srilanka1998
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- 26. Juli 2005
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What chance peace?
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 00:49 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The formidable obstacles to peace and negotiated settlement have been assembled by President Rajapakse himself. The agreement by the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), to discuss the implementation of the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in Geneva this month, is a laudable step forward towards peace which has been widely welcomed by the international community. However, upon being congratulated on broking last week's agreement deal, Erik Solheim, Norwegian International Development Minister, is said to have retorted that the real challenges are still to come. He is quite right. Mr. Solheim's extensive experience Special Envoy to Sri Lanka has equipped him well to recognize the obstacles that lie ahead.
Action, not words
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 00:50 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
Norway's announcement last Wednesday that the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have agreed that Switzerland would be a suitable venue for talks to stabilize the strained February 2002 ceasefire was understandably, though prematurely, greeted with international acclaim and relief by Sri Lankans of all communities. Indeed the events of the subsequent week, the most serious being the abduction of ten aid workers of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), have raised serious doubts about the prospects of the forthcoming talks and, in the longer term, a peaceful accommodation between the Tamils and the Sinhala-nationalist state. To begin with, talks in themselves are not going to end the cycle of violence in Sri Lanka's Northeast ' which is why last week's optimism was overstated.
Tsunami governments under fire
[ Daily Mail ] [ 10:58 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
British international development charity ActionAid has criticised the governments of countries affected by the Asian tsunami for failing to protect survivors of the disaster from discrimination, land grabbing and violence. In a report launched yesterday at the United Nations' headquarters in New York, the charity attacks governments of tsunami-devastated regions for ignoring the human rights of many survivors and for neglecting the needs of the most vulnerable groups including women, children and ethnic minorities. The UN-commissioned survey of more than 50,000 people in 95 towns and villages in five countries - Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives - was conducted in November last year by ActionAid, the People's Movement for Human Rights Learning and Habitat International Coalition.
Security scare for Sri Lankan parliament
[ ABC News ] [ 11:11 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
A security scare has shut down Sri Lanka's parliament as two of the government's participants in the Geneva peace talks were named. A recent string of suspected Tamil Tiger rebel attacks on troops brought a 2002 truce to the brink of collapse, but tensions have eased since the two sides agreed last week to hold direct talks in Geneva, Switzerland. "Due to serious security concerns arising in parliament, the house will be suspended until February 14," speaker of the house W.J.M. Lokubandara told the chamber, as anti-terrorism police ushered law makers out of the building. The parliament, which lies in a high security zone on the outskirts of Colombo, had been scheduled to meet on Friday, before the next sitting day on February 14.
Will talks in Geneva dispel war clouds?
[ The Northeastern Monthly ] [ 12:00 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The school that propagates this opinion believes that the LTTE's agreement to go to Geneva rather than stick rigidly by its first choice, Oslo, vindicates this point of view. It has to be said however that this view is not correct. It might be correct to say that finding legitimacy in the eyes of the international community is indeed a political goal, perhaps an important political goal, but certainly not the most important one. The Tigers realised that relying entirely on international support for their cause would be suicidal, ever since India began undermining the Tamil struggle by cooperating with the Sri Lankan state, which culminated with the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. The LTTE might use the realities of international politics to push its own interests but does not depend entirely either on the international community, or on forces in the South Asian region, to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for it. Hence the LTTE is sceptical about placing the quest for international legitimacy above that of acquiring political and military capability to withstand its primary enemy ' the Sri Lankan state.
LTTE should not get trapped in talks once again
It is therefore important that the LTTE does not, once again, get trapped in talks and negotiations going nowhere. It will only prolong the uncertainty and agony of the Tamils people. If the Sri Lanka government indulges in its usual procrastination, it is better the LTTE quits the talks once and for all rather than persist in a fruitless venture, merely because of the persuasion of the peace lobby and the pressure brought by the international community. - The Northeastern Monthly ( February 2006)
Sri Lankan Abductions Call for International Intervention !
[ COPE-SL ] [ 12:07 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The paramilitary forces working with and under the direction of SL Military Intelligence are reported to have carried out two abductions on the 29th and 30th of January 2006 at Welikande in the Government controlled area. In the first case, three officials of Pre-School Educational Development Centre, working under the aegis of TRO, a humanitarian aid agency assisting tsunami and war victims, were abducted while they were on their way to Kilinochchi on official duties. The next day, five relief workers of TRO were abducted at the same point. As a result, relief workers of other humanitarian agencies are reluctant and or refuse to work in those areas, thus worsening the condition of people already suffering under the effects of war and tsunami.We therefore strongly urge the Co-Chairs for Peace in SL, including EU and UN, as a first step, to bring pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to take immediate and meaningful action to ensure the safe and speedy return of the abducted persons.
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 00:49 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The formidable obstacles to peace and negotiated settlement have been assembled by President Rajapakse himself. The agreement by the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), to discuss the implementation of the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) in Geneva this month, is a laudable step forward towards peace which has been widely welcomed by the international community. However, upon being congratulated on broking last week's agreement deal, Erik Solheim, Norwegian International Development Minister, is said to have retorted that the real challenges are still to come. He is quite right. Mr. Solheim's extensive experience Special Envoy to Sri Lanka has equipped him well to recognize the obstacles that lie ahead.
Action, not words
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 00:50 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
Norway's announcement last Wednesday that the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan government have agreed that Switzerland would be a suitable venue for talks to stabilize the strained February 2002 ceasefire was understandably, though prematurely, greeted with international acclaim and relief by Sri Lankans of all communities. Indeed the events of the subsequent week, the most serious being the abduction of ten aid workers of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), have raised serious doubts about the prospects of the forthcoming talks and, in the longer term, a peaceful accommodation between the Tamils and the Sinhala-nationalist state. To begin with, talks in themselves are not going to end the cycle of violence in Sri Lanka's Northeast ' which is why last week's optimism was overstated.
Tsunami governments under fire
[ Daily Mail ] [ 10:58 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
British international development charity ActionAid has criticised the governments of countries affected by the Asian tsunami for failing to protect survivors of the disaster from discrimination, land grabbing and violence. In a report launched yesterday at the United Nations' headquarters in New York, the charity attacks governments of tsunami-devastated regions for ignoring the human rights of many survivors and for neglecting the needs of the most vulnerable groups including women, children and ethnic minorities. The UN-commissioned survey of more than 50,000 people in 95 towns and villages in five countries - Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives - was conducted in November last year by ActionAid, the People's Movement for Human Rights Learning and Habitat International Coalition.
Security scare for Sri Lankan parliament
[ ABC News ] [ 11:11 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
A security scare has shut down Sri Lanka's parliament as two of the government's participants in the Geneva peace talks were named. A recent string of suspected Tamil Tiger rebel attacks on troops brought a 2002 truce to the brink of collapse, but tensions have eased since the two sides agreed last week to hold direct talks in Geneva, Switzerland. "Due to serious security concerns arising in parliament, the house will be suspended until February 14," speaker of the house W.J.M. Lokubandara told the chamber, as anti-terrorism police ushered law makers out of the building. The parliament, which lies in a high security zone on the outskirts of Colombo, had been scheduled to meet on Friday, before the next sitting day on February 14.
Will talks in Geneva dispel war clouds?
[ The Northeastern Monthly ] [ 12:00 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The school that propagates this opinion believes that the LTTE's agreement to go to Geneva rather than stick rigidly by its first choice, Oslo, vindicates this point of view. It has to be said however that this view is not correct. It might be correct to say that finding legitimacy in the eyes of the international community is indeed a political goal, perhaps an important political goal, but certainly not the most important one. The Tigers realised that relying entirely on international support for their cause would be suicidal, ever since India began undermining the Tamil struggle by cooperating with the Sri Lankan state, which culminated with the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. The LTTE might use the realities of international politics to push its own interests but does not depend entirely either on the international community, or on forces in the South Asian region, to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for it. Hence the LTTE is sceptical about placing the quest for international legitimacy above that of acquiring political and military capability to withstand its primary enemy ' the Sri Lankan state.
LTTE should not get trapped in talks once again
It is therefore important that the LTTE does not, once again, get trapped in talks and negotiations going nowhere. It will only prolong the uncertainty and agony of the Tamils people. If the Sri Lanka government indulges in its usual procrastination, it is better the LTTE quits the talks once and for all rather than persist in a fruitless venture, merely because of the persuasion of the peace lobby and the pressure brought by the international community. - The Northeastern Monthly ( February 2006)
Sri Lankan Abductions Call for International Intervention !
[ COPE-SL ] [ 12:07 GMT, Feb. 2, 2006 ]
The paramilitary forces working with and under the direction of SL Military Intelligence are reported to have carried out two abductions on the 29th and 30th of January 2006 at Welikande in the Government controlled area. In the first case, three officials of Pre-School Educational Development Centre, working under the aegis of TRO, a humanitarian aid agency assisting tsunami and war victims, were abducted while they were on their way to Kilinochchi on official duties. The next day, five relief workers of TRO were abducted at the same point. As a result, relief workers of other humanitarian agencies are reluctant and or refuse to work in those areas, thus worsening the condition of people already suffering under the effects of war and tsunami.We therefore strongly urge the Co-Chairs for Peace in SL, including EU and UN, as a first step, to bring pressure on the Sri Lankan Government to take immediate and meaningful action to ensure the safe and speedy return of the abducted persons.