTE control". This role of the Sri Lankan government is not reflected at all in the channel 4 program (Island : 6 August 2011).

Ultimatums will only help extremist forces sabotage solutions– Minister Dilan Perera - Solutions to problems should be through patient negotiations, perhaps conducted behind the curtain. Presenting ultimatums, striking postures, taking public stances, laying down pre-conditions not only prevent solutions but lead to the opposite, of preventing solutions. It also strengthens these extremist forces on both sides who do not want a solution and would be delighted to sabotage it, Dilan Perera, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare said. He urged the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), as a moderate party, and being aware of the long term negative repercussions, to re-consider its stance. "It is with disquiet that I address the TNA on the conditions it has laid down, which the Government should meet within 10 days, before it agrees to the next round of talks with the government. I might state some facts about myself, to justify my credibility to address TNA. My entire political career has been based on my passionate belief that we are a multi-ethnic and multi–cultural society", he said in a statement (Island : 6 August 2011).

Was Oslo killer following GWB & Barack’s example of… - The ‘Righteous Killing’ of Saddam and Osama? - by Selvam Canagaratna - "The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause." Eric Hoffer. The True Believer (1951) (Island ; 6 August 2011).

A Public protest in Sydney against fake video in Channel 4 (UK) and ABC

Sri Lankan Australian taxpayers demand investigation into possible LTTE influence/infiltration of the ABC - Our decision to demonstrate today in front of the ABC Head Office was taken only after careful deliberation. It is solely because our numerous appeals to the ABC to desist from being a mouthpiece of the Tamil Tiger terrorists (LTTE) fell on deaf ears. Many of us, peace loving Australians of Sri Lankan origin, wrote to, and spoke to, various ABC Staff and appealed not to telecast the film "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields", which mainly comprised stage-managed fiction totally based on LTTE propaganda material. We came to know even the Sri Lankan High Commission's written appeal dated 30 June 2011 to the Executive Producer of the Four Corners Program, Ms Sue Spencer, giving an extensive list of reasons why the film should not be telecasted was ignored. Furthermore, we understand that the telephoned request made by the Acting High Commissioner, Ms Sashikala Premawardhane, to Ms Spencer a few days earlier to allow Sri Lankan Government's view also to be telecasted - in the event of telecasting the film in question - too was bluntly turned down citing unavailability of time. This, in our belief, is a very arrogant attitude towards a friendly country of Australia with diplomatic relations dating back to 1949.We believe ABC breached its own code of practice by not allowing opposing views, especially in this case where the film "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields" was extremely damaging to Sri Lanka's good image. ABC did not stop at telecasting the film containing the LTTE propaganda on 4 July 2011 on the Four Corners program of ABC TV, but followed up by airing a completely biased report supporting the Tamil terrorists on the PM program of ABC Radio on 6 July 2011. It was an interview by Stephen Long of a self-acknowledged woman suicide cadre, named Niromi De Soyza. In actual fact, it was designed to act as a free advertisement for her forthcoming book, "Tamil Tigress". Stephen's comments and leading questions were obvious clues to his intentions (Sri Lanka News Onloine ; 6 August 2011).

Gota points a finger at British media at diplomatic briefing - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Responding to an LTTE driven campaign to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal over accountability issues, the government of Sri Lanka has raised several contentious issues including the alleged involvement of a section of the British media with the terrorist group. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa expressed the government position before the Colombo-based diplomatic corps at the recent launch of ‘Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis- (July 2006 to May 2009) at the Colombo Hilton. The 161-page book tackled the entire range of issues, including the failure of the Norwegian led peace process leading to Eelam War IV. The Defence Ministry publication also recalled the efforts made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to pursue the peace process under the Norwegian auspices. President Rajapaksa went to the extent of twice sending government delegations to Norway to meet the LTTE without success. Referring to the ongoing UK phone hacking scandal involving the British press, the defence secretary alleged that a section of the UK media had been promoting LTTE’s separatist campaign, thereby undermined post-war stability here. British HC had been represented at the book launch. The defence secretary asserted that with the loss of its conventional military capability, the LTTE had been totally dependent on the media to pursue its Eelam dream. He lashed out at UK based Channel 4 News, Channel 4 and several other media organizations for throwing their weight behind the LTTE project. The Gajaba veteran also echoed former US Defence Attaché Lt. Colonel Lawrence Smith, who earned the wrath of the State Department for expressing doubts over the attempt made by some LTTE cadres to surrender to Army’s 58 Division on the Vanni East front through a third party. Responding to accusations by another British journalist, the Defence Secretary emphasized that he was not approached by any party regarding a move by two LTTE political wing cadres to surrender (Island ; 6 August 2011).

Sri Lanka Govt rejects the ultimatum issued by TNA

‘Nam Tamilar’ group behind harassment? - By Yohan Perera - Sri Lankan pilgrims who came under attack by some Pro LTTE elements in Chennai yesterday alleged that they were harassed by members of a group called ‘Nam Tamilar (We are Tamils) which is allegedly backed by some politicians in Tamil Nadu. These members who came under attack retuned to the island yesterday morning. One of the victims Sunil Kukulegama told the Daily Mirror that they got to know from reliable sources that these goons who attacked them were from the said group allegedly backed by the State Assembly members. Relating their ordeal Mr. Kukulegama said they just returned to Chennai after engaging in religious observances in Buddha Gaya when the attackers approached them. He said the attackers identified them to be Sri Lankans by the t-shirts which some of the tour operators were wearing. The tour has been organized by an organization named (Indunil Dambadiva Vandana). Some staff members from this organization had been wearing t-shirts with the organization’s logo at the time of this attack. “The attackers forced these people to remove the t shirts and had later set them of fire and assaulted them in the process,” he said. They have also told the hotel keepers to send the Sri Lankan pilgrims away. The hotel owners had then requested the pilgrims to stay indoors while the leader of the tour group had informed the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai. Mr. Kukulegama said two officers from the Deputy High Commission rushed to the scene and took them to the Mahabodhi center. He said there were several Sri Lankan pilgrim groups when they left the Mahabodhi. Sarath Jayawardene who led the pilgrim group said they were informed minutes before they left Chennai that the goons were arrested by the Tamil Nadu police. Mr. Jayawardne said he managed to escape the attack by removing his t Shirt before the attackers could notice him (Daily Mirror : 6 August 2011).

SL call to EU timely: Ambassador Aryasinha - By Dianne Silva - Sri Lanka’s request to the European Council (EC) to list LTTE front organizations as terrorist organizations was a timely move in line with the European Union’s own realization, identification and arrest of persons related to the LTTE and its front organizations, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, Ravinath Aryasinha said. “Since terrorism was defeated in Sri Lanka in May 2009, while only a handful of individuals were arrested in connection with LTTE terrorism, in Europe during the same time frame around 37 individuals belonging to several LTTE front organizations were arrested and 21 have already been convicted,” he said. The Ambassador expressed that he had called on the international community during his address to the European Corporate Security Association to maintain a watchful eye on LTTE front organizations (Daily Mirror : 6 August 2011).

Pro Lankan caucus in US congress: Envoy - By Dianne Silva - Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya yesterday claimed that Sri Lanka had the strong support of 30 members of the United States Congress. “We have strong support in the Congress. We have a Sri Lankan caucus of more than 30 members, and many of them have praised us for defeating the LTTE and for launching our redevelopment and reconciliation efforts,” he told Daily Mirror from Washington. But he conceded that there were also a number of groups working against the Sri Lanka’s interests. “Some Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and several LTTE supporters have been lobbying the Congress for the past two decades. But we can’t ignore the positive developments in Sri Lanka,” the ambassador said. He said a group of 12 US businesses recently wrote to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praising Sri Lanka’s development efforts. After having visited the country in March of this year the businessman had shown interest in investing in Sri Lanka. “Boeing, for instance, hopes to sell aircraft to SriLankan airlines. John Deere and Caterpillar are interested in establishing a presence in Sri Lanka. Others want to establish small factories and assembly plants, and a number of top US hotel chains are already negotiating projects in Sri Lanka,” the ambassador said. He said Sri Lankan news reports painted an overly negative picture of the US. “Sometimes the news stories in Sri Lanka make it seems as though the US doesn’t support us. But in fact we have strong support overall from the US and our diplomatic relations with it must be based on strong trust, and I personally think that the trust is growing stronger,” he said (Daily Mirror : 6 August 2011).

SL diplomat's immunity not to be affected: envoy - A criminal complaint filed in Switzerland against a top Sri Lankan diplomat and former army general would not affect his diplomatic immunity, Sri Lankan Ambassador to Germany T. B. Maduwegedara has said. The Society for Threatened Peoples and Swiss Association against Impunity have filed a criminal complaint with the Public Ministry of Switzerland against Sri Lankan deputy envoy in Germany Major General Jagath Dias for alleged war crimes. Dias was one of the Sri Lankan generals credited for its success against the LTTE. He was posted to Germany as the deputy ambassador while concurrently accredited to both Switzerland and the State of Vatican. Maduwegedara told the BBC that Dias cannot be subject to trial as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity. "No individual or organisation could challenge the immunity without following the accepted procedure. They must make a complaint through the host nation's foreign ministry," Maduwegedara said, adding that even such a complaint must have credible evidence to back such a claim. "What we have heard of are general accusations. You can't act based on a mere accusation". Maduwegedara said there had been no official intimation on the matter from the Swiss authorities. Director of STP Christoph Wiedmer has told the BBC that they had gathered reports from human rights organisations, testimonials, photos and videos of crimes committed during the final stage of war in Sri Lanka when Dias commandeered the 57th Division of the Sri Lankan Army. Sri Lankan troops' conduct during the final battle of the war against the LTTE received international focus in April when a special panel appointed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urged the government to investigate war crimes accusations. Similarly a series of documentaries by the British TV station Channel 4 have also named the key Sri Lankan government and military figures for alleged involvement in war crimes (Daily Mirror : 6 August 2011).

Rehab of ex-LTTE cadres costs Rs. 2.5 - By Shamindra Ferdinando - The government of Sri Lanka has spent a staggering Rs. 2.5 bn on the rehabilitation of ex-LTTE cadres since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009. Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Maj. Gen. Sudantha Ranasinghe yesterday said that in spite of constraints, the government had provided the funds needed for post-war rehabilitation process. Responding to a query, the official said that the first year (May 2009 to May 2010) had cost the Sri Lankan taxpayer Rs. 1.8 bn and about Rs. 700 mn since then. With the release of 150 ex-LTTE cadres, the total number released so far would exceed 8,000 with some 2,000 LTTEmembers, including about 100 women still undergoing rehabilitation. Maj. Gen. Ranasinghe alleged that those shedding crocodile tears for the ex-LTTE combatants hadn’t supported the rehabilitation project, though some foreign governments and INGOs were backing the government’s efforts. The rehabilitation Chief said that at the beginning of the programme there had been 11,664 personnel at 24 rehabilitation facilities and those who accused the military of war crimes should talk to former members of the LTTE and ascertain their views. He said: "We have over 11,000 witnesses who either surrendered or were captured and then released following rehabilitation. Besides them, there are some 300,000 civilians.Unlike faceless men in fake videos produced by Channel 4 News, we have over 300,000 witnesses." "At one time we brought 1,500 of those undergoing rehabilitation to Colombo and its suburbs. No one tried to escape as they knew no other army would have treated them the way we did," the official said. Asked whether ex-LTTE cadres would be given an opportunity to support reconstruction and rehabilitation similar to the projects undertaken by the military, the Major Gen. said that two weeks ago former combatants had helped villagers at an isolated village in the Kilinochchi District. The official expressed confidence that ex-LTTE personnel could play a pivotal role in rehabilitation and reconstruction projects (Island ; 5 August 2011).

ANDERS BEHRING BREIVIK, IS HE A REBEL OR A TERRORIST? - by Mahinda Weerasinghe, Author of : Mission to Oslo UD —— stand for Norwegian Foreign office GOSL— for Government of Sri Lanka -  22nd July 2011 a Friday started as an ordinary day. It was drizzling and wet in Oslo; so the Frogner Park tour, which we had planned to do, was cancelled. The day before had been warm and sunny and nice, and we expected it to continue until Friday. But overnight the weather had turned gloomy, cloudy and worse, wet. So I somehow dragged myself out into the TV room and switched on the NRK 1channel, which is the State run TV channel. The time was just 4.15 PM. The images depicted on the screen were nothing special. The war torn landscape, which my eyes met, was familiar. I assumed it must be another terror attack on a city such as Bagdad, Beirut or even Colombo. And I was fast losing interest and about to change the channel when the announcer declared that ‘terrorists’ have exploded a bomb in the government’s administrative quarter in the heart of Oslo. The information hit me like a ton of bricks. I took a second look and watched with growing horror what was unravelling before my very eyes. For the bomb that was detonated was no further than 6 to 7 minutes walk from my flat. As I lay slumbering and in a half-drugged haze, terror has stuck in my very back garden. I was transfixed to the idiot box for the next hours as the drama of horror unfolded. The commentator was informing that a bomb has been detonated that afternoon around 3.27 PM, and was the region’s bloodiest since the 2004 Madrid bombing. The national Television was guiding us through the government quarter, which projected images of rubble and glass from shattered windows of high-rise buildings and smoke and fires fanning across the city. At the wreckage site at least one lonely blasted vehicle could be clearly observed (LankaWeb : 5 August 2011).

War Crimes in Sri Lanka - by Warna Hettiarachchi Canada Mr. Bob Rae, Office of the Liberal Leader Canada; Mr. Rae, With your below statement, it is obvious how you are planning to beg for the Tamil Diaspora voted from Toronto East communities to try and get at least a decent defeat, unlike the humiliating one you were slapped with during the last federal election. As a Conservative Canadian, I can assure you that you and your liberal party will not win a Canadian election for a LONG time as Canadians are not as easy to fool as you thought. You are trying to cater to racist, mono-ethnic Tamil Tiger activists like your previous Liberal leaders Mr. Paul Martin and Mr. Jean Chrétien did. They allowed LTTE front organizations to roam in Canada and raise funds through extortion, credit/debit card scams, operate and execute human/narcotics/arms smuggling operations worldwide and allowed those funds be channelled to LTTE to buy arms, explosives and ammunitions to kill tens of thousands of innocent unarmed civilians in Sri Lanka. In other words, you and your predecessors abetted with internationally banned terrorist organization Tamil Tigers to wage a terrorist war against a democratic sovereign nation Sri Lanka for 30 years. Despite all indications from around the world of LTTE’s terrorism and bans from the USA, UK, Europe and India, Liberal party DID NOT ban the Tamil Tigers in Canada, but instead called them “freedom fighters”. I challenge you to see the attached heroic actions of your Tiger buddies and see for yourself about how your liberal party promoted all those innocent people who died and property destroyed by Tamil Tiger invented Suicide Bombers? The LTTE sold its Suicide bomb and IED roadside bomb making expertise to Hamas, Al-Qaida and Taliban, which is killing hundreds of our heroic Canadian troops deployed in Afghanistan (Lankaweb : 5 August 2011).

HR groups ask Swiss to prosecute Sri Lanka diplomat - Two advocacy groups asked Swiss authorities on Thursday to pursue war crime charges against a former Sri Lankan army commander now serving as a European diplomat, reflecting still-simmering Western concerns about the Sri Lanka’s human rights record. The Swiss-based groups Society for Threatened Peoples and TRIAL said they had filed a confidential complaint with Switzerland’s Attorney General against Jagath Dias, a retired Major General in Sri Lanka’s final offensive that smashed a 26-year LTTE rebellion in May 2009.The United Nations estimates between 80,000 and 100,000 people were killed during the civil war. Dias, whose Sri Lankan forces captured some of the rebel Tamil Tigers’ last strongholds, became Sri Lanka’s deputy ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and the Vatican in September 2009. Dias, reached at his embassy in Berlin, said it’s easy to make accusations, but he denied being a war criminal. "Anybody can accuse anyone of anything. I don’t see that any of these allegations are well founded," he told The Associated Press. "We did our best to complete the military operation with zero casualties. How could we have released or rescued 300,000 people if we really wanted to destroy them?" About 300,000 Tamil civilians were caught in the climactic battle. The government then carved camps out of the jungles of northern Sri Lanka to hold them and screen out former rebels who could stir up trouble (Island ; 5 August 2011).

Malaysian politico concerned about repatriation of LTTE suspects to Colombo - Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy says there is some kind of cooperation between Sri Lanka and Malaysia in deporting former LTTE cadres detained in Malaysia. Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy has accused Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein of having a ‘tacit’ pact with Sri Lanka in repatriating Tamil Sri Lankans detained here under the Internal Security Act (ISA) to their country of origin says Free Malaysia website in a report dated Aug. 4. "The LTTE is dead and gone after its final defeat in May 2009. Why the Malaysian government wants to arrest, detain and deport members of this former outfit remains unclear. "Maybe there is tacit cooperation between the Malaysian government and its counterpart in Sri Lanka. However, such cooperation has never been made clear," the website quoted Ramasamy as having said in a press statement.Ramasamy was commenting on Hishammuddin’s decision to repartriate Sri Lankan ISA detainee Thirugnanasampandar Manivanan, 37, who is alleged to have links with the LTTE, and Agus Salim, 34, an Indonesian allegedly linked to Jemaah Islamiyah. Ramasamy was concerned over the security of those released and repartriated to Sri Lanka. "We fear that many innocent Tamils who escaped the war have been arrested in the past on the basis of information provided by the Sri Lankan embassy in Kula Lumpur and subsequently deported to Sri Lanka. "The well-known case was that of KP Pathmanathan, a one-time arms procurement chief of the LTTE. "However, Hishammuddin seems to be unaware of the dangers that these Tamils face when they are deported home. "Since the Sri Lankan government considers all able-bodied Tamils as supporters of the defunct LTTE, chances are high that they would be detained, tortured and killed in Sri Lankan camps," Ramasamy said. He also criticised the continued use of the controversial ISA despite repeated calls to scrap the draconian law (Island : 5 July 2011).

Govt. rejects TNA’s conditional demands - In response to the demand made by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) yesterday, that the Sri Lanka Government should forward within 10 days in writing its response to three demands being made by them, the government has said that it is certainly not possible, nor is it consistent with the national interest at this stage, to make a final pronouncement on crucial issues, hastily and without wider consultation. The TNA yesterday said that they would not agree to set a date for the next round of talks with the government and that their willingness to continue participation in discussions with the government would be conditional. They had put forward three conditions and insisted that, within a period of 10 days, the government delegation should inform the TNA in writing of its position on the following matters: (1). structure of governance, (2). subjects and functions allocated to the central government and the provincial councils and (3). issues pertaining to fiscal and financial devolution. The Secretary of Long Term Reconciliation Committee, Parliamentarian Mr. Sajin Vas Gunewardane MP said that they do not think the ultimatum delivered to the government by the TNA, which is tantamount to the attitude portrayed by the LTTE is at all helpful or constructive for the purpose of carrying forward in a structured and methodical way, a process which can reach a positive outcome, only if it has the widest possible support among the public. He said that the government has tried to achieve this objective in its sustained discussions with varying shades of political opinion during the last few months (The Official web Portal of the Govt of Sri Lanka : 5 August 2011).

Northern Naval Command conducts free medical and dental clinic in Mandathivu and Punkudathivu Islands - As Part of Navy’s community welfare projects, two more medical and Ddental clinics were conducted at St. Peter’s Church in Mandathivu Island and Sri Ganesha Maha Vidyalam in Punkudathivu Island on July 25 and 27, respectively. The medical and dental camps were organized by SLNS Welusumana and SLNS Gotaimbara in the Northern Naval Area with the assistance of the Northern Naval Command Medical and Dental Organization. Already 35 clinics have been conducted under this programme and more than 2,800 patients have benefited. Screening of child growth/development, identification of congenital heart diseases, asthma, infections, nutritional diseases, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis and common dental diseases were treated at primary health care level and the patients needing more medical attention were referred to the Teaching Hospital of Jaffna for specialist attention. M/S Interpharma (Pvt) Ltd., Gamma pharmaceutical (Pvt) Ltd., Harcourt’s and Cipla pharmaceutical and Medical Officer of Health in Kayts, assisted the clinics, providing medicines including some expensive drugs (Island : 5 August 2011).

Terror in Norway - by Rex Wijewardene, Dehiwela  - The twin attacks in Norway sent shock waves through out the civilised world. Our sympathies go out to the parents, families and loved ones of the unfortunate victims of this tragedy, which surfaced in the heart of Oslo Norway which was followed by a bloody shooting spree, by a lunatic, Anders Behaving Breivik. This horror drama unfolded in a island hosting a youth retreat for the Prime Minister’s Center left party. In this senseless attack, many innocent people perished. Norway, a once peaceful country, had a taste of what terrorism is all about. Eric Solheim, who played a pivotal role in the infamous CFA signed by Tiger leader V. Prabhakaran, and the then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe. Solheim was hand in glove with the blood thirsty Sun God and the spokesman for the Tigers, Anton Balasingham, whose hospitality he enjoyed to the full in the tiger stronghold in the Vanni, when Prabhakaran was at the height of his power. He enjoyed the sumptuous sea food dishes served to him, by Prabhakaran and his drinking partner, Balasingham. It all transpired when Sri Lanka was engulfed in a reign of terror, and the LTTE cadres were on a killing spree, where hundreds of innocent men women and children were massacred in cold blood, to which Eric Solheim turned a blind eye, since he was sympathetic to the LTTE cause and he supported the tigers to the hilt. There is not an element of doubt that the blood of those innocent people are on his hands. Today, he is crying buckets of tears for the innocent Norwegians who perished in Norway’s horrific massacre. Solheim, sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Norway, in supporting the LTTE, went to the extent of providing secret passage to wanted LTTE killers, thus exposing the country to further terrorist attacks on her soil. The horrors that surfaced in Oslo Norway should be a wake-up call to certain Western countries that are a haven to terrorists. A case in point is Britain, where hundreds of hard core LTTE cadres are on her soil, exposing her to another form of brutal terrorism, which she will soon regret. Since the LTTE is a proscribed organisation in the UK, the British Govt. turns a blind eye to the demonstrations they stage in London, discrediting a sovereign state Sri Lanka, for reasons best known to her. Britain had a taste of terrorism, with the bombing of the underground in London. It may not be a surprise if she gets a taste of the terrorism that engulfed Norway. You reap what you sow. These Western countries who harbour known terrorists should take a leaf from the Dutch Govt. and weed out the LTTE cadres from their soil, least they be doomed (Island : 5 August 2011).

TNA's mighty rush - Even a child birth is normally preceded by nine months of gestation. But, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) wants the government to make a crucial decision on devolution, which would affect the lives of not just a few people but over 20 million Sri Lankans, within less than eight months of the commencement of negotiations! The TNA has given the government two weeks to 'meaningfully define and state' its response to three core issues, viz the structure of governance, the division of subjects and functions between the centre and the devolved units and fiscal and financial powers. This, we reckon, is a very interesting development. Time was when the TNA would not say boo to a goose, let alone talk of devolution; it defended and grovelled before the LTTE notorious for violently suppressing all democratic rights of people under its jackboot, and recognised that murderous outfit as the sole representative of the Tamils. But, today it is not only trying to dominate negotiations on devolution but also issuing ultimatums to the government! True, the government stands accused of having resorted to dilatory tactics in talks. The TNA has sought to justify its ultimatum by claiming that the government is using the political process as a façade to hoodwink the world. But, why didn't the TNA call for a time-frame for talks successive governments had with the LTTE to prevent Prabhakaran from biding time and reverting to war? If one argues that the TNA could not do so at that time for fear of the LTTE, then one should grant that the TNA's new-found freedom to take part in talks, make decisions and even issue ultimatums to the government is indicative of the fact that the defeat of the LTTE has benefited and empowered the TNA, though it condemns the very war which eliminated the scourge of LTTE terror and paved the way for the liberation of civilians and politicians in the North and the East (Island : 5 August 2011).

TN to sanction Rs. 25 cr to improve SL refugee camps - The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said it would sanction Rs 25 crore to improve houses and basic amenities in refugee camps housing Sri Lankan Tamils, according to a PTI report posted on Hindu online edition. "Further, 416 women Self Help Groups in the camps will be provided with a revolving fund of Rs 10,000 each," Finance Minister O Panneerselvam said in his budget speech. The present monthly cash dole for the head of the family would be increased from Rs 400 to Rs 1,000, for each additional adult member from Rs 288 to Rs 750 and for children aged below 12 years, to Rs 400, he said.The government also noted it has filed an affidavit before the Supreme Court to retrieve Katchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974 (Island : 5 August 2011).

India strongly disapproves attack on Sri Lankan pilgrims in Chennai - India said it strongly disapproves the recent attack on visiting Sri Lankan pilgrims by some pro-LTTE elements in the state of Tamil Nadu. In response to a question, the Official Spokesman of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the Ministry's attention had been drawn to an incident in Chennai on 3 August, in which Sri Lankan pilgrims staying at a guest house in the city had been targeted and also subjected to some physical and verbal abuse by a local group. "The Ministry considers this to be an unfortunate incident and regrets the inconvenience caused to the visitors from Sri Lanka. It also strongly disapproves of this kind of behaviour towards those visiting the country, especially religious pilgrims," the Spokesman has said. "India has always made its guests feel welcome and such incidents do not go with their highest traditions of treating guests with respect and dignity," the statement added. The Ministry said following investigations, three people have been arrested for their involvement with the incident. A group of 84 Sri Lankan pilgrims had come under attack in Chennai on Wednesday by a pro-LTTE group calling themselves as "black tigers". The attack had reportedly injured three of the pilgrims. The Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai had transferred the pilgrims to a safe location following the attack. The Sri Lankan government media spokesman commenting on the incident said the government will hold discussions with the Indian government to prevent any future attacks on Sri Lankan pilgrims who visit India as a large number of pilgrims from Sri Lanka regularly visit India (Colombo page ; 5 August 2011).

Sri Lanka government rejects Tamil party ultimatum, decides to proceed with PSC - The Sri Lankan government, rejecting the ultimatum set by the major Tamil party Tamil National Alliance during the talks held with the government yesterday, said a solution for power devolution should be acceptable for all Sri Lankans and cannot make decisions on crucial issues hastily. At yesterday's discussions the TNA demanded the government to respond in writing within 10 days to their three immediate proposals on the structure of governance for north and east regions, allocation of subjects and functions to the provincial councils and the issues relating to fiscal and financial devolution. In response the government has said that "it certainly is not possible, nor is it consistent with the national interest at this stage, to make a final pronouncement on crucial issues, hastily and without wider consultation." The Tamil party has threatened to withdraw from the talks with the government on power devolution if the government fails to step up the pace for a meaningful resolution. The warning is seen as a hardening stance of the party, once considered as a proxy party of the terrorist group LTTE, following its victory in the Tamil dominated areas at the local government elections held last month. The Secretary of Long Term Reconciliation Committee, Parliamentarian Sajin Vas Gunawardena has said the ultimatum delivered to the government by the TNA is similar to the attitude portrayed by the Tamil Tiger terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for peace talks. "The demand is not helpful or constructive for the purpose of carrying forward in a structured and methodical way, a process which can reach a positive outcome, only if it has the widest possible support among the public," the MP has said. Pointing out that the TNA does not solely represent the Tamil community, Vas Gunawardena has said that the government has now decided to proceed with the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (Colombo Page ; 5 August 2011).

The film "Gamani" ceremonially screened - The film "Gamani" which depicted the self confidence and the strength of the innocent rural citizens, who safeguarded their villages from the threats of the brutal LTTE terrorists, was ceremonially screened with the patronage of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense at the Tharangani Cinema Hall yesterday (04). Brutal assassination of 57 innocent civilians by the barbaric LTTE terrorists in the Gonagala area in Ampara is the theme of the maiden film "Gamani" directed by Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara where several renowned actors have given their contribution. The huge involvement made by the members of Civil Defense Force to protect the lives of people in the threatened villages is vividly shown in this film. Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara being a Senior Officer with experiences over 35 years in the Sri Lanka Navy was the pioneer of establishing the Civil Defense Force under the guidance of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. Further, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara was the first Director General of the Civil Defense Force who sacrificed his valuable service for the progress during the past three and half years. At present he serves the nation as a member of parliament representing the Digamadulla area. The film "Gamani" which has been ready to be screened in the near future will be a counter attack to the various non governmental organizations and their followers who wish to tarnish the image of our motherland. Hon. Keheliya Rambukwella the Minister of Media and Communication, Mr. Lakshman Hulugalle, the Director General of the Media Centre for National Security, the Commanders and the Senior Officers of the tri forces, several renowned Artists and journalists also participated in this occasion (Sri Lanka Defense Ministry : 5 August 2011).

Sri Lanka pilgrims attacked by LTTE Tamil Tiger residuals – An emerging threat that we should be all aware of.

Lankans attacked, shirts burnt - In another attack on Sri Lankans in Chennai, three men from Sri Lanka were allegedly assaulted by members of a pro-LTTE group, their T-shirts ripped off and burnt in Perambur late Wednesday night.  The police arrested three members of the Naam Tamzhilar movement, Raj Kumar, 40, an area secretary of Naam Tamzhilar at New Washermenpet, Mahendran, 25, and Karthikeyan, 38, of Vysarpadi, in connection with the incident.  “The accused threatened the three Sri Lankan pilgrims who were shopping at Perambur when they saw writing in Sinhala printed on their T-shirts,” a police officer said. “They made them remove their T-shirts and set them on fire.”  “Eighty-four pilgrims from Elpitiya in Sri Lanka’s Galle district had come to India on July 17 on a pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya and were scheduled to return to Sri Lanka on Friday.  After visiting Kasi and Rameshwaram, the pilgrims returned to the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Centre building on Keneth Lane in Egmore where they were staying.  Since the rooms were full, they were put up in a lodge in Perambur,” said a monk at the society. He said the pilgrims would be sent back home safely on Friday.  “It is humiliating to be treated like this in India. We dreamt of going back with good memories but unfortunately this incident has put paid to that,” a pilgrim said.  Mahanama Thero, a senior monk at the Maha Bodhi Centre, told Deccan Chronicle, “The Sri Lankan deputy high commissioner in Chennai, Vadivel Krishnamoorthy, has assured the pilgrims that they would be sent back to Sri Lanka safely.”  An attack on the Maha Bodhi Centre on January 24, 2011, left several people injured (Sunday Observer ; 5 August 2011).

DON’T USE SRI LANKA FOR OWN POLITICAL GAINS - By Sivam Vinayagamoorthy & Hasaka Ratnamalala , Conveners – Friends of Sri Lanka (Canada) We the members of Friends of Sri Lanka (Canada) condemn the statement made by New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) on Sri Lanka. We are saddened by the fact that NDP is trying to make use of Sri Lanka, for own political gains rather than helping Sri Lanka to recover from 30 years of terrorism. We also urge NDP not to trap into Tamil Tiger slogans and not to jeopardise not only Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process but also community harmony in Canada by making false statements. Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation and there are well established laws and judicial system in the country to punish any crime. We also urged NDP not to distort the facts that UN has suggested a war crime tribunal in Sri Lanka. There is no such decision taken by any division of UN. We stress NDP to look into the fact that it is Pro Tamil Tiger Diaspora in Canada who funded the proxy war in Sri Lanka; and therefore to set up a war crimes tribunal within Canada to punish those who funded Tamil Tigers to kill thousands of innocent civilians in Sri Lanka, throughout last 30 years. We raise the question where was the NDP when Tamil Tigers were blasting bombs in every corner of Sri Lanka killing civilians, Politicians, clergy etc (Sinhale Hot News : 5 August 2011).

SL pilgrims attacked in India - The Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai India had decided to place all Sri Lankan pilgrim groups in South India at Mahabodhi Centre to ensure their safety following Wednesday’s attack on 84 Sri Lankans by a set of goons who were believed to be pro LTTE elements. One of the victims has informed his family members that several other groups of Sri Lankan pilgrims joined them in Mahabodhi yesterday. Chandrika Kukulegama who is the wife of one of the victims told the Daily Mirror that the victims are due to arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport at 5am today. The victims were removed from the hotel they were residing in earlier after attackers had warned the staff not to keep the Sri Lankans any longer. The Sri Lankan pilgrims including her husband had come under attack when they were going shopping. Her husband had informed her that the attackers were staging a protest against Sri Lanka when they were passing by. The protesters who have identified them to be Sri Lankans have then approached them and had assaulted them. They have also grabbed the bags which the victims had with them and had set them on fire. Meanwhile sources from Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Vadivel Krishnamurthy had taken the issue up with the authorities in South India. Source said steps have been taken to ensure the safety of all Sri Lankans in Chennai (Daily Mirror : 5 August 2011).

JHU and Champika question TNA - Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) General Secretary and Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka questioned the right the TNA has to take up the issue that number of seats from Jaffna has been reduced as a consensus has not been taken place in Jaffna for a long time and they still have the number of voters which was recorded in 1988. “By looking at the elections results and the number of votes they were able to obtain, they should get around five seats,” he added. “The election which took place in Jaffna was a fake election,” he said (Daily Mirror ; 5 August 2011).

We must live in peace :KP - Former LTTE senior K Pathmanathan, speaks to Daily Mirror and Tamil Mirror on issues of rehabilitation, reconstruction and future peace. Q: You are engaged in social services through your organisation NERDO. Can you explain the functions and aims of this organisation and the Anpu Illam (Kind home) under it? A: NERDO is providing humanitarian support. Anpu Illam is one of the projects of NERDO. Our goal is to help the people affected by the 30-year-long war. We especially focus on providing quality education to the young people that would lead them towards a noble life. It has no political designs. Q: Though the name NERDO is inclusive of North and East provinces it appears that your domain is confined to North alone. Why? A: We are contemplating some projects in the East. Finance is the deciding factor. We implement our projects with funds we receive from our friends amongst expatriates. However we will be in the East soon. Q: You said about financial problems. However some parties are of the opinion that NERDO runs on your personal funds. Is it true? A: No. It is not true. I carry on the services with the financial support from our friends, relatives and benevolent people. Sometimes I get money from my wife too. Q: In your political life you would have had a lot of dealings with Tamil Diaspora. The role of the Diaspora had been significant when you were associated with the LTTE and now in your humanistic projects. How does the Diaspora see NERDO? A: Only one year has passed since the inception of NERDO. We have progressed fairly well in one year. It needs time for the Diaspora to see us as an important ally. They are in the dark. Some selfish elements are misleading them to boost their income. Thir hypocrisy would be exposed soon. Then realizing the bitter truth, they would come forward to support our humanistic endeavors. But it will take time. Currently, we are spearheading a campaign to expose the lies of these bad elements. Our initial attempts in this respect have paid dividends. I hope we will come together for the benefit of Tamils living in Sri Lanka (Daily Mirror : 5 August 2011).

Leader of LTTE K Pathmanathan (KP) is WANTED by INTERPOL (Click here)

KP urges Diaspora to help - Says don’t run to India over minor ills - By A.P. Mathan in Mullaitivu - Former chief arms procurer of the LTTE KP yesterday called on the Tamil Diaspora to stop their campaign that provokes anger and hatred. Kumaran Pathmanathan, the former chief arms procurer now heads the North East Rehabilitation and Development Organisation (NERDO). “I think talking about Channel 4 as a means of revenge is absurd. I plead to the Tamil Diaspora to stop their campaign that provokes anger and hatred. They have to know the reality. We must live in peace,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mirror in Mullaitivu. “There are different groups amongst them. They (The Diaspora) are in dark. They are completely ignorant and gullible. They believe Prabhakaran is alive and an armed struggle is to start soon. “Some Tamil Nadu politicians and a section of Tamil Diaspora are spearheading this campaign of falsehood to hoodwink the expatriates. “I call upon the Tamil Diaspora to see about our people living in poverty. Have these extremists and those who are in the forefront of a vicious campaign against the government done anything for these people or children? It is a clear case of duplicity when they say they are speaking for the society while doing nothing to mitigate the suffering of these children.” When asked about the role of India in formulating a political solution in Sri Lanka he said: “This is an internal problem. We are blundering again and again. We run to India for everything. This is a historical blunder. “I think, the majority of the people have a fear. We must understand this. There are a little over ten million Sinhalese in Sri Lanka and 60 million Tamils in Tamil Nadu. They are afraid that the Tamils in Tamil Nadu could overrun Sri Lanka. We should not fuel this fear. We should not run to India complaining over minor matters. In Tamil Nadu people like Seeman, Vaiko, and Nedumaran make fiery speeches that can provoke the majority. This should be stopped. “India is doing its maximum. India would not go further than this and propose a solution. So this should be understood by the responsible people.” (Daily Mirror : 5 August 2011).

Networks of Informers: Stories the Darusman Report would not hear - Prof Rajiva Wijesinha, MP - The University Teachers for Human Rights, whose reports are a mine of information about what happened in the North during the conflict, have sections called ‘Bearing Witness’. These give personal accounts of people caught up in the conflict. These are particularly useful, because one feels that UTHR has no particular axe to grind in quoting from such sources. They present a range of viewpoints, and while obviously one cannot be sure that all accounts are accurate, it is clear that UTHR does not doctor what they hear, or seek to present a particular perspective. This seems to me unlike many other reports, usually by journalists, which produce evidence to emphasize their own predilections. During my recent visit to the North, having looked carefully at various sites that figure prominently in recent critiques of government action, I thought it might be useful to talk to people who had lived through the last few months of conflict in the No Fire Zones. I spoke to three people at the Mullaitivu GA’s office, to two families at Suthanthirapuram and at the Udaiyaarkadu hospital, and to two people at the Vallipuram school that had been used as a hospital. On the next day, I spoke to 18 people at the last two sections in Manik Farm which still house the displaced (Daily News ; 5 August 2011).

Bumper paddy harvest in North - by Yasaratne Gamage in Vavuniya - Over 390,000 mt paddy harvest last year - 90% barren lands cultivated A record paddy harvest of over 390,000 metric tons was reaped during the past year by Northern farmers, and the yield is expected to be even higher this year, said Northern Province Governor, Maj Gen G A Chandrasiri in Vavuniya. Addressing farmers at the National Farmers Week and Agriculture Exhibition at the Vavuniya Seed Farm, Governor Chandrasiri said that he together with the farming community in the North are dedicated to achieving the government’s aim of self- sufficiency in rice by harvesting every inch of the Northern soil. Farmers in the North have cultivated many varieties of crops covering 960,000 hectares while 90 percent of barren land have also been harvested. People of the area praise the government for having been able to engage in their livelihood after 30 years and they are even delighted about the progress in the field of agriculture two years after the dawn of peace. Yesterday was ‘Agriculture Technology and Farmers Day’ where two seminars were conducted on Post Harvest Technology and Food Processing and Food Conservation. Meanwhile, ‘Farmers Forum’, an awareness programme for farmers in the area was held yesterday under the patronage of the Vavuniya GA at Vavuniya Cultural Centre. Around 500 farmers attended the event where they were updated on new developments in Agricultural Technology and how to apply them. Officers from the Department of Agriculture conducted a technical session on dry zone crops and explained the R&D activities of the Field Crop Research and Development Centre, at Mahailluppallama (Daily News : 5 august 2011).

Assault of SL pilgrims in Chennai: govt. to raise it with New Delhi - Assault of SL pilgrims in Chennai: govt. to raise it with New Delhi -  We do not deal with State administrations - Keheliya - The government said yesterday that it would take up the issue of some Sri Lankan pilgrims being assaulted by a group of persons in Dambadiva, with the Indian central government and not with Tamil Nadu, because it does not deal with State administrations. "We are pursuing the matter through diplomatic channels to ensure that there would not be a repetition of Wednesday’s incident," Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told the weekly Cabinet press briefing in Colombo, while admitting that Sri Lankans visiting the South Indian State were increasingly being targeted. He said that the unfortunate situation had arisen because personalites such as Vaiko were arousing the people in Tamil Nadu by spreading false propaganda against the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. According to reports, some in the group of 85 pilgrims, hailing from Elpitiya and Galle, had been set upon, while they were at a rest house in Chennai. Following the incident they had been moved to the Maha Bodhi Society in Chennai and were expected to return to Colombo last evening (Island ; 4 August 2011).

NDP and AI wants Canada to take the role to persecute Sri Lanka - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor. EMBASSY, Ottawa; Sir: You reported that, “On Aug. 3, NDP Human Rights critic Wayne Marston and NDP MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan, the first Tamil-Canadian elected to Parliament, will join AI Canada Secretary-General Alex Neve in calling for Canada to pressure the UN to create an independent body to investigate war crimes committed during the war. Their demand comes after BBC documentary entitled Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields allegedly showed evidence of war crimes perpetrated during the conflict.” Please, not so quick Canada. These three people have obviously not seen the Sri Lankan Government’s documentary Lies Agreed Upon, which was a brilliant and a clinical rebuttal of the Channel 4 documentary, which shows that this documentary was an example of vindictive journalism, produced by Channel 4 whose News crew was evicted from Sri Lanka on 10 May 2009 for being suspect of false reporting. It is worth noting that Sri Lanka has always been strongly supportive of the advancement of human rights both domestically and internationally. It was party to seven core human rights treaties and has been for many years. It was party to critical Geneva conventions too. It should also be noted that by eliminating the Tamil Tigers after a 27 year war, Sri Lanka gave back to its 22 million people their right-to-life, that included its Tamil population, which was hijacked by the Tamil Tigers. And that it liberated 300,000 Tamils by 19 May 2009, from the clutches of the Tamil Tiger terrorists who herded them as a human shield for 30 months, and were fed three meals a day, clothed and looked after their health issues and provided special schooling for their children and sent them back to their homes after demining the terrain, rebuilding their houses and the infrastructures which were destroyed by this debilitating Tamil separatist war. All that was done in 24 months and that should be acknowledged as a great and a collosal humanitarian achievement (Lankaweb : 4 August 2011).

NDP seeks justice for Tamils - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - “NDP seeks ‘justice for Tamils – UN probe sought into war crimes”, you said (August 4). This is embarrassing coming out of a Canadian political party, that obviously do not realize, that they are talking of the minority Tamil community (3.9% now) in Sri Lanka which has more millionaires than the majority Sinhalese (74%) in Colombo’s capital region, a minority Tamil group which has overrun the Sinhalese population in the capital of Colombo as the Tamils represent 41% of its population with no harassment by the majority Sinhalese, and owning 75% of the real estate in Wellawatte a rich suburb of Colombo, their Rothwell Heights, I cannot comprehend why NDP is still seeking justice for the Tamils! NDP’s Wayne Marston says his party was spurred on by a 2010 UN report on the war and the recent BBC documentary, Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields. While I would like to point out that this report was not approved to be conducted by the UN and it is now recognized as the Darusman Report by the name of the three panelist leader who was hired by the Secretary General Ban ki-Moon to advice him on Sri Lanka. As for the Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields, the NDPiers should watch the brilliant and clinical rebuttal documentary Lies Agreed Upon by the Government of Sri Lanka which throws up many , many scores of doubts about this heinous vindictive propaganda campaign orchestrated by London’s Channel 4 TV to discredit Sri Lanka, as their News crew was evicted from Sri Lanka on 10 May 2009 for alleged false reporting on the war (Lankaweb : 4 August 2011).

Documentary dispels abuse allegations in channel 4 video - The Ministry of Defence has released a documentary to rebut the allegations made by Channel 4, a United Kingdom broadcast channel, which earlier this year produced a program entitled "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields." The hour-long video, "Lies Agree Upon -- An Investigative Documentary into the final days of the Sri Lankan conflict," addresses point-by-point the allegations made by Channel 4. Unlike Channel 4's report, which failed to cite sources for casualty figures, name many sources and which put others in shadows, those interviewed in the government's rebuttal are named and shown. Many have returned to their homes and work, and offer vivid verbal evidence to counter the Channel 4 allegations. In the video, a woman who Channel 4 identified as a medical volunteer is identified by a former LTTE cadre as a member of the LTTE. A number of doctors who served in the conflict zone dispel claims that hospitals were shelled and that the government failed to provide civilians held hostage by the LTTE with food and medicine. They also said that during the conflict the LTTE gave them bogus casualty figures to share with the press. Something as simple as a civilian protest, which Channel 4 said was spontaneous, is shown by the documentary to have been arranged by the LTTE (Sri Lanka Defense Ministry : 4 August 2011).

Negotiating with terrorists: Norway can now really show the World the way!

Development plan for all hospitals in North progressing - By Dilanthi Jayamanne - The Government has initiated several projects to develop hospitals in the North and East. The spokesman for the Health Ministry said yesterday that after the operation against the terrorists the government has undertaken to develop over fifty hospitals in the North alone. He said it included the two hospitals coming under the Ministry of Health - the Vavuniya District Hospital and the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. All other hospitals were administered by the Northern Provincial Council. A total of fifty major hospitals in the North, comprising those in the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu would be developed. In addition, the Ministry would also initiate over seventy community health centres in the North to cater to the needs of those living in the less accessible parts of the Province. The spokesman said that there were several International Non-Governmental Organisations such as Americare International (AI), the International Red Cross, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Korea International Cooperation Agency which had pledged their support for the development of these hospitals. He said that AI has pledged Rs. 100 million to develop the Mulaithivu Base Hospital. The Hospital would be equipped with a new surgical ward complex, a surgical theatre, laboratory and an Intensive Care Unit. The hospital would also be provided with quarters to house 18 doctors. It would also get a three-storey building with six units for specialist doctors (Island ; 4 August 2011).

Negotiating with terrorists: Norway can now really show us the way! - By Fr. Vimal Tirimanna, CSsR - Last weekend’s violent attacks in the Norwegian capital Oslo which claimed 92 lives sent shock waves across the globe. The international media, such as the BBC, the CNN and Al Jazeera, did not hesitate to call it a "terrorist attack" straight away. Some such international opinion makers even rushed to hasty conclusions that they were carried out by the Al Qaida or an affiliated Islamic fundamentalist group. But within the next 24 hours, the culprits were suspected to be "right wing Christian extremists/fundamentalists", and at the time of writing this essay (some 48 hours later) the same media agencies are pointing their fingers at an individual Norwegian who is suspected to be mentally off! Whoever the culprit for this horrendous crime be, the media and international political leaders continue to refer to these violent acts as "acts of terrorism". (Island ; 4 August 2011).

Sri Lankan pilgrims attacked by LTTE backers in Chennai

Media Release by SLUNA - Channel 4 Uses Tamil Tiger Propaganda Material To Attack Sri Lanka - The much publicized Channel 4 video sponsored by Amnesty, HRW and other rights organizations is fast crumbling following the revelations that the scenes contained therein have been staged or deliberately distorted to hide the truth by the Tamil Tiger propaganda arm called Tamilnet that fed the material to this television station. With the tainted credibility of Channel 4 crashing rapidly and the true nature of the video footage unravelling, Channel 4 has come up with new footage where a darkened figure claiming to be a Sri Lankan soldier named Fernando whose voice is disguised by a 'voice over' in English spoken with a British accent alleges the most horrendous acts of violence against displaced Tamil civilians by fellow soldiers at the latter stages without a scrap of evidence to support the alleged crimes.   This so called soldier called Fernando has taken over two years and two months to disclose these crimes as he says he took that long to recover from the nightmares that bothered him, despite his having participated in a military action as part of the 58th division that started on the west coast and ended on the northeast coast of the island in operations  which lasted over 30 months against a fully armed, well trained and vicious terrorist group. His list of allegations have obviously been taken from a page in the Tamil Tiger's propaganda book, where it has become the typical strategy to put together a string of horrific crimes to rattle the viewer without paying the least attention to providing supporting evidence.  We have extracted some of the statements said to have been made by this fictitious ex-soldier who is shrouded in darkness and voice disguised from the Channel 4 News website: " They shoot people at random, stab people, rape them, cut their tongues out, cut women's breasts off,  "Fernando" was so horrified by what he saw that he described himself as 'like a walking corpse'.  For the soldiers at the battlefront, their hearts had turned to stone. Having seen blood, killings and death for so long, they had lost their sense of humanity. I would say they had turned into vampires." Channel 4 likely took these scenes from a Harry Potter adventure in the Middle Kingdom and not one experienced by a soldier in Sri Lanka that helped to rescue nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians including some 11,000 Tamil Tiger cadres that surrendered to the authorities (Sri Lanka news Online ; 4 August 2011).

Channel 4 documentary, “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” and its multiple objectives - By Gamini Edirisinghe, USA. - The British Channel 4 documentary that had been shown in several key Western countries seems to be like an ICBM that has multiple warheads. In my view, using the Channel 4 video, the LTTE activists (the Eelamists) are trying to kill ‘many birds’ or attain many objectives with it. Some of the major ones are: (Sinhale Hot News : 4 august 2011).

HRW and Brad Adams need to get some sleep - by Malinda Seneviratne - It was expected. Those who have uncritically and happily believed and continue to believe lies trotted out by terrorists and their minions in various garb, including human rights advocates, journalists and academics who ignore the most basic tenets of fact-finding, namely corroboration, reliability of source and verification, were not going to buy anything that would in effect show them up. The Defence Ministry debriefing of military activities, titled ‘Humanitarian Operation - Factual Analysis’, released on Monday, August 1, 2011, is a comprehensive account of the challenge of ridding Sri Lanka of the menace of terrorism. It includes the all-important contextualization of the entire operation. A full description of the principal enemy, the LTTE is offered, including atrocities against civilians, use of child soldiers, the systematic practice of ethnic cleansing, attacks on democracy, the global spread of the organization and relevant threats as well as responses by key members of the international community by way of proscribing the organization. The report describes the potency of the LTTE, human and material resources at its disposal, supply network, international support mechanisms and its transnational criminal activities. It also covers the long history of attempt at a negotiated settlement and how the LTTE scuttled them all and used such moments to recuperate, recruit and re-arm (Daily News ; 4 August 2011).

Seminar on rehabilitating former LTTE cadres - Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe said 11,664 former LTTE cadres who trusted the Sri Lankan government and surrendered to the security forces for rehabilitation would bear evidence against the baseless allegations of the foreign elements against the government and the malicious propaganda of Channel 4. Addressing a seminar to create awareness among the religious dignitaries and representatives of civil society organisations on rehabilitating the former LTTE cadres he said the government had launched rehabilitation programmes for the LTTE cadres even before normalcy was restored. “The security forces implemented the rehabilitation programmes amid the treat of suicide cadres among those who surrendered. At present there are 11,664 former LTTE cadres. This includes 594 children, and 233 women. We were injured in LTTE attacks but we do not have any animosity towards them” he said. Trincomalee Government Agent Major General Ranjith De Silva, Major General L.W.C.B.B. Rajaguru of the Rehabilitation Office, Brigadier Darshana Hettiarachchi, Divisional Secretaries, Grama Nildharis and religious dignitaries attended the seminar (Daily Mirror : 4 August 2011).

Indian PM stand firm on ties with Sri Lanka - Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has told Vaiko, the notorious pro-Tiger terrorist politician in Tamil Nadu, that India cannot afford to restrict economic ties with Sri Lanka as demanded by Tamil Nadu’s political parties. The Indian daily Hindustan Times said that Dr. Singh has said that such action would only encourage China to displace India as a strategic and trading partner of Sri Lanka. The paper said that Vaiko had told the Indian PM, who met him in Parliament House, that China is already aiding the Sri Lanka naval forces to attack Indian fishermen and is more of an ally of Pakistan than India. Hindustan Times says that since the assembly polls, Tamil Nadu politicians have been competing against each other in taking up the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils living in camps and alleged harassment of Indian fishermen by Sri Lanka's Navy (Daily News ; 4 August 2011).

Channel- 4 paid to tarnish Sri Lanka’s humanitarian rescue operation - What is the aim of Channel 4 and its persistence to tarnish the image of a sovereign Government? LTTE is an internationally banned terrorist group and a sovereign Government has all the right to militarily eliminate it for the protection of its citizens. It was after 30 years of endless peace negotiations and ceasefires that served to only equip the LTTE to carry out daring attacks that finally resulted in the decision to militarily take on the LTTE while rescuing all Tamils kept as human shields it. Anyone has a right to produce documentaries and it is the moral right of the production house to first realize and understand the message they aim to convey in airing the programs that are being sponsored. It takes more than a program to understand the reasons for LTTE to prevail, the “real” aspirations of majority Tamils and how they connect with the politics in Sri Lanka. Let’s sift the facts from fiction. The accusation against Sri Lanka’s military is that it has killed an “X” number of people for there are inconsistencies in the number and contradictions by various organizations. At the bottom scale it is 7000 a figure given by Gordon Weiss the UN Spokesman in Sri Lanka but overruled by UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs – Sir John Holmes for UN did not have ground presence. At the top end the killings are supposed to cross 40,000. Anyone can give casualty figures and accuse the military but it is proof that matters and during a military operation against a terrorist movement it behoves the accusers to explain why Sri Lanka’s military had saved over 11,000 LTTE cadres (without killing them which Sri Lanka’s military had all the right to do as they were terrorists) and instead put them through rehabilitation to reintroduce them into society without keeping them in Guatanomo styled prison camps? (Daily Mirror : 4 August 2011).

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh tells Vaiko - India cannot cut off trade ties with Sri Lanka. 

File Photo : Vaiko with LTTE leader, Prabhakaran

ABC Radio Interview with Prof. Rohan Gunaratne - International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research based in Singapore - Professor Rohan Gunaratna is head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)] at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He was recently in Brisbane and as chance would have it, he arrived just after the recent Norwegian gun massacre. Talking about the rise of extremism, here he begins by talking about right wing terror groups in the context of what happened in Norway (ABC Radio in Brisbane, Australia - 3 August 2011).

Sri Lankan Government’s – Lies Agreed Upon - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - Johnathan Miller, Channel 4 News, 200 Gray’s Inn Road , London WC1X 8X2, UK - Dear Johnathan Miller: Subsequent to my writing to you about your Sri Lankan senior Army Officer Fer-none-ado piece and you ambushing Major General Shavendra Silva on a street in Manhattan, I have just finished watching the Government of Sri Lanka’s rebuttal documentary – Lies Agreed Upon- on Channel 4’s documentaries on the last phases of the LTTE’s Eelam War. That rebuttal was revealing of the ugly vindictive journalism that you guys are promoting at Channel 4. Listen mate. You have been caught out at the long-on boundary trying to hit a six off Sri Lanka’s Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bowling. You have been given the perfect ‘Enry’s Ammer’ knock out left hook by the Sri Lankan Government and you are bleeding ‘shame’ through your nose. You have been bulldozed into pulp. And I saw you drop your seventh Shalome veil and you stood in front of me naked shamed with your conscience sick with pock marks. It was that bad. Johnathan you have no black nook in the labyrinth of the London Dungeon to hide. What’s next Johnathan? Channel 4 is now hobbling on ‘Made in Sri Lanka’ bamboo crutches, as I the Judge and Jury of the John-Q-Public have found you all guilty to your sick cores. That includes narrator Jon Snow and Director Callum Macrea of Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields (LankaWeb ; 3 August 2011).

Continued Unfounded, Unsubstantiated, Unprofessional Criticism of Sri Lanka by Channel 4 - by Ira de Silva, London, Canada - Mr. Jonathan Miller Channel 4 News London, U.K. Dear Mr. Miller: I am writing to you regarding your continued unsubstantiated criticism of Sri Lanka. It seems strange that since the initial airing of the documentary “Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” on June 3,2011 the many discrepancies, falsehoods (blatant lies) and improbable statements made by you were pointed out, there is now an investigation by OFCOM because of the numerous complaints made, yet you persist in your efforts to present further footage of dubious origin and content. It is indicative of mal-intent and unprofessionalism compounded by the fact that Channel 4 continually claims that it has carefully researched the subject, verified the content and that it is presenting it to the public because it believes the public needs to know. At a time when the British media has been exposed to the world as corrupt and unethical, it appears that Channel 4 believes in furthering this impression with this type of biased, vindictive journalism which does not have any factual basis. The British public in particular and the rest of the countries to which you are exporting this rubbish need to know that Channel 4 is presenting doctored videos, photographic stills which have been clipped because the full photographs show the camera crew staging the show, and interviews with people who have been chosen to express views along the lines of what Channel 4 wants. In your documentary your main “characters” have hidden their true identities which a cursory attempt at fact checking by you would have uncovered. Therefore Channel 4 either did not make any attempt at verification of these people’s statements and background or deliberately chose to ignore the facts. Is that ethical or is Channel 4 another example of British gutter journalism? (LankaWeb : 3 August 2011).

JAFFNA TAMIL RACISM RAISING ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN - by Susantha Wijesinghe - The Honourable Minister of Industries and Commerce, Mr, Rishard Badiuddin alleges that UNHCR and INGOs have started discriminating again, against Muslims and Sinhalese, in Jaffna. It was on the 30th October 1990, if I remember right that the LTTE TAMILS ordered about 40,000 Muslims to leave Jaffna within TWO HOURS, taking with them only Rs 500.00. The LTTE TAMILS plundered all the wealth left over by the Muslims, including their Gold Jewellery. They ethnically cleansed Jaffna of the Muslims and the Sinhalese too. Altogether about 80,000 Muslims and Sinhalese were ethnically cleansed from the Peninsula. The whole of Sri Lanka thinks that the situation has now changed in Jaffna. No. The murky racist ideology still lingers. THE UNHCR AND THE INGOs have subtley taken over from where the damning LTTE Tamils left, to discriminate against the Muslims and the Sinhalese. The Honourable Minister alleges that the Jaffna Divisional Secretary and Government Officials, are ill treating about 2000 Muslims who have come to back to their homes in Jaffna. They have refused to register these Muslims, and about 1600 of them returned back, and the same fate awaits the balance 400. The voice of the Honourable Minister should reverberate in the halls of Legislature, and the sleeping Ministers who are responsible to provide an immediate remedy, should wake up. The Government should find out why the UNHCR and INGOs, are discriminating against the Muslims, and possibly the Sinhalese too. They must find out who these NGOs are and KICK THEM OUT OF JAFFNA. They must also find out how the UNHCR is involved in this discrimination (LankaWeb ; 3 August 2011).

CSIS documents and Tamil refuge claimant - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor (Letters) THE OTTAWA CITIZEN; Sir: “CSIS documents mistakenly sent to man suspected of Tamil Tigers links” you said. Permit me to tell Chanthirakumar Sellathurai the Tamil involved in this refugee case to stop continuing being part of this Tamil refugee scam. Sellathurai, you know as much as I know, that the 30 year Eelam war ended militarily on 19 May 2009. The north of Sri Lanka is now being developed and is prospering at a shooting star pace, and you ought to go back and enjoy being part of that Tamil prosperity. That thousands of Tamil Tigers who were captured and some who surrendered were rehabilitated by the Sri Lankan Government and handed over to their parents and are being integrated to the society successfully. That most of the Tamil Tiger child soldiers were provided special schooling to sit for their University entrance exams and are now entering Universities to become doctors, lawyer, engineers, et cetera. That your minority Tamils enjoy the privilege of making up the major ethnic population in the capital of Colombo where 41 percent live without any harrassment compared to the majority Sinhalese. That the Tamil millionaires from your minority community outnumber the millionaires of the majority Sinhalese community in the Colombo’ capital region. So why this refugee scam Sellathurai? (LankaWeb : 3 August 2011).

India cannot cut off trade ties with SL PM Singh tells Vaiko - BY S VENKAT NARAYAN, Our Special Correspondent - NEW DELHI, August 3: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said India cannot either restrict or cut off its trade ties with Sri Lanka to exert pressure on the island’s government to mitigate the sufferings of the displaced Tamils there. He conveyed this to MDMK leader Vaiko from Tamil Nadu when the latter called on him on Tuesday to demand that India undertake some drastic measures to force Sri Lanka to resettle and rehabilitate the Tamils who were displaced from the Jaffna peninsula during the ethnic war that ended in May 2009. According to a statement issued by Vaiko, Dr Singh told him that any restrictions on economic ties with the island will only encourage China to displace India as Sri Lanka’s strategic and trading partner. Vaiko claimed that he told the prime minister: "In any case, China is already aiding the Sri Lankan naval forces to attack Indian fishermen, and is more of an ally of Pakistan than India." He said he also took up with the prime minister the case of death row convict Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. He recalled that Nalini’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Perarivalan has already spent 20 years in prison, and his death sentence too should be commuted to life imprisonment. Dr Singh apparently agreed to ask the Home Ministry to look into the case. Vaiko also met Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram (Island ; 3 August 2011).

Sri Lanka admits that civilians may have been killed - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor (Letters) THE OTTAWA CITIZEN; Sir: “Sri Lanka on Monday admitted for the first time that civilians may have been killed during its military push against Tamil Tigers rebels in 2009 that has been dogged by allegations of war crimes”, you said. It was silly of Sri Lanka not to own up in the first place that there may have been civilians killed during the last phase of the war, as it would have been easily explained in American parlance as it was “collateral damage” as in the civilian casualties in their engagement in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and Iraq where several hundreds of civilians had been killed by American forces. Wars are nasty and we should never go to war if it could be avoided. But unfortunately the Government of Sri Lanka was forced to it by the Tamil Tigers who haemorrhaged this island nation for 30 long years. When the cowardly Tamil Tiger leadership blanketted itself with civilians as human shields, casualties were bound to result, but I am certain that the Sri Lankan armed forces took the greatest care to avoid such casualties. Whizzing bullets can not tell the difference between combatans, sometime in civilian clothes and civilian used as human shields (LankaWeb ; 3 August 2011).

US based company wins contract to clear ship wrecks at KKS harbour - Resolve Salvage and Fire (Asia) Pvt Ltd. a subsidiary of US-based Resolve Marine Group, Inc. has started the removal of six vessel wrecks that were sunk in Kankesanthurai harbor (KKS) between 1994 and 1996 during the war.  Resolve was awarded the contract for the wreck removal work by Shipping Corporation of India, the administrator of the project, Marine log reported on Aug. 2.  The six wrecks range in size from 17 m to 99.5 m and are either fully or partially submerged, obstructing safe access to, and transit within the harbour.  The operation will include the use of state-of-the-art, 3-D image scanning equipment which will identify all obstructions within a 500-meter radius of each wreck, ensuring removal of wreck debris in preparation for dredging of the channel. Two wrecks are outside the harbour and four are within.  Resolve has mobilized personnel and equipment to cut up the vessels and move the wreckage ashore, where the scrap will be disposed of, clearing the harbour in preparation for dredging operations and further rehabilitation.  The Marinelog quoted ResolvE Marine Group President Joseph E. Farrell, Jr. as having said: "We are honored to be a member of the team and are committed to rapid completion of the first phase wreck removal that will clear the way for development and commercial activity in the harbor. This initiative is important not only to the people of Sri Lanka, it is important to the Resolve team as it presents another opportunity to carry out our corporate philosophy, ‘ To leave the world a better place.’ (Island ; 3 August 2011). "

GOING AFTER CHANNEL 4 - by hela puwath - We must be serious and realistic in planning to go after Channel 4 for defamation, that is not to say we shouldn’t or couldn’t. Let us tread carefully and exert every effort to protect our only home. As some have written it is not easy to go after powerful western media organization like the CH-4 or the BBC. This is especially true when it involves the West’s sacrosanct “free speech”, “press freedom”, and the “(in)human rights” cabals. Those are the latest arsenal of the colonial plunderers and oppressors of all freedoms of the powerless. The latest revelations from Britain’s political scene has shown us how even the Prime Ministers use the so called “free press”, the Scotland Yard, cronyism, and bribery in turning the wheels of government. Mind you, this is just domestic politics in Westminster. How do you think their system work when dealing with poor, small nations, which they want to bully, dominate and plunder? Is it about the human rights of those poor buggers in a far away land? If the highest office in the UK government resorts to influence peddling with the powerful so-called “free” press, and while some in the chain resort to bribing the legal apparatus – the police – this is just for domestic power. What wouldn’t they resort to when the issue is foreign power? In short, don’t expect a “cake-walk” when going after their government-owned propaganda apparatuses, CH-4 and BBC. Just think, where is the “free media”, “freedom of information”, “human rights”, “war crimes”, “International Criminal Court” etc, etc, in Iraq, Afganistan, Libya etc, etc? The BBC and CH-4 are the British government’s primary propaganda machines. The claim that the BBC is “independent” is simply bogus propaganda. Therefore, it is in the British government’s interest to safeguard its investment. CH-4 is UK government’s “trashy tabloid”, partly funded by UK taxpayers, and partly by terrorists (LankaWeb : 3 August 2011).

Lankan pilgrims attacked by LTTE backers in Chennai - By Anuradha Hiripitiyage - A group of pilgrims from Sri Lanka were yesterday afternoon attacked in Purawasawalkam, Chennai by a group of men who arrived in three wheelers and motorcycles. The attackers, numbering around 15-20, dressed in shirts and T-shirts displaying the LTTE symbol, had stormed the Earavas hotel where the pilgrims were staying and ordered them to remove the T-shirts they were wearing with Sinhala lettering. They then set the clothes on fire. The attackers had been shouting slogans and displaying placards with the photograph of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the victims said. They said that the attackers ordered the manager of the hotel to make sure that the pilgrims are sent off before 7.00 a.m. the next day. A spokesman for the Sri Lanka High Commission said that it has assured its fullest security and safety to the group of Sri Lankan pilgrims (Island ; 3 August 2011).

Channel four and the ‘Broken Palmyrah’ - By S. L. Gunasekara - The mass hysteria aroused by Channel Four among foreigners ill disposed towards Sri Lanka and even some treacherous Sri Lankans who are ill disposed towards Mahinda Rajapakse, and care not whom else they hurt (including their Motherland) provided they manage to hurt one or more Rajapaksas, shows no signs of abating. Channel Four has now put out a second video clip supposedly depicting some further alleged information about the alleged conduct of our forces in the last days of the `war’ and said to contain the depositions of two alleged eye witnesses. As admitted by the presenter [one Snow] himself, the so called witnesses themselves have their faces so depicted in such a way that they are unrecognizable and their voices have been deleted and dubbed so as to deliberately conceal their identities! Thus, if one is to believe the contents of the Videos one must believe Snow implicitly. Yet, would anyone, including CB Kumaratunga and her two erstwhile ‘poodles’ Mervyn and SN Silva or any other at home or abroad, trust or act on the word of Snow in any matter affecting their personal interests? The first video which started the hounds barking at Sri Lanka depicts pictures of some persons [with most their facial features so concealed from view as to be unidentifiable] in fatigues [which have no `unit badges’ visible] who could be Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burgers, Americans, Somalians, Frenchmen, Rwandans, British or people of any other race or country in the world shooting some naked fair skinned persons (Island ; 3 August 2011).

How liberal is Norway? - C. T. Dewaraja - Minister President Vidkun Quisling of Norway with Führer Adolf Hitler of Germany, circa 1942-1945; ‘Liberal’, ‘Democracy’, ‘Tolerance’ and similar words are now being used ad nauseam by Norwegians; and fellow teavellers, to describe their government. It is time we take a look at the dirty underside of this country, once led by Quisling, who was an enthusiastic ally of Hitler and sheltered his secret A bomb factory. It has also a lot in common with those two racist, mono-religious states Saudi Arabia and Israel. Two examples will suffice. [1] Only Lutheran Christians can be Prime Minister or hold any Cabinet Ministry. [2] Parents can name their children only from an approved list of names. Compared to Norway, poor, maligned Sri Lanka is a paragon of liberal democracy. We should export Pakiasothy, Jehan and Kumar to Oslo, to teach Norway democracy (Island ; 3 August 2011).

Majority of Tamil people do not want separatism - P.S. Mahawatte, Colombo 5 - In the Opinion Page of The Island we read some gems of ideas on various subjects and wonder whether the concerned ministers and / or officials find time to read these and use it to improve and / or plan to give effect to these ideas and suggestions. Let me illustrate what I mean by referring the readers and the concerned Ministers to the letter appearing in The Island of 29th July by a Mr. Sebastian Rasalingam (SR) from Toronto Canada captioned "LG polls in North". He describes TNA as "Thamil Namptri Alliance where Namptri meaning `decendants of high caste Malabars’ and imagine that they are the Brahamins who are destined to rule the depressed Tamils. The other Tamil party TULF he says ‘the acronym in reality stands for Thamil United Landlords Front’. He says "It is with utter shame that I note that the Tamil parties have failed to shed their communal names and continue with the old racist labels even in the 21St century". Mr. SR further says "Political parties should not be allowed to have racial or caste based names". He makes a very important suggestion "stop re-settling IDPs in their old (caste based) villages" as this is equivalent to reconstructing the old caste-based villages. Those Ministers taking an active interest in the resettlement of those who the LTTE has made IDPs, should seriously consider resettling the ‘depressed classes’ as suggested by SR (Island : 3 August 2011).

Oslo killer met LTTE activists in Norway?

Read an article titled "Norway … Do You Understand Now?" written by F Rovik, A Norwegian retired crusader against terrorism (Read full article by F Rovik in Lanka web ; 23 July 2011).   (Re-produced in-full in Sri Lanka News Online)

Fighting LTTE International; harder during peace than war - The death of Prabhakaran only removed the LTTE’s military strength from Sri Lankan soil. Separatism was only one element of a larger network of illegal dealings and an international agenda of de-stability. The fact that the LTTE; behind the façade of seeking a Tamil nation ran a multi-million dollar business of drugs, arms, shipping and human smuggling etc, can not be removed from the equation when the government seeks to fight the ‘remnants’ of the LTTE. The Rudrakumaran and Father Emmanual factions of the LTTE today continue to operate these businesses, quite successfully. Illegal dealings and businesses always require a legitimate cover. It is crucial that we are able to differentiate between lies behind the allegation from that of real concern for the victims. The rationale therefore for the extreme lengths that LTTE’s international wing with some sections of the Tamil Diaspora will go to protect their interests is understandable. A militarily defeated LTTE cannot afford to threaten the billion dollar business empire it has now become. Its bloody path is a serious impediment to legitimizing the future role it seeks for itself. One; that certain elements within the international community seem eager to grant. A terrorist war which employed and armed children by force and strapped suicide jackets on pregnant mothers; is not a past on which this political and financial future it seeks can base itself upon. Discrediting a legitimate government is very necessarily a means to this crucial end. An equation with a legitimate government is a necessary prerequisite for the organization to seek the political legitimacy it today lacks (Daily Mirror ; 3 August 2011).

India can’t cut off ties with Lanka, PM tells Vaiko - Manmohan Singh on Tuesday told MDMK leader Vaiko that India cannot afford to restrict economic ties with Sri Lanka — as demanded by Tamil Nadu’s political parties — in order to apply pressure to mitigate the sufferings of Sri Lankan Tamils. That, the Prime Minister said, would only encourage China to displace India as a strategic and trading partner of Sri Lanka. In response, Vaiko, who met the PM in Parliament House, said he told Singh that “in any case, China is already aiding the Sri Lanka naval forces to attack Indian fishermen and is more of an ally of Pakistan than India”. Since the assembly polls, Tamil Nadu politicians have been trying to beat one another in taking up the plight of Lankan Tamils living in camps and Indian fishermen following the May 2009 war, which liquidated Tamil Tigers led by LTTE chief V Prabhakaran. Vaiko said in a statement that he also took up with PM the case of death row convict Perarivalan in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, saying it could be considered on the lines of another convict, Nalini, whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Perarivalan has already spent 20 years in prison, Vaiko said. The PM agreed to ask the home ministry to look into the case. Vaiko also met home minister P Chidambaram. Vaiko’s meeting with the PM took place a day after Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa announced a monthly dole of R1,000 to 5,544 Lankan Tamils living in refugee camps in the state. On Monday, ADMK MPs tried to embarrass a visiting Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation by raising slogans. DMK MP Tiruchi Siva also staged a walkout from a meeting in honour of the visiting team hosted by vice-president Hamid Ansari, in protest against the “violence and human rights violations” by the Lankan government (Hindustan Times : 2 August 2011).

Oslo killer met LTTE activists in Norway? - Israel’s top diplomat in New Delhi alleges LTTE inspired suicide attacks on Jewish State - By Shamindra Ferdinando - Could there be a link between Norway-based LTTE operatives and Anders Behring Breivik, who bombed the Norwegian government headquarters in Oslo and wiped out a youth group on a nearby island on July 22 killing over 80 civilians? Responding to a query by The Island, informed sources said that the Norwegian could have had a link with the LTTEactivists in Norway. Breivik, in his 1,518 manifesto, which was released hours before he carried out the massacre, said had felt that Europe should follow the LTTE example of expelling the Muslims from Sri Lanka. He had interpreted the expulsion of Muslims from the North in October/November 1990, by the LTTE at gun point, as a move by the government of Sri Lanka to drive out the Muslim community. The killer’s manifesto also referred to the Anuradhapura massacre in 1985 and the slaughter of Muslims at the Kattankudy Mosque, in August 1990. He had been in close contact with UK based radicals and also bought equipment from western suppliers, including Polish merchants. During a recent visit to Colombo Israel’s top diplomat in New Delhi, accredited to Colombo, Mark Sofer told The Island that the LTTE had influenced those causing mayhem in the Middle East. He alleged that LTTE suicide attacks had inspired those targeting Jewish targets. The Sri Lankan embassy in Oslo is seeking additional information and making inquiries regarding the Oslo massacre. Political sources said that while Norway was funding Sri Lankan NGOs to promote the LTTE and a long standing settlement between Sri Lanka and the LTTE, a section of the Norwegian youth drew inspiration from LTTE terrorism (Island ; 2 August 2011).

LTTE arms, ammo still surfacing - Over two years after the conclusion of the conflict, security forces are still in the process of recovering arms, ammunition and equipment abandoned by the retreating LTTE units. Navy headquarters said that troops attached to the Eastern Naval Command, over the weekend, had recovered some weapons, belonging to the LTTE Intelligence, buried at a one-time LTTE base in Kumburupiddi, north of Trincimalee. Troops recovered two T 56 assault weapons, two T 56 magazines, 60 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 13 grenades, two kgs C4 explosives, 500 gms of TNT explosives, eight cyanide capsules, eight dog tags, 21 rocket propelled grenades, 2000 rounds of MPMG rounds et al (Island : 2 August 2011).

A massive protest campaign against the Channel-4 TV was held today in front of the Fort railway station in Colombo - A massive protest campaign against the Channel-4 TV was held today in front of the Fort railway station in Colombo. The free media movement has organized this against the Channel-4’s conspiring programmes telecast to discredit against Sri Lankan government, the President and war heroes. A large number of media personnel, religious dignitaries and Maha Sangha participated in this protest. A public petition was also signed against the Channel-4. At this protest venerable Galagama Dhammaransi Thera said some extreme elements are now attempting to divide the country since the LTTE had failed in its armed struggle. The Channel-4 TV’s aim is to discredit Sri Lankan leader and security forces by spreading false facts. The Thera said entire nation should stand against these conspiring elements. Co-Chairman of the Inter Religious Organization for National Harmony Rev. Father Sarath Hettiarachchi said some international elements are acting against the government at a time when the government had unifying all communities in the island by ending three decade long terrorism. He said therefore, all Sri Lankans should stand against these enemy forces disregarding their differences (SLBC : 2 August 2011).

Sri Lanka Govt opposes move to de-list LTTE from EU terrorism list

Channel 4 paid to tarnish Sri Lanka’s humanitarian rescue & terrorist elimination operation - by Shenali Waduge -  What is the aim of Channel 4 & its persistence to tarnish the image of a sovereign Government? LTTE is an internationally banned terrorist group & a sovereign Government has all the right to militarily eliminate it for the protection of its citizens. Sri Lanka remains the only nation to have given plenty of chances to LTTE terrorists to give up terrorism & enter democratic governance by coming into power by a vote & not through bullets. It was after 30 years of endless peace negotiations & ceasefires that served to only equip the LTTE to carry out daring attacks that finally resulted in the decision to militarily take on the LTTE while rescuing all Tamils kept as human shields by the LTTE. No other foreign Government has given so many chances to a terrorist group operating clandestinely internationally. With LTTE eliminated & after 2 years of peace we can but question the motive behind this campaign to vilify Sri Lanka? Anyone has a right to produce documentaries & it is the moral right of the production house to first realize & understand the message they aim to convey in airing the programs that are being sponsored. It takes more than a program to understand the reasons for LTTE to prevail, the “real” aspirations of majority Tamils & how it connects with the politics in Sri Lanka. How far LTTE really connects with Tamil polity can be answered in the manner the LTTE had killed every moderate Tamil leader starting with Alfred Duraiappah. That Tamils themselves are divided more than united as a result of caste is clearly evident in the main rump of the LTTE being low caste including the leader itself & much of their terror was targeted towards high caste Tamils though for propaganda purposes & to gage credibility for the LTTE to prevail it was easy to promote Sinhala racism & discrimination (Sri Lanka Guardian : 2 August 2011).

New report will counter LTTE claims - Gotabaya - By Supun Dias - Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said yesterday the false claims and allegations made by the Tamil Diaspora and the LTTE international network would be laid to rest with the release of the Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis report. He said the first part of the report revealed LTTE threats to democracy and civilians; its offensive capabilities, air and naval power and how the LTTE sabotaged government efforts to bring peace and it also showed how the LTTE international network generated a large amount of funds for the terrorist outfit. “The second part describes the resumption of hostilities by the LTTE in 2006 with the closure of the Mavil Aru sluice gates thus bringing about a humanitarian disaster in the East,” Mr. Rajapaksa said adding that full details of the operation to safeguard and ensure the security of civilians were explained in the report. “The country is rebuilding now, democracy has spread to all parts. Sri Lanka has a 30-year gap to cover. But the Tamil Diaspora is still working to drag Sri Lanka into the past. The most recent example is the video aired last week on Channel 4 in Britain. It features two men who are supposed to be army officers. Neither are they shown on screen, nor are their voices heard for even a few seconds”, he said. “Fernando is one of the commonest names while Sasrutha is hardly ever heard of. The voice-over made on behalf of this pair alleges that war crimes took place during the last days of the humanitarian operation. However, absolutely no evidence is given to back up these allegations, nor is there any proof that these so-called Army officers are even genuine people,” Mr. Rajapaksa said. He said the video claimed that Shavendra Silva told them that I had instructed him to do certain things, which was absolutely false, and Shavendra had always categorically denied it (Daily Mirror ; 2 August 2011).

Lanka wants EU to ban pro-LTTE groups - The Sri Lankan government has reiterated its request to the European Union (EU) to list LTTE front organizations as terrorist entities, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Brussels said yesterday. “This request has been made in the wake of the EU re-listing the LTTE as a terrorist entity. The EU terrorist re-listings made in terms of article 2 (3) of Council Regulation of December 7, 2001 on specific restrictive measures directed. against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism, proscribes organizations listed from operating in EU member countries and freezes their assets,” a embassy statement said. In the recent update of its application for listing of LTTE front organizations handed over through the Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, the government detailed action taken against the LTTE and its front organizations, by member states of the EU. The EU states included in this application were Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, as well as other states namely, Canada, India, Norway, Switzerland and USA. The application also highlighted action taken by the Sri Lankan government in response to specific requests for intelligence and judicial assistance received in connection with these investigations from relevant authorities of the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and Norway. On July 6 the LTTE was re-listed among Britain’s “proscribed terror groups or organizations” based on the findings following a review carried out through the British Strategy for Countering Terrorism (Daily Mirror ; 2 August 2011).

Norway, Killing fields and double standards - The election results in the North were no doubt a slap on the wrist on the part of the government. Once again, they said that their issues are too acute to be balmed by roads and bridges being built in the North. This once again fuelled the talks of the eelamists, made them urge the government to look for a sustainable solution to their problems and flashed a red light at the government to get their priorities right. One cannot be too optimistic about the North’s welcoming the state policies, until a genuine effort is made to heal their wounds, be attentive to their grievances and remove their IDP status. Just because their voices do not accord with the already set tunes, that shouldn’t mean they should fall on deaf ears. True democracy is when everyone’s voice is heard and everyone has a hand in picking people’s representatives. In a democracy, equity is a cake cut into equal pieces. Sadly for a country like ours, the cake will go bad by the time it reaches the North. Home situation being thus, barely a week since the issuing of the results, Channel-4 fired their second missile -- a voice cut of an alleged army personnel, deployed in the 58th division of the army, who revealed that Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa gave orders to his then regiment head, Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva to take ‘whatever action to finish the thing.’ However, this was an allegation repeatedly refuted by the present deputy representative to the UN, Maj. Gen. Silva (Daily Mirror : 2 July 2011).

Channel-4 video, personal attack on Defence Secretary and me:Maj. Gen. Silva - By Supun Dias - Major General Shavendra Silva who is Sri Lanka’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, in an exclusive interview to the Daily Mirror, shared his thoughts on the the latest Channel-4 video and the allegations levelled against the security forces. Q: In the newest Channel- 4 video they accuse you for taking orders to execute some of the people who have surrendered. What is your response to these allegations? In the latest Channel-4 video a person called Fernando is accusing me and the Defence Secretary that orders were given to me to execute some of the people who had surrendered. This is a personal attack on Defence Secretary and me as the first Killing Fields documentary failed to attain its objectives. All I can say is that they are using all kinds of elements and individuals to tarnish the image of the country and to bring disgrace to the soldiers including those who sacrificed their lives to defeat the LTTE (Daily Mirror : 2 August 2011).

LTTE assassinated over 100 democratically elected political leaders, govt officials - by Sandasen Marasinghe - For three decades, the LTTE unleashed a brutal campaign of terror and violence in Sri Lanka that resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Sri Lankans of all ethnicities. Using a combination of terrorist tactics and conventional forces, the LTTE carried out massacres of innocent civilians, attacked economic targets and vital infrastructure and created a fear psychosis that crippled everyday life for several generations of Sri Lankans. The LTTE also assassinated over one hundred democratically elected political leaders and government officials from all ethnicities in Sri Lanka as well as the head of state of Sri Lanka and a former Prime Minister of India. In addition, the LTTE ceaselessly threatened and subjugated the civilians living in the North and East, particularly in the areas it dominated, recruiting young children as combatants, laying mines in civilian areas, engaging in ethnic cleansing campaigns and denying the people basic human rights and democratic freedoms. People in all parts of Sri Lanka were terrorised by the LTTE and forced to endure a state of unending fear and insecurity. The LTTE has been recognised as one of the most ruthless and sophisticated terrorist organisations in the world. Its use of terrorist, guerrilla and conventional tactics through its semi conventional fighting force, coupled with access to hundreds of millions of dollars from criminal activities, voluntary contributions and the extortion of individuals throughout the world, made the LTTE a formidable foe that repeatedly eluded military defeat (Daily News : 2 August 2011).

Falsehood will be laid to rest - Defence Secy - by Sandasen MARASINGHE - Allegations aimed at discrediting Sri Lanka - Fails to bear scrutiny - Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said that the falsehood created by the LTTE’s international propaganda machinery together with some in the Tamil Diaspora will be laid to rest with the publication of the Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis enabling the world to conclude beyond any doubt that the humanitarian operation was just. He made this observation at the launching ceremony of the report titled Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 - May 2009 at the Hilton Hotel yesterday. The Defence Secretary said that the purpose of this report that has been compiled by the Defence Ministry is to set out the factual background and operational context, which brought peace to Sri Lanka by liberating the people from brutal terrorism of the LTTE in May 2009, against which baseless allegations have been leveled. Defence Secretary Rajapaksa in connection with one such allegation that Security Forces killed or gravely mistreated the civilians who surrendered to the forces, questioned as to why they level false allegations to a government that extended care to even the families directly linked to the LTTE, former LTTE cadres themselves and even the parents of LTTE leader Prabakaran, and that of the so called LTTE political wing leader Thamil Chelvan and the leader of the Sea Tiger wing Soosai (Daily News ; 2 August 2011).

Channel 4 clip and subsequent road-show - by Dr. Chandana Jayalath In fact a concerted military campaign was launched by the Sri Lankan Government to wipe out LTTE terrorism. Under circumstances that the civilians were being held as human shields by the LTTE and prevented from leaving those areas into government secured areas, the last lap of the struggle took a different shape that has never seen anywhere in the world. It was with numerous factors, including logistics, intelligence, and more deeply the humanitarian aspects, the Sri Lankan army did its part. The biggest message for others seeking peace and democracy the Sri Lankan security forces gave is the message that terrorism can be fought and overcome. However, the residues that operate from Europe are still seen. Channel 4 video clip broadcast since August 2009 and its subsequent road-show is a classic example. It’s one of diversified businesses of the Channel 4 is to make films and at no surprise, the main actor of the film (a gunman shooting at another laid down) is acting like at the end of a Jill ball game where the last in hand is thrown at the two Jill balls to finish the game off. The actor comfortably takes the target to shoot at head, which does not in any way happen with people with arms. Channel 4 claims that “the other new witness, who was also operating with Brigadier Shavendra Silva’s 58 Division on the front line during the final assault, claims the Brigadier was ordered by the defence secretary “to finish the job by whatever means necessary.” He said (so called witness) this was interpreted by the soldiers as a license to kill (Lankaweb : 1 August 2011).

Lankans in the UK to sue Channel 4 - Sri Lankans living in the United Kingdom and who are members of the Anti-Terrorism Group comprising Sinhalese and Tamils have decided to sue the British Channel 4, for one trillion pounds for airing defamatory videos aimed at tarnishing the image of Sri Lanka. Sources emanating from London said the group comprising several lawyers in the forum, has carefully studied the videos in question. The sources said members of the group have obtained expertise views and recommendation on the modus operandi of the aired videos. The sources added that the legal papers to file the petition in a London Court are now ready. These are expected to filed at any moment. Video and IT experts from other countries had also assisted in the technical examination of the videos aired by Channel 4. The experts have examined both videos recently aired by Channel 4 which has caused irreparable damage to the people and the Sri Lankan nation. Srilankans living in UK recently staged a protest opposite the Channel 4 office in London and vowed to take follow up action on the defamatory videos that were aired. Tamils living in London claimed that Channel 4 had performed a ‘contract’ for the LTTE during that protest (ITN News : 1 August 2011).

Gotabaya releases "factual account" of war against LTTE - Hinting that Sri Lanka will re-examine its war with the Tamil Tigers, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has said his country “will certainly engage with and account for the events of the past, [but] our focus must be on the future”. Launching the report “Humanitarian Operation — Factual Analysis”, compiled by the Ministry of Defence as an answer to a series of reports, books, and documentaries that have been released since the conclusion of the war in May 2009, he said the allegations made in a section of the international press were “quite absurd”. He denied the allegation that LTTE soldiers or civilians were tortured. “Take for instance the allegation that the security forces killed or gravely mistreated those who surrendered or were detained. This has been repeated loudly and repeated often, but it is not an accusation that stands up to scrutiny. By the end of the humanitarian operation more than 11,000 LTTE cadres surrendered to security forces. Despite the various acts of terrorism and mass murder they had committed, these cadres were not mistreated in any way. The 595 child soldiers who surrendered were reunited with their families within one year, while over 6,100 adult cadres were rehabilitated and released by June 2011. Most of the remaining cadres are undergoing further rehabilitation programmes and will be reintegrated to society when they are ready. Those culpable for atrocities at a higher level will be prosecuted through legal channels,” he said (Hindu : 1 August 2011).

We spared even hardcore LTTE cadres - GR - by Harischandra Gunaratna - Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday lashed out at Channel-4 over its attempts to discredit Sri Lanka. Speaking at the release of the report, Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis, July 2006 -May 2009, at Colombo Hilton, he said Channel 4 videos only promoted baseless accusations with the sole purpose of discrediting Sri Lanka. "It is an attempt to tarnish this country’s image and divide our people and set back the peace that has been won after three painful decades," he said. The Defence Secretary said that what had been aired by Channel 4 was not reportage but propaganda that proved that the so-called respectable media channels aided and abetted the agenda of separatists. "It is extremely disturbing at a time when the British media was under heavy fire and drawing the attention of British authorities for its lack of ethics. Channel 4 was no exception, Rajapaksa said. The allegation that the Sri Lankan security forces killed or gravely mistreated those who surrendered or were detained had been repeated but it was not an accusation that stood up to scrutiny, he said. Explaining the position of LTTE cadres who had surrendered after the war, the Defence Secretary said by the end of the humanitarian operation more than 11,000 LTTE cadres had surrendered to the security forces. Despite the various acts of terrorism and mass murder they had committed, those cadres were not mistreated in any manner. Some 595 child soldiers who had surrendered were reunited with their families within one year, while over 6,100 adult cadres were rehabilitated and released by June 2011. Most of the remaining cadres were undergoing further rehabilitation programmes and would be reintegrated into society. Some of the LTTEcadres would be prosecuted for their crimes, he said. The Government of Sri Lanka had taken the utmost care to look after not only those citizens oppressed by LTTE in the North and East but also those who were directly connected with the LTTE. As the humanitarian operation was drawing to a close, the parents of LTTE Leader Prabhakaran were among the IDPs who came over to the government controlled territory. Instead of being mistreated in any way, Prabhakaran’s father and mother were treated with the utmost consideration and care until they died of natural causes in January 2010 and February 2011 respectively (Island : 1 August 2011).

GoSL opposes move to de-list LTTE from EU terrorism list - Sri Lanka alleges that the LTTE is making a major effort to de-list from the EU terrorism list, while pursuing separatist agenda. In the wake of LTTE bid, the Government of Sri Lanka on July 28, 2011 urged the European Union (EU) to list front organizations of the LTTE as terrorist entities, as the grouping had done the LTTE since 2006. This call was made, as the EU through Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 687/2011 of 18 July 2011 published in the official journal of the European Union, on 19 July 2011, listed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a terrorist entity. The EU terrorist re-listings made in terms of article 2 (3) of Council Regulation (EC). No. 2580/2001 of 07 December 2001 on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism, proscribes organizations listed operating in EU member countries and freezes the assets. The regulation noted that, "the Council has carried out a complete review of the list of persons, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 applies, as required by Article 2(3) of that Regulation", " has provided all the persons, groups and entities for which it was practically possible with statements of reasons explaining why they were listed in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 83/2011" and "took account of observations submitted to it by the persons, groups and entities concerned". In similar action on 6 July 2011, the LTTE was re-listed among the UK’s "proscribed terror groups or organizations" based on the findings following a review carried out through the UK Strategy for Countering Terrorism (CONTEST), and presented to the Parliament on 12 July 2011 (Island ; 1 August 2011).

Melbourne Rally against C4 & ABC Fake Video - Sri Lankans living in Melbourne (Australia ) demonstrated their disgust towards unprofessional media conduct by ABC, Australia Broadcasting Corporation which demonstrated their disgust towards unprofessional media conduct. Sri Lankans showed their opposition and disgust to ABC - Australian Broadcasting Corporation which telecasted on 30 July, the UK based channel 4 bias documentary twice on prime time TV. It was revealed that there were many attempts by the Sri Lankan diplomats and Technical experts to explain the flaws of this video prior to broadcasting and tarnishing Sri Lanka's good name. Government run media channel neither allowed air time to demonstrate the flaws in the video nor took considerable amount of effort to validate the authenticity of video. Not only once, ABC dared to tarnish mother Sri Lanka's name by broadcasting it twice within 48 hours time frame. After writing many requests and calling the program to authorities, they failed to provide fair solution for the damage done to Sri Lankans living in Australia. The untimely program did not serve any purpose as shown by many Australian journalists to the reconciliation process or the healing of a war torn country. Sri Lankans in Australia at the end decided to take the matter to the public initiating wave of actions seeking justice. They decided to hold series of demonstrations across states, submitting a petition to the Federal Parliament in Australia to obtain action through the relevant minister and panel of lawyers researching on the code of media ethics violation conducted by ABC (Asian Tribune ; 1 August 2011).

Time to identify enemies within - by S Akurugoda - According to media reports, Housing and Construction Minister Wimal Weerawansa warned the public to be cautious of some elements working inside the government to destabilize the country. The Minister noted that while the country was now moving forward after the end of the war, there were attempts by some groups overseas to target the economy. Addressing a meeting at Homagama the Minister said that these groups had the support of some elements in the government who were working with a sinister agenda. The ruling coalition consists of parliamentarians with different interests. There are ardent supporters of 13th Amendment and Federalism even among SLFP parliamentarians. An SLFP parliamentarian, who visited Australia recently, while addressing the Sri Lankan community, said that the enactment of the Sinhala Language as the official language in 1956 and introducing standardisation in the university admission in early nineteen sixties were the root cause of the so-called ethnic problem! (Island ; 1 August 2011).

Jayalalitha's tantrums - Gamini Premadasa - ..... If the Chief Minister wants to tell the Tamil Nadu electorate that the trade deals that India has with Sri Lanka are because India is utterly desirous of helping the island nation and are an altruistic act, she certainly has the freedom to go on playing that role. But no one in Sri Lanka is foolish enough to accept that canard. The good lady from Tamil Nadu knows that Sri Lanka bashing is a fool proof strategy that she can use to hoodwink her illiterate voters to ensure that she continues to be in power. Doing something concrete to improve the lot of the Tamil Nadu Tamils instead, such as of the Dalits, 50% of whom live below the poverty line and 90% are literate, whereas only 10% of the non-Dalits in her State are illiterate, needs a great deal of planning, investment and a lot of brains (Island ; 1 August 2011).

Viru Daru Diriya (VDD) donations to "War Heroes" exceed A$131,340 (Rs 12.67 million).

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