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(DN)Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP yesterday said the Government will not give into conditions from the international organizations assisting Sri Lanka.
He was speaking at a ceremony to initiate the resettlement of civilians displaced by terrorist atrocities in the Northern Province at Savariarpuram in the Musali DS Division, Mannar. Full text
No one should act to strengthen terrorism - President:
(DN)President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday that although there are many requests to go for a Ceasefire there was no time and need for it at this stage and the Government’s aim was to liberate the remaining civilians in the No Fire Zone within the next five or six days.
“Therefore, the question of a ceasefire does not arise at all,” the President added. Full text
(DM)Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu), April 30 (IANS) Banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief V. Prabhakaran could not have escaped from Sri Lanka, an Indian Coast Guard official said here Thursday.
“There is no way Prabhakaran or his aides could have escaped Sri Lanka in a submarine or otherwise because the attempt would have been clearly spotted on our land-based and offshore radars,” Coast Guard Commanding Officer S. Janarthanam told reporters at this minor port on the southeast coast, 600 km south of state capital Chennai. Full text
(DM)UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The members of the U.N. Security Council agree there is no point in punishing Sri Lanka by withholding a $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund loan or other steps, the council's president said on Thursday.
"I have not heard anyone suggesting that," Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, president of the 15-nation council, told reporters after an informal session on Sri Lanka. Full text
(DM)Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has launched an angry verbal attack on Britain's foreign secretary David Miliband, accusing him of basing his policy on LTTE propaganda and saying his recent visit was a "waste of time".
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, the president's brother raged at the co-ordinated pressure being put on his government by the international community and singled out this week's visit of Mr Miliband and Bernard Kouchner, his French counterpart, as a "waste of time". Full text
Where Navy plays Samaritan Role
(DM)Despite international pressures the Sri Lanka armed forces continued with their humanitarian operation to rescue civilians estimated to be 15,000, trapped in the government declared ‘safe zone’, in Mullaitivu.
However due to these pressures on Tuesday President Mahinda Rajapaksa ordered the armed forces to refrain from using heavy weapons, such as artillery, multi-barrel rocket launchers, air strikes etc in order to prevent civilians casualties. The limited land space available severely restricted the manoeuvre capabilities with heavy weapons of the armed forces. However, this decision was taken mainly due to pressures from the international community specially from neighbouring India, where an election is going on. Full text
Gurkhas who hail from the Gurkha district of Nepal have been identified as a race that has special skills in war and the fate of some 36,000 of this community in Britain remained undecided following a move to allow only those who retired after 1997 to settle in Britain. Full text
(DM)April 29, 2009 – The estimated 50,000 people still trapped in the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka are at great risk and the top priority must be to get them out as quickly as possible, the top United Nations relief official stressed today, again appealing for a further humanitarian pause in the fighting. “These people are in great danger from the continuing fighting,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters in New York, noting that the previously so-called ‘no-fire zone’ can now be more accurately described as a combat zone, given the ongoing clashes between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). “They’re not only in danger from the shelling and the shooting but also because their position in terms of food and other basic supplies is also very poor,” said Mr. Holmes, who just returned from a two-day mission to Sri Lanka that included a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as a visit to a site for internally displaced persons (IDPs). Full text
(DM)The government said yesterday it was not overly concerned with Tamil Nadu(TN) politics as long as India’s Congress-led government did not change its stand on the eradication of terrorism.
Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa told a news briefing after the weekly Cabinet meeting that Indo-Sri Lanka ties continued to be strong and he pointed out that LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence chief Pottu Amman were still wanted in India for the killing of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Full text
(DM)India will deliver another shipload of 50,000 family kits to be distributed among the Internally Displaced Persons in the North in addition to the 40,000 kits which were handed over yesterday.
One kit is worth US $ 40, and includes the basic requirements sufficient for two weeks for a family of four members. It includes kitchen utensils and some food and hygienic items as well. Full text
The Media Centre for National Security said in a statement that many organisations and individuals have requested permission from the Ministry of Defence to enter the Vavuniya Menik Farm IDP Welfare Village. However, the officials working within the camp have informed the Ministry that due to outside persons many problems have arisen which hindered their progress. Full text
(DM)British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, in an interview with the BBC following his visit to Sri Lanka, said that Sri Lanka should be on the UN Security Council agenda for which UK, France and the US are pushing for as the war has regional and wider ramifications. Miliband said the so called safe zone is not safe at all because that’s where the conflict has been ongoing. While the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary confirmed there will be absolutely no more heavy shelling in the zone Miliband said it’s a stop to the fighting that the European Union and the G8 have been calling for. Full text
By Dianne Silva
(DM)Workers Unions said yesterday that they are willing to cast aside their economic woes in order to support the President in his efforts to eradicate terrorism.
Secretary of the Sri Lanka Workers, Union Leslie Devendra speaking at a press conference held yesterday to announce plans for May Day activities said, “As a union connected to the United Peoples’ Freedom Alliance we see this rally as a milestone, where peace and a victory over the war is imminent.” He said as the members of the working class they can no longer focus only on wages and the like but would now consider the greater, and the more pertinent cause of eradicating terrorism. Full text
(DM)The CID informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that they did not receive the examination report from the University of Colombo on the chemical suspected to be Dionial Cloride alleged to be a banned chemical and hazardous for humans.
The police alleged that the chemical was imported to the country on the pretext of importing toys. The main suspect in the case, Jesu Kapamus Subash Pieris, had gone missing . Full text
Britain’s International Development Deputy Minister Michael Foster told the House of Commons the sufferings of the people of Sri Lanka would not end with the fall of the remaining LTTE strongholds and Britain together with the international community had continued to make it clear that there could be no military solution to the conflict. Full text
Answering critics, especially Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal, who had termed her call for carving out a separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka as ‘anti-national and irresponsible’, Jayalalithaa told an election meeting in this western Tamil Nadu town that she would follow the same norms and provisions of international law that Indira Gandhi had used to win freedom for Bangladesh and sentiments Rajiv Gandhi had invoked while sending in troops to Sri Lanka. Full text
The Defence Ministry said the 58 Division troops advancing South and the 53 Division flanking west of Vellamullivaikkal have been spearheading the rescue operations as an estimated 15,000- 20,000 civilians await liberation from LTTE clutches. Full text
It said that during his three-day stay till tomorrow, Mr. Akashi would meet government officials to discuss ways and means of ensuring the safety and security of the displaced people and providing them with much needed relief assistance.The Embassy said this was Mr. Akashi’s 17th visit to Sri Lanka and that he would address a news conference on Saturday May 2 prior to his departure from Sri Lanka.
By Sandun A Jayasekera from Embilipitiya
(DM)President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday the government instructed the security forces to stop using heavy weapons in the no fire zone (NFZ) not due to pressure from some foreign leaders but out of a genuine concern for the safety of civilians held captive by the terrorists.
At a public rally held at the Mahaweli Intelligence Circle Hall in Embilipitiya after launching the Walawe Ganga left bank restoration project, President Rajapaksa asked why some foreigners were so concerned about the civilians in the NFZ. Full text
By Jamila Najmuddin
(DM)Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has declined a fresh invitation by the Sri Lankan government after Sweden publicly announced earlier this week that a visa for the Foreign Minister to visit Sri Lanka with his French and British counterparts was rejected.
In a short email interview to the Daily Mirror, Swedish Minister Bildt’s press secretary Irena Busic confirmed that the Minister was extended a fresh invitation but he would not accept the invitation from the Sri Lankan government. Full text
Lanka tells UK, France to treat Tiger supporters like Al-qeada activists
By Jamila Najmuddin
(DM)Sri Lanka has strongly objected to the failure by Britain and France to crackdown on demonstrations staged in those countries by pro-LTTE supporters who even raised the LTTE flag, and asked if they would do the same if such protests were staged by pro Al Qaeda groups.
Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona told journalists yesterday that the government had made these observations when Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama’s delegation met the Foreign Ministers of Britain and France in Colombo on Wednesday. Full text
(defence.lk)We have at no time gone for a ceasefire. We will not do so now. There is no time for that now. In the five or six days remaining we have given the opportunity for the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender to the Armed Forces and, even in the name of God, free the civilians held by them. If they have no regard for their own lives they should even consider the lives of others.
So said President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the 50th Anniversary of the commissioning of the Chandrikawewa at Embilipitiya, today (30). Full text
(defence.lk)"My problem is not what the LTTE will do to you," the Defence Secretary said, "instead it is that should such a thing happen, we would not be able to take Prabhakaran as planned!". He said after thirty years, the time had come finally for Prabhakaran and other terrorist leaders to be captured dead or alive and the government would not stop until that end was achieved. Defence Sectary Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday(Apr 29), rejected visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's call for a ceasefire, and told him that the government would not stop its war on terror until the LTTE was crushed and its leader Prabhakaran captured, dead or alive. Full text
(defence.lk)Sri Lanka Air Force has allocated several cargo aircraft to transport increasing stocks of relief items provided by the public. According to the Government Information Department, large stocks of relief items are being received from all parts of the country as the whole nation is united to help people displaced in the North. Full text
(defence.lk)During the past 48 hours security forces led by 58 Division infantrymen have advanced further South of Rektavaikkal, shrinking the remaining swathe of land to a near 7sq.kms where LTTE terrorists are expected to face its end game, military sources said. The 58 Division troops advancing South and the 53 Division flanking west of Vellamullivaikkal have been spearheading the rescue operations as an estimated number of 15,000- 20,000 civilians await liberation from LTTE clutches. Full text
(defence.lk)The Indian Army and the Indian Navy have been placed on high alert along the country's southern coast to prevent any infiltration bid by LTTE cadres fleeing the military offensive against them in Sri Lanka, a top commander said on Wednesday.
"There is a high alert in the southern command," reported the IANS yesterday (29) quoting Indian Army vice Chief Lt. Gen. Noble Thamburaj.
"The Coast Guard and the Indian Navy form the first tier (of defence). We have some troops deployed to ensure LTTE don't enter Tamil Nadu, he said.
(By: M H Liyanage - Kuwait)
(defence.lk)The formal meaning of the term "Sovereignty" is the power of a State to do everything necessary to govern itself such as formulating, executing and applying laws and state policies, imposing and collecting taxes, making war and peace and forming treaties or engaging in commerce with foreign nations.
Sri Lanka became a sovereign state after gaining independence from colonial rule way back in 1948. The fact that Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in Asia too seems to be unknown to many unless it is conveniently forgotten. If these facts are not true, the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka would not have allegedly interfered in the negotiations initiated by the Government of Sri Lanka with the IMF in order to secure a development loan. Such interference only gives credence to the widely acclaimed notion that the IMF was created by the powerful West to perpetuate their control over small nations called sovereign states on paper, but treated as colonies in practice. Full text
(defence.lk)The twenty-seventh batch of 499 and the twenty-eighth batch of 521 patients and civilians were evacuated on board "MV Green Ocean" on the 28th and 29th of April 2009 respectively. The evacuation of patients and civilians trapped in LTTE clutches in the un-cleared areas in Mullaithivu is being carried out under the ICRC flag. Sri Lanka Navy is providing safe passage for evacuees on humanitarian grounds. Full text
(defence.lk)The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding a two-year program called Supporting Regional Governance (SuRG) to strengthen local governance in conflict-affected areas of the East. Participating local authorities from the Eastern Province recently signed a memorandum of understanding with SuRG to launch the partnership.
USAID, the development agency of the U.S. Government, started the SuRG program to help local authorities in the East administer their activities more effectively and respond to the needs of their communities. Full text
(defence.lk)The Unilateral Ceasefire declared by the LTTE is a total bluff as Tiger terrorists have made seven suicide attempts within 24 hours using human bombs, explosive laden truck, motorbikes and a double cab against the troops operating in Rettavaikkal, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday (Apr 29).
Minister Rambukwella said Tiger cadres have blown off three human bombs, one explosive laden truck, three explosive laden motorbikes and a double cab to recapture the Rettavaikkal earth bund captured by the troops on Tuesday. Full text
(defence.lk)57 Division troops now engaged in active defence operations in general area West of Puthukkudiyirippu have uncovered a haul of bombs, explosives and mines yesterday (Apr 29).
According to finalized military reports, the items were uncovered during separate search operations conducted in general areas at Kuppulankulam, Puthukkudiyirippu and Mankulama. Full text
(defence.lk)Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva briefs Swiss press on Sri Lankan situation
The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva, in collaboration with the Geneva Press Club - Club suisse de la presse -, organised a press conference on the topic of the 'Current Situation in Sri Lanka', on 24 April 2009 at 'la pastorale,' Geneva.
Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights and Disaster Management and Secretary General, Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process, and Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka, Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office in Geneva were the two main speakers at this press meeting. Full text
(By : Jonathan Kay)
(defence.lk)The moral evolution of the Liberal Party of Canada from the days of Jean Chretien to its current manifestation under Michael Ignatieff can be charted in many ways. A decade ago, Liberal ranks were full of America-bashers and noisy cultural nationalists. The party supported anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations, and adopted the fashionable, amoral posture of "honest broker" in international relations. Jean Chretien himself flippantly defended slush-fund politics in Quebec, and disdained his successor's efforts to investigate the most disgraceful abuses. The party's bosses had one goal - to win votes, principles be damned. Full text
| Tigers killed hundreds of fleeing civilians, say two former LTTE officials |
(TH)COLOMBO: Sri Lanka military on Wednesday said that as the troops continued marching into the the no-fire zone (NFZ), where the LTTE leaders and cadres were taking shelter among an estimated 20,000 civilians, the Tigers have readied six large boats with sophisticated equipment to facilitate the escape of their top leaders.
The Sri Lanka Navy thwarted a pre-dawn LTTE offensive bid by destroying four LTTE suicide boats and sinking another attack craft in the seas off Mullaiththivu. Full text
| Miliband, Kouchner discuss fate of civilians with Sri Lankan President |
(TH)COLOMBO: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday and exchanged views on the condition of the two lakh civilians sheltered in temporary government camps. They also discussed the fate of civilians stranded in the No-Fire Zone (NFZ). Full text
Colombo, 30 April (asiantribune.com): (AT)As the curtains are finally coming down on the LTTE saga, Daya Master, the media wizard for the Tigers for years, believes that Prabhakaran’s game is up. ‘People will not accept him (Prabhakaran),’ he says. ‘It is too late; the people have already rejected the man and if he takes a decision that he should have taken long ago …to return to his old native place to live in peace…. it will not help’, Daya Master, whose name is Velayutham Thayanithi, asserts. Full text
(DN)LTTE cadres trapped inside the remaining part of the No Fire Zone have ordered people to burn all fishing boats in Vellamullivaikkal to prevent the remaining civilians trapped inside the No Fire Zone fleeing the area, Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said yesterday.
The spokesman said the LTTE had taken this decision as civilians trapped inside the No Fire Zone are trying to flee the area in boats. Full text
(DN)After 25 years, Sri Lanka's civil conflict looks likely to end soon with the total defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tigers. At present the remnants of what was once a formidable military force are trapped in a tiny strip of land in the north-east of the country (along with about 100,000 Tamils) and surrounded by vastly superior Government Forces.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the rebels to lay down their weapons and surrender, but the offer is unlikely to be accepted. This, after all, is a group which pioneered the practice of using women as suicide bombers, employed child soldiers and assassinated its political opponents without compunction. Full text
Latheef FAROOK
(DN)Yashwant Sinha, senior leader of Baharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), the political face of Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, (RSS), has demanded that India imposes sanctions on Sri Lanka for its treatment of Tamil civilians trapped in the war zone.
No doubt and no question that these civilians, as citizens of this country, deserve safety and protection. However, the question is whether India, of all countries, and the BJP, of all the political parties, can ever speak of minority rights in view of their treatment of the largest minority of around 150 million Indian Muslims. Full text
(DN)Most news items related to the conflict in Sri Lanka by foreign media now include a permanent clause which says that Tamils have been systematically discriminated by the Sinhala people since Independence.
While some of the news reports use the term ‘allegedly’ discriminated, most news agencies have now dropped the term ‘allegedly’ in their news report. One wonders whether they have any concrete evidence or have done enough research to come in to such conclusions. It is often believed that when a lie is uttered repeatedly it comes to a stage that people really tend to believe it as true. Full text
(DN)In an interview to CNN-IBN in Colombo, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made it clear that the Government’s key objective now was “getting the civilians out from the clutches of the LTTE”. Noting that the military operations were “almost over,” the President said the choice before the LTTE was “either surrender or face the Army”. The interview: Q: Have you instructed your Army to ceasefire?
A: No, it is not a ceasefire. Freeing the people who are kept there as hostages is my duty. So the army is now only helping the civilians. We want to get the civilians out from the clutches of the LTTE. Full text
For holding the civilian population hostage in the 'No Fire Zone':
(DN)The French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Dr. Bernard Kouchner and Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom David Miliband on an official visit to Sri Lanka at the Invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama, condemned the LTTE for holding the civilian population hostage in the 'No Fire Zone'.
During their visit, Foreign Minister Kouchner and Foreign Secretary Miliband called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and had a cordial discussion on the present developments. Full text
(DN)The London Guardian newspaper charged that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, now cornered in five square kilometers in the North East of Sri Lanka forcibly makes 12-year-old children snatched from their parents, sometimes beating and shooting at them, to take guns and fight the Sri Lankan forces.
Children as young as 12 are being forcibly removed from families as Tamil Tigers make last stand against Sri Lankan forces, the newspaper said. Full text
(DN)Two former LTTE leaders who surrendered to the military last week, made an open appeal to the remaining LTTE cadres to lay down their arms and surrender, calling the armed struggle as a meaningless effort.
Former LTTE Spokesman Velayudam Dayanidi alias Daya Master and V.K. Pencharatnam, known as George, a former aide to the late political chief Thamil Selvan in an interview with the ITN yesterday urged the remaining Tigers to heed the call of the President and surrender. They also accused the Tigers of keeping civilians as a 'human shield' and shooting scores of people who tried to escape the 'safe zone'. Full text
(DN)The Unilateral Ceasefire declared by the LTTE is a total bluff as Tiger terrorists have made seven suicide attempts within 24 hours using human bombs, explosive laden truck, motorbikes and a double cab against the troops operating in Rettavaikkal, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.
Minister Rambukwella said Tiger cadres have blown off three human bombs, one explosive laden truck, three explosive laden motorbikes and a double cab to recapture the Rettavaikkal earth bund captured by the troops on Tuesday. Full text
Concern, civilians in NFZ only:
(DN)No one was here to call a ceasefire to save Prabhakaran but we are here to discuss the protection of civilians that was our absolute and paramount interest. The LTTE should stop fighting, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Secretary of State David Miliband told at a press conference at the Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday. ”The LTTE was a proscribed and banned organization in our countries and they are holding citizens in the No Fire Zone. Full text
(DM)The real threat to global terrorism is the duplicity adopted by the superpowers in what they term their fight against terror, than that posed by terror groups like the LTTE. The US suggestion that the LTTE leader be allowed to surrender to a third party, reeks of the duplicitous nature of policy it has adopted towards the reality of terrorism in Sri Lanka as opposed to that perceived in the US. It is not difficult to see the clear differences in tone in applying such rules against terror from one country to another. Given that the suggestion comes from a country that has banned the LTTE and its terror network termed the most ruthless in the world by the US’ own FBI; one needs to ask; if the US policy on LTTE has changed. Even f its own policy has changed on what grounds does the US seek to negotiate with criminals wanted by Interpol? Full text
By H. L. D. Mahindapala
(DM)The Foreign Minister of UK,,David Milliband, and his French counterpart are in Colombo right now to put pressure on the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to halt the offensive against the Tamil Tigers who are on their knees begging for a cease fire. So the objectives of the Tamil Tigers and the two visiting Foreign Ministers coincide. Coincidentally, both parties are raising human rights issues as the rationale for halting the offensive.
Not surprisingly the Asia Director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), Brad Adams, has timed to announce a series of threats to the GOSL on the eve of their arrival. In his latest statement titled We cannot ignore Sri Lanka, he has threatened the GOSL with punitive measures if it does not yield to his political demands disguised as issues of human rights. He, in fact, goes out of his way to tell the visiting Foreign Ministers that they must “deliver a strong message to GOSL” on the following lines. Full text
(DM)The government strongly rejected a ceasefire yesterday reassuring its stance on continuing the humanitarian liberation operation furthermore amidst confrontations and ground striking.
Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told media that various parties were trying to take a political mileage misinterpreting the government’s move to stop using heavy weaponry and air strikes to a possible ceasefire. Full text
(DM)Restoring the self respect and dignity of Tamils in Sri Lanka which was destroyed by Velupillai Prbhakaran and certain political leaders in the South lies in the hands of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and this government, Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma said.
The government never considered the innocent Tamils who fled the jackboot of LTTE as destitute people or people who should be treated differently, he stressed. Full text
(DM)Neither Australia nor the international community believed the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka could be solved by the creation of an independent Tamil state, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said yesterday.
In an interview with ABC Television Minister Smith said the safety and protection of civilians must be the absolute priority for all sides engaged in fighting in northern Sri Lanka
He said Australia would commit an additional $4.5 million in humanitarian assistance for civilians caught up in the conflict in northern Sri Lanka. This assistance will provide urgent support including medical supplies, shelter, water and sanitation, he said. Full text
(DM)The Government yesterday said that it has extended an invitation to Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt after the latter said that his visas had been rejected for a visit to the country.
Minister Bildt was expected to arrive in the country with his British and French counterparts yesterday but received a shock when he was not granted a visa to visit the country as part of an EU delegation. Full text
(defence.lk)French and British foreign ministers, accompanied by several Sri Lankan ministers, secretary to Foreign Ministry and senior officials arrived at the Manic Farm Relief Village today (29) to receive a first-hand assessment of the prevailing sanitary and welfare arrangements. British Foreign Minister David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner along with Ministers Rizard Badurdeen, Rohita Abeygunawardane, Maheepala Herath and foreign secretary Palitha Kohana on their arrival in Vavuniya were received by Major General Jagath Jayasuriya. Commander Security Frorces Headquarters (Wanni). Full text
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