News vom 04.11.2005

[srilanka1998]

EU upgrades diplomatic level in Sri Lanka
[ Xinhua ] [ 02:17 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

The European Union (EU) has upgraded its representation level in Sri Lanka to maintain good relations between EU and the Indian Ocean island country, Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday in a press release. EU's delegation is now a fully-fledged diplomatic mission with an accredited Head of Delegation of ambassadorial rank based in Colombo, said the press release. With the upgrading, the staff of the EU delegation will be doubled and all operational decisions will be managed locally in Colombo by the expanded team. EU is a major development partner of Sri Lanka with over 150 million euros in aid to tsunami relief and reconstruction, and over 70 million euros in conventional development expenditure.


Opposition leader campaigns in Sri Lanka's Tamil heartland ahead of presidential election
[ AP ] [ 02:17 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Leading opposition presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe visited the heartland of Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil minority Thursday, promising a peace deal with Tamil Tiger rebels in two or three years and seeking support from government troops. Wickremesinghe signed a cease-fire with the rebels in 2002, when he was prime minister, halting two decades of fighting. Some among Sri Lanka's security forces and the country's majority ethnic Sinhalese saw the truce as a sellout that gave the Tigers too many concessions. Peace talks have stalled, and the cease-fire has become shaky amid rising violence.


Bloody Decade
[ Tamil Guardian ] [ 02:18 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Whilst outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga has, throughout her decade in power, been frequently economical with the truth, some of her statements have been extraordinarily fallacious. A case in point is her musings this week about her term in office. 'It gives me pride to say, 'she declared, 'that I have not stained my hands with mud or blood. 'Most Sri Lankans would agree she is wrong on both counts. Her invectives against her political opponents, her own party members and even international figures have startled friend and foe alike - to say nothing of supplying this newspaper with some excellent copy. And rather than having clean hands, Kumaratunga's term as President is stained with an extraordinary amount of blood, most, though not all, of it Tamil. And that is not include the thousands of Sinhala soldiers she sent to their deaths.


Canada's fraying anti-terror policy
[ The Toronto Star ] [ 04:22 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

The fair name of Canada as a caring and compassionate country is being tarnished because of the myopic policy followed by the Liberal government in dealing with the so- called "terror suspects." It is ridiculous for Prime Minister Paul Martin's government to blast Syria when the fault squarely lies with the Canadian government in providing false intelligence to the United States about Maher Arar. This duplicity and holier-than-thou attitude is a lot of baloney. It is a well-known fact that the Liberals opposed the amendment to the Immigration Act while in opposition, but once voted to power used the same law liberally to arrest, incarcerate and deport refugees after trial by kangaroo courts. It is extremely ridiculous to presume that four or five individuals pose a "threat to the national security" of Canada. This is a myth that is being perpetrated by CSIS.

 

[srilanka1998]

Norway's dual role in Sri Lanka criticized
[ Norway Post ] [ 11:03 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Norway's role in Sri Lanka has come under criticism during the nation's election campaign. Norway is both facilitating the peace talks as well as leading the international observer force in Sri Lanka. It is unfortunate that Norway is both mediating between the two sides in the civil war, and at the same time heading the observer force which is supposed to criticize those who break the cease fire. Norway will consider withdrawing from the leadership of the international observer force, says International Development Minister Erik Solheim. He underlines, however, that such a move must be taken in close cooperation with the two sides in the conflict.


Sri Lanka PM vows no more war on campaign trail with troops in Jaffna
[ AFP ] [ 11:47 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Sri Lanka's prime minister and presidential hopeful met with troops in the Tamil heartland and vowed there would be no more war with Tiger rebels. Premier Mahinda Rajapakse addressed soldiers in the Palaly military complex at the northern tip of the Jaffna peninsula, to drum up support for his candidature at the November 17 presidential election. "I want to be president not to start a war," he said in a text released to reporters here by his office. "I want to solve all problems facing this country in a peaceful manner." His remarks came a day after his main challenger, opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, made the same visit and vowed to cut a peace deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 'within two to three years.'


Sri Lankan Army prevents reconstruction activities of tsunami affected schools in Muthur East
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 11:56 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers vehemently refused five Sinhala officials from the Sri Lankan Division of International Education to go through the Kaddaiparichchan check point for a foundation laying ceremony of two tsunami-damaged schools. SLA forces from this check point said, 'there is no permission for Sinhalese people to go in LTTE controlled areas.' Uppooral and Ceenanveli villages in Muthur East were destroyed by the 26 December tsunami last year. Students in this area face many difficulties because of the lack of school facilities for the last eleven months. Novib-Oxfam from Netherlands recently came forward to assist the reconstruction of two schools in this area.


Sri Lanka rebels brush off poll, voters await signal
[ Reuters ] [ 12:22 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they are completely disinterested in the island's upcoming November17 presidential election, but voters in areas they control are waiting for a lead from the militants. In the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi some voters said they would prefer opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe -- who brokered a 2002 truce that halted two decades of war -- over Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, favorite of Sinhalese nationalists opposed to wide devolution to minority Tamils. But residents in and around the de facto capital of the seventh of the country the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) control say polling day turnout is up to the rebels. "We will act according to what the LTTE tell us," said storekeeper Suppiaah Ravi. "If they tell us to vote, we will vote, if they tell us not to, we will not."


Monitors fret over Northeast impact on polls
[ TamilGuardian ] [ 16:02 GMT, Nov. 4, 2005 ]

Amid a close race between the two leading contenders to be Sri Lankas's next President, election monitors are increasingly concerned that Tamil paramilitaries in the Northeast could affect the outcome of the November 17 polls.The chief EU election monitor, John Cushnahan, says he is worried there could be trouble in eastern areas where the Karuna Group, named after the renegade LTTE commander who lead it, is operating under the aegis of the Army. And reporters in the garrison town of Jaffna say the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), which has a history of electoral fraud, is campaigning for Rajapakse, ironically the Sinhala nationalists' candidate of choice.

 

[srilanka1998]

BBC singhala

Mahinda promises compensation for high security zone

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse told soldiers of the Palaly army camp that although he is free to visit the UK or London or wherever he is not free to visit cretin parts of the country.
Rajapaksha met the soldiers at the Palaly army camp and then addressed a public gathering at Nadeshwara College, Thelipalai Jaffna which is also situated in the high security zone.

Addressing the soldiers Rajapaksha said "The cease-fire needs to be revised" say agency reports.

The prime minister was accompanied by Hindu affairs minister Douglas Devananda and was able to talk to a few civilians.

In a broadcast over the state run radio station within the high security zone Rajphsha said" I am willing to make sacrifices for peace but there is one thing I am not willing to sacrifice that's my country"

UNP atrocities

Rajapaksha said that the Opposition UNP has committed many atrocities against the Tamils.

He said that the UNP is responsible for mass scale riots and massacres against the Tamils in 1983, vote rigging in the Northern Development Council elections and burning of the Jaffna library.

Quoting a prominent Tamil poet Rajapksha reminded the audience that burning the Library sacred to the people of Jaffna was similar to shooting down Lord Buddha.

He said that as a cumulative effect of the all these atrocities the peaceful voice of the Tamils is now drowned in the echo of the gun.

Rasjapaksha said that he wants to become President not to fight a war but to restore peace.

He also said that the civilians living in the security zone should be compensated for the hardships they are undergoing.

Meanwhile sources from the area say that there were posters urging voters to abstain from the polls.


Ranil promises peace

Opposition leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has made a rare visit to a military base in the north of the country which is mostly controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels.
Wickremesinghe -- who is the main opposition candidate in presidential elections due to be held in two weeks time -- told the troops if he was elected he would reach a permanent peace deal with the Tamil rebels within three years.

He said security concerns had prevented him from visiting the town of Jaffna which is under government control.

Correspondents say Wickremesignhe's visit was an attempt to woo the soldiers' votes and present himself as a man of peace.

His presidential rival, the current prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse, has adopted a more hardline approach towards the Tamil rebels.


EPDP member killed

Unidentified gunmen killed on Thursday an EPDP member who was engaged in distributing their newspaper, "Thinamurasu" .
The police who escorted him and the tri-shaw driver who transported them were also wounded.

I.Stalin, the editor of the 'Thinamurasu' told Sandeshaya that Arumugam Padmanathan, a father of two was attacked by the gunmen who came in motorbikes around 10.30 a.m. in the Batticaloa town.

He said that EPDP members had come under attack in previous occasions too and believed that this attack was also carried out by the LTTE.

Asked why the police did not retaliate, Stalin said that it was because the do not have firing orders.

"LTTE know that the police or the army will not shoot back", he said.

Thinamurasu Editor, Stalin said that attrocities confronted by them is not highlighted in the media.

"Media just ignore these incidents and sometimes distort information", Stalin added.