Creeping Talibanization in Sri Lanka - Prof. David

[TamilNet, Sunday, 16 August 2009, 10:13 GMT]
Noting several trends in Sri Lanka point to "early steps in [reaching for] totality of power," Prof Kumar David in a column in the weekend edition of "The Island" asserts that the cultural control exercised by the current Rajapakse regime are no different to those of "the Mullahs of Teheran and the iconoclastic Taliban fundamentalists." Prof. David summarizes the views of six lawyers expressed at a Lawyers’ Press Conference organised by the Platform for Freedom (PfF) early August where one notes that the scene is set for ever expanding authoritarianism as Sri Lanka's President flagrantly violates the "supreme law, the public [is] apathetic and the judiciary [is] powerless," and another points to the holding of 300,000 people "against their will, in defiance of local and international law" as "obscene infringement of the constitution."
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US urged to go beyond clichés

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 August 2009, 01:18 GMT]
The very phrase ‘political reconciliation’ is partial and diabolical as it only upholds the integrity of a genocidal state and artfully nullifies the nationalist perspectives of the Tamil struggle, writes TamilNet political commentator in Colombo, responding to US stand discussed with groups of diaspora Tamils. Any genuine political approach to the age-old nationalist conflict in the island begins from recognising the nations involved in the conflict and engaging them as equal parties having full right to self-determination, the commentator writes, adding: “If willingness for positive political engagement is not forthcoming from the Sri Lankan state, the state can be induced and Eezham Tamils could be encouraged to participate willingly, by US and India in particular acknowledging the nation of Eezham Tamils and its absolute right to self-determination without mincing words.”
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Bill banning community reference in party name unconstitutional, say Tamil parties

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 2009, 17:43 GMT]
If the amendments to the election bill are passed as gazetted, "no political party which has a name signifying any religion or ethnic or other community will be entitled to be treated as a recognized political party," and the "concept of outlawing names of religions or other groups or communities from the name of political parties is inconsistent with the constitutional standards that may be gleaned from several articles of the Constitution," said Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchchi 9itaK) and All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) in a petition filed in Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Wednesday, legal sources in Colombo said.
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US stresses ‘political reconciliation’ with Tamils for peace in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 August 2009, 17:38 GMT]
The US State Department met Tuesday with US-based Tamil Diaspora groups to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the prospects for “political reconciliation” in Sri Lanka, a government press release said. US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake and Chargé d'Affaires in the US embassy in Colombo, James Moore (participating by video link) held discussions with representatives of sixteen Tamil groups. The US officials had welcomed the opportunity to discuss the Tamils' concerns and perspectives and had "underscored the importance of political reconciliation," the US statement said. The US government has meanwhile stressed to the Sri Lanka government that "to achieve a lasting peace, it must promote justice and political reconciliation for all parties" the statement also said.
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Conscience of Swaminathan should touch India, IC: Tamil circles

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 23:27 GMT]
M S Swaminathan, internationally renowned agriculturalist, regarded as the father of India’s Green Revolution, declined to involve with Colombo “unless there is some kind of political settlement,” IANS reported Wednesday. “There are people who feel unless Tamils in Sri Lanka can live in dignity, other things are subsidiary. This is a viewpoint. I have no plans to go to Sri Lanka in the immediate future,” Swaminathan told IANS. In February, another prominent Indian and a Kannadiga from Mysore, N R Narayana Murthy of Infosys, refused IT advisory to Colombo. “Development is not exploitation of the plight of people facing structural genocide,” Tamil circles said pointing to the attitude of the Indian Establishment and sections of IC blindly abetting Colombo and officially rationalising genocide, just to make inroads into the island.
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NP governor announces lift of SLA restrictions in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 17:29 GMT]
Former Northern Province (NP) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander and present governor of NP, G. A. Chandrasiri, who had been the author of several SLA restrictions in Jaffna peninsula during his tenure in Jaffna, announced Thursday that he would take steps to lift several SLA restrictions that have been imposed in Jaffna peninsula for the last thirteen years, sources in Jaffna said. The governor who met the key officers of SLA, Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and police in Jaffna Public Library Wednesday, visited Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi Thursday accompanied by Minister Douglas Devananda, the sources added.
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Kuala Lumpur congratulates Colombo, donates US $ 100,000

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 17:17 GMT]
Malaysian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Rosli Ismail congratulated Colombo for defeating ‘LTTE terrorism’ and described it as a “big achievement” while handing over his government’s donation of US $ 100,000 for the welfare of internally displaced ‘Sri Lankans’ affected by the conflict, according to a press release of Colombo’s foreign ministry, Thursday. Eezham Tamil IDPs in the internment camps alone number 300,000. Speaking on the occasion, Colombo’s foreign minister, Rohitha Bogollagama noted that Malaysia is one of the largest investors in Sri Lanka and has been consistently supportive of Sri Lanka’s efforts, “especially in the fight against terrorism.”
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Another batch of Vanni IDPs in Jaffna to be released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 August 2009, 15:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka government has announced that it will release the second batch of Vanni Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) held in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detainment camps in Jaffna district soon, sources in Jaffna said. The first batch of Vanni IDPs released with much publicity by Basil Rajapakse and Minister Douglas Devananda recently in Duraiappa Stadium are left without any help from the government or any other organization, local NGOs said.
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Fishing ban in Jaffna continues despite promises

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 August 2009, 18:18 GMT]
Fisheries Societies in Jaffna peninsula told Northern Province governor, former SLA Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri Wednesday that despite government announcement that the fishing ban in Jaffna peninsula had been completely lifted, in reality the ban continues, sources in Jaffna said. The governor, participating in the District Development Coordinating Committee, faced accusations raised against the fishing ban, the sources added.
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SLA travel ‘pass’ system to continue in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 August 2009, 16:34 GMT]
The system of obtaining ‘pass’ to travel out of Jaffna peninsula from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) civil administrative office will not be lifted, Northern Province Governor, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, said in a discussion held with key SLA officers in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. There was high expectation of the pass system being lifted among peninsula residents following the promises made by government ministers during Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election campaign.
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A roadmap to liberation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 22:30 GMT]
What is currently seen as the biggest threat of destabilisation by Colombo and by some powers is not the militancy of Tamils. Militancy of a small nation can be crushed by ganging up and by fabricating all excuses, as has already been witnessed by us. But what exactly threatens the establishments is the effort of Tamils organising themselves politically. What they expect is the ‘defeated’ Tamils to play political stooges. Tamil national question today appeals to an array of oppressed masses deprived of political justice all over the world. It is a topic that appeals to progressive minds thinking of restructuring the polity of human civilisation. The responsibility of Eezham Tamils and their diaspora is to present the case with a progressive political theme and language.
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SLA blocks IDPs permanent resettlement citing Moothoor HSZ security

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 16:23 GMT]
A group of 63 Tamil families consisting of 244 members, internally displaced from their traditional villages in Moothoor east in Trincomalee district and sheltered in temporary camps located in Paalameenmeadu in Batticaloa for the last three years, were transported Tuesday in eleven buses via Verugal River to temporary shelters in Ki'liveddi welfare centre. They will remain here until an alternative site is found for them to be resettled permanently as their own traditional Tamil villages have been brought under high security zone (HSZ) following the military operation by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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1187 students in internment camps sit for GCE A/L examination

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 14:59 GMT]
1187 students including a visually impaired student detained in internment camps with nearly 300,000 people displaced from Vanni region have been sitting for the G.C.E.Advanced Level-2009 examinations which commenced Tuesday. District education officials said that about 166 students are identified by Sri Lanka military as ex-combatants.
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Sri Lanka is laying foundations for renewed war – paper

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 02:56 GMT]
“Sri Lanka's conflict is anything but over. On the contrary, it has clearly entered another period of gestation,” the Tamil Guardian newspaper warned in its latest editorial. “Unless the international community acts decisively to end Sinhala oppression of the Tamil people and ensures a robust political solution that guarantees the equality of the two nations, there will be neither 'reconciliation' nor peace. Instead, the violent tyranny of the state will lead inevitably to violent resistance anew,” the paper, published last week, said.
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Sri Lanka on way back to Tamil rebellion - FT

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2009, 00:54 GMT]
Sri Lanka is careering back to where it was when the conflict began, with Tamil grievances being ignored amid a triumphalist wave of Sinhalese chauvinism, the Financial Times warned in its editorial Tuesday. Rather than share power with the Tamils, US and British officials fear the Sinhala state is seeking to scatter them, the paper said. “Unless the Sinhala majority shows magnanimity and gives the Tamils control over their lives, their cause will surely reignite from the embers of this war,” the paper said.
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Tamil voters nullify SL Government’s expectation - TNA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 August 2009, 15:28 GMT]
“Tamil National Alliance (TNA) winning Vavuniyaa Urban Council (VUC) election and Tamils refraining from voting in large numbers in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election prove that Sri Lanka Government was not able to achieve the success it planned for and expected. We wish to thank the Tamils for voting for Ilankai Thamizh Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) even amidst intimidation and frustration and despair caused by the war,” TNA said in a press release signed by Jaffna District TNA parliamentarian, Mavai Senathirajah, Sunday.
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Around 18,26% votes cast in JMC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2009, 13:04 GMT]
Only around 18,26 % percent of eligible voters had cast their votes in Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election held Saturday, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. These votes are the ones cast in the 70 polling centres in Jaffna district leaving out those cast in the polling centres located out of Jaffna. Only nearly 200 votes had been cast in many polling booths where 1300 voters were registered to vote. Comparatively, the voting percentage was higher in the coastal areas. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Suresh Premachandran, quoting police sources, said that ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) supporters had tried to enter some polling booths showing Sri Lanka Army (SLA) identity documents instead of the officially accepted seven kinds of documents including National Identity Card (NIC) and passport.
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EPDP men injured in police attack during JMC election

[TamilNet, Saturday, 08 August 2009, 11:43 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA), quoting police sources in Jaffna, said that Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) supporters who tried to forcibly enter a polling booth to vote in a school in Nayanmaarkaddu were injured in a clash when the police took action to stop them. Meanwhile, election officials said that 17.5 % to 18% of the total eligible votes may have been cast at the close of voting at 4:00 p.m and added that the accurate figures will only be available one hour after the ballot boxes are brought to Jaffna Secretariat.
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Final arrangements for JMC election completed

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 August 2009, 10:48 GMT]
The final arrangements to conduct Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) election have been completed, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. The arrangements included the transport of ballot boxes to the seventy poling booths with police escort and appointing Polling Centre Officers and their assistants. Police have taken in charge of the pooling booths which are guarded by Sri Lanka Army (SLA).
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Indian HC hands over 117 million rupees to Gotabaya

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 August 2009, 21:49 GMT]
Bank drafts worth over 117 million Sri Lankan rupees were officially handed over by Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Alok Prasad to Colombo’s Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Wednesday, for the ‘rehabilitation’ project of the air force base at Palaali (Palaly) in the Jaffna peninsula. This is the second instalment of Indian assistance to the improvement of the runway, according to SL defence ministry. Meanwhile, India intends to withdraw its medical team from August 31, as most of the urgent medical needs of the war displaced in the Menik Farm zone assigned to the Indian hospital had been met, The Hindu reported.
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