srilanka1998
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Sri Lanka opposition clinches support of main Muslim party
[ Xinhua ] [ 02:36 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Sri Lankan main opposition party's presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has clinched the support of the main Muslim party in the forthcoming presidential election scheduled on Nov. 17. Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) told the media on Tuesday that his party had decided to back Wickremesinghe, the candidate of the opposite United National Party. Hakeem said his party "felt ample reasons why we should support Mr. Wickremesinghe and why we cannot support Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse (the ruling party's candidate)." Analysts pointed out that the SLMC support would be crucial to Wickremesinghe's chances of getting elected with the 50 percent plus one vote required.
CWC ministers to resign, extend support to Ranil
[ TamilNet ] [ 10:43 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Mr.Armugam Thondaman, CWC leader said at a media briefing Wednesday morning that the party's two ministers would tender their resignations from the UPFA government. He said the CWC has decided to support UNP leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in the forthcoming presidential election. The CWC further announced the 19 proposals that should be included in the agenda by the new Government. One of the proposals has urged the new government to resolve the ethnic problem through extensive power-sharing mechanism. Mr.Thondaman said that the UNP has accepted the 19 demands of the CWC in this regard. All the CWC parliamentarians participated in the press conference. CWC ministers will tender theri resignations to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge once she returns Colombo, Mr. Mr.Armugam said. Mr.M.S.Sellasamy and Mr.Muthu Sivalingam, CWC parliamentarians currently hold ministerial portfolios in the UPFA government.
Major problems revealed during tsunami relief efforts
[ NFR ] [ 10:47 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
The Asian tsunami relief effort was hampered by rivalries between agencies, according to the British Red Cross. The relief charity said there was no effective co-ordination and the wrong type of aid was sent. In a report into the aid response, the Red Cross said the 2004 Boxing Day disaster initially overwhelmed agencies. But lives were not lost as they grappled to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy. "In Sri Lanka there were 300-400 agencies responding and trying to provide help, we have to acknowledge that's difficult to manage. Effective co-ordination did not happen," he added. "Did it lead to people being disaffected with the response? The result is yes." Around 250,000 people were killed when the giant wave swept across south Asia, triggered by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Peace broker Norway to meet Tamil Tiger rebels to salvage Sri Lanka's peace process
[ AP ] [ 10:52 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
A top Norwegian diplomat will meet with Tamil Tiger rebel leaders on Thursday to try to keep Sri Lanka from sliding back into civil war, officials said. Hans Brattskar - Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka and a key player in the Norwegian-brokered 2002 cease-fire that halted two decades of ethnic conflict in the South Asian nation - was expected to travel Thursday to the northern rebel-held town of Kilinochchi, officials involved in the peace process said on condition of anonymity. While there, he will meet with S. P. Thamilselvan to discuss how to end a stalemate between the Tigers and government over where to hold crucial talks to review the shaky truce, the officials said. Norwegian Embassy spokeswoman Kjersti Tromsdal confirmed the meeting, but gave no details.
Sri Lanka minority parties back ex-PM's election bid
[ Reuters ] [ 10:53 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Two of Sri Lanka's minority parties pledged on Wednesday to back right-of-centre main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's bid for the presidency, but the November vote is still seen too close to call. The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) came out in support of Wickremesinghe, who has pledged a raft of subsidies in a major policy shift to win over the masses who voted his government out in 2004. "In coming to this decision we have considered the prospects for permanent peace and national development," CWC leader Arumugan Thondaman told a news conference. He said CWC, which represents hundreds of thousands of Indian-origin Tamils, was also pulling out of outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling coalition, further undermining the minority government.
Tamil Homeland commemorates martyrdom of 12 fighters
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 11:11 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Martyrdom of 12 Liberation Tigers including Lt.Col.Kumarappah and Pulendran who sacrificed their lives, having fallen into a web of conspiracy and subterfuge manipulated by Colombo during the IPKF period, is being commemorated today, 5 October 2005, with reverence in all parts of the Tamil Homeland. Just within a month after Thileepan protested against IPKF's intransigence and attained martyrdom with a difference by fasting unto death on 26 September 1987, eighteen years ago today on 5 October 1987, these 12 LTTE fighters were deceptively arrested and were about to be taken to Colombo, a conspiracy the fighters protested against, swallowed cyanide to avoid falling into the hands of the Sri Lankan authorities while the Indo-Sri Lanka pact was in force and attained martyrdom.
[ Xinhua ] [ 02:36 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Sri Lankan main opposition party's presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has clinched the support of the main Muslim party in the forthcoming presidential election scheduled on Nov. 17. Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) told the media on Tuesday that his party had decided to back Wickremesinghe, the candidate of the opposite United National Party. Hakeem said his party "felt ample reasons why we should support Mr. Wickremesinghe and why we cannot support Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse (the ruling party's candidate)." Analysts pointed out that the SLMC support would be crucial to Wickremesinghe's chances of getting elected with the 50 percent plus one vote required.
CWC ministers to resign, extend support to Ranil
[ TamilNet ] [ 10:43 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Mr.Armugam Thondaman, CWC leader said at a media briefing Wednesday morning that the party's two ministers would tender their resignations from the UPFA government. He said the CWC has decided to support UNP leader Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe in the forthcoming presidential election. The CWC further announced the 19 proposals that should be included in the agenda by the new Government. One of the proposals has urged the new government to resolve the ethnic problem through extensive power-sharing mechanism. Mr.Thondaman said that the UNP has accepted the 19 demands of the CWC in this regard. All the CWC parliamentarians participated in the press conference. CWC ministers will tender theri resignations to President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge once she returns Colombo, Mr. Mr.Armugam said. Mr.M.S.Sellasamy and Mr.Muthu Sivalingam, CWC parliamentarians currently hold ministerial portfolios in the UPFA government.
Major problems revealed during tsunami relief efforts
[ NFR ] [ 10:47 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
The Asian tsunami relief effort was hampered by rivalries between agencies, according to the British Red Cross. The relief charity said there was no effective co-ordination and the wrong type of aid was sent. In a report into the aid response, the Red Cross said the 2004 Boxing Day disaster initially overwhelmed agencies. But lives were not lost as they grappled to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy. "In Sri Lanka there were 300-400 agencies responding and trying to provide help, we have to acknowledge that's difficult to manage. Effective co-ordination did not happen," he added. "Did it lead to people being disaffected with the response? The result is yes." Around 250,000 people were killed when the giant wave swept across south Asia, triggered by an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Peace broker Norway to meet Tamil Tiger rebels to salvage Sri Lanka's peace process
[ AP ] [ 10:52 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
A top Norwegian diplomat will meet with Tamil Tiger rebel leaders on Thursday to try to keep Sri Lanka from sliding back into civil war, officials said. Hans Brattskar - Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka and a key player in the Norwegian-brokered 2002 cease-fire that halted two decades of ethnic conflict in the South Asian nation - was expected to travel Thursday to the northern rebel-held town of Kilinochchi, officials involved in the peace process said on condition of anonymity. While there, he will meet with S. P. Thamilselvan to discuss how to end a stalemate between the Tigers and government over where to hold crucial talks to review the shaky truce, the officials said. Norwegian Embassy spokeswoman Kjersti Tromsdal confirmed the meeting, but gave no details.
Sri Lanka minority parties back ex-PM's election bid
[ Reuters ] [ 10:53 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Two of Sri Lanka's minority parties pledged on Wednesday to back right-of-centre main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's bid for the presidency, but the November vote is still seen too close to call. The Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) came out in support of Wickremesinghe, who has pledged a raft of subsidies in a major policy shift to win over the masses who voted his government out in 2004. "In coming to this decision we have considered the prospects for permanent peace and national development," CWC leader Arumugan Thondaman told a news conference. He said CWC, which represents hundreds of thousands of Indian-origin Tamils, was also pulling out of outgoing President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling coalition, further undermining the minority government.
Tamil Homeland commemorates martyrdom of 12 fighters
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 11:11 GMT, Oct. 5, 2005 ]
Martyrdom of 12 Liberation Tigers including Lt.Col.Kumarappah and Pulendran who sacrificed their lives, having fallen into a web of conspiracy and subterfuge manipulated by Colombo during the IPKF period, is being commemorated today, 5 October 2005, with reverence in all parts of the Tamil Homeland. Just within a month after Thileepan protested against IPKF's intransigence and attained martyrdom with a difference by fasting unto death on 26 September 1987, eighteen years ago today on 5 October 1987, these 12 LTTE fighters were deceptively arrested and were about to be taken to Colombo, a conspiracy the fighters protested against, swallowed cyanide to avoid falling into the hands of the Sri Lankan authorities while the Indo-Sri Lanka pact was in force and attained martyrdom.