Kachchatheevu map Saturday, August 13, 2011
By Easwaran RutnamSeveral Indian groups are threatening to invade the Kachchateevu island and hoist the Indian national flag.
The main opposition political party in India, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is making preparations to go by force to Kachchateevu off the Jaffna peninsula, which belongs to Sri Lanka.
President of the Tamil Nadu branch of the BJP, Ila Gansesan, told The Sunday Leader that several BJP supporters had made an attempt to go to Kachchateevu last weekend.
“We tried to go to Kachchateevu from Rameshwaram to hold a function but that attempt failed. We will now attempt to go and raise the Indian flag on the island. We have not set a date for that attempt as yet,” Ila Gansesan said.
He also said that several other groups in Tamil Nadu are expected to make a similar attempt tomorrow (Monday).
“Those groups that are trying to go on Monday are not connected to us. We will try to go separately,” Ila Gansesan said.
The Sri Lankan Navy has warned that it will take measures to prevent anyone from entering Sri Lanka’s territorial waters illegally.
“We take the responsibility of Sri Lanka’s territorial waters. If anyone attempts to cross the maritime boundary we will block them,” Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said.
Kachchateevu was ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974 but several Indian political groups have been demanding that the island be given back to India.
In June this year the Tamil Nadu government led by J. Jayalalithaa filed a petition in the Indian Supreme Court seeking the declaration of the 1974 agreement between India and Sri Lanka on ceding Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka as unconstitutional. The case is still being heard. Read More »
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Tales Of A Paradise Lost With Rajapaksas And The “Raja-pakshas”
Saturday, August 13, 2011 
The Ministry of Finance and Planning (MF&P) published a neat, large and a colourful book, detailing all its achievements in the yesteryear, titled Annual Report – 2010.
This comprehensive report talks of a steady increase in salaries over previous years in all sectors.
3.3 percent in the state sector, 41.6 percent in the agriculture sector, 7.1 percent in the industrial sector and 8.2 percent in the service sector – a record drop in unemployment to the lowest ever that is 4.9 percent, labour productivity increasing by 6.6 percent over the previous year achieving a per capita value of Rs. 343,000 in a grand performance with the Rajapaksa regime providing employed labour: the distinct advantage of a “National Productivity Policy”, “Sri Lanka Policy on Gender Equality”, “National Policy on Employment” and a “National Policy on Decent Work”. This is Rajapaksa regime’s “monumental” feat in taking care of its people.Read More »
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UN Time Bomb Ticks
Saturday, August 13, 2011 The United Nations wants Sri Lanka to act on the recommendations contained in the report submitted by a panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. UN Deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, speaking to The Sunday Leader, said that Sri Lanka has yet to officially respond to the report, also known as the ‘Darusman’ report.
External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris had told parliament early last month that the Sri Lanka government had responded to parts of the report.
He said that if the government had failed to respond then the opposition would have still found fault with the government.
However the UN deputy spokesperson said that the UN is waiting for a full response and is hopeful that such a response will be received.
“The Sri Lankan government has not yet responded to the UN panel report and we remain hopeful that they will respond soon. The UN report has mentioned actions which the Sri Lankan government must take and we hope that they will implement these actions and respond to the UN panel report,” Haq said.
UNP MP Lakshman Kirielle had said in parliament last month that while the government has consistently said it will not officially respond to the ‘Darusman report’ it had responded in part last February.
The MP tabled the government response to 31 points raised in the UN report and said that the response was given by the Presidential Secretariat.
The panel which compiled the report was led by Marzuki Darusman of Indonesia and included Yasmin Sooka of South Africa and Steven Ratner of the United States.
