srilanka1998
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- 26. Juli 2005
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Donors defer Lanka visit
[ AP ] [ 11:24 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Top international donors have postponed a meeting with Tamil rebel leaders in Kilinochchi. They fear the meeting may hamper the upcoming peace talks between the Lankan government and the guerrillas. The Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said they consulted both sides and agreed to reschedule the meeting after the peace talks in Switzerland. One of the demands posed by the rebels is that they should be given direct access to foreign development funds.
Donors skip talks with Sri Lanka rebels after protests
Fri Feb 3, 5:07 AM ET
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's key international lenders postponed a meeting scheduled with Tamil Tiger guerrillas after protests from pro-government Buddhist monks and Marxists, officials said.
A party of Buddhist monks and the main Marxist party -- key backers of the Colombo government -- had protested to officials of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund about the planned meeting with the rebels.
The three international lenders said their meeting with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been rescheduled until after the guerrillas and the government hold talks in Geneva later this month to save their truce.
The monks and the Marxists argued the meeting would have given official recognition to the Tigers and legitimised their alleged attacks against security forces.
Sri Lanka's peacebroker Norway last week secured a deal between the two sides to meet in Switzerland, but the exact date has yet to be announced.
"The visit will be rescheduled after the Geneva meeting later this month," the lenders said in a statement on Friday.
"Much hope rests on a successful outcome at the Geneva talks and the agencies did not want to undertake anything that might have a negative impact on the build-up to this event," the lenders said.
The top representatives of the three lending institutions were due to travel to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Friday for talks with the head of the LTTE's political wing, S. P. Thamilselvan.
"A technical team has proceeded to Kilinochchi to review impediments to implementation of ongoing tsunami and post-conflict recovery programs," the financial institutions said in their joint statement.
Four previous peace attempts collapsed and led to more bloodshed on an island where more than 60,000 people have been killed in the Tamil separatist conflict since 1972.
Prominent European Academics Oppose EU's Travel ban on LTTE
[ NP ] [ 11:46 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
With one stroke the EU has given up the equidistant and impartial position that is imperative for a facilitator or intermediary in a conflict. This is all the more regrettable since the EU is not only the co-chair of the Tokyo Donor Conference but has strong economic connections with Sri Lanka through the export market, tourism and as a creditor and a donor. Travel bans and proscription of one party are utterly unhelpful in any negotiations. The strategy for peace making is dialogue. The EU cannot be allowed to neglect this simple truth. Our objective is, therefore, to have the ban against official visits of LTTE delegations to the EU lifted and to exert pressure on the EU to not to take the extremely destabilising step of banning the LTTE in Europe. This will certainly push the situation further into turmoil in Sri Lanka as well as force a considerable number of the hundreds of thousand of law abiding Tamil refugees living in Europe into illegality.
Merchants of Malevolence: The Human Rights Industry in Sri Lanka
[ TCNR ] [ 11:52 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
In a hard hitting statement released to the international media in London, England to condemn the assault, abduction and torture of five employees of the internationally renowned NGO called the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), the London-based International Association of Tamil Academics (IATA) lambasted some of the Tamil HR advocates in Colombo as merchants of malevolence. They specifically accused Ratnajeevan Hoole and Rajan Hoole for their preposterous and obnoxious statement in their official website that Elaiyathamby Dharmini was providing sexual services to the Sri Lankan navy. According to the people of Punkkudutivu this poor young girl was raped and her mutilated body was later found in a well near the Navy camp in Pungudutivu. But in their UTHR website under the caption, Murder in Mullaitivu, the malevolent Hoole brothers state the following against an illiterate, poor village girl who is now dead and therefore defenceless.
Abduction Of TRO Staff Members by Para-Militaries
[ TCWA ] [ 12:03 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
TCWA is appalled at the abduction of ten (10) staff members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) by para-militaries working with the Sri Lankan Armed forces in two separate but related incidents. The UN Resident/Humanitarian Co-coordinator's Office in Sri Lanka has condemned the abductions. A statement released by the office said 'the UN agencies in Sri Lanka deplore the reported abduction of 10 humanitarian aid workers ''..and call for their immediate release. These are humanitarian aid workers who devote their professional lives to serving those in need. Therefore, they have the right to respect and protection from harm.' Likewise the US embassy in Colombo has asked the relevant authorities to investigate the kidnappings. TRO is a registered NGO in Sri Lanka with 20 years of unblemished humanitarian service. Timely rescue and relief operations rendered by TRO to survivors of Tsunami disaster earned them world's accolade and admiration.
Civilians Pin Hopes for Peace on Geneva Talks
[ IPS ] [ 12:26 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Whether Sri Lanka's fragile peace continues to hold hinges on the outcome of talks, to be held this month in Geneva, between representatives of the government and Tamil Tiger rebels -- the first in almost three years. Already, the Sri Lankan government has named health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva as the man who will lead a team of politicians, officials and army officers to Geneva for the face-to-face with leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), as the Tigers are officially known. The talks, dates for which remain to be announced, are the result of sustained efforts by Norwegian special peace envoy Erik Solheim to preserve the truce which was coming unstuck following a sharp escalation of violence since Dec. 4, that resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people including 80 members of Sri Lankan security forces.
S.Lanka govt says to meet rebels Feb.15
Friday February 3, 7:33 PM
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government will meet Tamil Tiger rebels for Norway-facilitated talks in Switzerland from February 15, a minister said on Friday, but the Norwegian embassy said it had no confirmation of the dates.
"The President has informed me that peace talks are on the 15th," Trade and Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, who says he is one of the government negotiating team, told Reuters. "I am leaving (for Geneva)... on the 14th."
The Tigers could not immediately be reached for comment. Talks were likely to take two days, officials said, and would focus on implementation of a 2002 truce rather than broader issues. Diplomats said failure could mean a return to civil war.
S.Lanka says to probe kidnap of Tamil aid workers
[ Reuters ] [ 12:28 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka ordered an inquiry on Thursday into the fate of eight Tamil aid workers who Tamil Tiger rebels say were abducted by government-backed paramilitaries in a move that threatened crunch peace talks. The government had initially said reports that staff from the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) -- an agency seen as very close to the Tigers -- had been abducted near an eastern army checkpoint were a pure fabrication. "The government is launching a full-scale investigation into the alleged kidnap," Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told a media briefing after a cabinet meeting. The TRO said 10 of its staff were abducted in two separate incidents on Sunday and Monday, but that two from the first group had been released. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the kidnappings might make attending peace talks in Switzerland later this month difficult.
Sri Lanka Tigers say no firm dates for key talks
[ Reuters ] [ 13:12 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, angry at what they say was the army-linked abduction of eight Tamil aid workers, said on Friday they had not agreed a firm date for peace talks, contradicting a minister who said a date had been set."The LTTE chief negotiator is discussing this issue with the facilitators and we are in regular contact, but there are no firm dates at the moment," head of the rebel peace secretariat S. Puleedevan told Reuters by satellite phone.That contrasted sharply with the official government line from Trade and Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, who minutes earlier had said he would be leaving on Feb. 14 for talks in Geneva starting the following day."The President has informed me that peace talks are on the 15th," he said by telephone.
[ AP ] [ 11:24 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Top international donors have postponed a meeting with Tamil rebel leaders in Kilinochchi. They fear the meeting may hamper the upcoming peace talks between the Lankan government and the guerrillas. The Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank said they consulted both sides and agreed to reschedule the meeting after the peace talks in Switzerland. One of the demands posed by the rebels is that they should be given direct access to foreign development funds.
Donors skip talks with Sri Lanka rebels after protests
Fri Feb 3, 5:07 AM ET
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's key international lenders postponed a meeting scheduled with Tamil Tiger guerrillas after protests from pro-government Buddhist monks and Marxists, officials said.
A party of Buddhist monks and the main Marxist party -- key backers of the Colombo government -- had protested to officials of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund about the planned meeting with the rebels.
The three international lenders said their meeting with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has been rescheduled until after the guerrillas and the government hold talks in Geneva later this month to save their truce.
The monks and the Marxists argued the meeting would have given official recognition to the Tigers and legitimised their alleged attacks against security forces.
Sri Lanka's peacebroker Norway last week secured a deal between the two sides to meet in Switzerland, but the exact date has yet to be announced.
"The visit will be rescheduled after the Geneva meeting later this month," the lenders said in a statement on Friday.
"Much hope rests on a successful outcome at the Geneva talks and the agencies did not want to undertake anything that might have a negative impact on the build-up to this event," the lenders said.
The top representatives of the three lending institutions were due to travel to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Friday for talks with the head of the LTTE's political wing, S. P. Thamilselvan.
"A technical team has proceeded to Kilinochchi to review impediments to implementation of ongoing tsunami and post-conflict recovery programs," the financial institutions said in their joint statement.
Four previous peace attempts collapsed and led to more bloodshed on an island where more than 60,000 people have been killed in the Tamil separatist conflict since 1972.
Prominent European Academics Oppose EU's Travel ban on LTTE
[ NP ] [ 11:46 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
With one stroke the EU has given up the equidistant and impartial position that is imperative for a facilitator or intermediary in a conflict. This is all the more regrettable since the EU is not only the co-chair of the Tokyo Donor Conference but has strong economic connections with Sri Lanka through the export market, tourism and as a creditor and a donor. Travel bans and proscription of one party are utterly unhelpful in any negotiations. The strategy for peace making is dialogue. The EU cannot be allowed to neglect this simple truth. Our objective is, therefore, to have the ban against official visits of LTTE delegations to the EU lifted and to exert pressure on the EU to not to take the extremely destabilising step of banning the LTTE in Europe. This will certainly push the situation further into turmoil in Sri Lanka as well as force a considerable number of the hundreds of thousand of law abiding Tamil refugees living in Europe into illegality.
Merchants of Malevolence: The Human Rights Industry in Sri Lanka
[ TCNR ] [ 11:52 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
In a hard hitting statement released to the international media in London, England to condemn the assault, abduction and torture of five employees of the internationally renowned NGO called the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), the London-based International Association of Tamil Academics (IATA) lambasted some of the Tamil HR advocates in Colombo as merchants of malevolence. They specifically accused Ratnajeevan Hoole and Rajan Hoole for their preposterous and obnoxious statement in their official website that Elaiyathamby Dharmini was providing sexual services to the Sri Lankan navy. According to the people of Punkkudutivu this poor young girl was raped and her mutilated body was later found in a well near the Navy camp in Pungudutivu. But in their UTHR website under the caption, Murder in Mullaitivu, the malevolent Hoole brothers state the following against an illiterate, poor village girl who is now dead and therefore defenceless.
Abduction Of TRO Staff Members by Para-Militaries
[ TCWA ] [ 12:03 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
TCWA is appalled at the abduction of ten (10) staff members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) by para-militaries working with the Sri Lankan Armed forces in two separate but related incidents. The UN Resident/Humanitarian Co-coordinator's Office in Sri Lanka has condemned the abductions. A statement released by the office said 'the UN agencies in Sri Lanka deplore the reported abduction of 10 humanitarian aid workers ''..and call for their immediate release. These are humanitarian aid workers who devote their professional lives to serving those in need. Therefore, they have the right to respect and protection from harm.' Likewise the US embassy in Colombo has asked the relevant authorities to investigate the kidnappings. TRO is a registered NGO in Sri Lanka with 20 years of unblemished humanitarian service. Timely rescue and relief operations rendered by TRO to survivors of Tsunami disaster earned them world's accolade and admiration.
Civilians Pin Hopes for Peace on Geneva Talks
[ IPS ] [ 12:26 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Whether Sri Lanka's fragile peace continues to hold hinges on the outcome of talks, to be held this month in Geneva, between representatives of the government and Tamil Tiger rebels -- the first in almost three years. Already, the Sri Lankan government has named health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva as the man who will lead a team of politicians, officials and army officers to Geneva for the face-to-face with leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), as the Tigers are officially known. The talks, dates for which remain to be announced, are the result of sustained efforts by Norwegian special peace envoy Erik Solheim to preserve the truce which was coming unstuck following a sharp escalation of violence since Dec. 4, that resulted in the deaths of more than 120 people including 80 members of Sri Lankan security forces.
S.Lanka govt says to meet rebels Feb.15
Friday February 3, 7:33 PM
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's government will meet Tamil Tiger rebels for Norway-facilitated talks in Switzerland from February 15, a minister said on Friday, but the Norwegian embassy said it had no confirmation of the dates.
"The President has informed me that peace talks are on the 15th," Trade and Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, who says he is one of the government negotiating team, told Reuters. "I am leaving (for Geneva)... on the 14th."
The Tigers could not immediately be reached for comment. Talks were likely to take two days, officials said, and would focus on implementation of a 2002 truce rather than broader issues. Diplomats said failure could mean a return to civil war.
S.Lanka says to probe kidnap of Tamil aid workers
[ Reuters ] [ 12:28 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka ordered an inquiry on Thursday into the fate of eight Tamil aid workers who Tamil Tiger rebels say were abducted by government-backed paramilitaries in a move that threatened crunch peace talks. The government had initially said reports that staff from the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) -- an agency seen as very close to the Tigers -- had been abducted near an eastern army checkpoint were a pure fabrication. "The government is launching a full-scale investigation into the alleged kidnap," Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told a media briefing after a cabinet meeting. The TRO said 10 of its staff were abducted in two separate incidents on Sunday and Monday, but that two from the first group had been released. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said the kidnappings might make attending peace talks in Switzerland later this month difficult.
Sri Lanka Tigers say no firm dates for key talks
[ Reuters ] [ 13:12 GMT, Feb. 3, 2006 ]
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, angry at what they say was the army-linked abduction of eight Tamil aid workers, said on Friday they had not agreed a firm date for peace talks, contradicting a minister who said a date had been set."The LTTE chief negotiator is discussing this issue with the facilitators and we are in regular contact, but there are no firm dates at the moment," head of the rebel peace secretariat S. Puleedevan told Reuters by satellite phone.That contrasted sharply with the official government line from Trade and Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, who minutes earlier had said he would be leaving on Feb. 14 for talks in Geneva starting the following day."The President has informed me that peace talks are on the 15th," he said by telephone.