LankaWeb - Latest Sri Lanka News and Forum

Angry MR refuses to bow down to pressure and 13th Amendment and a way forward
Nimal Tissa Wijetunga
There is an article with headline " Angry MR refuses to bow down to JHU Threat, which we read very carefully. The statement appears to be in response to recent threat of resignation by JHU i.e. one of the constituent of Governing Alliance of UPFA if the government try to implement 13th Amendment. Pls. publish this article as a suggestion for a way forward. Now, it is increasingly clear as per President Mahinda Rajapakse's response that government is determined to implement the 13th Amendment of the constitution as a political solution to so called Tamil problem... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

THE E-FIT IMAGE OF MICHELLE SAMARAWERA'S KILLER IS RELEASED: POLICE ASK FOR HELP FROM PUBLIC AS HE MIGHT STRIKE AT ANY MOMENT ONCE AGAIN ON ANY HELPLESS WOMAN
By Walter Jayawardhana
Detectives of the Metropolitan Police of London released the e-fit image of an Asian looking man they believe is the killer of the Sri Lankan woman Michelle Samaraweera (35), and who is also believed to have raped two other women in the area .Because the serial rapist is liable to strike again the Police are appealing to probable witnesses to come forward who could tell any information about the man that would help lead to his arrest. At the end of May Samaraweera was found strangled and raped in a small children's park in Walthamstow, a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

Reply to DAYAN JAYATILLAKE -Tamil and Sinhala are not just two words, they are two different civilisations grown up in two different places.
P. Abbey
Without knowing who Sinhala and Tamil are and without knowing their true history, trying to offer solutions does mean nothing. It is a fast time for some individuals to show off as Marxists and quoting from others to hide their on emptiness since they got nothing else to claim any association or an identity. It is really disappointing to try to be the representative, the administrator and the final arbitrator on matters that are beyond your concern and capacity. It is time for Sinhala people to stop tolerating interference from outsiders and affirm their ownership, rights and... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

There is no such thing as a homeland!
Dr Victor Gunasekara
http://www.uq.net.au/slsoc/vicpic.htm This is a comment on the posts given below by Wimal Ediriwira and Ravi Randeniya. They both deal, amongst other things, with the recognition of the NP and the EP as a traditional homeland of the Tamils. As we know Mahinda Rajapaksa is committed to implement the Indo-SL agreement of 1987 which led to 13A "in full" and even go beyond. Implementing 13A implies recognizing the NP and EP as the homeland of the Tamils which was part of the Indo-SL agreement. Wimal, who has set himself as an authority on homelands, has posed some... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

Return of the Colombians
by Gomin Dayasri
All those in Colombo are not Colombians. It is only the superficial superlatives; some Colombians have sprung like jack in the box to become ardent Mahindians. There are still many in Colombo who stand on principle, refined to the core, constructively critical, tolerating no nonsense. Colombians come -lately with giddy minds, in search of upward mobility proselytized in their hunt to be associated with the winner looking for possible advancement in silence or in secret, have made the over night crossing. It is a passing phenomenon. They will soon return to base. Yet Colombo at large... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

THE LOGIC OF PRASANNA RANATHUNGE AND THE ISLAND NEWSPAPER
By L. Jayasooriya
There is an identity of opinion between Mr. Prasanna Ranathunge the Western Province Chief Minister and the Island Newspaper when they both say that the 13 th amendment was an act that was passed in parliament and therefore it has to be implemented. The Island editorial of 01/07/2009 says that the 13th amendment is very much part of the basic law of this country and Mr. Ranathunge says that except for a handful the whole country has endorsed this. How can the latter be sure of that? Let me quote the Asian Tribune on what the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

DAYAN JAYATILLAKE ARGUES THE CASE FOR SEPARATISM
by L. Jayasooriya
In an article in the Daily News of Friday July 03, 2009 Dayan Jayatillake says "One of the silliest arguments against the implementation of the 13th Amendment is that it is a stepping-stone to or somehow related to the Tamil separatist cause". He then provided proof for his statement in the next sentence by saying "If that were the case, Prabhakaran would have accepted it, not rejected it and gone to war against the Indian Peace-keeping Force, damaging his relations with India and culminating in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, an atrocious crime for which... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 03/07/09)

13th AMENDMENT – A DEADLIEST SOLUTION FOR SRI LANKA
Shripal Nishshanka Fernando
If the present Sri Lankan leaders are going to sing the same old song which was solely composed by India in 1987 for their own benefit, then the recent military victory would be a total loss and in vain. Our brave men and women of the valiant forces did not sacrifice their lives for the leaders to play with the country. They were marching for the complete freedom of the whole country and the nation and never for a particular region of the country let that be North and East or anywhere. When 92% of Sri... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

13th amendment, is it enough for Tamils to drop Eelam?
herold leelawardena
A man named EVR Periyar is a Tamil. And Tamils are only one of the races among Dravidaians. In the 1930s he had wanted all the Dravidaian of then Madras state to get together and ask the British for a separate country. However, Periyar had not claimed Dravidaians face problems for being Dravidaians. Periyar had set up a political party named Dravida Kazhagam (DK) solely for separation purpose in the 1930s, and came up with a slogan; ‘Dravida Nadu for Dravidians.' What is also notable is; Periyar had come up with his slogan on the basis... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

NATIONAL SECURITY, THE NATIONAL INTEREST & THE 13TH AMENDMENT
DAYAN JAYATILLEKA
There is nothing that our enemy, the Tiger international network and the pro-Tiger, pro-Tamil Eelam Tamil Diaspora would like better, than to see a gap open up in the partnership between Sri Lanka and India; a gap that they will seek to manipulate in consonance with their Western patrons and friends. The non-implementation of the 13th amendment will open up such a gap. The implementation of the 13th amendment is not a give away or dilution of our military gains. It is the necessary political accompaniment of them and the guarantee of the consolidation of our military... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

Dr D.S. Bandarage - Father of Modern Management in Sri Lanka passed away
J Kumarasinghe
Dr D S Bandarage, Father of Modern Management passed away peacefully, this morning (2 July 2009). During the late 40s Dr Bandarage was appointed as the Personnel Manager of Shell Company of Ceylon (one of the four multinational companies operating in Sri Lanka at the time). Afterwards, he worked as Personnel Manager at Lever Bros (now Unilever) for several decades. These are major watershed appointments in the Sri Lankan management arena because they were the first occasions that a native born Sri Lankan was appointed to set up Personnel Departments in Sri Lankan multinational companies. Dr... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

BECOMING A GREAT KING? ……...a note of optimism
Piyal Samarakone - Dubai
King who rules the country knows what is best for his fellow citizens. That's why he is The King with people's mandate. This is the undisputed norm since the tribal era in the ancient world. To a greater extent modern day kings are no different to olden age kings in term of decision making, as they all got plenty of aides & advisors around. Therefor invariably bulk of the out come neither palatable for the tribe nor for the king. This has been the trend and the tradition and Sri Lanka is no different... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

Rejoinder to Island Editorial - Hurrah Boys Staking Claim for War Victory
Wasantha Bandara Ranagala
"He won the war but it is his hurrah boys who are trying to go places on victory! It is like a bevy of dancing girls staking claims for the IPL trophy on grounds that they cheered for the winning side!" I am absolutely with you on the foregoing part in your yesterday's editorial. Being fervent fans of your art of writing, we wouldn't miss your editorials after the headline even from this far flung land. Aren't they resourceful? Having said that would you mind if I add to your editorial a few lines in the... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

‘The One-eyed Turtle and the Floating Sandalwood Log’
Ranga Welaratne
“A one eyed turtle, whose life span is immeasurable, lives at the bottom of the sea. Once every 100 years, it rises to the surface. There is only one sandalwood log floating in the sea with a hollow in it suitable to the turtle's eye size. Since the turtle is one eyed and the log is tossed about by the wind and waves, the likelihood of the turtle finding the log is extremely remote” this is how the Lord Buddha illustrates how difficult it is to be born a human being in the cycle of reincarnation. ... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

Address by Honorable Navin Dissanayke at the BizPact "Invest in Sri Lanka" International Symposium on Thursday, June 25th 2009 at 1:45 p.m.
Investment Promotion Minister Navin Dissanayake
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, At the very outset, let me tell you that this symposium could not have been organized in a better time. The timing is so perfect on so many fronts; on the domestic front, the war is over, there is an increasing demand for foreign capital not only in the northern and eastern provinces, for there has not been any meaningful investment in these two regions during the last three decades. The socio-political forces have overridden the financial and economic needs of the day in these two provinces. However,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

Understanding the Tamil Mindset
By Anil Perera
Many people have written about the need for national reconciliation and unity between Sinhalese and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka. They stress the need for a dialogue between the Sinhalese and Tamils and the importance of a political solution to solve the conflict. All previous attempts to come to a negotiated solution with Tamil separatists were failures. While there are several reasons why they ended up in failures, I believe we failed to take into account a key factor which allowed the LTTE to take naive governments of R.Premadasa, Chandrika Kumaranatunga and Ranil Wickramasinghe for a... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

ONE PRO-LTTE SUPPORTER ARRESTED AND THE POLICE ARE AFTER THE OTHERS WHO THREW ACID AT SINHALESE STUDENTS IN THEIR HOME IN AUSTRALIA
By Walter Jayawardhana
An alleged pro-LTTE supporter in Australia Amalathepan Srikantharajah (25) of Girraween was arrested by Australian detectives, charged over the throwing of acid on two Sinhalese students and attempting to murder them. The incident which received international condemnation was also rebuked by the Australian government . The unprovoked attack took place in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Tamil Tigers at the hands of the Sri Lanka military and the death of its leader Prabhakaran. The two Sinhalese victims, Chahunika Werasinghe (27) and housemate Jayasiri Watawala (22) were attacked in their home by Sri Lankans,... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 02/07/09)

The Recovery of the Ailing Global Economy: The Predicament of Sri Lanka
By Garvin Karunaratne Ph.D..Michigan State University Formerly of the SLAS, Government Agent, Matara District
A few months have passed since the global economic system crashed and action taken to date has failed to arrest the problem. Justin Lee, the Chief Economist and the Vice President for Development Economics at the World Bank has voiced himself as to what has to be done to put the global economy on the right track: We need bold policy measures including restoration of domestic lending and global capital flows (Daily News, Sri Lanka, 25/06/09) The International Labour Organization(ILO) advocates the open market system... -Full Story- (LankaWeb - 01/07/09)

Visiting the Vavuniya IDP camps: an uplifting experience
N. Ram

Colombo: The last phase of Sri Lanka�s low-intensity military conflict saw the elimination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a military force. It simultaneously witnessed a poignant human drama in which some 300,000 Tamil civilians were rescued by force of arms from a terrorist organisation that, claiming to fight for their freedom, had no compunction in using them as a human shield.
-Full Story- (hindu.com - 04/07/09)

'Lanka ignored warning of Tamil separatism in 1970'
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka�s terrorist problem, that claimed 100,000 lives, including 1,500 Indian soldiers, could have been nipped in the bud three decades ago, if only Colombo had heeded a warning by a Tamil police officer in 1970, writes Gen Cyril Ranatunga, a former Army Commander and Defence Secretary. In his just released book From Peace to War, Insurgency to Terrorism Ranatunga says that in a letter dated November 16, 1970, the Superintendent of Police of Jaffna district, R Suntheralingam, had told the then Inspector General of Police at Colombo that smugglers operating between Jaffna and Tamil Nadu were bringing in magazines propagating Tamil nationalism. The free flow of Tamil magazines propagating Tamil Nadu ideals into Northern Ceylon via VVT (Velvettithurai) during the DMK regime in 1967 contributed to the illicit trade between Ceylon and South India, the letter said. �Unfortuntely, his (Suntharalingam�s) advice and warning went unheeded. The report was duly filed and forgotten,� Ranatunga writes. -Full Story- (expressbuzz.com - 04/07/09)

Humanitarian operation a model for the world: Rajapaksa
B. Muralidhar Reddy
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday said that through the planning and strategies that defeated the LTTE, the island nation had endowed the world with the true art of humanitarian operations, even as the Defence Ministry announced that some of the curbs on transport of cargo into the Northern Province were being lifted. Addressing a ceremony to commemorate war heroes here, Mr. Rajapaksa said when the troops were making their battle plans they also had to make political plans to win the attention and confidence of the public. �The terrorists had a built a colossal propaganda network throughout the world. At each step we took forward, we knew the terrorists were ready to accuse us for human rights violations. No matter how many air strikes were launched or long range weapons used, we planned all such attacks to ensure that no civilian would get hurt. Hence, this mission was called a humanitarian operation,� he told the gathering. -Full Story- (hindu.com - 04/07/09)

Turning Tamil swords into Oriya ploughshares
P. Sainath
One is a member of the Malkangiri District Cricket Association and custodian of its cricket kit. Another, a minor contractor in a public works project. A third runs a tiny shop. They�re all pretty rooted in Malkangiri. Not very different from any other small town group. Except that this one consists of a bunch of former Sri Lankan Tamil warriors settled in deep rural Orissa in one of the country�s poorest districts where they�ve been nearly 20 years. Many speak fluent Oriya and Hindi and can converse or understand English well. When they came here in 1990, Tamil was about all they spoke in a land completely alien to them in language, culture and geography. �They�re more or less locals now, more or less independent, more or less on their own,� says Malkangiri Collector Nitin Bhanudas Jawale. (He is the president of the district cricket association.) Some have married locals and their children go to school here. There were close to a couple of thousand of them when they came here in 1990, belonging to several anti-LTTE Tamil groups. Now there�s less than a hundred left, most of them erstwhile trained fighters of the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF). -Full Story- (The LankaWeb - 04/07/09)

UNHCR helps first IDP returns to Ampara
Source: Government of Sri Lanka Date: 03 Jul 2009 With the return of one thousand families for re-settle in the Ampara district on July 02 the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and partners have assisted with Government of Sri Lanka to the return process in Ampara today, marking the first Government-organized return movement in the district in seven years. In addition to accompanying today's process, the agency is distributing emergency shelter kits that can be used as a temporary measure. Only a handful of IDPs in the East await re-settlement today. The thousand returnees to Ampara district on July 02 was the first government organized return of displaced persons to this district in 7 years. The UNHCR said that prior to this return, de-mining/ clearance of unexploded ordnance was completed and the IDPs were provided an opportunity to engage in a 'go&see' visit to ensure that they were able to make an independent and well-informed decision. -Full Story- (www.reliefweb.int - 04/07/09)

FCO relaxes east Sri Lanka travel advice Yala NP, Arugam Bay and Trincomalee now on-limits
03/07/2009 Pack your trunk for Yala National Park (Photo: GoWander user NettieWhit) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has relaxed its travel advice for the east coast of Sri Lanka, opening up areas which have been off-limits for years. The FCO no longer advises against travel to the following areas: Trincomalee Town, including the A6 road corridor to Trincomalee; Block One of Yala National Park; areas of Ampara District south of the A4 road including Arugam Bay; areas of Ampara District west of the A25 and A27 roads. The new advice opens up an area which contains some of Sri Lanka�s major attractions, but has been doubly blighted by civil unrest and the 2004 tsunami. Arugam Bay boasts the island�s finest surf beaches, and Yala�s elephants and leopards make it the country�s premier National Park. -Full Story- (wanderlust.co.uk - 04/07/09)

Ban asks Lanka to rehabilitate children released by LTTE
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked Sri Lanka to initiate steps to rehabilitate 'child soldiers' released by LTTE and ensure them access to care, protection and reintegration programmes. Ban asked Colombo to ensure effective implementation of its "zero tolerance" position on child recruitment, including systematic and vigorous investigations for every reported case, followed by prosecutions and convictions of responsible perpetrators. In a report on children and armed conflict in Sri Lanka, covering the period from September 15, 2007 to January, 31, 2009 submitted to the UN Security Council, Ban asked the Sri Lankan Government to build on the progress achieved with the support of the UN and other parties. -Full Story- (hindustantimes.com - 04/07/09)

A moment of truth for Obama in Moscow
By M K Bhadrakumar
In the annals of Russian-American summitry, Moscow has never before choreographed a welcoming ceremony for the visiting United States president in this fashion. The dramatic run-up to the arrival of US President Barack Obama in Moscow on Monday underscores the complexities of the context in which the two countries are going through at the summit. Russia has laid out its welcome carpet leading all the way from the rugged Caucasus, a theater of events that is interesting in the highest degree to US-Russia relations, to the Russian capital to receive Obama. It is a carpet of intriguing design, laden withcompelling legends of the roots of conflict that acted as barriers to peaceful co-existence between the two powers, and the wisdom and valor of taking arms unseasonably without any unity of purpose. -Full Story- (atimes.com/a - 04/07/09)

Untimely Thoughts
Speaking with the Associated Press before his departure for Russia; US President Barack Obama gave every impression that he intends to play Russia President Dmitry Medvedev off against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. This is naive and very dangerous. Moreover, such an approach will not result in �resetting� Russia-US relations. Either Obama believes he has already mastered Russian politics (assuming that is even possible among us who are hardcore Russia-watchers) or he is being given some very bad advice. Irrespective of which, the US president never should have said the following in public: ��Prime Minister Putin still has a lot of sway in Russia, and I think that it's important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev, that Putin understands that the old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russian relations is outdated, that it's time to move forward in a different direction. I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. And to the extent that we can provide him and the Russian people a clear sense that the U.S. is not seeking an antagonistic relationship, but wants cooperation on nuclear nonproliferation, fighting terrorism, energy issues - that we'll end up having a stronger partner overall in this process.� -Full Story- (.russiatoday.com - 04/07/09)

Sri Lanka: winning the war on two fronts
Nitin Gokhale -Full Story- (livemint.com - 03/07/09)

Sri Lanka can do it says Akashi
By Nizla Naizer -Full Story- (thebottomline.lk - 03/07/09)

Ship with relief material berths at Chennai port -Full Story- (hindu.com/ - 03/07/09)

Rajapaksa�s actions speak louder than words for sceptical Tamils-Full Story- (timesonline.co.uk - 03/07/09)

Tamil refugees may end up in permanent camps, say aid workers-Full Story- (timesonline.co.uk - 03/07/09)

Ties with India unique: Bogollagama -Full Story- (.hindu.com - 03/07/09)

Defence Column - Improving welfare facilities for IDPs: Govt takes up challenge -Full Story- (dailynews.lk- 03/07/09)

Is Islam Compatible With Democracy and Human Rights? Part I
. -Full Story- (/europenews.dk - 03/07/09)

Opposition defectors figure in Sri Lankan cabinet mini reshuffle . -Full Story- (xinhuanet.com - 03/07/09)

Sri Lanka extends amnesty to eastern armed groups . -Full Story- (xinhuanet.com - 03/07/09)

Eelam no longer possible, says Karunanidhi-Full Story- (timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ - 03/07/09)

Angry MR refuses to bow down to JHU *Hints Champika�s may quit, if he so wishes . -Full Story- (Island.lk - 01/07/09)

Sri Lanka Army to Form Tamil Regiment After Civil War, BBC Says -Full Story- (bloomberg.com - 01/07/09)

Sri Lanka consumer prices hit record low -Full Story- (reuters.com - 01/07/09)

Troop strength to go upB. Muralidhar Reddy -Full Story- (hindu.com/ - 01/07/09)

Sri Lanka carves out economic zone for China-Full Story- (yahoo.com - 01/07/09)

Sri Lanka, India to sign power cable pact . -Full Story- (pbx.tmcnet.com - 01/07/09)

War's End Hasn't Stilled Young Tamil Voices Around the World-Full Story- (time.com - 01/07/09)

Tiger leader, deputy arrested
Dinasena Rathugamage -Full Story- (asianewsnet.net - 01/07/09)

Sri Lanka group threatens to kill newspaper staff -Full Story- (.jamaicaobserver.com - 01/07/09)

Tougher screening for Tamils over fears of an influx of ex-Tigers fleeing Sri Lanka-Full Story- (.theaustralian.news.com.au - 30/06/09)

�Colombo�s efforts at rehabilitation not enough� -Full Story- (hindu.com - 30/06/09)

Sri Lanka to repair railway to Jaffna -Full Story- (reliefweb.int - 30/06/09)

Sri Lanka providing VVIP security to Pakistan team-Full Story- (hindustantimes.com - 30/06/09)

The 'international community' and their agenda on Sri Lanka
Palitha Senanayake -Full Story- (dailynews.lk - 30/06/09)

The interview of Selvarasa Padmanathan-Full Story- (voicetamil.com - 29/06/09)
War And Peace-Full Story- (strategypage.com - 29/06/09)

Sri Lanka's expanding peacetime army By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo-Full Story- (BBC - 29/06/09)
A small but significant post-Tiger vote By Sudha Ramachandran -Full Story- (atimes.com - 29/06/09)

A comedy of errors
by Somapala Gunadheera -Full Story- (The Island - 30/06/09)

Norochcholai stages II, III to begin-Full Story- (dailynews.lk - 30/06/09)

Tsunami Disaster Relief -Hela Sarana-UK

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Partitioning India over lunch

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Tamil Terrorism In Sri Lanka

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Who Perpetuates Tamil Terrorism in Sri Lanka

IIGEP: Blow Hot Blow Cold.-Full Report- (The Island- 11/05/08)

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The deposed Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera's MIG 27 Story Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order -Full Story- (The LankaWeb - 21/03/07)
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