Latest News from Sri Lanka

Current Significant Issues

 Monday, 07 February 2011 06:35 AM  

Terrorists Using U.S. Law As A Weapon

Terrorists Using U.S. Law As A Weapon – January 31,2011 - by Ira de Silva London, Canada  -The Editor The Island Colombo, Sri Lanka - Dear Sir: The case filed by Bruce Fein illustrates the lack of integrity and the unscrupulous nature of some U.S. lawyers who will sell themselves and anyone else for money. It also illustrates that the LTTE supporters in the U.S. are well and active in their goal of dividing Sri Lanka to create Eelam. The money that was used to fund terrorism by Prabhakaran is now being used to buy lawyers and others in the U.S. who are ”for sale” whether they be politicians or bureaucrats who will represent any “cause” without ascertaining the truth of what they are fed by those to retain them. Unfortunately too many in Sri Lanka believe that the LTTE is “dead” and are dedicating themselves to having a good time and making as much money as possible in the short term. In the case of Bruce Fein, this is the same Bruce Fein who on February 3,2004 in an article published in the Washington Times commenting on the designation of the LTTE and PKK as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. stated ““The designations pivoted on the indiscriminate use of violence by the PKK and LTTE to intimidate civilian populations and to cow the democratically elected governments in Turkey and Sri Lanka to capitulate to their secessionist demands.” In further criticism of the LTTE he goes on to say “a constitutional right to assist a foreign terrorist organization to win secession from a nation with which the United States is at peace – whether through negotiations or otherwise -is preposterous”. The Tamil Tigers seek a secessionist state in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka through violence. Characteristic of like organizations, the LTTE undertakes auxiliary activities that strengthens its terrorist torso and sweetens its public face: political organizing and advocacy; diplomacy and social services”. He even criticised the Sri Lankan Government for providing medical services to the LTTE. According to him “medically assisting the LTTE, however, facilitates terrorist abominations. Its injured members more quickly return to terrorist duties. And the LTTE attracts more grass-roots sympathizers, financial contributions and terrorist recruits. The nefarious LTTE terrorist goal of partitioning Sri Lanka into separate Tamil and Sinhalese nations will be closer”. Today, as the paid servant of this same LTTE he is undertaking their “auxiliary activities” such as this case he has filed, to strengthen the “terrorist torso” of the LTTE and “sweeten its public face” as well as “sweeten” the fees he regularly receives from the LTTE supporters who operate openly in the U.S. while U.S. authorities who are supportive of the LTTE cause do nothing, even though according to U.S. law they can and should be prosecuted (LankaWeb : 31 January 2011).

Canada: Anti human smuggling Bill C-49 delivers golden promises to the terrorist outfit LTTE - By Albert George - “Ocean Lady” and “Sun Sea” two LTTE ships brought 564 refugees to Canada in the recent past. This un-precedent action forced Canada to table a bill [C-49] to prevent further human smuggling. To support this bill Conservatives obtained a few letters from ethnic communities. One of them was from Peel Tamil Community Centre issued by Balan Ratnarajah a member of LTTE’s “Government in Exile” and he represents the World Tamil Movement Chapter in Government in Exile. LTTE and World Tamil Movements are outlawed associations in Canada. Later it turned out that Peel Tamil Community Centre is not in operation and Balan Ratnarajah is not in favor of the proposed bill C-49. In an interview Balan Ratnarajah revealed what Minister Jason Kenney promised to them to obtain that support letter to the bill. Indeed Balan Ratnarajah and few others had a private meeting with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration so it is very interesting for all of us to see what Minister Jason Kenney promised to the LTTEiers. Canadian Tamil Radio gave a good 6 minutes to Mr. Balan Ratnarajah to say what has happened in the meeting and the real story behind the support letter issued by him. Below are from his interview to the Canadian Tamil Radio (LankaWeb : 31 January 2011).

LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists using US law as a weapon

Lanka suing diaspora - The government is to sue LTTE front organizations and individuals who gave money to the LTTE during the war to purchase weapons and explosives, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya said.  Ambassador Wickramasuriya told News Now.lk that the government is also working with US authorities to crackdown on LTTE front organizations operating on US soil with a new name but with the same agenda as they did before they were either banned or some of its members arrested.  The Ambassador said that family members of those killed by the LTTE during the conflict had sought assistance to sue those who funded the terror campaign including some Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) and human rights activists.  “We have been contacted by so many family members of the people who lost lives due to LTTE suicide bombings and LTTE activities and they will file action against people who gave money to the LTTE. They are responsible for sending money and weapons to the LTTE. We will bring these front organizations and individuals to justice very soon,” the Ambassador said.  Asked who these front organizations were the envoy said he could not reveal any names as investigations were still continuing but said that the US authorities were well aware who these people are (News Now lk : 31 January 2011).

Melbourne News Thrimana TV, Sri Lankan Web TV ThrimanaTV brings News and Entertainment from Sri Lanka and Australia - 30 January 2011 (Click here)

Sri Lankan war hero appeals Tamil diaspora to move forward - Former Sri Lankan military official and top diplomat to United Nations ,denying accusations of war crimes appealed expatriate Sri Lankans to ‘move forward’.  Addressing a gathering at Edwards Church, Framingham on Saturday, Major Gen. Shavendra Silva who is currently Sri Lanka's permanent deputy United Nations representative made this appeal to few expat Sri Lankan who had objected to him speaking in public.  Edwards Church is a United Church of Christ congregation located in Saxonville, Framingham, Massachusetts.  Winchester resident and native Tamil Suba Suntharalingam and a handful of others protested Silva's visit, holding signs at the intersection of Maplewood and Elm streets before going inside to listen, the MetroWest Daily News reported.  In his speech, Silva cautioned Sri Lankans in the crowd about the various eyewitness reports about the last days of the conflict, in which critics of the government allege the military killed innocent Tamil civilians while it attempted to wipe out the Tigers.  Silva, who was flanked by bodyguards, said the operation was actually a humanitarian effort, with his forces rescuing civilian Tamils "from the jaws of (Tiger) terrorists."  He said Tiger fighters took hundreds of thousands of civilians hostage during their final stand, placing them in a circle around their ranks as a "human shield" against military bullets.  Silva said the government succeeded in freeing the civilians, and that the only civilians killed were shot by Tamils as they fled from their captors.  "These are all lies," Suntharalingam said of Silva's speech, in which Silva praised his forces for a "humanitarian" effort at the end of the war.  Suntharalingam, however, said the government is responsible for human rights violations, pointing to an incident that allegedly occurred May 18, 2009, when the government is accused of killing Tiger officials after they surrendered.  "They held up white flags, and (Silva) ordered them shot," said Suntharalingam, who raised the issue with Silva during a question-and-answer period following his speech.  "I am glad that you have the courage to ask that question," Silva told Suntharalingam. "I'm so proud we have Sri Lankans of your nature." (Asian Tribune ; 31 January 2011).

Post-war SL: No special role for Norway - Pro-LTTE groups overseas in fresh bid to offset loss of LTTE’s conventional military capability in May 2009, as disgraced ‘peacemaker’ offers to mediate between Sri Lanka and those still seeking to undermine peace won through military means.  Norway is unlikely to win any special role in the post-war Sri Laka in spite of its offer to make its services available in that capacity.  Government sources told The Island that Sri Lanka was not interested in a Norwegian offer to mediate between the government and the LTTE rump or so-called Tamil Diaspora groups pushing for UN ‘war crimes’ probe, targeting the country’s political and military leaders.  Norwegian Development Minister and disgraced peace facilitator Erik Solheim last week declared that Norway hoped to help Sri Lanka and those living abroad to initiate a dialogue. In an interview with News Now. lk published in the front-page of The Island of Jan. 27 Solheim called Norway the dialogue partner for the government and other communities, including those in exile.  Highly placed sources said that there couldn’t be a special role for Norway or any other foreign government in the country. The government was ready to talk with any Diaspora group to explore ways and means of improving post-war conditions here, sources said.  Diaspora groups fully supported an LTTE decision to quit the Norwegian-led peace process in April 2003 during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, which ultimately led to the collapse of the Norwegian-effort. Norway had failed to force the LTTE back to the negotiating table, while US efforts to influence US-based LTTE operatives, too, didn’t yield the desired results.  In a story datelined Aug. 27, 2009, Aftenposten quoted Solheim as saying that the UN should investigate charges of war crimes in Sri Lanka "This is something I will discuss with Ban Ki-moon when he comes, " he told that paper.  Diplomatic sources told The Island that nothing would come of a fresh foreign initiative, except giving recognition to the LTTE rump (Island : 30 January 2011).

Terrorists using US law as a weapon - Some LTTE activists have filed a lawsuit against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the US, seeking $ 30 million in damages over alleged extrajudicial killings in Sri Lanka. This case is the brainchild of former deputy US attorney general (for less than one year) Bruce Fein, who has sold his soul to the LTTE like some US lawmakers, diplomats and bureaucrats. He is said to have evoked a 1991 Act, which allows the US to act against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings. Fein has bragged after filing the case in the US District Court in Washington that 'President Rajapakse will not escape the long arm of justice secured by the Torture Victims Protection Act by hiding in Sri Lanka'. An LTTE front, operating freely in the US, in spite of a ban, has told the media that it is testing the law in respect of the so-called Samantar ruling by the US Supreme Court in June last year that former Prime Minister of Somalia Mohamed Ali Samantar currently living in the US may be sued for allegations against him of torture during his tenure. Pro-LTTE groups say that the US Supreme Court held in the Samantar case that it was the countries––and not individuals––which enjoyed diplomatic immunity from lawsuits in the US. What the terror backers who funded the LTTE's war for nearly thirty years refuse to accept is that Sri Lanka and Somalia are poles apart and there is a world of a difference between Samantar and President Rajapaksa, whose war liberated this country from the clutches of a brutal terrorist outfit banned in the US, the EU, India etc and listed by the UN for harming children. General Samantar was instrumental in staging a military coup to bring to power dictator Siad Barre, who, notorious for extrajudicial executions, mass rape, torture and arbitrary incarceration of thousands of his opponents, appointed the former as prime minister for services rendered. Samantar fled the country after the collapse of the Barre regime in 1991 and reached the US, having lived in Italy for six years (Island : 30 January 2011).

Shavendra denies accusations - Sri Lanka’s permanent deputy United Nations Representative Major Gen. Shavendra Silva denying accusation of war crimes against him said that if there had been any violations it will surface one day.  “If there had been any violations ... it will surface one day. If there were, then the military will take action against those responsible,” Major General Silva said at a Church in Framingham, USA on Saturday.  Winchester resident and native Tamil Suba Suntharalingam and a handful of others protested Silva's visit, holding signs at the intersection of Maplewood and Elm streets before going inside to listen.  When reached for comment, a church official said yesterday that leadership was unaware the building had been booked for political purposes.  In his speech, Silva cautioned Sri Lankans in the crowd about the various eyewitness reports about the last days of the conflict, in which critics of the government allege the military killed innocent Tamil civilians while it attempted to wipe out the Tigers.  Silva, who was flanked by bodyguards, said the operation was actually a humanitarian effort, with his forces rescuing civilian Tamils "from the jaws of (Tiger) terrorists." He said Tiger fighters took hundreds of thousands of civilians hostage during their final stand, placing them in a circle around their ranks as a "human shield" against military bullets.  Silva said the government succeeded in freeing the civilians, and that the only civilians killed were shot by Tamils as they fled from their captors.  Suntharalingam, however, said the government is responsible for human rights violations, pointing to an incident that allegedly occurred May 18, 2009, when the government is accused of killing Tiger officials after they surrendered.  "They held up white flags, and (Silva) ordered them shot," said Suntharalingam, who raised the issue with Silva during a question-and-answer period following his speech.  "I am glad that you have the courage to ask that question," Silva told Suntharalingam. "I'm so proud we have Sri Lankans of your nature."  Silva said that although some military officers have been arrested and accused of killing innocent civilians, the military as a whole acted in the best interest of the Tamil "hostages."  "If there had been any violations ... it will surface one day," he said. "If there were, then the military will take action against those responsible.  "If I am a war criminal as you say, one day I'll be investigated ... and punished," he added.  Silva said he thinks his surviving a 2009 attempt on his life by a suicide bomber is a sign of his innocence.  "I escaped because I know, in my heart, that I am not a murderer," he said.  Silva encouraged those concerned about human rights to "be patient" and wait for the results of an government committee's investigation of the conflict.  Deacon Shelly Cichowlas said the church was unaware when it rented the space that it was doing so for the purpose of political discussion (Daily Mirror : 30 January 2011).

LTTE fails to thwart SL’s UN No 2 in Boston - In spite of an LTTE protest on Sunday (Jan. 30), Sri Lanka’s deputy permanent UN representative Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva went ahead with his speech, in which he explained post-war developments, including measures taken by the government to rehabilitate ex-LTTE cadres to a gathering in Boston. Sources told The Island that the protest had been led by a woman, whose daughter launched a fast during the last phase of the war in early 2009. Maj. Gen. Silva urged the Tamil Diaspora to join the on-going development drive in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 58 Division said that those living abroad should visit the Northern Province to see the post-war developments. Referring to a recent statement attributed to Teo Chee Hean, the Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, Maj. Gen. Silva said that Hean had acknowledged Sri Lanka’s post-war potential. Hean had, Maj. Gen. Silva said, to the extent of asserting that Sri Lanka was currently the second fastest growing Asian economy after China. The battle scarred veteran soldier soldier said government was engaged in a major de-mining operation to facilitate the resettlement those remaining in welfare centres. According to him, only about 20,000 out of 300,000 war displaced now remained in welfare centres. Maj. Gen. Silva said that the restoration of the Sangupiddy-Kerativu causeway would be a tremendous boost to the economy of Jaffna. He explained the on-going efforts to launch oil exploration off Mannar mainland. Such a venture would never have been possible unless the LTTE had been defeated, he said adding that eradication of terrorism had paved the way for rapid development in all fields. He said that those engaged in agriculture would be among the main beneficiaries. In the wake of restoration of peace, schools in the Northern and Eastern Provinces had been able to produce better results at the last GCE (Advanced Level) examination, the Maj. Gen. said. Maj. Gen. Silva, credited with leading his Division about 205 km from north-western Mannar to Mullaitivu on the east coast said that he considered that the military had won the war the day the first Tamil civilian ran across the Vanni east frontline to seek refuge in the government-held area. That had happened long before the army killed LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on the banks of the Nanthikadal lagoon in May 2009 (Island ; 30 January 2011).

Pakistani arrested in Spain for forging passports for LTTE - A Pakistani citizen has been arrested in Spain for allegedly forging passports for the Laskar e Taiba (LeT) as well as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "The National Police in Barcelona have arrested a citizen of Pakistani nationality for their alleged connection with the cell dismantled last December as part of "Operation Kampai" and who allegedly supplied documents for terrorist organizations linked to Al Qaeda, mostly " Laskar e Taiba (LeT) and other terrorist groups such as the LTTE," the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement. It revealed that the detained person was Imtanan Malik Sarwar, born on January 13, 1981 in Sialkot (Pakistan) "and home in Barcelona. The detainee had since last December (when it was conducted "Operation Kampai ‘) gone missing, so the Central Court... issued an arrest warrant against him for a crime of terrorism." The Spanish Interior Ministry said the modus operandi of the loose network was "largely based on the theft of travel documents (passports mainly), which met the requirements (age, nationality, etc.)." "Marked by the "World Islamic Front" to terrorist organizations linked to Al Qaeda, and their transfer to Thailand, where he was faking to be delivered later to terrorist groups and organized crime, allowing the components of these groups across the borders of Europe and other Western countries with impunity," it added. The entire ‘international structure was led by a Pakistani national citizen’ living in Thailand arrested in December, who directed the cells settled in Europe, marked the features of passports to obtain and, once received in Bangkok, they were supplied to terrorist groups, the statement said. The ministry noted that this operation led to neutralising an important cell facilitation of passports for al Qaeda, as the ‘counterfeiting apparatus’ of this international organization was weakened and, therefore their operational capacity (Island : 30 January 2011).

Handicrafts of former LTTE rehabilitants - Handicraft creations of former LTTE cadres housed in rehabilitation centers are to be exhibited at the Deyata Kirula exhibition, Rehabilitation Commissioner General, Brigadier S. Ranasinghe said. He told Daily Mirror that there are 4500 former LTTE cadres in Protective Accommodation and Rehabilitation Centers (PARCs) under the Ministry of Rehabilitations and Prison Reforms. The ex-combatants are given training in masonry, carpentry and other life skills. A group of former LTTE cadres are scheduled to be released on Independence Day while five hundred former LTTE cadres, who have successfully completed the diploma course in masonry, are scheduled to receive certificates tomorrow in Vauniya (Daily Mirror : 30 January 2011).

Major General Shavendra Silva says the Sri Lankan Government is committed to upgrade living standard of the Tamil people who were liberated from the grip of terrorism - Major General Shavendra Silva says the Sri Lankan Government is committed to upgrade living standard of the Tamil people who were liberated from the grip of terrorism. Addressing a seminar organized by the Tamil Diaspora in the US in Boston yesterday he said that any person from any country of the world is free to come to Sri Lanka and visit the northern and eastern areas. A rapid development is taking place in those areas. The international community has also expressed their satisfaction for these development activities. The Tamil community who were liberated from the hands of the LTTE has identified the humanitarian aspects of the security forces and the Sri Lankan government. The government has focused special attention to upgrade not only their physical development but also to enhance their mental health. Major General Shavendra Silva also elaborated on the measures taken by the security forces for the benefit of Tamil community in the war torn areas during the humanitarian operation. Meanwhile, it has been reported that some Tamil groups had attempted to prevent him participating at the conference. However, even the pro-LTTE groups who participated at the seminar had praised the Major General for his speech. The Deputy Ambassador of the United Nations was also at the seminar (SLBC : 30 January 2011).

Controversial Sri Lankan official speaks in Framingham - A Sri Lankan diplomat and former military official whom many accuse of war crimes spoke at Edwards Church yesterday, denying the claims against him and asking Sri Lankans to move forward. Former Sri Lankan Major Gen. Shavendra Silva was appointed Sri Lanka's permanent deputy United Nations representative in August, a decision that angered human rights groups that allege Silva played an important role in the killings of as many as 40,000 civilians near the end of the country's 30-year civil war in 2009. The country's populace is made up of two ethnic groups, the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils. From 1983 to 2009, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fought an on-and-off war against the government, hoping to create an independent state for Tamils. That war ended bloodily in May 2009, when, after cornering the Tigers, the government killed many of the insurgency's leaders. Winchester resident and native Tamil Suba Suntharalingam and a handful of others protested Silva's visit, holding signs at the intersection of Maplewood and Elm streets before going inside to listen. When reached for comment, a church official said yesterday that leadership was unaware the building had been booked for political purposes. "These are all lies," Suntharalingam said of Silva's speech, in which Silva praised his forces for a "humanitarian" effort at the end of the war. In his speech, Silva cautioned Sri Lankans in the crowd about the various eyewitness reports about the last days of the conflict, in which critics of the government allege the military killed innocent Tamil civilians while it attempted to wipe out the Tigers. Silva, who was flanked by bodyguards, said the operation was actually a humanitarian effort, with his forces rescuing civilian Tamils "from the jaws of (Tiger) terrorists." He said Tiger fighters took hundreds of thousands of civilians hostage during their final stand, placing them in a circle around their ranks as a "human shield" against military bullets (Metro West Daily News ; 30 January 2011).

Sri Lanka Reconciliation Commission holds hearings in LTTE attacked border village - Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) probing the events during the seven years before the end of the war in May 2009 will be holding public hearings this weekend in Weli Oya, the northernmost settlement of the majority Sinhalese community during the LTTE occupation of the North and East. The LLRC appointed by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to report on lessons to be learnt from the events in the period, February 2002 to May 2009 visited Weli Oya Saturday to hear the villagers' accounts during the period the border villages of north were under LTTE threats. Giving evidence before the commission, Buddhist monks and civilians of Weli-Oya villages have recounted their terrible experiences and enormous hardships they encountered due to LTTE terrorist activities. Remote villages in this area dwelt by Sinhalese people have come under the most brutal ethnic cleansing raids by the Tamil Tigers during the 2 decades before the group's defeat in 2009. Several mortar attacks by the Tamil Tigers have killed a number of civilians and injured many others in this northern most edge of the Sinhalese settlements. In May 2008, Tamil Tigers fired mortars to the Athawetunaweva village in the Welioya Defense Colony displacing 1,118 individuals belonged to 310 families of the village. The Commission expects to wrap up its hearings in Weli Oya tomorrow and plan to gather views from the people in worst affected villages of Palliyagodella, and Welikanda in the Polonnaruwa district. The LLRC is to present its final report to the President in May (Colombo Page ; 30 January 2011).

A clamour mine blast in Killinochchi - One person was killed and another injured in a clamour mine explosion in Vishuvamadu, Kilinochchi, Police said today. A 19 year old youth, Muhundan Ramanada, died of the blast, which occured when they were clearing an ani-cut near a kovil. According to Police 250g was burried by the LTTE. The injured youth was admitted to Jaffna General Hospital. Kilinochchi Police is investigating (Sunday Observer : 30 January 2011).

LLRC visits Welioya - The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), the eight member commission which was appointed by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to report on lessons to be learnt from the events in the period, February 2002 to May 2009 visited Weli-Oya yesterday, 29th January, to study the real situation that prevailed when terrorism was active.  Maha Sanga and civilians of Weli-Oya villages giving evidence before the commission have revealed the enormous hardships they encountered due to LTTE terrorists activities during the period.  The Commission expects to conclude seeking evidence from the public on Monday. It is planned to seek the views within the next few days, from the people who are living in Welikanda and Palliyagodella villages in the Polonnaruwa district which were threatened by terrorism.  The final report of the Commission is due to be presented to the President in May (sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 30 January 2011).

Govt blasts ‘court stunt’ by diaspora - A top Lankan diplomat serving in New York last night dismissed the reported lawsuit filed in the US against President Mahinda Rajapaksa as publicity stunt. Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN Dr Palitha Kohona said that this was nothing but a publicity stunt as Bruce Fein, a former associate deputy attorney general of the US, knew that all heads of state enjoyed diplomatic immunity from prosecution. Incidentally, all of Kohona’s academic qualifications from his basic degree to his PhD are in law.  Bandula Jayasekera, the director general of the president’s media unit, also echoed Kohona’s views. “We have no time for mercenaries funded by the LTTE who want media attention,” Jayasekera told AFP. The news agency said in a Washington datelined report that members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority filed a lawsuit in the US against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, seeking $30 million in damages over alleged extrajudicial killings. Activists from the Tamil diaspora spearheaded legal action after President Mahinda Rajapaksa quietly travelled to the US.  Bruce Fein, a prominent Washington lawyer, said he filed the suit on behalf of three plaintiffs under a 1991 act that allows for action in the US against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings. “President Rajapaksa will not escape the long arm of justice secured by the Torture Victims Protection Act by hiding in Sri Lanka,” Fein said after the filing in the US District Court in Washington.  Fein said he wanted a reply from Rajapaksa and otherwise would seek a ruling without him. The lawsuit seeks $30 million on behalf of three plaintiffs who said their relatives were killed in three incidents, including the Sri Lankan army’s offensive in 2009 against the final holdout of the LTTE. Sri Lanka has denied any civilian deaths and has rejected calls for an international probe. The Tigers were known for devastating suicide bombings during their campaign for a separate Tamil homeland (The Nation ; 30 January 2011).

Bruce Fein to Sri Lanka: “I’m Back!!” - By Dr. Stephen Long, Los Angeles, California As former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in “Terminator 2,” our old friend Bruce Fein announced to Sri Lanka that he was back in full-swing when he filed a lawsuit against President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Texas this past week while the President was on a private visit to see his family. Bruce Fein, the former Assistant U.S. Attorney and Washington D. C. lobbyist, of course, never really went away.  After the military phase of the war was over he was busy regrouping his LTTE/Tamil Diaspora paymasters, fomenting his message of vengeance, collecting his monthly retainers, and waiting to pounce at the first opportunity.  And this he did when he filed a $30 million lawsuit against the President on behalf of his clients for alleged war crimes during the final days of the terrorist war.  I started writing articles about Bruce Fein over three years ago – warning the GOSL and the President that this mercenary beltway prostitute was a potentially formidable threat. This proved to be true. In the interim, Mr. Fein has apparently continued to work for a number of LTTE front organizations that have presumably paid him handsomely (some say from $30,000 to $100,000 a month) for attempting to wreak legal vengeance on the Government and cause it acute embarrassment for alleged genocidal atrocities, which, as we know now, are completely fictitious.  I have compassion for the members of the Tamil Diaspora who are still funding this Bruce Fein character in their undying and unrelenting attempt to carve a Tamil homeland out of the sovereign state of Sri Lanka. Their collective ego just won’t “let it go,” admit defeat, and accept the fact that “been there/done that” – it just isn’t going to work. Never again will the GOSL allow a repeat performance of the LTTE regime that kept the island in a state of constant terror – murdering tens of thousands of innocents – for thirty years.  I have boundless compassion for these good, misguided overseas Tamil people because even though they don’t know it, they are functioning from a very, very low level of consciousness. They are motivated by hatred, perceived misdeeds of the past, murderous revenge – unknowingly or knowingly contributing to human suffering. In fact, they are simply denying the truth and suffering from paradigm blindness – caught in the failed LTTE paradigm, which is based on force, brutality, oppression, exclusionism, and an extremely limited world view (Asian Tribune ; 30 January 2011).

Sri Lanka says US petitioners’ allegations need to be verified - In the wake of a United States mercenary- Bruce Fein who had for long represented LTTE front organizations, filing action against Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa for alleged war crimes, Sri Lanka is waiting for input from Washington to verify the case. Fein who at one time represented Tamils for Justice (T4J) and spearheaded an unsuccessful legal battle to de-proscribe the LTTE- a foreign terrorist organization banned in the US, fell out with his client after the latter claimed that the mercenary lawyer embezzled Tamil peoples funds and amassed huge wealth. President’s Office Media Director Lucien Rajakarunanayake speaking to the Asian Tribune said that as in any other prosecution the relevant authorities would have to study and verify the facts of such a case, to determine the next step. “We must know the details of this case. When a case is filed against the government our Embassy in United States. We must know what the details of this particular case are and get them verified. We saw from media reports that a case has been filed in US, which is possibly true. So we must wait until details are fully known and fully studied by the Attorney General and other authorities. Once the Government knows (its position) only we can think about the next step,” Rajakarunanayake said. Media reports emerged from United States on Saturday that a lawsuit has been filed in a Court of United States against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, seeking Rs. 3.3 billion or US$ 30 million in damages over alleged extra judicial killings conducted during the country’s last stages of the war against world’s most ruthless terror outfit the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). (Asian Tribune ; 30 January 2011).

Govt-TNA talks on Thursday - The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) would meet a government delegation on February 3 to discuss further on addressing the immediate needs of the Tamil people, a senior TNA parliamentarian said. TNA MP Mavai Senathirajah said the meeting would focus on immediate issues faced by the people such as resettlement, disappearances and the release of political prisoners. The two parties would also discuss on finding a political solution to the country’s ethnic question during the following meetings. The first meeting between the two parties was held on January 10 (The Nation : 30 January 2011).

LLRC to wind up general sessions - The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) said it hoped to conclude its general sessions by tomorrow. LLRC Secretary S B Atugoda told The Nation that the commission would call for oral submissions if they are of any importance. He added that the commission would be busy with several other activities in respect to its mandate and therefore was looking to end the general oral sessions. “We will conduct oral sessions if we think that their submissions are important,” Atugoda said. “However, the Chairman and the commissioners think that there needs to be an end somewhere.” Atugoda said that former president Chandrika Kumaratunge had expressed her willingness to testify before the commission. He said the commission had written to the former president, to which it had received a favourable response from her. “She has responded positively to our letter. Therefore, we expect that she would come and give her submissions to the commission in the near future. We have not finalised on a day for her submissions,” Atugoda added (The Nation ; 30 January 2011).

Military presence vital for Jaffna security: Army chief - The troop deployment in the Jaffna peninsula will continue for some time as the military presence in the area is required to ensure security, Army Commander Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya told a recent media briefing. “There is a lot more need to be done in the area, in terms of security,” he said answering a question pertaining to the continued security forces presence in the peninsula nearly 20 months after the conclusion of the war.  The briefing was held at the Army Headquarters to formally inform the media of the international conference scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in late May with the participation of delegates from 54 countries. “We will invite delegates from the countries that are fighting terrorism to share our experiences with them,” the commander said.  International counter-terrorism expert Dr Rohan Gunaratna is among the confirmed participants and the NATO commanders in Afghanistan will be invited as well as experts in defence and war colleges. “The countries that provide us with military equipment will be given the chance to showcase their products at the exhibition that will take place during the conference,” the army chief said.  Asked whether any country outside the list of invitees will get the opportunity to take part in the conference, he said there is a limited seating available, but they are willing to consider giving them an opportunity. “The Philippines have got to know about the conference and have already made inquiries. And we try to accommodate those who can gain from our experiences. The seating capacity, however, is limited for 300 at the moment,” he added (The Nation : 30 January 2011).

EPDP activist killed in Point Pedro - An EPDP activist was killed yesterday in Point Pedro in a road accident. It was initially reported that the victim, Ratnasingham Satheesh (30) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on his way to a function in a school in Kudaththanai. However, police said that reports indicated that the victim had died due to head injuries after he fell off his motorbike. Police, however, said they were awaiting the post-mortem report for confirmation. General secretary Douglas Devananda also said he was awaiting the final report. “According to initial reports, there were no gun shot injuries. However, I am awaiting the final report,” he said (The Nation : 30 January 2011).

‘Criminals’ held in Jaffna with loot - The military and police tracked down nine suspects in connection with several crimes in Jaffna. A number of killings and burglaries have been reported from the peninsula during the recent past. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe told The Nation that the military, together with the support of the people, were able to nab the suspects belonging to a gang. He said the first suspect was arrested on Wednesday when he tried to break into a house in Kopay, Jaffna. “The people in the area saw this and quickly informed the army personnel who were nearby. The suspect is believed to be the leader of the gang,” Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe said. He said the suspect was handed over to the police for questioning. Eight others were tracked down following the initial arrest, according to the Jaffna Special Force Commander. The Jaffna Commander said the police were able to recover around 150 sovereigns of gold and money from the gang’s possession. Maj-Gen Hathurusinghe clarified that the suspects arrested were not connected to the LTTE or any other armed groups. “We have gone through their records. They are regular criminals,” he added. The Jaffna police have commenced operations to reduce crime in the peninsula together with the people. Police spokesperson SP Prishantha Jayakody said the operation had been highly effective as it had resulted in the reduction of crime. “This operation with the area people has been very effective. The people have given their maximum support to control the situation,” he said (The Nation : 30 January 2011).

Army has nothing to hide, says Army Commander - The Sri Lanka Army (SLA), which is getting ready to showcase its military success in annihilating the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit - the LTTE at the forthcoming international seminar in May, said it does not have anything to hide from the world as it followed all humanitarian laws to safeguard the civilians caught in the conflict in 2009. Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya told the Sunday Observer, that had it not been for the political commitment of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and guidance of Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Army would not have had the opportunity to destroy the LTTE, which could not to defeated for over three decades. “We are the same Army that fought the LTTE for over 27 years. But we wouldn’t have been able to destroy the LTTE if not for the political commitment, which was vital but missing throughout the past years. This time there were no orders to the military to halt the operations half way”, he said. He said that Sri Lanka achieved the military victory not merely due to the military might but due to the continuous political commitment of President Rajapaksa who said an emphatic ‘No’ until the battle ended on May 19, 2009. Speaking on the SLA’s role in the development process, public relations in the post conflict era and also its involvement in day-to-day activities the Army Chief said as the guardians of the nation the Army would assist the people in any situation. Following are excerpts of the interview: (Sunday Observer ; 30 January 2011).

Pro-LTTE Attorney ordered to pay the defendant he sued: Bruce Fein gets drubbing in US Federal Court - Los Angeles, CA - President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s private visit to the US appeared to be good for the pro-LTTE diaspora and for its paid agent, Attorney Bruce Fein. Over the past weekend, LTTE websites have been buzzing over Fein’s proposed filing of a civil complaint in the 5th Circuit Southern District Court in Texas against the Sri Lankan leader for alleged ‘genocide’ and ‘war crimes’. Making such filings appears to be an obligatory Kafkaesque ritual Fein must perform to please his handlers, a pro-LTTE group that calls itself ‘Tamils Against Genocide (TAG)’. Fein, an associate deputy attorney general (for less than a year) during the Reagon administration, first gained notoriety in Sri Lanka in 2008 when frantic internet postings were made by a group called ‘Tamils for Justice’ accusing him of disappearing with its funds. He later surfaced as the attorney for TAG and submitted to the US Attorney General a ‘model indictment’ against Sri Lankan military leaders, listing their alleged ‘genocide’ and ‘war crimes’. The omnibus, 800+page document has gone nowhere since its submission in February 2009. He filed a similar lawsuit on TAG’s behalf against US Treasury Secretary. Timothy Geithner and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June 2009 trying to block the IMF’s $1.9 billion loan to Sri Lanka. TAG quietly withdrew the case after US attorneys and the IMF’s Meg Lundsager argued in a motion that the case had no standing in Federal Court and that it relied on a ‘series of remote contingencies.’ (Sunday Observer ; 30 January 2011).

Drama on the high seas; A third party bent on spoiling Indo-Sri Lanka relations: The waters across the Palk Strait after remaining calm for a few years has once again turned turbulent with the Indian authorities pointing a finger on the Sri Lanka Navy for the killing of two fishermen from Tamil Nadu state just within ten days apart. It has not only made the Indian Government summon Sri Lankan High Commissioner in New Delhi to the External Affairs Ministry to lodge their strong protest over the incident but also created a highly sensitive political issue in Tamil Nadu in the run up to elections for the state of Tamil Nadu. Despite strong denials by the Sri Lankan Government and the Sri Lanka Navy, some Indian politicians based in Tamil Nadu are continuing their agitation campaigns pressurising the central government to take strong action against Sri Lanka Navy. But, clarity seems the most essential factor that is lacking in their allegations against the Sri Lanka Navy. They have dared to directly point the finger at the Navy but had failed to point out the exact location and the way the incidents had occurred. It was the Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilaka Dissanayake on the very same day he assumed duties as the Navy Commander on January 15, who very correctly put the record straight requesting the Indian authorities to forward any evidence, if any, to prove the allegations that the Indian fishermen was killed by the Sri Lanka Navy. He pointed out that India as a country equipped with such a big Navy, Coast Guard and state-of-the-art technology should have the capability to monitor any such incident taking place in the high seas (Sunday Observer ; 30 January 2011).

Tamils abroad forced to contribute to LTTE - The Lessons Lea rnt and Reconciliation Commis sion (LLRC) which held its last day of public hearings on Thursday heard from Fisheries Min ister Rajitha Senaratne and from a Sri Lankan worker in West Asia on the latter's experiences of how the LTTE collected funds in that region starting from the early 1980s. Dr. Senaratne who said he is appearing before the Commission as a private citizen and not in his capacity as a Cabinet Minister admitted he harboured some suspicions about the LLRC when it as first set up but after following its progress carefully, he was now convinced it was functioning independently and intelligently. "I believe we need to apologize for the events of the past 30 years. All those who have died are our own brothers and sisters. If we had engaged them when this problem began initially, many valuable lives that could have served this country well would have been saved," he said. Dr. Senaratne said even though the armed struggle by the LTTE began in 1983, the underlying problems between the Sinhalese and Tamils had been simmering for a lot longer. "All political parties in the North and South played political football with this problem. They used it to win votes. Unfortunately we did not have a Mahatma Gandhi who could rise above such petty politics," he said. The Minister said the country now has a golden opportunity after the end of the war to devolve power and move forward. "The dignity of all Sri Lankans is the dignity of the Sinhalese, the Tamils, the Muslims and all other people living in this country. The dignity of the people cannot be restored only by building roads, tanks and giving them food and clothes," he said. He added that there was no need to stay trapped in terminologies like 'unitary state' in the power devolving exercise. "Even within a unitary structure, a federal form of government can be set up as has been done in Aceh, Indonesia," he added. D.R.Nanayakkara, a former public servant who lost his job in the 1980 strike and then worked in Kuwait for 20 years said that as far back as 1981 the LTTE was running several job recruitment agencies in Colombo from which it was sending youth for employment to the West Asian countries. "These youth were engaged to intimidate many of the Sri Lankan Tamil nationals employed there and forcing them to contribute as much as 40 per cent of their salaries to the LTTE's coffers," he said. He went on to say that the Sri Lankan missions in many of the West Asian countries and particularly in Kuwait did little to address these concerns. "Many of the ambassadors who served while I was there were only eager to further their personal business and did little else," he alleged (Sunday Times : 30 January 2011).

Tamils file $30 m. law suit in US against Rajapaksa - Members of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority yesterday filed a lawsuit in the United States against the island's President, seeking $30 million in damages over alleged extrajudicial killings. Activists from the Tamil diaspora spearheaded legal action after President Mahinda Rajapaksa quietly travelled to the United States, in a test of how much deference US authorities show to visiting heads of state. Bruce Fein, a prominent Washington lawyer, said he filed the suit on behalf of three plaintiffs under a 1991 act that allows for action in the United States against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings (Sunday Times ; 30 January 2011).

Third party involvement not ruled out: Nirupama’s visit to help iron out issues - Foreign Secy - Indian Foreign Secretary, Nirupama Rao’s visit to Sri Lanka will help to iron out the issues with regard to the Indian fishermen’s problem and discuss measures to protect the Mahabodhi Centre in Chennai and Sri Lankan pilgrims to Buddhagaya, according to Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe.  Third party involvement in the Indian fishermen’s killing to hurt good relations between Sri Lanka and India has not been ruled out while the two countries continue further inquires into the incident that had caused massive protests in Tamil Nadu and compelled Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to arrive in Sri Lanka.  The Foreign Secretary told the Sunday Observer that the two countries enjoy close bi-lateral ties and senior officials of Sri Lanka and India can meet at short notice whenever there are urgent matters to be discussed.  “The two countries share very close relations. Any incident that affects Indian nationals is of concern to us.  Hence if further information is available Sri Lanka is always ready to inquire into it,” he said, adding that, however, the current position of the Government had been clearly communicated to the Indian Government via statements issued in Colombo and New Delhi.  “The position of the Sri Lankan authorities is that our Navy could not have been involved in the fishermen’s killing because we did not have any Naval presence anywhere in the vicinity.” (Sunday Observer : 30 January 2011).

Development projects: Ex Tiger farms cultivated: Army helps Govt save over Rs. 3 billion - The Sri Lanka Army has helped the Government to save over Rs. 3 billion by undertaking various development projects by contributing its expertise to develop the country in the post conflict era. Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya said the well-trained soldiers were engaged in different development activities and the main objective of the peacetime Army is to be a part of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s vision - to make Sri Lanka the Wonder of Asia. “Among the projects launched are national building projects such as construction of bridges, and pre-fabricated buildings, humanitarian de-mining and renovation of houses. The Army has helped the Government save over one billion rupees in de-mining and Rs. 56 million by renovating houses” he said, adding that if these had been given to the private sector, the Government would have incurred massive expenditure. He said the SLA does not want to maintain a force of over 200,000 in the barracks but need to ensure their contribution to develop the country. According to the Army Chief, the SLA took over the major farms belonging to the LTTE in the North. The former LTTE farms - Udayakattukulam, (fruits), Vellankulam (banana) and Kajuwatta in Nachchikuda- have now been developed with infrastructure and are run by soldiers. “We are reaping the harvest in Udayakattukulam. It produces quality oranges and we have plans to export the vegetables and fruits grown in these farms,” he said. The Army is now exploring the possibility of export-oriented partnerships with the private sector to grow vegetables and fruits in the North. When asked about handing over public and private properties, occupied by the Army in the North, Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya said that the High Security Zone demarcations in Jaffna have been finalised and will be gazetted soon. He said the main problem in Jaffna was handing over public and private properties due to the scarcity of land in the peninsula. “But we are in the process of handing over the properties to people as we are constructing a permanent Army camp in Kopay,” he said. The Army camp at the Gnanam Hotel in Jaffna has already been vacated and Hotel Subash will be handed over to its owners soon (Sunday Observer : 30 January 2011).

Military to sell weapons made in Lanka - The Sri Lanka Army is to offer for sale to foreign countries some of the military hardware which it has developed based on its experience gained in fighting the Tiger guerrillas, Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya said. He said items for offer included a mini-UAV developed by the Army. This could be used for monitoring of security at public events or meetings. Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya said the army had also developed bullet-proof jackets, additional security features in bullet-proof vehicles and weapons which had been modified. He said years of experience gained in fighting the Tiger guerrillas had been made use of by the army after the completion of the military operations against the LTTE to develop these weapons and equipment. The Army Chief said these items would be on display for the invitees who would be here for the international seminar organized by the Army from May 31 to June 2 where the Army hoped to share its experience gained in defeating the LTTE. Besides the Army, the Navy and the Air Force will also be putting on exhibition certain items which they have developed after the conclusion of the military operations and would be available for sale. Navy Spokesman Athula Senarath said they had developed a Small Attack craft which could be used in security operations. He said the Wave Rider inshore Patrol Craft and another craft known as the Arrow Craft were other inventions of the Navy. Weapons fitted to Dvora craft had also been invented by the Navy. Meanwhile, the Air Force is expected to announce details about its developments during its 60th anniversary celebrations in March (Sunday Times : 30 January 2011).

Sri Lankan government dismisses the law suit said to have been filed in the USA against the president by a group Tamils.

Representations to the LLRC II: Citizenship Anomalies - Let me interject here the caveat that citizenship anomalies are not the preserve of any particular community. Who after all talks of the grave injustices done to the Kandyan Peasantry and the related dispossessions? Who talks of regional disparities and class-related anomalies?  I have no doubt in my mind that there have been numerous instances where minorities, particularly Tamils have suffered injustice and been at the wrong end of citizenship anomalies in terms of access to services, language-related obstacles and opportunities. In many instances, constitutional provision has proven inadequate in resolving inequities. Sloth, lack of political will, inefficiency, lack of resources including skilled personnel and also racism have resulted in ensuring that minorities are short-changed in many areas of social, economic and political life. Let me interject here the caveat that citizenship anomalies are not the preserve of any particular community. Who after all talks of the grave injustices done to the Kandyan Peasantry and the related dispossessions? Who talks of regional disparities and class-related anomalies? Who talks about the injustices done to Buddhists and the vandalism, dispossession and cultural genocide they’ve been at the receiving end of? Who talks of the Bulls issued by the Vatican that sanctioned and justified the slaughter of thousands upon thousands of Sinhala Buddhists?  The truth is that societies are not flat, they are made of hierarchies. There are institutional and processual factors that privilege some and marginalize or irrelevance large sections of the population. It is true also that many of these anomalies are ethnic-free.  On the other hand the existence of one disjuncture does not justify the perpetuation of another. We are talking about reconciliation here and it pertains principally to the issue of inter-ethnic harmony. I submit that there are three areas that require urgent attention and relevant resolution: citizenship rights, security and sense of belonging (Island ; 29 January 2011).

‘We will not be intimidated by LTTE front organizations’ says Lankan envoy in US - LTTE front organizations will eventually be exposed and brought to justice, says Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States. "They cannot intimidate the President or the people of Sri Lanka", he noted. Recently foreign supporters of the LTTE terrorist group that fought and lost a conflict against the Sri Lankan people have accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa of committing war crimes as commander in chief of Sri Lanka’s armed forces, he noted. Today, LTTE supporters outside of Sri Lanka continue to accuse the government of human rights violations. Those groups continue to raise funds for violent terrorist activities. Swiss federal police recently arrested 10 alleged LTTE supporters who police say were threatening Sri Lankan Tamils into providing money to the LTTE, Wickramasuriya said in a statement.  A number of LTTE support groups have put the word "Tamil" in their names, hoping to attract attention and avert suspicion, he said. "The LTTE, banned in the U.S. and a number of other countrie, was responsible for the murder of thousands of civilians and assassinated numerous heads of state including Sri Lanka’s then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, India’s Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lanka’s Tamil Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar".  "It is clear what these groups are doing, and they have already drawn attention from law enforcement in countries where the LTTE is banned," Ambassador Wickramasuriya said. "The LTTE has tried before to raise money by using groups that pose as humanitarian organizations, and they have been caught. Those attempting to do this now must cease or face prosecution."  He said that front organizations have been discovered in the past and were brought to justice (Island ; 29 January 2011).

Govt. rejects allegations, challenges HRW, AI, ICG to reveal ‘war crime evidence’ before LLRC - A section of the Tamil Diaspora is stepping up pressure on Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes during Eelam war IV, in spite of Sri Lanka’s post-war national reconciliation efforts. Government sources say the Diaspora efforts receive the support of a section of the international community and some INGOs, which depend on ‘Western’ funds for their survival. Sources say the recent Human Rights Watch report, which attacked Sri Lanka, particularly the ongoing ‘LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) process’ is part of their overall strategy to pressure UNSG Ban ki-moon to initiate ‘war crimes’ probe targeting the Rajapaksa administration. Responding to a query by The Sunday Island, sources said that the HRW had dismissed the LLRC process on the basis that only those represented interests of the State had been given an opportunity to testify before the commission headed by former Attorney General C. R de Silva. Sources said that The HRW had alleged that all other stakeholders weren’t given a chance to appear before the commission. The HRW had conveniently forgotten that it along with the Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group (ICG) turned down an invitation from the LLRC to testify before the eight-member commission, which included three minority members, sources said. Sources pointed out the absurdity in the HRW’s allegation that the LRRC had been partial in choosing witnesses, after rejecting an invitation extended to it. Sources said that it was not too late for them to come before the LLRC. Sources said that HRW and its partner organizations could reveal whatever they had against the Sri Lankan political and military leaders before the LLRC and simultaneously release the information through the media (Island : 30 January 2011).

Tamil Terrorist LTTE Remnants seek Justice in USA? - by Prof. Hudson McLean - Tamil Terrorists LTTE Remnants Barking at the Wrong Trees! For over thirty years, Tamil Terrorist LTTE suicide bombers shed blood of thousands of innocent civilians. Now the same rotten murderers are attempting to seek legal justice in USA, of all the places under the sun, against the Government of Sri Lanka. Have these mindless squatters given any thought to what USA did in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and other sovereign States during the past fifty years? Kicking poor innocent Vietnamese Women & Children into pits and throwing hand-grenades! Blood thirsty intoxicated US Marines raping women & children? Treatment meted out in jails to alleged Islamic terrorists, in Iraq and Guatanamo, as aptly demonstrated in WikiLeaks documents. Everytime a suicide bomber (innovated by LTTE Tamil Terrorists) destroys innocent lives, such as in Moscow this month, we all thank President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government for the annihilation of the scum and bringing in Harmony, Peace & Security. If Americans wish to avoid incidents similar to 9/11 in the future, perpetrated by Islamic militant suicide cadres, right on their door-step, USA should kick the LTTE Terrorist Rump of Vermin from USA soil. Do Not encourage Terrorism or patronize any one involved in Terrorism!! President Rajapaksa and his government has never inflicted any harm on USA, EU or any other country in the world. HE only defendent the Sovereign Rights of the Citizens of Sri Lanka. HE, in his goodness, even smiled and shook hands with the double-faced Erik “Dosai” Solheim! Should they even consider sparking any form of revenge on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in or out of USA, then to be fair, Americans should Forgive & Forget the Islamic militants including Osama bin Laden, invite him to USA and blow him up in midair Altantic Ocean. Then would the British government consider to invite him to Buck House to tea and elevate him to the House of Lords, as Lord Osama bin Laden of Manchester? Express Your Opinion – Read What Others Say! The Independent Interactive Voice of Sri Lanka on the Internet. Please visit -: http://www.lankaweb.com/ (LankaWeb ; 29 January 2011).

Spare a thought for vultures! - by Dr Bandula Kothalawala - The good old Mr Bruce Fein is in the news again! It appears that Mr Fein, former US Deputy Attorney General (1981-82), has changed his specialty for the occasion. Hard on the heels of Mr Sam Zafiri’s asinine call on the US Government to investigate the President of Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes, Mr Fein has filed a case against him for alleged “torture and extrajudicial killings.” One can only hope that Prof Alston will not be too piqued over Mr Fein’s move to tread on the learned professor’s toes, for the latter seems to be challenging the former’s painstakingly built expertise on extrajudicial killings! It is useful to refresh the memories of those who might not be quite familiar with Mr Fein’s sordid attempts at shameless exploitation of tragic events in history to fatten his bank balances. Genocide used to be Mr Fein’s specialism. He was wont to earn his bread by denouncing, on behalf of the LTTE, the “genocide” committed by the Sri Lankan Government against the Tamils while assisting the Government of Turkey in its efforts to deny (he still does) the “genocide” against the Armenians. Mr Fein, also Counsel for Tamils against Genocide, has been touting himself as an international consultant for quite some time now (LankaWeb : 29 January 2011).

Even Neo-LTTE Organizations Doubt War Crimes Stories – FAG Files Action after the President Left USA - by Dilrook Kannangara - Tamils Against Genocide (FAG) also known as TAG filed a civil case in the District Court of District of Columbia against Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday January 28, seeking $30m as damages through six counts of violations of the Torture Victims Protection Act. However, the President ended his five (5) day US visit on January 26 and flew back home. Why couldn’t FAG file the case within those five days? Why was it filed two days after the president left? Why shut the barn door after the horse bolted? The reason is FAG activists themselves aren’t convinced of any war crimes! They evaded embarrassment by not filing any action against the President when he was in the US knowing very well that nothing will happen. That would be a slap on the face of all war crimes jokers bringing the whole war crimes joke to an abrupt end! By deliberately filing the case two days after the president has left, FAG and other Tamil groups managed to avoid a major embarrassment. Having been spectacularly defeated in 2009, Tamil separatists now have a mortal fear of defeat. So they rather avoid going to confrontations altogether. However, to keep the till filling, they shout slogans without going for confrontations. Sri Lanka had a walkover victory against Tamil separatists this time reversing the small victory they had in London. They use this very same method in the cases of General Jagath Dias, General Shavendra Silva and General Prasanna de Silva. Effectively they avoid legal confrontations knowing very well that they would lose. Instead they make a huge hue about bringing legal cases against these war heroes just to keep alive the suspense for their mythical war crimes weapon (LankaWeb : 29 January 2011).

Lanka not intimidated - Sri Lanka says it will not be intimidated by allegations raised against the government by pro LTTE groups in the US which have also now filed a lawsuit charging President Mahinda Rajapaksa of committing war crimes.  Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States, also said that foreign supporters of the LTTE which fought and lost a conflict in Sri Lanka are continuing to raise funds for violent terrorist activities.  “A number of LTTE support groups have put the word “Tamil” in their names, hoping to attract attention and avert suspicion. Let me be clear when I say that a majority of Sri Lankans living in the U.S.- Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese alike- are grateful to our President Mahinda Rajapaksa for liberating 300,000 citizen from terrorist captivity and uniting our island," the Ambassador said. The Ambassador pointed out that the LTTE, an organization that was once described by the FBI as the most ruthless terrorist organization in the world, received a majority of its funding from outside of Sri Lanka and over the past several years the government worked very closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to identify the sources of this terrorist funding. "What we are seeing now is that the same individuals or relatives of these individuals that were part of these proscribed LTTE front organizations have started new groups. These so-called advocacy organizations have the same membership and directors as the proscribed organizations. They continue to spread propaganda against the Government and carry out publicity stunts like this baseless law suit," he said. Ambassador Wickramasuriya noted that the Government of Sri Lanka continues to work closely with the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies in identifying LTTE front organizations. The envoy’s comments came after Bruce Fein, a prominent Washington lawyer, said he had filed a suit against President Rajapaksa on behalf of three plaintiffs under a 1991 act that allows for action in the United States against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings. Fein said he wanted a reply from Rajapakse and otherwise would seek a ruling without him. The lawsuit seeks $30 million on behalf of three plaintiffs. (News Now.lk ; 29 January 2011).

President Mahinda Rajapaksa sued in US - Members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority have filed a lawsuit in the United States against the Sri Lankan president, seeking $30 million in damages over alleged extrajudicial killings. Activists from the Tamil diaspora spearheaded legal action after President Mahinda Rajapaksa quietly traveled to the United States, in a test of how much deference US authorities show to visiting heads of state. Bruce Fein, a prominent Washington lawyer, said he filed the suit on behalf of three plaintiffs under a 1991 act that allows for action in the United States against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings. "President Rajapakse will not escape the long arm of justice secured by the Torture Victims Protection Act by hiding in Sri Lanka," Fein said after the filing in the US District Court in Washington on Friday. Fein said he wanted a reply from Rajapakse and otherwise would seek a ruling without him. The lawsuit seeks $30 million on behalf of three plaintiffs who said their relatives were killed in three incidents, including the Sri Lankan army’s offensive in 2009 against the final holdout of the Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels (Island ; 29 January 2011).

Soheim draws flak - Norwegian Minister and former peace envoy to Sri Lanka Erik Solheim has drawn flak from pro-LTTE groups for his comments to News Now.lk where he had insisted he was not biased and also urged the Tamil Diaspora to forget a separate state and seek dialogue with the Sri Lankan government. The TamilNet website, considered the voice of the LTTE, quoted groups supportive of a separate state as saying Solheim’s comment that there is no international support for a separate state shows how biased he is towards the Sri Lankan government. “How could the Norwegian peace broker Erik Solheim claim that he was not biased towards one party in the national conflict in the island of Sri Lanka, when he had approached the issue with a preconception that there had been no appetite in the world for separations,” the TamilNet website quoted Stephen Pushparajah, a leading activist in Norway supportive of a separate State as saying (News Now lk : 29 January 2011).

Pak national arrested in Spain for forging passports for LeT, LTTE terrorists - A Pakistani citizen has been arrested in Spain for allegedly forging passports for the Laskar e Taiba (LeT) as well as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "The National Police in Barcelona have arrested a citizen of Pakistani nationality for their alleged connection with the cell dismantled last December as part of "Operation Kampai" and who allegedly supplied documents for terrorist organizations linked to Al Qaeda, mostly " Laskar e Taiba (LeT) and other terrorist groups such as the LTTE," the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement. It revealed that the detained person was Imtanan Malik Sarwar, born on January 13, 1981 in Sialkot (Pakistan) "and home in Barcelona. The detainee had since last December (when it was conducted "Operation Kampai ') missing, so the Central Court... issued an arrest warrant against him for a crime of terrorism." The Spanish Interior Ministry said the modus operandi of the loose network was "largely based on the theft of travel documents (passports mainly), which met the requirements (age, nationality, etc.)." "Marked by the "World Islamic Front" to terrorist organizations linked to Al Qaeda, and their transfer to Thailand, where he was faking to be delivered later to terrorist groups and organized crime, allowing the components of these groups across the borders of Europe and other Western countries with impunity," it added. The entire 'international structure was led by a Pakistani national citizen' living in Thailand arrested in December, who directed the cells settled in Europe, marked the features of passports to obtain and, once received in Bangkok, they were supplied to terrorist groups, the statement said. The ministry noted that this operation led to neutralising an important cell facilitation of passports for al Qaeda, as the 'counterfeiting apparatus' of this international organization was weakened and, therefore their operational capacity (Sify News : 29 January 2011).

$5.5 bn spent in LTTE war since 2006 - The Sri Lankan government spent a substantial $5.5 billion to defeat the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the final four years of war beginning 2006. The fourth Eelam War began in the middle of August 2006 and ended with the death of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran in May, 2009. During this period, Sri Lanka’s defence budget rose steadily from $1 billion in 2006 to $1.7 billion in 2009. On an average, around 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product or GDP was spent on defence, Ajith N Cabraal, governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka revealed this week to a government panel investigating the last years of the civil war. The expenditure that amounted to LKR 605 billion (5.5 billion US dollars) for four years included cost of aircrafts, ships, tanks, ammunition, other equipment, training, food for soldiers, uniforms, Cabraal told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). (The country’s defence budget, however, has not been reduced after the end of war; currently, it is around $1.9 billion). In his deposition to the LLRC, Cabraal said the rebels themselves maintained an ``efficient and often ruthless system of tax collection’’ and collected “taxes” in many forms: levies on goods, persons, activities besides ransoms for kidnappings and as consideration for “non-abduction.” Besides, the LTTE collected “In-kind contributions – supply of meals, services, houses, lands, organising of activities, gold and jewellery contributions.” “The LTTE also operated its own network of banks and in fact, had its own `Central Bank’ in Kilinochchi (the rebels’ administrative capital in northern Sri Lanka),’’ the Cabraal told the LLRC. The LTTE also had an international network to gather funds. One source, according to the Central Bank governor was “Contributions from various “legitimate” businesses owned by LTTE in many capitals across the world: eg. Petrol stations, grocery shops, video parlours, travel agencies, communication centres.’’ In his testimony, Cabraal also mentioned the 41 Central Bank employees who lost their lives as a result of the suicide attack on the Central Bank on January 31, 1996. At least 91 people were killed and more than 1400 injured in the attack (Hindustan Times: 29 January 2011).

Sri Lanka Dismisses Law Suit against Rajapaksa - The Sri Lankan government on Saturday dismissed as a media ploy the law suit said to have been filed in the United States by a Tamil group against the president.  "We have no time for mercenaries funded by LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terrorists who just want media attention", Bandula Jayasekera, the presidential spokesman told reporters.  A Tamil minority diaspora group in the United States was said to have filed the law suit in Washington claiming 3O million U.S. dollars as damages from the Sri Lankan president for alleged extra judicial killings.  The legal actions was taken as President Mahinda Rajapaksa concluded his private visit to the United States on Thursday.  The Tamils allege that a large numbers of civilians were killed in the successful government military campaign which ended in May 2009.  The government rubbishes the claims saying that nearly 300,000 people liberated from areas of rebel control were provided protection and resettled in their former areas of habitat (Cri English ; 29 January 2011).

US lawsuit filed against S.Lanka leader - Members of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority on Friday filed a lawsuit in the United States against the island's president, seeking $30 million in damages over alleged extrajudicial killings.  Activists from the Tamil diaspora spearheaded legal action after President Mahinda Rajapakse quietly traveled to the United States, in a test of how much deference US authorities show to visiting heads of state.  Bruce Fein, a prominent Washington lawyer, said he filed the suit on behalf of three plaintiffs under a 1991 act that allows for action in the United States against foreign officials over torture and extrajudicial killings (Yahoo News : 29 January 2011).

Tamil group files lawsuit against Rajapaksa in US - A US-based Tamil advocacy group has filed a lawsuit against Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeking USD 30 million in damages for the alleged extra-judicial killings in the decades-old civil war. The lawsuit was filed by Bruce Fein, a Washington-based attorney, on behalf of Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) in a district court in District of Columbia (Hindustan Times ; 29 January 2011).

Warning on new pro-LTTE groups in US - Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United States Jaliya Wickramasuriya warns of the possibility formation of new pro-LTTE groups by the individuals and relatives of banned LTTE front organizations for accusing Sri Lanka for war crimes and also raising funds for the LTTE. He said LTTE supporters outside of Sri Lanka continue to accuse the government of human rights violations. He said those groups, which continue to raise funds for violent terrorist activities, are leveling false allegations on Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa of committing war crimes as commander in chief of Sri Lanka’s armed forces. “ A number of LTTE support groups have put the word “Tamil” in their names, hoping to attract attention and avert suspicion, Ambassador Wickramasuriya said adding that the Swiss federal police recently arrested 10 alleged LTTE supporters who police say were threatening Sri Lankan Tamils to providing money to the LTTE (Sunday Observer : 29 January 2011).

Probe the massacre of 600 policemen; Punish the culprits.

SLA runs former LTTE farms - Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has taken over the major farms belonged to LTTE in the North, Army Commander Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya said. The former LTTE farms – Udarakattikulam (fruits), Vellankulam (banana)and Kajuwatta in Nachchikuda- are now developed with infrastructureand control by soldiers.  “ We are reaping harvest in Udaraykattukulam. It produces quality oranges and we have plans to export the vegetables and fruits grown in these farms”, he said (Sunday Observer : 29 January 20110.

Sri Lanka court issues arrest warrants for six LTTE members - A Sri Lankan court has issued open warrants to arrest 6 prominent LTTE members believed to be living overseas.  The Colombo Magistrate court has issued the open the warrants on Friday to arrest the hardcore Tiger cadres who have fled the country. The court order will be implemented through the international police (Interpol).  The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) has conducted investigations on these six LTTE members who were suspected of committing several terrorist activities.  The TID has furnished the court with the information obtained from their investigations and said arrangements have been made to apprehend the suspects through the Interpol.  The court ordered the TID to produce a report on the investigation at next hearing on April 22 (Colombo page : 29 January 2011).

RAMIFICATIONS OF CRACKDOWN ON LTTE IN SWITZERLAND - The crackdown on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the Swiss Federal Police on January 11 where ten top Tiger activists were taken into custody is a development of enormous significance. Helvetia or Switzerland is home to 40-42,000 Tamils of Sri Lankan origin. While this number is less than that of the Tamil Diaspora in countries like Canada, Britain, USA, France or Australia, the immense contribution made by the Tamils of Switzerland to the war effort of the LTTE has proportionately exceeded that of Tamils living in other Western countries (Daily Mirror : 29 January 2011).

Interpol assistance to nab six top LTTE suspects - An open warrant has been issued to apprehension six top LTTE suspects who had gone abroad. The Terrorists Control Bureau intimated to the Colombo Magistrate's Courts that they had received information that these six LTTE suspects who had been engaged in several terrorist activities had fled the country. The bureau further informed the Court that the necessary arrangements were being finalized via Interpol to arrest them. Accordingly, the Magistrate's Court while issuing an open warrant for their arrest, gave an order to report to the Court on the 22nd of April, the progress of the inquiries (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 28 January 2011).

“Nehru Guna” – Conservative Leader of Canadian LTTE - This article is in response to the submission by Roger Nallanayagam under the title of “Nehru Gunaratnam – Leader of Canadian LTTE” on January 25th, 2011. Even though Roger validly argued with evidences his submission did not cover the current trend of LTTE machinery in Canada. Therefore I would like to pursue on this subject to bring more current affairs and facts into the day light. Soon after the “Nanthikadal debacle” in May 2009 the Diaspora LTTE split into two. One group firmly believes that the arm struggle is the only way and it decided to follow the path of V. Prabhakaran, Leader of LTTE, to achieve an independent home land. Another group accepted the reality and became moderate to follow democratic path to achieve their aspiration through Transitional Government of Tamil Eelam. These two fronts are the current reality of LTTE Diaspora. The group which decided to continue their journey on the violent path is led by Nediyavan, a Norway based LTTE member. This group is the idol of LTTE and it still controls all LTTE operations and network globally. Canadian Chapter of this “conservative” or “traditional” LTTE, is led by Mr. Nehru Guna and in the new organisational structure of LTTE Nehru Guna is promoted as a Central Committee member of LTTE. The moderate LTTE supporters group is led by Uruthira Viswanathan a USA based lawyer. The Canadian chapter of the moderate factor is led by Dr. Ram Sivalingam. This split created a lot of confuses in the early stage and now things settled as these two groups are travelling in different directions. Of course they are revival to each other and Nehru Guna’s LTTE took upper hand in controlling the activities in Canada. On December 19th, 2009 LTTE’s Canadian leader Nehru Guna called for a referendum to continue their journey to achieve a separate homeland in Sri Lanka. But his invitation got opposition from his strong supporters. Canadian Tamil Congress, once acted as the vocal voice of LTTE, refused to accept Nehru’s request and stayed away from this referendum. From that date the main revival of Canadian LTTE is Canadian Tamil Congress and this was the sole reason for the rapid creation of National Council of Canadian Tamils (SinhalaTamil Blogpost).

Nehru Gunaratnam – Leader of Canadian LTTE - On June 02, 2000 then Canada’s most senior intelligence officer, Mr. Ward Elcock, warned the nation that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE aka Tamil Tigers) are exploiting Canada’s wealth to finance bloodshed around the world. “If you tolerate these activities, you can run into problems”. Ten years later on January 18th, 2011 Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) warned that “Tamil Tigers are to set up a base-in-exile here in Canada for the leadership. Some leadership is already here.” Which brings the Mr.Ward Elcock’s prediction of “you can run into problems” to a reality. No wonder now Mr. Ward Elcock is assigned with a new task. He is co-ordinating the whole-of-Harper’s Conservative government’s response “on human smuggling”. So to find out the veracity of the statement “some leadership is already here” I did some research on this subject and the findings absolutely shocked me. My entire search on the internet and print media confirmed that one of the most important LTTE leaders in Canada is Nehru Gunaratnam. He joined LTTE in mid of 1980 and since then he is an active LTTE member. Until 2003 he was the ‘shadow-leader’ of the Canadian LTTE and in 2003 the LTTE officially appointed him as their Political Committee Member representing their Canadian operations.” (SinhalaTamil Blogpost).

Ramifications of crackdown on LTTE in Switzerland - By D.B.S. Jeyaraj - The crackdown on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) by the Swiss Federal Police on January 11th where ten top tiger activists were taken into custody is a development of enormous significance.  Helvetia or Switzerland is home to 40-42,000 Tamils of Sri Lankan origin. While this number is less than that of the Tamil Diaspora in countries like Canada, Britain, USA, France or Australia, the immense contribution made by the Tamils of Switzerland to the war effort of the LTTE has proportionately exceeded that of Tamils living in other Western countries (BSBJeyaraj : 28 January 2011).

Displaced Northern Muslims choose to settle down in Puttalam District - The war displaced Northern Muslims have expressed their willingness to settle down in Puttalam, which has been their home for about two decades, Secretary of the Ministry for Resettlement B. M. U. D Basnayaka says. "A housing project, fully funded by the World Bank, is already under construction to provide permanent housing to the Northern Muslims," he said. It had been planned to build 6,000 houses and already 4,000 had been completed, the Basnayake said. Another 1,000 houses were under construction and out of those, 500 would be given to the host families with whom the war displaced were currently staying. The initiative to provide 500 houses to the host families had been taken by the ministry considering their living conditions, Basnayake said. The project has been estimated at Rs. 2,000 million. The money allocated per house was Rs. 325,000. The project was due to be completed by the end of 2011, he said. Responding to a query, he said that only two out of the eight IDP camps functioned in the North and so far 252,000 internally displaced people had been resettled. "Nearly 19,000 internally displaced people are accommodated at Manik Farm and the Ministry is planning to resettle them as soon as the de-mining process is completed in Mulaitivu and Pudukudirippu areas," Basnayake said adding that nearly 60 per cent of land area remained to be cleared. The government has started distributing cement, agricultural equipment and other essential items among the IDPs (Island : 27 January 2011).

Ambassador Jayatilleka questions status and role of RSF - Newly appointed Permanent Delegate of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, Ambassador Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka participating in the International Symposium on the Freedom of Expression at UNESCO in Paris questioned the right of Reporters without Borders (RSF) to stand in judgment of legitimate member states. The Secretary General of Reporters without Borders, Mr. Jean-Francois Julliard, a panelist at the symposium, in his remarks earlier noted several countries and their leaders, as being infringers of the freedom of expression, which has also been highlighted in the material displayed and referred to by the organisation. Ambassador Jayatilleka cautioned against a discourse in which there was an implicit ”moral food chain” where the states of the Global South were at the bottom, with those of the Global North above and Non Governmental Organisations of the North super imposed on top of the chain. He said that he didn’t advocate a reversal of the order either but stressed that bodies like UNESCO must not be misled by groups such as RSF with defamatory material projected as being accurate. Ambassador Jayatilleka questioned as to how such groups, like RSF in particular, could sit as ‘judge, jury and executioner’ and claim a moral high ground. Sri Lanka’s Permanent Delegate criticised the UNESCO website for featuring the bio data of the Secretary General of RSF which boasted of him having campaigned for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and having demonstrated at the ceremony in Olympia. Ambassador Jayatilleka pointed out that although the RSF put up on a screen a ‘rogues gallery’ as it were of leaders such as Fidel Castro as “enemies of the freedom of expression”, it was indeed courageous individuals like Fidel who gave shelter and voice to the voiceless during the long dark night of dictatorships in Latin America, thereby contributing to the freedom that the entire region enjoys today (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry ; 27 January 2011).

SOLHEIM-THE MODERN MISSIONARY - By Gomin Dayasri - Solheim is back on track, scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka as disclosed in a newspaper interview and would probably be leading a Norwegian delegation. This is Norway and Eric Solheim’s first official visit since the defeat of the LTTE.  The visit has significance in view of Solheim’s latest project reported in the Norwegian News of 16 November 2010.  “ Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim is launching the project “Religion and Development”. The aim of the new project is to learn more about the role of religion in Norway’s cooperation with poor countries. “There are many reasons why religion is important for development. Religious communities and their leaders play an important role in almost all the countries Norway cooperates with,” said Mr Solheim.” It appears to be a tailor made policy decision ahead of Solheim’s visit during 2011. Development will be the harmless ‘front’ Norwegians will project, to disguise themselves in Sri Lanka, offering krones to win friends in the government. Norwegians unlike any other European nation is generous in funding without attaching too many frills and capable of winning dubious associates with their funding and making them hostile to the interests of Sri Lanka. Beneath the cosmetics of development, will be the evangelical zeal of furthering religion through a maze of NGOs that will be invested with Norwegian currency to bring forth a fresh Norwegian agenda in the post LTTE period. The exercise is an emerging security threat to the nation state. During prime LTTE days when the Vikings were facilitators, Norwegians permeated chiefly through the foreign funded NGOs. Religion will be the new turbo vehicle launched to gain respectability to enable Norwegians to penetrate deep into the social fabric of Sri Lanka. The prime target would be purchasable Buddhist monks and Buddhist organizations greedy for foreign exchange. The Norwegian package will be parceled with dressing to look too attractive to refuse both to the government and religious mercenaries (Sinhale Hot News : 27 January 2011).

Sri Lanka visit by Ban Ki-moon’ Expert Panel ‘not essential’ - UN - The much debated (or much awaited?) visit to Sri Lanka by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts (on Sri Lanka), although ‘useful would not be essential’, is what the world organization now seems to say. This was revealed in an email sent by United Nations Spokesman, responding to a query by pro-LTTE, New York-based news agency that has been pushing for action against Sri Lanka, which is now reaping dividends of peace and just like any other nation battered by a thirty year bloody civil war, is slowly progressing in reconciliation and reconstruction. (The news agency in question has so far failed to query about the tens of thousands of atrocities and gross human rights violations committed by United States, its allied forces and of course pro-US local terror groups and ‘private security contractors’ against the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. Surprise! Surprise!!). “Regarding your questions about the possible travel of the advisory panel, we have the following to say:” said the communiqué sent by UN Spokesperson. “Discussions are ongoing. The Panel wants to engage with Sri Lankan actors relevant to the question of accountability. A visit would be useful but is not essential for the Panel to provide advice to the Secretary-General.” (Asian Tribune ; 27 January 2011).

'LTTE bore a large part of the responsibility' - Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary of State NPR Station WRVO Radio Interview with Robert O. Blake, Jr. Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Syracuse, NY, January 27, 2011. "I’m not sure I’d call that a model for how I’d want to see”, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake remarks on the view of the final phase of the LTTE-Sri Lanka war being held by “some strategists as a model for effectively putting down a terrorist insurgency,” which was mentioned in a recent New Yorker magazine article. The Assistant Secretary of State made these remarks during an NPR affiliate radio interview on Jan 27th: (Transcurrents : 27 January 2011).

Vaiko not aggrieved person to challenge ban on LTTE: MHA - The Union Home Ministry todaytold the Madras High Court that MDMK general secretary Vaikois not an aggrieved person to challenge a tribunal''s orderconfirming a central government''s notification extending banon the LTTE.  In its counter to his petition, the Centre said Vaikohad no locus standi to appear before the tribunal or to seekintervention. Unless the petitioner proved with supportingevidence to demonstrate that he was an aggrieved person, hiswrit petition was not maintainable, it was contended.  The Centre objected to the petitioner''s claim that theLTTE''s objective was not for establishing an independentsovereign state for all Tamils living in the entire world butonly for Tamils in Sri Lanka and therefore there was no threatto India''s sovereignty.  "Vaiko is neither an office-bearer nor an LTTE member.  He is not the organisation''s spokesman," the Centre said inits affidavit.  It was submitted in the affidavit that the LTTE''sobjectives spoke of all Tamils irrespective of thegeographical distinction.  An inference was irresistible that when immediatestruggle of the organisation was against the Sri Lankangovernment for establishing Tamil Eelam in the north and eastof the island, its ultimate objective was to form a largerTamil country, including areas of India where Tamils lived,the Centre said.  In a separate counter to a petition by ''Prisoners''Rights Forum,'' a forum fighting for the rights of LankanTamils, the Centre said the petitioner was not the aggrievedperson within ambit of the Act and the Madras High Court didnot have territorial jurisdiction to entertain the presentpetition.  Vaiko and Prisoners Rights Forum had challenged theUnlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, headed by JusticeVikramjit Sen, which had passed an order last November lastconfirming Central government''s notification, banning LTTE.  LTTE was first declared an unlawful association by anotification on May 24, 1992 and thereafter the ban has beenextended periodically by subsequent notifications. All thedeclarations were confirmed by the Tribunal, constituted underthe Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (OneIndia : 27 January 2011).

Probe the sacrifice of 600 policemen - In a strange turn of events, the overseas Tigers are training their propaganda cannon on UNSG Ban Ki-moon, whom they hailed as a hero not many moons ago. Some of their web publications are accusing the UN Chief of colluding with President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the question of alleged war crimes. They seem to think that the Moon Panel is not moving in the direction they want. But, their apprehension is unfounded, we reckon, in that a panel consisting of persons prejudiced against this country and partial to the EU, is not likely to disappoint them. Be that as it may. On Monday, a much respected, veteran police officer, testifying before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) lamented that a grave war crime had gone unprobed for two decades in spite of the availability of prima facie evidence. Retired SSP Tassy Seneviratne told the LLRC that not even a departmental inquiry had been conducted into the massacre of 600 policemen, who surrendered to the LTTE in 1990, because the police bigwigs were scared of antagonising the then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, who had ordered their surrender in a desperate bid to salvage a crumbling peace process. We have written extensively on that massacre and urged successive governments umpteen times to investigate that gruesome crime––but in vain. No political leader apparently drew any lesson from that tragedy; they continued their disastrous peace experiments. The war would not have dragged on for so long claiming tens of thousands of lives and destroying property worth billions of rupees, if political leaders had learnt from hindsight and acted accordingly in dealing with the LTTE. Had India desisted from scuttling Operation Liberation, which trapped Prabhakaran in the North in 1987, to remove him to safety, the war would have been over two decades ago and Rajiv Gandhi and President Premadasa would still have been among the living (Island : 26 January 2011).

Solheim rejects separate State - Norwegian Minister and former Sri Lankan peace envoy and facilitator Erik Solheim rejected the idea of a separate State in Sri Lanka and urges the Tamil Diaspora to seek dialogue and work through democratic means to achieve their goals.  In an exclusive short interview with News Now.lk the Norwegian Minister of Environment, who has been often labeled in Sri Lanka as being pro-LTTE, said that the recent Wikileaks reports on him proved that he was not biased towards one party.  Minister Solheim also revealed that Norway hopes to play the role of a "dialogue partner" between the Sri Lankan government and communities living in exile, possibly a reference to the Tamil Diaspora or the LTTE supporters who have formed an LTTE government in exile.  Text of the intereview: (Island : 26 January 2011).

Solheim offers a new role, so-called “Dialogue Partner”

‘Slick Solheim’ Trying To Re- Slither Into Lankan Affairs? A Point For The Administration To View Objectively ! - By Sunil Kumar - “Breaking News!” in an exclusive media report suggests that Norwegian Minister and former so called Sri Lankan peace envoy and facilitator Erik Solheim whose appointment in Sri Lanka was a total farce beyond being a paid holiday to indulge his playboy instincts and Thespian skills while surreptitiously cajoling the Tamil Tigers never gives up! On the basis that he was neither a peace envoy nor a facilitator who ended up compounding the Tamil Tiger terrorist issue by pandering to their needs ( propbably for huge payouts!) he should not even be granted a visa to ever enter Sri Lanka, in the eyes of many! While colluding with them according to many analysts who screened him during his tenure he virtually cast many spanners in the Government’s works relative to the ongoing insurgent terrorist war during his tenure now has the nerve to offer to play the role of a “dialogue partner” between the Sri Lankan Government and communities living in exile, possibly a reference to the Tamil Diaspora or the LTTE supporters who have formed a government in exile which realistically also needs to be disentitled and put down unless the intended location perhaps is Tamil Nadu where they in all likelihood would be accepted!! Solheime must surely take the Nation of Sri Lanka to be imperceptive fools hardly realising the perceptions of most Sri Lankans who think of him as a duplicitous trouble maker and want no further part of his interference into any Sri Lankan Affairs knowing fully well his track record (LankaWeb : 26 January 2011).

Indian pro-LTTE group protests against SL cricketers -  Indian police was called to defuse tension at cricket stadium where a protest against two Sri Lankan cricketers Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda De Silva were scheduled to play in a tournament.  According to ‘The Hindu’ Police teams led by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Thoraipakkam) K.N. Murali was deployed at the venue.  “About 30 members of the Naam Tamizhar Iyakkam came to the venue and raised slogans against the visit of the two players. They dispersed after the stadium authorities put up a board saying that the players had cancelled their visit,” Mr. Murali said.  The Indian pro-LTTE group ‘Naam Tamilar Iyakkam’ said earlier that they will not allow Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya to play in the corporate cricket tournament final at Mayajaal ground in Chennai. The organization threatened that they will surround the cricket ground if Jayasuriya is allowed to play in match (Sunday Observer : 26 January 2011).

Solheim offers new role - Norwegian Minister and former Sri Lankan peace envoy and facilitator Erik Solheim has offered to play the role of a “dialogue partner” between the Sri Lankan government and communities living in exile, possibly a reference to the Tamil Diaspora or the LTTE supporters who have formed a government in exile.  In an exclusive short interview with News Now.lk's Chief Editor Easwaran Rutnam and senior journalist Jamila Najmuddin, the Norwegian Minister of Environment, who has been often labeled in Sri Lanka as being pro-LTTE, said that the recent Wikileaks reports on him proved that he was not biased towards one party.  Solheim also rejected the idea of a separate State in Sri Lanka and urged the Tamil Diaspora to seek dialogue and work through democratic means to achieve their goals.  The LTTE had recently created a government in exile, also known as the Transnational government of Tamil Ealam which demands for a separate State and obtained the support of the Tamil Diaspora especially those living in Canada.  Following are the questions posed to Minister Solheim and his response: (News Now,lk 26 January 2011).

Don't Treat the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) Lightly  - by Malin Abeyatunga, Melbourne, Australia - The Tamil Diaspora unquestionably and strongly supported the once most brutal terrorist organization in the world LTTE aka Tamil Tigers to achieve “Tamil Eelam”. They have now changed it’s stripes and formed an entity called the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam USA (TGTE) under the leadership of one V. Rudrakumaran who is an American citizen to fight for a separate enclave in Sri Lanka for the Tamils. According to the mission statement of TGTE in its website their objective is to achieve a separate- Eelam in Sri Lanka in the North and East. Their Mission Statement and the aspirations tantamount to a separatism and carve out a separate state in Sri Lanka. Although the LTTE was defeated militarily, it’s overseas remnants comprised of The Tamil Diaspora has come alive to fight for Eelam by hook or crook. With the defeat of LTTE militarily Where Prabhakaran couldn’t achieve by military means, the TGTE is trying to establish Tamil Eelam by other means. According the TGTE’s mission statement, it undertakes following tasks; · The first task;  Uniting all Tamil entities and elements who subscribe to the fundamental tenets of Tamil political aspirations proclaimed in the Waddukoddai Resolution adopted in 1974.This is what the Wadukodai Resolution adopted in May 1974 (Sri Lanka News Online ; 26 January 2011).

Two arrested for attack on monks - Two persons charged with involvement in Monday's mob attack on the Maha Bodhi Society here, have been detained. The attack on the buddhist temple located on the Kennet Lane in Egmore, has come close on the heels of the killing of two Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan navy. Lankan authorities, however, continue to deny the charge even as rage mounted in Tamil Nadu over the death of the fishermen. Police said they had taken Dileepan, 32, and Joseph, 37, into custody. They are charged with storming into the buddhist temple with eight others and assaulting monks and their visitors from Sri Lanka. The buddhist prayer house was apparently targeted in an expression of anger. Four Sri Lankan nationals Mahanama Kalawane Thero, 27, Bigu Maithri, 55, Vajra Thero, 70, and Sunatha Bandan Sunitha Pandaro, 55, had been injured in the attack on the Society and taken to a private hospital nearby. They were later discharged (Times of India : 26 January 2011).

Beyond the trap that is the Mahabodhi attack - Tuesday’s attack on four Buddhist monks and damage to the Mahabodhi temple in Chennai is an action carried out by thugs that must be condemned vehemently. The 9.30 pm attack on the Temple in Chennai a haven for Sri Lankan travellers as well as fishermen caught by Indian Navy awaiting deportation has reportedly caused significant damage. But it is necessary for this dastardly attack to be differentiated by any political connotations that any opportunist desiring a reprisal from Colombo may allude to. It is both irresponsible as well as politically immature to believe anything other than an action of a cowardly group of thugs to have carried out the attack, especially given the crude manner it was carried out in. Those behind the cowardly attack are likely to have expected a reprisal attack in Colombo on innocent Tamil people in the lines of 1983. The targeted attack on Buddhist priests has throughout recent history led to reprisals of this nature thereby serving petty political agendas of various anti Sri Lanka elements. While the connection of the LTTE supporter block in Tamil Nadu, still seeking a homeland in Sri Lanka is not to be ignored what is important now is for the government to ensure that the inevitable does not happen. With the one cause that was their life sustaining political platform for the Tamil political elite of South India as well as being the justification for their refugee status and comforts enjoyed in the West for certain segments of the Tamil Diasporas; lost with the defeat of the LTTE two years back, the manipulation of the ignorant in the manner that fuelled the sentiments leading to the attack is hard to miss. The attack is clearly a part of a sinister move by the Tamil Nadu politics to instigate a counter attack to justify claims of discriminatory practices against the minorities. It is imperative that we remain mindful of the global strength gained by the LTTE and its membership within the Tamil Diasporas across the European belt following the tragedy that is July 1983. The crucial nature of the government taking all necessary precautions to avoid such action from pseudo nationalists here whose bankruptcies themselves require such attacks for sustenance, cannot be emphasized more (Daily Mirror : 26 January 2010).

13th Anniversary of LTTE's attack on Sri Dalada Maligawa

At 6:10 am on 25th January 1998, suicide carders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists) exploded a massive truck bomb at the entrance to the Sri Dalada Maligawa killing 8 persons including 2-year old infant and injuring about 25 others, all peaceful innocent civilians, who were on their way to offer alms at the temple that morning (click here for details)

Terrorists responsible for this bomb blast should be punished ?

SRI DALADA MALIGAWA ATTACKED BY LTTE ON JANUARY 25, 1998 - By Dr. Daya Hewapathirane, Canada (Sinhale Hot News : 25 January 2011).

SRI DALADA MALIGAWA ATTACKED BY LTTE ON JANUARY 25, 1998 - By Dr. Daya Hewapathirane, Canada - (The Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, Sri Lanka, the temple which houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Lord Buddha, is possibly the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the world and a UNESCO designated World Heritage Centre was attacked by the LTTE on 25th January 1998.).  Thirteen years ago, on Sunday January 25th 1998 around 6:30 in the morning, the savage Tamil terrorists attacked the Sri Dalada Maligawa – one of the greatest national cultural treasures of our country. Built originally in the late 15th century, this fabulous architectural marvel is more than 550 years old, In the centuries that followed, additions and improvements were effected to the Maligawa by several kings making it one of the most captivating historic buildings in the country. This magnificent structure enshrines the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha which is the most sacred object of worship in the Buddhist world. It is of utmost symbolic value for Buddhists and the Nation as a whole, because from historic times the possession and custodianship of the Sacred Tooth Relic was tantamount to acquisition of the sovereignty of the nation. It was first brought to Sri Lanka in the fourth century CE and has been treated with utmost veneration by our kings of the past. The possession of the Sacred Tooth Relic was required for a king to be acknowledged as the ruler of the country (Sinhale Hot News : 25 January 2011).

Sri Lanka refutes ‘fishery hoax’ - The Ministry of External Affairs wishes to refer to two incidents alleged to have taken place in the waters between Sri Lanka and India on or around the 12th of January and the 23rd of January respectively, resulting in the loss of life of two fishermen. The Ministry wishes to reiterate in this regard that it is the consistent policy of Sri Lanka to treat in a humanitarian manner all fishermen, including those from the Indian fishing community, who cross into Sri Lanka waters. In keeping with this policy, the Sri Lanka Navy has within the last 12 months afforded assistance to 32 Indian fishermen and 10 Indian fishing vessels. The Annexure to this Statement provides further details of the assistance that has been thus rendered. As soon as reports of the alleged incidents began to appear, the Sri Lanka Navy was instructed by the Ministry of Defence to carry out its own inquiry. The Navy has the facility of keeping track of the precise location of any of its vessels at any given time, especially when they happen to be deployed in the waters in between India and Sri Lanka. It is this same facility that the Sri Lanka Navy also uses to share information with the Indian authorities on the incursions across the International Maritime Boundary Line by Indian fishing vessels, including the marks and identified numbers of such vessels. Based on the data recorded by these facilities, it is clear that there were no Sri Lanka Navy vessels in the vicinity of the locations, where the incidents are alleged to have occurred (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 25 January 2011).

‘Attack aimed at sabotaging India-Sri Lanka relations' - The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Prasad Kariyawasam, on Tuesday described the attack on the Maha Bodhi Society office in Chennai as an attempt to sabotage relations between India and Sri Lanka.  Stating that the island nation always treated Indians, particularly Tamils, as friends, he said that some extremist elements with sinister motives had launched the attack, in which four persons, including Vajira Thero, Chancellor of Sabaragamuwa University in Sri Lanka, suffered injuries.  “We are very disturbed and concerned over the attack…they [the accused] are trying to damage the good relationship between the two countries,” Mr. Kariyawasam said (Hindu : 25 January 2011).

Top cop in Rs. 10 mn racket allowed bail - A senior police official attached to IGP Dr. Mahinda Balasuriya’s staff, arrested in connection with an ongoing inquiry into his complicity in a racket to send LTTE suspects and other undesirable elements abroad, was released on Rs. 20,000 cash bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate on Tuesday (Jan. 25). The CID arrested SSP Baba Mahidul on Tuesday morning following the arrest of a police woman constable, three policemen and another person a few days ago. The suspects are alleged to have collected over Rs. 10 million from those who had left the country after obtaining police clearance certificates (Island : 25 January 2011).

A desperate act of terror - Monday's dastardly attack on the Mahabodhi Vihara in Chennai, which left several Buddhist monks injured, must be condemned unreservedly. Although the perpetrators have not yet been identified, the attack bore the trademark of the pro-LTTE lunatic fringe active in Tamil Nadu. It also had all the trappings of a calculated move to provoke a backlash in this country. There have been many anti-Sri Lankan protests in Chennai since the defeat of the LTTE and Monday's mob violence should have been anticipated and precautions taken by the Tamil Nadu government. The past few months have seen prominent Tamil Nadu politicians whipping up anti-Sri Lankan sentiments to score petty political points over one another and they must take the full responsibility for having created a situation where the LTTE sympathisers have made bold to resort to direct action. At least now, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha Jeyaram ought to realise the gravity of their political impetuosity, expediency and anti-Sri Lankan frenzy. Being veteran politicians who are au fait with the volatility of the situation, they must be able to sort out sensitive issues such as alleged attacks by the Sri Lanka Navy on Tamil Nadu fishermen through diplomatic and political channels without promoting the cause of the desperate separatist elements on the warpath. The LTTE rump is hell bent on ruining Indo-Lanka relations, and creating some political space in Tamil Nadu to revive its terror project. This, it has striven to achieve by manipulating political leaders like Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha but in vain as the mainstream politicians cannot defy the Centre the way the LTTE wants them to. Extremists such as Vaiko and Nedumaran are aggressive enough but lost causes––too bankrupt to be of any use to the LTTE (Island : 25 January 2011).

Do not succumb to the pressure exerted by pro-Tamil Tiger fronts in Australia

Solheim / TGTE: Wins in Sudan- Failed in Sri Lanka - by Gimin Dayasiri - With the blessings of the Triple Gem and of many Gods of Great or Small Things, Solheim failed in Sri Lanka but with the aid of European funded NGO’s and Western governments, Norwegians at last made its first success story in bifurcating Sudan. Norway assured it will be the first to recognize split South Sudan as a nation state. Reminder of a route Norway would have taken had Sri Lanka being as dormant as Sudan. Norway came to the assistance of the Khartoum government to act as emissary in the conflict with its troubled South. Just as in Sri Lanka, working in tandem with US,UK and EU governments crafted the Macaques Protocol that determined a six year interim period and thereafter a referendum in the South to achieve self determination. The Observers under the said protocol were Norway UK, US and Italy the same countries that acted as representing the “international community” in Sri Lanka. In Norwegian peace explorations around the world, the governments of UK, US and EU are in alignment covertly with Norway. Sri Lankan operation was equally coordinated and orchestrated stealthily by those countries with Norway disguised as their postman. This led to Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA in 2005 was more conclusive than the CFA in 2004) with Norway again as an observer where Southern Sudan could secede through a referendum or pursue the objective if CPA should collapse. For South Sudan to achieve separation from Sudan, financial support was provided by Norway. The international commission to monitor the implementation of the peace agreement (CPA) between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) was chaired by Norwegian Special Envoy Tom Vrallsen.Minister Eric Solheim agreed with the President of South Sudan to be their strategic partner and Norway pledged USD 10 million to help South Sudan build up its political infrastructure as part of the peace keeping efforts. Accordingly Norway financed the establishment of the office of the President of Sudan with whom they transacted thereafter and the elections including the referendum to divide Sudan. Eric Solheim expressed his delight in Norway contributing significantly to the process that culminated in the agreement between Sudanese Government and Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement that led to severance and separation. The US based V.Rudrakumaran’s brain child Transnational Government of Tamil Ealam (TGTE) received recognition that other Diaspora based LTTE offshoots operating in Europe failed to secure. They have obtained an invite to celebrate Southern Sudan gaining state-let status that leads to the breakup of Sudan - a land of many ethnic conflicts including Dafur tragedy (Daily Mirror : 25 January 2011).

Tamil Diaspora in Switzerland squeezed for money by LTTE - A year and a half after the end of the Civil War, Switzerland has arrested ten members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for extortion of funds. Investigations carried out on the 10 Tamil nationals of Sri Lankan origin arrested in Switzerland recently have revealed that by threatening and blackmailing, the accused have their Swiss-based compatriots to support the LTTE financially. According to the federal authorities, the LTTE managed to collect several million Swiss francs, which it mainly used to buy weapons in Sri Lanka. A separate investigation carried out by Damaris Lüthi an ethnologist has revealed that towards the end of the war the pressure for money on the Tamil community increased enormously. She says that the first generation of refugees stayed very Sri Lanka-orientated and freely gave money for the dream of an independent Tamil Eelam. She adds that the first generation are economically well integrated and have hung onto all their traditions and customs. The Swiss website “Swissinfo” reported yesterday that although the structure of the Tamil Tigers in Switzerland remained intact following the military defeat, their influence on their compatriots seems to be crumbling. It said that practically all Tamil families living in Switzerland handed over money to the LTTE, usually 50 to 100 Swiss Francs a month. During the end phase of the war there were cases of Tamils having to take out high loans and ending up in debt to finance the war. (niz). (On-Lanka News).

UN panel of investigators - The UN panel of experts inquiring in to ‘war crimes in Sri Lanka during the last stages of the war’ is in the process of finalizing their report to Ban ki Moon. The three-person panel will be chaired by Marzuki Darusman. The other two members are Yasmin Sooka of South Africa and Steven Ratner of the United States.  We wish to bring the following facts and circumstances about these ‘last stages’ so that the experts could bring a semblance of justice and balance in to bear on their report.  * Sri Lankan Forces were alleged to have killed that 7,000 - 21,000 civilians during the last stages by ‘deliberate firing at the no fire zones’. The Western media cited ‘reliable sources’ quoting medical personnel attached to the hospitals in support of this claim. This ‘reliable source’, was none other than the Tamil net which was partisan and hence could hardly be a ‘reliable source’.  This same Tamil net declared that Prabhakaran was alive and safe contradicting the Sri Lankan Government’s announcement of his death on the May 19, 2009 and it was only on May 26 that they admitted his death. Such was the ‘reliability’ of this source.  * In July 2009, those medical personnel who were quoted in the Tamil net in May 2009 on ‘mass civilian casualties’ retracted their statements (now in Government controlled area) and stated that ‘they had to exaggerate the figures to comply with the LTTE agenda of prompting Western powers to interfere’.  The BBC and Al Jazeera reported these retracting statements of medical personnel insinuating that ‘they must be retracting now under Government pressure’. These channels could only surmise of ‘pressure’ when the medical personnel make statements under the Government but treat what these same parties said when they were under the fascist LTTE as ‘reliable’.  This implies that these news channels were conducting an extremely hostile and partisan campaign against Sri Lanka on this issue for reasons best known to them.  * The Sri Lankan Government with its past experience in fighting the LTTE knew all along that the LTTE would try the ‘civilian card’ sooner or later.  Therefore the Government at the initial stages appointed a Commissioner General of Essential Services to ensure an uninterrupted supply of humanitarian needs to the fighting area (Daily News : 25 January 2011).

Diaspora should help rebuild - Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa yesterday said that the Diaspora’s behaviour should help to recover the people who had faced untold hardships and obstacles under the clutches of LTTE terrorists. The Minister was speaking at a meeting with members of British Commonwealth Diaspora and second generation youths of Sri Lankans domiciled in the UK. Conservative Party member Andrew Mitchell and British Labour Party member John Mann were present. The meeting was held at Presidential Secretariat yesterday. The Minister explained the resettlement of people who were displaced by the terrorist atrocities in the North and the challenges faced by the Government in the resettlement process. Minister Rajapaksa added that the resettlement drive is nearing completion and the Government has started the recovery phase of the development. The Minister added that there is conducive environment in the country for investment. He asked them to visit any part of the country stressing that their reporting over the country’s present situation should be actual (Daily News : 25 January 2011).

Our political masters of foreign cultures - by H L D Mahindapala - Book Review: A 16th Century Clash of Civilizations, the Portuguese Presence in Sri Lanka, Susantha Gunatilake When the Portuguese began their “spiritual and temporal conquest” of Sri Lanka (1505 - 1658) it brought out the best and the worst in the Sinhalese. The best came out in the heroic and successful resistance to Portuguese military expeditions to conquer the nation. The worst came out in the characters of Don Juan Dharmapala and Prince Vijayapala, (1634 - 1654), the brother of Raja Sinha, who succumbed to the Western pressures and influences. These are the first of the two elitist children who were brought up in the Western culture and the consequences of their alienation were to introduce subversive politico-cultural entities that owed allegiances to the dominant West - a venal trait common among the elite even in contemporary times. The fashionable trend to bring up children in the Western culture began with the Portuguese who were only too eager to exploit the rival Sinhala power-players vying for dominance by currying the favour of foreigners. Besides, loyalty to a foreign culture meant invariably loyalty to the political masters of that foreign culture. The process of programming converts to foreign cultures was outlined in a cameo of Prince Vijayapala drawn by Paul E. Peiris, a pioneering historian of the colonial era, who wrote: “It was a source of gratification to the Queen when the youthful Vijayapala was entrusted to a Franciscan, the Frey Francisco Negro.” (p.14, Prince Vijaya Pala of Ceylon, 1634 - 1654, from the original documents at Lisbon, 1927) Vijayapala foreshadowed the mindset of the Westernized generations to come when he wrote to the Portuguese Viceroy in India saying: “I state, Senhor, that I was born with a strong predilection for the Portuguese nation...In my earliest years, greatly to the satisfaction of the Queen my mother, there was assigned to as Mestre the padre Frey Francisco Negrao who taught me to read and write. Under his instructions I learnt very good customs and etiquette and some special habits which Royal person employ....Though I am a Chingala by blood I am a Portuguese in my ways and affections.” What is reflected here is just not the cultural cringe but the swearing of loyalty to a foreign power for political gain (Lakbima News).

Do not succumb to the pressure exerted by pro-Tamil tiger fronts in Australia - by Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya, Melbourne - To: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Kevin Rudd, Canberra, ACT.  Dear Sir,  Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia A report in Canberra Times says the Tamil Diaspora in Australia has objected to the appointment of the ex- Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander, Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, as the next High Commissioner to Australia  http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/war-crimes-cloud-over-envoy-choice/2055385.aspx   I believe the relationship between Sri Lankan and the Australian Governments is pleasant and amicable. The latest news bulletins emanating from Canada, France UK, Spain and even Australia have revealed active hardcore LTTE supporters who raised funds under the pretext of innocent looking organization such as TRO have used these monies to purchase heavy weaponry, sea and airborne transport to fuel the barbaric LTTE group in Sri Lanka to wage war against innocent people of Sri Lanka.  These activities were spear headed by the most unsuspecting learned members of the Tamil Diaspora for a total destruction of a country. The arrivals of the asylum seeker by boatloads were a result of these members in connivance with the illegal human traffickers in the sub continent. These are not imaginations, but facts known to ASIO and TV producers of Dateline and Landline programs. The result was total condemnation of the Government by the opposition capturing a blessing in disguise for the opportunists!  Your government engaged in discussion with Sri Lankan Government to arrest this situation, one of the participants in these discussions was this ex- Admiral. He has no blemishes in his Naval career, he performed duties any other Naval counterpart in a similar situation would execute.  As he has now a retired officer, his government felt, he is best suited for the position of the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Australia. I believe Australian Government too should be satisfied to have a person of this caliber, whose invaluable knowledge can be a boon to tackle arrival of the exodus of the asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. His appointment to the mission in Canberra can only help to protect Australia from terrorists and other bogus affiliates of crime syndicates masquerading as refugees.  It is indeed a pity if the Prime Minister or the Foreign Minister whoever has the power to decide who is suitable to receive as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia depends on a handful of disgruntled hypocrites of the untrustworthy Tamil Diaspora! Surely this is a Government of a developed country who can evaluate what is good for the country instead of unsolicited advice of a third party! - Yours Sincerely  Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya, Melbourne (Sri Lanka News Online : 24 January 2011).

Nehru Gunaratnam –Leader of Canadian LTTE  - by Roger Nallanayagam, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. - On June 02, 2000 then Canada’s most senior intelligence officer, Mr. Ward Elcock, warned the nation that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE aka Tamil Tigers) are exploiting Canada’s wealth to finance bloodshed around the world. “If you tolerate these activities, you can run into problems”.  Ten years later on January 18th, 2011 Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS) warned that “Tamil Tigers are to set up a base-in-exile here in Canada for the leadership. Some leadership is already here.” Which brings the Mr.Ward Elcock’s prediction of “you can run into problems” to a reality.  No wonder now Mr. Ward Elcock is assigned with a new task. He is co-ordinating the whole-of-Harper’s Conservative government’s response “on human smuggling”. So to find out the veracity of the statement “some leadership is already here” I did some research on this subject and the findings absolutely shocked me. My entire search on the internet and print media confirmed that one of the most important LTTE leaders in Canada is Nehru Gunaratnam. He joined LTTE in mid of 1980 and since then he is an active LTTE member. Until 2003 he was the ‘shadow-leader’ of the Canadian LTTE and in 2003 the LTTE officially appointed him as their Political Committee Member representing their Canadian operations.” (Lankaweb ; 24 January 2011).

Is there a connection in the opening of the Indian consulate & violence in Jaffna - by Shenali Waduge - In May 2009, Sri Lanka did what the world said it was impossible to do. For the first time in modern military history, a terrorist movement was militarily defeated simultaneously with a humanitarian rescue operation that rescued nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians. We all know of the pressures that prevailed demanding Sri Lanka end its military onslaught. Beneath the diplomatic maneuvers to bring the military effort to a halt, public statements issued from foreign powers to showcase a different version. India tops that list & so we are made to believe it is our “friend”. It is this new “friendship” that has forced Sri Lanka to agree to opening not one but two Indian consulate offices in Sri Lanka. Could this new “friendship” eventually lead to another covert operation taking place in Sri Lanka as is evident by the surge in violence taking place suddenly in Jaffna? We are made to believe that upon realizing the dangers of the LTTE to India, it decided to secretly assist the Sri Lankan Government (by word only, unlike Pakistan). It should not take 30 years for India to realize the dangers to India by the LTTE, the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1992 should have been ample proof that the LTTE could even take out Indian leaders on Indian soil. If that did not stop India’s assistance to the LTTE, not even to stop Tamil Nadu politicians from assisting LTTE over the years, then the Indian version is a bit difficult to fathom (LankaWeb : 24 January 2011).

Robert O Blake: Your comment on Sri Lanka at Rice University, Texas - by Asoka weerasinghe, Canada - Robert O. Blake (former U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka) U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of South and Central Affairs Washington, DC, U.S.A; Dear Bob: I came across the 22nd January ColomboPage which said, “Former US Ambassador says Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process is slow.” Those remarks were made during your address to an audience at the Rice University in Houston, Texas, on the Obama Administration’s Priorities in South and Central Asia and its foreign policy. You had said that after the Eelam war ended in May 2009, “its reconciliation has proceeded more slowly.” I wish you had said “, …more slowly and cautiously” and it is not a bad thing to be cautious as the Sri Lankans have to get it right once and for all. I would have accepted that remark grudgingly.  Bob, the first impression I had about you after that remark was, “This Yankee doesn’t get it, does he? He is no James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy and he still hasn’t been able to get out of his mask as a shady character when it comes to Sri Lankan affairs.”  Bob, here’s an Aesop fable that was related to me by my kindergarten teacher which she said had a moral , and wanted to know from us what it was. We, little fellows scratched our heads, thought about it, and 90 percent of the class got it right. Here’s the story Bob.  The Tortoise and the Hare : The story concerns a hare (Bob O Blake) who ridicules a slow-moving tortoise (President Mahinda Rajapaksa) and is challenged by him to a race. The hare who thought he was smart (like Robert O Blake) soon leaves the tortoise behind and confident of winning decides to take a nap midway through the course. However, when he woke up he finds that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, had arrived at the finishing line before him. Ummm… being slow and steady certainly didn’t harm the end result of the tortoise, did it Bob? That is what the Sri Lankan story is all about. Slow and steady and ultimately wins the race. That was the moral in case you didn’t get it. To hell with this Yankee, I’d say. “You take your time Mr. President and sort Sri Lanka’s problem, and just ignore this Yankee’s comment. This guy is playing politics and is impatient.” (LankaWeb : 24 January 2011).

Open letter to AI Director - by Ira De Silva, Canada - I have just read your statement of January 19, 2011 calling on the United States to investigate Sri Lankan President Rajapakse during his visit to the U.S. In the statement it is claimed that your organization "investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied". If this claim is to be believed, why is it that AI has not started an investigation into the abuses that are been perpetrated by the United States in many parts of the world? In the case of Sri Lanka it is "alleged" that there have been abuses, in the case of the abuses by the United States it is a proven fact. The documentation of the abuses are documents and videos from the U.S. Government. AI should not only have had many investigations but should have had the results of the investigations made public so that the world would have by now been "educated and mobilized" and millions of people protected from the continuous killing of civilians, torture, rendition and other such activities that are making news worldwide on a regular basis. There are not thousands but millions of people worldwide who "demand accountability" for these abuses they have and are suffering from because of the actions of the U.S. forces and their contract killers such as Blackwater but AI has yet to investigate, educate etc. Before even thinking of investigating Sri Lanka, the United States should " investigate these allegations and support calls for an international investigation into the United States role in war crimes" and establish a precedent and guidelines. Furthermore, there is no need to wait for those responsible to "visit" the United States, they are resident in the U.S., the documents are also in the U.S. and now made public to the world. Why has there been no call for investigation, accountability, and redress if, as AI claims, it exposes abuses and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied? Is it because it is biased or because it is paid to be blind to abuses committed by western countries? (Island ; 24 January 2011).

For fear of incurring Premadasa’s wrath Not even inter-departmental inquiry into massacre of 600 policemen: Tassy tells LLRC - Fearing the wrath of then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, the police never initiated at least an inter-departmental inquiry into the circumstances under which the LTTE had executed over 600 police officers and men at the onset of the Eelam War II in June 1990, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was told on Monday (24). The police top brass had been too scared to probe the massacre of those who had surrendered at the behest of President Premadasa, retired SSP Tassy Seneviratne said. The veteran cop was responding to a query by LLRC member former Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara during Monday’s sessions. Seneviratne retired in 1995, the year the Eelam War III erupted with the sinking of two Fast Gunboats anchored at Trincomalee. Identifying the then Foreign Minister A. C. S. Hameed as a key player in President Premadasa’s negotiating team, Seneviratne asserted that IGP Ernest Perera had had no alternative but to comply with the presidential directive issued to police deployed in some parts of the Eastern Province. Seneviratne said that the LTTE’s success had been built on shortcomings and strategic miscalculations on the part of successive governments. Had there been adequate support, the police could have thwarted the LTTE attempt to overrun police stations in the East in 1990, he said. The LTTE assassinated Premadasa on May Day in 1993. Even after Premadasa’s assassination, successive governments did not initiate an inquiry. Commenting on the then LTTE leader in the Batticaloa area Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan, now a Deputy Minister in the ruling UPFA coalition, Seneviratne emphasised the government, particularly President Mahinda Rajapaksa, should be wary of having an opportunist like Muralitharan aka Karuna. Recalling the circumstances which led Karuna to switch allegiance after being summoned to Kilinochchi in March 2004 by LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, Seneviratne urged President Rajapaksa to be cautious. The likes of Karuna could be dangerous, he stressed. Seneviratne submitted a confidential letter to former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, Chairman, LLRC, claiming that the writer of that letter could shed light on ‘LTTE operations.’ The veteran cop urged the LLRC to recommend to the government to initiate an inquiry into war crimes committed by the LTTE. The massacre of policemen could be categorised as a grave war crime, he said. Responding to LLRC Commissioner Dr. Rohan Perera, Seneviratne acknowledged that the families of those 600 policemen hadn’t been looked after by the department. The then IGP had been in a dilemma for want provision to do so, he said (Island : 24 January 2011).

Netherlands: Italy, France felt US behind move, opposed LTTE proscription by EU

Of Human-Smuggling and Re-grouping - For years, the West used to take a patronising view of complaints from Third World nations about the leniency of their laws and legislatures to political groups involved in acts of violence against their respective States and Governments, individuals and institutions. Not any more, it would seem. Going beyond the ‘civilisational clash’ that 9/11 entailed, there now seems to be some acceptance of the realities that go beyond allegations of State-sponsored terrorism and political victimisation back home. It is a good beginning that nations like Canada are beginning to feel the heat of human-smuggling involving Sri Lankan Tamils in which some former LTTE cadres too seemed to have been engaged. Even when it all began months after the conclusion of the ‘ethnic war’, which in turn heralded an era of relative peace and political acceptance of the Tamil minorities, there were varied justifications in the host-nations about allowing the ‘boat people’, a berth to start with – and asylum and citizenship, if only after inquiry. Today, all of it has changed. The Canadian authorities, for instance, seem to readily concede that there is a pattern to the arrival of ‘boat people’ of Sri Lankan origin on their shores. There is also an unacknowledged acceptance that they are mostly ‘economic refugees’ seeking greener pastures. If some hoped for ‘political asylum’, they might have been involved in acts of terror back in Sri Lanka (Daily Mirror : 24 January 2011).

Netherlands: Italy, France felt US behind move, opposed LTTE proscription by EU - EC Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner and her colleague Herve Jouanjean pushed for less stringentaction - A classified US diplomatic cable, captioned ‘Tokyo co-chairs pre-meetings’ has revealed an attempt by the Netherlands to thwart an EU statement targeting LTTE over continuing terrorist attacks in spite of the CFA.  According to the document, dated May 25, 2006, originating from Colombo, ahead of the EU ban on the LTTE, the grouping had been sharply divided. This came to light during a meeting attended by senior representatives of Sri Lankan peace co-chairs and the then Netherlands Ambassador, Van Dijk, when the latter strongly urged his colleagues not to categorise LTTE actions as a terrorist group. The cable says: "Unexpectedly, the Netherlands Ambassador Van Dijk said that a Co-Chairs statement should not mention "terrorism," especially since EU designation of LTTE as a terrorist group was likely to be announced simultaneously with Tokyo meeting on May 29 or 30. Van Dijk’s position seemed to surprise everyone, and Ambassador (Lunstead) strongly refuted it."  The cable went on to say in a section captioned ‘EU inside Baseball’ "Van Dijk called Ambassador on May 25 and wanted to get together to talk the issue through.  Van Dijk told Ambassador that there were still deep divisions within EU on that subject. France and Italy had objected to the listing on procedural grounds, because they thought they were being pushed into it by the US.  When that objection was dealt with, the Nordics still objected on substantive grounds. They insisted that a listing be accompanied by a statement which mentioned the failings of both the government and the LTTE. He also said that EC Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner and her colleague Herve Jouanjean (who will represent the EC at Tokyo) had pushed for a lesser action than listing––some type of targeted sanctions––but had lost. As a result, Van Dijk predicted, Jouanjean could be difficult at Tokyo. Ambassador said he believed there was no way we could accept a Tokyo statement which did not mention the need for the Tigers to give up terrorism, and van Dijk eventually agreed there should be some way to do that." Referring to a meeting he had with the then Peace Secretariat Chief Palitha Kohona, in the company of Foreign Secretary H. M .G. S. Palihakkara and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Lunstead appreciated Kohana’s assertion that it was fair for the SLMM to criticize the GOSL when it did something wrong, but it should not equate the government with the Tigers. Lunstead said: "Van Dijk is excitable and not always accurate in his predictions, but we may have to work hard on the EU in Tokyo to make any statement meaningful. In the end, Kohona is right: we can and should criticize both sides, but we should not equate them." (Island ; 23 January 2011).

A Sri Lankan in Switzerland says of the LTTE "They will see to it that you will have no more sleep" - We give below the translation of an article which appeared in the Swiss Newspaper 20 Minuten by F Burch. A. Hirschberg who has interviewed a Sri Lankan Tamil insider, who is convinced that although the heads of the LTTE have been arrested nothing has changed with regard to the movement. The article was titled "They will see to it that you will not sleep" and appeared on the 13th of January 2011. It deals with the blackmail practiced by the LTTE in Switzerland forcing Sri Lankan Tamils to get loans with false wage chits.  This is in a country which the International magazine Forbes reported has "Negligible corruption with lots of checks and balances …Financial institutions are also strong and trusted, with nonperforming loans extremely low at just 0.5%."  20 Minuten is a free German language daily newspaper in Switzerland, distributed to commuters at over 150 train stations across the country.  The newspaper was first published in 1999. The audited distribution in 2004 was 329,242 (WEMF) and it had a readership of an estimated 782,000.  Ten Sri Lankan Tamils living in Switzerland were arrested on Tuesday (11th January 2011) for blackmailing their compatriots to extract donations. The Federal Attorney General’s office accused them as representatives of an underground organization, LTTE, to have exercised threats, forged documents and laundered money. The Federal Attorney General’s Office applied for detention orders awaiting trial for 8 of the ten arrested. They confirmed a report of the "Tages-Anzeiger" and "Der Bund" (two Swiss newspapers) published on Thursday (Island : 23 January 2011).

Amnesty International and the ‘Legitimacy Crisis’ - This is not another critique of Amnesty International (AI) or any of the international human rights organizations. But reference needs to be made to the interesting press release issued by AI (dated 19 Jan, 2011), and some issues arising from it. The press release asks the US to investigate President Rajapaksa, who is on a ‘private’ visit to that great land of freedom, hope and justice, the US. One such issue concerns the interesting and rather curious nature of contemporary Sri Lanka-US diplomatic relations. That relationship is becoming more curious and interesting due to the reference made by AI, in its press release, to the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka. The press release, to substantiate AI’s argument that an investigation is imperative, states the following: "In December Wikileaks exposed a secret United States Embassy cable sent by Ambassador Patricia Butenis from Colombo in which she noted the difficulty of bringing perpetrators of alleged crimes of justice when ‘responsibility for many of the alleged crimes rests with the country’s senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers …" (Island ; 23 January 2011).

Sri Lankan navy denies killing Indian fisherman - Sri Lanka on Sunday rejected as "baseless" the allegation that its military had killed an Indian fisherman and wounded two others. These "allegations are baseless and without proof," Sri Lankan Navy spokesman Captain Athula Senarth said. We have given strict instructions to our naval patrols and we ensure that these instructions are carried out, Senarth told reporters.  Earlier, Indian media reported that a man, who had put out to sea with two others yesterday from Pushpavanam coastal hamlet, died after Sri Lankan Naval personnel tied a rope around his neck and pushed him into the water.  A similar allegation was levelled at the Sri Lankan navy early this month after another fisherman was killed mid sea. However, the navy denied the charges.  "We have investigated these allegations several times and proved they were baseless," Senarath was quoted as saying by the independent Daily Mirror online (Hindustan Times : 23 January 2010).

Solheim asked Lunstead to keep B’singham comment on Prabha confidential - US Amb felt Tigers would come up with new conditions even if SLG agreed for talks on ISGA. One-time LTTE Chief Negotiator, Anton Balasingham, secretly expressed satisfaction over growing international pressure on LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, for assassinations carried on his orders. The former British High Commission employee (in Colombo) had felt that international pressure could force Prabhakaran to stop his murderous campaign. According to a leaked US diplomatic missive authored by the then US Ambassador in Colombo, Jeffrey Lunstead, in April 2004, the Chief Norwegian Peacemaker, Erik Solheim, had told him of Balasingham’s opinion, while insisting this shouldn’t be shared with other peace co-chairs. The US cable revealed that Solheim wanted Balasingham’s comment kept strictly private and confidential. Balasingham had expressed the belief that the then US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, had put pressure on Prabhakaran by a making a strongly worded statement in mid August 2004. Solheim, addressing the Sri Lanka donor group in Colombo at the end of a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, had asserted that bold steps should have been taken by both parties to re-start talks. Solheim had believed talks could be resumed if the wording of the agenda regarding an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) could be resolved.  Solheim also noted that he saw no signal that either side wanted to go back to war. Obviously hostilities could resume through some inadvertent incident, but, Solheim had believed, there was no deliberate plan by either side to resume fighting. According to him, the bottom line was that the "no war/no permanent peace" situation was certainly preferable to a resumed war. Solheim asserted that the ISGA was a ‘small issue’, though the government and the LTTE had been bogged down over it. The US cable quoted Solheim as having said that Thmailselvan told him (Solheim) the LTTE couldn’t be flexible on the formulation for talks. But once the talks began, the LTTE could be flexible flexible on the ISGA proposal, and were ready to discuss alternate proposals. Interestingly, Thamilchelvan had felt that the government was now in a better position to enter talks based on the ISGA because of the entrance into the ruling coalition of the Ceylon Workers Congress, and because of statements by the opposition United. National Party (UNP) that it would support the government if it entered negotiations based on the ISGA. The LTTE, Thamilchelvan said, would not put forward any further conditions. The Tigers, Solheim said, were in no particular hurry, and saw no need to help any particular Southern political party. On the status of the cease-fire, Solheim said that both parties were broadly adhering to it, but neither party was strictly following it. The government had tried to use Karuna to weaken the LTTE, while the LTTE continued its campaign of assassinations of its opponents. Hence both sides were playing with fire (Island ; 23 January 2011).

Canada confiscates all World Tamil Movement (WTM) funds, assets. Why not in Australia, UK, USA and other countries?

JHU legal advisor challenges claims for self-determination - We love Tamils but oppose separatism – Gammanpila - Vociferous western province minister and Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) legal advisor Udaya Gammanpila has thrown a fresh challenge to Tamil leaders who claim they have a right to self-determination. Gammanpila is steadfast in his views that Tamils have no right to self-rule but are entitled only to minority rights recognised by the UN in Sri Lanka. His contention is that the Tamils, who claim to have grievances, should prove with empirical evidence that would convince the Sinhala masses.  He says if that is done so, he himself would work towards the creation of ‘Eelam’. “Tamils have only been clamouring for more rights without telling the Sinhalese what they are and why,” he said. He also warned Tamil leaders not to make any attempt to woo the governments to get favours done but instead he insisted that the Tamil leaders should seek consent from the Sinhala masses before seeking government support to achieve their goals.  Following are excerpts: (The Nation : 23 January 2011).

‘Federalist plotters’ uncovered - Parliamentary select committee extracts ‘conspiracy theory’ - Local ministries accused of promoting INGOs with ‘sinister motives’ - Public officials ‘undermining national agenda to win perks and luxury facilities’ - The UPFA government, led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has consistently been of the view that the International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) have played a partisan role during the war and that they have by and large been supporters of the LTTE. In fact, when Rajapaksa assumed office as the executive President in November 2005, he did make statements to the effect that the country should seriously look at possibilities of evolving a ‘home-grown’ solution without depending on foreign plans to solve national problems. Besides, the President early this year revealed to his ministers that certain NGOs were plotting to destablise the country’s North and East. He also warned his ministers that they should be conscious about NGO conspiracies. The Nation is in possession of a damning report prepared by a parliamentary select committee that has conducted investigations on the operations of INGOs and it is now clear that some of the INGOs that have operated in Sri Lanka have had their ulterior motives. While pointing fingers at the INGOs for attempting to thrust their own policies and visions in Sri Lanka, the local ministries here in Sri Lanka too have been found guilty of promoting and further motivating such INGOs with sinister motives for perks and luxury facilities (The Nation : 23 January 2011).

CARRYING TWO BLACK EYES - By Gomin Dayasri - Carrying two black eyes comfort me, knowing the reasons for the bashing. Tamil Diaspora targets me as a Sinhala chauvinist, a membership I rather seek than apply to be a Presidents Counsel, a congested club of over a hundred and ten. But a few in the Sinhala Diaspora sent me over the moon by awarding a rank comparable in status to a Deshamanya [enabled a holder to spend time in general/prison hospital rather than in remand jail] calling me a Tiger in sheep’s clothing, for having appealed for fast remedies to legitimate Tamil grievances before the LLRC. One offsets another but on being sentenced by both, I can die in peace. Reading between the lines in being a double agent reminds me of a chapter in Tolstoy’s War & Peace. Leo’s story shows standards applicable in times of War are not the same when Peace is regained. Peace must be meaningful after a War that was successful. It is a lesson learnt by those living in their native land than orbiting Diasporas of any coloration. Most telling is the market research that revealed 94% living in the North and East are desirous of becoming proficient in Sinhala, and 93% living in the South are desirous of learning Tamil. This trend became symptomatic with a tilt in the vote towards national parties in the North and East at the expense of an ethnic party at the General Election. The moment to grasp has arrived, if language alleged once to be a divider becomes the healer (Sinhale Hot News ; 23 January 2011).

Ban's Sri Lanka war crimes panel stuck in New York - Sri Lanka has cut off direct talks with a U.N. panel set up in June to promote accountability for war crimes during the final stages of the country's bloody 2009 offensive against Tamil separatists, U.N. officials told Turtle Bay.  The panel had been planning a trip to Colombo to question senior officials responsible for addressing massive rights violations during the conflict, but that visit is now unlikely.  Sri Lanka's deputy U.N. ambassador, Maj. Gen. Shavendra Silva, who commanded troops during the war, wrote to the office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this month to say that going forward his government would only hold talks with Ban's advisors, not with the panel investigating war crimes. U.N. officials say they fear Sri Lanka's action, which comes one month after Sri Lanka's U.N. ambassador, Palitha Kohona, invited the panel to Colombo, may be calculated to run down the clock on talks on a visit until the panel's mandate expires at the end of February.  The dispute centres on the terms under which the visit would take place. Sri Lanka has agreed to a visit by the U.N. panel on condition that its activities be limited to testifying before the Sri Lanka Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa last year to address the conflict and promote reconciliation between the country's ruling Sinhalese and minority Tamils. The panel has demanded broader freedom to talk to a range of Sri Lankan officials.  President Rajapaksa agreed to invite the panel to Sri Lanka during a meeting with Ban in New York along the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly debate last September, Sri Lanka's U.N. envoy, Palitha Kohona, told Turtle Bay. "The understanding at that point was the panel will come to Sri Lanka and make representations to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission," he said. Kohona claimed the panel has sought to unilaterally "expand the scope of that understanding." U.N. officials have privately challenged Kohona's account of Ban's agreement with Rajapaksa, saying Ban did not agree to limiting the scope of the panel's activities in Sri Lanka (Sunday Times : 23 January 2011).

All major Tamil and Muslim parties to contest under UPFA - All major Tamil and Muslim constituents of the UPFA who represent the North, East and the Central hill country are contesting the forthcoming Local Government polls under the ‘Betel’ symbol in all Tamil and Muslim areas other than areas where slots have to be allotted to SLFP’s former standing members on a priority basis, informed sources said. The Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) led by Minister Arumugan Thondaman, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) led by Minister Rauff Hakeem, Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) led by Shanthinidevi Chandrasekaran, Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Minister Douglas Devananda, All Ceylon National Congress (ACNC) led by Minister Rishad Buthuideen, National Congress led by Minister A.L.M. Athaullah and Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) led by Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan A.K.A Pillayan held discussions until Friday with UPFA General Secretary Minister Susil Premajayantha and SLFP stalwarts on the allotment of slots, the sources said. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) represented by 22 parliamentarians from the North and the East has, as a new political approach, formed a broad alliance with two moderate Tamil parties, the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) led V. Anandasangaree and People’s Organisation of Tamil Eeelam (PLOTE) led by T. Sitharthan. They will contest all Local Government bodies in the five districts in the North and two districts in the East under the ‘House’ symbol of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchy (ITAK), PLOTE leader Sitharthan said (Sunday Observer : 23 January 2011).

Blow to LTTE fundraising overseas: Canada confiscates all WTM funds, assets - The Federal Court of Canada has ruled that the World Tamil Movement of Ontario and the World Tamil Movement of Quebec should forfeit all their belongings to the Canadian Government. In a move seen as a huge blow to LTTE activities in Canada, the Court ruled WTM property was “owned or controlled by a terrorist organisation” and therefore had to be forfeited, Canadian media reported.  The verdict marks the official end of the WTM in Canada, which was formed in 1986 and became closely aligned with the LTTE’s bloody campaign for a separate State in Sri Lanka. “In Canada, the WTM is the main front organisation for the LTTE,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Corporal Steve Dubreuil wrote in an affidavit.  “We view this as a very positive ending in the sense that we did disrupt activities of terrorist financing in Canada, so that’s important to us,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud said.  “This decision by the Federal Court confirms that our efforts to disrupt terrorist activity in Canada are working,” said Christopher McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. “We applaud this decision.” Although the WTM has ceased to function, Assistant Comm. Michaud, head of National Security Criminal Investigations, said the Tigers are still a “group of interest” for RCMP counter-terrorism investigators.  “They do remain a focus because we do have concerns as to if they’re going to regroup and ... if they do, how are they going to do it. Are they going to be going through violence or through political influence?”  There have been a number of reports that the LTTE was trying to regroup in Canada following their defeat in Sri Lanka in May 2009.  “We don’t know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear — to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here,” a well-placed federal government official told the Ottawa Citizen a few days ago. The warning accompanied a report late last week to senior government officials revealing that two Southeast Asian smuggling syndicates are arranging the launch of two more ship-loads of migrants to British Columbia in the coming weeks. The boats are expected to carry as many as 50 former LTTE leaders and cadres, according to intelligence estimates (Sunday Observer : 23 January 2011).

IDP resettlement - Lanka on right track - Indonesian envoy - Sri Lanka is on the right track to develop the country and most of the IDPs too have returned which is also a sign Indonesia's Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Djafar Husein told the Sunday Observer .  He was speaking after opening the three-day Jaffna International Trade Fair.  He said that it was encouraging to see the IDPs returning and this was a very challenging task. The Government's priority should be to resettle them in their original homes, he said.He said that one of the next priorities of the Government should be to find employment for IDPs and provide them various opportunities.  Vocational training and self-employment too should be encouraged. We have been studying this process and the government is on the right track in this regard, he said.  Commenting on trade between the two countries, he said that though the trade balance was in favour of Indonesia there are many opportunities for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs to narrow this gap. Sri Lanka's trade with Indonesia is around US $ 27 million. Last year Indonesia trade reached US $ 400 million, an increase of over US$ 400 million compared to the previous year.  Over 27 percent of this was seen in the export of tyres from Indonesia, he said. Indonesia is also one of the biggest suppliers of paper and furniture to Sri Lanka. He said he hopes to attract Indonesian investors who are also keen to do business in Sri Lanka especially in infrastructure development (Sunday Observer ; 23 January 2011).

Move to tarnish image of Security Forces in North - Security Forces Commander - Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe said that some anti social elements were exploiting the present volatile situation in the North to tarnish the image of the Security Forces. A special meeting was held at the Jaffna Government Agent’s Office yesterday to study the current volatile situation in the Jaffna Peninsula.  Several prominent people from the Jaffna Civil Society including the Bishop of Jaffna the Rt. Rev. Thomas Savuntharanayagam also participated in the meeting.  Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe said the Security Forces and the police in Jaffna were doing their best to maintain law and order.  “Like in other parts of the country, criminal elements have been active in the North as well in the recent past. This is not terrorism. However, certain political forces and some irresponsible newspapers are trying to tarnish the image of the Security Forces”, the Major. General said.  He also outlined the security measures adopted by the Security Forces and the police to maintain law and order in the North. “Day and night patrols by Security Forces and the police were intensified recently. Road checks have been introduced to screen suspicious vehicles and persons. The public should also extend their cooperation to curb criminal activities in the North”, he said.  Jaffna Bishop the Rt. Rev. Thomas Savuntharanayagam called upon the Security Forces to provide the maximum security to protect civilians. The Bishop said that Security Forces personnel were doing a good job to prevent any untoward incidents. Jaffna Government Agent, Mrs. Imelda Sukumar, Acting DIG Jaffna Cecil Perera, Senior Members from the Security Forces and police along with Assistant Government Agents from all AGAs divisions in Jaffna participated (Sunday Observer : 23 January 2011).

Asian military giants to help Sri Lanka - It was a significant week for the Sri Lanka's defence forces as two military chiefs from two friendly countries arrived to strengthen their longstanding military ties, last week.  Both helped in Sri Lanka's battle against 30-year-old terrorism in 2009. Being military giants both never looked away when Sri Lanka's military was in need of support.  At a time when the West believed that it was a pipe dream for Sri Lankan military to defeat the LTTE and when they were trying to halt the military push to save the LTTE, these two nations silently gave their fullest help to Sri Lanka's military might to defeat the LTTE.  It was India and Pakistan who stepped in Sri Lanka to enhance the on-going military bond between them and Sri Lanka.  First to arrive in Sri Lanka was the Indian Air Force Commander Air Chief Naik on January 17. He was welcomed by the Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke at the SLAF headquarters.  He met President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees and also met Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Commanders of Army and Navy.  Being a qualified flying instructor he had visited the Sri Lanka Air Force Flying Squadrons at Katunayake.  He paid a floral tribute to the soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), who fought with the LTTE. He visited the IPKF memorial at Battaramulla on January 17.It was built to honour over 1,000 IPKF soldiers who were killed during their fight with the LTTE (Sunday Observer ; 23 January 2011).

What happened to Sudan will happen to Sri Lanka unless the mono-ethnic nature of the North and East is changed

Are we serious about a solution based on Indo-Lanka Accord ?

Read more about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution)

World Tamil Movement Property confiscated : Canadian court stamps hard on Tiger fund raisers - A pair of Canadian non-profit organizations the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) says raised millions of dollars for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers rebels have been ordered to forfeit all their belongings to the federal government. The Federal Court ruled the property of the World Tamil Movement of Ontario and the World Tamil Movement of Quebec was owned or controlled by a terrorist organization and therefore had to be forfeited. The decision marks the official end of the WTM, which was formed in 1986 and became closely aligned with the fight for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka. It also marks the conclusion of a nine-year RCMP investigation that did not result in criminal charges. "We still view this as a very positive ending in the sense that we did disrupt activities of terrorist financing in Canada, so that’s important to us," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud said on Friday. Although the WTM has ceased to function, Assistant Comm. Michaud, head of National Security Criminal Investigations, said the Tamil Tigers are still a "group of interest" for RCMP counter-terrorism investigators. "They do remain a focus because we do have concerns as to if they’re going to regroup and … if they do, how are they going to do it. Are they going to be going through violence or through political influence?" Neither the Ontario nor Quebec WTM branches contested the forfeiture of their property. Representatives of the groups said it would have been too costly and there was little point since the civil war in Sri Lanka was over. "The whole thing underlying this was support for a cause, and that cause seems to be quieter," said Steven Slimovitch, the lawyer who represented the Quebec branch of the WTM. "It made sense to move on." Sitta Sittampalam, the former president of the WTM in Ontario, also said circumstances had changed. "When you look at what has happened since the events that have passed, it didn’t make sense for us to spend so much on litigation on this matter" he said. community is moving forward." The court orders make Ottawa the new owner of the WTM headquarters building in Montreal, several bank accounts, cash, and thousands of propaganda items, many of them bearing the militaristic emblem of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group (Island : 22 January 2011).

Without 1956 and 1983 as triggers – would the Tamil uprising have occurred anyway? - By Neville Jayaweera - The opportunity to pose this question in writing came my way when Charles Ponnuthurai Sarvan’s book, "Public Writings on Sri Lanka" arrived on my desk about three months ago with an invitation to review it. Without denying the familiar "The Sinhala majority oppressing the Tamil minority" narrative, which I concede remains central and true, I am offering a complementary narrative, a different set of spectacles through which to look at the ethnic conflict. When viewed from the latter perspective it will be evident that the complete story about the origins and causes of the ethnic conflict has yet to be told and that it was a more complex phenomenon than popularly believed. This is not to say that the familiar narrative is false, but that the reality was more complex (Island : 22 January 2011).

REPRESENTATIONS TO THE LLRC I: GRIEVANCES - Malinda Seneviratne - PREAMBLE - My representations are framed by my understanding of the teaching of Siddhartha Gauthama, in particular the Charter on Free Inquiry, the Kalama Sutra. As such I would hope that my submissions privilege reason over emotion and moreover call for the same privileging in the matter of learning lessons and imagining and implementing measures of reconciliation subject to the caveat that conclusions drawn are regularly verified in practice and adjusted in accordance to flaws discerned. My appeal is further framed by the two principle drivers proposed by the Buddha: wisdom and compassion. Reconciliation connotes a bridging of difference, a coming together. It assumes therefore disjuncture, disunity, dissatisfaction and disagreement. In the matter at hand the operative term would be ‘grievance’. I am of the view that if grievance is perceived then it is real. Grievances can be imagined of course, but to the extent that even such constructions factor into real life politics and provoke outcomes, they need to be treated as real for the aggrieved. To the extent that such grievances are felt by a citizen then it is incumbent on the state to ensure that there is a mechanism to address these grievances, ascertain their true dimensions and deliver redress. Grievances, as articulated by Tamil representatives, self-appointed or otherwise, are broadly of two kinds: the traditional homeland claim and inequalities or anomalies pertaining to citizenship (Island : 22 January 2011).

The Canadian Government And The RCMP Mean Business Against Terrorist Fronts And Their Efforts Should Be Recognized And Accoladed ! - By Sunil Kumar - Canada needs to be commended for the no nonsense stand taken against terrorism and certain organizations which front them and perhaps other countries which harbour such organizations through indifference or perhaps inadmissable vested interests should pay attention to the importance of Canada’s stand. Ever since the Administration of the Hon. Mr. Stephen Harper was elected into office his team of ministers with the Hon.Mr. Stockwell Day an outspoken campaigner against terrorism at the fore has hounded the Tami Tiger cells and their supportives until they were outlawed and not tolerated in Canada so much so they had to go underground and despite the resilience of the Tiger supportives who have not given up their worthless as well as futile dream of Tamil secession in Sri Lanka and continue their clandestine and surreptitious operations through fronts for the defunct terror group. However the Canadian Law Enforcement Agencies are onto them.They have never let up monitoring such activities linked to the Tigers as they pursue them relentlessly and the latest reports from Canada indicate they are getting tougher! As reported in the National Post Newspaper A pair of Canadian non-profit organizations, according to the intelligence reports of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have raised millions of dollars for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers rebels and have been ordered to forfeit all their belongings to the Federal Government, truly a body blow to the terrorist supportives and sends out a clear warning to others with similar ambitions that Canada will not tolerate them! (LankaWeb : 22 January 2011).

Is The Catholic Church the New Whipping Boy? - by Prof. Hudson McLean - Are some writers in LankaWeb running out of material and imagination, and turning to thunder the Catholic Church as a whole, with the presumption of collaborating with the Hindu led LTTE Terrorists to resurrect the Tamil Eelam in North East of Sri Lanka? Agreed that many of the Tamil Catholic priests and a couple of Tamil Catholic Bishops sympathised with the LTTE. However to assume now HH Pope in Rome has got his hand into the terrorist pot, with the Canadian Catholics using Tamil LTTE, as the “front”, is way, way out. In my personal opinion, the Sinhala Catholics in Sri Lanka in general, have never ever favoured a partition of the Island. The Sinhala Catholics are as patriotic as any other Buddhist, with the possible exception of some Tamil Christians and Tamil Catholics, who have favoured a LTTE led divided Sri Lanka. Bringing in the Canadian Catholic dimension into play is also ludicrous. If this theory has substance, the Catholics in Canada and HH Pope in Rome are now planning a massive global revolution to use a bunch of crazy Hindu LTTE Terrorists suicide bombers, and money launderers, to spearhead the next revolution in Asia, to convert India, Pakistan & Bagladesh into Catholicism! Get a Life! As another writer Kumar Moses has diligently presented the Sudan case, and I have stated several times, the best available option, whilst strategically placing the Defence element in the entire North, East upto Mannar, on a permanant basis, is to encourage and provide incentives to Sinhala population to relocate in the North East. Let the Military help with the infrastructure on housing, roads, water, schools, community facilities, vocational training, logistics and participate in Real Construction of the entire community. The Military has tremendous leadership and displinary qualities which could set examples to civilian life. As the Ministry of Defence has aptly demonstrated recently with, using the Army to distribute vegetables and supplies, utilise the Military and Defence personnel to engage in farming, fisheries, reconstruction in the North East. Make them a part of the community and “keep their ears to the ground”! A well trained Defence personnel, bored within a peaceful lethargic miltary communal life, tends to get dangerous ideas including the attraction of getting involved in politics and crime. The defence personnel should be allowed to utilise their acquired skills and develop other useful skills in commerce, and be given monetary incentives based on productivity, which will help them in later civilian life (LankaWeb : 22 January 2011).

Local and foreign Sri Lankan professionals should be alert : LTTE rump trying to disrupt economy despite being defeated militarily — GL - Although the LTTE has been defeated militarily, their cadres still surviving in foreign countries are planning to disrupt Sri Lanka’s economy and put the government into difficulty by making war crime charges in collaboration with affluent countries in the Western world, External Affairs Minister, Professor G. L. Peiris said. He said that since their main objective is to prevent the arrival of tourists in Sri Lanka, it is the duty and responsibility of the Sri Lankan professionals, both local and foreign, to defeat such attempts of the LTTE terrorists. The Minister expressed these views while addressing a meeting organized by Anuradhapura SLFP professional organizations at the Anuradhapura Technical College auditorium to solicit their assistance for the development programme of the government. Speaking further the minister said, "As the Minister of External Affairs, I wish to make you aware briefly of the threats leveled at our country. The war is over. The LTTE has been completely defeated in the both fields. We will never face such a difficult situation again. However, no one should take it for granted that the risk is completely over. Pro-LTTE activists in the international sphere are engaged in a massive ‘war’ against our country. It is an economic battle in which bombs, artillery or jets are not used" (Island : 22 January 2011).

Rs. 112 mn. Indian grant upgrades Jaffna Hospital - Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha Friday handed over medical equipment worth Rs. 112 million to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital at a ceremony attended by Health Minister Mathripala Sirisena, Major General G.A Chandrasiri, Governor of the Northern Province and officials of the Health Ministry. On the request from Jaffna Teaching Hospital, the Government of India agreed to upgrade the facilities of the hospital providing modern equipment for the Intensive Care Unit, Eye Ward, and Operation Theater under Indian grant assistance. ``Government of India has taken several steps to assist in the on-going rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the Northern Province and would continue to work towards this important objective,’’ a news release from the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. `` Augmentation of the health services available to the people of Jaffna was an initiative to fulfill this objective.’’ (Island ; 22 January 2011).

Jaffna’s EPDP Mayor blames LTTE for recent killings - Jaffna’s Mayor Yogeshwari Patkunarajah yesterday claimed that the LTTE was responsible for the recent abductions, extortions and killings in the Jaffna District and the EPDP had nothing to do with them.  Asked how the LTTE, which was said to have been wiped out in the North and East, could show its stripes and go Scot free in government controlled areas, the mayor who is also a senior EPDP member, said that some Tiger cadres were still around.  When told that EPDPers have been accused of being involved in the extortions and killing of three people, she said this was "false.’’ ``The,man referred to was released from jail about five years ago. He may have had links with the EPDP earlier, but not now. The LTTE is behind these incidents." Patkunarajah said that they were being unfairly accused of involvement in seven recent abductions leading to three killings. The law enforcement authorities however maintain that the arrested man was in possession of papers confirming his connections to the EPDP. Responding to the accusation, EPDP sources said "We do not want to embarrass the government internationally by raising the fear psychosis prevailing in Jaffna." Some of the abductions in the North and East between January 5 and 10 this year, the sources said, were reported from Mannar, Kopay and Ampara. "On January 10, five of six people abducted in Mannar were released in Colombo. On January 8, a Tamil student went missing in Ampara and on January 5 a father of five was reported lost in Kopay." (Island : 22 January 2011).

Tamil group ordered to forfeit cash - by  Stewart Bell - - A pair of Canadian non-profit organizations the RCMP says raised millions of dollars for Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have been ordered to forfeit all their belongings to the federal government. The Federal Court ruled the property of the World Tamil Movement of Ontario and the World Tamil Movement of Quebec was owned or controlled by a terrorist organization, and therefore had to be forfeited. The decision marks the official end of the WTM, which was formed in 1986 and became closely aligned with the fight for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka. It also marks the conclusion of a nine-year RCMP investigation that did not result in criminal charges. "We still view this as a very positive ending in the sense that we did disrupt activities of terrorist financing in Canada, so that's important to us," RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud said on Friday. Although the WTM has ceased to function, Assistant Comm. Michaud, head of National Security Criminal Investigations, said the Tamil Tigers are still a "group of interest" for RCMP counter-terrorism investigators. "They do remain a focus because we do have concerns as to if they're going to regroup and ... if they do, how are they going to do it. Are they going to be going through violence or through political influence?" Neither the Ontario nor Quebec World Tamil Movement branches contested the forfeiture of their property. Representatives of the groups said it would have been too costly, and there was little point, since the civil war in Sri Lanka was over. "The whole thing underlying this was support for a cause, and that cause seems to be quieter," said Steven Slimovitch, the lawyer who represented the Quebec branch of the WTM. "It made sense to move on." Sitta Sittampalam, the former president of the WTM in Ontario, said circumstances had changed. "When you look at what has happened since the events that have passed, it didn't make sense for us to spend so much on litigation on this matter" he said. "The community is moving forward." The court orders make Ottawa the new owner of the WTM headquarters building in Montreal, several bank accounts, cash, and thousands of propaganda items, many of them bearing the emblem of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group. The list of items seized by police includes boxes of LTTE flags, 20 t-shirts with the LTTE logo, 67 posters of LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, 5 garbage bags with the LTTE logo and calendars, watches and posters featuring images of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.aid, according to a transcript filed in court (National Post : 22 January 2011).

Tamil groups ordered to forfeit their assets -  Two Canada-based Tamil organisations, who raised millions of dollars for the LTTE here, will forfeit their assets following an adverse court order.  A Canadian Court has ruled the property of the World Tamil Movement (WTM) of Ontario and the World Tamil Movement of Quebec was owned or controlled by a terrorist organisation, and therefore had to be forfeited, according to police sources.  The decision marks the official end of the WTM, which was formed in 1986 and became closely aligned with the fight for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka.  After the court order, the Canadian government will now own the WTM''s bank accounts, its headquarters in Montreal, cash and propaganda material, including posters of LTTE supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran, LTTE flags, logos and T-shirts seized during the raid.  It also marks the conclusion of a nine-year investigation by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that did not result in criminal charges.  "We still view this as a very positive ending in the sense that we did disrupt activities of terrorist financing in Canada, so that''s important to us," National Post said quoting Canadian Assistant Police Commissioner Gilles Michaud said on Friday.  Although the WTM has ceased to function, Assistant Comm Michaud, head of National Security Criminal Investigations, said the Tamil Tigers are still a "group of interest" for RCMP counter-terrorism investigators.  "They do remain a focus because we do have concerns as to if they''re going to regroup and if they do, how are they going to do it. Are they going to be going through violence or through political influence?" The WTM came under the scanner in 2002 on suspicions of being a front for raising money for the Tamil Tigers in their fight against the Sri Lankan government.  After keeping surveillance on WTM office bearers and recording their activities, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raided its offices in Toronto and Montreal in 2006 after the Canadian government banned the Tamil Tigers.  Seized documents showed that the WTM ran a pre-authorised programme to withdraw money from people''s accounts, raising as much as USD 763,000 a year.  The documents also revealed that the WTM sent over USD 3 million from its bank accounts to overseas accounts, including a Malaysian account linked to the LTTE.  Neither the Ontario nor Quebec World Tamil Movement branches contested the forfeiture of their property.  Representatives of the groups said it would have been too costly, and there was little point, since the civil war in Sri Lanka was over (MSN News : 22 January 2011).

The Wikileaks Revelations about attitudes to Sri Lanka - Reading through the revelations about Sri Lanka in Wikileaks, I am struck most of all by how they confirm the assumptions on which I have been working over the last few years. I cannot pretend I knew all the ramifications of government policy over this period, but obviously, in fulfilling my responsibilities, as Head of the Peace Secretariat, and also Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, I had to relate to interlocutors in terms of their essential attitudes to the Sri Lankan government. This was particularly important since a fair amount of my work was with the international community, both in helping to coordinate international humanitarian assistance, which was a responsibility allocated to my Ministry, and also in assisting my Minister and our Ambassador in Geneva, Dayan Jayatilleka, with the various attacks on us that were being launched at the Human Rights Council. Dayan had realized, soon after he went to Geneva in 2007, that the British were our main enemies. He was practically told as much by Nick Thorne, the then British Ambassador, and also by various others who, though they had to follow the British line, were not so happy with it. Thorne was a bit of a bully, and one did not mind responding to him forcefully. More upsetting was the approach of his successor, who was clearly a very nice man, but permitted his young ladies, who had been trained as it were by Thorne, to be crudely, and often inaccurately, critical (Asia One : 22 January 2011).

Hundreds of Tamil youths for Lankan police service -  Hundreds of Tamil youths are being recruited to join the Sri Lankan police after being kept away from the security forces during the three decades long civil war in the country. Sri Lanka police has commenced the recruitment of 1,000 Tamil youths, including women, for the posts of sub inspectors, police constables and police drivers, according to the ColomboPage online. Four Senior Superintendents and two Superintendents of Police, mostly ethnic Tamil officers, have been appointed to the interview boards, the report said. The youths will be posted in police stations in the Northern Province which was once the heartland of the ethnic conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan army. Earlier this month, some 356 Tamil youths from Sri Lanka''s North joined the country''s police force after being recruited for the first time in 30 years, following the end of the ethnic conflict. It included 16 women officers to be deployed in Northern and Eastern provinces. In effect, the police forces becomes truly Sri Lanka now. During the civil war with the LTTE, Tamil youths from the North were not recruited into the country''s security forces. As a result, there was an acute shortage of Tamil-speaking law enforcement officers to serve in the North and East. Sri Lanka''s main opposition leader earlier this month asked parliament to send an all-party delegation to northern Jaffna peninsular after the government raised concern over the rising crime rate there. Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe had asked parliament to send an all-party delegation to assess the situation in Jaffna after Douglas Devananda, the Traditional Industries & Small Enterprise Development minister, pointed out that a fear psychosis was prevailing in northern most city considered the cultural capital of minority Tamil population. Sri Lankan military captured the Jaffna peninsula in 1995, which was earlier the stronghold of the now defeated LTTE. The Lankan military crushed the rebels in May 2009 and ended the ethnic conflict that killed between 80,000 and 100,000 people. The LTTE waged a bloody civil war for a separate state for the Tamils of Sri Lanka, alleging discrimination against the minority community at the hands of the majority Sinhalas (MSN News ; 22 January 2011).

India says committed to facilitate development in Jaffna - Colombo, Jan 21 (PTI) India today said it is committed to facilitate development in Jaffna peninsula in Sri Lanka''s north, which was earlier the stronghold of the now defeated LTTE.  "As the people of Jaffna seek to resurrect their lives after years of armed conflict, the Government and the people of India remain committed to facilitate development in the region," Indian high commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K Kantha said.  High commissioner was speaking at the inauguration of second annual Jaffna International Trade Fair (JITF) today where more than 45 Indian companies are participating.  The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) have also sent business delegations to the event.  "There is a special place in this relationship for age-old and time-tested bonds between the Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka and India." he said.  India has already started working on developing Palaly air port and Kankasanthurai harbour in the Jaffna peninsula to build airport as a regional aviation center and the harbour as a trade and commercial hub.  High commission also donated medical equipments worth LKR 112 million to Jaffna hospital and inaugurated the second branch of Indian bank in Jaffna (MSN News : 22 January 2011).

‘Diaspora’ driven UK travel advisory - If only the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) of the UK could be as objective or concerned about accuracy with regard to the situation regarding the recent heavy flooding in large parts of Sri Lanka, in its references to the prevalence of terrorism in the country, in its travel advisories for UK visitors to Sri Lanka, it would stand out as exemplary for accuracy of description. In the latest advisory (January 20) the cautioning on the weather situation, officially described by Sri Lanka as the worst natural disaster since the tsunami of December 2004, the FCO states: “Recent heavy rains have ceased and flooding has receded in Eastern districts of Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee (Daily News : 22 January 2011).

Sri Lanka: Ban Ki-moon’ Expert Panel falls from frying pan into fire - Ban Ki-Moon’s re-election unlikely - United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka has fallen into more soups since of late. In addition to being taunted about corruption scandals of Ban administration at a recent press briefing and uncertainness of whether Ban will seek a second term in the face of all these crises, Ban had refused answer questions about his Panel of Expert’s on Sri Lanka. The Panel was appointed last year, with much fanfare and grandeur, after pro-LTTE quarters and LTTE-sympathetic countries of the West pressurized the world body to set up a war probe into Sri Lanka, in a possible bid to distract attention from gross human rights violations committed by United States and her allies in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Ban Ki-moon had recently told media that he was trying his level best to work out Panel’s visit to Sri Lanka. “They are now working very seriously on finalizing the dates of visiting Sri Lanka,” Moon said. Asked about Sri Lankan government’s position that although they can talk to the LLRC (Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission), they can't investigate anything, Moon replied saying, “They will be able to... They are now discussing that.” “This again in contradictory to what the Sri Lankan government has said, and even to what Ban's spokespeople have said. Ban's acting Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq told media that the Panel might only meet the LLRC outside Sri Lanka,” a New York media reported. Late December, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that his government will issue visa for United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Panel of Experts on Sri Lanka only to testify before the Lessons Learnt & Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). (Asian Tribune : 22 January 2011).

Usual suspects attack Sri Lanka before Geneva meetings - by Professor Rajiva WIJESINHA - Minority Rights Group International has just issued a report which repeats a lot of the unsubstantiated critiques of the Sri Lankan State which we have heard in recent months. The BBC asked me to respond to three specific points, which I did, though ultimately the story was not used. I think this shows maturity on the part of the BBC, to realize that this sort of extravagant generalization is not of great importance to the world at large.  However, since another source brought the report to my attention, I thought it would be useful to publicize this initial response. The attack follows a similar pattern to what we faced in the past, with a tendentious press release that makes horrendous generalizations - "Human rights violations in Sri Lanka continue unabated against ethnic Tamils and Muslims who fear an increasingly nationalist government" - which are not borne out at all by the report. I was reminded of the first such effusion I saw, when Human Rights Watch issued a release that talked about indiscriminate attacks on civilians in the East, whereas the report itself recorded only one such incident, when civilians had died, but as a result of mortar locating radar. The report recorded that the LTTE had been present with weapons in the refugee camp that was attacked, though it claimed, knowing better than the radar, that there were no heavy weapons around (Daily News : 22 January 2011).

LTTE Tamil Tigers using ‘Sudan’ link to legitimise Eelam

Organizations that allegedly raised money for Tamil Tigers ordered to forfeit belongings - A pair of Canadian non-profit organizations the RCMP says raised millions of dollars for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers rebels have been ordered to forfeit all their belongings to the federal government.  The Federal Court ruled the property of the World Tamil Movement of Ontario and the World Tamil Movement of Quebec was owned or controlled by a terrorist organization and therefore had to be forfeited.  The decision marks the official end of the WTM, which was formed in 1986 and became closely aligned with the fight for Tamil independence in Sri Lanka. It also marks the conclusion of a nine-year RCMP investigation that did not result in criminal charges.  “We still view this as a very positive ending in the sense that we did disrupt activities of terrorist financing in Canada, so that’s important to us,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Gilles Michaud said on Friday.  Although the WTM has ceased to function, Assistant Comm. Michaud, head of National Security Criminal Investigations, said the Tamil Tigers are still a “group of interest” for RCMP counter-terrorism investigators.  “They do remain a focus because we do have concerns as to if they’re going to regroup and … if they do, how are they going to do it. Are they going to be going through violence or through political influence?”  Neither the Ontario nor Quebec WTM branches contested the forfeiture of their property. Representatives of the groups said it would have been too costly and there was little point since the civil war in Sri Lanka was over.  “The whole thing underlying this was support for a cause, and that cause seems to be quieter,” said Steven Slimovitch, the lawyer who represented the Quebec branch of the WTM. “It made sense to move on.”  Sitta Sittampalam, the former president of the WTM in Ontario, also said circumstances had changed. “When you look at what has happened since the events that have passed, it didn’t make sense for us to spend so much on litigation on this matter” he said. “The community is moving forward.”  The court orders make Ottawa the new owner of the WTM headquarters building in Montreal, several bank accounts, cash, and thousands of propaganda items, many of them bearing the militaristic emblem of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group.  The list of items seized by police includes boxes of LTTE flags, 20 t-shirts with the LTTE logo, 67 posters of LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, 5 garbage bags with the LTTE logo and calendars, watches and posters featuring images of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran (National Post : 21 January 2011).

The Wikileaks Revelations about attitudes to Sri Lanka - By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha - Reading through the revelations about Sri Lanka in Wikileaks, I am struck most of all by how they confirm the assumptions on which I have been working over the last few years. I cannot pretend I knew all the ramifications of government policy over this period, but obviously, in fulfilling my responsibilities, as Head of the Peace Secretariat, and also Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, I had to relate to interlocutors in terms of their essential attitudes to the Sri Lankan government. This was particularly important since a fair amount of my work was with the international community, both in helping to coordinate international humanitarian assistance, which was a responsibility allocated to my Ministry, and also in assisting my Minister and our Ambassador in Geneva, Dayan Jayatilleka, with the various attacks on us that were being launched at the Human Rights Council (Island : 21 January 2011).

What Happened to Sudan Will Happen to Sri Lanka Unless the Mono-Ethnic Nature of the North is Changed  - Kumar Moses South Sudanese have decided to separate. The referendum returned an overwhelming support for mostly Christian and tribal controlled South Sudan to separate from the Islamic north. Tamil Tigers have been invited to participate in the celebrations. Officials of the Transitional Government of Tamil Elam (TGTE) will be attending the celebration of the forming of the nation of South Sudan. Strategically important Red Sea area has seen many separations including Eritrea, Somaliland and Now South Sudan. Although away from the Red Sea, massive oil resources, close proximity to Egypt (the most powerful African nation) and a vast non-Arabic population in an otherwise Arabic region are some reasons for the success of the SPLA campaign. Notwithstanding old alliances, most superpowers (four out of five are Christian nations) threw their weight behind the larger Christian South against the Islamic North. Israel too supported the South Sudan movement for a very long time. Such enormous support left Sudan helpless and was forced to put up with the referendum (LankaWeb ; 21 January 2011).

A reply to pseudonym Paul George…. - by Shenali Waduge I do not usually reply to mails that has no substance but when those siding with the LTTE especially those writing under western pseudonyms continue to speak on behalf of a now buried LTTE and try to raise it from the ashes by again fooling the people in Sri Lanka, a reply to such trash is needed.  It is natural that when a truth hits a nerve, anger abounds. I can well understand how those riding on the LTTE from abroad living luxurious lives are now dumbfounded at what to do. When the truth is written it hurts and I can understand how people like you must be feeling, but believe me you & these other terrorists who have made merry bankrolling the LTTE while also pocketing some for yourselves do not understand the meaning of the word peace to remotely know or comprehend what the people of the North or East are feeling.  I will have you know that my trip to Jaffna was funded by me, from my money which has no connectivity to the government or any other agency (public or private). I wonder how you can imagine how my trip would have been when it would be interesting to know exactly when you set foot on Sri Lankan soil to actually know what the people of Sri Lanka think? While funding LTTE terrorists, I would also like to know why none of you even cared to put up a hospital in the North, a school for education, a community center, some sports facilities for the youth or even some vocational centers other than brain washing youth or kidnapping them to turn them into killers? (LankaWeb : 21 January 2011).

Why Canada is trying to revive the LTTE - by Sarath Bulathsinghala - Let us look at the big picture. ? The Christian Church is already loosing its adherents in the Christian West. Having seeing their bigotry, pedophilia and unearned riches traditional Christians are leaving their churches by the score. Already the Churches in these countries are up for sale in many places. ?Canada is a wealthy country where the Catholic Church is very powerful and extremely influential. Catholic Church has already declared that this century is for the conversion of Asia. They need new converts to counter the loss they are already suffering. In Sri Lanka they will use the LTTE to help them convert the Tamils in the North and East. This is why the LTTE is important for them.? Elsewhere for the Western Christian powers their long term agenda is to balkanize the whole of South Asia – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma to enable them to exploit and have dominance over these countries. They too require the LTTE to make a toehold first in Sri Lanka as a stepping stone for the dismemberment of India. Balkanization of Pakistan is ongoing! ? The 13th Amendment + will give much power to the provinces in Sri Lanka. This is already proving to be a big while elephant, a burden to the ordinary Sri Lankan, serving only the interests of a favored few. With the 13+ the Catholic Church will become very powerful in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province. Already the newly appointed Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has told not to change the demographics in the North and East and to keep them for the Tamils. What this means is that the Catholic Church wants to have a free ride in these provinces unencumbered to carry out conversions. Once converted they become easy pawns and cannon fodder for this misguided adventure of creating the greater Ealam – a Christian nation friendly to the Western Powers (LankaWeb : 21 January 2011).

‘Tigers using ‘Sudan’ link to legitimise Eelam’ - A section of the LTTE rump, headed by the US-based V. Rudrakumaran, is exploiting the inaugural sessions of the so-called Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE), held in Philadelphia in May 2009, to promote its separatist cause, a highly placed official says. In an interview with The Island, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that in spite of the diminishing support among the Tamil Diaspora for its macabre ‘Eelam’ project, Rudrakumaran’s faction now had the advantage of the Philadelphia meet to pursue its strategy Rudrakumaran, who functions as the Prime Minister of the TGTE, in a statement issued on Jan. 17, 2011, after receiving an invitation from the Southern Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM), to attend Independence Day celebrations, revealed that the TGTE’s (Read Tigers) relationship with SPLM was nothing new. According to the US-based lawyer, SPLM had sent its Secretary General Domach Wal Ruach, to address the Philadelphia sessions. This was followed by another session in New York. Referring to President Obama’s op-ed article in New York Times, on the day of the Referendum in South Sudan(Jan. 10), "Millions of Sudanese are making their way to the polls to determine their destiny," Rudrakumaran said: "TGTE is applauding President Obama’s statement and calls upon the international community to give an opportunity for Eelam Tamils to determine their destiny the same way." The official who was instrumental in destroying the LTTE leadership is of the view that the Rudrakumaran group poses a far more serious threat to post-war Sri Lanka than two or three other factions trying to undermine the country through military means. He says Rudrakumaran is seeking to strengthen his position among the Tamil Diaspora (Island : 21 January 2011).

Health Minister lashes out at ‘northern docs’, demands change of attitude - Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday lashed out at those who had ‘turned their back on the North’ after being qualified as doctors etc. An irate Minister Sirisena said that the majority of those entering medical faculties in the South never wanted to serve in their native places. They either stayed in the South or went abroad, the Minister said.  He was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a Japanese-funded project to upgrade the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Under the three-year project, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would spend Rs. 2.08 billion to set up a range of new services at the hospital, the premier health facility in the Jaffna peninsula.  Minister Sirisena assured that about 50 new doctors would be assigned to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in February to strengthen the health services in the North. He assured that an adequate number of nursing and minor staff, too, would be made available to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.  The Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Kunio Takahashi was present at the inauguration of the project. JICA said that the government of Sri Lanka had requested Japanese assistance to develop the Jaffna Hospital (Island ; 21 January 2011).

Army rejects claims - Military spokesperson Major General Ubaya Medawala rejected the claims that the army has detained a Chennai based lawyer and her associate who were in Sri Lanka to find the conditions of Tamil refugees as claimed by Indian media. “We are not aware and nothing related to such claims that of detaining any individuals have been reported so far”, General Medawala said (Daily Mirror : 21 January 2011).

Sri Lanka grand Tamil party alliance fails - Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil party- Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday (January 21, 2011) decided that the party would contest the upcoming local government elections joining hands with the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) and Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Elam (PLOTE) under the house symbol of the Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi- ITAK (Federal Party). Although four Tamil parties namely the TULF, PLOTE, Pathmanabha Eelam Revolutionary Liberation Front (PERLF of EPRLF -Pathmanabha Faction), the Tamil National Liberation Alliance (TNLA) led by the TNA dissident M K Sivajilingam, were willing to forge an electoral alliance with the TNA, the latter two had to be dropped after vehement opposition from TNA stalwarts.  Earlier Jaffna District MP and Secretary of PLOTE, Suresh Premachandran had objected to the move to include the PERLF (EPRLF -Pathmanabha) while TELO leader Selvam Adaikkalanathan opposed Sivajilingam-led TNLA, a splinter group of his party join back. Earlier on January 12, a Joint Committee consisting both the TNA as well as an umbrella body of Tamil parties- the Tamil Parties Forum (TPF) commenced discussions to find a lasting political solution for Tamils and was hopeful of forging a grand alliance of Tamil parties. Tamil Parties’ Forum, an adhoc outfit consisting of representatives of a majority of Tamil political parties- TULF, EPDP, PLOTE, EPRLF (Pathmanabha), TNLA, Sri TELO, and DPF met Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 27, to discuss issues cfaced by Tamils. Currently the TNA itself is an alliance of four Tamil parties namely the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the TELO (Tamil Elam Liberation Organisation), the EPRLF (Suresh Group) and the ITAK. This will be the first time that local government elections are being held for a majority of local authorities situated in the Wanni electoral district comprising administrative districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. However elections for Jaffna Municipal Council and Vavuniya Urban Council were held in 1998 and again after the completion of the war, on August 08, 2009. Meanwhile the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance’ (UPFA) constituent Tamil parties namely Ceylon Workers Congress led by Minister Arumugam Thondaman, Upcountry Peoples Front, Elam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Minister Douglas Devananda and Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal led by Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan will field candidates on the UPFA ticket (Asian Tribune : 21 January 2011).

Jaffna Trade Fair opens - The first Jaffna International Trade Fair opened in the north Sri Lankan city today, to facilitate a quicker re-integration of the north with the country’s economy. The Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka and Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services, and the local business chambers are organising the three-day fai. The event supported by the Indian High Commission, the Sri Lankan Government and anchored by the Indian Consulate in Jaffna, has a strong Indian presence. A few companies from Malaysia, Indonesia are also participating, apart from Sri Lankan business houses (Daily Mirror : 21 January 2011).

India to assist SL convert Palaly military air base into civilian airport Jaffna International Trade Fair 2011 Colombo - Tuticorin ferry service to commence in March – Askok K.Kanth - Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kanth says New Delhi will provide financial assistance to convert the Palaly military air base into a civilian airport. Addressing the launch of the Jaffna International Trade Fair 2011, at the Jaffna Library Auditorium on Friday (Jan.21), Kanth, who was the Chief Guest at the event, said that India was keen on strengthening people to people contacts with Sri Lanka and the development of Palaly air base would be a step in that direction.  Work on the project was expected to commence soon, he said. Kanth said that India was in the process of rehabilitating the Rameshwaram Pier, to facilitate the resumption of the ferry service to Talaimannar, which was suspended in the 80s. "Reconstruction will take about three to four months. Earlier this month, I signed an agreement for the resumption of the ferry service between Colombo and Tuticorin, which is scheduled to commence in March this year," he said. "This would help ordinary people travel between the two countries, resulting in bilateral relations being strengthened further." India will also be providing financial assistance to develop the Kankesnathurai harbour, and the work was expected to commence in March, Kanth said (Island : 21 January 2011).

Alleged Sun Sea smuggler arrested - Thai authorities say they have arrested a man who they say is a human smuggler linked to the sailing of the MV Sun Sea, the rickety boat that transported 492 Tamil migrants to British Columbia last year.  Thailand’s immigration police arrested Nadesan Jeeyananthan, 48, and seven other people accused of involvement in a human-smuggling ring during a series of raids last Sunday, The Globe and Mail reported.  The arrest marks the first claim of headway by police in the investigation into the human-smuggling operation that raised fears that former Tamil Tiger militants were among the migrants seeking a new home in Canada. The Harper government responded with a promise to crack down on human smuggling.  Jeeyananthan is believed to have been involved in the Sun Sea operation, but is not the mastermind behind it, according to Canadian officials who spoke to The Globe and Mail on condition they not be named. The officials said he is alleged to have been behind a major-human smuggling operation that has tried to send migrants to Canada in other ships.  Another ship, the Ocean Lady, brought 79 Tamils to Canada in October, 2009.  Thailand, a country that is relatively easy to enter, has become a transit point for migrant-smuggling operations to Australia, Canada, and elsewhere. Since the Sun Sea, Canada has sent police and intelligence officers to assist Thai authorities in investigations.  Sources said a half-dozen RCMP officers and one intelligence officer are now in Thailand, but Canadian officials would not say what role, if any, they had in the arrests (ISRIA : 21 January 2011).

Canada considers new laws to curb human smuggling

SLTB jobs for ex-combatants - Thirty ex-combatants who successfully completed their rehabilitation and vocational training were given appointments in the technical service attached to the Sri Lanka Transport Board depots in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in the North.  The appointments were given during a ceremony held under the patronage of Parliamentarian and the Tharunyata Hetak Organization Chairman Namal Rajapaksa at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat recently.  Meanwhile, several ex-LTTE combatants, who successfully completed their rehabilitation programs have already been recruited as drivers to the SLTB's Kondavil bus Depot in Jaffna.  The Government had provided an opportunity for ex-LTTE combatants to re-integrate into civilian society by providing jobs and training in different vocations. "We are helping ex-combatants return to society and re-integrate with their families," Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa said. "We try to transform the lives of these combatants through rehabilitation. There are major investments in the North. Those investors might employ them," said Parliamentarian Dilum Amunugama who is in-charge of the development of the transport sector in the North.  On the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa newly elected young Parliamentarians have been assigned with specific duties in many areas like health, transport, highways, environment, agriculture, infrastructure, education, fishing and many other areas to be developed and using human and psychical resources in an effective way in the region towards development. Therefore, it is our responsibility to identify the problems prevailing in the region and solve them by assuing the safety and well-being of the people," he further said (Daily News ; 21 January 2011).

MV Sun Sea : Human smuggler - Thai authorities say they have arrested a man who they say is a human smuggler linked to the sailing of the MV Sun Sea, the rickety boat that transported 492 Tamil migrants to British Columbia last year.  Thailand’s immigration police arrested Nadesan Jeeyananthan, 48, and seven other people accused of involvement in a human-smuggling ring during a series of raids last Sunday, The Globe and Mail reported.  The arrest marks the first claim of headway by police in the investigation into the human-smuggling operation that raised fears that former Tamil Tiger militants were among the migrants seeking a new home in Canada. The Harper government responded with a promise to crack down on human smuggling.  Jeeyananthan is believed to have been involved in the Sun Sea operation, but is not the mastermind behind it, according to Canadian officials who spoke to The Globe and Mail on condition they not be named. The officials said he is alleged to have been behind a major-human smuggling operation that has tried to send migrants to Canada in other ships.  Early this week, the Canadian media reported that intelligence sources have warned that two more ships may be launched from Asian ports carrying as many as 50 former LTTE leaders and cadres headed for Canada’s west coast (Sunday Observer ; 21 January 2011).

India arrests nearly 200 pro-Tiger Terrorist demonstrators - Nearly 200 people belonging to several Tamil Nadu Political Parties have been arrested by the Police for staging demonstrations against distribution of a calendar with President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s photograph by a school and for burning copies of the calendar.  The calendar depicting the picture of an Indian student shaking hand with President Mahinda Rajapaksa was distributed by the Senik Society School at Amaravathi Nagar near Udumalpet in Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu.  The photograph in question had been taken during a youth exchange programme of NCC cadets from India to Sri Lanka. The calendar was brought out by the Sainik School Society in New Delhi for distribution by all 24 Sainik Schools in India. The cadet in question is from the Sainik School at Goalpara in Assam.  Police reports said that the demonstrations and protests were staged by the Periyar Dravida Kazhagam, MDMK, and few other outfits, including Aathithamizhar Peravai , Naam Tamilar Iyyakkam, and Viduthalai Chiruttaikal Katchi,all of which are pro-LTTE political outfits and continue to agitate for the LTTE cause. They have agitated that all calendars distributed by the Amaravathi Nagar school be recalled and the distribution be called off.  The Periyar Dravida Kazhagam is the party of the founder of Dravidian Movement the late E.V.Ramasamy Naicker, and the MDMK is the party headed by pro-LTTE V.Gopalaswamy alias Vaiko. Viduthalai Chiruttaikal Katchi is headed by another pro-LTTE individual Thol Thirumavalan (Asian Tribune ; 21 January 2011).

Thai officials arrest a leader of Tamil migrant smuggling operation - Thai immigration police officials have arrested a Sri Lankan Tamil suspected of smuggling Tamil migrants to Canada last August on board the MV Sun Sea.  Thai officials have arrested Nadesan Jeeyananthan, 48, in Bangkok last weekend along with seven others, Canada's National Post reported Thursday.  Canadian and Thai officials have described the suspect as a leading Sri Lankan human smuggling kingpin in Thailand although he was not the main organizer of the MV Sun Sea operation.  MV Sun Sea, a Thai cargo ship modified to transport people carried 492 Sri Lankan Tamil migrants to Canada's Vancouver Island last year. Some of the migrants are suspected of being members of the defeated terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  Quoting Thai officials National Post said Jeeyananthan was preparing another ship to take 200 Sri Lankan Tamil migrants when the voyage was disrupted by police in February.  Jeeyananthan and the others were arrested in Bangkok's Bang Khen district where Thai police arrested 50 illegal Sri Lankan immigrants in December 2010.  So far the group has been charged only with illegally entering Thailand or overstaying their visas, the National Post reported.  In October 2009, MV Ocean Lady brought 76 illegal Sri Lankan migrants, all males, to British Columbia. MV Sun Sea's human cargo included 380 men, 63 women, and 49 children. All the migrants have sought asylum in the country.  Canada's Public Safety Minister Vic Toews on Wednesday said Canadian people's attitude towards the migrants to the country is hardening and the public are losing faith in the refugee system after the arrival of the two shiploads of illegal Sri Lankan Tamil migrants (Colombo page : 21 January 2011).

Mr Zafiri, US and War Crimes - by Dr Bandula Kothalawala - According to a press release from Amnesty International, Mr Sam Zarifi, AI Asia-Pacific Director, is of the firm view that “the United States has an obligation under international law to investigate and prosecute people who perpetrated war crimes..“! Strangely enough, Mr Zafiri, has failed to specify the particular instrument in international law which devolves this rather onerous duty on the United States. Nor does he refer to or quote the relevant international jurisprudence. Moreover, there is no indication as to whether Mr Zafiri has already discussed this role with the US authorities, for this would confer an additional function on a country already credited with a condign unsavoury reputation for its conduct as gendarme on the international scene. Presumably, Mr Zafiri, now, wants the US to act as judge and, perhaps, as jury, as well. Curiously, Mr Zafari, has made no press release, requesting the US Administration to investigate Mr Hu Jintao, Chinese President, who, too, finds himself on US soil right now for alleged violations of human rights on the Tianamen Square in 1989 or in Tibet. I wonder whether this is an oversight which Mr Zafiri might want to rectify before Mr Jintao’s departure. Nevertheless, I can’t recall Mr Zafiri calling on the US Government to investigate other visiting heads of state accused of war crimes – Mr Tony Blair, for instance. Mr Zariri is, indeed, very selective in his choices! And Mr Zafini’s organization seems to have a weakness for the weak and meek in the world! (LankaWeb : 20 January 2011).

How SL Tamil in Switzerland was coerced to finance the LTTE - In the aftermath of the raids carried out by the Swiss Federal Prosecution on LTTE cells collecting money for the movement, The Basler Zeitung in Switzerland carried the following story online on the morning of the 19th January 2011. The report stated that the Swiss Federal Prosecution Office had not made a statement as to how the coercion was exerted on Sri Lankan Tamils living in Switzerland to get loans from Banks, which were then diverted to the LTTE. These monies have been diverted through many channels. It was evident that a solid Pyramid structure had been built. Banknow, a small daughter company of Credit Suisse has confirmed that they have been contacted by the Federal Prosecution Office. They are also aware that a case has been filed by a client who was coerced by the LTTE to take a loan. Two Tamil middlemen have been suspected. We give below a translation of an interview given by a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee from Zurich referred to as K.A. to Alain Zucker of the Basler Zeitung (Island ; 20 January 2011).

AG acts on LLRC advice: Top team probes Boossa detainees’ cases - The Attorney General’s Department is in the process of inquiring into cases involving detained LTTE suspects, including those held for high profile attacks.  The inquiry follows the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) to President Mahinda Rajapaksa late last year. The Attorney General’s Department launched the inquiry on Wednesday (Jan. 19) with a special team headed by Deputy Solicitor General Shavendra Fernando visiting the Boossa detention facility to speak with LTTE suspects.  A spokesperson for the LLRC told The Island yesterday that some of those detained Tigers had requested the members of the LLRC on Dec. 30, last year to make representations on their behalf to the government. The detainees requested the LLRC to expedite police inquiries into their alleged involvement in terrorist activities.  They wanted to be either prosecuted or released.The official said that the LLRC had met the parents of those detainees numbering 20 during field visits to the Northern and Eastern Provinces since last August. The detainees are among those held by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID).  Attorney General Mohan Peiris has included Senior State attorneys, Chetiya Gunasekera, Kumara Ratnam, and Dilan Ratnayaka, in Shavendra’s team (Island : 20 January 2011).

Amnesty’s Call To Investigate The President A Worthless One! - By Sunil Kumar -  Once again the contentious and sycophantic aspect of Amnesty International whose reputation for meddling in matters beyond their scope by far supercedes any objectives that might make the world a better place though their actions in the minds of many, seems to have surfaced in yet another moronic call for the USA to investigate a visiting head of state ~ in this instance the President of Sri Lanka who has an unblemished record for his empathies towards the long suffering Tamils of Sri Lanka (as opposed to the terrorists that is where even to them he has extended a hand towards re-habilitation) for what they term ‘war crimes’ by their own definition alone and needs to be stifled and silenced with a warning to focus their attentions on matters which have a real felt need for investigation around the globe or disband their bifurcated outfit rather than making fools of themselves! (LankaWeb : 20 January 2011).

Canada considers new laws to curb human smuggling - The Canadian government has renewed calls for tougher measures to curb human smuggling, amidst reports that the LTTE cadres are regrouping in that country, agency reports said.  Reports quoted Canadian Public Safety Minister Vic Toews as saying that there was ‘new information’ suggesting that ‘syndicated criminal networks are organizing migrant smuggling ventures potentially destined for Canada.’  He said, "... action is needed now... before further boats turn up on Canadian shores."  The Ottawa Citizen, citing unnamed security intelligence sources, reported that exiled leaders from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were re-establishing their violent Sri Lankan separatist movement in Canada."We don’t know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear — to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here," a government official was quoted as saying.  The newspaper also said intelligence sources warned that two ships may be launched from Asian ports carrying as many as 50 former Tamil Tiger rebel leaders and fighters headed for Canada’s west coast (Island : 20 January 2011).

Call to Investigate Sri Lankan President – January 19,2011 - Ira de Silva London, Canada The Director Amnesty International USA 5 Penn Plaza New York, NY 10001; Dear Sir: I have just read your statement of January 19, 2011 calling on the United States to investigate Sri Lankan President Rajapakse during his visit to the U.S. In the statement it is claimed that your organization ”investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied”. If this claim is to be believed, why is it that AI has not started an investigation into the abuses that are been perpetrated by the United States in many parts of the world? In the case of Sri Lanka it is “alleged” that there have been abuses, in the case of the abuses by the United States it is a proven fact. The documentation of the abuses are documents and videos from the U.S. Government. AI should not only have had many investigations but should have had the results of the investigations made public so that the world would have by now been “educated and mobilized” and millions of people protected from the continuous killing of civilians, torture, rendition and other such activities that are making news worldwide on a regular basis. There are not thousands but millions of people worldwide who “demand accountability” for these abuses they have and are suffering from because of the actions of the U.S. forces and their contract killers such as Blackwater but AI has yet to investigate, educate etc. Before even thinking of investigating Sri Lanka, the United States should ” investigate these allegations and support calls for an international investigation into the United States role in war crimes” and establish a precedent and guidelines. Furthermore, there is no need to wait for those responsible to “visit” the United States, they are resident in the U.S., the documents are also in the U.S. and now made public to the world. Why has there been no call for investigation, accountability, and redress if, as AI claims, it exposes abuses and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied? Is it because it is biased or because it is paid to be blind to abuses committed by western countries? (LankaWeb ; 20 January 2011).

Over 5,000 LTTE-expelled northern Muslims return home

Why The Tigers Now? And Why Does Canada Tolerate Even Their Token Presence And Any Attempt To Re-group ? - LankaWeb Weekly Editorial January 20th 2011 - Perhaps it is quite important that all Canadians as well as all citizens of the world, conscious of the dangers of the spreading of global terrorism and the dire implications involved are made aware of this ever present threat of a resurgence of Tamil Tiger terrorism in Canada particularly as there are very credible reports based on careful research that despite being driven underground, dispersed and outlawed by the present Conservative Administration, there still is a concerted effort by die hard Tamil Tiger sympathisers to revive them and that the dream of Tamil secession in Sri Lanka still exists amongst some ! Security Intelligence Authorities in Canada in an alarming report to the media as well as the Canadian Government are warning that exiled Tamil rebel leaders are re-establishing their violent Sri Lankan separatist movement in Canada and that it is of paramount importance that the Government of Canada needs to pay attention and take stringent preventive measures in the continued war against terrorism in addition to what has already been set in place (LankaWeb : 20 January 2011).

Tigers plan to use Canada as base - official - Warning accompanies report that traffickers plan to send two more migrant ships to BC - Ottawa: Security intelligence authorities are warning that exiled Tamil rebel leaders are re-establishing their violent Sri Lankan separatist movement in Canada. "We don’t know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear — to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here," a well-placed federal government official told the Ottawa Citizen.  The warning accompanied a report late last week to senior government officials revealing that two southeast Asian smuggling syndicates are arranging the launch of two more ship-loads of Tamil migrants to British Columbia in the coming weeks. The boats are expected to carry as many as 50 former Tamil Tiger rebel leaders and fighters, according to intelligence estimates.  "Why here? It doesn’t make any sense because it is much easier to go to Australia," said the official.  Two previous cargo ships, Sun Sea and Ocean Lady, arrived off the west coast last year and in 2009 carrying a total of 568 migrants, including several men the government suspects are former rebels.  "How many have made it through, how advanced they are is not clear, [but] we’re concerned," said the official. "Canadians expect us to avoid becoming a haven for terrorists."  The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, were defeated in 2009 after waging a three-decade civil war. The group has been outlawed in Canada since 2006.  Human rights groups and Canadian Tamils urge compassion for the migrants and have called for a broader public understanding of the complex political situation in Sri Lanka. As members of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, many of the men are fleeing persecution and face torture or death if returned to their homeland, they say.  Two Federal Court decisions released last week disclosed that federal investigators have identified at least two Sun Sea passengers as LTTE members. Both were ordered to remain in custody, although the Immigration and Refugee Board had earlier approved their release. In all, about 225 out of the 380 men and about 57 out of the 63 women from Sun Sea have been ordered released. Many of those releases have been stayed because the government appealed them in Federal Court. The remaining 49 are children, who were not detained, but remained with their detained parents (Island : 19 January 2011).

Disbelief at defeat of LTTE needs to be unpacked - In the run up to the final military annihilation of the LTTE, there were two perceptible reactions from certain sections of the international community. There was freely expressed horror at the massacre of thousands upon thousands of innocent civilians that seemed to be inevitable. Mischief-makers started throwing out numbers and these took lives of their own and were eventually treated not as conjecture but fact, producing even greater horror. There was a scandalous readiness to treat LTTE propaganda as biblical truth. There were cries for international intervention to save the LTTE leadership. There was no massacre. There was instead the greatest ever hostage rescue operation in recorded history. Some 300,000 civilians held as a human shield by the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit were rescued at great cost to the Sri Lankan security forces. This number alone indicates the ridiculous nature of the allegation that the Government and/or the high command of the security forces carried out a policy that contravened relevant conventions. The second reaction was disbelief. The unthinkable and unpredicted was unfolding before the eyes of the unthinking and skeptical. Sri Lanka was actually defeating the LTTE, whose propaganda regarding invincibility was purchased without a second thought by many who were never friendly towards this country. They thought Sri Lanka lacked the military capacity, political will and the courage to stand firm against all manner of pressure that was bound to be brought to bear (Daily Mirror : 19 January 2011).

Tamil rebels may be using Canada as base of operations: official - The warning comes as two southeast Asian smuggling syndicatesprepare the launch of two more shiploads of Tamil migrants to British Columbia - Security intelligence authorities are warning that exiled Tamil rebel leaders are re-establishing their violent Sri Lankan separatist movement in Canada. "We don't know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear — to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership. Some leadership is already here," a well-placed federal government official told the Ottawa Citizen. The warning accompanied a report late last week to senior government officials revealing that two southeast Asian smuggling syndicates are arranging the launch of two more shiploads of Tamil migrants to British Columbia in the coming weeks. The boats are expected to carry as many as 50 former Tamil Tiger rebel leaders and fighters, according to intelligence estimates. "Why here? It doesn't make any sense because it is much easier to go to Australia," said the official. "This is the reason." Two previous cargo ships, Sun Sea and Ocean Lady, arrived off the West Coast last year and in 2009 carrying a total of 568 migrants, including several men the government suspects are former rebels. "How many have made it through, how advanced they are is not clear, (but) we're concerned," said the official. "Canadians expect us to avoid becoming a haven for terrorists." The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, were defeated in 2009 after waging a three-decade civil war for independence. The group has been outlawed in Canada since 2006. Human rights groups and Canadian Tamils urge compassion for the migrants and have called for a broader public understanding of the complex political situation in Sri Lanka. As members of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, many of the men are fleeing persecution and face torture or death if returned to their homeland, they say. The Canada Border Services Agency has alleged that at least 14 of the MV Sun Sea migrants are inadmissible to Canada due to membership in a terrorist organization. An Immigration and Refugee Board spokeswoman says admissibility hearings for those individuals could begin next month. In all, about 225 out of the 380 men and about 57 out of the 63 women from Sun Sea have been ordered released. Many of those releases have been stayed because the government appealed them in Federal Court. The remaining 49 are children, who were not detained, but remained with their detained parents (Vancouver Sun : 19 January 2011).

Canada new base of Tamil Tigers - By Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor (Letters) THE OTTAWA CITIZEN; Sir: Re: ‘Canada new base of Tamil Tigers – Outlawed group has leaders here, federal official say.’ You said, “We don’t know how far advanced it is, but their intent is pretty clear: to set up a base-in-exile here for the leadership”, and you better believe it, they are pretty advanced. It was just last Sunday, January 16, that Andrew Moran in Examiner reported - “Public officials help welcome National Council of Canadian Tamils office. The National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT) Chairman, Mohan Ramakrishnan, and Member of Parliamment, Paul Calandra, took part in the traditional cutting of the ribbon…” at the launch of the official NCCT office in Northern Toronto, at 3510 Finch Avenue East, Unit 10, on Saturday, January 15,. 2011. Paul Calandra is the Conservatrive MP for Oak Ridges-Markham, and the NCCT objective #8 in their brochure refers, “To advocate and raise awareness on the principles articulated by the Tamil community through the December 19, 2009 referendum. The mandate of that referendum was an oath, “I aspire for the formation of the independent and sovereign state of Tamil Eelam in the north and the east territory of the island of Sri Lanka on the basis that the Tamils in the island of Sri Lanka make a distinct nation, have a traditional homeland and have the right to self-government.” More to the point, the NCCT has deliberately adapted in its logo the poisonous lily which is the symbolic flower of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE aka Tamil Tigers). This flower has no relevance to the Tamil community at large nor represent the life in their adopted home, Canada. This poisonous lily was introduced by the LTTE in 1991 to remember their fallen comrades and it is the floral emblem of their mythical mono-ethnic, racist Tamil state, Eelam. Thus it is valid to argue that the mandate of the NCCT is that of the Tamil Tigers (Lanka Web ; 18 January 2011).

Terrorists, their tools, enemies of Sri Lanka and the decline of the Sinhalese - by Ben Silva - It is well known and must never be forgotten that India funded, trained and supported LTTE. There is no need to be confrontational with India, but threats from India need to be identified and recognized and counter measures taken. If the war continued, there would have been economic ruin of the country, loss of life, most probably the loss of the only home land for the Sinhalese and the start of the extinction of the Sinhalese. Remember that India rescued Prabakaran in 1987 and took him to India, when Rajiv Gandhi forced Sri Lanka to stop the war. Observe that LTTE was an Indian and Foreign funded terror organisation. It was foreigners, mainly the West, that took lot of effort to stop the war. Remember the efforts of Hillary Clinton, Robert Blake, David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner who worked overtime to have the war halted.  It is utterly fraudulent for Western countries that carried out mass killings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Japan to champion human rights to save terrorists. If the terror war continued, then the West could have destabilized the country, and may even have brought about a division of the County as in Sudan. Wickileaks have exposed the stupidity of our politicians such as Ranil W. the famous Royal Gona, and the hypocrisy of Western nations, that pretended to be champions of human rights. It is indeed an utter act of stupidity to import communications equipment for the enemy (LankaWeb : 18 January 2011).

Bishop Rayappu Joseph’s short sighted solution to “ethnic” problem in Sri Lanka. - By Charles. S. Perera - Today the Catholic Church is very much alive and awake in Sri Lanka, there is no one to check their uncalled for political mission in favour of the Tamil Catholic congregation of faithful of the North an East, which makes one wonder whether the objective of the Catholic Church is its own prosperty and power in Sri Lanka rathan the salvation of souls. As it had always been, the Catholic Church does not take an interest in the country where it has built its Cathedral. Its interest is more for its faithful. Because it is on the congregation of faithful it exists, like a parasite tick on a dog. When the Church smells that there are possibilities of enlarging its congregation of faithful, it goes for their conquest who ever they are, and where ever they are. In the terrorist infested north and east of Si Lnka the Catholic Church flourished. The South of Sri Lank is not fertile ground for the Catholic Church, because it has to compete with the Buddhist Temple of the majority Sinhala, The Church cannot call those in South our people in the same voice it speak of “ our people “ of the North, how divided is it interest. The Catholic God loves only those who follows him, and to hell with others (LankaWeb : 18 January 2011).

Former IGP Frank de Silva on the massacre of 600 policemen - Former IGP Frank de Silva, in a letter to The Island, denies a claim made by an e-mail doing the rounds that he was responsible for the surrender of 600 policemen to the LTTE, which massacred them in cold blood in 1990. He says he became IGP long after the incident. Full text of his letter: My attention has been drawn to a spate of e-mails which allege that I, as the Inspector General of Police, was responsible for the incident in which 600 policemen were killed by the LTTE after they had been asked by me to surrender to the LTTE. The e-mails allege that I, the then IGP Frank De Silva, had given the order to the policemen to surrender, based on directions given to me bay the Political Authorities. I was IGP long after the date of this incident.  The author of the emails is apparently a former police officer who escaped from the scene of the killing of the 600 policemen and offers to give evidence before The LLAR Commission.That the author of the e-mails is willing to testify that the then IGP Frank De Silva is responsible for the killings of these policemen, apart from other evidence he volunteers as to the complicity of others.  The allegation in the e-mail is false. I was not the IGP at the time of the surrender, only much later. I was not involved in this incident in any manner or in any capacity. I did not receive any instructions from higher political authorities nor did I issue orders to the 600 policemen at Batticaloa to surrender.  The false allegation can also be mischievous, calculated with other intent. The authenticity of the author may not be clear (Island : 18 January 2011).

Voice of Tigers’ expansion during CFA: Who is telling the truth? - Who really wanted the LTTE to expand its clandestine Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio station immediately after the signing of the Oslo-arranged CFA on Feb. 22, 2002? Who paid over $ 90,000 to acquire the equipment bought in from Singapore? The then Defence Secretary Austin Fernando dismissed recent Hindustan Times report based on a classified US diplomatic cable that Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s government had requested and received radio equipment through government departments, including the Defence Ministry. Fernando told The Island that the Norwegian Embassy had imported the equipment. He emphasised that the Defence Ministry had nothing to do with the import of radio equipment. The former Defence Secretary also ruled out the possibility of any other ministry being involved in the transaction. He said that the government Peace Secretariat had handed over the radio equipment and there was no assistance whatsoever from the Defence Ministry. According to the then US Ambassador Ashley Wills, Westborg told him that the Sri Lankan government specifically requested his embassy’s assistance several months ago to bring down the equipment. Wills quoted Westborg as saying that Norway had only agreed to help if the equipment was provided to the Peace Secretariat — and not directly to the LTTE. Wills said: "Press reporting to the effect that the Norwegian government was out to assist the LTTE by undermining GOSL authority was an outright falsehood, Westborg emphasised." Although Wills quoted Westborg in his Dec. 12, 2002 missive as saying that Sri Lanka had requested their assistance ‘several months ago’ to facilitate the import of radio equipment, Bradman Weerakoon, the then Secretary to Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe is on record as saying that the LTTE informed the PM’s Office of acquisition of FM transmitter and other equipment worth $ 93, 265 on Oct. 1, 2002. Weerakoon wrote in his book, ‘Negotiating Peace in Sri Lanka’ (Volume II) that a Technical Committee established by the Defence Ministry following a physical check had recommended the issue of a license to install and operate a radio station. Weerakoon’s revelation goes against former Defence Secretary Fernando’s claim that the Defence Ministry had nothing to do with the transfer of radio equipment. Weerakoon has revealed that the Defence Secretary was on PM’s Advisory Committee, which handled the VOT issue (Island ; 18 January 2011).

Sangupiddy bridge shortens Colombo-Jaffna distance

The newly constructed Sangupiti bridge opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 15 January 2011.

Tamil Tigers return to legal spotlight - A year and a half after the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Switzerland has arrested ten members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for extortion of funds. Last week the Federal Criminal Police searched 23 sites in cantons Basel City, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Graubünden, Lucerne, Solothurn, St Gallen, Vaud and Zurich.  The sting was carried out in connection with an investigation dating back to May 2009, when several people of Tamil origin were accused of extortion, forgery, money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation.  Using threats and blackmail, the accused are suspected of forcing their Swiss-based compatriots to support the LTTE financially. According to the federal authorities, the LTTE managed to collect several million Swiss francs, which it mainly used to buy weapons in Sri Lanka. The Swiss had already looked into the issue in the mid-1990s, but investigators drew a blank when witnesses – fearing reprisals – claimed to have handed over donations voluntarily (Swis Info : 17 January 2011).

ThrimanaTV brings News and Entertainment from Sri Lanka and Australia (Click here)

Thamil culture of Jaffna - By Prof. Nalin De Silva - Soon after the article on “More on Vellalas” appeared in “The Island” I received an email drawing my attention to an interesting saying among the Vanni Thamils according to Prof. Sivathamby as given in his book “Sri Lankan Tamil Society and Politics”. It goes as “Kallar Maravar Kanatta Akampatiyar mella mellap pallarkalum vellalar anarkal, (Not only) the Kallar the Maravar and the weighty Akampatiyar even the Pallar gradually became Vellalar.” Though I cannot agree with most of what Prof. Sivathamby states in his book I find that this saying among the Vanni Thamils confirms what I had to say of the Vellalas and the Thamil society in the north. The above, of course says that some castes or groups of people identified themselves with the Vellalas with the passage of time but it also points to the fact that the Vellala culture had become the dominant culture not only in Jaffna but among those who are called Vanni Thamils. What prevails in Jaffna is the culture of the Vellalas with the other castes either being absorbed into the Vellala caste or following the culture of the Vellalas and other ethnic groups and Sinhalas who were living in Jaffna at the time of the arrival of the Portuguese becoming Thamils grouped into new castes like “koviar” under the domination of the Vellalas. When there is clear evidence that the Vellalas were agricultural labourers taken by the Dutch to Jaffna in Sri Lanka and Natal in South Africa it is useless to pretend that the Vellalas have a history going back to Kalinga Magha (Sinhale Hot News ; 17 January 2011).

Hundreds more Tamil migrants may be headed to Canada - Smugglers are preparing to ship at least 400 more Sri Lankan refugees and potential Tamil Tigers to Canada from Southeast Asia, intelligence officials have told the federal government. "There are two separate smuggling syndicates organizing two boats," from two unnamed southeast Asian ports to the B.C. coast, a well-placed federal government source told the Ottawa Citizen. "The syndicates, as far as our intelligence tells us, have not gotten ships, they’re in the process of trying to find ships," each capable of carrying 200 to 300 passengers. "These (two) are the ones that we are aware of. There could be more." Some passengers are now being marshalled to staging areas and, "waiting for a boat to appear." The official said Canadian authorities expect members of the outlawed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the separatist Sri Lankan group that fought a violent civil war until its defeat in May 2009, will hide among the other migrants. Departure dates depend on weather, with March now considered a possibility. Last August, about 500 Sri Lankan refugee claimants, including a handful the government suspects of being Tigers, arrived off Vancouver Island from Thailand on the smuggling ship MV Sun Sea. The government claimed Tamil Tigers were on board and that the rebel network was involved in organizing the ship’s voyage from Thailand. Another ship, Ocean Lady, arrived in October 2009 with 76 Sri Lankans from Malaysia. Public Safety Canada officials could not be reached Sunday for comment. The official said Canada "has started the process of discussing," how to disrupt the suspected upcoming operations with the countries involved. But "it’s their sovereign land, there’s very little we can do." (Island : 17 January 2011).

Over 5,000 LTTE-expelled northern Muslims return home - More than 5,000 Muslims, who had been forcibly expelled from the Northern Province in 1990s have now been resettled in their native places, Jaffna Government Agent, Imelda Sukumar told The Island yesterday. "Around 5,841 Northern Muslims have gone back to their original homes in Jaffna, 142 in Chavakachecheri and 15 in Welani," Sukumar said. The majority of the Northern Muslims, who were given back their original homes, were living in Puttalam and other places like Kurunegala and Vauniya during their exile from their native places. "Those Northern Muslims belonging to the fishing and agriculture sectors and there was not enough scope of economic development for them in the areas that they were settled in after the evacuation. So most of the Northern Muslims wish to come back to their original homes even with scarce facilities provided," she said. Before the Northern Muslims were resettled in their original homes, an assessment had been carried out on the facilities such as water, health and sanitation. "Out of the families resettled, 622 have already been provided with a resettlement payment of rupees 5,000, 678 families with dry rations, 617 families with return kits funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and 114 families with bags of cement," she said (Island ; 17 January 2011).

Re-visiting UNSG’s expert panel - By Neville Ladduwahetty - The expectation of those who urged the UN Secretary General (UNSG) to appoint a panel of experts was to expose possible humanitarian violations amounting to war crimes during the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka. Although the expert panel is expected only to advise the UNSG, it must be seen as the first step in a process that is likely to continue. And for that continuance the "advice" has to be of a nature that justifies the UNSG to proceed into the next steps. Instead of waiting for the UNSG to act in a manner that he deems fit, the Government of Sri Lanka should act proactively and present a strong case to persuade the UNSG to adopt a strategy that would define the scope and direction of the next step and in the process benefit member states in the conduct of internal conflicts.  A joint statement between the President of Sri Lanka and the UNSG was issued on May 23, 2009 following the UNSG’s visit to Sri Lanka soon after the military defeat of the LTTE. The only reference to the issue of "accountability" is in the last paragraph. This states: "Sri Lanka reiterated its strongest commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, in keeping with international human rights standards and Sri Lanka’s international obligations. The Secretary-General underlined the importance of an accountability process for addressing violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The Government will take measures to address those grievances".  Later on 16th of March 2010 the UNSG stated at the UN News Center what was expected of the expert panel. He stated: "The panel I am establishing will advise me on the standards, benchmarks and parameters, based on international experience, that must guide any accountability process such as the one mentioned in the joint statement. Now this panel will report to me directly and not to another body". By way of further clarification the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Robert Blake, stated: "The US believes the UN panel can play an important advisory role with Sri Lanka’s commission. The panel is only an advisory panel and does not have an investigative role" (Daily Mirror, July 22, 2010). From the above guidelines it follows that the expert panel is limited to the following: (Island : 17 January 2011).

Canada warned of more Sri Lankan Tamil migrant ships arriving from Southeast Asia - Intelligence officials have warned Canada's federal government of more Sri Lankan Tamil migrant ships arriving in the country from Southeast Asia, a Canadian news report said.  According to a report in Ottawa Citizen, smugglers are preparing to ship at least 400 more Sri Lankan refugees and potential Tamil Tiger rebels from two unnamed Southeast Asian ports to British Columbia coast.  A federal government source has told the Ottawa Citizen that two separate smuggling syndicates are organizing two boats to ship the Tamil migrants.  "The syndicates, as far as our intelligence tells us, have not gotten ships, they're in the process of trying to find ships, each capable of carrying 200 to 300 passengers. These (two) are the ones that we are aware of. There could be more," the source has said.  According to the government official, the smugglers are assembling the refugee groups in staging areas for a ship to take them. The government authorities expect Tamil Tiger terrorist will be among the migrants.  The authorities expect the ships to depart the South Asian ports in March when the weather improves.  An investigative report by Globe and Mail in August last year revealed that an alleged Tamil Tiger human-smuggling ring is preparing to smuggle another shipload of Tamils who have left Sri Lanka to be sent to Canada.  The Globe and Mail report said the Tamils arrive in Bangkok from Sri Lanka on two-week tourist visas and stay in rented apartments pretending to be tourists until the next ship is ready to sail to Canada (Colombo page : 17 January 2011).

Sangupiddy bridge shortens Colombo-Jaffna distance: North-South closer ; President Mahinda Rajapaksa while vesting with the people the 288-metre-long two-way Sangupiddy Bridge, Jaffna which links the shortest land based route between the South and the Jaffna peninsula yesterday, emphasized that the Government was fully focused in achieving equity in development. Addressing the public after commissioning the bridge the President said that the Government has not confined development activities to mere election promises. The bridge which is a dream come true to the people of the North is another step in the Government’s development thrust, he added. Quoting Minister Douglas Devanada the President said that there had been 17 former foundation layings to construct the bridge, which had not been realized. “We always keep our promises. We said that we would usher a better country and a better future in which all could live in harmony. We have done that,” he added. He noted that previously the only land based route to reach Jaffna was the A-9 road and added that with the opening of the bridge now there was another shorter route through the A-32 road (Daily News : 17 January 2011).

The tale of poor Ben Arnoldy - Ben needs to wake up. Not only is it ridiculous from the point of view of any responsible government and a citizenry that wants peace to accommodate a terrorist outfit (the world’s most ruthless, no less, Ben might not know) but the comprehensive elimination of the LTTE by the end of May 2009 makes any proposal that contains the term ‘LTTE’ (or Tamil Tiger) patently nonsensical. The article is full of bleeding-heart nonsense about the predicament of Tamil civilians with hardly any appreciation of context and history. Perhaps in the absence of any first hand knowledge, Ben has deferred to the views of someone called Jennifer Hyndman of the Centre for Refugee Studies, York University Canada. She comes up with a howler: ‘I think the government has a chance to impress the people affected by this disaster as well as much of the world and prove it is not dispossessing its Tamil people’ (Daily News : 17 January 2011).

New Democrats want justice for Tamils - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - Hon. Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth) Leader of the New Democratic Party House of Commons, Ottawa; Dear Jack: Your letter, ‘New Democrats want justice for Tamils’ of January 14, 2011, has all the quirky stuff which has a Quack-concoction spelling C-a-n-a-d-i-a-n t-r-o-u-b-l-e for Sri Lanka. And especially when it happens to be coming from you who called for the ‘Emergency Debate on Sri Lanka’ on February 4, 2009, where you gave the Tamil Eelam supporting parliamentarians the opportunity to lie about Sri Lanka and flay her with baseball bats and hockey sticks. That is one debate in the House of Commons Chambers that I will never forget, which I dubbed as the – ‘Canadian Parliamentary Gong Show of the Theatre of Tamil Tiger Blarney’. That debate was more like an Animal Activists group trying to save the Tamil Tigers, as by then the Sri Lankan Government forces had caught the Tamil Tiger leaders by their tails and their butts whipped and regained 98% of the territory that these terrorists had controlled illegally for 20 years. Remember what you said that evening Jack? You said “…the relentless government campaign against the rebels has devastated the northern region of Sri Lanka.” What you failed to identify is that these Tamil Tigers had been designated as “terrorists” by the UN and so had Canada banned them as “terrorists”. And you identified the Tamil Tigers as “rebels”. That itself showed your ignorance of the ground reality in Sri Lanka, where the whole island was haemorrhaged by these terrorists for 27 whopping years. The end result was that 100,000 civilians had been killed unnecessarily; 382 suicide bombings conducted by the Tamil Tigers; 5,300 Tamil children kidnapped for their baby brigade; assassination of two Heads of State, Rajiv Gandhi of India and President Premadasa of Sri Lanka and several cabinet ministers, three Tamil Mayors of Jaffna, several Tamil intellectuals, and so the catalogue of assassinations goes on (LankaWeb : 16 January 2011).

SL changes top envoy as UN panel finalises report - In the wake of the UN-Sri Lanka spat over the appointment of a panel to advise UN Secretary General Ban-ki moon over the so-called accountability issues (read war crimes), the government will move the country’s top representative in New York to London. Sources say Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative at the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona will end his stint in New York ahead of his term. Kohona succeeded veteran career diplomat, H. M .G. S. Palihakkara, a few months after the conclusion of the war in May 2009. Responding to a query by The Island, sources said that London would be a tough station due to the heavy presence of the British Tamil Forum (BTF) and Global Tamil Forum (GTF), which represent the LTTE interests. The two groups spearheaded a campaign last December to force the Oxford Union to cancel a lecture by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The government is feeling the need for a major diplomatic effort in New York as the UN inquiry gathers momentum. Sources say some government bigwigs are unhappy with what an insider called the performance of the Sri Lanka mission in New York vis-a-vis theUNSG’s panel. Speculation is that a non-career diplomat will succeed Kohona. The UN on Friday (Jan. 14) extended the term of the UN Panel of Experts until the end of February. The Panel came into being shortly after Kohona took over. During the war, Kohona played an important role in spearheading the diplomatic efforts aimed at supporting the military offensive. Martin Nesirky, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General told media in New York, "The Sri Lanka panel has been granted an extension until the end of February."It was earlier scheduled to submit its final report to the UN Chief this month and the UN Chief was to decide if he wanted the contents of the report to be made public. The panel, headed by Indonesia’s former attorney general, Marzuki Darusman with Yazmin Sooka of South Africa and Steven Ratner, a lawyer from the United States as its other key members, commenced its work in September last year after a meeting with the UN Secretary-General. Former Ambassador in Japan, Jayantha Palipane, recalled last September after Japan fingerprinted the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake and made him wait for about half an hour and processed through normal passenger channel instead of the VIP lounge at Narita airport, is expected to take over the SL mission in Doha. Four senior officials based at the External Affairs Ministry, T. R. Ravindran, C. Wijeratne, Asoka Giriyagama and Ranjith Gunaratne will take over missions in the Middle East. Sources said that the forthcoming appointments were their first overseas postings as heads of missions. Another senior official based at the External Affairs Ministry, A. Azis is tipped to be Sri Lanka’s top envoy to Vienna (Island ; 16 January 2011).

Sri Lanka, Wikileaks and the spectre of ‘international investigation’ - A demand has been made by the West and will be made in the future too: a demand for an international investigation. The response to such a demand, without any doubt, should be an emphatic No! Such a response should not be based purely on the issue of ‘sovereignty’ alone; i.e. that an international investigation violates Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. This response should also not be (and should not have been) the fast-unto-death kind. But there are other reasons. One reason is the fact that the demand is made by Western/European States which do not practise what they preach (for instance, when US Ambassador Patricia Butenis stated in her cable of 15 Jan 2010 that "There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking wholesale investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while that regime or government remained in power", one is not sure whether she was referring to Sri Lanka or the US and its allies). That habitual practice of preaching to the ‘other’ as to what they should do, and how they should address issues of accountability, has not gone away (and certainly, will not go away). That imperialist and neocolonial civilizing mission should have an unambiguous counter-response, a negative one. Another reason concerns the question who is going to play the role of ‘investigator’ in that exercise: those belonging only to the West? Is that what these States mean by ‘international’? And if so, what of ‘independence’? (Island : 16 January 2011).

Swiss arrest Tamil Tiger members - Ten people who are suspected members of the Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger group were arrested in Switzerland on Tuesday. Prosecutors said that the arrests were made during inspections of 23 premises across Switzerland. Those held are suspected to be members of a criminal organisation and of money laundering. Authorities say that they made Swiss Tamils take large loans and then forced them to hand the funds over. If they refused, they were threatened with reprisals. Those arrested have yet to comment. The Swiss attorney general’s office released a statement which stated that during the investigation, it was thought that, for a number of years, the accused persons made their fellow countrymen, from the same Tamil diaspora, financially fund Tamil Eelam’s Liberation Tigers (LTTE). The statement went on to say that the victims in Switzerland were faced with severe pressure, subjected to extortion, or threatened. It was reported that several million Swiss francs has been raised and transferred to support Tamil Tiger activities in Sri Lanka – in particular buying war materials. The attorney general’s office said that to hide where the funds had come from, they were invested in legally-run businesses connected to the LTTE. The Tamil Tigers, who campaigned and fought for a homeland for the Tamils in the Sri Lanka’s north and east, were finally defeated in their war with the Sri Lankan army in May 2009, following over 20 years of civil war. It is estimated by the UN that as many as 100,000 people died during the conflict (Discount Vouchers: 16 January 2011).

78 former LTTE terrorists released to mark the harvest festival, "Thai Pongal"

Hunting the LTTE collectors in Switzerland - By Suhada Walisinghe from Germany - When the Swiss federal criminal department (BKP) conducted a huge coordinated raid last Tuesday and searched 23 houses and shops in 10 big cantons (states) of Switzerland, the Tamil diaspora was taken by surprise. Police action took place in the cantons of Graubunden, Zurich, St. Gallen, Luzern, Solothurn, Bern, Fribourg, Waadt, Genf and Basel-Town. The raid was directed against members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Ten LTTE members were arrested in the course of this raid, led by the leadership of the BKP and in cooperation with the local police, and others are under further investigation. The raid hit like a wildfire in the Tamil community. The otherwise undisturbed Swiss Tamil diaspora got a rude shock when they heard the news on Swiss radio, TV and newspapers that houses were searched and 10 LTTE men were arrested. They started behaving like hornets in a smoking nest. Most of them who have paid to LTTE ran to Lathan Suntharalingam, a Sri Lankan-origin Swiss parliamentarian in Luzern canton council, for advice. Suntharalingam believes that the Sri Lankan Government is behind the raid. In his view the LTTE is a dead snake. The Swiss authorities are killing the snake again to show that they are taking some action. But motive behind this raid is to silence those Tamils in Switzerland who stand up for their rights. Although Lathan Suntharalingam distanced himself publicly from the LTTE, he is tight-lipped that his wife Sharmini Suntharalingam contested as a Swiss candidate for the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE) elections and lost (The Nation : 16 January 2011).

The ‘plus’ in ’13-plus’ – That is the issue - What is the “plus” in the “13–plus?” This is the question to which President Mahinda Rajapaksa seeks an answer in his discussions with the Tamil National Alliance, he says. “That’s what I want to find out!” He had just been asked by reporters what his starting point was with regard to a political solution to the ethnic issue, to which he had responded “As I have always said, it’s 13-plus.” He was referring to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution relating to devolution of powers to the Provinces. The president was hosting a group of around 20 foreign correspondents to a New Year breakfast at Temple Trees on Friday. Also seated at the table was the president’s brother Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, along with Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris and Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. After sharing a sumptuous buffet with the journalists the president engaged in a one-on-one question and answer session with them. He was categorical in his assertion that there will be no devolution to the provinces of police powers or powers to receive foreign direct investment. With regard to the police powers he made reference to difficulties encountered in India where such powers were devolved to the states. Foreign direct investment, he indicated, would have to be channelled through the central government. Questioned as to what the TNA had asked for in its discussions with the government thus far, Rajapaksa said he was “not giving what Prabhakaran wanted,” adding that ”in bargaining too, there is a limit.” As for a time frame for the political solution the president said it was up to the TNA to decide on it. “There has to be a consensus – otherwise why would I discuss …? (Sunday Times : 16 January 2011).

Are we serious about a solution based on Indo-Lanka Accord ?

Read more about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution)

Govt, TNA to meet on Jan 21 - The next meeting of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) with the government on finding a political solution will take place on January 21, a senior TNA parliamentarian said. The first meeting between the two parties was held on January 10. TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah said the next meeting would be an extension to the first. “We would be discussing on how to move forward in finding a political solution,” he said. Senathirajah said the meeting would focus on issues pertaining to resettlement, disappearances and the release of political prisoners. President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed a three-member government committee consisting of former prime minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Irrigation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris following some preliminary discussions with the TNA in June last year. The TNA and the government would discuss a political solution to the national issue and also address the immediate needs of those who were affected by the war. Another report, meanwhile, stated that President Rajapaksa was keen on devolving power, except police powers. The President had reportedly said that devolving police powers to regions was not practical as it could be harmful to stability of the country. Senathirajah said the party would take these issues up with the government committee when discussing about devolution mechanisms. In the meantime, the TNA also met the Tamil Political Parties Forum (TPPF) last Thursday on ways and means for the solutions of the long and short term solutions of the Tamil people (The Nation : 16 January 2011).

Canada’s new asylum policy, a victory for Lanka - A new policy note introduced by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board which processes asylum seekers' applications says “Meaningful changes in Sri Lanka suggest that Tamils - particularly young males - won’t be persecuted because of their social group or political opinions”.  The Globe and Mail last week reported that this ‘note’ by the IRB to help refugee board members in ‘sound reasoning’ and to be ‘adopted in appropriate circumstances’, could affect the refugee claimants who arrived on the vessels, Ocean Lady and Sun Sea.  The IRB processes the asylum seekers' applications of illegal immigrants who originated from Sri Lanka.  When the two rusty vessels, Ocean Lady and Sun Sea reached the Canadian shores with nearly 450 illegal immigrants on board in 2009 and 2010, Sri Lanka informed the Canadian authorities that the two ships were part of the LTTE’s international human trafficking network and may be carrying potentially dangerous hardcore members of the terror outfit.  The IRB decision which stresses the fact that ‘your life is not in danger because you are a Tamil who has been sent back to Sri Lanka’, is a diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka, observers said.  The country had been countering the propaganda mill of the ‘rump-LTTE’ which is trying to portray a tarnished image of human rights within the country, undermining the peace dividends.  The Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona in a separate interview with the Sunday Observer (See story on Page 4) said, “I think the way we have worked with these Governments (Australia and Canada) over the past two or three years, has borne fruit.”  He said that foreign missions had done their part to keep the UN and other countries informed of the LTTE’s activities including their lucrative human trafficking operations. Elaborating on the LTTE’s overseas propaganda Dr.Kohona, a former Head of UN’s Treaty Section said, “The LTTE has to remain in its current form if it is to continue raising funds. They make up anything to keep the anger and bitterness continuing because for them it’s a way of making a living and maintaining a certain lifestyle for some leaders.”  Australia in a policy statement issued earlier said that Sri Lanka is not a place where people can legitimately claim that they are being discriminated on the basis of religion, race and political affiliation (Sunday Observer : 16 January 2011).

Outgoing Navy Commander Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe: Training and professionalism took him to the top - Quality training and professionalism were the key factors behind Admiral Thisara Samrasinghes’s success during his Naval career to reach the highest rung in the Sri Lanka Navy as the 16th Commander and to retire as an Admiral completing 36 and a half years of service. His contribution to fight LTTE arms smuggling in international waters put the Sri Lanka Navy on a pedestal, globally.  He was always sought for critical appointments in the Navy due to his operational commitment and the vision he had to make things happen. The experience he gained as the Commander of the Northern and Eastern Naval areas during the most critical period of the country paved way for him to reach the top.  “More than anything I have achieved I value the respect and honour received from my subordinates and also from my superiors said”, the outgoing Navy Commander in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer.  “You become the Navy Commander not the day you become the Navy Commander, you become the Navy Commander on the day you leave the Navy, you become the Navy Commander if you have lived upto the Navy’s Command”, he says. Following are the excerpts of the interview: (Sunday Observer : 16 January 2011).

Report: Tamil Tigers raised funds in Switzerland - Swiss newspapers report that members of the Tamil Tigers group allegedly extorted millions from ethnic Tamils in Switzerland to fund the armed revolt in Sri Lanka. Zurich weeklies NZZ a.m. Sonntag and SonntagsBlick say the allegations were the basis for a series of police raids Tuesday against Tamil individuals and companies across Switzerland in which 10 people were arrested. Prosecutors say eight are still being detained. SonntagsBlick quoted the lawyer for one alleged victim Sunday saying his client was forced to take out a large loan and give the money to the rebel group’s office in Switzerland. Unlike in other European countries and the United States, the Tigers were never banned in Switzerland. They lost a 25-year war against the government in 2009 (Arab News : 16 January 2011).

Lanka, a shining example - The Northern and Eastern Provinces are regaining their pristine glory as the Government is making every endeavour to develop infrastructure facilities for those who have been resettled in the area.  One may, perhaps, wonder whether the Western and Southern Provinces have got preferential treatment in the allocation of funds. Nevertheless, these two provinces have got relatively less funds compared to the Northern Province, which is on a fast track towards a new era of development.  Compared to the population density, the Northern Province has got the bulk of the funds for infrastructure development. President Mahinda Rajapaksa told media heads at Temple Trees on Thursday that the Ministry of Economic Development alone has spent two-and-a-half billion rupees on infrastructure development projects in Kilinochchi, despite the fact that there are only 27,000 families in the area.  The Government's sole aim is to usher in a better and secure tomorrow for the people in the North and the East. People in Kilinochchi, especially, had experienced the worst barbarism during the battle against LTTE terror. The Tigers forcibly used them as a human shield and subjected the hapless people in the area to untold misery during its terror rule.  The LTTE cared two hoots even for its own community, though the terror outfit projected itself as the guardian angels of the Tamils. Velupillai Prabhakaran and his gang of terrorists not only destroyed all public utility projects and facilities, but also ruthlessly killed innocent Tamils.  Had Prabhakaran and his goons had even an iota of compassion for their own community, the Tamils in the North and the East would not have undergone such misery. Apart from the indiscriminate killings of moderate Tamils who rejected terrorism in toto and valued ethnic harmony, the LTTE even went to the extent of destroying water tanks, transformers, public buses, trains and railway tracks, thereby driving innocent people from pillar to post in the North.  President Rajapaksa and the Government have been entrusted with the Herculean task of restoring all infrastructure facilities that had been destroyed by the LTTE. The President is keen to expend all resources to provide a better deal for those innocent civilians who had been liberated from the jaws of LTTE terror.  Despite the fact that the terrorists destroyed valuable public property, as a responsible Government, the President is not prepared to wash its hands and is keen to restore infrastructure facilities. The Government is now obliged to spend the bulk of the funds on development activities in the North and the East.  It is, however, deplorable that some LTTE sympathisers and a section of the Tamil Diaspora are acting in an irresponsible manner to cause ethnic disharmony. Together with a section of the local Tamil media and opportunistic Opposition politicians, they act in the most despicable manner to discredit the country (Sunday Observer : 16 January 2011).

Sri Lanka News Online wishes it's Hindu readers, a happy "Thaipongal"

Attack on Indian fishing craft by an unidentified gang? : History of similar incidents led to LTTE door - Strongly rejecting Indian accusations of an unprovoked attack on an Indian fishing trawler last Wednesday, Sri Lankan officials said the attack could have been carried out by a still unidentified gang, though Tamil Nadu politicians and a section of the Indian press conveniently blamed the Sri Lanka Navy. They said the Indians had leveled a similar allegation following the massacre of five Indian fishermen in Indian territorial waters off Kanyakumari on March 29, 2007. A thorough inquiry should be conducted by India to identify those responsible for the attack they said, pointing out that an investigation into the Kanyakumari massacre had cleared the SLN and revealed LTTE involvement.  That inquiry also revealed the possible involvement of some Indians colluding with those LTTE operatives responsible for the massacre, they said. It revealed that the LTTE gang had been engaged in transferring arms, ammunition and equipment from an LTTE ship anchored on the high seas. The Kanyakumari massacre took place in the backdrop of the disappearance of a large Indian fishing trawler, Sri Krishna, along with 12 Indian fishermen. Tamil Nadu blamed the SLN for the disappearance.  But the chance detection of an LTTE group in Indian waters on April 11, 2007 revealed the LTTE involvement in the March 2007 incidents.  Based on information elicited from six Sea Tigers apprehended by the Indian Coast Guard, the ‘Q’ branch of the Indian Criminal Investigation Department blamed the LTTE for the Kanyakumari massacre, seizure of the trawler and the abduction of 12 fishermen -10 from Kanyakumari and one each from Tuticorin and Kerala.   Under interrogation, those arrested in April 2007 said that the Indians were held in the LTTE—controlled Vanni. Interestingly, the LTTE group had been in two fishing craft with some of their Indian associates (Island : 15 January 2011).

78 ex LTTE cadres freed - After a vocational and language training, 78 rehabilitated former LTTE were reintegrated into society to mark the Thai Pongal festival yesterday. The 30 men and 47 women were released at an event held at the Jaffna Central College. Thousands of cadres in the former LTTE territory were held by the army during final days of the military thrust in May 2009 (Island : 15 January 2011).

‘The Abduction hoax’ – An investigative report into the ‘Mannar White-van abduction’ fallacy ‘Abduction of youth’, ‘broad daylight disappearances’, ‘armed death squads’, ‘white-vans’ and ‘sheer intimidations’ were constant malicious propaganda stunts orchestrated by a few vicious individuals/ groups that were left hapless, following the historic defeat of LTTE – the finale of a three decade prolonged tragedy in the island nation. Though the defeat in terms inked the military demise of a ruthless terrorist outfit - often described as the world’s most ruthless of its kind - its sleuths in hiding as bogus asylum groups and NGO-cum-human rights activists were shaken to the ground from their cradle of compliancy, giving-way to a new breed of anti-Sri Lankan sentiments and diabolic efforts at discrediting the government’s reconciliation efforts in the war-torn areas of North and East. Many allegations were leveled against Sri Lanka’s military in pro-LTTE media, with reports of alleged ‘abductions’ of innocent Tamil civilians by ‘armed personnel’ and ‘squads’. Despite such subtle attempts of spin and twist, the government’s road-map for reconciliation received unprecedented praise from international power players including India, U.S.A, China, Japan, Canada and the United Nations (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 15 January 2011).

Sri Lanka frees ex-Tigers to mark harvest festival - Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday released 78 suspected Tamil Tiger rebels from an internment centre to mark the Tamil harvest festival of Thai Pongal, an official said. A total of 48 women and 30 men left a military-run facility in the northern town of Jaffna, the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe said. Sri Lanka's minority Tamils celebrate Thai Pongal Saturday, but the festivities have been marred by floods that destroyed farmland and left more than 30 people dead across the island's northern, central and eastern regions. "We have about 4,500 men and women left in rehabilitation centres, and they will also be released in small batches shortly," Ranasinghe told AFP. Some 10,000 combatants gave themselves up when government troops wiped out the Tigers' top leadership in May 2009, ending the 37-year conflict which had claimed up to 100,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates (Lanka Business Online : 15 January 2011).

Ex-LTTE cadres urged to continue higher education - Fifty ex-LTTE cadres who have passed the Advanced Level examination were given special certificate and Rs. 5,000 for each to continue their higher education at a ceremony held at the Jaffna Central College, today.  Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe said out of 360 ex-LTTE cadres sat for the AL Exam 2010, 211 had passed the exam successfully. Meanwhile, marking the Thai Pongal festival, 78 ex-LTTE cadres were also released today at the ceremony held at the Jaffna Central College. The 78 ex-LTET cadres released include 48 males and 30 females and they had undergone vocational training in the rehabilitation centres (Sunday Observer : 15 January 2011).

Sri Lankan President rules out police powers for north - Reaffirming his commitment to “13 plus” (13th amendment with additional powers) formula to bring about an amicable political solution to the Tamil question, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa insisted that “the plus” should be a product of the hope and aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka.  Asked if police powers would be part of the formula, he categorically said, “No… It's not practical.” Pointing to an incident where the aircraft of a top politician was not allowed to land in an Indian State, he said: “We do not want such problems.”  The solution will be arrived at in consensus with all political parties depending on the proposals they make. Power sharing with the Centre “is very much on the table.” He said that once the Tamil parties and the government discussed the issues threadbare, the solution would also be discussed with the country, after which it could be fine-tuned for implementation. He reiterated what he had told The Hindu in an interview earlier: that he had a solution in mind, but was not in a position to reveal it.  Mr. Rajapaksa said the rehabilitation process was continuing in the north and this was independent of the demining activity. Asked for a time-frame for the demining to be completed, he said that it would take at least another six months. But this would not stand in the way of rehabilitation, he said. Only 7000 persons were left in the camps for the internally displaced. “We want to send them out also. But they have nowhere to go,” he said (Hindu : 15 January 2011).

78 former LTTE fighters released to mark Thai Pongal - Sri Lankan authorities have released 78 rehabilitated former LTTE cadres today to mark Thai Pongal, the widely celebrated Tamil Hindu harvest festival. Officials said 48 females and 30 males have been handed over to their families in Vavuniya, after they had undergone rehabilitation. Earlier in the month, rehabilitation officials said that nearly a half of former combatants who successfully completed the comprehensive rehabilitation process left the detention centres. At lest 5,586 former LTTE carders out of 11,696 left rehabilitation centres after receiving vocational training during the rehabilitation process,media reported early this month quoting commissioner general of rehabilitation Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe. There were 24 rehabilitation centers at the beginning of the programme and only 9 are remaining now, officials said (Zee News : 15 January 2011).

Cracks in the wall of the silence’- Racket on LTTE front groups in Switzerland - The federal plainclothes police arrested leaders of the LTTE terrorist in Switzerland in a raid on Tuesday (Jan 11). They are supposed to have extorted money from compatriots and thereby co-financed the war in Sri Lanka. The accusations come from Tamils themselves. - By Dario Venutti and Markus Brotschi. Nearly every one of approximately 40,000 Tamils in Switzerland donated money for the armed struggle of the Tigers in Sri Lanka: by conviction, as an obligation or because one was pressurized and extorted. According to the British ethnologist Christopher MacDowell, who knows theTamil Diaspora well, seven million franc flowed this way annually from Switzerland into the war chests of the Tigers. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office now wants to find out which portion of this money came through criminal means. In the actions on Tuesday coordinated by federal plainclothes police in ten cantons, the top leadership of the Tamil Tigers of Switzerland was arrested: the local boss of the rebels, the predecessor, the finance boss and further cadres. They are being accused of extortion, money laundering, forging of documents and of being members of a criminal organization. According to Federal Prosecutor’s Office, eight of the ten arrested are to be put custody. According to the Lawyer Marcel Bosonnet from Zürich who represents the Tiger boss, they reject the accusations. Even some time earlier accusations had been made against the boss, but these could not be proved (sri Lanka Defence Ministry ; 15 January 2011).

Political solution to ethnic problem: Govt for consensus - President Mahinda Rajapaksa said with regard to a political solution to the ethnic problem, a solution will be arrived at in consensus with all political parties depending on the proposals they make. The President said so at a discussion with foreign correspondents at Temple Trees yesterday. President Rajapaksa stressed that power sharing with the centre is very much on the table. He added that there is no room to devolve police powers. Commenting on the alleged killing of an Indian fisherman by the Sri Lanka Navy this week, President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that reports from the Sri Lanka Navy show there was no such attack. However, discussions are underway to prevent any such incidents. “We have had arrangements earlier but these will have to be revised given the new peaceful situation in Sri Lanka,” he said. Explaining the situation, he said that during the conflict Sri Lanka prevented its fishermen from fishing in the Northern seas. He said that they are now able to do so, and there could be possibilities of misunderstandings and conflicts between fishermen from the two countries who are both Tamils. The President pointed out the importance of relevant parties talking to each other in such matters which is in accordance to the Joint Statement issued by India and Sri Lanka in June last year. Responding to a question posed by a journalist with regard to the summoning of Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in India Prasad Kariyawasam by the Indian government, President Rajapaksa said that any government including India has the right to do so and even the Sri Lankan government will take similar action in such situations. “We do not have any problem with that,” the President said. President Rajapaksa also said instructions are given to Government officials to expedite the distribution of flood relief and treat it as an essential service. He added that his visit to Batticaloa was cancelled due to bad weather but was in constant touch with developments there. President Rajapaksa appreciated India’s donation of flood relief and said that India came to Sri Lanka’s assistance without even a request. The relief material will reach Sri Lanka today (Daily News : 15 January 2011).

Rajapaksa rules out police powers for North - Reaffirming his commitment to “13 plus” [13th Amendment with additional powers] formula to bring about an amicable political solution to the Tamil question, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, insisted that “what the plus will be” should be a product of hope and aspirations of the people of Sri Lanka. Asked if police powers would be part of the “plus,” the President categorically said, “No… It’s not practical.” Pointing to an incident when aircraft of a top politician was not allowed to land in an Indian state, he said, “We do not want such problems.” The solution will be arrived at in consensus with all political parties depending on the proposals they make. Power sharing with the centre “is very much on the table.” He was speaking to foreign correspondents stationed in Sri Lanka over breakfast on Friday. On the broad process that the consensus will involve, he said that once the Tamil parties and the government discussed the issues threadbare, the solution would also be discussed with the country. Then the solution could be fine-tuned for implementation. He repeated what he had told The Hindu in an interview before — that he had a solution in mind but was not in a position to reveal it (Hindu : 14 January 2011).

EU Pushing Sri Lanka Toward China - Western pressure on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa over the defeat of the Tamil Tigers risks creating another Burma - That old habits die hard is clear from the way in which the European Union has been seeking to corner Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa for daring to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, rather than heeding their advice to call a ceasefire when the army had overrun the last sliver of territory controlled by the LTTE. With each advance the army made in early 2009, the demands for a ceasefire grew more strident. Once it became clear that Rajapaksa wouldn’t bow to Washington and Brussels, punitive measures were imposed on Colombo that continue today, the most recent being the US-EU withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences for Sri Lankan textiles in August. It’s clear Sri Lanka is becoming another Burma—to be subjected to isolation and sanctions—all in the name of human rights and democracy. And, as in the case of Burma, the major beneficiary of the Western boycott will be the same—China. China has already displaced India as the country of consequence for Sri Lanka. The distancing of Colombo from Delhi began in 1999, when the then Bharatiya Janata Party-led government refused urgent requests for military assistance. The LTTE had been inflicting defeats on a demoralised Sri Lankan army, which was running out of ammunition and weapons. When it became clear that India would refuse assistance because of its own political compulsions (the BJP was being supported by the DMK, a Tamil party that has backed an independent ‘Tamil Eelam’ homeland carved out of Sri Lanka), the Pakistanis stepped in, providing generous dollops of military assistance that enabled the Sri Lankan army to fend off the LTTE (The Diplomat : 14 January 2011).

Re: Open Letter to LankaWeb for feeding racisim even after war ended nearly 2 years before - By Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - Dear Paul George: After letting my belly stop doing somersaults laughing at your ranting over my writings about the Tamil Tigers in your Open Letter to Lankaweb, I decided to try and find out who really you were by Googling your name. All what I found out was that there is a Paul George in British Columbia who is interested in luxury tours in Sri Lanka. However, you may not be the person from British Columbia, but my search helped to satisfy my curiosity. Nevertheless, Paul George, who ever you are, I refuse to provide you with oxygen by responding in detail to your idiot hurl of charges at me, but I will leave you with just two incidents to squash your finger pointing at “Asoka Weerainghe’s racial attack on Tamil women and Tamil culture.” And I am going to leave it at that, and let you go on ranting at me, if you so wish…and provide me with more belly somersaulting laughs. Incident 1: When no Tamil man in Canada came to defend their Tamil culture when Ottawa’s lawyer Matt Garvey argued in court to defend a Tamil man for kidnapping a Tamil woman to be a Sri Lankan Tamil cultural trait, do you know who came to the Tamil men’s defense in public? You are not going to believe it Paul George! Sit down on a comfortable chair before you fall down in shock and hurt yourself. It was your racist, Asoka Weerasinghe. This is the letter that was published in The Ottawa Citizen on Friday, September 12, 2003 (LankaWeb : 14 January 2011).

Canadian court orders detention of MV ‘Sun Sea’ migrant - The man, one of 492 Tamils to enter British Columbia on the MV Sun Sea last August, has been ordered to remain in custody by the Federal Court. The Immigration and Refugee Board had ordered his release but the court recently overturned that decision, ruling it was made in error, the Globe and Mail reported yesterday. I’m not a Tamil Tiger – I only played one in the movies, the man told border officials soon after arriving in Canada. The man – whose name cannot be published and is referred to in court documents as B157 – told the Canada Border Services Agency in September that he was only a fisherman. He later changed his story and acknowledged he had acted in a film that promoted the LTTE. The man told border officials the film was funded by the LTTE and said he received a great deal of praise for his work.  Several of the man’s other comments also raised CBSA’s suspicions. The man initially told CBSA he didn’t owe any money to the smugglers who organized the MV Sun Sea’s journey. He later acknowledged that wasn’t true.  Despite the inconsistencies, the refugee board ordered the man released in November on a $1,000 cash bond. The adjudicator said at the time he was unsatisfied by CBSA’s argument that the man was a flight risk and unlikely to appear for future hearings. The adjudicator described the man as "completely co-operative" and "forthright" with border officials. The federal government appealed that ruling. In his decision, Federal Court Justice Yves de Montigny called the refugee board’s assessment of the man’s behaviour "generous" and "not borne out by the evidence." The judge ordered the man to stay in custody (Island : 14 January 2011).

A key change at Ministry of External Affairs - The government will shortly appoint Karunatilaka Amunugama, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador in Beijing as the Secretary to the External Affairs Ministry. Amunugama will succeed Romesh Jayasinghe, another career diplomat, who has held that post since Oct. 1, 2009. Sources say that Jayasinghe, who was Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in New Delhi during the Eelam war IV, will replace Amunugama in Beijing. Sources say Amunugama, who moved to China in July 2007 during a critical stage in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE has played an important role in strengthening SL-China relationship. Sources said that Additional Secretary to the External Affairs Ministry Ranjith Uyangoda, too, had been considered for Amunugama’s post, though it finally went to Jayasinghe. The Island learns that the decision to recall Amunugama triggered a hot contest for the Beijing vacancy. Beijing is one of the most important stations due to Sri Lanka’s long standing friendship and growing Chinese investments in Sri Lanka (Island : 14 December 2011).

Learning peace the Norwegian way - "Let the Solheims come and learn from what we have done, different to what they tried to teach us" – Mahinda Rajapaksa - Is it true they are coming? Well, that is how the story goes. What are they coming for? To teach us, I suppose. Surely, what can they teach us now? The usual thing… How we can have peace. What else can Norway teach us, except fishing …I mean in troubled waters. But we already have peace, what can they come and teach us? I understand it is about real peace. Now what the hell is that? We have defeated the LTTE. Prabhakaran is no more. What more is there in a real peace? Just leave that to the Norwegians….Erik Solheim is said to be an expert on winning peace. You mean they will come here to teach us the Solheim Peace Plan? That’s it. Do you think they will have enough to fill a classroom? many not; don’t you remember how may were following the Solheim Lessons in the past? Most of them item will think of this as a refresher course. How do you think the teaching programme will be structured? Well, the core of the programme is how a country can be at peace with itself, with a whole chunk of its territory and one third of its sea in the hands of an enemy. Well, that seems to be an interesting start. What else can one learn? There is so much to be taught. There will be whole sessions on how one can gain peace by strengthening one’s enemy. They can teach the modalities of a ceasefire agreement, where the enemy has the upper hand. What do you mean by the enemy having the upper hand? Well, being totally free to carry arms and move freely in the territory of the other side, and carry out assassinations at will too. Hmmm, quite an interesting approach to peace. That is not all. There are also the many lessons of how to strengthen the enemy, by being a facilitator of negotiations and peace (Island ; 14 January 2011).

Construction of the Kokavil Transmission tower reaches to the final stage

Landmine-clearing undresses pro-LTTE Eelam clowns - Military Spokesperson Major General Ubaya Medawala has said that a total of 307,200 mines have been cleared and destroyed by the Army Field Engineers in a land area of 1,872 square kilometers. This has been done by both manual and mechanical methods. Close to 1,300 soldiers have been deployed for this task in Jaffna, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Polonnaruva and Vavuniya districts, he said. The stretch from Oddusuddan to Nedunkerni has been completely de-mined by troops with the help of international and local organizations, he added.  This is not just painstaking work it is costly and extremely dangerous. The total number of landmines in the Northern and Eastern provinces remains undetermined. Those who bury them don’t necessarily keep meticulous records of location and as is natural in conflict situations, there is no guarantee that those who have some knowledge pass it on or that they are still alive.  It is a no-brainer that in a post-conflict situation where life and people return to normalcy and original residences respectively, ordinary citizens run the greatest risk pertaining to landmines. This is something that the pro-LTTE Eelam and anti-Government sections of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora just don’t have the heart, mind or ethics to talk about (Daily News : 14 January 2011).

Kokavil transmission tower: Construction reaches final stage - The construction of the Kokavil Transmission tower reaches to the final stage.  The tower when completed by next March will give transmission facilities to all TV Channels, Mobile Telecommunication and Radio Broadcast to the North.  The tower will connect the North and the South over the Air through TV, radio programs and will give the people an opportunity to use any mobile service. Sixty eight regional towers have been planned to support the 177 metre mega tower. Thirty six have been erected. The Kokavil tower is in a high security zone. The regional towers are at army camps.  The Kokavil tower is the only of its kind to stand without any cable support in the country.  Sri Lanka Signal Corps Signal Brigade Commander Brigadier K R P Rovel told the Daily News that they will broadcast 2011 ICC cricket world cup matches to the people in the North with the completion of the tower (Daily News : 14 January 2011).

Asian Threat Forecast in 2011 - IN 2011, terrorism and insurgency will remain the tier-one non-traditional security threats in Asia. Located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, Al Qaeda continues to influence threat groups in Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. While South Asia will appreciably suffer from terrorism in 2011, economic prosperity in Southeast and Northeast Asia will both pre-empt and counter the threat of ideological extremism and its by-product, terrorism. Nonetheless, with the exception of the terrorist and insurgent threats in South Asia, Asia is one of the world’s more stable and secure regions (EuroAsia Review).

Two refugee claimants named as Tamil Tigers - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor THE OTTAWA CITIZEN; Sir: In an exclusive interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper the page one of today’s (13 Jan.) Ottawa Citizen says;“On border security, he insisted that Canada-US discussions now under way are not a threat to this country’s sovereignty and are needed to strengthen protection from terrorists….” However, on page A3 of the newspaper you reported that “Two more Sri Lankans who arrived in Canada last August aboard the smuggling ship MV Sun Sea have been identified as suspected members of the Tamil Tigers rebels.” I note that you have been generous to call the Tamil Tigers “rebels” when the rest of the world including the UN designated them as “terrorists”. The question remains that if Stephen Harper is concerned about Canada’s sovereignty and protect Canada from terrorists, it is a no brainer how to deal with these two Tamil Tigers. Canada doesn’t want terrorists. Put them on the next plane out and send them off to Thailand, the country from where MV Sun Sea originated. Let the Thailand government deal with them. The bottom line is Canada does not want terrorists to make a home in our great country and create trouble for us. What are we waiting for Canada? (LankaWeb : 13 January 2011).

Norwegians did not see danger from terrorism US envoy in Oslo says in leaked cable - Norway revels in its role as the ‘moral superpower’ and points to the Oslo Peace Accords as a defining national moment’ US Ambassador in Oslo K. Whitney asserted the Norwegians’ indifference to terrorism in a confidential diplomatic cable sent to Washington on Feb. 13, 2009, amidst stepped-up efforts by a section of the international community to throw a lifeline to the sinking Tigers. The US, Norway, UK and France brought immense pressure to bear on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to suspend the offensive on the Vanni east front early 2009 after Sri Lanka liberated Kilinochchi in the first week of January. Whitney wrote: "… Norwegians do not generally see any threats. For example, they do not see a danger from terrorism. (This attitude prevails in the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and other elites, despite FM Stoere’s hotel being attacked by suicide bombers in Kabul.) This societal attitude was demonstrated by Norway´s first terrorist case.  Despite shooting at Oslo’s synagogue, planning to behead the Israeli ambassador and to attack the Israeli and US embassies, the accused was convicted only of grave vandalism (although his strict sentence showed some understanding of the severity of the charges)."  Whitney goes on to say: "Norway has substantial funds to back any mediating role it chooses to play. Rich with energy funds, it has for years been a leading donor to the Palestinian authority, most recently chairing the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee. Historically, it has been willing to commit to the long-term, funding projects to promote peace, in Sri Lanka for example, for over 27 years. Norway´s desire to make a difference combined with the willingness to expend time and money has made it a mediator in conflicts as far as Sri Lanka, Colombia, Haiti, and Sudan. It has elevated peace and reconciliation studies in its universities and reorganised its Foreign Ministry to showcase its expertise in this area. It revels in its self-described role as the "moral superpower" and points to the Oslo Peace Accords as a defining national moment."  Whitney adds: "Norwegian society values dialogue above all. Talk, even without any expectation of results, is seen as valuable. Anyone who draws a line and refuses to talk to an opposing party is seen as a radical unilateralist. Conversely, Norwegians are extremely opposed to the use of military force to achieve goals, no matter how laudable." (Island ; 13 January 2011).

Over 2,000 Muslims return to Mullaithivu - Over 2,000 Muslims, who were chased away by the LTTE in 1990, have been returned to their villages in Mullaithivu.  Over 15 bus loads of Muslim displaced people returned to former Muslim villages in Mulliyaweli from Puttlam, yesterday.  The Sri Lanka Army which de-mined the areas assisted by giving the dry rations and will help them to built their houses and clear the agicultural land to commence their livelihoods.  Each family is given a compensation of Rs. 50,000 compensation and will be given dry rations for six months (Sunday Observer : 13 January 2011).

‘I don’t need anyone’s lessons on peace’ Solheim not invited to SL - Neither he nor anyone else in his government had invited controversial Norwegian politician and former special peace envoy Eric Solheim to visit Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday told the media at Temple Trees. He was answering a question whether he had invited Solheim whom he had been very critical of during the war.  However, the President said, he had no objections to Solheim visiting Sri Lanka. "Let him come here and see the difference for himself," he said.  Asked to comment on reports that Solheim had offered to coach him on peacemaking a few years ago, the President said he did not need anyone’s lessons on peace (Island : 13 January 2011).

Tigers’ George Master exposed by Japanese emb. interpreter - P’karan’s son joined final battle from London LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s son, Charles Anthony is believed to have been in London during the Norwegian-led peace initiative. The Army killed him, while he was making a desperate bid to escape through a cordon in the third week of May 2009. A US diplomatic cable from Colombo transmitted on May 8, 2003, said that: "Charles Anthony, who is believed to be in London, is approximately 17 years old. Prabhakaran is believed to have another son and one daughter with him at his key base in Mullaitivu in northeast Sri Lanka." The cable dealt with a meeting Japanese peace envoy Akashi had with LTTE leader Prabhakaran at Kilinochchi on May 7 to pressure him to return to the negotiating table. The LTTE quit the negotiating process in April accusing the government of failing to address grievances of the Tamil speaking people. The large Japanese team included Ambassador to Sri Lanka Seiichiro Otsuka. Visiting London-based LTTE spokesman Anton Balasingham, political chief S. P. Thamilchelvam, and J. Maheswaran, an Australia-based LTTE official, also attended the meeting. At that particular meeting the Japanese had their own interpreter to ensure that they would know what the LTTE really meant. US Ambassador Ashley Wills wrote: Otsuka related that the Japanese side had brought along its own interpreter to the meeting. (Note: Most visitors in meetings with the LTTE rely on the group´s interpreter who is named "George." (George has often been accused of spinning his translations.) After the meeting, the Japanese interpreter told Otsuka that at one point Balasingham had said, suspended the peace talks to get concessions." (Note: This statement tends to highlight the tactical nature of the LTTE´s recent moves.) Obviously, "George" hadn’t translated what Balasingham said. Wills wrote: In another vignette, Otsuka commented that Prabhakaran had told him during the more social atmosphere of the lunch following the meeting that his son, Charles Anthony, was studying martial arts. A lively discussion on the matter ensued when Otsuka said that he had a brown belt in karate." In another US cable, the Colombo mission referred to comments made by an Indian diplomat on the LTTE’s decision to put off a key meeting of an important committee dealing with humanitarian issues. Apropos a meeting with Indian High Commission Political Chief Taranjit Sandhu on April 24, 2003,the US embassy said: "Taranjit Sandhu told us the Tigers´ decision was another "unfortunate" move by the group. He said he thought it was a "tactical" step by the Tigers, who wanted to put pressure on the GSL to cave in on various issues, including by reducing the security zones in Jaffna. India, he commented, had no indication that the group was intending to leave the peace process altogether." (Island : 13 January 2011).

Lest we forget……….. - by N. P. Karunadasa, SLAS (Retired), Kandy - Your excellent editorial (Flashback to an ugly past) appearing in The Island of 10th January 2011 vividly paints a frightening picture of what Sri Lanka would have become if Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe (RW) had been elected president of this country in 2005. In short, he would definitely have handed over Eelam to that mass murderer Prabhakaran on a platter on the dictates of his masters, the so called international community led by the infamous Co-chairs, and by this time the entirety of Sri Lanka would have become Eelam! Prabhakaran would be preparing his grand plans for the greater Eelam by this time!! That editorial and the discussion The Island had on 8th January 2011 with ambassador John Gunaratne (JG), one time head of the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat (news item titled ‘John G. on that radio equipment import by Norway on behalf of tigers’, appearing in the same issue) throws a lot of light on the sordid, treacherous activities carried out in a clandestine manner by RW and his government behind the back of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunge (CBK), who was kept in the dark all the time and therefore blissfully unaware of what was going on in the name of peace. The editorial also indicates how RW interfered in the judicial process to give bail to some LTTE terrorists who had committed non-bailable criminal offences. You have made the sinister motive of the international community in assisting Prabhakaran to achieve Eelam using RW as a cat’s paw, abundantly clear in your editorial. The US and the rest of the western powers need a state loyal to them as a firm foothold south of India and in close proximity to that rising economic giant China, and they believed that once the state of Eelam was created with their blessings and support Prabhakaran would obligingly provide that foothold for them with gratitude (Island : 13 January 2011).

US on the wrong tack -  ..... That the LTTE was not for peace was patently clear. At his 'international' media conference in Kilinochchi in 2002, Prabhakaran minced no words when he said, in answer to a question, that his order to his cadres to shoot him dead if he settled for anything less than Eelam was still valid! True to his word, he did not give up forcible recruitment, mostly of children, and continued to smuggle in arms shipments while talking peace. Most of all, he was making preparations for launching attacks on the Trincomalee harbour and the Palali airstrip simultaneously so as to cut off military supplies, trap the troops in the North and to force the government to concede defeat. "War is the continuation of politics by other means," Clausewitz famously said. For Prabhakaran the peace process became the continuation of war by other means! Yes, while most other newspapers portrayed the Oslo meeting as a boost for the 'peace process', we had the courage––like that little boy who bluntly told the emperor parading the streets in his 'new clothes' that he was stark naked––to call 'the peace process' a farce. As we predicted, the LTTE unilaterally pulled out of 'peace talks' three months after the Oslo Confab (Island : 13 January 2011).

Swiss police raided several properties and arrested ten LTTE Tamil Tigers

New Navy Commander - Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral D W A S Dissanayake has been appointed as the Navy Commander with effect from January 15,Navy spokesman Captain Athula Senarath told the Daily News yesterday. Having joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1977 as an Officer Cadet, Rear Admiral Dissanayake made a great contribution towards ending terrorism which engulfed the country for more than three decades. The Sri Lanka Navy destroyed the first LTTE boat with 19 terrorists on board for the first time in 1984 under his command.  He created a record in the Sri Lanka Navy’s history by overseeing the destruction of more than thirty terrorist boats.  Meanwhile present Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe has been promoted to the rank of Admiral with effect from yesterday. Admiral Samarasinghe was accorded a guard of honour at the Naval Headquarters yesterday morning.  Vice Admiral Samarasinghe having joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1974 as an Officer Cadet won the “Sword of Honour” of the fourth Intake at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. Later he was appointed as the 16th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.  He also achieved the Best International Midshipman award at Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth UK in 1976 along with the appointment of Divisional Sub Lieutenant. Samarasinghe is a Specialist Navigator graduate from Navigation and Direction school INS Venduruthy, India securing first place in order of merit (Daily News : 13 January 2011).

Submission to the LLRC by Dr Garvin Karunaratne, Ph.D. former Government Agent, Matara District, International Consultant-The Homeland and the Inland Traps - by Garvin Karunaratne, SLAS, Ph.D. former Government Agent, Matara District International Consultant - The Homeland Theory, is based on the idea that the Northern and Eastern Provinces entirely belong to the Tamil people who do now happen to be the vast majority in those Districts. While the population of the Northern Province is mainly Tamil, it is found that the population of the Eastern Province is roughly one third Sinhala, a third Tamil and a third Muslim.  Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith in his statement to the LLRC states that the Wanni areas- the Northern and Eastern Provinces were the homelands of the Tamils and that peasant settlement done by the Government was the cause of ethnic strife. A case has been fabricated as if these two provinces are not a part of a united Sri Lanka.  As a member of the Administrative Service for around five years I had to inspect cooperatives and paddy collection island-wide and have had to travel in the Northern and Eastern Provinces very often. All over the coastal areas there were small Sinhala fisherfolk villages. They were not mere fishing settlements but had the infrastructure of small Sinhala traders and bakeries.  These provinces were sparsely populated and the entire land in the Wanni areas were full of tanks built by the Sinhala kings of ancient times that had fallen into disrepair. When I was in charge of minor irrigation work in the Anuradhapura District in 1963 and 1964, I had the occasion to rebuild many of the tanks that had fallen into disrepair. On my visits very often I came across Brahmi inscriptions. Then, in nostalgia, I crept back a decade to my studies in paleography and made copies of the inscriptions. I could identify the script to relate to the few centuries before Christ, which meant that all these areas were then populated by Sinhala Buddhists- people who practiced agriculture for their livelihood (LankaWeb : 12 January 2011).

Leaked diplomatic cables reveal a deeper US role in failed Oslo bid - Tigers bought trawlers from India to engage in ‘fishing’ and warned SLN to keep its distance from its Mullaitivu shore positions, Balasingham told Moragoda in London. Leaked confidential US diplomatic cables reveal that the US were far more involved in the abortive Norwegian-led Sri Lankan peace process than the two other peace co-chairs, Japan and the EU.  Norway and the US had jointly tackled the Sri Lankan crisis, though the general perception was that Japan played a far more important role in restoring peace. According to a communique dated Aug. 1, 2002 addressed to Washington, the then US Ambassador in Colombo Ashley E. Wills, the US was briefed on the pre-peace talks negotiations between the government and the LTTE. The first round of formal peace talks was held in Sattahip, Thailand, between 16 and Sep. 18, 2002. Wills based his missive on his meeting with top Sri Lankan negotiator Minister Milinda Moragoda on July 31, 2002 following the Moragoda-Anton Balasingham powwow at the Norwegian embassy in London on July 27th. Balasingham’s Australian born wife Adele had represented the LTTE, while Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen, Special Envoy Erik Solheim, Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Jon Westborg, and Norwegian MFA official Lisa Golden were also present. It was the first highest level meet between the two sides before the confab in Thailand. As the London meet was taking place in the immediate aftermath of the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to the US and his meet with the then US President George W. Bush, the LTTE had inquired about the visit. Wills wrote: "Moragoda replied that President Bush had given PM Wickremesinghe his full vote of confidence and had expressed support for a negotiated solution to the conflict. Balasingham commented that this was fine with the LTTE, as the group understood that the US and India had key roles to play in the peace process. Moragoda briefly mentioned US assistance on military matters, commenting that a more secure Sri Lankan military would benefit the peace process." Moragoda played a key role in acquiring USCGC Courageous (WMEC-622). The United States Coast Guard donated Courageous to Sri Lanka on June 24, 2004, a few months after Karuna quit the LTTE and threw his weight behind the Sri Lankan military. She is currently serving the Sri Lankan Navy as P-621 SLNS Samudura. During the Eelam war IV, SLNS Samudura took part in operations directed against the LTTE ships on the high seas. Of the eight ships, four were hit in 2007 with the help of intelligence provided by the US. The SLN also installed US-built Bush Master 30mm cannon in its Fast Attack Craft (FAC), while thwarting LTTE attempts to procure arms overseas (Island : 12 January 2011).

The truth & lies of life in Post-War Jaffna - by Shenali Waduge - My first impressions of post-war Jaffna peninsula was certainly not how it was made out to be by both western and local media, missing too was the horrific scenarios supposed to be taking place on a regular basis. Instead, my visualization was of towns abuzz with shoppers, young girls a few even dressed in jeans freely roaming around in bicycles some even on motorcycles, kovils full of worshippers, most of all an aura of relief despite the presence of military personnel whose conduct was applauded by practically every Tamil civilian I spoke to through the journey leading to Jaffna. It is only by visiting Jaffna, walking amongst its residents, speaking with them, joining residents in prayer will one really find out what the pulse of the people is like. It is totally different to the versions that are being circulated amongst vested groups in the South, by certain media channels paid to ensure that Sri Lanka’s peace is only in name & by those who are all out to create some division or the other. It is not remotely near the horrors that are being portrayed as taking place. To gage the feelings of the people it is essential to think outside of the mental framework with which we function in Colombo. It is only by showing concern & interest in those that one talks to will that feeling be reciprocated. Likewise, I spent a bulk of time visiting kovils, mingling with the ordinary people, going to their homes, sitting down next to them, going to the market places, speaking to people on the roadsides, to find out how those newly resettled are starting a new life and even speaking to those that had once out of fear supported the LTTE and with each conversation it was clearly evident that a handful of sordid souls had ruined the country, played with innocent minds, fed them with untruths & sustained a misery that had lasted almost 30 years.. (LankaWeb : 12 January 2011).

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees – Refugee Board Notice - by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada - The Editor (Letters) THE OTTAWA CITIZEN; Sir: Re: Refugee board notice protested by advocates for the very reason that, “The November ruling found that the human rights situation in Sri Lanka had improved and that the likelihood Tamils would be persecuted if they return to the country has diminished.,” is more a concern about the down-sizing of the million dollar human trafficking and refugee business of Sri Lankan Tamils by these advocates. I can well understand their concerns. When over a million Tamils live in the south of the island, and quite happily too without being harassed; the UNHRC announcing that in 2010 the number of Tamil refugees that they assisted to return to Sri Lanka voluntarily stood at 2,054 and are expecting more this year; and the recruitment of Tamil youths to the Sri Lankan military services and police being significantly on the rise, why are these Tamil refugee advocates so concerned unnecessarily? This month a group of 356 Police personnel including 20 women from the Tamil community in the North were among the latest batch of recruits to the Police service. What is significant of this recruitment is that the Tamil youth were shut out from this service for three decades for security reasons, because of the Tamil Tiger terrorists were kidnapping and recruiting Tamil child soldiers and suicide bombers to fight their separatist war. These Tamil refugee advocates should now accept the progress that is going on in Sri Lanka in rehabilitation of the former Tamil Tiger soldiers and reconciliation among the communities. The Tamil youth have nothing to worry and the Refugee Board was absolutely correct to say that the persecution of the Tamil youth, if there had been any, has diminished (LankaWeb : 12 January 2011).

Lanka welcomes Swiss swoop on LTTE rump - Ten arrested for forcing Tamil Diaspora to contribute to Tigers’ war chest - Sri Lanka on Wednesday (12) welcomed Switzerland taking tough action against the LTTE rump. An External Affairs Ministry official told The Island that tangible action was needed to stop those making money on the pretext of fighting for the rights of Sri Lankan Tamils. He said the government was confident that operations would continue until the total eradication of criminal gangs targeting the Tamil Diaspora not only in Switzerland but other developed countries too. The Defence Ministry said that a global effort was required to finish off the LTTE fund-raising apparatus to ensure ordinary people were not targeted though the war ended in May, 2009. Swiss police on Tuesday raided several properties and arrested ten LTTE operatives, accusing them of involvement in a criminal group as well as money laundering, news agencies quoted the Swiss Attorney General’s office as saying. The AG’s office said: "Today, the Swiss Federal Criminal Police carried out a nationally coordinated operation directed at Tamil individuals and members of the LTTE. They are accused, amongst other offences, of money laundering and being members of a criminal organisation." Some 23 premises were raided in ten cantons leading to the arrests. The raids were conducted after a criminal probe into their activities in Switzerland. "During the course of the investigation, the suspicion that, for many years, the accused persons had forced their fellow countrymen of the Tamil Diaspora to financially support the LTTE was substantiated," said the Attorney General’s office. "The victims in Switzerland were put under severe pressure, threatened, or subjected to extortion," it added. Authorities found that the accused had forced their fellow countrymen to take out large loans, and to hand over the funds. Those who refused were threatened with reprisals. The AG’s Department said: "Several million of Swiss francs" were raised and transferred to Sri Lanka, where they were used to finance Tamil Tiger activities, in particular, in the purchase of "war materials. To disguise the true origin of the funds, they were invested in companies with connections to the LTTE conducting legal business." Swiss prosecutors have established a toll free line 0800 10 20 60, calling on witnesses or victims to come forward if they had information on how the Tamil Tigers operate (Island ; 12 January 2011).

Teaching the Grand Mother “How to Suck Eggs” - by Prof. Hudson McLean - WikiLeaks exposes another Secret Report by the USA Envoy in Sri Lanka to his masters and boffins in Washington, on the opinions of Erik Solheim Norwegian “Guru” Minister of International Development. The documents expose how Solheim, in his own thinking, planned to “coach” the newly elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on the fine sensitivities of the ethnic problem, largely created by the British Colonial masters, the Indian Government and, lately facilitated by The Royal Nowegian Government. The Nordic Nations, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Denmark have little or no understanding of the 3000+ year old cultures of Asia. As Vikings, and savages, their colinization (but failed) largely centred around Europe, with the exception of Denmark which ventured into Far East Trading. Swedes bantered around Finland and into Russia until Czar Nikolai booted them out of Russian-Finnish border town of Vyborg. Finns who are of Ungro-Ukranian descent found their way into the forests of Finland and lived as a secluded breed of farmers, largely inter-breeding with the occasional mix into the Northern Saamilainen, Russian, Swedish bloodlines. Until 1970's one could not find a Pizzeria or a Chinese restaurant in the whole of Finland, let alone of any foreign cultural knowledge. Even bananas were an exotic fruit. In my travels in Norway during the 1975, there were hardly any “coloureds” in any large city such as Oslo, Bergen, or from Tromso to Kristiansen except for a few Black Afro-American basketball players, whom the Norwegian girls adored for their reputed long “dicks”. As a sea-faring and a fisheries nation Norway suddenly discovered Sri Lanka with a tingling ethnic conflict (LankaWeb : 12 January 2011).

Swiss police arrest 10 LTTE men after raids - Swiss police Tuesday raided several properties and arrested ten Tamil Tiger rebels, accusing them of involvement in a criminal group as well as money laundering, the attorney-general's office said. "Today, the Swiss Federal Criminal Police carried out a nationally coordinated operation directed at Tamil individuals and members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "They are accused, amongst other offences, of money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation," said the attorney-general's office.  Some 23 premises were raided in ten cantons, leading to the arrests in the operation that came after a criminal probe into the Tamil Tigers' activities in Switzerland.  "During the course of the investigation, the suspicion that, for many years, the accused persons had forced their fellow countrymen of the Tamil diaspora to financially support the LTTE, was substantiated," said the attorney-general's office.  "The victims in Switzerland were put under severe pressure, threatened, or subjected to extortion," it added.  Authorities found that the accused had forced their fellow countrymen to take out large loans, and to hand over the funds. Those who refused were threatened with reprisals.  "Several million Swiss francs" were raised and transferred to Sri Lanka where they were used to finance Tamil Tiger activities, in particular, in the purchase of "war materials," said the statement.  "To disguise the true origin of the funds, they were invested in companies with connections to the LTTE conducting legal business," noted the attorney-general's office.  Colombo defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after killing the guerilla leaders who were fighting for an ethnic Tamil homeland. The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people died in the separatist conflict after the Tiger rebels first emerged in 1972. The Sinhalese are the majority in Sri Lanka, with the Tamils representing the minority. Swiss prosecutors have established a toll free line 0800 10 20 60, calling on witnesses or victims to come forward if they had information on how the Tamil Tigers operate (Sify News : 12 January 2011).

Norway’s secret letter to Prabhakaran - The confidential letter sent by the erstwhile Foreign Minister of Norway ,Jan Petersen to former Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran which was exposed by ‘Wikileaks’ had shed light on a hitherto unknown side : firstly , it proves that the accusations levelled by the pro Tamil Tiger Diaspora that Norway and the International community were responsible for the devastation of the Tamil Tigers are false ; and secondly , the allegations mounted by the political groups of the south of Sri Lanka (SL) that , Norway while acting as the mediator in the peace process was secretly helping the Tamil Tigers are baseless. The former foreign Minister of Norway had addressed this confidential letter to Prabhakaran on 16th August 2005. According to the Wikileaks exposures, the former Foreign Minister and Deputy foreign Minister Helgesen had met Tamil Tiger Theoretician Anton Balasingham in London and handed over the letter on 17th August 2005 in order that it reaches Prabhakaran via Balasingham. During that period , the Norwegian Ambassador in SL ,Hans Brattskar had informed America that the then ruling Govt. of Chandrika Bandaranaike hadn’t any knowledge of this letter , and if the Chandrika’s Govt. gets wind of this , it would leak out to the Colombo Press , Wikileaks exposures had declared. When the Norway foreign Minister and his Deputy met Balasingham in London, they had questioned the latter about the Tamil Tiger killings and their operations in the North -East. Balasingham who had expressed concern over the killings however had been evasive on the issue of accepting responsibility for the murder of former SL foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, the WikiLeaks had stated. The first letter sent by the Norwegian Foreign Minister to Prabhakaran clarifies many a fact . The letter is published hereunder : (Daily Mirror : 12 January 2011).

Education in Jaffna to be uplifted - Government has uplifted the education system in Jaffna to a higher level, Northern province Assistant Education Director Tirupathi Selvaratnam said. There was a steady development in the educational system in Jaffna after the Government's humanitarian operations, he said. There are 425 schools in Jaffna District and out of them, six are national schools. The schools have been receiving free uniform material, books and donations from the Government, he said. Most schools that were damaged and destroyed due to the war, had been repaired and reestablished. Almost all the schools had been reopened for the children. Plans have been made to upgrade the educational level even more higher, Selvaratnam said. He said that with the guidance of the Government, they intend to develop the standards of students in aesthetic and sports fields to compete in the national level. "It is a pleasure to see children having the opportunity of education without having to worry about their lives and having to hide in the jungle for long hours. We are looking forward to develop educational facilities to help children in rural areas," the Director said. Special development programs are currently being carried out under Uthuru Vasanthaya program. Even the schools that are in the high security zone were reopened, he said (Daily News : 12 January 2011).

Tiger buddy with nuisance value takes on Karuna - Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu may be five months away but at least one person has announced his candidature against the electoral might of Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi. Tamil film director-turned-actor Sebastian Seeman, a fiery supporter of the LTTE and the Tamil Eelam cause, has declared that he was ready to be the common candidate to challenge Karunanidhi at whichever constituency he contests, and sought the support of all Opposition parties. “My aim is to defeat Karunanidhi in a one-on-one fight for his betrayal of Sri Lankan Tamils and for this, I am ready to join hands with anyone, including the AIADMK,” he told reporters after a meeting with MDMK leader Vaiko. His sole agenda for the 2011 elections would be to defeat the DMK-Congress combine, he added. Seeman, 36, has been arrested twice under the National Security Act (NSA) by the DMK government for his fiery oratory in support of the LTTE and against Sinhalese living in Tamil Nadu. He had declared his intention to take on Karunanidhi after he was released from jail last month when the high court quashed his detention under the NSA. A supporter of slain LTTE leader V. Prabhakaran, Seeman had directed a Tamil movie titled Thambi, Prabhakaran’s pet name. In November 2009, he was deported from Canada for addressing pro-LTTE meetings and threatening the Sinhalese. During the last stage of the LTTE’s war against the Sri Lankan forces in 2009, Seeman had floated the Naam Thamizhar Iyakkam (Our Tamil Movement) to rally the pro-Tiger forces against the Congress and the DMK for not preventing the decimation of the rebel group. In the May 2009 Lok Sabha election, his outfit had supported pro-LTTE candidates against Congress nominees, including home minister P. Chidambaram. “Our campaign against the Congress was responsible for senior Congress leaders K.V. Thangkabaalu and E.V.K.S. Elangovan losing in those elections while Chidambaram himself could just squeak through,” Seeman had claimed after the results (The Telegraph, Culcutta: 12 January 2011).

Canadian Refugee Board says ... Tamils safe in Lanka

Federal police operation targets Tamil Tigers - The Swiss federal police have arrested ten people as part of a nationwide sting operation targeting members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). On Tuesday the police searched 23 sites and objects in cantons Basel City, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Graubünden, Lucerne, Solothurn, St Gallen, Vaud and Zurich. The operation was carried out in connection with an investigation dating back to May 2009, when several people of Tamil origin were accused of extortion, forgery, money laundering and membership in a criminal organisation. Using threats and blackmail, the accused are suspected of forcing their Swiss-based countrymen to support the LTTE financially. According to the federal authorities, the LTTE managed to collect several million Swiss francs, which it mainly used to buy weapons in Sri Lanka. Switzerland is home to more than 40,000 Sri Lankan Tamils, many of whom fled the civil war in the 1980s and 90s (Swis Info : 11 January 2011).

Norway lambasted Prabhakaran over Kadirgamar assassination, child soldiers – US - Balasingham danced around the issue of responsibility for Aug. 2005 killing-Norwegian envoys In a strongly-worded letter to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, in the aftermath of the assassination of the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in Aug. 2005, Norway asserted that whatever the LTTE position, people in Sri Lanka and abroad held the LTTE responsible for the assassination. Norway also lashed out at Prabhakaran for forcible recruitment of children and went to the extent of warning of punitive international reaction unless he behaved in line with the CFA. The Norwegian move has been revealed by a top secret US diplomatic cable obtained and released by whistle blowing website Wiki Leaks.  Sri Lankan sources told The Island that in spite of tough talk, Norway and the Peace Co-Chairs failed pathetically to rein in the LTTE leading to a suicide attempt on the life of the then Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka in April 2006.  Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen had handed over the letter to Anton Balasingham in London on Aug. 17, 2005 at a meeting also attended by Deputy FM Vidar Helgessen. Balasingham has translated and transmitted the letter to the LTTE leader.  Sources pointed out that Peace Facilitator International Development Minister Erik Solheim hadn’t been involved in this particular initiative. Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Hans Brattskar had briefed the US mission of the developments in London. Brattskar had handed over a copy of the letter to the US embassy, while ruling out the possibility of sharing the information with the Sri Lankan government. He had also requested the US not to share the letter with anyone.  Sources speculated that Norway and the US may have denied the EU and Japan (Peace Co-Chairs) information on the move. The cable quoted Brattskar as saying that Vidar Helgessen had been ‘hoping mad’ over print media reports on his meet with President Kumaratunga on Aug. 16 in Colombo. Brattskar was also quoted as saying that handing over of a copy of the letter sent to Prabhakaran to the Sri Lankan government would be "like giving it to the Sunday papers.  Balasingham had expressed concern over recent LTTE actions in the North and East but had danced around the question of responsibility for Kadirgamar´s assassination and disavowed any prior knowledge during his meet with Petersen and Helgessen.  The following is the full text of Norwegian FM Jan Petersen’s letter dated Aug.16 to Prabhakaran: (Island : 11 January 2011).

A reply to Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian - M.A.Sumanthiran - By Charles. S. Perera - The Tamil National Alliance was launched by the terrorist Prabhakaran to have a group of Parliamentarians to be his spokesmen in the Parliament. While Prabhakaran continued his terrorism to set up his dream- Tamil Homeland in a merged North and East , he wanted his TNA Parliamentarians to be his complementary “companions in arms” to defend his activities in the Parliament, and to mislead the International Community by propagating that terrorism is only a fight for freedom and for a territorial separation of Sri Lanka to set up a separate Eelam State. With the elimination of terrorism, the TNA is apparently on their own or still under contract to the pro – terrorist Tamil expatriate community to be their voice in the Parliament in Sri Lanka and outside. However the TNA still remains the voice of “ Prabhakran” the Thalaivar. Now without calling for a separate Eelam State, TNA MPs are nevertheless pushing the same idea interposing a demand for a “ meaningful devolution of power” not forgetting the merger of the North and East by implementing the 13 th Amendment to the Constitution. M.A.Sumanthiran of the TNA has expressed the willingness of the TNA to work with the government to solve key issues affecting the Tamils in a long interview with the The Nation, adding that the TNA stands for “ meaningful devolution of power “, and constitutional reforms within a united country under a federal structure (LankaWeb : 11 January 2011).

Of Prabhakaran's blind plunge - Propaganda constituted a main prong of the LTTE strategy. It helped the outfit build a bulwark of myths and fear by way of defence. The Tigers subtly used the media to disseminate their propaganda lies and condition people psychologically to believe they were invincible. Until the capture of Kilinochchi, during the Vanni operations, the LTTE propagandists who included some journalists, both local and foreign, NGO activists and politicians, insisted that the Tiger heartland was impregnable and the army would have to beat a retreat nursing a bloodied nose before long. Among those who claimed that the war could not be won by either party were foreign diplomats helping further the LTTE's interests. However, Prabhakaran had a realistic assessment of his real strength, according to a classified US diplomatic cable exposed by Wikileaks. It reveals, as we reported yesterday, that he informed the Norwegians before the launch of the Vanni offensive that he was not capable of withstanding a military onslaught. Norway intimated this to the Co-Chairs. The cable tallies with our report in 2007 that Prabhakaran had summoned some TNA MPs to Kilinochchi and ordered them to campaign hard and bring international pressure to bear on the government to stop the Vanni operations and he would hold out until such time. That proved to be a terrible miscalculation on his part. The army marched faster than expected! (Island ; 11 January 2011).

SLMM and rogue arms ships  - It will be fascinating to see the Norwegian Lutheran regime explaining the latest Wikileak about the SLMM deliberately enabling a Tamil Tiger terrorist weapons ship to escape and then President Chandrika Kumaratunge wanting their commanding officer expelled. According to a news report: "A move by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) made a gunrunning vessel belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), escape from the Sri Lanka Navy - whistle-blower website Wikileaks reveals. The highly confidential cable sent by Colombo US Embassy to Washington, dated October 23, 2003, was classified by Colombo’s Charge´ d´Affaires James F. Entwistle."  I am referring to the leak that speaks of the Norwegian SLMM tipping off the Tigers. Apparently that was an "honest mistake" that enabled the Tigers to evade the Sri Lankan Navy or was the mission playing a double game in face of an impotent, appeasing UNP led regime at that time and throwing egg in the faces of Sri Lanka’s national security interests?  How did these so called highly educated, experienced military professionals and top commanders/ experts at monitoring missions advertently let the Tigers off like this? Are rational, logical people to believe that these poor innocent naïve professional SLMM Nords were gullible "podi babbu" hoodwinked by clever Tigers? What else will the Wikileaks tell the world about the war in Sri Lanka? Was SLMM chief Tryggve Teleffsen an arrogant jerk who thought he could get away or was he a not so clever gullible General outwitted by uneducated but smart Tigers?  Now the US public also knows something the rest of the world knew for a long time; that Iraq had nothing to do with Jihadi terrorists and the main source of funding for Al Qaeda’s version of Jihadi intolerant Wahabi terrorism is Saudi Arabia and that is something the US government is afraid to tell Americans because of energy interests (Island : 11 January 2011).

Leaked diplomatic cable reveals : Solheim, Burns misjudged MR et al - Norwegian Peace Facilitator felt Prabhakaran completely isolated and clueless about what was happening in the South… - A leaked confidential US diplomatic cable, authored by the then US Ambassador in Colombo Jeffrey Lunstead in the wake of Nov. 2005 presidential election, has revealed how those spearheading the peace initiative misjudged the Sri Lankan leader. Following a meeting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns had with President Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on Jan. 23, 2006, the State Department official told Norwegian peace facilitator Erik Solheim on the same day that President Rajapaksa felt government security forces were ‘too weak to take on the LTTE’. The meeting had taken place at Lunstead’s residence with the participation of the then Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo Hans Brattskar. Lunstead titled his missive ‘Under Secretary Burns reviews Sri Lankan peace process with Norwegian facilitator Erik Solheim.’ Burns and Solheim, according to Lunstead had compared notes ‘on the efficacy and vision of various Sri Lankan politicians. But Norwegian Special envoy Jon Hanssen-Baur on April 11, 2006 told a meeting attended by senior representatives of Sri Lankan Peace Co-Chairs in Oslo that the Tigers had told the Norwegians that they could be militarily defeated by government forces. Sri Lankan government sources told The Island that Burns and Solheim had visited Colombo to explore the possibility of re-launching the peace process after the change of government. During the Jan. 23 meet at Lunstead’s residence, Solheim had declared that he didn’t expect the LTTE to stop attacks even if they agreed to talks with President Rajapaksa’s government. The LTTE launched claymore mine attacks on Dec. 4, 2006, targeting the Army and Navy. In Jan. 2006, the LTTE blew up a Navy Fast Attack Craft (FAC) off Trincomalee killing the entire crew (Island : 11 January 2011).

India backs revival of Sri Lanka's KKS harbour - India on Tuesday backed the restoration of Sri Lanka's northern Kankesanthurai harbour, saying it would boost regional trade activities as well as increase people-to-people contacts between the two countries. "The restoration of the Kankesanthurai harbour will provide a fillip to domestic and regional commerce in Sri Lanka. It will also result in increased connectivity and people-to-people contact between India and Sri Lanka, an objective to which both India and Sri Lanka are committed," said a statement issued by the Indian High Commission here. India's Ministry of External Affairs today signed an Agreement with RITES Limited for Consultancy Services on the preparation of a detailed project report and the conduct of geo-technical investigations for the rehabilitation of the Kankesanthurai Harbour. KKS harbour served as the supply point in the north for the government troops during its long drawn out conflict with the LTTE. Sri Lankan forces crushed the LTTE in May 2009 and killed its top leaders, who were fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamils, alleging discrimination at the hands of the Sinhalese majority (Zee News : 11 January 2011).

Tamils safe in Lanka: Canadian Refugee Board - "Your life is not in danger just because you’re a Tamil who has been sent back to Sri Lanka," says a new policy introduced by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board. The "persuasive decision," a note aimed at maintaining consistency in IRB rulings, said meaningful changes in Sri Lanka suggest Tamils – particularly young males – won’t be persecuted because of their social group or political opinions. Although refugee board adjudicators aren’t forced to follow the new guideline, the IRB said such notes "are offered to members as models of sound reasoning that may be adopted in appropriate circumstances." The policy, which could affect refugee claimants who arrived in Canada aboard the Ocean Lady and MV Sun Sea, is being challenged in court by a lawyer who says it is not legally sound. The note was also criticized by activists, who suggested it could put lives in danger. The IRB’s decision was released last month, just before the holidays. Persuasive decisions derive from individual cases that are identified as being of persuasive value in developing guidelines. The case cited in the new IRB policy involved a 25-year-old Tamil male from Sri Lanka. (He did not arrive in Canada on either of the high-profile boats.) The claimant told the refugee board that "he has been and will be persecuted by the Sri Lankan army, government officials and paramilitary agents associated with the Sri Lankan government if he returns to Sri Lanka." The claimant said he was arrested by Sri Lankan forces in 2006, interrogated, hit in the stomach and pushed against a wall. He moved to a different area with a friend soon afterward, but was stopped by government forces the next year. He said his friend was eventually executed. The claimant fled to Malaysia in 2007 before arriving in Canada in 2009 (Island : 11 January 2011).

Solheim wanted to coach MR on how to make peace - A few days before leaving Oslo for Colombo, where he was scheduled to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Jan. 2006, Norwegian peace facilitator International Development Minister Erik Solheim claimed that the President needed to learn how to handle the peace process. Solheim boasted of his expertise in handling the Sri Lankan crisis when he met Ambassador K. Whitney, the newly appointed US Ambassador to Norway on Jan. 19, 2006. This is what Whitney wrote in a confidential memo dated Jan. 23 to the State Department: "Solheim, who is traveling to Colombo Jan. 23-26 (with a planned stop in New Delhi on his way back to Oslo), commented that expectations in the Sri Lankan press have gotten way out of hand — as if his visit would "save" the country. Solheim remarked that ironically, the same people who only two months ago were bad mouthing Norway and wanted to end the Norwegian mediation role were now counting on Solheim to get the peace process back on track.  The Minister outlined two basic objectives for his visit: 1) "stabilize the ceasefire" and 2) meet the President in his new capacity with a view to getting him to fully understand how he can advance talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (emphasis mine). Solheim explained that he wants to get a re-commitment to the cease-fire, reduce violations, and move the country away from the brink of war. He added that while he knows the President well and thinks highly of him, Rajapaksa in his view is unfamiliar with the complexities of the ethnic issues and needs to learn how to best move the peace process forward (emphasis mine) Solheim intends to provide Rajapaksa the "LTTE perspective." On the question of getting the Sri Lankan Government and LTTE to the table, Solheim said that he hoped the parties would agree soon to a venue in Europe. While not ruling out Oslo, Solheim said that places like Sweden, Finland or Switzerland would be better. Solheim noted that he looked forward to comparing notes and discussing how best to advance the peace process with Under Secretary Nicholas Burns when they meet in Colombo." (Island ; 11 January 2011).

SLMM and rogue arms ships - by Mano Ratwatte - It will be fascinating to see the Norwegian Lutheran regime explaining the latest Wikileak about the SLMM deliberately enabling a Tamil Tiger terrorist weapons ship to escape and then President Chandrika Kumaratunge wanting their commanding officer expelled. According to a news report: "A move by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) made a gunrunning vessel belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), escape from the Sri Lanka Navy - whistle-blower website Wikileaks reveals. The highly confidential cable sent by Colombo US Embassy to Washington, dated October 23, 2003, was classified by Colombo’s Charge´ d´Affaires James F. Entwistle." I am referring to the leak that speaks of the Norwegian SLMM tipping off the Tigers. Apparently that was an "honest mistake" that enabled the Tigers to evade the Sri Lankan Navy or was the mission playing a double game in face of an impotent, appeasing UNP led regime at that time and throwing egg in the faces of Sri Lanka’s national security interests? How did these so called highly educated, experienced military professionals and top commanders/ experts at monitoring missions advertently let the Tigers off like this? Are rational, logical people to believe that these poor innocent naïve professional SLMM Nords were gullible "podi babbu" hoodwinked by clever Tigers? What else will the Wikileaks tell the world about the war in Sri Lanka? Was SLMM chief Tryggve Teleffsen an arrogant jerk who thought he could get away or was he a not so clever gullible General outwitted by uneducated but smart Tigers? Now the US public also knows something the rest of the world knew for a long time; that Iraq had nothing to do with Jihadi terrorists and the main source of funding for Al Qaeda’s version of Jihadi intolerant Wahabi terrorism is Saudi Arabia and that is something the US government is afraid to tell Americans because of energy interests. Wikileaks may end up strengthening democracy and hold western nations more accountable for their actions than before. No wonder they want to charge Assange. The Wikileaks imbroglio has the US and Britain scrambling to silence Julian Assange. He is now a political prisoner being accused of breaking an archaic Swedish law about having unprotected consensual sex. In other words, the high and mighty preachers of political rights, human rights, and free speech are misusing Interpol (which never acts on sex allegations) and using their might to pressure Assange by bringing charges of having sex without a condom because of his temerity to challenge the world’s only military superpower. It seems that Interpol is more interested in imposing Sharia Law about extra marital sex these days just like Taliban (Island : 11 January 2011).

Are we serious about a solution based on Indo-Lanka Accord ?

Read more about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution)

News Archives

• 2011 January 01 to 15
• 2010 December 01 to 31
• 2010 November 21 to 30
• 2010 November 11 to 20
• 2010 November 01 to 10
• 2010 October 01 to 31
• 2010 September 01 to 30
• 2010 August 23 to 31
• 2010 August 01 to 22
• 2010 July 16 to 31
• 2010 July 01 to 15
• 2010 June 16 to 30
• 2010 June 01 to 15
• 2010 May 16 to 31
• 2010 May 01 to 15
• 2010 April 16 to 30
• 2010 April 01 to 15
• 2010 March 21 to 31
• 2010 March 11 to 20
• 2010 March 01 to 10
• 2010 February 11 to 28
• 2010 February 01 to 10
• 2010 January 21 to 31
• 2010 January 01 to 20
• 2009 December 22 to 31
• 2009 December 11 to 21
• 2009 December 01 to 10
• 2009 November 22 to 30
• 2009 November 11 to 21
• 2009 November 01 to 10
• 2009 October 25 to 31
• 2009 October 18 to 24
• 2009 October 11 to 17
• 2009 October 06 to 10
• 2009 October 01 to 05
• 2009 September 26 to 30
• 2009 September 20 to 25
• 2009 September 16 to 20
• 2009 September 10 to 15
• 2009 September 01 to 10
• 2009 August 20 to 31
• 2009 August 05 to 22
• 2009 August 01 to 04
• 2009 July 11 to 22
• 2009 July 01 to 10
• 2009 June 14 to 26
• 2009 June 01 to 13
• 2009 May 24 to 31
• 2009 may 15 to 23
• 2009 may 12 to 14
• 2009 May 03 to 11
• 2009 May 01 to 02
• 2009 April 29 to 30
• 2009 April 23 to 28
• 2009 April 14 to 22
• 2009 April 01 to 13
• 2009 March 21 to 27
• 2009 March 14 to 20
• 2009 March 08 to 13
• 2009 March 01 to 07
• News prior to March 2009