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22-11-2004 LTTE Still has 1,250 Child Soldiers
,The Latest Global Report Says Nevada, 20 November. The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, an alliance of leading international human rights and humanitarian organizations, headquartered in London and has regional and national networks in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, in its Global Report on Child Soldiers released on November 17 says that, “in February 2004 some 1,250 children were known to remain in Sri Lanka’s Tamil rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and local organizations believe the true figure to be far higher.” “Recruitment drives were reportedly renewed in October 2003, with the LTTE demanding one child from each family in several eastern districts in Sri Lanka and aggressively recruiting in the north,” it reports. The Coalition was formed in May 1998 and its international steering committee is comprised of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation Terre des Hommes, International Save the Children Alliance, Jesuit Refugee Service, the Quaker United Nations Office-Geneva and World Vision International. Research for this Global Report on Child Soldiers was carried out between January and June 2004. Information entries were sought from wide range of sources such as government, UN agencies, intergovernmental organizations, news media, academic sources, human rights and humanitarian organizations. First published in 2001, the Global Report is a critical tool for monitoring compliance by governments and armed political groups to international standards governing the recruitment and use of child soldiers. To maintain its impartiality, the Coalition monitors the practices of all parties – including government forces, government-linked paramilitaries, and non-governmental armed groups – without distinction. As a policy, it does not take positions on nature, status or merit of individual conflicts or the various combatants. The Coalitions prime concern is with the recruitment and participation of children in armed conflicts. Following are the excerpts of the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers Global Report, released on November 17, 2004, on Sri Lanka’s Tamil rebel group LTTE’s use of children for combat purposes: “The LTTE reportedly continued to order families to hand over a child as part of a ‘quota’ system. In may 2002 an LTTE political official allegedly called parents for a meeting at a temple near the eastern town of Batticaloa and demanded a child from each family. Later 12 children were forcibly removed. In a speech to expatriates in Switzerland in December 2002 an LTTE regional commander was quoted as saying ‘the Batticaloa people are giving their children, you must give your money.’ In February 2003 a woman reportedly complained to the police in the eastern town of Amparai that the LTTE had threatened to kill her if she did not hand over her son, who has recently escaped from an LTTE camp. “Many children were simply abducted. The February 2002 ceasefire agreement allowed unarmed LTTE members to enter government-controlled territory, reportedly enabling child kidnapping to take place. In early 2003 both the National Child Protection Agency and opposition parties criticized the government for its failure to protect children from LTTE abductions. One study found that most kidnappings occurred while children, many under 15, were returning from school in both government and LTTE controlled territories. In February 2003 the LTTE ordered a general strike in parts of the Trincomalee district in the eastern part of Sri Lanka to protest at the arrest of two female members charged with abducting two schoolgirls. Some children were taken from their homes, but Batticaloa residents said the LTTE also picked up children in the street or on their way home from school. “Recruitment drives were reportedly renewed in October 2003, with LTTE demanding one child from each family in several eastern districts and aggressively recruiting in the north. Such drives appeared to follow a cyclical pattern, depending on the levels of international scrutiny and the need to supplement recruitment by family quotas. Many families fled to safer places to protect their children from the LTTE, and others did not report abductions for fear of LTTE reprisals. “Once in the camps, strict discipline was enforces and links with families were broken. Children who said they missed home were reportedly beaten, and other infringements of the rules were punished by whippings. At the Trincomalee camp, children were warned not to try to escape as they were surrounded by crocodile-infested waters. It has been alleged that children had been killed during live firing exercises and their bodies summarily buries. On March 20, 2003 a child soldier died from gunshot wounds received during training at an LTTE camp in northwest Sri Lanka. “By mid-2003 a formal mechanism to assist the release and reintegration of child soldiers was in place. On 3 October 2003, 49 child soldiers were the first to be formally released by the LTTE and handed over to UNICEF in the northern town of Killinochchi. By March 2004 a total of 649 former child soldiers had been formally released.” However, the Global Report categorically says “in February 2004 some 1,250 children ere known to remain in the LTTE, and local (Sri Lankan) organizations believed the true figure to be far higher. Source:- Asian Tribune - xU je;ijapd; fbjk; [dehaf ePNuhl;lj;jpy; ,ize;jpUg;NghUf;F csthspfnsd Kj;jpiu Fj;JtJ Ntjid NehHNt J}jutfj;Jf;F $l;lzp NtyhAjd; fbjk; nfhOk;gpy; mz;ikapy; Rl;Lf; nfhy;yg;gl;l vd kfd; ,uhZtj;jpw;F csT ghHg;gtuhf rpy jkpo; Xlfq;fs; nra;jp ntspapl;bUf;fpd;wd. [dehaf ePNuhl;lj;jpy; ,ize;J nraw;gLNthiu csthspfs; vd Kj;jpiu Fj;jp jPHj;Jf; fl;LtJ cldbahf epWj;jg;gl Ntz;Lnkd nfhy;yg;gl;lthpd; je;ij K. 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Bernama.com By Feizal Samath COLOMBO, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- The Japanese government has urged an end to "inhuman" killings and reiterated the need for early resumption of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Akio Suda, ambassador of Japan, during a meeting with Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama on Thursday, said Japan hoped prolonged disagreement on the resumption of the peace talks would be resolved quickly by constructive efforts of the parties concerned and that substantial progress will be made in the peace process through the talks. The rebels have been accused of widespread killings of political opponents while a cease-fire is on but they have denied involvement and blamed it on others. "In the present situation, where the Ceasefire Agreement continues to be in place whereas the peace talks are yet to be resumed, the consolidation of peace is one of the most important aspects in achieving sustainable socio-economic development," Suda was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the Japanese embassy in Colombo. His comments come a few days before Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen prepares to meet LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in a crucial meeting that could set the tone for peace talks to resume. Norway is the facilitator of the peace process. During his visit from Nov 10 to 12, the Norwegian Foreign Minister will also meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga and other government and opposition leaders including United National Party chief Ranil Wickremesinghe. Petersen is due to meet Prabhakaran on Nov 11 in the northern rebel stronghold of Killinochchi. Norway is desperately trying to get peace talks back on track after they were derailed in April 2003 due to what many political observers see as stubbornness on the part of the LTTE in laying down conditions for further pursuance of negotiations. Petersen's meeting is also crucial in the context of Prabhakaran's 50th birthday celebration in end November. The rebel leader's birthday is marked on a grand scale and has in the past been twined with Heroes Week resulting in week-long events in rebel-controlled areas to commemorate dead rebel cadres. Prabhakaran also uses the occasion to make a rare speech to the public in which he either proposes changes on the LTTE's future or reiterates the need for the south to support the needs of the Tamil minority community. His speeches in the past two years have stressed the LTTE's commitment to peace. Japanese ambassador Suda, during the meeting with Amunugama, said his government has agreed to provide a 24.7 billion rupee loan for three projects aimed at facilitating Sri Lanka's economic development initiatives. The loans under this scheme are offered on concessionary terms and administered by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the lending agency said. The three projects to be financed by this scheme are for small-scale infrastructure rehabilitation and upgrading; small and micro industries leader and entrepreneur promotion project and environmentally-friendly solution project. The projects cover the entire country. -- BERNAMA 06-11-2004
Unite civilisations' NEW DELHI, NOV. 5. The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, today suggested a ``dialogue between nations and a confluence of civilizations.'' He said these were needed to deal with the challenges of globalisation, terrorism and a possible clash of civilisations. UNI Source- The Hindu 05-11-2004 Chandrika meets Manmohan
Singh New Delhi, Nov. 4. (PTI): India and Sri Lanka today discussed prospects of cooperation in defence and fisheries as visiting President Chandrika Kumaratunga briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders on recent developments in the peace process in the island nation. The two leaders also reviewed bilateral relations and resolved to further expand the scope of their cooperation through development projects in Sri Lanka, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters here. Ms Kumaratunga, who is on a five-day visit, had a meeting with External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh during which they held discussions on bilateral issues including cooperation in fisheries, defence, development projects, lines of credit and their utilisation as also a proposal to commence ferry service between the two countries. They exchanged views on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and commencement of talks on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to further strengthen bilateral ties. Source- The Hindu 05-11-2004 Ready to resume talks with LTTE: Chandrika By Amit Baruah NEW DELHI, NOV. 4. The Sri Lankan President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, today discussed the state of the peace process in her country with the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, in the capital. Officials privy to the discussions said that Ms. Kumaratunga told Dr. Singh that her Government was ready to resume the dialogue with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Resistance from the Tigers, however, had held up the resumption of the talks, Ms. Kumaratunga said. The officials said that Ms. Kumaratunga stressed that Sri Lanka was ready to discuss the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposal with the LTTE within a federal framework. She reportedly pointed out that while there had been political killings by the LTTE, the ceasefire in the island nation continued to hold. Defence cooperation
The External Affairs Ministry spokesman said this evening that Ms. Kumaratunga and Dr. Singh reviewed the current state of bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction with the current levels of "excellent cooperation" between the two countries and resolved to expand it through various development projects. On his part, Dr. Singh conveyed his Government's appreciation for Sri Lanka's support for India to enter an enlarged United Nations' Security Council as a permanent member. According to officials, Dr. hosted a lunch in honour of the Sri Lankan President and their discussions continued over lunch. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar, is accompanying Ms. Kumaratunga during her visit. The External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, also met Ms. Kumaratunga. According to the spokesman, the two leaders discussed a range of issues, including cooperation in the field of fisheries, defence and the utilisation of the lines of credit extended by India to Sri Lanka. Economic partnership
On account of the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's visit to the United Arab Emirates, his proposed meeting with Ms. Kumaratunga could not take place today. The meeting will now take place on November 6. The Chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi, called on Ms. Kumaratunga this evening. Source- The Hindu 05.11.2004 Former Tamil militant killed By V.S. Sambandan COLOMBO, NOV. 4. At least two persons, including a former Tamil militant, Velayutham Dayalakumar (44), was shot dead at a Colombo suburb tonight by "unidentified gunmen." The victim was a former member of the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). The motive behind the killing, suspected by military sources to have been carried out by LTTE gunmen, has not been established. Police are investigating the attack. The shootout at Dehiwela, a suburb of Colombo, also killed a bystander. Velayutham was employed in the office of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), headed by V. Anandasangaree, who unsuccessfully contested from Jaffna against the LTTE-backed Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi in the April snap parliamentary poll. Condemning the murder, Mr. Anandasangaree said: "There is no meaning in these killings. They are making it impossible for any international assistance for our community. The LTTE must stop the killings and come to the negotiating table." It may be recalled that the TULF president, in a recent open letter to the LTTE leader, V. Prabakaran, made a similar call to end killings and resume negotiations. Source- The Hindu 02-11-2004 India's credibility rests
on Lankan peace: Historian After the political and military debacles of the 1980s, when it directly and brazenly intervened in Sri Lanka, only to retreat in ignominy, India sulked and chose to recede into the background. But given its size and strategic imperatives, and the possibility of hostile powers gaining a foothold in the island, India could not, for very long, be indifferent to the goings on in the troubled island, just 30 kms away from its southern shores. India has, therefore, chosen a rather peculiar policy of influencing the events in the island to suit its ideological and geopolitical needs without being a direct participant in the ethnic-imbroglio there. "If India, without being interventionist, succeeds in stabilising the Sri Lankan situation, she would establish her credibility in the region," says Bhasin in his latest book: "India in Sri Lanka – between the Lion and the Tigers," (Colombo, Vijitha Yapa, pages 353, October 2004). Bhasin, who has several publications on India’s relations with its
neighbours, was in the historical division of the Indian ministry
of external affairs for three decades, and had been a Senior Fellow
at the Indian Council for Historical Research in New Delhi. "New Delhi is no longer burdened with the baggage of Tamil ethno-nationalism. Tamil public opinion in India, except for some stray voices, would be indulgent to denying any space to the LTTE in Sri Lanka," Bhasin claims. And this has been so since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE in May 1991. Even the DMK, which went out of the way to support the LTTE in its confrontation with the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) between 1988 and 1990, backed out. Bhasin quotes the DMK chief, M Karunanidhi, as telling anti-LTTE Sri Lankan Tamil leader Douglas Devananda on May 2, 1996: "We have had enough ofthe LTTE and we are now fed up with them." The author’s line is that the field is now clear for India to pursue
a policy of promoting peace and stability in Sri Lanka which would
be conducive to India’s political, economic and strategic interests,
untrammeled by the shrill demands of ethnocentric forces whether in
Tamil Nadu or in Sri Lanka. But India is not oblivious to the need for a just solution of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, which will meet the aspirations of all the communities in the island. India knows that this is the bedrock of peace and stability not only in Sri Lanka, but in India and the region as well. Bhasin considers the joint communiqué issued in October 2003, at the end of the visit of the then Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to New Delhi, as being the bedrock of India’s policy on Sri Lanka. In that communiqué, India made it clear that it supported a "negotiated settlement acceptable to all sections of Sri Lankan society within the framework of a united Sri Lanka and consistent with democracy, pluralism and respect for human rights." India also said that any "interim arrangement" for the administration of the Tamil speaking North Eastern Province (NEP), the area which the LTTE claims, should be "an integral part of the final settlement and should be in the framework of the unity and integrity of Sri Lanka." India went on to make it clear that it expected the LTTE’s response to the Wickremesinghe government’s July 2003 proposal for an interim administrative set up in the North Eastern Province to be "reasonable and comprehensive." Bhasin points out that while India has been addressing all the parties to the dispute, the LTTE is a special target. The point to be noted is that while New Delhi has made up with the Sri Lankan state, overlooking the very bitter experiences of the past, it has been reluctant to patch up with the LTTE. Memories of September-October 1987 when the LTTE took on the IPKF; of 1988-90 when the LTTE joined hands with the anti-India Preamdasa-led Sri Lankan government to oust India; and of 1991 when the LTTE assassinated Rajiv Gandhi on Indian soil, seem to be indelibly etched in New Delhi’s mind. India has been warning LTTE that it does not expect it to cross the
threshold whereby the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka is compromised.
India has explicitly said that it has an "abiding interest"
in the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. India and ISGA Bhasin thinks that the LTTE’s proposal for an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the North-Eastern Province will not be acceptable to India because it does not come within the parameters set by it. As he puts it: "India cannot look benignly to an emergence of an ISGA-type administration in close proximity to Tamil Nadu and controlled by an organisation wedded to terrorism. Its control over the waters where the Indian fishermen operate on a daily basis would be most unpalatable." "The recent arrest of some Indian fishermen by the LTTE Sea Tigers brought home to India the possibility of such a situation emerging routinely. A state within a state that ISGA would be, and given its lack of accountability to international law and community, it is the last thing that India would wish in her neighbourhood," Bhasin says. The LTTE's proposal for an ISGA has "defied all canons of federalism," he feels. It has denied any role to the Sri Lankan government with regard to important matters like international agreements, natural resources, police and judicial administration, auditing of accounts, finance, taxation and land administration. The ISGA will have "plenary powers" outside the jurisdiction of the Sri Lankan constitution, he notes. "The ISGA, instead of creating an interactive society would unbind whatever links there were between the Tamils and other communities in the region," Bhasin says. According to him the LTTE’s proposal belies "hopes raised as
a result of the agreement arrived at in December 2002 at Oslo, when
the Sri Lankan governmentand the LTTE pledged to explore a federal
solution within a united Sri Lanka acceptable to all communities." Bhasin thinks that the LTTE’s proposal for an Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) for the North-Eastern Province will not be acceptable to India because it does not come within the parameters set by it. As he puts it: "India cannot look benignly to an emergence of an ISGA-type administration in close proximity to Tamil Nadu and controlled by an organisation wedded to terrorism. Its control over the waters where the Indian fishermen operateon a daily basis would be most unpalatable." "The recent arrest of some Indian fishermen by the LTTE Sea Tigers brought home to India the possibility of such a situation emerging routinely. A state within a state that ISGA would be, and given its lack of accountability to international law and community, it is the last thing that India would wish in her neighbourhood," Bhasin says. The LTTE's proposal for an ISGA has "defied all canons of federalism," he feels. It has denied any role to the Sri Lankan government with regard to important matters like international agreements, natural resources, police and judicial administration, auditing of accounts, finance, taxation and land administration. The ISGA will have"plenary powers" outside the jurisdiction of the Sri Lankan constitution, he notes. "The ISGA, instead of creating an interactive society would unbind whatever links there were between the Tamils and other communities in the region," Bhasin says. According to him the LTTE’s proposal belies "hopes raised as
a result of the agreement arrived at in December 2002 at Oslo, when
the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE pledged to explore a federal
solution within a united Sri Lanka acceptable to all communities." The Indian commentator and analyst has very sharp views on dictatorially-runorganisations, which may be reflecting the Indian establishment’s stand. For such organisations, Bhasin says, sharing power is not just a political concession, but blasphemous. "It (sharing power) represents total defeat – the loss of a lifetime’s accumulation of power as well as the complete deflation of what is often a megalomaniacal sense of pride and self importance." "The LTTE has been in that unfortunate state since its inception, where the word of Prabhakaran had been the consecrated gospel. Those who dared to differ were not thrown out but simply wiped out," he says. There is little chance of any change coming about in the decision making process in the LTTE so long as Prabhakaran heads the organisation. And there is no chance ofhis being replaced in his lifetime," he concludes. Bhasin hints that an ISGA-like set up under the full control of the LTTE could well impact on Tamil Nadu. Rajiv Gandhi, he said, understood the implications of the existence of a LTTE-controlled area under Prabhakaran for south of India.In his address to the All India Congress Committee in July 1990, Rajiv Gandhi had said that if the LTTE had succeeded in its separatist agenda in 1987-90, separatisttendencies in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu could have sprung up. "Rajiv Gandhi wished to drive home the point that the IPKF’s fight in Sri Lanka was for the unity of India," Bhasin saysThe LTTE’s proposal for an ISGA brought the Sri Lankan government closer to India than perhaps ever before. As Bhasin puts it: "Colombo too is quite conscious that the emergence of an ISGA-type administration would be anathema to India and to that extent it would be advantageous to take India on board since the interest of both converged." The Wickremesinghe Government’s 2003 proposal for a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) was taken up in the second half of 2004 by the new United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) regime led by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. However in March 2004, even prior to the coming of the UPFA to power, India had removed Sri Lanka from the negative list in regard to the supply military equipment. The DCA, the final draft of which is now being considered by the political leaderships in the two countries, will formalise existing cooperation and enable cooperation in the future. Bhasin says that even as early as April 2000, when India had chosen not to offer military aid to Sri Lanka to beat back the LTTE then knocking at the doors of Jaffna, it did give Colombo a credit of US$ 100 million "leaving vague the areas for which it could be utilised." The hint is that it could be used to purchase urgently needed military equipment. Giving his own views on the DCA, Bhasin says: "Since India cannot be present at the negotiating table, the agreement if signed, would be a significant message to the LTTE to behave. India needs to do every bit to make sure that Colombo gains allthe confidence it needs to deal with the Tigers, whose morale and self-esteem is somewhat shaken by the developments in the East."By "developments in the East", the author means the revolt of the Batticaloa LTTE commander Col Karuna in March-April this year, which triggered a Northern TamilEastern Tamil divide, which is continuing to plague the LTTE. The DCA is also expected to see that the strategic vacuum in Sri Lanka is not filled by forces inimical to India, Bhasin says. In this context he notes: "The appointment of a former Chief of Pakistan intelligence, Col. Bashir Wali, as High Commissioner in Colombo, has already raised the hackles of the Indian security establishment. Pakistan’s every move in India’s neighbourhood is well calculated and meaningful. Wali's appointment could not be dismissed lightly as innocuous." Consensus on India Bhasin points out that the two main political formations in Sri Lanka, the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by Chandrika Kumaratunga, and the United National Front (UNF) led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, may not see eye to eye on the ethnic issue and the LTTE, but both want India to play an "active" role in the peace process.Both want close ties with India. Both are keen on keeping India’s strategic interests in view. Both want to keep India informed at every step. Interestingly both appreciate India's reasons for not wanting to be involved directly. Realising that the political space was closed (because of bitter experiences in the recent past), India decided to look at economic cooperation and investment as means of making its presence felt in Sri Lanka. And this, according to Bhasin, took place quite early in the 1990s(perhaps with the coming into power of the more pragmatic Narasimha Rao regime). A Joint Commission was set up in July 1991. In March 1995, President Kumaratunga addressed the chambers of commerce and industry in New Delhi. In 1997 came the agreement on promotion and protection of investments. To cap it all, there was the Free Trade Agreement in 1998. There is a move towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The Wickremesinghe government started giving Indians visas on arrival unilaterally. India adopted an open skies policy following his October 2003 visit to New Delhi. Bhasin describes as a development of "far reaching importance" Wickremesinghe’s suggestion of integrating Sri Lanka’s economy with that of South India.(Hindustan Times)
01.11.2004 India pays homage to ‘iron lady’ Indira Gandhi NEW DELHI: Indians from all walks of life led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday paid tribute to former Premier Indira Gandhi on the 20th anniversary of her assassination. Singh and Sonia Gandhi led dozens of leaders early Sunday in paying homage at the Shakti Sthal (place of strength) memorial in New Delhi to Indira Gandhi, India’s longest ruling prime minister. The leaders sprinkled rose petals on the rock memorial and later attended an all-religion prayer meeting at the former prime minister’s residence where she was killed in a hail of bullets fired by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984. Source AFP
Gandhi's view on Ahimsa I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills. All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could. In doing so I have sometimes erred and learnt by my errors. Life and its problems have thus become to me so many experiments in the practice of truth and non-violence. As a Jain muni once rightly said I was not so much a votary of ahimsa as I was of truth, and I put the latter in the first place and the former in the second. For, as he put it, I was capable of sacrificing non-violence for the sake of Truth. In fact it was in the course of my pursuit of truth that I discovered non-violence. [Full Story] kuzg;gLFop
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