PLOTE member abducted
Sunday, January 1, 2006, 16:01 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 01, Colombo: A senior PLOTE member was abducted, reportedly by the LTTE, in Vavuniya yesterday.
Police said the member was identified as 26-year-old K. Thirunavukarsu. He was at his residence when three alleged Tigers came in a white-coloured van and abducted him. It is learnt that the abductors had opened the door after they announced themselves as Vavuniya Police.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) will be informed of the incident. The Vavuniya Police are meanwhile conducting investigations.
Special committee to look into unstable situation in Jaffna
Sunday, January 1, 2006, 16:30 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 01, Colombo: A special committee has been appointed by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into the unstable situation in Jaffna following a series of clashes between the military and the LTTE.
The committee, comprised of Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Reconstruction and Development Agency chairman Tiran Alles and Secretary to the Ministry of Education Ariyaratne Hewage, will leave for Jaffna on January 5.
The committee will meet the Government Agent in Jaffna, Ceasefire Monitors, students unions and representatives of NGOs. The committee will submit a report to the President soon after they return to Colombo.
President's New Year Message: 'Go forward as one people determined to create a new Sri Lanka'
Sunday, January 1, 2006, 16:27 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 01, Colombo: President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a New Year message expressed hope that the country can make 2006 a 'New Year' in the fullest sense of the word and said the country must "all become united as one and go forward as one people determined to create a new Sri Lanka, enlivened with a renewed feeling of commitment."
The full text of his message follows:
Make Year 2006 a triumphant year.
At this moment when we are just on the threshold of the Year 2006, I fervently wish all Sri Lankans, as well as the people all over the world will succeed in making it a triumphant year of significant achievement and fulfillment.
To us Sri Lankans, the New Year dawns laying also before us the formidable challenge of finding solutions to a host of problems which have defied solution for a number of decades. On the 17th of November last year, the people of Sri Lanka elected me as their President, I am sure, feeling confident that I would be able to face up to this challenge successfully and lead them and the country to a future of peace and prosperity.
May I humbly state that I have fully realized that the foremost responsibility the New Year 2006 has cast upon me is to lead the nation successfully to face and meet this challenge before us, not leaving the slightest room to mar the public confidence reposed in me. It is my determination to lay the sure and firm foundation to create a new Sri Lanka during the year 2006.
Throughout our long history, the important truth that has become clear to us beyond any doubt is that every time we acted as a united people and a nation, we became victorious. Similarly, it has become clear to us that every time victory eluded us and our enemies became victorious was when we failed to do so.
Therefore, my greatest hope is to see the year 2006 to turn out to be the year that mobilizes the unity and strength of our nation to the maximum extent possible. I, therefore, fervently hope and believe that all my fellow citizens will public spiritedly and patriotically come forward, join hands with me and act with commitment together with me to achieve that objective.
Any people should have a long-term objective of value to be achieved through its collective effort. They should also have a clear vision of their own to realize that objective. Also they should be armed with a program of action to implement that vision through the power and dynamism generated by that programme.
There should, of necessity, be a State Service and a civil society which act with commitment for the implementation of that programme. I firmly believe that we cannot conceive of an enemy powerful enough to subdue a people who forge ahead in unity and armed with and strengthened by these four requirements of success.
In the New Year that dawns we Sri Lankans should engage in a sincere self-criticism and identify the weaknesses that stand in the way of success and act with determination to eradicate them. This is a task that has to be performed in the interests of the future generations by all of us. The responsibility for action in this regard rests on me as Head of State and all others down to the humblest of citizens at the bottom of the social ladder.
Without being rid of the weaknesses we are afflicted with as a nation, it is impossible to overcome the challenges we are faced with today. I consider these weaknesses as our enemies that operate from within us. I, therefore, have decided to treat the year 2006 as the year that we devote to eradicate these weaknesses from within us and courageously forge ahead for national development with a clear vision and a programme.
I have also decided to name 2006 as the year we take the nation forward along the path of a fruitful programme. I believe that we can make 2006 a 'New Year' in the fullest sense of the word, only if we all become united as one and go forward as one people determined to create a new Sri Lanka, enlivened with a renewed feeling of commitment. This is an essential prerequisite for the achievement of our objective.
May I again express the wish and hope that 2006 will be the year that impels us to think and act as one people. I fervently wish all in Sri Lanka will rally round me in my effort to realize this national objective.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Former President Kumaratunga confident that Rajapaksa govt will work towards Sri Lanka peace
Sunday, January 1, 2006, 15:52 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 01, Colombo: Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga says she is confident that the government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa will work towards peace.
Issuing a New Year message, Ms. Kumaratunga said, 'The grave acts of violence now rampant in the North and East is cause for concern to all Sri Lankans. The recent callous acts of crime during this festive season are not just in violation of the Ceasefire Agreement but display a total disrespect for religion and tradition. This is the time for all peace-loving and right thinking people to unite and not fall prey to provocateurs.
'I truly believe that it is only through political engagement that problems of extremism and fanaticism can be addressed. I am confident President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government will work towards this end and soon achieve the peace our nation has been yearning for. I also wish restraint is exercised by the authorities when countering acts of violence and that they ensure the safety of the civilian population in the North and East,' she said.
Former Sri Lankan President gets Rs. 300 million in property despite AG's advice, says paper
Sunday, January 1, 2006, 16:20 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Jan 01, Colombo: Ignoring the opinion of the Attorney General, the Urban Development Authority (UDA) handed the deed of transfer for one and half acres of state land near the Parliament Complex at Madiwela to President Chandrika Kumaratunga during her tenure in office, a local paper reported. The property is worth over Rs. 300 million.
The local Sunday Times today reported that 'the property, on a free grant by the Urban Development Authority during President Chandrika Kumaratunga's tenure in office [was given] ignoring an opinion of the Attorney General which says that such land can only be alienated 'for an urban development purpose'.
'The UDA Board handed over this property deed to President Kumaratunga during her tenure of office, without any consultation from even the officials of the UDA that handled such land alienation after the Cabinet had approved that she receives this property to build her own house with her private funds,' it said.
The UDA had given the state land to President Kumaratunga by a deed of transfer when, subsequent to the Cabinet decision of August 24, 2005, a Board paper was submitted within a week to the UDA and approved immediately on September 1, 2005.
The land bordering the Diyawanna Oya that has been given to the former President is part of the land that was earlier developed for the President's official Residence Complex at a cost of around Rs. 800 million. However, the project was shelved in 2001 after it caused an uproar in the country and residents in the area complained. The value of the land is now estimated at around Rs. 360 million as the land was being prepared for the President's Complex, the paper said.
Sri Lanka stint is woman's way of giving backLet's pause from all the parties and fun and think about something serious for a few minutes.
On Nov. 3, Ashley Blair left Lexington to build houses in Sri Lanka for victims of the 2004 tsunami. She had never been outside the United States. She had never flown in an airplane.
Blair, 25, works for Serco in the Fortune Business Centre (no relation). She was one of 10 Serco employees nationwide selected for the project, carried out in partnership with Habitat for Humanity International.
There were challenges, even before the trip. Blair had to raise $1,000 to donate to Habitat; she had to secure a passport in a matter of days, which cost extra; and she had to use several vacation days for the trip.
But here's a strong-willed woman.
"Going to Sri Lanka was my way of giving back to God, who had given so much to me over the past year," said Blair, a graduate of Lafayette High School and Lexington Community College.
In May 2004, Blair had a malignant melanoma removed from her right leg. But it was a Stage 1, the mildest level. "I was so thankful," she said.
Earlier this year doctors found two more places. "They weren't melanoma, but they had abnormal cells and needed to be removed," she said. Last week, she had another place taken off. "So I actually have stitches in my leg right now," she said. The results aren't back yet.
In July her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. "They found it in doing my annual mammogram," said Karen Blair, a secretary at Kentucky Utilities on Vine Street. "But it was small, less than 1 centimeter."
More good news: Her lymph nodes were clean. She had a mastectomy in August, but did not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiation.
Cancer in mother and daughter could have had much different results, they say. "We feel very blessed," Ashley said.
Although she was really worried about raising the $1,000, "that turned out to be the easy part." Members of her church, Southern Heights Baptist, donated $1,600. She ended up raising $2,000 altogether.
Her group worked on five houses in the coastal village of Hikkaduwa, digging foundations, building walls, laying floors.
"The tools were not the best, like the shovels were square instead of round. But we had to use what was there, and we had to learn to share," said Blair. She learned to mix cement (from scratch) and to lay brick, using a string to make sure walls were straight and level.
One village family the Serco employees became fond of had lost a child in the tsunami, which hit on Dec. 26, 2004.
"A son tried to save the child, but he couldn't," Blair said. In his efforts, "he swallowed so much tsunami water, he hurt his lungs." He later joined the Sri Lankan navy and "every month has to have fluid pumped out of his lungs."
In another family, an adult woman cared for her paralyzed mother and a mentally handicapped brother. "She had a little garden and raised vegetables and sold them at the market," Blair said. "That's all the money she had, and she had to decide whether to buy food or buy medicine for her mother."
The American group donated $50. "That was enough money so she could buy food for several months and medicine for her mother," said Blair, who learned recently that the woman's mother had died.
The tsunami destroyed most houses in Hikkaduwa, and families live in cardboard shacks with tin roofs, she said.
"The houses we were building were not much bigger than this living room and dining room," Blair said, sitting in her parents' house. But the new houses are made of brick and can withstand strong winds and water in the future.
What impressed her deeply was the attitude of the people she met: "They have nothing, but you would never know it."
She said, "Every day they brought tea. They always had a smile on their face. They were willing to give you whatever they had. I don't know if I could be so happy after everything that had happened."
It's heartwarming knowing there are people like Blair.
Lanka wants new EU leader to act against LTTE terrorism
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Island
Publication Date : 2006-01-01
Sri Lanka expects the new EU leader Austria to proscribe the LTTE for brazenly violating the Oslo-arranged Cease-Fire Agreement regardless of the EU warning following the assassination of Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar last August.
Austria takes over the EU leadership today (Jan 1) from the UK.
"We believe Austria would take a tougher line against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," a senior government official said referring to India's recent call to proscribe the LTTE in EU member states.
India's call was made in the backdrop of stepped up terrorist attacks and denying a large group of Tamil speaking people in the northern and eastern province their right to exercise their franchise at the Nov 17 presidential polls.
Another official expressed the belief that the EU would act before the forthcoming visit here by EU External Affairs Commissioner Ms Benita Ferrero Waldner, a former Austrian Foreign Minister. Waldner is expected early this year.
The LTTE was continuing attacks even after the EU Ambassador based in Colombo Julian Wilson and British High Commissioner Stephen Evans representing the EU presidency, Japanese Ambassador Akio Suda and the Deputy Norwegian Ambassador demanded an immediate end to attacks during a meeting at Kilinochchi last Saturday (Dec 24).
The LTTE blew up an army truck at Puloly (west) three days later killing 12 personnel.
EU is co-chair to the Tokyo Donor Conference. An effective EU ban would automatically cripple LTTE operations in over a dozen member states including France and Germany that bring millions of Euros to the Tigers' war chest annually.
"We want a genuine crackdown," a senior security official said pointing out the shortcomings in a UK-style ban that would allow Tigers to operate freely threatening death and destruction unless the government resumed talks on their terms.
Government sources said that the EU decision announced in late September not to receive LTTE delegations in member states obviously did not have the desired effect. This announcement was made in the backdrop of Kadirgamar's assassination.
With India taking part in the consultations with co-chairs Colombo firmly believes that there could be a significant change in the decision making process. India had participated at the last consultations, the sources said.
The government is of the view that the ongoing efforts to resume peace talks should not in anyway hinder the decision making process.
Dateline Colombo:
Rebels urged to resume talks
Web posted at: 1/1/2006 3:20:24
Source ::: The Peninsula
Christian leaders representing the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches in Sri Lanka on Friday urged Tamil rebels to immediately resume peace talks with the government and take necessary measures to restore normalcy in the troubled north of the country, the Daily Mirror reported. It said in wide-ranging talks for more than two and a half hours with LTTE Political Wing leader S P Thamilselvan in rebel-held Kilinochchi, the Christian leaders expressed serious concern over the deteriorating security situation in the north which has seen several violent acts in the past few weeks. Jaffna Bishop, Rt Rev Thomas Saundranayagam said they discussed the tragic plight of the people in the Northeast, the underlying causes for the situation, the non implementation of the clauses in the ceasefire agreement and the problems resulting from this.
Solheim arriving on January 23
Norway's special peace envoy Erik Solheim will arrive in Sri Lanka on January 23 in a bid to arrest the deteriorating situation in the northeast, the Norwegian Embassy said. 'I am deeply concerned about the recent increase in violence in Sri Lanka. In order to keep the violence from escalating further, it is urgent to get the two parties to sit together to discuss how to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is observed and how the peace process can be advanced', Solheim said. Norway has been asked by the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to continue its role as facilitator in Sri Lanka's peace process. Solheim is also Norway's International Development Minister. The JVP, the JHU and other allies of the government have expressed strong protest against the role of Norway and particularly Solheim accusing the latter of being partisan to the Tigers.
Mining operation suspended
A Danish NGO has suspended its de mining operations in Jaffna after two of its fully equipped vehicles were robbed by suspected LTTE cadres, its officials were quoted as saying. Some 45 bomb disposal units, seven walkie-talkies, 47 uniforms and a laptop had been removed from the vehicles. Halo trust, the Danish de mining group is one of the three such agencies working in the Jaffna Peninsula and has a fleet of heavy vehicles.
Sonia in transit for an hour
Indian Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi was in transit in Colombo for about an hour early on Friday, on her way to the Maldives. The Daily Mirror said Gandhi arrived on the same flight as Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera who was returning after a three-day tour in India with President Mahinda Rajapakse. Gandhi accompanied by her son Rahul was flying to the Maldives for the New Year vacation.
Rebels attack police station
Tamil rebels attacked the Kodikamam police station in the northern province on Thursday with small arms and hand grenades but the police repulsed the attack. The exchange of fire had lasted about 45 minutes before the LTTE attacked withdrew. There were no casualties.
