Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Emergency our baby says Gota

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says the state of emergency will not be removed to make India, the US or UK happy. He says the President will decide what’s best.

India has been pushing Sri Lanka to repeal the emergency laws which were in place mainly as a security measure during the war against Tamil Tiger rebels.

With the defeat of the LTTE two years ago the Indian government has continuously said that the emergency laws should be withdrawn.Read More »

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Residents inJaffnahave today held a protest against the arresting of about 100 persons in the Navanthurai area following a clash between villagers and the army.
The protest was reportedly held outside the Human Rights office inJaffnaby parents and relatives of the persons arrested by the police during the clash.

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Sri Lanka MPs to probe 'grease-devil' violence

23 August 2011 Last updated at 07:45 ET

Puttalam town on Monday (Photo: Prasad Purnimal Jayamanne)

Sri Lanka is to set up committees led by MPs to probe a wave of vigilante violence, sparked by a fear of night-time prowlers known as "grease devils".

President Mahinda Rajapaksa says committees led by government MPs will work with police to tackle the problem plaguing rural areas in Sri Lanka.

The "grease devils" have been accused of assaulting women at night in recent weeks. Residents have accused the security forces of involvement in the attacks. Full Story>>>

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Costly foreign PR firms make no impact in UK, US and India - UNP

August 22, 2011, 8:39 pm

Ravi

By Shamindra Ferdinando

In spite of having hired at least three foreign PR firms to lobby, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, in the US, UK and India, the country is facing growing criticism on the diplomatic front, government sources acknowledged.

Sources told The Island that the US and UK would step up pressure in the run-up to the forthcoming Sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. They alleged that Channel 4 News, which produced ‘Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields’ at the behest of the UK-based LTTE hadn’t faced any opposition at all from those hired to protect Sri Lanka’s image.

Full Story>>>

Jack Layton dead at 61

Jack Layton: 1950-2011.

The federal New Democratic Party, led by Jack Layton, pictured in June, raised $3.1 million in the second quarter of this year, and has brought in more money in the first six months of 2011 than it did all of 2010.

Statement today from Jack Layton's wife and two children: "We deeply regret to inform you that The Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today, Monday August 22. He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones. Details of Mr. Layton’s funeral arrangements will be forthcoming."

DARRYL DYCK/CANADIAN PRESS
Joanna SmithOttawa Bureau

OTTAWA–Jack Layton, the New Democratic Party leader who led his party to Official Opposition status in this year’s federal election, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 61.

“We deeply regret to inform you that the Honourable Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada, passed away at 4:45 am today,” his wife, MP Olivia Chow, and children Michael and Sarah Layton, said in a statement. “He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones.”

Also with him early Monday morning were his mother-in-law Ho Sze Chow and his brother Rob Layton, a
source close to Layton told the Star. Full Story>>>
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Thank you Jack!

By: Gary Anandasangaree

Jack Layton has been part and parcel of the Tamil Canadian community since the late 1980’s. Initially as a member of the Toronto City Council, Jack worked with a wide range of community members, on issues ranging from landlord tenant concerns, to international human rights. Jack developed very personal relationships over the years that have withstood the test of time. I want to share some of my very personal experiences with Jack.

I first met when the Canadian Tamil Youth Development Centre (CanTYD) was seeking the help of Toronto City Council over funding of its youth programs. I was struck by how much he knew about the issues confronting youth, and more particularly, Tamil youth. He was an ardent supporter of CanTYD and he made some important contacts for us to pursue proper funding for the organization – funding that continues to this day. Full Story>>>
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Remembering a good friend and a great Canadian

The Canadian Tamil Congress is deeply saddened by the loss of a great Canadian and an outstanding politician, Mr. Jack Layton, the leader of the federal New Democratic Party. Mr. Layton devoted his life to ensure that all Canadians - the young, the elderly, the newly immigrated, the impoverished, etc. – were treated equitably.

To Tamil Canadians, Jack was more than a parliamentarian; he was a dear friend who supported us during difficult times and often engaged with community members to gain a better understanding of their concerns. Jack and his party played an instrumental role in organizing the emergency debate during the recent conflict in Sri Lanka; and more recently, after Jack had consulted our community, the NDP passed a resolution at their policy convention in Vancouver calling on the United Nations to establish an independent, international and impartial mechanism to ensure truth, accountability and justice in Sri Lanka.

full story

100 arrests over Sri Lanka sex offender scare

Tue,23 Aug 2011Agence France-Presse
Colombo, August 23, 2011

Police carried out mass arrests in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday after residents clashed with troops alleged to have protected so-called "grease devil" sex offenders, officials said.At least 102 men were taken into custody in the Jaffna region when residents smashed two military vehicles, in a protest against the alleged sheltering of sex offenders by soldiers.

Police carried out mass arrests in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday after residents clashed with troops alleged to have protected so-called "grease devil" sex offenders, officials said. At least 102 men were taken into custody in the Jaffna region when residents smashed two military
the alleged sheltering of sex offenders by soldiers.

"Grease devils" is a common local term for men who sneak into private houses at night to molest sleeping women. They are popularly said to cover themselves in grease to evade capture.

Tuesday's clash was the first outbreak of violence between troops and minority Tamils in northern Sri Lanka since the military crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, ending nearly four decades of ethnic civil war.

The overnight unrest came a day after a mob killed a constable who tried to rescue a drunk fishermen mistakenly taken by residents to be a "grease devil", police said.

Fears about sex offenders have spread rapidly through the villages of Sri Lanka over the past month, and last week in the island's central region two men also suspected of being sex offenders were killed by locals.

Some Sri Lankans blame soldiers and police of being involved in the alleged "grease devil" activity and of protecting the offenders, a claim the authorities have vehemently rejected.

Police said they had arrested at least 100 suspected sexual offenders in the past three months.
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tissa, dew, vasu for devolution

TUESDAY, 23 AUGUST 2011

By Sandun A. Jayasekera

Say UNP has big role to play in finding solution

The combined Socialist Alliance (SA) yesterday strongly supported the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) as a means of finding a lasting solution to the North-East conflict and said the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) report could be used as a launching pad to start talks.

Lanka Sama Samaja Party leader and Senior Minister Tissa Vitharana told a media conference that it was sad to see some members of the government and the opposition having a misconception that development alone could resolve the longstanding ethnic conflict.

Monday, August 22, 2011

SL Tamils: Ministers Discuss Strategy for Parliament

With the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils slated to be discussed in Lok Sabha tomorrow, senior ministers today held a meeting to discuss the government's stand on the matter.

The meeting attended by Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy discussed the issue as also certain bills likely to be taken up.

Several MPs are eager to express their sentiments on the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka through a discussion in the House.

On August 16, DMK leader T R Baalu had initiated the discussion on the steps taken by the Centre for relief and resettlement of Tamils in Sri Lanka and other measures to promote their welfare.

Since the House was adjourned, the discussion will resume tomorrow.

FILED ON: AUG 22, 2011 18:23 IST
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Indian conference for Tamil parties

By P Sivaramakrishnan
BBC Tamil service


	The issues discussed are to be taken to the Indian Parliament

A conference aimed at bringing the Tamil parties on a common platform for the welfare of Tamils in Sri Lanka is being organised by a group of Indian Parliamentarians.

The conference on "Agony and Solace" is organised by the Indian Parliamentarian Forum on Human Rights-For Global Development-PFHRGD in the capital New Delhi on 23 and 24 August.

Organisers PFHRGD say this conference would bring the Tamil Parties together in formulating a proposal on finding a permanent solution to the decade’s long ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

Full Story>>>

Police officer killed in Sri Lanka "Grease Devil" riot

By Ranga Sirilal and Shihar Aneez COLOMBO | Sun Aug 21, 2011

(Reuters) - Angry Sri Lankans killed a police officer on Sunday in the latest outbreak of violence sparked by a fear of nocturnal prowlers known popularly as "Grease Devils" that has gripped rural areas in the island nation over the past two weeks.

Another officer and five other people were hurt in two separate incidents in the northwestern Sri Lanka town Puttalam, after residents gave chase to a suspected "grease devil," police and witnesses said.

Full Story>>>
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Sri Lanka: No half-way or middle path in HR concerns

Sri Lanka’s official war report entitled ‘Humanitarian Operation—A Factual Analysis’ devotes considerable effort and space to the LTTE crimes. Now that the Tamil Tigers are history, harping on their brutalities serves no purpose. If the intent is juxtaposing the government campaign against the LTTE operations, it is a crude attempt to white wash the ‘war crimes’ particularly since there are no answers to what had happened to the missing 11000 people. There is no half-way or middle path in Human Rights. Either a comprehensive refutation with evidence to buttress its claims or convincing narrative to justify war theater actions will only bring reprieve to beleaguered Colombo.
Full story

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A Multi Billion Rupee Blunder a.k.a The Rajapaksas

Monday, August 22, 2011

$85 million (Rs. 9 billion) sought from China to blast Hambantota port rock

By Indika Sri Aravinda

Sri Lanka has sought more money from China to remove a massive rock in the seabed near the entrance of the Hambantota port.
Hambantota port chief engineer Agil Hewageegana told The Sunday Leader that Sri Lanka has sought US $85 million from China (Over Rs. 9 billion) for this purpose.
He said that the money will also be used to complete some of the work on the port itself, which has been built with Chinese assistance.

Busines 21 August 2011

The government of Sri Lanka has granted a $10m (£6.1m) import credit to the Republic of Maldives.
Analysts say the agreement signed in Colombo on Thursday during a visit to the island by President of Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed, is mutually beneficial to both countries.

The Maldives archipelago which mainly relies on the tourism industry is currently facing a foreign exchange crisis, according to Amal Jayasinghe, the AFP bureau chief in Colombo. Full Story>>>

The Maldives have a seevere shortage of foreign exchange
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War Widows, A Legacy Of The Civil War

Monday, August 22, 2011

By Dinouk Colombage

War widows learning to cope with day to day life again

The social upheaval caused by the Sri Lankan civil war is being clearly seen through the enormous number of widows living in the North and the East of the island. The government recently released a statistic which stated that there are over 59,000 war widows residing in those regions.
TNA MP, Suresh Premachandran has vehemently denied this, claiming that the figure stands much higher.

Going for broke

The Rajapaksas are viscerally opposed to sharing power with anyone, including Sinhalese and even fellow SLFPers. They want to keep all power within the Family. That is the main impediment to devolution in post-war Sri Lanka.

by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“For both Prabhakaran’s war of national liberation and Rajapaksa’s war for national sovereignty, one unstated motive assumed the greatest significance – the entrenchment of unchallenged personal power”. UTHR-J (Special Report No 34 – 13.12.2009)

(August 21, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Sri Lanka is to buy 14 Mi-171 military helicopters from Russia, two+ years after the war was won. Read More

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Devil of a problem

Women are traumatised and communities are going paranoid as the ‘grease yaka’ fear psychosis spreads.

Chris Kamalendran and Saradha Mohan Kumar report

At 3.00 in the afternoon last Monday, a married woman in Akkaraipattu, who was alone at home with her one-year-old daughter, was heading to the toilet when someone seized her from behind in a powerful grip. A man’s hand closed over her mouth. She tried to struggle and scream, but could not. She tried kicking, when she realised there was another man in the room.