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31-07-2006 Sri Lankan military, rebels battle over water, at least 46 killed BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI (AP) _ A senior rebel leader declared Sri Lanka's cease-fire ``null and void'' Monday as soldiers and Tamil Tiger rebels traded artillery shells and gunfire and the air force struck insurgent positions, killing at least 46 fighters, the army said. The clashes in the northeastern district of Trincomalee and in Jaffna, a port on Sri Lanka's northern tip, were among the fiercest since a 2002 cease-fire, and were as close to open war as the two sides have come in months of back-and-forth attacks. [More] 30-07-2006
30-07-2006 For anything, we turn to India - Mahinda Rajapaksa
30-07-2006
30-07-2006 Sri Lanka sends ground troops to break Tamil rebels' blockade By DILIP GANGULY COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - The Sri Lankan army on Sunday massed ground troops to smash a Tamil rebel blockade of a water facility that has cut supplies to government-controlled villages in the northeast. The rebels severed the water supply July 20 in retaliation for what they claim was the government's reneging on a promise to build a water tower for adjacent areas under rebel control.[More] 30-07-2006 Lankan military claims killing 40 Tigers The Sri Lankan air force killed 40 fighters belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in air strikes this week, a military spokesman claimed on Saturday. The LTTE said it had lost only eight of its men. The air force started pounding LTTE-controlled territory in Trincomalee and Batticaloa last week after the Tigers blocked the main water supply to nearly 20,000 people in government-held areas of Trincomalee. EUROPEAN MONITORS: A number of European countries have decided to withdraw observers monitoring a truce between the Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers after the LTTE warned the monitors last week to leave the country by Sept 1. Almost 40 monitors would leave Sri Lanka soon, an official said. The latest to announce the recall was Finland, one of five countries that make up the truce monitoring mission. Finland has 11 observers in Sri Lanka. Source-DAWN 29-07-2006 Sri Lanka bombs Tigers for fourth day; monitors in crisis By Simon Gardner COLOMBO, July 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan Air Force jets bombed Tamil Tiger positions in the island's restive east for a fourth day on Saturday in a battle over water supplies, the rebels said, as Nordic truce monitors faced crisis after member-nations quit. Military officials said an operation to clear access to a sluice gate, which they accuse the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of blocking to choke water supplies to Sinhalese farmers on government land, was underway but gave no details. [More]
29-07-2006
29-07-2006 Britain urges LTTE to end killings COLOMBO: British High Commission officials yesterday urged the LTTE to bring an end to killings, intimidation, acts of violence and abductions. They raised these concerns during a meeting with the LTTE leadership. "The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the current situation, its impact on civilians and the role of the international community. With the representatives of the LTTE, we raised concerns about the continuing high levels of violence including the issue of child soldiers," the High Commission quoted the officials as saying. [More] 28-07-2006 Sri Lanka air raids 'kill six rebels' At least six rebels died and eight people were wounded when Sri Lankan warplanes attacked a Tamil Tiger camp, a rebel leader said Friday as both sides traded artillery fire. Three civilians were among the injured during the air raids over Trincomalee district on Thursday, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) regional leader S. Elilan told the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website.[More] 28-07-2006
28-07-2006 Int’l support crucial for peace: UNHCR COLOMBO: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (UNHCR) Thursday called upon the international committee to remain committed to the peace process in Sri Lanka. Addressing the media at the end of a three-day visit, Commissioner Antonio Guterres said the contribution of the international community was crucial and added, ‘There must be a commitment to make a peace process successful.[More] 27-07-2006 Media 'War' on Tigers The Sri Lankan Army has launched a concerted propaganda onslaught against the Tamil Tigers. The army realises that while fighting the LTTE on land and sea is one aspect of the “war”, the other is to create a level playing field for itself in the media, especially print and the Internet. The tech-savvy Tigers have widely-visited websites — such as tamilnet.com, svik.org and nitharsanam.com — that are choc-a-bloc with news of killings and assaults allegedly by the army and police. The joke in Colombo is that the media ministry often learns of strikes on the army through tamilnet.com and provides the news in the same form to the press.[More] 26-07-2006 LTTE will soon give up, says KPS Gill Meenakshi Iyer Extolling the Sri Lankan government for its efforts to control the present crisis in the island nation, India's super cop and counter-terror expert, KPS Gill, says that the LTTE will soon give up its fight. "With international pressure mounting and the European Union banning the group, the Tigers will soon have to bow down," Gill, who is credited with flushing out terrorism from Punjab, told HindustanTimes.Com. "You cannot support terror in any part of the world and that has been realised globally," he said.[More] 26-07-2006 Denial of Water to Civilians by the LTTE- Blatant Contravention of International Law SCOPP, 26 July 2006. The Government of Sri Lanka, at the highest levels, has repeatedly called upon the LTTE, through the Norwegian facilitators and the SLMM, to restore the water supply to over 1,500 people in the Trincomalee District who have been deprived of water since the LTTE forcibly closed the Mawilaru Anicut on Thursday 20 July 2006.[More] UN discusses Sri Lanka refugees -BBC 26-07-2006 Sri Lanka representative to United Nations urges 'swift and decisive action' against use of children in armed conflict July 26, Colombo: Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam, has urged the international community to "take swift and decisive action to end impunity enjoyed by non-state actors who continue to abuse children without further delay." [More] 25-07-2006 Akashi wants to meet Prabhakaran Japan may freeze assets if LTTE does not return to talks By Easwaran Rutnam
24-07-2006 Present deadlock stems largely from intransigent conduct of the LTTE - Kethesh Loganathan DEADLOCK: In an interview with Daily News, the Deputy Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, (SCOPP) Kethesh Loganathan described the present situation as an escalation of violence and said the only way out of the present crisis was negotiations. He was of the view that the present stalemate in the talks was largely due to the non compromising position of the LTTE. He was also of the view that a comprehensive review of the existing Ceasefire Agreement was in order, but stressed that any revision to the Agreement should be done with the consent of both the Government and the LTTE.[More] 24-07-2006 SL Muslims pitch for Pondicherry model PK Balachandran The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is pitching for the Indian Union Territory (UT) model in the ongoing Sri Lankan national exercise to evolve a devolution package that will help solve the ethnic conflict. Justifying the decision to go in for the Indian UT model, SLMC chief Rauff Hakeem said that the fact that the Muslim areas in the island did not have geographical contiguity made the Indian 'Pondicherry' model the most suitable. The Muslims have been agitating for an autonomous Muslim unit in the North-East, comprising areas where the Muslims are in majority.[More] 23-07-2006 Eelam, a nameboard like Peliyagoda in a decade - Kingsley Wickramaratne
Q: You have been entrusted by other Governors at the recently concluded Governors conference to fight to win back the powers under the 13th Amendment to find a solution to the North and East problem. How confident are you of that task and how will you find a solution under the framework of the Provincial Council system? A: The Governors passed a resolution to regain powers devolved from the 13th Amendment. There are lots of advantages of the Provincial Council (PC) system. When the PC system was introduced in 1987, I was in the opposition and the SLFP opposed it. But later I realised that countries are becoming smaller by forming groups like the European Union(EU). [More] 23-07-2006 Alleged
LTTE front had voter lists Stewart Bell, National Post TORONTO - The RCMP is investigating how the suspected Canadian front organization for the Tamil Tigers terrorist group managed to obtain Elections Canada voter lists used in the last federal campaign. The voter lists, along with manuals on missile-guidance systems, books encouraging suicide bombing and paperwork that police say is evidence of terrorist fundraising, were seized from the World Tamil Movement (WTM).[More] 22-07-2006 Sri Lanka needs a federal mode of govt. like India - Jeyraj by Lakshmi de Silva Parliament yesterday continued debate on the vote of condolence on Batticaloa District member Joseph Pararajasingham but in between the debate the conflict in the North and East and a proposed solution to it was brought up. At one stage Chief Government Whip Jeyraj Fernandopulle said Sri Lanka needed a Federal model of government after the fashion of the Indian model but what the UNP did was to go to European countries like Norway and Sweden to study their federal models. They had ignored India which was our neighbour.[More] 22-07-2006 No military support, India tells Ranil Saturday, July 22,2006 NEW DELHI: India on Friday ruled out military support to Sri Lanka and insisted that it will only support the country’s peace effort. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this after meeting Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, adding there is no solution other than a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict. Wickremesinghe who is on a five day official visit also met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed. The Indian Premier said it was important for mediocre political parties to get together rather than the extremist parties. He also expressed concern about the lack of dialogue between the two main political parties over the ethnic issue. Wickremesinghe explained that the Government so far has failed to put forward its solution to the ethnic conflict and he was ready to support President Mahinda Rajapaksa to go towards a federal solution based on the Tokyo Declaration. Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Nirupama Rao and Sri Lankan High Commissioner in India Romesh Jayasinghe too participated in the meeting. Source-SAMN 21-07-2006 LTTE again says 'no' to EU truce monitors PK Balachandran The LTTE has told the Swedish special envoy, Andres Oljelund, that there is no change in its stand that the truce monitoring mission in Sri Lanka cannot have members from the European Union (EU) countries as the EU had lost its neutrality after it banned the LTTE. Oljelund had met the LTTE's political commissar SP Tamilselvan in Kilinochchi on Friday in an effort to make the LTTE to change its mind on the issue.[More]
21-07-2006
21-07-2006 Ranil
Manmohan discuss Lanka peace The former Sri Lankan Prime Minister is on a two-day trip here as part of on-going high level contacts between the two countries. Besides the Prime Minister, he also met UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed.[More]
Swedish official visits Sri Lanka to settle SLMM crisis Mr. Anders Oljelund, Ambassador-at-Large of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, is visiting Sri Lanka to hold discussions with the GOSL and the LTTE. Mr. Oljelund will discuss matters specifically related to the SLMM and its future. The contributing countries of the SLMM namely Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland met in Oslo, June 29 this year to discuss the recent demand by the LTTE to expel nationals from EU countries serving in the SLMM. The European Union, May this year, listed the LTTE in its list of terrorist organizations.[More]
20-07-2006 First steps on the road to devolution B. Muralidhar Reddy For Sri Lanka, much depends on the working of the multi-ethnic experts group. With the first meeting on July 11 of the multi-ethnic experts group on devolution of powers, the Mahinda Rajapakse Government has made a start to addressing Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict. The initiative delayed for over seven months follows strong pleas from the international community for revival of political dialogue. Its success is predicated on the ability of the Sri Lankan President to carry everyone along. The baggage of party rivalries, broken promises, and missed opportunities makes the task even tougher. [More] 20-07-2006 Mounties
call Tamil group 'arm of Tigers' The 58-page document released by the Ontario court provides the first glimpse of a four-year RCMP investigation, called Project OSALUKI, into the Canadian fundraising efforts of the Sri Lankan terror group the Tamil Tigers.[More] 19-07-2006 Two killed, 15 wounded in Sri Lanka blast July
19, 2006 (AFP) - Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off
a powerful mine in northern Sri Lanka on Wednesday, killing two security
personnel and wounding 15 people, a military official said. "An officer and a soldier were killed in the blast," Samarasinghe said. "Two officers, eight soldiers and two policemen escaped with injuries." [More] 19-07-2006 LTTE VS UNICEF THE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is listed as a terrorist or unlawful organisation in several countries. Amazingly, this has done little to temper the penchant of the Tigers for legalese and hair-splitting on international law. Its latest war of words with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) best illustrates the point. In the last week of June UNICEF handed over to the LTTE a list of 1,387 child soldiers on its rolls. The LTTE acknowledged receipt of the communication and did not dispute the overall figure, barring some `inaccuracies' about children who have crossed the age of 15 or whom it has supposedly released but who continue to figure on the UNICEF list. Essentially, it is enraged over the norms and methodologies UNICEF has adopted and questions the very basis of the determination.[More] 19-07-2006
18-07-2006 Neutralisation of Tamil moderates in SL COLOMBO- PK Balachandran(Hindustan Times) July 18, 2006 The day went unnoticed, but for an article by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the web newspaper Asian Tribune and a short appreciation in the state-owned Daily News. None of Amirthalingam's comrades thought it fit to mark the event. The treatment meted out to Amirthalingam, who spearheaded the Tamils' democratic and peaceful struggle after the death of "Eelam's Gandhi" SJV Chelvanayakam in 1977, is a reflection of the continual marginalisation of moderates in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict.[More]
18-07-2006 Mission to Colombo AFTER watching anxiously for weeks the war clouds gathering over Sri Lanka, the international community has stepped in gingerly but with a clear message: a war is unaffordable for the island nation, the region and the world and should be prevented at any cost. Pressure is mounting on the Indian government from within and outside Sri Lanka to play a more pro-active role in order to resolve the ethnic conflict. Ironically, the parties concerned continue to hold on to their expectations despite New Delhi's clear articulation of policy on the current phase of unrest in Sri Lanka.[More] 17-07-2006 India awaits an embittered Wickremesinghe New Delhi, July 17 (IANS) Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is arriving here Wednesday with a deep grudge against President Mahinda Rajapakse. And India is expected to give him a patient hearing.[More] 17-07-2006 We will give what Tamil people want, not what LTTE demands-Dew experts which drew up the Constitutional package offered to the LTTE in 2000, under the Chandrika Kumaratunga Presidency. Agreeing that that package delivered maximum devolution, the Minister speaks to Hard Talk about the fresh initiative of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to come out with a new set of devolution proposals. Q: Rudrakumaran, legal advisor to the LTTE, recently claimed that the "United Sri Lanka" concept cannot be accepted as a pre-negotiation parameter and that it runs contrary to the current international practice, and to the law of self-determination. Q: Rudrakumaran, legal advisor to the LTTE, recently claimed that the "United Sri Lanka" concept cannot be accepted as a pre-negotiation parameter and that it runs contrary to the current international practice, and to the law of self-determination. A: He is a spokesman for the LTTE. You can’t expect any different from him.[More]
London
raid nets 29 suspects UK: The UK Metropolitan Police arrested 29 persons from the Sri Lankan Tamil community in a lightning operation carried out in six London Boroughs early this month. The criminal elements were detained as a result of a day long operation codenamed 'Enver 2' on July 6 in Brent, Croydon, Harrow, Newham, Redbridge and Waltham Forest Boroughs. Metropolitan Police said the operation, which followed the EU-wide ban on the LTTE, was designed to stop and disrupt criminal activity perpetrated by some members of the Sri Lankan Tamil community.[More] 17-07-2006 LTTE connection with Colombo drug ring By Senaka De Silva The Narcotic bureau yesterday arrested two drug dealers who had imported drugs and distributed them in Colombo with the help[ of LTTE. Director Narcotic D. M. K. Sugathadasa said the suspects have brought drugs and distributed them in Colombo on the instructions of an underworld leader named Guna who is living in India now. He had been in contact with the LTTE according to police. Police have recovered two T56 guns and 2 hand grenades from the suspects. 17-07-2006 Military training for students By Navaratne Samaratunga Information received by security forces indicate that the LTTE have strengthened their student brigade by providing military training in uncleared areas in Batticaloa, for school children from Palugamam and Kandamani . The training, on June 13, was under the supervision of the LTTE regional leader Manivanan and conducted within the precincts of Palugamam school. Source-Daily Mirror 16-07-2006 SLMM waits, LTTE won't release cop - 'Despicable' says Kohona The LTTE last evening went back on its word to release police Sub Inspector Bandujeewa Bopitigoda, who has been in LTTE custody for the last ten months. The ceasefire monitors who went to Kilinochchi to receive the policeman at 10 am yesterday, were kept waiting, but no LTTE representative turned up with the policeman. [More] 16-07-2006 Sri Lankan rebels fire mortars, wounding 1 soldier, 1 civilian, army says Associated
Press, Sun July 16, 2006 00:52 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _
Tamil Tiger rebels attacked an army camp in eastern Sri Lanka with mortars,
wounding one soldier and a civilian, the military said Sunday. He said the army retaliated with mortars, and the exchange of fire lasted nearly half an hour. There was no immediate
comment from the rebels. 16-07-2006 CBK warrants maximum security says SIS A top intelligence report has called on the government to provide maximum security to former President Chandrika Kumara-tunga who has been identified as a target of the LTTE. The intelligence report comes in the backdrop of charges made by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga in writing that President Mahinda Rajapakse has cut back on her security and put her life at risk. [More] 15-07-2006 Sri Lanka Promises To Honor Cease-Fire - Pledge Comes After Rebels Warn Of Return To Civil War The Sri Lankan
government said Saturday it will honor a four-year cease-fire despite
stepped-up clashes between soldiers and Tamil Tiger rebels that have
killed nearly 30 people in recent days. 14-07-2006 Three killed in fresh Sri Lanka fighting Colombo, July 14 (PTI): Two Sri Lankan soldiers and a sailor were killed in attacks by Tamil Tigers today, prompting the Navy to fire mortar bombs at LTTE positions. The soldiers were killed when the LTTE fired 81-mm mortars at them in the Maduru Oya area, a defence official said adding that five others were wounded in the attack. [More] 14-07-2006 'Sniper' kills Sri Lankan sailor A Sri Lankan navy sailor has been killed in sniper fire by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east, a naval spokesman says. "[Tamil Tiger] snipers in the morning shot at two sailors. One died in hospital," the spokesman, DKP Dassanayake, said. The navy responded by firing mortar shells on Tamil Tiger positions. Violence has spiralled in Sri Lanka in recent months claiming about 700 lives and undermining a 2002 truce. The sailors were said to be guarding a small naval base near the town of Trincomalee. Soure-BBC
14-07-2006 Families fear continuing Sri Lanka violence In the midst of continuing violence, fear is writ large on the face of the 350 families on the islet of Allaipiddy near Jaffna, the heartland of ethnic Tamils on the northern fringe of Sri Lanka – writes Anto Akkara for Ecumenical News International. The fishing village
surrounded by Sri Lankan Navy camps is yet to recover from the 13 May
2006 massacre when four unidentified gunmen shot dead eight people in
the house of the richest man on the island village. [More] 14-07-2006 Govt. calls for regional cooperation to combat terrorism by Zacki Jabbar The government yesterday called for South Asian cooperation to combat terrorism. Government spokesman and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, addressing yesterday’s cabinet press briefing in Colombo, said that the Mumbai train bomb, which killed over 200 and injured 700, was a wake up call for countries in the region.[More] 14-07-2006 Rambukwella escapes Government spokesman and senior minister Keheliya Rambukwella claimed last night the police had discovered two claymore mines set 100 metres from his residence in Kandy apparently to attack him. Mr. Rambukwella told State TV ITN in its midnight bulletin he was grateful to the police for saving him from the attack. Minister Rambukwella said he was to go to Kandy but had to put it off due to an important engagement in Colombo. However, he said that his security unit which was inspecting the surroundings of his Kandy residence had detected the two claymore mines and called in the bomb disposal squad. Source-Daily mirror 12-07-2006 Terror strikes Mumbai, over 147 killed MUMBAI(Hindu)Seven serial blasts ripped through Mumbai's suburban railway network at peak hour on Tuesday evening leaving at least 147 dead and 439 injured. As casualty figures rose by the hour, railway authorities and the police struggled to piece together the full picture of the terror strike that had hit the country's commercial capital.(More) 11-07-2006 Sri
Lanka naval chief in India
07-07-2006 Sri Lankan monitors find the going tough By M.R. Narayan Swmay, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) With violence showing no signs of abating in Sri Lanka, international peace monitors in the island's embattled northeast are finding the going tough. Monitors from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the five-nation Nordic body whose future is in doubt after the Tamil Tigers ordered its European Union constituents to get lost, are facing hostility from both the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), SLMM sources said.[More] 07-07-2006 LTTE kills a Muslim civilian - Trincomalee. A Muslim civilian was shot dead by the LTTE in Trincomalee at 7.30 a.m. today (Friday the 07th of July). The victim was walking with his son aged 4 years towards the pre-school in Trincomalee town. The incident took place at an isolated location on the Ganesh Lane road in Trincomalee. This location is situated 300m away from the Kandy-Trincomalee main road. The small children who lost his father said that two people talked to his father and shot at him. The LTTE continues to harass and harm Sinhala and Muslim civilians in the area. 07-07-2006 Colombo rejects LTTE charge B. Muralidhar Reddy It is a "genuine attempt" to carry forward the peace process COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday rejected the LTTE's charge that the efforts of the Government on devolution of powers was an act of political duplicity and said it was making a "genuine attempt" to carry forward the peace process. Cabinet spokesman and Minister of Mass Media and Information Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told a news conference here that the Government was convinced that the correct path to a solution to the ethnic crisis was negotiations. He said the appointment of the 12-member committee, consisting of eminent persons of all ethnic groups, was a step towards the goal. [More] 06-07-2006 Tamils back Indian model Special Correspodent CHENNAI: Tamil United Liberation Front president V. Anandasangaree has suggested the Indian model of democracy as a solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. As India and Sri Lanka have many things in common, a Constitution like the one in India would help solve the " vexatious issue" The model would satisfy even those opposed to to both the federal and unitary type of Constitution, Mr. Anandasangaree told newsmen here on Monday. He claimed there was widespread acceptance for this proposal among the Tamils, the Sinhalese and also senior Buddhist monks. If at all there was any opposition, it would be only accept any solution. But if India presented it then it would be welcomed by International communities and the LTTE and other parties would have to accept it. General Secretary of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (Pathmanabha) T. Sridharan, who was also present, said the LTTE was solely responsible for the pitiable condition of Tamils in the Island. [More] 05-07-2006 President agrees to look at Indian model
of devolution India on Monday offered to share with Sri Lanka its experience of federalism as a political solution to the ethnic crisis and President Mahinda Rajapakse indicated he was now ready to consider the Indian model of power devolution. India’s offer was made by External Affairs Ministry Secretary Shyam Saran to President Mahinda Rajapakse when they met on Monday. President Rajapakse had said however he did not wish to use the word ‘federalism’ but stands ready to look at the Indian model as a basis for settlement, informed sources said.[More] 05-07-2006 Ban angers Tamil Tigers- Toronto Star 05-07-2006 I never thought my country was so bad 05-07-2006 EU says conflict displaces 400,000 in Sri Lanka A representative of the European Union (EU) said Tuesday that some 400,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka's north and east. Julian Wilson, the EU ambassador to Sri Lanka told reporters that the EU has allocated 7 million euros (about 12.9 million U.S. dollars) to provide emergency needs for the victims of the present conflict.[More] 04-07-2006 Four years on, Sri Lanka is a messier story By M.R. Narayan Swamy, Indo-Asian News Service New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) A deeply divided Sri Lanka, a bruised but visibly confident Tamil Tigers and escalating violence: this is what India is up against as it prepares to step up its diplomatic intervention in the island nation. After more than four years, the Norway-brokered peace process - which at one time generated tremendous hope - has failed to put a lid on one of the world's longest running armed conflicts that has claimed over 65,000 lives.[More] 05-07-2006 Peace and human rights Interview with Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Deshamanya Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy Namini Wijedasa
A: I think it would be wrong to think of this appointment in national terms. It was an appointment to an international civil service that is supposed to transcend national considerations. In fact, on my first day of work, I signed a pledge that requires that I not be influenced by any government or group of individuals in my work and that I must keep the interest of the United Nations (UN) above all such interests. It is not only Sri Lanka that has pledged. I am, however, touched by the response of fellow Sri Lankans - and I hope I will honour their faith in me. [More] 04-07-2006 Peace process: India to help find a way forward - Indian Foreign Secretary Manjula Fernando
The visiting envoy who arrived here, early Monday morning, as a special representative of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh discussed wide ranging bilateral and regional issues while focusing on the Peace Process. "He conveyed a message from the Indian Premier to the President reiterating India's continued support to the Sri Lankan Government's efforts to find a democratic solution to the ethnic issue," Arunatilleke said.[More]
04-07-2006
04-07-2006 Sri Lanka steps up alert as Tigers honour suicide bombers by Amal Jayasinghe COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka stepped up already tight security as Tamil Tiger rebels prepared to celebrate "Black Tiger Day" honouring the 261 men and women who have staged suicide bombings, officials said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) arranged Hindu religious services across the territory they hold to mark Wednesday's 19th anniversary of their first suicide bombing. "Security is already tight, but we take note of such anniversaries because there could be an escalation (of violence) at this time," a senior police officer said. "There's a bigger security deployment on the ground."[More] 03-07-2006 Shyam Saran discusses Sri Lankan situation with Rajapakse By B. Muralidhar Reddy
According to C. Liyanage, Co-ordinating Director of the Media Relations Division in the President's Secretariat, the meeting lasted for an hour. The Lanka Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraveera and Foreign Secretary, H.M.G.S. Palhakkara were present on the occasion and Indian High Commissioner, Nirupama Rao accompanied Mr. Saran. India is concerned about the new wave of violence witnessed in the country in the last few weeks and is keen to help Colombo bring down tension and work towards a political solution to address aspirations of all groups in the country. The Rajapakse Government has oft and on expressed the desire for a more active role by India in assisting Colombo to tackle the threat posed by the Tigers as well in its endeavour towards resolving the ethnic conflict. However, it has not spelt out in concrete terms. This is expected to be one of the main items on the agenda of Mr. Saran in his talks with the Lankan interlocutors. Source-The Hindu 03-07-2006 Sri Lanka blasts kills 7, Indian official visits By Peter Apps COLOMBO, July 3 (Reuters) - Two suspected Tamil Tiger rebel blasts killed seven people in Sri Lanka's north and east on Monday as a top Indian diplomat visited the island to discuss rising violence amid fears of a new civil war. The army said a bomb ripped through a road junction in the northeastern port town of Trincomalee, killing five security personnel and a civilian. They blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who want a separate ethnic Tamil homeland. "It was an explosion in a three-wheeler parked by a roadblock," said army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe. "The police had tried to search the three-wheeler and it was detonated remotely." Fourteen people were wounded, the army said. It was the worst attack on land since a suspected Tiger fragmentation mine attack on a civilian bus in mid-June killed 68 people and prompted government air strikes.[More]
Saran to hold talks in Sri Lanka B. Muralidhar Reddy Likely to discuss India's role COLOMBO: Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is expected to be here in the next few days for consultations with the Mahinda Rajapakse Government on the latest situation in the country in the face of an undeclared war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military. Both sides are tight-lipped about the impending visit and it appears to be a conscious decision. "We want to avoid premature and unnecessary publicity given the sensitive issues involved," a senior Sri Lankan Government official privy to the visit told The Hindu . [More]
03-07-2006
03-07-2006 Tamil Tigers: Child Fighter Claims High COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Claiming they have just trained 6,000 civilians in armed combat, the Tamil Tigers accused the United Nations on Sunday of exaggerating the number of child fighters in the rebels' ranks. A 2002 cease-fire between the Sinhalese-dominated government and Tamil rebels is rapidly deteriorating, with rising violence killing more than 700 people since April in this island nation off the southern tip of India.[More] 03-07-2006 LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM- GUARDIANS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
03-07-2006 40 more refugees reach Rameswaram Staff Reporter The number has crossed the 4,000-mark so far RAMANATHAPURAM: The number of refugees, who reached the State after fighting broke out between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation of Tigers of Tamil Ealem, crossed the 4,000-mark on Sunday. Forty refugees of 12 families reached Rameswaram on Sunday alone. They included 16 women and 13 children. They set off in boats from Pesalai and Mannar. Soon after their arrival, some non-governmental organisations provided them with food and water. After preliminary enquiries, the refugees were sent to the Mandapam camp. [More] 03-07-2007 Karunanidhi dismisses Balasingham's remarks Pledges to follow Federal Govt's stance on LTTE: INDIA: In his first public comment on the LTTE's forgive and forget proposition articulated by its ideologue Anton Balasingham, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthavel Karunanidhi sounded unenthusiastic. Muthuvel Karunanidhi : "What Balasingham is saying is not clear. Whatever he had said, he changed it." He finds what Balasingham had said is "were unclear". "What Balasingham is saying is not clear. Whatever he had said, he changed it", the DMK supremo, who was once seen as too close to the LTTE, said in reply to a newsman's question.[More] 02-07-2006 Rupa de Silva, mother of abducted and murdered freelance journalist Sampath Lakmal de Silva
Rupa de Silva, mother of abducted and murdered freelance journalist Sampath Lakmal de Silva, cries after the discovery of her son's death in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 2, 2006. Sri Lankan Free Media Movement has issued a statement and condemns the murder on the grounds of right to life and journalists' rights to gather and disseminate information. REUTERS/Buddhika Weerasinghe [More] 02-07-2006 Sri Lanka: Over half a million displaced people suffer effects of intensifying violence The increasing violence in Sri Lanka is creating new waves of displaced people and adding to the fear and insecurity felt by the hundreds of thousands of people who already have been forced from their homes by the conflict and the tsunami. "The state's failure to provide adequate security and to ensure that attacks against civilians are prosecuted has resulted in widespread fear and panic," said Purna Sen, Asia-Pacific Director at Amnesty International. "Almost every major attack in recent months has had a devastating ripple effect as people flee from their homes and villages in search of sanctuary." Many of those displaced -- including those living in organized camps - continue to be extremely vulnerable to violence and harassment by the Tamil Tigers, other armed groups, and even members of the Sri Lankan security forces.[More] 01-07-2006 UNICEF asks Tigers to free 1,358 child soldiers The UNICEF yesterday urged the LTTE to free 1,358 child soldiers in its captivity. The agency said it had met the Tamil Tiger rebels and asked them to stop recruiting underage fighters and immediately release those already enlisted. A three-member UNICEF delegation visited the rebel-controlled town of Kilinochchi on Wednesday and met with the representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE, blamed in the past for abducting children and using them as soldiers.[More] 01-07-2006 Address aspirations of all communities: Canadian actg. High Commissioner Canada said it stands strongly behind Sri Lanka’s peace effort and urged the LTTE to renounce violence. “We stand behind the work of the Co-Chairs, behind the role of Norway as facilitator in the peace process, behind the work of the SLMM, and most particularly behind Sri Lankans themselves on both sides of the conflict who want to see an end to violence,” Canadian Acting High commissioner Racael Dedlington told Canada Day Ceremony last Wednesday.[More]
01-07-2006
01-7-2006 S.Lanka navy says sinks rebel vessel in sea clash Sat Jul
1, 2006 1:22 AM BST There were no immediate details of casualties in the latest of a rash of clashes. "The Navy fired and destroyed one Tamil Tiger boat approaching Kankesanturai in Jaffna (peninsular)," navy spokesman Commander D.K.P Dassanayake said early on Saturday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were not immediately available for comment. The incident comes just days after a flotilla of around 20 rebel boats attacked two small navy vessels near a northwestern base on Monday in an attack that killed five sailors, at least one Tamil Tiger and raised the spectre of a return to civil war. Source-Reuters 30-06-2006 Mahinda takes over SLFP
"On this memorable occasion I would like to make three pledges. The first is that I will resign the leadership of the party simultaneously with leaving the presidency. Secondly I undertake to promote the SLFP to be the most leading party in the forefront of politics in this country. [More] 30-06-2006 Tigers stand self-condemned: DR Kaarthikeyan Meenakshi Iyer It took 15 long years for one of the world's most dreaded terrorist groups -- the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- to come out with the truth on former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991. The LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, told an Indian TV channel that his organisation "deeply regretted" the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and described it as a "monumental historical tragedy".[More] TULF president: Indian model will suit Sri Lanka CHENNAI: The Indian model of Centre-State ties is best suited for Sri Lanka, according to Tamil United Liberation Front president V. Anandasangaree. He said the Indian model satisfied those opposed to the idea of a federal constitution and also those against a unitary type of constitution. "First and foremost you [Indians] do not call it federal or unitary. A lot of people in our country are allergic to the one word [federal] or the other [unitary]," he said in an interview on Wednesday.[More]
30-06-2006
28-06-2006 No room for terrorism to ruin economy - President
Shirajiv Sirimane COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's accelerated development process will not be allowed to be slowed down by acts of terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa asserted yesterday. Speaking at the inauguration of the Lankaputhra Development Bank (LDB) at Temple Trees yesterday, President Rajapaksa said that terrorists want to destabilise the economy which is now surging ahead at a commendable pace. "This should not be allowed to happen and development must go on leading the country to prosperity." The President said that the Government would not bow down to terrorism. [More] | 31-07-2006 LTTE holding 5,000 children in combat camps UNITED STATES: Credible evidence has emerged that the LTTE are holding about 5,000 children in combat camps. In 2004 alone, the LTTE recruited 1,000 children. According to the latest human rights reports, children abducted from schools and homes are held in LTTE camps where they undergo training in guerilla combat and prepare for deadly missions such as suicide bombings. The escalation of tension between the LTTE and security forces in recent months has led to an intensified drive by the Tigers to recruit children, which in turn is forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes, the reports say.[More] 30-07-2006 Sri Lanka says air strikes not a return to war By
Amal Jayasinghe The defence ministry said the attacks were aimed at ending a Tiger blockade of an irrigation canal that had deprived water to thousands of farmers in the island's restive northeast. "The security forces are currently engaged in a limited operation with a clearly defined objective of securing water supplies to the civilian population," read a statement from the ministry.[More] 30-07-2006 Sri
Lanka's Road to Peace It didn't help that the European Union along with Canada added the Tamil Tigers to their list of banned terrorist groups earlier this year. Now, Denmark and Finland have decided to withdraw their ceasefire monitors.[More] 29-07-2006 Sri Lanka slams Finland, Denmark for quitting SLMM Colombo, July 29 (AP): The Sri Lankan Government has accused Finland and Denmark of giving in to terrorists by pulling their cease-fire monitors from the country at the insistence of separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, a report said on Saturday. ``It is a bad precedent for the whole world, which is supposed to be fighting against terrorism,'' said chief government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella, the state-run Daily News reported. [More] 28-07-2006 Policy
Paper “
Self and Shared Rule: Participation, Justice and Security” The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has noted with concern and alarm the stalemate in the peace process. The ceasefire exists only in name. It is violated daily, with impunity. Many precious lives have been, and continue to be, lost due to violence. The lives of numerous others, whether displaced from their homes or not, have been disrupted.[More] 28-07-2006 Limited operation conducted purely on humanitarian grounds "It is recognized that denial of water to civilian populations and hostile acts against infrastructure indispensable to the survival of civilian populations constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity. The LTTE on Thursday 20 July 2006 forcibly closed the Sluice-Gate of the Mawilaru Anicut (Irrigation Channel) that provides water to Seruwila, Muttur and Ichalampattu areas in the Trincomalee District. This hostile and inhuman act by the LTTE has prevented the flow of water that sustains over 15,000 families and irrigates approximately 30,000 acres of paddy land. The people in these villages are dependent on the water supplied by the Mawilaru Anicut for drinking purposes and agriculture.[More] 27-07-2006 Seized items include letter threaening 'dissidents':Police There was also a letter from a WTM volunteer asking for his brother in Sri Lanka to be excused from serving in the Tamil Tigers 'Since I am already function in support of the LTTE in canada.[More] 27-07-2006 Tamil gang leader quietly turfed A man described by Toronto Police as a gang leader and a "trained assassin" has been secretly deported to his native Sri Lanka after an eight-year court battle to stay in Canada. In 1998, Niranjan Claude Fabian, 38, was deemed a danger to the public because he was a member of the Tamil Tigers terrorist group. Officials had been trying since then to deport Fabian, a member of the VVT, a Tamil gang active in the Toronto area. [More] 26-07-2006 International efforts to revive Sri Lanka-rebel talks underway A flurry of international activity was underway in order to revive Sri Lanka's stalled peace bid with the Tamil Tiger rebels, a government minister said here Wednesday. Keheliya Rambukwella, the Minister of Policy Planning and the government's defense spokesman said that the Norwegian special peace envoy was due in the island later this week in addition to the other events such as the visit to the rebel territory by the Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and a meeting here by the Colombo based Heads of diplomatic missions representing the Nordic countries. Rambukwella said Jon Hanssen-Bauer the Norwegian special peace envoy is to arrive later this week in order to meet the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.[More]
26-07-2006 UNHCR chief visits war-torn S.Lanka, meets rebels By Simon Gardner COLOMBO, July 26 (Reuters) - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres visited Sri Lanka's war-torn northeast on Wednesday to assess the plight of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced and met the Tamil Tigers. [More] 25-07-2006 Security
Council calls for greater effort to protect children in wartime Through a statement read out by its July President, Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sablière of France, the 15-member body praised the implementation of its landmark 2005 Council resolution that called for the monitoring of violations of children’s rights and well-being in seven conflict zones.[More]
25-07-2006 SLMM mediates in Serunuwara water crisis By Easwaran Rutnam The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission said yesterday it was in contact with the LTTE regarding the Serunuwara water crisis and expressed hope of reaching a positive solution soon. SLMM acting spokesman Paul Bryke said the water distribution pipeline running through LTTE areas in Trincomalee had sprung a leak on Saturday cutting off water supplies to paddy farmers in government controlled areas in Serunuwara.[More] 24-07-2006 Sri Lanka Muslims want early resumption of peace negotiation The main political party for the minority Muslim community Sunday called for an early resumption of peace negotiations between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan government. Rauff Hakeem, leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), told reporters that his party was seriously concerned about the stalled nature of the Norwegian backed process aimed at ending the long drawn out separatist armed conflict.[More] 24-07-2006 UNICEF targets child sex trade UN: The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) says its two-year campaign with the Sri Lankan Tourist Board against child sex tourism is being intensified. UNICEF officials say that the campaign will now be extended to include TV, radio and newspaper announcements. Messages have been relayed to tourists through in-flight magazines and videos since the two-year campaign against child sex tourism began last month. Those guilty of sexually abusing children face up to 20 years in jail. [More]
23-07-2006 S.Lanka monitors may have to flee - Envoy By Simon Gardner COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are being unreasonable in demanding the exit of truce monitors from European Union nations, and the observers will have to pull out unless their safety is guaranteed, a top Swedish envoy said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have given monitors from EU nations -- Sweden, Denmark and Finland -- until Sept. 1 to leave Sri Lanka in light of a new EU ban against them, which analysts warn would leave a dangerous vacuum as growing violence kindles fears of renewed civil war. [More] 23-07-2006 Killings, horror rise in Sri Lanka's war zone By Peter Apps THIRAIMADU, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Bodies dumped in wells, dead children hung from rafters and underage boys abducted to fight. During two decades of civil war, such atrocities were commonplace in Sri Lanka but a cease-fire since 2002 halted the worst of the attacks on children. Now, with violence rising, nightmare tales and gory pictures are again emerging from the island's war-battered north and east. But apportioning blame is hard and global interest limited.[More] 22-07-2006 |
Mahinda
Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's president, makes no bones about his government's
desire for greater Indian involvement in resolving the ethnic crisis
affecting his country. Speaking to a nine-member Indian Women's Press
Corps team, which visited Sri Lanka last week, including rediff.com
Managing Editor (National Affairs) Sheela Bhatt, the Sri Lankan president
explains the difficulties he faces negotiating with Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, a man who he says, "will
not understand democracy." A conversation with President Rajapaksa:
Japan
for the first time yesterday warned of tangible measures against the
LTTE if it did not return to the negotiating table and said it would
send its special envoy Yasushi Akashi to Colombo next month to meet
the rebel leadership before these measures were implemented.
'Eelam'
in future will only be a nameboard of a township like Peliyagoda. Let
us give it for namesake; said Southern Province Governor Kingsley T.
Wickramaratne. In an interview with the Sunday Observer staffer Jayantha
Sri Nissanka, the Governor cracked "let us give Eelam, in ten years
it will be another Peliyagoda". 
Q:
What is the significance of your appointment for Sri Lanka? How does
it raise the country's profile in the international arena? 
COLOMBO:
Indian
Foreign Secretary Shayam Saran conveyed India's desire to assist the
Government in finding a way forward in the peace process when he met
the President at Temple Trees yesterday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Himali Arunatilleke said. 
Colombo,
July 3: The
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, who arrived here on Monday morning, called
on the Sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapakse and exchanged views on
the latest situation in the island nation rocked by violence. 
The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has taken on the role of guardians
of Human rights. The LTTE must bear in mind that thirty (30) countries
have listed them as a terrorist organization thereby placing them among
the world’s most ruthless terrorists as the Al-Qaeda.et.al. It was the
LTTE which very recently boasted that it was they who introduced and
popularized the use of the suicide ‘ bomber’ and not Al-Qaeda.
COLOMBO:
This position is the people's second mandate to defeat terrorism decisively
and usher in peace and prosperity to the country, President Mahinda
Rajapaksa stated yesterday after being unanimously elected as the Leader
of the SLFP. 
After
hearing presentations from United Nations officials about the 250,000
boys currently exploited as child soldiers and tens of thousands of
girls subject to sexual violence, the Security Council today called
for a “reinvigorated effort” to protect children in areas of armed conflict.![[More]](Toronto-Star-1.gif){kind=link}
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