July 27, 2011
AP Sri Lankan voters walk to polling stations as a policeman stands guard in Jaffna on July 23, 2011. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the umbrella organisation of Tamil political parties, recorded convincing victories in local body elections in Sri Lanka's north and east.
The sweeping victory of the Tamil National Alliance in local elections in Sri Lanka's North lends a fresh perspective to talks with the government that lie ahead.
More than two years ago the guns fell silent in Sri Lanka, ending a three decade-old civil war with the LTTE. But voices demanding an acceptable solution that accommodates Tamil aspirations are still strident. The country's leadership is seeking to meet these demands within a national unity framework.
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PM Heblikar | Friday, July 29, 2011
The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed on July 29, 1987 will soon enter its twenty-fifth year. It still remains the best example of an earnest attempt by both sides to provide a durable political solution to the ethnic issue and underscores the importance of mutual security interests.
This document has survived sabotage by the LTTE, faced opposition by several Sinhala chauvinist groups such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and reluctance of the ruling dispensations, at different periods of time, to give effect to those provisions having political and constitutional validity.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made the best attempt in 2001 to come to political terms with the LTTE by brokering a ceasefire, with a safety net provided by India, Japan, Norway and several other countries. While the ceasefire failed due to many reasons, it significantly caused the beginning of the end of the LTTE.
President Rajapaksa took the military option and eventually routed the LTTE in May 2009. The circumstances of the military defeat of the LTTE are mired in controversy, and Sri Lanka faces an uphill task to provide a credible defence to clear its alleged involvement in the ghastly death of LTTE combatants and Tamil civilians. Full Story>>>
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PM Heblikar: 25 years on, the Indo-Lanka Accord has some silver linings
PM Heblikar | Friday, July 29, 2011The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord signed on July 29, 1987 will soon enter its twenty-fifth year. It still remains the best example of an earnest attempt by both sides to provide a durable political solution to the ethnic issue and underscores the importance of mutual security interests.
This document has survived sabotage by the LTTE, faced opposition by several Sinhala chauvinist groups such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and reluctance of the ruling dispensations, at different periods of time, to give effect to those provisions having political and constitutional validity.
Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made the best attempt in 2001 to come to political terms with the LTTE by brokering a ceasefire, with a safety net provided by India, Japan, Norway and several other countries. While the ceasefire failed due to many reasons, it significantly caused the beginning of the end of the LTTE.
President Rajapaksa took the military option and eventually routed the LTTE in May 2009. The circumstances of the military defeat of the LTTE are mired in controversy, and Sri Lanka faces an uphill task to provide a credible defence to clear its alleged involvement in the ghastly death of LTTE combatants and Tamil civilians. Full Story>>>