Sunday 27 July 2008

Minister’s wife in ‘fishy’ fishing - Ravaya

A company belonging to the wife of Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mahinda Wijesekara is involved in unloading fish locally in violation of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act, ‘Ravaya’ reports.

Named ‘Bonbridge’, the company has obtained permission from the Director General of Aquatic Resources, but had not supplied 25 per cent of the catch as per agreement, said the newspaper.

Gazette extraordinary 1555/13, published on July 26th, 2008 makes it compulsory for written official permission for unloading fish in a Sri Lankan commercial and fisheries harbor or other unloading centre.

According to ‘Ravaya’, a trawler belonging to Mrs. Wijesekara’s company had unloaded around 100,000 kilogrammes of fish at the Galle Harbour on July 23rd.

Monday 21 July 2008

LTTE announces unilateral ceasefire during SAARC summit

The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Tuesday announced that the movement would observe unilateral ceasefire during the period of SAARC conference from 26th July to 04 August, giving cooperation for the success of the conference. Conveying goodwill and trust of the Tamil people, the LTTE Political Wing, in a press statement issued from Vanni said it wished for the success of the SAARC conference, extending the movement's support to the "countries of our region, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives."

Full text of the announcement by the LTTE follows:

LTTE Political Wing
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Tamil Eelam
22 July 2008


Ceasefire announcement

On behalf of the people of Tamil Eelam, we extend our sincere good wishes to the fifteenth conference of SAARC that aims, to improve the economic development of the vast South Asian region and to create a new world order based on justice, equality and peace.

For sixty years, the Sinhala leadership is continuing to refuse to put forward a just solution to the national question of the Tamil people. The Sinhala nation is not prepared to deal justice to the Tamils. The politics of the Sinhala nation has today taken the form of a monstrous war. Because the chauvinistic Sinhala regime is putting its trust in a military solution, the war is spreading and is turning more and more intense. Sinhala nation is intent on occupying and enslaving the Tamil homeland. Our military is only involved in a war of self defence against this war of the Sinhala nation.

Behind the smokescreen of war, the Sinhala regime is heaping misery on the Tamil people and is killing them in large numbers. The brutal truth of the gradual destruction and oppression of the Tamil people is being blacked out. The just struggle of the Tamil people is being hidden behind an iron curtain in the name of news censorship. A false propaganda is being spread to tarnish, the freedom movement of the Tamil people and the path it was adopted for its self. This has resulted in misleading views and incorrect opinions about our freedom struggle. We are deeply saddened by this.

We are always keen to develop friendship with the countries of the world and our neighbouring countries in our region. We are sincere in our efforts to create the external conditions in order to build these friendships. We wish to express the good will and trust of the Tamil people. As a sign of this goodwill, our movement is glad to inform that it will observe a unilateral ceasefire that is devoid of military actions during the period of the SAARC conference from 26th July to 4th August and give our cooperation for the success of the conference. At the same time if the occupying Sinhala forces, disrespecting our goodwill gesture of our people and our nation, carry out any offensives, our movement will be forced to take defensive actions.

We wish for the success of the SAARC conference and we also extend our goodwill and support to the countries of our region, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.

Saturday 19 July 2008

Rs. 210 m textbook swindle - Ravaya

Five top officers in the Ministry of Education and a leading printing house have swindled Rs. 210 million rupees from school textbooks in 2003, a probe has found, 'Ravaya' reports.

Following a revelation by the auditor general, the Education Ministry appointed a five-member investigation unit and its report was submitted in January this year.

The probe is accusing former Commissioner of Publications Sumanatissa Liyanagunawardena, former Additional Commissioner R. Senanayake, Accountant Ranasinghe Arachchige Chandraratne, Chief Clerk Don Swarnalatha Wickramarachchi and Subject Clerk Bandara Godage Sarathkumara.

Mahinda Offset Printers at no: 331/341, Elpitiya Road, Wathugedara, Ambalangoda has also been involved in the swindle, the newspaper reports.

The Commissioner of Publications had awarded this printer a tender worth more than Rs. 147 million for the printing of 3,105,500 copies of 23 textbooks.

However, the ordered number of copies of 'Let's Learn English PB3', 'Let's Learn English PB4, Mechanical Technology 10 (Sinhala and Tamil), Mathematics 10 (Sinhala and Tamil) had not been handed over to the Ministry.

Of five other textbooks, the supplied copies fell short by 548,650 copies valued at over Rs. 27 million, 'Ravaya' says.

Despite all these shortfalls, the printing house had been paid the amount in full with the involvement of the five accused.

The newspaper also says that the probe has also cast doubts over the manner of selection of Mahinda Offset Printers.

When contacted, Education Secretary Nimal Bandara has said that the five officers have been issued with charge sheets, and the police handed over the investigation on the advice of the Public Accounts Committee.

Mr. Gunawardena and Mrs. Senanayake have been sent on retirement, while the three others have been transferred out of the Education Ministry.

Both the ex-commissioner and the accountant have said that they were yet to receive the charge sheets, with the former saying that he was prepared to answer the accusations.

Secured to the teeth

Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe

The authorities in charge of the security in the island have taken a series of steps by to beef up security arrangements for the 15th SAARC conference to be held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo, from July 27 to August 03 this year.


The security plan will go down in history as the strongest/meanest ever organised in Sri Lanka.
The security network consists of nearly 25000 Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and the Civil Defence Force personnel in addition to 40 official sniffer dogs specially trained to detect explosives. In addition, the Government has imported the latest technology and equipment including personal and travelling bag search scanners, explosive identification machines, ante remote control devices and inter communication mobile phones on an emergency order, as revealed by a very reliable source.

Security measures

Coordination of security measures in connection with the SAARC conference has been entrusted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministry sources say the estimated total expenditure in respect of the conference is Rs.2880 million. 75 percent of the total expenditure is allocated for security measures.


As disclosed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference of the Senior Foreign Affairs Ministry Officials of Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldiv islands and Afghanistan is scheduled to be held on 27th and 28th of July, while the Secretaries of the said eight countries will parley on the 29th and 30th July. July 31 and August 01 is allocated to the conference of Foreign Ministers. Heads of States summit, which is the final Conference, is scheduled to be held on August 2nd and 3rd.



In the entire duration of these parleys, Sri Lanka will host the Heads of States of the seven guest countries and their retinue, who form a large group of VVIPs who have to be wined and dined and provided with tight security at an estimated cost of Rs.2160 million. Of the 25000 secrurity personnel about 3000 will be deployed for the security of the visiting VIPPs. This security team is drawn from the elite of the Presidential Security Division, Prime Minister’s Security Division, VIP security Division, STF, and the CID who were given a month’s special training at STF Training School, Katunayaka and Presidential Security Training Camp, Kumbuka, Gonapola, Horana.



Security authorities have taken steps to organise the security network under four zones. First of these is in the landing and exit points at the Bandaranaike International Airport.
The Second Zone is the BMICH and the surrounding roads, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Sarana Road, and Malalasekera Mawatha.



The third and fourth zones include the environs of Hotel Intercontinental, Hilton, Trans Asia, Cinnamon Grand, Galle Face Hotel, the hotels reserved for summit guests. In addition, the Marine Drive running parallel to the coast, Colombo Harbour, Colombo Continental Hotel, Galadhari Hotel, Ceylinco building, Navy Headquarters, and Police Headquarters come under one of these two Security Zones.



The other zone includes Galle Face Road from Colpetty Junction upto the Old Parliament building, Slave Island Railway station level crossing, and the Canal Bank where, the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence are situated. This security zone will be operative from July 25. From 25 to 29th this area will be subjected to traffic barriers and thorough checks.
Out of the four security zones, other than in the first zone which includes the International Airport, passenger transport will be disallowed from July 30 to August 03.



Suspended

Railway service from Maradana to Bambalapitiya will be suspended during the conference period and the Railway stations Colombo Fort, Slave Island and Colpetty will be closed for the first time in Railway history.



Steps have been taken to remove the unauthorised constructions within the security zones and evacuate vagrants to the Veerawila beggar camp.
Heads of States attending the conference will use helicopters for their transport between Colombo and Bandaranaike International Airport.


In view of the international terrorist threats posed to the heads of the three countries, India, Pakistan and Afganistan, they are using their own helicopters as per security measures of the respective countries. Each of the three countries will use a minimum of three helicopters belonging to their own Air Force. The crews will arrive in the island 24 hours before the arrival of their heads of state. These heli-transport operations are to be conducted under the supervision of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Arrangements have been made to use alternate land routes in the event of any change in the weather condition. In that event roads in the alternate route will be closed when the Heads of states are using them.

I want to enter parliament

By Ramesh Waralegama

Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) leader, the controversial Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan alias Karuna, who returned from England after being in custody for immigration violations, in an interview with LAKBIMAnEWS said that he is the sole leader of the TMVP and that party problems have been settled. Excerpts of the interview

Ln: Have the policies of the TMVP changed after you were deported to Sri Lanka?
VM: There was no such change. The main aim of the TMVP is to help the Eastern people and secure their liberty from the clutches of the LTTE. We want to bring prosperity to the lives of the eastern people. Policies of my party will not change just because I came from the UK. We must support the people who wish for our success.

Ln: That means you expect a bright future for the TMVP?
VM: Yes, yes. We are doing the groundwork to contest the next general election. Actually we are preparing for that now. We are planning to get at least 10 MPs from our party elected.

Ln: Can you indeed achieve this goal because the TMVP did not receive any overwhelming people’s support at the recently held Eastern elections.
VM: Eastern people have confidence in our party. That is proven with the local government and provincial council elections. Nobody can undermine the votes we received. People who have never voted in their lives voted for us. The rejection rate of the votes was high as people had made mistakes when voting.. Basically Eastern people are with us. There was a lot of misunderstanding about our party in the part of Trincomalee people. Now police have uncovered the truth behind certain acts. If our party men are involved in such acts, we will apologise to the people and seek future endeavours in democratic politics

Ln: There were so many changes in the Eastern province when you were in England. How did you feel when you returned to Batticaloa?
VM: I spent about one week in Colombo after returning from England. I went to Batticaloa last 14th. Thereafter, I visited the Thoppigala and the Meenagam bases. I met police officers, government servants and many others in the last few days. The Eastern people say that they enjoy freedom. Earlier they could not get on the roads after 6.00 pm. Now people plough their paddy fields. Some engage in fishing. I saw it with my own eyes. Actually that is what people want. Their main problems are abductions and difficulties faced at checkpoints. I will take up these issues with the government. I am sure the government will look into all this. I will also visit the Ampara and Trincomalee people. I must thank them for the victory they gave us at the past elections. Now my duty is to address their grievances.

Ln: Are you satisfied with the development work of the government in the East?
VM: The TMVP has joined the UPFA alliance already. We are really happy about the work of the government on behalf of our people. When I met government officials they educated me about the future plans for the Eastern province. The education, agriculture, fisheries, health and basic infrastructure aspects in the eastern province should be improved. We have to improve the quality of lives of the people. The government helps us a lot to assist poor families. The TMVP is cordially working with the government. I must specially tell you that President Mahinda Rajapaksa likes my leadership. That could help him to serve the Eastern people.

Ln: Did you have a leadership crisis when you left the country with Chief Minister Pillayan? Has it been ironed out now?
VM: You must understand that the TMVP is a political party like other parties. As usual we also have differences of opinion. That is the truth. It is not a crisis. I am the sole leader of the TMVP. Nobody in our party is against it. Before my departure to England I advised my party seniors how to run party affairs. I had no objection to Pillayan getting elected as the Chief Minister as I did not want get into the Provincial Council. What I want is to get into parliament and serve my people.

Ln: Do you have the support of the majority of the Politburo of your party?
VM: The TVMP created two administrative sections to take decisions, allowing a secondary leadership to emerge. The main politburo has 15 members and the Working Committee has 21. With the support of these members we are planning to strengthen the party and embark on a new path.

Ln: Though the Eastern province was rescued from the clutches of the LTTE, still there are attacks by LTTE cadres. How will that affect the future of the TMVP?
VM: Few LTTE cadres are still in certain places in the Eastern province. I don’t say it is untrue. They carry out some attacks on the Army and Police officers. But one thing I assure you is that the LTTE will never be able to gain control of the Eastern Province again. They can’t organise and attack the Eastern province on a large scale. Some people still support them for money.

Ln: Some newspapers reported that you got caught in an Immigration trap of the Sri Lankan Government. What do you say about it?
VM: I went to London to visit my family. The British Police arrested me for a precaution I took in the interests of my security. The Government has no link to this incident. I did it for my security purposes. I don’t believe there was such a conspiracy. I told British Police that after my sentence, I want to return to my country and that I don’t like to live in another country. That is why I returned to this country and went to the East as soon as I got here.

Ln: The Army is now engaged in the Vanni operation. How do you assess the LTTE strength?

VM: The Government troops captured Vedithalthivu in Mannar. That is the nerve centre of that area. Now the troops can move forward on the A-32 road. I believe the LTTE is in a real mess after losing the Vedithalthivu. The present crisis in the LTTE is the dearth of
cadres though they have enough arms. The Army has blocked armed supplies from one side and manpower from the other side. The LTTE is also not getting enough foreign assistance. So, I believe that the Army will recover the Vanni soon. The TVMP cadres are not involved in the Vanni operation. The Army does not need our support. The Army has improved in strength and strategies.

Ln: Do you provide proposals to the APRC. How is TMVP’s participation there?
VM: Our Batticaloa Mayor Shivagitha Prabhakaran participates in the APRC meetings. In addition to her, we will try to send two more participants. We will take that decision on Tuesday.

Ln: There was a rumour that you will rejoin the LTTE. What is the truth?
VM: When the LTTE gets weaker and weaker they spread this kind of rumour as a psychological ploy. There is no truth to it. We are not going to arrest LTTE cadres in the East. The security forces are doing it. We are a political party now.

Fall of Vedithalthivu

  • Troops push further northwards as Tigers prepare for showdown in Thunukkai

By Ranga Jayasuriya

Few in military circles believed that the Tiger cadres would give up Vedithalthivu, the main sea Tiger base in the north western coast without a fight. Not long ago that a senior -most commander in the military acknowledged that a swift assault on the sea Tiger base would cost 200 troops and an equal number of Tiger combatants. Therefore, the military strategy was to encircle the Sea Tiger camp, cut off the supply routes and forces the defending cadres to vacate the camp.
By Thursday, that strategy appeared to have worked out. The reports from the Mannar front revealed that the Tiger cadres were deserting the Sea Tiger Base. But, the pull out appeared to have been pre-organized. According to senior military sources citing intelligence reports, the sea Tigers had moved boats to Pooneryn. A boat was found abandoned in the deserted sea Tiger base, which functioned as the main launching pad of the sea Tigers in the north western coast.
True to its strategic importance, the Vedithalthivu Sea Tiger Base was heavily fortified. A trench was built from 2 km south of Vedithalthivu on the coast to Paramarayankulam, which is located 10km east of Vedithalthivu. That trench line functioned as the primary defence of the sea Tiger base. This defence line had been fortified with eight feet high sand dunes and the vicinity of the camp and its access routes had been heavily mined with anti personnel mines and booby traps.

Bunkers

Inside the trench line aka primary defence line, the secondary defence line was located. Bunkers had been built in close proximity to each other and battle hardened Tiger cadres of the Charles Anthony Brigade had been assigned to front line duties.
Vedithalthivu had been under the control of the LTTE since the departure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in 1990. In 1999, the security forces engaged in operation Ranagosa and attempted to seize control of the sea Tiger base, but in vain.
The military operation to capture the Vedithalthivu base gathered momentum after the clearing of the Rice Bowl area of the size of 152 km2. With the capture of the Rice Bowl area, the security forces succeeded cutting off the supply routes to the Vedithalthivu sea Tiger base. On June 30, the two military divisions - 57 and 58 Divisions- who are inching into the Tiger hinterland of the Wanni linked up in Pallaimadu, west of Vedithalthivu.
Early this month, 10 Gajaba Regiment and 12 Gajaba Regiment attached to the 581 Brigade began to advance further northwards from 12th mile post on the A 32 Pooneryn Sangupiddy- Mannar road. The two battalions were supported by the fifth armoured corps.
On the southern flank, troops of 6 and 8 Gemunu Watch pushed further northwards. From the eastern direction, two other battalions - 9 GW and 12 GW- advanced towards the sea Tiger base. Second commando regiment was deployed in small teams to engage in reconnaissance duties, ambushes and sabotage attacks on the enemy logistics. Some military officials told this writer that the Tigers appeared to have believed that the defences in
the Vedithalthivu base were impregnable for the moment. Yet, on July 3, three small groups of four -man commando teams shattered the perceived impregnability of the camp. This swift assault during which four commandos lost lives had been a turn around in the battle for Vedithalthivu. The capture of about 200 meters of the southern perimeter defence of the camp killing at least 28 cadres- according to figures provided by the Army- had been the prelude to a series of daring small group operations which were to dominate the Mannar front during the last two weeks.
For the first two weeks of this month, commandos operating in small teams had been carrying out surprise attacks on selected strategic locations in the LTTE defence line. Small groups of commandos approached the camp in every direction, mainly conducting reconnaissance missions on the LTTE build- up in the area.
One such group, code named the Alpha team attacked a group of Tiger cadres killing seven. Five bodies of the slain Tiger cadres were retrieved by the commandos. Two other teams, each consisting of eight commandos approached the Tiger base from the direction of Paramarayankulam tank and Uvilanundiya Aru.
Both teams reached their assault positions by Tuesday. Based on information provided by the commandos, the army bombarded the identified LTTE positions using multi barrel rocket launchers and artillery guns. By Tuesday noon, the LTTE began to pull out from the camp.
Based on information provided by the Delta team which was engaged in reconnaissance operations, the army bombarded a team of about 150 Tiger cadres who were on a hasty withdrawal from the camp.The Tiger contingent came under ground and air attack as they were moving through a Teak jungle located in Thaddampiddi.
By Wednesday, troops monitored the Tigers pulling out. Water tanks which supplied water to the main sea Tiger base were blown up in the morning. Commandos ambushed two Lorries which were heading to the Tiger camp, apparently to transport military hardware from the besieged camp.
By Wednesday noon, the troops were in control of the Vedithalthivu town and the sea Tiger base.
As troops closed in on the sea Tiger base, Tigers moved their boats to Pooneryn.

Capture

The MI 24 attack helicopters were called in to target the sea Tiger boats. Fighter jets of the Sri Lanka Air Force also conducted several sorties against another sea Tiger camp located in Vallaipadu, north of Vedithalthivu
The only casualty in the military mission was Lance Cpl Kumara of the Delta team of the 2 commando regiment. He was caught in a booby trap as he stormed an LTTE bunker. On Thursday, Army Headquarters announced the capture of the Vedithalthivu sea Tiger base.
Vedithalthivu, located 20 km from Mannar is the main sea Tiger base in the North Western coast, which also functioned as a smuggling hub for arms and ammunition from Tamil Nadu and earlier from the ships anchored in the Arabian Sea.
Last month, sea Tigers staged a surprise attack on a naval outpost in Mannar. Sea Tiger boats were launched from Vedithalthivu.
By the end of last week, troops were advancing towards Illupakadawai. The air force carried out several raids in LTTE positions in the area.
Further northwards, the 57the Division of the army is pushing towards Thunukkai. Thunukkai, which is also the entrance to the Tiger- stronghold of Mallavi, would like to be the next flash point in the Wanni front.

Wednesday 16 July 2008

Massacre grave unearthed in Batticaloa

A mass grave, containing skeletons bearing gunshot wounds, has been discovered Wednesday morning at Paalameenmeadu, 6 km north of Batticaloa city, near a Tsunami resettlement.

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The grave was found after the IDPs, who were engaged in digging wells near their camp, unearthed body parts in one of the wells last week. At least 32 pieces of skeletons have been recovered with cloths since 9:30 a.m., when Judge B. Ramakannan from Batticaloa visited the massacre site with Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) M.M.A. Rahman and the Police.

The site, located 1.5 km from a Sri Lankan military post, manned by police and later by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).

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Emptied rounds were also located from the mass grave, according to initial reports, which alluded that the killings could have taken place 4 years ago and that there could be more than 16 slain inside a single grave.

There were also speculations that the victims could be civilians who disappeared or combatants.

However, police said it was too early to give any indication on the number of bodies or the period when the massacre has taken place.

Both male and female clothes have been recovered in the massacre grave.

Tsunami affected refugees from Moothoor were settled at the site two years ago.

School boy involved in abduction of teacher Abductors arrested, victim released

Acting swiftly on a complaint, the Kandy police rescued a 24-year-old teacher abducted by a group of men using a white van on Friday afternoon.

The police located the house where the gang had held her on Saturday, an investigator said. According to him, the gang had captured her as she was on her way to the Kandy bus stand and bundled her into their vehicle. Police identified two persons arrested in connection with the abduction as a technician employed in the private sector and a 17-year-old student from Paranagama in the Pathadumbara area.

Police said they were looking for two more suspects.

The technician had abducted the girl from Naula after she refused to have an affair with him.

NTUC, other unions to stage 3 day strike soon

The JVP's National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) will stage a three day strike in the near future as a follow up to its July 10 token strike, parliamentarian Lalkantha, the Union's president said at a media conference today. He said that the decision to hold the three day strike was taken at a NTUC meeting yesterday. Three TUs - United Workers’ Party, Government United Labour Federation and Cooperative and Mercantile Union - have already expressed solidarity with the decision of the NTUC, he said.

Their demands of Rs.5000/- salary increase and payment of Rs.2/- for each COL index remained unchanged while the demand for subsidy on public transport was amended to add fuel subsidy for three-wheelers and vehicles transporting school children, Lalkantha said.

They will shortly hold discussions with all TUs that joined their July 10 token strike and others who expressed solidarity with their token strike to decide on the date for the three-day strike, he said.
The NTUC and other unions will hold a series of pocket meetings in all sectors as a prelude to the proposed three day strike and the first meeting of the series will be held at the national hospital on July 21, he also said. The meeting will be followed by meetings in all other sectors, including in the estate sector and a signature campaign insisting on the demands will be held, he said. The list of signatures with a petition insisting on the demands will be forwarded to President Mahinda Rjapakse, Lankakantha said.

Massacre grave unearthed in Batticaloa

A mass grave, containing skeletons bearing gunshot wounds, has been discovered Wednesday morning at Paalameenmeadu, 6 km north of Batticaloa city, near a Tsunami resettlement. The grave was found after the IDPs, who were engaged in digging wells near their camp, unearthed body parts in one of the wells last week. At least 32 skeleton-parts have been recovered with cloths since 9:30 a.m., when Judge B. Ramakannan from Batticaloa visited the massacre site with medical staff and the Police. The site, located 1.5 km from a Sri Lankan military post, has been under Sri Lanka Army (SLA) control for years.

Emptied rounds were also located from the mass grave, according to initial reports, which alluded that the killings could have taken place 3 years ago. However, police said it was too early to give any indication on the number of bodies or the period when the massacre has taken place.

Both male and female clothes have been recovered in the massacre grave.

Tsunami affected refugees from Moothoor were settled at the site two years ago.

AL QAEDA AND NUCLEAR WASTE IN NWFP: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR

By B. Raman

Coinciding with the first anniversary of the Pakistan Army's commando raid into the Lal Masjid of Islamabad, there has been a fresh wave of jihadi terrorism in Pakistan, which has reversed the declining trend seen after the new Government headed by Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani came to office in the last week of March, 2008.

2. This new wave started even before the first anniversary with the an Al Qaeda-admitted act of suicide terrorism outside the Danish Embassy in Islamabad on June 2, 2008. It has picked up momentum since then-----particularly since July 3, 2008, which marked the first anniversary of the siege of the Lal Masjid by the Pakistani security forces and ultimately led to the raid into the Lal Masjid.

3. This new wave has affected tribal as well as non-tribal areas, but the tribal areas more than non-tribal areas till now. In the tribal areas, it has affected the Federally-Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which are directly controlled from Islamabad with the help of the Army, as well as the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), which is ruled by a coalition headed by the reputedly secular Awami National Party (ANP). The ANP has been trying to deal with the situation with the help of the Frontier Corps (FC), a para-military organisation of Pashtun tribals trained and supervised by the Army.

4. The NWFP was badly affected even last year. Of the 56 attacks of suicide terrorism during 2007, 23 were in the FATA, 21 in the NWFP, including four in the Swat Valley, nine in Punjab, two in Balochistan and one in Sindh. Of the 23 in the FATA, only two were in North Waziristan and one in the Bajaur Agency, where, according to the US, the terrorist infrastructure of Al Qaeda is located. The remaining 20 were in South Waziristan, where there are no confirmed reports of any Al Qaeda infrastructure. All the attacks in South Waziristan came from areas which are controlled by the Mehsuds. In the areas controlled by other tribes, there were no incidents of suicide terrorism. Two cantonments saw repeated suicide strikes--- Rawalpindi (5), where the General Headquarters of the Army are located, and Kohat (3) in the NWFP where an Army cadet school is located.

5. The Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Pakistan has not so far come out with official statistics relating to suicide and non-suicide terrorism this year, but according to Hamid Mir, the highly-respected Pakistani journalist, who works for the GeoTV, a private TV channel,there have been 25 acts of suicide terrorism in Pakistan during the first six months of 2008, resulting in 332 fatalities. However, in his analysis carried by "News" of July 10,2008, he does not indicate how many of these incidents took place before the new Government came to office and how many thereafter. According to official figures released by the Interior Ministry at the end of last year, there were only four acts of suicide terrorism during the first six months of 2007. This shot up to 56 after the Lal Masjid raid. According to my collation, there were 17 acts of suicide terrorism this year before the Gilani Government came to office, and there have been only eight since then, but the number is showing an upward trend.

6. According to Hamid Mir, Afghanistan had 160 suicide bombings in 2007 with 836 people dead and it has had 76 suicide bombings in the first six months of 2008 with 466 dead. There were seven suicide attacks in Afghanistan in March 2008 compared to 17 in March 2007.There was a sudden increase in the attacks in June 2008 with 17 suicide bombings compared to just seven suicide bombings in June 2007. Suicide bombings slightly increased in areas close to the Iranian border. Kandahar and Helmand are close to Pakistan while Nimroz and Farah are close to Iran. There were 15 suicide attacks in Kandahar in 2008 compared to 26 in 2007. There were 15 suicide attacks in Helmand in 2008 compared to 22 in 2007. There were only three attacks in Nimroz in 2007 but eight attacks in the first six months of 2008. Farah is close to the Iranian border and had just five suicide attacks in 2007 but this province saw six suicide attacks in 2008. The increasing number of attacks in areas closer to the Iranian border than to the Pakistani border is intriguing and has thus far remained without a satisfactory explanation.

7 .In 2007, one saw acts of suicide terrorism as well as conventional attacks not involving suicide terrorism in the tribal areas. The conventional style attacks were more in the FATA than in the NWFP, except in the Swat Valley, which is the stronghold of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM) headed by Mulla Fazlullah. Even though official statistics of conventional style attacks are not available, one can see that there has been an increase in conventional style attacks in other areas of the NWFP too. What one has been seeing is that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other jihadi groups in the tribal belt not associated with the TTP, have been emulating the tactics of the Taliban of Afghanistan, which consist of a mix of suicide terrorism and conventional guerilla-style attacks. An insurgency-like situation is developing in the tribal belt in the FATA and the NWFP, similar to the situation which has been prevalent in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

8. There has been a deterioration in the control exercised by the ANP-led Government, the army and the para-military forces in the NWFP. This weakening of control is evident in Peshawar too, where the Taliban and pro-Taliban groups are slowly nibbling at the outlying areas bordering the FATA. The worsening situation in the NWFP should be a matter of concern to the international community since many of the areas where Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission stores its nuclear waste are located there. If these sites come under the control of the jihadi terrorists, Al Qaeda's search for a dirty bomb capability could be facilitated.

Tuesday 8 July 2008

JVP MP Vijitha Herath interrogated by CID

Criminal Investigation Department interrogated JVP MP Vijitha Herath and Mr. Ramalingam Chandrasekaran around a hour yesterday morning (07).

The questioning was based on appointing Kanagasabai Devadasan as a director of National Film Corporation when Mr. Herath was the Minister of National Heritages.
Mr. Herath said to 'Lanka-e-News' that he was summoned to CID and he was interrogated on his knowledge about the suspect Jesudasan. He said that he informed CID that he appointed the person to director board based on a suggestion of the artists and it was the base of appointing other directors as well.

Mr. Devadasan was arrested based on information provided by a person arrested from Kotahena area on suspicion for terrorist activities.

Sri Lanka's failure to end conflict is dangerous: rights group

New Delhi, July 8 (IANS) Sri Lanka's inability to resolve the ethnic conflict poses dangers, a rights group has said, adding that Tamils firmly believe in the 'justice of the liberation struggle' even if they don't admire the Tamil Tigers.

In its latest bulletin, the University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) has painted a grim picture of life in Vanni, the vast region in the island's north that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controls.

'The prospect of a (political) settlement is now prisoner to the government's obsession with its Sinhalese extremist agenda as the only means of prolonging its hold on power,' it said.

'So strong is this link that it is prepared to risk economic collapse and social unrest in the south (of Sri Lanka) by people ridiculously unable to make ends meet.

'The LTTE sees this as its best hope and would use any means, including likely an open use of child soldiers, to prolong the war until the south plunges into chaos.'

The independent rights body added: 'The Sinhalese polity's inability to bring about an equitable settlement poses other dangers. Tamils everywhere, whether or not they support the LTTE, believe in the justice of the Tamil liberation struggle.

'The LTTE uses the resulting dilemma to conscript raw, unwilling youths and turn them around into determined fighters because although the people are disillusioned with the LTTE, they detest the government and see the two as separate issues.'

Referring to the relentless air bombing of Tamil areas held by the LTTE, it said: 'There is no doubt that the government is bombing and shelling people who are prisoners of the LTTE...

'The object of this war is not to bring peace by giving dignity to the Tamils. It is prosecuted on the premise that every Tamil killed is a gain. It is a racist war that uses the LTTE as a pretext.'

The latest UTHR reports comes amid heavy fighting in Sri Lanka's north where the military is trying to advance into the LTTE region after driving away the Tigers from the east. The violence, including terror attacks, has left thousands dead.

The report said that many of the Tamils dying on the frontlines 'are the new conscripts - those who join voluntarily are now exceptional'.

From 2007, it said, the LTTE was conscripting those who had reached 17 years of age. 'Presently, they are appealing to those who are 16 to join voluntarily but have not begun conscripting them.'

It said: 'Even when people do not believe in the LTTE, they know and feel that the Tamil struggle is legitimate. This is enough for the LTTE to work on the young.'

It said that when people in LTTE areas hear of attacks against civilians in Sri Lanka's south blamed on the Tigers, they prepare for reprisal air force attacks.

'All functions over the next three days are cancelled. If there is an unexpected bombing raid while a function is going on, unless it is too close, the function proceeds amidst explosions.'

UTHR said that only those who have taken 'home-defence training' from the Tigers are allowed to work in LTTE areas. As the LTTE controls most work, only those from families whose members have died fighting for the LTTE get full salaries.

'Life is thus made almost unbearable for those who do not fall in line... Consequently, the extreme bitterness against the LTTE also expresses itself in willingness to act as saboteurs and to set off landmines provided by the Sri Lankan Army.'

Growing support to the strike; bomb threat in coming 24 hours is a conspiracy

The Chairman of the National Trade Union Center, JVP MP K.D. Lal Kantha says that the strike on July 10 will be launched despite all sorts of false propaganda against it and the workers’ action cannot be hampered without granting the demands.

Mr. Lal Kantha made these observations in a statement identifying the propaganda of a possible bomb attacks in the upcoming 24 hours as a part of the government’s conspiracy against the strike.

Meanwhile, five media organizations including Working Journalists’ Association issued a press statement expressing support to the July 10 strike. Stating that the demands of Rs. 5000 pay hike and the demand seeking the pledged cost of living allowance without hindrance were fair, the media organizations urged the government to grant them without attempting to suppress the democratic right to protest, organize and bargain.

The Executive Committee of the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS) also decided to pledge support to the strike and Mr. Lal Perera, the Media Secretary of the JSS announced that the union would ask all its members to strike work on July 10.

SLAF attacks paddy fields again, civilian wounded

A 24-year-old father of two was wounded Tuesday at 10:05 a.m. when two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Kugnchup-paranthan and the adjacent paddy fields along Paranthan - Poonakari (Pooneryn) road. TamilNet correspondent who visited the attack site said that the bombardment has caused extensive damage to the agricultural lands in the 5th canal. The road was also damaged in the attack. The SLAF bombers came again at 1:20 p.m. and attacked the same area with deep bombs leaving large craters.

5th Canal Overseer Junction is located 175 meters near the attack site. Paranthan Hindu Viththiyalayam school is located 3 km away from the attack site. 550 students at the school were forced to seek refuge in bunkers during the first attack.

The wounded person was identified as Sellaththurai Kamal by the residents in the area. The SLAF fighter jets dropped bombs while he was watering his paddy field. Medical sources at Ki'linochchi hospital said the doctors were struggling to avoid amputation of his left leg as he was badly wounded below the knee.


Sunday 6 July 2008

Tigers target SLAF bomber over Vanni

A Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) MiG-27 fighter jet was forced to return after it sustained damage in anti-aircraft fire over Ki'linochchi area in Vanni Sunday afternoon, LTTE officials told media in Vanni. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) officials in Colombo, admitting that an aircraft had a troubled landing at Katunayaka military airbase in Colombo after carrying out an air strike, said that the fighter jet had 'skidded off' the runway while landing.

Independent TamilNet sources in Vaddakkachchi area confirmed that there was anti-aircraft gunfire that targeted the SLAF bombers, which engaged in the bombardment and that the bombers avoided circling over the area due to the attack from the ground.

Four persons were wounded in the air raid in Vaddakkachchi near Ki'linochchi. The wounded have been admitted to Ki'linochchi hospital.

Wednesday 2 July 2008

800 Colombo Tamils woken up from sleep & videoed

Nearly 800 Tamils living at Colombo 15 were reportedly videoed individually in the early hours of this morning. Police and army personnel had woken up these people at Kimbulahela Watte on Madampitiya Road from their sleep around 4.00 pm and ordered to gather at a nearby playground.

Once there, each of them had been asked to clearly tell the name, address and other personal details, while being videoed.

When 'Lanka Dissent' inquired about this from Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara around 6.15 pm, he first said he was unaware of such a happening and asked us to call him again.

Later, he admitted the area police had conducted a routine search this morning.

The army had assisted in the search, but no videoing had taken place, Brig. Nanayakkara said.

How the Govt. that cannot arrest the culprits who attacked the journalists will provide security to the SAARC summit?

Defense Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella promised the media persons today that he would look into the suspicion of them that there was hidden paw that the ministerial subcommittee cannot control behind the attacks on the journalists.

Media persons repeatedly questioned the Minister and the police spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara over the lack of productivity of the police investigations on intimidation of 12 media persons before Namal Perera incident.
A foreign journalist asked if the government had taken the incident of attacking officials of the Sri Lanka Press Institute and the UK High Commission in the heart of Colombo city as a joke. He pointed out that no arrests have been made after three days. Media persons were not satisfied over the Minister’s and police spokesman’s assurances that the investigations were successfully proceeding. Commenting on Keith Noir incident they said that the victim party did not corporate with the investigation.

The police spokesman’s statement that some people lodge such complaints expecting political asylum in foreign countries, the press conference became hot again. They asked to name at least one such journalist but neither the Minister nor the police spokesman named them.
The Hindu Journalist questioned how the government could provide security to the SAARC summit in a context police failed to arrest the culprits who attacked and attempted to abduct two journalists in the heart of Colombo city.

Minister Rambukwella said that such problems are in other countries as well and full security would be provided to the SAARC summit.

The Minister and the police spokesman appeared to have no idea on those who level attacks on media.

Another journalist pointed out that media persons had doubts that the Defense Ministry website that disseminated threats to the journalists who criticized the security forces was behind these attacks. He said that an outbreak of such incidents preceded the President’s official foreign tours and it was for the good of the government to identify the hidden paws.

Media persons pointed out that they believed that the ministerial subcommittee was incapable to control the powers that handle these incidents and an alternative action was needed.

Sri Lanka Army chief says victory date now mid-2009

Sri Lanka Army chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka this week again revised his timetable for defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; to mid-2009, from an earlier estimate of June 2008. Saying that the LTTE had lost its conventional fighting capacity, he told international correspondents Monday that, within a year, most of the remaining Tigers would be dead. Saying that the objective of the LTTE was to capture the entire island and wipe out the majority Sinhalese community, he vowed: "we will not allow that at any cost, we will fight them."

Lt. Gen. Fonseka made his comments, which were carried in reports by AFP, Reuters, the BBC, IANS and The Hindu, amongst others, to the Colombo-based Foreign Correspondents Association on Monday.

The Tigers would be reduced to nothing more than a “rag-tag terrorist outfit” in a year’s time, the Army chief said, in response to questions on the assertion he made in December last year that the military would “wipe out” the LTTE by June 2008.

The Sri Lankan government had earlier revised that deadline to a new one of the year’s end.

The BBC said the timescale is important because President Mahinda Rajapaksa's popular support is largely based on his claim he can militarily defeat the Tamil Tigers and thereby bring peace to Sri Lanka.

Moreover, the Army chief’s comments come two months after one of Sri Lanka’s most celebrated Army officers criticized the Rajapakse government’s war strategy.

Saying that the government’s self-imposed deadlines “were not realistic”, Maj Gen. (retd) Janaka Perera questioned the wisdom of waging protracted war against the LTTE and warned that battle fatigue would set in and sap the military’s will to fight.

Maj. Gen. (retd) Perera also questioned the veracity of the massive claims of LTTE casualties being made by the defence establishment.

Lt. Gen. Fonseka insisted Monday that the government was on its way to destroying the LTTE, which he said was “wilting.”

"From about the beginning of the year, the LTTE has lost its conventional capability," Fonseka told Colombo-based foreign correspondents. "They are no longer fighting as a conventional army."

"You can see they are weakening. They don't have the same capacity and the willpower to fight now," he said.

"We have already defeated them (as a conventional army). They have lost that capability. Although they are fighting with us, it is not in the same manner."

"I'm sure in...less than one year, the LTTE will totally lose even their present territory. Then they will resort to totally different type of tactics."

"They should not be able to maintain their present control over the population, to be able to resist the army in the way they are resisting now. They would have to lose all that capability."

Lt. Gen. Fonseka said the military had killed over 9,000 Tigers since August 2006 and had gained much territory. He said 1,700 soldiers had also died, but that LTTE resistance was crumbling.

Asked about the present LTTE strength, Lt. Gen. Fonseka said: “as per the intelligence reports, the current cadre of the LTTE in the worst-case scenario is 5,000.”

“Most of the new recruits in the past two years are underage conscripts,” he said.

The Army chief’s comments contradicted the US State Department’s 2007 Human Rights report which suggested: “by year end most sources indicated that the ‘one family, one fighter’ policy targeted those 18 years or older. The UNICEF noted a significant reduction in reported child recruitment by the LTTE. … the trend indicated that the LTTE was eliminating the recruitment and use of child soldiers.”

The Army Chief admitted that previous military estimates of the Tiger strength had been too low. Lt. Gen. Fonseka was quoted by state media in December as saying there were only 3,000 Tigers left.

Claiming that government troops fighting the LTTE in the Vanni jungles over the past one year had become “one of the best jungle fighters in the world,” Fonseka said his men “are now working on the overall plan of completely defeating the LTTE militarily,” not just capturing fresh territories.

'We do not just go for terrains, but we go for the kill. This is the difference between the military operations in the past and the present,' he said.

He added that the military had got 'the right guidance and leadership' from President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government. Fonseka was named the army chief in December 2005, a month after Rajapaksa took power.

“Even if the army finished the war and captured the whole of north, the LTTE still might survive as long as there are people who believe in Tamil nationalism and with Tamil diaspora who are supporting them.”

“The LTTE might survive another even two decades with about 1,000 cadres. But we will not be fighting in the same manner. It might continue as an insurgency forever.”

The Tamil Tigers have not commented directly on Gen Fonseka's claims to have defeated them as a conventional force.

But earlier they rubbished the military's reports of battlefield successes and said the casualty figures being put out by the government were false, intended to retain support for the war in the Sinhala south, the BBC reported.

Lt. Gen. Fonseka’s upbeat reading of Sri Lanka’s war progress comes as spiraling inflation (28% up from last year) is starting to erode at hitherto very strong support amongst the majority Sinhalese for the military destruction of the LTTE.

The governor of the Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, told the BBC the main reason for high inflation in Sri Lanka was the global rise in oil prices, combined with the government reducing fuel subsidies.

In an interview to The Sunday Leader newspaper on March 16 this year, retired Army General Janaka Perera pointed out that though military offensives against LTTE-held Vanni began in July 2007, there had been little tangible progress.

“If [the fighting] drags on and spreads over a year, the soldier suffers both mental fatigue and physical exhaustion. Both these factors combined with his home problems are going to impact on him. If he continues to remain in the battlefront, it is difficult to get the quality of a focused soldier from a fatigued and pressurised man,” Maj. Gen. Perera said.

Lt. Gen. Fonseka admitted the fighting had been intense in Mannar, which the government claimed to have captured entirely on Sunday – and which was later contradicted by the military spokesman.

“It took nine months to capture Mannar district, the so called ‘rice bowl’. The terrain was open and for two months it was flooded,” he explained.

Meanwhile, last week the Army launched a campaign to track down and arrest up to 12,000 deserters who failed to take advantage of a government amnesty – about 5,000 returned in the month long amnesty in May.

Sri Lanka’s armed forces officially number over 200,000.

In recent weeks, there have been persistent reports of low morale, especially amongst young recruits in Jaffna amongst whom several suspected suicides have been reported.

According to the Maj. Gen. Perera, the LTTE is engaged in a protracted campaign: “the LTTE’s strategy is to drag it on and play for time. Delays work in their favour.”

“Just put yourself into the soldier’s position. You don’t see a tangible goal being achieved making things really tough. Then you lose concentration and the will to fight.”

“Come September, the northeast monsoon will set in. Then, added to the physical and mental exhaustion, the weather will also conspire to keep the troops down. That means, the sick rates will go up with malaria and fever attacks,” he said.

“It is going to be a nightmare if the war drags on.”

Monday 2 June 2008

13 killed in floods; 2,25,440 displaced


Disaster Relief Center says that 13 people have been killed and 225,440 persons belonging to 53,000 families have been displaced due to floods and landslides.
As the floods are receding in Rathnapura district, the risk in Kaluthara is on the increase.

Gampaha, Kegalle, Galle, Mathara districs and Kaduwela and Kolonnawa divisions in Colombo district have been affected by the floods.

The numbers of families & persons displaced district wise are as follows:

Rathnapura - 6781:Families - 28868:Persons

Kaluthara - 16,176:Families - 62719:Persons

Galle - 2752:Families - 12386:Persons

Mathara - 1954:Families - 9028:Persons

Colombo - 8714:Families - 40105:Persons

Gampaha - 16334:Families - 75179:Persons

NuwaraEliya - 41:Families - 185:Persons

Kegalle - 100


This is the worst flood in Kaluthara district in recent history. A landslide has occurred in Palindanuwara division and further details are to come.

Electricity and telecommunication has broken down in many affected areas making the relief teams difficult to approach the victims. Navy and police divers have arrived for the relief of the flood victims.

Disaster Relief Center has allocated Rs. 22 million for basic relief needs such as cooked food and dry rations.

However, our reporters say that the majority of the affected have not received any relief yet.

6 civilians killed in SLA claymore attack - LTTE

Six devotees including two children on their way to Naakathampiraan Temple in Maangku'lam were killed and 4 wounded, including 2 children, in a claymore mine explosion in Vanni Monday night. LTTE's Director of Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan blamed the Deep Penetration Unit operated by the Sri Lanka Army for the attack on civilian target.

The attack took place at Puthoor, located between Kanakaraayanku'lam and Pu'liyangku'lam at 8:00 p.m., Mr. Puleedevan said.

The devotees were on their way from Mu'l'livaaykkaal in Mullaiththeevu to Naakathampiraan temple to attend the annual festival at the temple, Mr. Puleedevan told TamilNet, identifying the registration number of the civilian van as 8-SRI-6109.

The dead were identified as Vasanthakumar from Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Murugathaas from Ampalavan Pokka'nai, Thanusan (son of Murugathaas), Ganesh (Brother of Murugathaas), Ms Yogamalar, and Ganga (daughter of Yogamalar), officials of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESoHR).

Chithra 26, wife of Vasanthakumar, Sujithan (son of Vasanthakumar, 18 months old child), 9-year-old Janani (daughter of Murugathaas), and Vinojini were seriously injured and have been admitted to Mullaiththeevu hospital.

Friday 30 May 2008

Sea Tigers raid SLN camp close to Jaffna city

Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Sea Tigers naval wing launched a raid in the early hours of Thursday on the Sri Lanka Navy camp located at Chi'ruththeevu islet, close to Ma'ndaitheevu island and Jaffna city, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. At least 13 Sri Lanka Navy personnel were killed and many sailors wounded in the raid carried out by a special marine wing of the Sea Tigers, the Tiger officials said adding that they have seized weapons including a 50-caliber machine gun, a mortar, two LMGs and military equipments including a radar from the strategic SLN camp situated at the islet facing Jaffna. 3 SLN bodies were also recovered by the Tigers and they identified one sailor.

The raid was launched at 1:25 a.m. and the camp was brought under the LTTE control at 2:00 a.m.

One 50 caliber machine gun, one radar equipment, one RPD LMG, one AK LMG, one 60 mm mortar, one 40 mm Rocket Launcher, four T-56 type-2 assault rifles were seized by the Sea Tigers.








141 shells for 60 mm mortar, 06 rockets for 40 mm Rocket Launcher, 930 rounds for 50 caliber machine gun, 430 linked 50 caliber rounds, an extra barrel for the 50 caliber gun, extra barrel for RPD LMG, 795 rounds for RPD LMG, and 1,380 linked 7.62 mm rounds were among the ammunitions. 10 masks, a solar panel with battery and a binocular were among the accessories seized by the Tigers.

Three dead bodies of the Sri Lanka Navy sailors were recovered by the Tigers.

There were no LTTE casualties in the operation, the Tigers said adding that their marines safely returned to their base in Vanni mainland after destroying the SLN camp.

The LTTE, on Thursday morning, displayed the weapons and military equipments seized in the attack to media in Vanni.





The Tigers also identified one of the SLN sailor killed in action as Ranasingha Aaarachchige Saman Pushpa Kumara from Bangalavaththa with Sri Lankan national identity card number 841912462 V.

Sunday 18 May 2008

205-acre land near BIA goes free to Malaysian businessman

The Divisional Secretary of the area is attempting to grant free a 205-acre plot of land at Kimbulapitiya in Katana, situated next to the Bandaranaike International Airport and the Air Force Camp, to a Malaysian businessman, reports say.

The state-acquired 'Kaludiyawatte' or 'Sanwardana Watte' had been meant to be distributed among the landless.

However, the late Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle had made arrangements some time ago to grant the land on annual lease basis to the Malaysian businessman, identified as Tiru, with the related agreement to be signed on April 30th.

After the sudden death of Mr. Fernandopulle, the businessman had persuaded the Katana DS to grant him the prime land free.

In return, he has been promised a luxury apartment on a 30-acre plot.

According to reports, all preliminaries for the handover have already been made.

The land in question has a forest reserve within its boundaries, while a key canal as well as a high tension electricity line are located by it.

Pillayan Group killed 2 police in B'caloa - Ranil

The murder of two police officers for fearlessly opposing malpractices at the East PC polls are yet to be investigated, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has alleged.

Mr. Wickremesinghe said he had been told by top police officials that the Pillayan Group had shot the two dead in Batticaloa, one on the 15th and other on the 16th of May.

Speaking to UNP activists from the Central Province who campaigned for the party at the May 10th polls, he also said, "Yesterday (May 16th), a bomb exploded near Colombo Hilton. Police officers who had been protecting Pillayan and his councilors were targeted. We have doubts about the investigation into this bomb attack. According to today's Lankadeepa newspaper, the motorcycle used by the bomber had been owned by Vijayapalan Jinendran alias Jina, who works at Pillayan Group's office in Trincomalee."

"Yesterday afternoon, Trincomalee Police arrested Jina. But, this morning, the investigating team had been removed on the instructions of the Defence Ministry and Vijayapalan handed over to the TID. The Defence Ministry's intervention is suspicious. The government covered up the murders of T. Maheswaran and others. We suspect that the bomb attack investigation too, would be covered up," the Opposition Leader said.


"Sri Lanka has Asia's oldest police service. However, Rajapaksa's dictatorial fury is trying to destroy that police service. Therefore, all peace-lovers should unite to protect the country's police service for the sake of law and order and peace," he added.

Basil's daughter gets helicopter to travel from airport

The daughter of Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa had been given a helicopter to travel to Colombo from the Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake, the United National Party has charged.

Ms. Rajapaksa was received by her parents on arrival from Singapore at the BIA at 8.05 am yesterday (May 17th), UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told 'Lanka Dissent.'

Her baggage had been cleared without being subjected to any check, in complete violation of immigration and emigration regulations.

The trio had then come to Colombo on a helicopter, Mr. Attanayake added.

Saturday 17 May 2008

What is India's foreign policy in Srilanka?

Over the last 20 months, Srilanka's southern Sinhala majority dominated government has displaced more than 1 million minority Tamils from their traditional homelands. The majority dominated government has obtained loans from Iran, Pakistan, and China and has used most of these loans to buy offensive weapons to use against the minority Tamils.

The US, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Israel, and the European Union have all gone on record and warned the Sinhala leadership to observe UN mandated Human Rights provisions in their treatment of the minority Tamils.

Most of these countries have stated in public that the Tamils have legitimate grievances and the Sinhala majority continues to deny equal rights and opportunities to Tamils.

Even worse, the Sinhala government leaders (103 Ministers out of 225 members of parliment) have gone into partnership with rogue para military outfits and recently held elections in the Eastern Province to show case "subjugated" freedom for the Tamils.

The majority of the world leaders have mocked at the Sinhala leadership actions in these elections. Yet, Indian Foreign Ministry officials continue to cuddle these Sinhala leaders?

These same Foreign Ministry officials previously sided with the corrupt and the unfair rulers in Nepal & Bhutan and continue to cuddle the ruthless regime in Myanmar. India's foreign policy continues to prop up this ruthless Sinhala regime that is currently bankrupting the economy of Srilanka; inflation at a record high 30%, lost preferential garment export facilities to Europe, and lost preferential treatment by US development funds.

Do the Indian Foreign Ministry officials follow mainstream Indian objectives? Is India going to stand idle and watch the minority Tamils be subjugated by the majority Sinhalese?

What is India's foreign policy in Srilanka?

Friday 16 May 2008

(2nd lead)Bomb explosion targets Police bus in Colombo






A three-wheeler fitted with a bomb rammed into a bus carrying riot control police, few hundred meters away from the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat, Friday noon, killing at least 6 police personnel and injuring around 90 people, including policemen. The explosion has taken place on Lotus Road inside the High Security area near Hilton Hotel.

The police personnel were on their way to provide additional security as the swearing-in ceremony of the Eastern Province Chief Minister, postponed yesterday, was to take place as scheduled on Friday at 4:00 p.m.

Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, the de-facto leader of the paramilitary-cum-political party, the TMVP, was scheduled to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province.




Eight killed in Sri Lanka blast



Sri Lanka map

At least eight policemen have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, the army says.

More than 70 people were hurt when a man on a motorcycle rammed into a bus carrying policemen near a five-star hotel in the central business district.

The army has blamed Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack.

Fighting between the Tamil Tigers, who are seeking an independent state, and the army has worsened this year after the government pulled out of a truce.

'Like an earthquake'

The blast happened near the Hilton Hotel and a twin-tower commercial building.

Ekanjith Rawwalage, head of customer services at the hotel, told BBC News that the blast happened around 1230 local time (0700 GMT) near a police checkpoint outside the hotel.

"It was a loud explosion. It felt like an earthquake," said Mr Rawwalage.

He said some window panes of the hotel had been damaged by the explosion. He said all the guests were safe and the hotel gates had been shut.

Mr Rawwalage said he had seen ambulances rushing the injured to the hospital.

The area is also the site of the official residence of Sri Lanka's president and has been targeted in the past by Tamil Tiger rebels.

The Tigers have fought for a generation for an independent state for the Tamil minority.

About 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began in 1983.

Thursday 15 May 2008

Two JVP armed wing cadres steal secret documents from Ketapearachchi's house

Mr. Sampath Ketapearachchi says that two armed cadres of JVP forcibly entered into his house around 1.00 AM today, tied him and his wife and stole the secret documents relevant to Sunil Handunneththi and Vijitha Herath from the upper floor of the house.
Mr. Ketapearachchi, the media secretary of Minister of Textile Development Mahinda Rathnathilaka is an ex-JVP activist. He first exposed through media that MP Sunil Handunneththi who attempted to flee the country for life due to threats from JVP was in the custody of JVP after his wife betrayed him.

He recently challenged JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe that he had evidence that MP Vijitha Herath was a security forces informant and betrayed many cadres appearing as a Billa.

The intruders entered the house calling him by his name. The two persons were known to him. They tied Mr. Ketapearachchi and his wife and stole the secret documents at gun point.
They later fired two shots upward, one damaging the roof of the house and fled in the motorcycle numbered MT 3676 on which they came.

Welikada police is investigating the incident following Mr. Ketapearachchi’s complaint.

Listen to 'LeN Radio' for more information.
Photos: Shantha Wijesuriya
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Pillaiyan begins assaulting opposition candidates as the police are asleep

Pilaiyan Group commenced attacking the Kalawanchikudi and Kallar people who supported the candidates of Tamil Democratic National Front (TDNF) at the recent Provincial Council election.
It is reported that these attacks were led by one Sinthuran who works as the in charge of the TMVP office.

Although the series of assaults were underway since May 11 up to date no one had lodged complaints in police since the attackers had threatened that entire families would be killed.
The supporters of one candidate named Kuganathan are the majority of the assault victims. Three of them have sustained serious injuries. A motorcycle belonged to one person was robbed.

The residents of the above said villages say that those who campaigned against Pillaiyan now spend the night in safe places in fear of death threats from Pillaiyan Group.

Tuesday 13 May 2008

Minister Devananda's adviser killed

Lawyer Maheswari Velayuthan, an adviser of Minister Douglas Devananda was shot by an unidentified group of persons around 8.00 PM today at Peduruthuduwa in Jaffna and she succumbed to injuries while being taken to the hospital.
A group clad in likes of military uniforms entered the house of the mother of Ms. Velayuthan in order to search it and shot pointblank through Ms. Velayuthan's head before fleeing.



More photos of vote rigging by Pillaiyan Group(video annex)

The government and the government coalition
parties repeatedly say that the election for the Eastern Provincial Council was held peacefully and none other than the general situation in an election prevailed there.
Lanka-e-News posted a photo of a group of Pillaiyan Group cadres who flocked in Batticaloa Mahajana Vidyalaya for vote rigging. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that it was the only photo available on vote rigging. Minister Champika Ranawaka of Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) said today (13) at a press briefing that such photos of voters standing in a queue could be taken at any polling center.

We therefore decided to post a few more photos of the incident. They depict the way the group of the Pillaiyan Group cadres came to the Mahajana Vidyalaya polling center for vote rigging.
In one photo, Sri Lanka Communist Party candidate K. Thyagaraja who contested under Tamil Democratic National Front protests vote rigging of the Pilaiyan Group. Another photo depicts the tense situation erupted as police involved to prevent vote rigging.

We would like to say to the gentlemen who challenge us that we have more photos on vote rigging.
Photos by Shantha Wijesuriya


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Monday 12 May 2008

Tamil detainees allege sexual abuse after transfer from Magazine Prison - MP

68 Tamil detainees, hurriedly transferred from New Magazine prison in Colombo Saturday around 8:50 p.m. by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) interrogators, were verbally abused, tortured and subjected to sexual abuse at the notorious Boosa Prison in Galle, according to complaints made by the parents to Tamil parliamentarian Chandrakanth Chandranehru. Expressing shock at the gross violation of Human Rights, the parliamentarian has promised the parents to bring the matter to the attention of relevant quarters. Sri Lanka's Commissioner General of Prisons, Major General (ret) Vajira Wijegunawaredena on Monday denied the allegation.

The TID interrogators stripped the detainees, who were brought to Boosa, naked abusing them verbally and subjected many of the victims for torture, sexual harassment and subjected them to sexual abuse, according to reliable allegations, the Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian had told media in Colombo. He questioned the need for the intervention by the Terrorist Investigation Department while the cases of the detainees were being heard at the Courts.

Vajira Wijegunawardene who dismissed the allegation has said that the detainees were transferred to Boosa and Mahara prisons for "security reasons".

Tamil detainees in Welikade 'maximum security' prison and the detainees in high security Magazine prison (named Magazine as British colonialists used the facility for storing ammunition) have been repeatedly urging the Tamil parliamentarians to bring their concerns to the International Community and exert pressure on the Sri Lankan government to expedite their cases that have been postponed fortnightly and not been heard for more than a year.

86 detainees in Welikade prison launched a fast-unto-death and demanded the authorities to let them meet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, who visited Sri Lanka on a fact finding mission last October. The detainees called off the fast as Ms. Louise Arbour met five representatives of the detainees and promised to look into their plight.

According to a research conducted by the London based Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (published in the British Medical Weekly of 10 June 2000) sexual abuse of Tamil male detainees was a common problem in the Sri Lankan prisons. "Of the 184 men, 38 (21%) said they had been sexually abused during theirdetention. Three (7%) of the 38 said they had been given electric shocks to their genitals, 26 (68%) had been assaulted on their genitals, and four (9%) had sticks pushed through the anus, usually with chillies rubbed on the stick first," the study further said that Medicolegal reports written by 17 doctors supported the allegations of torture in Sri Lanka made by the 184 Tamil men. The study had defined sexual abuse as comprising assaults to the genitals, non-consensual sexual acts, and objects pushed through the anus.

EU passports: the awful truth

Is the European Union going to strip your passport of all symbols of the Crown? The answer is no. Unless of course Gordon Brown insists it is so or if the French were to give up the emblem of their proud republic, the Germans their imperial eagle and everyone else their own fiercely guarded national symbols.

A British biometric passport
Will the British passport be replaced with EU passports?

It is simply not going to happen. The awful truth about EU passports is much worse. Under the new Lisbon Treaty there are new powers to create truly EU passports and ID cards. These will not be about superficial trappings and trimmings – such as the Crown symbol and all that Lion and Unicorn stuff – but the gritty reality of growing ID surveillance demands from and between states across Europe, and beyond.

The legend of the EU’s evil intent to scrap national passport symbols is a potent one, for all it is complete cobblers. Over on EU Referendum, Richard North unravels and puts into perspective the latest stories about Foreign Office plans (after a non-binding European Commission suggestion) to include in passports a sticker telling Brits they can avail themselves of other EU consulates and embassies in the event of a crisis.

But the behind the scenes – and your passport cover – there is a lot going on with our ID documents. Now fitted with biometrics and microchips, all done to exacting, existing standards set at the EU and Trans-Atlantic level, there is lot, lot more to the modern passport than archaic heraldry or Royal flummery about “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State".

Today’s ID cards and passport have a simple objective, surveillance, one that is shared by all EU member states and, importantly, in these post-9/11 days the United States.

Writing in the newspaper today, Philip Johnston explains what the new ID era is for: “The answer has nothing to do with security, any more than the presence of CCTV cameras everywhere has anything to do with stopping crime, as even senior police officers now concede. It is about political control. The state wants to know where you are, and those who run it have always believed it has a right to know, but have usually been beaten back by Parliament.”

As I have written about here, the EU is now one of the places (conveniently free of scrutiny and accountability) where the latest in biometric controls are being dreamt up. This is with the UK’s enthusiastic support. Britain’s own “e-Borders” is a trailblazer – and there is more to come.

A little known element to the new Lisbon Treaty quietly drops old safeguards that specifically ruled out an EU dimension to ID cards and passports (the two are increasingly interchangeable).

Here is the detail. Part two, article 18 of the Nice Treaty states:
“18, 1) Every citizen of the Union shall have the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, subject to the limitations and conditions laid down in this Treaty and by the measures adopted to give it effect.
“18, 2) If action by the Community should prove necessary to attain this objective and this Treaty has not provided the necessary powers, the Council may adopt provisions with a view to facilitating the exercise of the rights referred to in paragraph 1.”

After a flaming row in Nice and British insistence, the following caveat was added – much to the chagrin of the Commission and most other countries.

Article 18, 3 declares: "Paragraph 2 shall not apply to provisions on passports, identity cards, residence permits or any other such document”.

This has now been ditched. In a silent U-turn, British officials let it go. What was a red line for Tony Blair in 2000 was no longer a red line for either Mr Blair or Mr Brown last year.

Article 17, of the Lisbon Treaty states:
“Citizens of the Union shall enjoy the rights and be subject to the duties provided for in the Treaties. They shall have, inter alia: the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States... ”

Then tucked in Article 62 is the change.
“If action by the Union should prove necessary to facilitate the exercise of the right referred to in Article 17(2)(a), and if the Treaties have not provided the necessary powers, the Council, acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure, may adopt provisions concerning passports, identity cards, residence permits or any other such document. The Council shall act unanimously after consulting the European Parliament.”

The climb down was for simple reasons. Britain has allowed Article 18,3 to be removed in order to allow the UK to participate in EU borders and security measures, such as biometric passports and ID cards.

Britain fought, and lost a battle, in the European courts last year because it is excluded from existing sharing digital biometric information, such as fingerprints, with the 24 countries that are part of the Schengen system of common EU external border controls.

British law enforcement agencies have lobbied hard to “opt-in” and gain access to EU-wide databases of digital photographs and fingerprint taken from biometric visa applications.

EU plans for future databases holding a fingerprint register of all European passport holders are expected in the next decade and British securocrats, typical of the breed wherever they are from, want in.

I am not especially bothered about the Crown symbol on my passport. To the degree it exercises me at all, I would say it and the Crown prerogatives that go with it (and that are used to neuter opposition to EU Treaties amongst other things) should be removed from a central role in British politics and public life.

I do care about civil liberties. I may not share the same national symbol on my passport as a Frenchman, a German, a Pole, Italian or any other EU citizen but I do share what I believe is a common European interest in freedom. That is the issue with EU passports.