News vom 09.02.2006

[srilanka1998]

Annan Appoints Sri Lankan Human Rights Veteran As Envoy For War-Affected Children
[ Scoop ] [ 02:20 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

General Kofi Annan today appointed Radhika Coomaraswamy, an attorney and internationally recognized human rights advocate from Sri Lanka, as his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Now the chairperson of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, Mr. Coomaraswamy will advocate for the protection of youngsters ensnared in war, including child soldiers. The Sri Lankan served as the UN's Special Rapporteur on violence against women for nearly a decade ending in 2003.

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS RADHIKA COOMARASWAMY OF SRI LANKA

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today announced the appointment of Radhika Coomaraswamy of Sri Lanka as his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

Ms. Coomaraswamy, a lawyer by training and currently Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, is an internationally known human rights advocate who has done outstanding work as Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women (1994-2003). In her reports to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, she has written on violence in the family, violence in the community, violence against women during armed conflict and the problem of international trafficking. A strong advocate on women's rights, she has intervened on behalf of countless women throughout the world seeking clarification from Governments in cases involving violence against women.

Ms. Coomaraswamy was appointed Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in May 2003. She is also the Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies in Colombo. She is a member of the Global Faculty of the New York University School of Law and teaches a summer course at New College Oxford University every July. She has published widely, including two books on constitutional law and numerous articles on ethnic studies and the status of women.

Ms. Coomaraswamy has won many awards. These include: The International Law Award of the American Bar association, the Human Rights Award of the International Human Rights Law Group, the Bruno Kreisky Award of 2000, the Leo Ettinger Human Rights Prize of the University of Oslo, Cesar Romero Award of the University of Dayton, the William J. Butler Award from the University of Cincinnati, and the Robert S. Litvack Award from McGill University. In November 2005, in recognition of her service to the country and the world, the President of Sri Lanka conferred on her the title of 'Deshamanya'. She is the only woman to have received such a title.

Ms. Coomaraswamy is a graduate of the United Nations International School in New York. She received her B.A. from Yale University, her J.D. from Columbia University, an LLM from Harvard University and honorary PhDs from Amherst College, the University of Edinburgh and the University of Essex.​

Sri Lanka ex-president returns land gift amid court probe
[ AFP ] [ 02:21 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Sri Lanka's former president has returned her expensive retirement gift, her office announced after legal action was filed against her. Chandrika Kumaratunga on Tuesday handed back the 1.5 acre (0.68 hectare) area of land near the national parliament to the state, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Her office did not say what prompted her to return the highly valuable property, but a local newspaper editor had filed action against the previous cabinet for giving her state land. Editor Victor Ivan said Kumaratunga "was frightened" that the court case could develop into a corruption investigation and had decided to halt any investigation by giving up the land.

 

[srilanka1998]

Security News vom 09.02.2006

Tamil businessman abducted in Sri Lankan capital
Updated:2006-02-09 00:08:08
AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Unidentified gunmen abducted an ethnic Tamil businessman in the Sri Lankan capital in the latest of a spate of kidnappings across the country, police said Thursday.

Six men, two dressed in uniforms similar to the police, abducted Vadivel Ananthan Siva, 53, late Wednesday after stopping his vehicle in the busy Tamil neighborhood of Wellawatte in Colombo, police spokesman Rienzie Perera said.

Perera said police were investigating and that it was too early to determine a motive.

Sri Lanka has experienced a series of abductions, most of them blamed on armed groups opposed to the Tamil Tiger rebels. The rebels have also been blamed for some abductions.

Wednesday's kidnapping is the first known case in Colombo since violence flared between the rebels and the military in December despite a cease-fire signed three years ago. At least 150 people, including 81 government soldiers, have been killed.

The pro-rebel Web-site, TamilNet, also reported the Wednesday's abduction and said the men who abducted Siva spoke Tamil. It gave no other details.

Representatives from the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Feb. 22-23 in an effort to bolster the 2002 cease-fire, which has come under severe strain due to spiraling violence.

The rebels have threatened to resume their campaign for a separate homeland unless Tamil grievances are met soon.


UNP demands Geneva talks agenda
Thursday, February 09,2006

COLOMBO: The main Opposition UNP Wednesday demanded to know the agenda for the talks between the Government and the LTTE when they meet in Geneva on February 22.
While welcoming the upcoming talks, the UNP said that the Government has yet to reveal the agenda, which is of paramount importance 'Is it only confined to the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA)?', the party queried.
'Dates for the Geneva peace talks have been fixed and representatives nominated by the Government as well as the LTTE. But the agenda has still not been prepared. The importance of the agenda is elucidated from the LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham's statement made to Norwegian special peace envoy Erik Solhiem on January 25, that the only item on the agenda is the stabilization of the CFA', a statement said.
Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa had said that an agenda for the Geneva peace talks has still not been prepared.
'The United National Party, which had taken a clear stand on the peace talks from the very beginning, requested the agenda for the Geneva talks, but the Government had failed to respond. Consequent to yesterday's (08) discussion on the Geneva peace talks, held under the patronage of the President, an official announcement has been made that all parties should come to a consensus for the sake of the country's future. Further, it was stated that problems arising in the course of the peace talks with the LTTE and ways and means of implementing the agreement, should be discussed by the parties.
The agenda is necessary, at this juncture the Government should not save face by saying that the agenda has still not been prepared' the release said and pressurised the Government to tell the country whether the agenda is confined to the CFA.


Swiss Ambassador to meet Thamilselvan today
Ananth Palakidnar

COLOMBO: The Ambassador of Switzerland Bernadino Regazzoni will have talks with the LTTE's political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan in Kilinochchi today over the place of accommodation and other travel related issues with regard to the forthcoming talks between the Government and the LTTE in Geneva on February 22 and 23.

The Swiss envoy will be accompanied by the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar to Kilinochchi today.

"Norway will play the role of the facilitator and the Swiss will look into the matters of security and accommodation of the representatives of the Government and the LTTE when they arrive in Switzerland for talks "the political advisor at the Swiss embassy Martin Sturzinger said.

Sturzinger told the Daily News that the Swiss Government has suggested certain places in Geneva to hold the talks. Those places were discussed with the Government side. Further discussions would be held today with the LTTE leadership over the arrangements in Geneva.

"Geneva had been a venue for several talks of this nature in the past. The talks on the Sudanese crisis ended in Geneva successfully. So let us hope for the best. The Swiss Government is happy to accommodate the two Lankan sides in Geneva.

We will also assist the Norwegian facilitator in all logistic arrangements with regard to the CFA talks in Geneva," Martin Sturzinger added.


Lanka gives in to pressure on Iran nuke issue
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The Island
Publication Date : 2006-02-09

Wilting under heavy US-EU pressure, Sri Lanka voted against Iran over the hotly disputed nuclear programme.

Sri Lanka's voted against Iran at the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna referring it to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme last Saturday (Feb 4).

Sri Lanka's Ambassador based in Austria Aruni Wijewardene voted with Vienna based representatives of 26 other countries, a government spokesperson said. Of the 35 member states representing the Board of Governors of the IAEA only Cuba, Syria and Venezuela voted against the US and EU backed resolution. South Africa is among five African nations which abstained.

An Iranian embassy spokesperson, based in Colombo, strongly criticised the US-led action. He criticised the decision to call a special meeting of the IAEA ahead of the scheduled meeting in March. "This is all part of their strategy to make a case against us," he said.

The anti-Iran action comes in the backdrop of talks between Iran and the Russian Federation to find out a way out of the crisis triggered by efforts to target Iran.

India and Pakistan, too voted against Iran. A senior official said that Sri Lanka stood by Iran last year. Sri Lanka was among 13 countries which extended support to Iran when the IAEA passed a resolution castigating Iran for alleged non-compliance with nuclear non-prolif eration standards. Lanka abstained while India voted in favour of the resolution.

The spokesperson claimed that the resolution received the backing of 27 countries after it was watered-down. In fact it was not a formal referral to the UN Security Council, the spokesman said.

India's backing triggered protests with 61 Communist Member of Parliaments (MPs) in the 545-member national parliament. "Despite being such a great nation it is unfortunate that India has gone down on her knees before the United States on Iran," Communist Leader Abani Roy was recently quoted by NDTV news channel.

The Island learnt that the US raised the issue with President Mahinda Rajapakse and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera recently. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns is believed to have requested Rajapakse's support during the recently concluded visit.

It was part of the strategy to mobilise support for, what a veteran diplomat termed as, UN action against Tehran.

US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack recently claimed that Iran has much of what it needs to build a nuclear bomb and lacks only the know-how to put the pieces together.

The comments by department spokesman constituted the second worrying assessment by the United States.

McCormack said the Iranians had the highly trained scientists, electrical infrastructure, raw materials and machining equipment that were all necessary for producing an atomic bomb.

 

[srilanka1998]

Tamil businessman abducted in Colombo
[ AP ] [ 11:16 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Unidentified gunmen abducted an ethnic Tamil businessman in the Sri Lankan capital in the latest of a spate of kidnappings across the country, police said on Thursday. Six men, two dressed in uniforms similar to the police, abducted Vadivel Ananthan Siva, 53, late on Wednesday after stopping his vehicle in the busy Tamil neighbourhood of Wellawatte in Colombo, police spokesman Rienzie Perera said. Perera said police were investigating and that it was too early to determine a motive. Sri Lanka has experienced a series of abductions, most of them blamed on armed groups opposed to the Tamil Tiger rebels.


Sri Lanka main opposition presses for agenda for talks with Tigers
[ Xinhua ] [ 11:21 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party (UNP) has urged the government to disclose its agenda for proposed direct talks with the Tamil Tigers. Tissa Attanayake, the UNP spokesman, said Wednesday it was high time that the government revealed to the public the agenda for talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels which is scheduled to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, later this month. Attanayake said the LTTE has gone on record saying that the talks will be restricted to the subject of the February 2002 ceasefire agreement. "The government must tell people the items in the agenda," Attanayake stressed. The government and the LTTE are to meet on Feb. 22 and Feb. 23 - - the first direct talks between the two sides since March 2003.


The Essence of the Geneva Talks
[ TamilCanadian ] [ 11:28 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Who is fearful of attending the forthcoming Geneva meeting, the GOSL or the LTTE?. Mr M.P.D. Dissanayake opens his article entitled ‘Review of Ceasefire Agreement” (Lankaweb, Feb.3, 2006) with the startling proposition that it is the LTTE that will attend this session most reluctantly, and do everything they can to postpone these talks indefinitely. He mouths this idea, despite the fact that it is the LTTE that has been seeking to revitalize the terms of the Agreement. On reading Mr Dissanayake's article, it is obvious that he, like the present GOSL, will resort to every tactic to replace the existing CFA with an unrecognizable substitute, despite the fact that the primary objective of the meeting is to ensure the effective implementation of the existing CFA, not the replacement of it with a GOSL-authored alternative.


Mansion plans on hold for Chandrika
[ BBC Sinhala Service ] [ 11:37 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

"My aim was to humiliate her for engaging in this fraudulent act" Ravaya editor Victor Ivan says the former president’s handing back the land she got for her future home should not signal the end of the controversy. The editor, who filed the petition claiming the action of the cabinet was illegal, says that he is pleased that former president had finally decided to give the land back. Former president Chandrika Kumaratunge had decided to hand back the plot of land designated for her future residence near the parliamnt in Kotte. The land was gifted to the former president after a decision made by the cabinet. President Kumaratunge was the head of state and the head of cabinet at the time of the decision.


Tamil Nadu Politics: All eyes on Vaiko
[ News Today ] [ 12:59 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Every run-up to an election throws up its own hero (of sorts). Last time around, it was the maverick Dr S Ramadoss. In this take-off to the Tamilnadu Assembly election, MDMK's Vaiko is the cynosure of all. The question on every political pundit's lip is: Will he or won't he. The puzzlement of the query refers to whether he would stay within the folds of the DPA or switch over to the AIADMK camp, from where there are already enough open feelers. The AIADMK is trying to play up on the MDMK's sense of insecurity within the DPA. In fact, the MDMK felt short-changed during the last general elections when the DMK came across as being 'mean' when it came to seat-allocation.


Sri Lanka eyes prisoner swap with Tigers
[ Reuters ] [ 13:02 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers are considering a prisoner swap to pave the way for trust building at talks this month that could be the island's last chance for peace, a government negotiator said on Thursday. "The Tigers are holding two police constables we are hoping will be released before talks begin," Trade Minister and peace envoy Jeyaraj Fernandopulle said in an interview in the midst of preparations for the talks in Switzerland. "The Tigers have requested some people be released ... a reciprocal prisoner exchange."


Sri Lanka names negotiators amid Norway, Swiss moves
[ AFP ] [ 13:03 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Peacebroker Norway and talks host Switzerland have stepped up diplomatic moves to arrange face-to-face talks between Sri Lanka's warring parties as Colombo named more peace negotiators. Norway's top envoy here, Hans Brattskar, and Swiss ambassador Bernadino Regazzoni flew to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi to arrange for Tiger negotiators to travel to Geneva in two weeks, a government official said. "They will try to finalise travel plans for the Tiger delegation," an official close to the peace process said.


Government names three ministerial delegation for peace talks with Tamil rebels
Updated:2006-02-09 06:10:44
By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
AP

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka's government on Thursday announced the names of three Cabinet ministers who will take part in peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels later this month.

Government spokesman Anura Yapa said health minister Nimal Siripala de Silva will head the delegation. Trade minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and investment minister Rohitha Bogollagama will join him.

The government and Tamil Tigers are scheduled to meet Feb. 22-23 in Geneva, Switzerland - their first meeting in nearly three years.

The Tigers have named chief negotiator Anton Balasingham to head their team.

Other members of the rebel delegation will be Jeyam, a battle-hardened rebel officer; B. Nadesan, the chief of the LTTE police force; and Ilanthirayan, a former political head in the restive eastern Batticaloa region. Some rebels use only one name.

Balasingham's Australian wife, Adele, will be the secretary. She held the same a role at earlier peace talks.

"The discussion at the forthcoming talks is to be on a meaningful cease-fire," Yapa said.

A Norway-brokered cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam came under severe strain in recent weeks with frequent violence in Sri Lanka's ethnic Tamil-majority north and east.

About 81 government security forces have been killed in attacks blamed on the rebels while the Tigers accuse the government of harassing and killing Tamil civilians.

The Tigers started their violent campaign in 1983 to carve out a separate state for minority Tamils accusing majority Sinhalese of discrimination.

More than 65,000 people were killed in the fighting before the cease-fire. Peace talks broke down in 2003 over disagreements on postwar power sharing.


Sri Lanka hard-line sinhala military brutal terror
[ Scoop ] [ 17:28 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

“Sri Lanka hard-line sinhala military has from time to time unleashed brutal terror, The recent violence in the name of ‘Karuna group’ is a continuation of this terror by the SLA,” said Mr. E. Kausalyan, the political wing leader of the Liberation Tigers in the East, speaking to journalists at the secretariat in Kokkadicholai. “Under the ceasefire agreement, the Sri Lanka was obligated to disarm all its paramilitary groups within 60 days. If the GoSL had fulfilled its obligation, there would have been no chance for violence,” observed Mr. Kausalyan. “By using the individuals and paramilitary groups that have been working with the SLA since well before the ceasefire agreement, SLA is engaged in operations against the Tamil people.”


“Ensure a peaceful environment for talks to begin” - Tamilselvan to Norwegian and Swiss Ambassadors
[ LTTE Peace Secretariat ] [ 17:32 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

Reiterating the understanding reached between the Norwegian delegation and the Tamil National Leader in the last meeting on 25 Jan 2006, Mr.S.P.Tamilselvan, Head of the Political Wing told the Norwegian and Swiss Ambassadors that bringing about an attitudinal change in Colombo vis-à-vis military violence against civilians in occupied areas is very vital in the present context. Mr.Tamilselvan thanked the Swiss Ambassador and conveyed Tamil peoples’ and the Leadership’s appreciation of the government of Switzerland and its people for the offer of assistance in hosting the important meeting between the parties to the CFA. He also thanked the government of Norway for the sincere hard work put into this exercise and making this a reality.Associated with Mr.Tamilselvan in the meeting was Mr.P.Nadesan, Head of Tamil Eelam Police, Col.Jeyam, Secretary General LTTE Peace Secretariat Mr.S.Pulidevan and Mr.Ilanthirayan.


Back from the brink of war?
[ CWI ] [ 21:03 GMT, Feb. 9, 2006 ]

In seven weeks more than 100 people had been killed, most of them members of Sri Lanka's armed forces. But on 23 January, two key figures involved in efforts to renew peace talks arrived in the capital, Colombo. A resumption of the war has been inherent in the situation. Tensions and hostilities have escalated since the election as president, last November, of Mahinda Rajapakse. He was backed by Sinhala chauvinist forces - the JVP (People's Liberation Front) and the JHU (Buddhist Monks' organisation). They do not want any talks to take place with the separatist Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), especially if there is any hint of granting some kind of autonomy to the North and East of the island, let alone self-determination.