Latest News from Sri Lanka

Current Significant Issues

Saturday, 04 September 2010 09:56 am 

Sri Lanka - Vadamarachchi demining completes Resettlement begins

Demining in the Vadamarachchi East area in the Northern Province has completed and resettlement of IDPs is being carried out in the area.
Vadamarachchi, a division in the Jaffna District which consists the towns Point Pedro, Valvettithurai and Nelliyady, was the place where the well known military offensive was carried out by the Army troops during May to June 1987, to re-gain the territory from LTTE control.

Army Engineers and foreign agencies collectively conducted the de-mining operations in Vadamarachchi East.
During the first phase of resettlement in the area, eighty one families were resettled at Ampan in Marathankerni divisional secretariat on 30th last month.

Tin roofing sheets and cement needed for renovating their houses were distributed among the resettled families. Agricultural equipments were also distributed among 40 farming families as a measure to strengthen their livelihoods. School items were also distributed among children of those families resettled.
The government earlier resettled IDPs in former LTTE terrains such as Kilinochchi, and Mulaitivu. Kilinochchi was the administrative center of the LTTE. Mulaitivu was the military stronghold of the LTTE for many years, from which it directed most of the operations against the Security Forces. It was also the Head Quarters of its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
(ISRIA: 03 September 2010)

A tale of two nations – X

As we said in the previous instalment of the present series an alien nation was created by the English consisting of Burghers, English educated Tamils and English educated Sinhalas in that order in order to fight against the Sinhala Buddhists who were the only people in the country who fought against the colonialists continuously. The history of this country since the Colebrook Commission has been revolving around the struggle between this alien nation and the English and the westerners on one side and the Sinhalas, especially the Sinhala Buddhists on the other side.
(Island: 01 September 2010)

Germany charges suspected LTTE cadres
August 31, 2010 04:00 pm

German prosecutors said Tuesday they had charged three men suspected of fundraising and buying weapons for the Sri Lankan separatist group the Tamil Tigers.
Sri Lankan national Vijikanendra V. S., 35, and German nationals Sasitharan M., 33, and Koneswaran T., 39, were charged with belonging to a banned “terrorist” organisation and breaking export laws, a statement said.
The three men, arrested in March, ran in the western city of Oberhausen the German “affiliate” of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), banned as a “terrorist” organisation in the European Union, prosecutors said.
Between July 2007 and April 2009 they raised some three million euros (3.8 million dollars) from Tamils in Germany and transferred it to the LTTE or used it on LTTE orders to buy weapons and other items, the statement said.
Vijikanendra V. S. is also believed to have been in charge of all of the Tigers’ foreign affiliates, prosecutors added. They did not say when the men might face trial, AFP reports. (Ada Derana: 31 Aug 2010)

Sri Lankans Worried about the President Secretly Talking to a Traitor
 Posted on August 28th, 2010

Dilrook Kannangara

It was recently reported that the President has secured the desired number of seats (150) for Constitutional change. Although there is a quantitative advantage it comes at a loss of quality. When national traitors are accomodated to get the two thirds, their anti-national demands also must be given. The calibre of these opportunists is such that they don’t anything good for the country without extorting anti-national favours from the government. Rauf Hakeem has been a traitor of the nation state of Sri Lanka all along. His MoU with the LTTE leader hit headlines. (Link – http://www.spur.asn.au/Hakeem_Prabha.jpg) In 2001 as a Minister of the weak Chandrika government, he wanted to create his own Terroristan. A year later in 2002, he met the INTERPOL wanted terrorist leader – Parabakaran – and signed a Memorandum of Understanding assigning LTTE the right to be the sole representative of Muslims in the North and the East. Since then every week LTTE terrorists killed innocent Muslims in the East during the early CFA time. In 2003, he took part in secret talks – hilariously called ‘peace’ talks – with the LTTE. (Further on the story – http://www.asiantribune.com/node/1579) (Lanka Web: 30 Aug 2010)

CFA & misconception of int’l ‘safety net’
(Part I)
By Shamindra Ferdinando

Before leaving for New Delhi for a three-day visit, the then Premier, Ranil Wickremesinghe, ordered the armed forces to observe a month-long ceasefire with the LTTE with effect from midnight, December 24, 2001. The UNP leader, Wickremesinghe, was responding to the LTTE’s decision to declare a unilateral cessation of hostilities, announced two days before, in the wake of the PA’s defeat at the December 5, 2001, parliamentary elections.
The stage was set for the signing of the CFA, jointly prepared by the Norwegians and the LTTE. The tripartite agreement was finalized on February 22, 2002.
In the run-up to the cessation of hostilities, the then UNP Chairman, Charitha Ratwatte, stepped down to assume duties as Secretary to the Policy Planning Development and Finance ministries. The then Enterprise Development Minister and UNF spokesman, Professor G.L. Peiris, received appointment as the chief government spokesman. Along with the then Defence Secretary, Austin Fernando and the first Peace Secretariat chief, Bernard Goonetilike, Charitha Ratwatte, Prof. Peiris, Bradman Weerakoon, (Secretary to Wickremesinghe) and Minister, Milinda Moragoda, played key roles in a process which legitimized the LTTE terror. Wickremesinghe accommodated a reluctant SLMC leader, Rauf Hakeem, on his negotiating, team led by Prof.Peiris. (Island: 29 Aug 2010)

Sri Lanka defence secretary urges Heightened Maritime Security to combat Global Terrorism
Despite Military Defeat, the LTTE's International Network Remains "Intact"
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has advocated greater international cooperation on maritime security to combat the threat posed by global terrorists like the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) whose financial, logistical and supply chain networks operate with impunity on the high seas because of lax enforcement and outmoded legal systems. "Countries must realize that with the increasing sophistication displayed by non-state actors in this era, the first line of defense is shifting beyond the shore," Mr. Rajapaksa stated. (PR Newswire: 27 Aug 2010)

Sri Lankan forces acted with restraint to save lives, former UN diplomat says - Sri Lankan security forces taking a major risk acted with restraint during the last stages of war against LTTE to avert a holocaust of 300,000 Tamil civilians who had been taken as human shields by the fleeing Tamil Tiger rebels, a former United Nations diplomat said. Making a submission at Sri Lanka's Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, retired UN diplomat and one time contender for its Secretary-General position, Jayantha Dhanapala the tragedy would have reached an alarming level if the forces had not exercised restraint in attacks in order to avoid civilian casualties. (Colombo Page: 26 Aug 10)

Karunanidhi seeks explanation from former LTTE leader - Referring to the remarks of former LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan on the role some politicians from Tamil Nadu in the efforts to arrive at a ceasefire in Sri Lanka's war against the LTTE, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said Mr. Pathmanathan has to explain the facts relating to the war. Mr.Karunanidhi pointed out that KP had contended that MDMK leader Vaiko had stood in the way of a ceasefire. Quoting KP, he also said that Mr.Vaiko influenced a change in the decision of the LTTE leadership to enter into a ceasefire because if a peace process began, then the DMK and Congress would get credit for such a development. Also, CPI (M) MLA K. Mahendran had contested the part in which KP had stated that it was Mr.Mahendran who conveyed to Mr.Vaiko that the LTTE wanted to enter into a dialogue with the Sri Lankan government. It was up to KP to clarify this, he said (Hindu : 24 Aug 2010).

German assistance for Menik Farm IDPs - Federal Republic of Germany donated Euro 135,000 to support the Emergency Assistance Project in Menik Farm, Vavuniya implemented by Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB). This will benefit IDPs in the Welfare centre. German Ambassador Jens Ploetner said these people need to be urgently provided with daily necessities and attention. The project launched on August 1, 2010 and funded by the German Foreign Affairs Ministry will provide hygiene kits, toilet cleaning kits, material and labour for the repairs of the welfare centre. The funds will ensure that ASB continues with its water bowsering - the activity which has been providing over 120,000 litres of water per day to around 12,000 IDPs in Menik Farm throughout. Over 28,000 IDPs in Menik Farm will benefit from this Emergency Assistance Project (Daily News : 24 Aug 2010).

Tamil Tiger militants based outside Sri Lanka are turning to human-smuggling operations to raise money in a bid to revive the group

What’s up India’s sleeve? - S. Akurugoda, Melbourne, Australia  - It is reported that the establishment of two Consulates General of India in Jaffna and Hambantota was formalised last week with the Exchange of Notes between Foreign Secretary C.R. Jayasinghe and High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha, the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo.  The Consular district of the proposed Consulate General of India in Jaffna would cover the five districts of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, namely, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. The Consular district of the proposed Consulate General of India in Hambantota would cover the districts of Galle, Matara, Hambantota and Moneragala. These Consulates Generals are in addition to the existing India’s High Commissioner in Colombo and its Assistant High Commissioner in Kandy. It has also been agreed, according the media reports, that expansion of the Consular districts of the proposed Consulates General could also be considered subsequently.  As per another media report, a special envoy from Indian government is set to visit Sri Lanka in September. According to Asian Tribune, ‘this envoy, who is specially deputed to solve the ‘Tamil issue’, may become a permanent diplomatic fixture in Indo-Lanka relations’.  Indo-Lanka relations deteriorated as never before after 1977, mainly due to the short-sighted policies adopted by the then UNP government. The book ‘Assignment Colombo’ by J.N. Dixit, the former Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (1985-1989), out lining his version of the story, tells us how and why the Indian government went all out to coerce Sri Lanka into submission (Island ; 23 Aug 2010).  (Sri Lanka News Online : 23 Aug 2010).

‘A section of int’l community prolonged war’- Former Peace Secretariat Chief UPFA MP Professor Rajiva Wijesinha yesterday launched a scathing attack on a section of the UN hierarchy and other international players for backing LTTE terrorism, thereby prolonging Sri Lanka’s war.  In his presentation before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, headed by former Attorney General C. R. de Silva, at the Kadirgamar International Institute for Foreign Relations, MP Wijesinha said that the then UNP-led UNF government had allowed funds to be granted to the LTTE even at the tail end of their administration in December 2003.  The then President Chandrika Kumaratunga dissolved Wickremesinghe’s administration in February 2004 and called fresh elections in early April.  Prof. Wijesinha said that Bradman Weerakoon, the then Secretary to Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe, had handled the transactions with the LTTE in most of the cases.  Prof. Wijesinha said that the UNDP and Norway had said that funds were transferred to the LTTE with the knowledge of the UNF administration. For want of scrutiny on the part of the government and the donors, the LTTE had an opportunity to use funds as it pleased, he said.  The UNICEF had, Prof. Wijesinha said, gone to the extent of donating $ 1 million for rehabilitation of child recruits. Pointing out the absurdity of financing an LTTE project, MP Wijesinghe said that the LTTE had continued the despicable practice though a section of the international community believed the group would change.  Prof. Wijesinha said that a lady called Joanna van Gerpen, who had been Head of UNICEF until 2007, at her first meeting with him declared that the LTTE would shortly be releasing all combatants under 17. Wijesinghe said: "I told her I thought this was what they had agreed to do five years previously, but she said that they had tried, but the LTTE would now really honour the promise."  The failure on the part of the UN to publicly condemn the LTTE even when members of families of NGOs had been taken at gun point, made the situation worse, Prof. Wijesinha said (Island : 23 Aug 2010).

Rajiva slams Ranil - Former Peace Secretariat Head Professor Rajiva Wijesinha today said that the ceasefire agreement (CFA) of 2001 was a good idea but yet it was a failure mainly due to then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe’s inability to integrate it.  Speaking before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Committee (LLRC) Prof. Wijesinha said that the actions of Mr. Wickremasinghe and many officials who were engaged in the CFA process, benefited the LTTE - including instances where the Peace Secretariat had provided money to the LTTE. “The Government wasn’t interested in monitoring what was done with the money that was provided. The general lack of monitoring allowed the LTTE to run riot,” he added.  He said that unlike former Presidents Premadasa and Chandrika Bandaranike Kumaranatunga, Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to realize his mistakes of being completely impawned by the LTTE. “His naïve and culpable actions during the ceasefire period turned the CFA a betrayer of all the Tamil leaders who stood against the LTTE,” he added.  Prof. Wijesinha also said that Mr. Wickremasinghe’s limited perception of the international community – that it comprises only of Western countries - and his actions provided leverage for the LTTE in the eyes of the international community which resulted in the LTTE taking advantage of the situation. “The sudden affection of the international community towards ex-Army Commander Sarath Fonseka makes it evident that their agenda towards the conflict in Sri Lanka was political throughout the years,” he said (Daily Mirror: 23 Aug 2010).

Only 543 people to be resettled: Over 12,350 families resettled in Mannar - Minister - Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa said of the 12,500 families displaced in the Mannar District only 543 persons belonging to 145 families remain to be resettled. Under the resettlement program which began on April 30, 2007 46,774 persons belonging to 12,355 families have already been resettled in their original lands after de-mining. He said that there are only 12 Grama Sevaka (GS) Divisions left to be de-mined and already 141 GS Divisions have been declared mine free. The Minister said the Government will make the necessary arrangements to provide them better living standard by helping uplift their economic standards. Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said action would be taken to provide sufficient number of teachers and facilities for students. Mannar District Development Committee Chairman, Industry and Commerce Minister Risath Bathiutheen, Resettlement Minister Milroy Fernando, Central Province Governor Maj Gen GA Chandrasiri and others participated (Daily News ; 23 Aug 2010).

Predilections of some could damage Intl. relations - Rajiva - Testifying before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission yesterday, UPFA National List MP Professor Rajiva Wijesinha said that some people had developed a sudden affection for former Army Chief General Sarath Fonseka when he took on the government.  Wijesinha said that predilections of certain individuals could damage relations among countries.  Prof. Wijesinha recalled UNP leader Wickremesinghe’s claim on GSP plus in the run-up to the Jan. 26 presidential election. He said: "The EU’s response to the claim of Wickremesinghe, that GSP+ would be maintained were General Fonseka elected President, led to a pronouncement on the suitability of military men to take to politics which seemed designed to give an inappropriate message. The EU likened General Fonseka to Gen Eisenhower. The impact of such behaviour should be pointed out clearly, instead of being left to fester.  The EU should for instance be asked to explain various pronouncements, such as the effort to prevent democracy taking root in the East, and encouraged to study their own approach to relations with Sri Lanka, since they have contributed, perhaps unwittingly, to the view that they are not interested at all in human rights, but rather in increasing their political influence." (Island : 23 Aug 2010).

Tamil Tigers use human smuggling in bid to rearm -  Tamil Tiger militants based outside Sri Lanka are turning to human-smuggling operations to raise money in a bid to revive the group, which was decimated by government forces last year, a Sri Lankan terrorism specialist said yesterday. The rebel operatives who organised a human shipment aboard the Sun Sea cargo vessel that arrived in Canada last week charged up to C$50,000 (Dh31,333) per person, said Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The ship had 492 Tamil migrants on board. Mr Gunaratna, who has studied the Tamil Tigers for more than two decades, said the smuggling operations are part of an effort to raise funds to reactivate the group, whose military capabilities were destroyed by the Sri Lankan military in May 2009, ending nearly three decades of civil war. ”The Tamil Tigers shipping and procurement network has transformed to a human smuggling network. Members of this unit have special skills to undertake clandestine transport from one destination to another,” Mr Gunaratna said. “They had used this to transport arms and ammo and now transport people. “They have two more ships and if the response in Canada [to accepting these migrants] is positive, the rebels will send more refugees to Canada. If Canada is not possible, they’ll look for a new destination,” he said. This was the second shipment of human cargo by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 10 months, the first arriving in Canada in October with 79 passengers, 30 of whom were former rebels, Mr Gunaratna said (The National : 23 Aug 2010).

STOP! Trying to Stop Tamil Boats & Tamil People! - by Prof. Hudson McLean - What Paranoia! STOP! Trying to Stop Tamil Boats & Tamil People leaving Sri Lanka! Let the Tamil People flee in their Trains & Boats & Planes, to where ever they wish to head. Australia and Canada have adequate resources to prevent immigration or facilities and funds to adopt new immigrants. The US$50,000 Factor. It is now comfortably established that the near 500 Tamils on MV Sun Sea paid US$ 50,000 given a few thousand or two less, for the “ride”. It is assumed that the funds came from Tamil expats, Diaspora or indeed from the coffers of LTTE. Most certainly, the funds awarded to the Tamil passengers were not “gratis”. Most likely, each passenger would have to pay-back the “loan” for the rest of his/her life. How will they “earn” the repayment during a ten year period with compound interest? The loan sharks will write the “hymn sheet”, and the passengers, whether they get the rights to refugee status or not, will be forced to payback. Drug running, prostitution, and other illegal activities will be the Agenda. Happy are those Canadian businessmen who will get slave labour into their oil, fisheries and other high-labour intensive industries, through Tamil middlemen and pimps. A few parliamentarians will benefit and get the additional vote, arranged by the middlemen and their legal counsel. And after a few years like Tamil-Canadian lawyer Luxmi Vasan who arrived as a refugee at Toronto’s airport in 1991 with her year-old son, those Tamil “refugees” will return to Jaffna, as prosperous tourists with their newly acquired wealth. I fail to comprehend why certail contributors in LankaWeb are hell-bent on getting back all these Tamils who are so desperate to leave Sri Lanka. Why have the additional financial burden of another 1000 Tamils who hate the Sinhala people and their government, bring them back and water-down current resources to re-habilitate them? Australians and Canadians are fully aware of the existence of Tamil Nadu. Furthermore, Australians and Canadians know the differences between their European based culture and civilisation, and that of Tamil Nadu. The last country the Sri Lankan Tamils wish to emigrate to, is Tamil Nadu. And we all know why! As a small island, the Sri Lankan population is growing. The country is far from giving a decent standard of living to the low-end, or boast full-employment. Under these conditions why create additional problems of moaning, groaning ex-LTTE Tamils? These so called ex-LTTE Tamils should be allowed to take all their excess baggage, suicide-jackets, rocket launchers and Dosai pans, and settle down in any country on earth (LankaWeb ; 23 Aug 2010).

Catholic Bishops' commend resettlement of rescued hostages - The Catholic Bishops' Conference commended President Rajapaksa and government officials for the speedy resettlement of over 250,000 civilian hostages rescued during the 2009 humanitarian operations. The message was conferred yesterday (Aug 22) evening when the delegation led by Archbishop Rt Rev Malcolm Ranjith called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees. According to officials the discussions also included current issues such as reconciliation and matters affecting the Catholic community, as well as matters of religious unity and understanding in the country. Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith and the Bishop of Jaffna Rt Rev Dr Thomas Savundranayagam appreciated the ongoing resettlement process in the face of immense hardship such as de-mining of the land. The Bishops of the North and East discussed further issues of livelihood assistance and shelter for the resettled IDPs and offered the assistance of the Church in this work. Prime Minister DM Jayaratne, Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Bandula Gunawardena, Dr Rajitha Senaratne, Sarath Gunaratne, Milroy Fernando, Deputy Minister Dayashritha Tissera, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa were also present (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 23 Aug 2010).

Piliyandala Traders' Association contributes for "Api Wenuwen Api" housing project - Traders' Association in Piliyandala made their contribution for the "Api Wenuwen Api" housing project in gratitude for the security forces personnel, who sacrificed lives and limbs for defending the motherland while serving in the battlefront against world's most ruthless terrorist organization. The financial donation worth of Rs. 505,820/= was officially handed over to Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa at a function held at the Defence Ministry premises this afternoon, 23rd August. An official of the association speaking to defence.lk said that the donated amount was collected from 372 members of the association. President of the Piliyandala Traders' Association Mr. Sheltan Pannilage, Secretary Mr. S.T. Nimal Karunasiri, members of the association Mr. H.K.D.R.S Perera, Mr. Nandalal Jayasundara, and V.H. Darmasiri were also present at the occasion. Defence Ministry has launched a program to construct 700 housing units island-wide for war heroes under the 'Api Wenuwen Api' concept. 25 houses constructed in Kandy as in its first phase were already handed over to war heroes by the Commander-in-Chief, His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 11th July 2010 (Sri Lanka Defence Ministry : 23 Aug 2010).

Indo-Canadian MP rejects soft corner to Tamil Tigers

CPI(M) legislator denies leaking ceasefire details to Vaiko - Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator K. Mahendran on Sunday denied reports that he was involved in the 2009 leak of details about the ceasefire proposed by India to end the war between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Rejecting the claims of the former LTTE international spokesperson, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, that he had conveyed the information to Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general-secretary Vaiko, Mr. Mahendran said he never had any ties either with the LTTE or its political commissar P. Nadesan. “When the Sri Lankan Tamils were subjected to untold miseries, the CPI(M) demanded a political solution through talks. We have been demanding autonomy for Tamil areas,” Mr. Mahendran said, stressing that his party was never in agreement with the LTTE's approach. Mr. Pathmanathan, in an interview to the Sri Lanka-based newspaper DailyMirror, had said though Mr. Nadesan had been “advised not to leak the details of the move to people like [Tamil Nationalist Movement leader] P. Nedumaran and Mr. Vaiko, he had, at one point, consulted Mr. Mahendran, the Tamil Nadu Legislator from the CPI(M).” Mr. Pathmanathan further said that since the CPI(M) was an ally of the MDMK (in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance), Mr. Mahendran had leaked the details (Hindu : 22 Aug 2010).

Dan Mathson: Your interview with Manjula Selvarajah - Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . Canada August 20, 2010 - Dan Matheson CTV News: Dear Dan Matheson: Here’s my response to the Canadian Tamil Congress spokesperson Manjula Selvaraja’s defence of the Sea Sun illegal Tamil migrants during your interview. You asked, why had these Tamils paid so much of money to get on that ship when they could have easily got on a plane to come over to Canada. Her response was that these people were so desperate to get out of Sri Lanka and that is why and that they had no option. My response is : Of course they had an option. Without flying out of Sri Lanka to get on that people smuggling ship in Thailand, they could have easily gone to their Mother India just 22 miles away from the shores of Jaffna where 66 million of their brethren Tamils live in Tamil Nadu in South India. Why didn’t they? Did they find that Tamil Nadu wasn’t green enough than the greener pastures that they were seeking in Canada which is almost 20 thousand miles away. What was their motive? Are they indeed economic refugees and had n patience to stay in line with the rest of the 4,000 applicants to immigrate from Sri Lanka? Or did they know that they would not have a chance in hell to get into Canada legally on a point system basis? But the question that is going begging is, how did these 492 illegal Tamil migrants find millions of rupees to fork out for that passage. They had paid $45 thousand each which when converted into Sri Lankan rupees are in the millions four times over. If indeed they say they were poor, how come they became millionaires over night. If they admit that they are not millionaires, not gem merchants, not owners of tea estates, not share holders of multi-national companies, not bank robbers, not drug traffickers, nor credit card fraudsters, then who was it that paid for their passage to Canada? The above is a good question which the RCMP should probe to choke this global human trafficking million dollar net work and the RCMP should start probing by questioning Manjula for starters who may or may not have some answers (Lankaweb : 22 Aug 2010).

Baseless attack on the LLRC by low-life at the Sunday Leader - by Ajit Randeniya - As far as double-barrel names go, the name of Mandana Ismail-Abeywickrema (MIA), one of the self-described ‘investigative’ reporters at The Sunday Leader is a ‘corker’, as an Australian would say. This MIA has probably been more fortunate with her naming than her other inheritance, the mantle of that erstwhile ‘investigative reporter’ and current editor of the rag, Frederica Jansz; now that is a real ‘dog’.  Before we get to MIA’s work at the Sunday leader, it needs to be put on record that the first name Mandana is a name made famous in the UK in the 1990s by a British actress named Mandana ‘Jones ‘. Research shows that the name Mandana in fact has Persian origins, coming from queen Mandana of Media, the mother of the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great: the name apparently means ‘wise mother’ or ‘female seer’!  To digress for a moment, Mandana Jones played the role of prisoner Nikki Wade on the British television series ‘Bad Girls’: a lesbian who finds herself in jail after killing a police officer for assaulting her lover, and falls in love with prison governor (played by Simone Lahbib of ‘Monarch of the Glen’ fame). According to audience research, the ‘collective’ performances of these two characters have transported many a viewer, dare I say predominantly the middle-aged demographic, to ‘bliss’.  Now, before the morally upright types start rushing to conclusions about a middle-aged Sri Lankan man’s interest in such debauchery portrayed in a teen-oriented TV show such as ‘Bad Girls’, the writer wishes to stress that his keen interest in the lengthy, complex story line involving these two characters was purely bookish, with his devoted viewing of the show leading to the valid criticism that the scenes involving ‘key moments’ were wanting in the area of anatomical detail: such detail could have greatly enriched the plot! (LankaWeb : 22 Aug 2010).

Interview with M.Selvaraja of Canadian Tamil Congress - Ira de Silva London, Ontario, Canada - Mr. Dan Matheson. CTV; Dear Sir: I am writing regarding your interview with the spokesperson for the Canadian Tamil Congress. Are you aware that this organization prides itself as the front organization of the Tamil Tiger terrorist organization and is now the chief component of the Trans National Government of Tamil Eelam which was formed to further the goal of the Tamil Tigers after the defeat of the Tamil terrorists militarily? If you do not, I would suggest that you read their announcements regarding their role in these organizations and question their affiliation with these latest arrivals. Regarding your question as to why these Tamils paid so much to get on that ship when they could easlty have got on a plane indicates that you are somewhat confused. Selvarajah’s response was that it was because they were desperate. What were they desperate about? Is it because the UN has declared that Sri Lanka is no longer a refugee producing country or because they had been an integral part of the LTTE in Sri Lanka? Giving the lie to Selvarajah, I refer you to a report filed by the Toronto Star reporter Raveena Aulakh on Aug. 14,2010. In an interview with one of the arrivals on the ship in October, 2010 one of the men had stated that he was a 33 year old farmer, had bribed a soldier at a camp and got a fake ID, left the camp and within three days FLEW out of Colombo to Malaysia and paid $45,000 to join the ‘Ocean Lady’. Since you seem to have little knowledge of Sri Lanka, I would like you to know that the average farmer in Sri Lanka is not the same as farmers in Canada with thousands of acres. They have small plots and are just able to make a living. They do not have $45,000 in their bank accounts – that kind of money has to given to them by an organization to which they belong (LankaWeb ; 22 Aug 2010).

International community should take Sri Lanka as an example - Defence secretary tells LLRC - During the first few days of the hearings of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), several key personalities came up with the shortcomings of the truce between the UNP Government and the LTTE, the human rights violations committed by the LTTE and measures taken by the present government to maintain zero casualty rates in the humanitarian operation that was launched to rescue over 290,000 civilians during the final battle. The Sri Lankan Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa commenced sittings at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Colombo from August 11. The Commission was appointed by the President under Section 2 of the Commission of Inquiry Act to inquire and report on several areas between the period of February 21, 2002 and May 19, 2009. It completed six sittings in Colombo and two sittings in Vavuniya. The Commission is tasked with inquiring into matters and circumstances that led to the failure of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) which came in to effect from February 21, 2002 and the sequence of events that followed thereafter up to May 19, 2009. It will investigate whether any person, group or institution directly or indirectly bears responsibility for any failure, the lessons which could be learnt from such failures and measures that need to be taken to ensure that there is no recurrence of a similar conflict in future (Sunday Observer ; 22 Aug 2010).

Branch of British Council to be opened in Jaffna - Ms. Gill Westway Country Director, British Council said the Council would be opening a branch office in Jaffna early next year, She said discussions had been held with the External Affairs Ministry in Colombo and added the Council had carried out a survey in Jaffna regarding the feasibility of opening a branch in the city. The survey result showed a massive 83% of the people awaiting the opening of a branch of the British Council in Jaffna. Ms. Westway said for the past 30 years Jaffna had been cut off from the rest of the country and this was one of the reasons the Council had given priority to opening a branch in the city. She added the opening of the new branch would help students in Jaffna sit for London Exams and in addition would help them witness cultural programmes sponsored by the organization (Sunday Times : 22 Aug 2010).

IPKF sacrifices recognised at last - The monument built in the vicinity of the Parliamentary complex in Kotte in honour of the Indian troops killed in the north and east of Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990, was to have been formally unveiled by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh more than two years ago, but it turned out to be a non-event. However, the monument has now received official sanction from India.  Indian High Commissioner Ashok K. Kantha laid a wreath at the monument on Indian Independence Day which fell last Sunday. Earlier Indian Navy Commander Nirmal Verma who visited Sri Lanka in June this year too visited the monument to pay his respects to the fallen men. However the Indian approval for the monument has been slow in coming. Prime Minister Singh was to unveil it when he visited Sri Lanka in May 2008 for the Heads of State Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) but the visit was abandoned due to rising anti-Sri Lankan sentiments at the time in South India  (Sunday Times : 22 Aug 2010).

Change the slogan from Stop Boats to Stop Tamils - by Sunil Vijayapala, Australia - Both leading Australian parties have agreed on one agenda and that is to stop boats with bogus asylum seekers or now they coin the phrase ‘illegal emigrants’ an accurate refreshing phrase. Australia, unlike Canada, is certainly not ready for SHIPS full of illegal immigrants as they will have no capacity to accommodate them. Who ever who comes to power must stop these Tamils jumping the queue on legal immigration to Australia and Canada which may affect Tamils themselves who aspire for a better life though legal means. These latest Tamils have spent around $22 million or approximately Rs.2200 million to travel from Thailand to BC and one wonders where in the world they get this kind of money. We certainly are not in position to make any statements on other asylum seekers as we are not aware of the ‘ground situation’ in those countries but can categorically state Sri Lanka is a safe place to live for all minorities including Tamils while the majority of Tamils live in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka, leading normal lives and are represented in Parliament and other state bodies adequately, unlike in Australia. Tamils play the usual trump card of ‘persecution by Sinhala government’ to get the sympathy of Australians and Canadians while they prepare themselves to suffer in detention for long periods in Thailand or Indonesia to creep into these two countries. No Australian or Canadian would ask the simple question why don’t they go to Tamil Nadu in India, the safest place for Tamils, if they are under persecution in Sri Lanka? The simple answer is that Tigers finance these operations as no one would not expect a group of simple Jaffna Tamils to acquire Rs.2200 million a colossal amount by Sri Lanka standards. These people are quite aware that they will have no chance with the legal immigration and hence resort to ‘Asylum’ card (LankaWeb ; 22 Aug 2010).

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

Read more about the 13th Amendment to the Constitution)

News Archives

• 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