Lanka in N-talks with Pak after India’s UN vote snub

Jayanth Jacob, Hindustan Times  New Delhi, July 14, 2013

In an apparent tit for tat, Sri Lanka is moving in the direction of a nuclear pact with Pakistan after India voted against it at the UN this year.

At the same time, it is dragging its feet on a similar pact with India by not scheduling talks despite Delhi’s keenness to conclude the agreement soon.

India had offered Sri Lanka a comprehensive nuclear pact  that would deal with all aspects of civil nuclear cooperation, including safety and training of professionals. One round of talks was held in October last year, and India also sent the southern country a draft pact.

But since then, Delhi has been waiting for a Lankan response on dates for further talks. Official sources said, “We are yet to hear from them,” despite offering a “comprehensive pact”.

Meanwhile, sources said foreign secretary-level talks between Sri Lanka and Pakistan have identified civil nuclear technology as a major area of cooperation.

Statements made by Lankan authorities show their intent to negotiate nuclear deals with both India and Pakistan, sources said.

Sri Lanka’s overtures to Pakistan are of concern to India, which sees its western neighbour as a country “with dubious non-proliferation records”. It also has issues with Colombo overlooking its intention to give it the best possible deal. The second vote against Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue at the UN human rights council in March this year upset the country.

Of the 25 countries that voted against Sri Lanka, only India and South Korea were from Asia. Thirteen members, including Pakistan and China, voted against the resolution and eight abstained. India had voted against Sri Lanka in 2012 as well.

SC NOTICE TO INDIAN GOVT ON RECLAIMING KATCHATHEEVU

July 15, 2013 

The Supreme Court of India Monday issued notice to the central government on a petition by DMK chief M. Karunanidhi seeking the reclaiming of the Katchatheevu Island whose control India conceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s.

The petition also sought the restoration of fishing rights of Tamil fishermen hailing from Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts near Katchatheevu Island.

The apex court bench of Chief Justice Altamas Kabir, Justice F.M.I. Kalifulla and Justice Vikramajit Sen issued the notice on the petition which sought the declaration of two agreement of June 1974 and March 1976 by which India gave Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka as unconstitutional.

Karunanidhi urged the court to direct the government to reclaim the island as a part of Tamil Nadu and an integral part of India.

Katchatheevu Island located about 10 miles northeast of Rameswaram is an uninhabited area. Ever since the control of Katchatheevu Island was given to Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu fishermen were deprived of fishing in the area.

The fishermen from Ramanathapuram, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts were using Katchatheevu Island during their fishing activities for drying nets and resting.

The petition urged the court to direct the government to compensate the fishermen who lost their lives and property in the course of attack on them by Sri Lanka.

The DMK leader said the conceding of the control of the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka was “unconstitutional”. - IANS

Another PS member arrested

MONDAY, 15 JULY 2013 

A UNP Pradeshiya Sabha member of the Matale PS was arrested today over an alleged assault on a group of employees at a restaurant on July 6.

The arrested PS member would be produced in court tomorrow, the Police said.

The Matale Police are conducting further investigations in order to arrest other individuals who were alleged to have been involved in the assault

Death sentence for two brothers and a friend

MONDAY, 15 JULY 2013 

Three people, who were found guilty of having murdered William Hettiarachchi of Anguruwella in 1996, were today sentenced to death by Kegalle Magistrate Menaka Wijesundare.

The three – two brothers and their friend were also found guilty of having robbed Rs.500,000 and were Rs.10,000 and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. (Rohan Kumara)

Namal looking for lands on the Mt. Lavinia beach strip

Details Created On Monday, 15 July 2013 16:33 Category: General

Owners of establishments related to the tourism industry along the beach stretch from Wellawatte to Mt. Lavinia were summoned for a meeting recently by MP Namal Rajapaksa at the Mt. Lavinia Hotel. The meeting was called to inquire about the lands that are not being used along the coast.

Although Namal’s meeting was aimed at discussing the promotion of tourism along the beach stretch along Wellawatte and Mt. Lavinia, the Coast Conservation Ministry, the Board of Investments and the economic Development Ministry were not informed of the meeting. Therefore, officials from these institutions were not present at the meeting.
A businessman who attended Namal’s meeting said that it was summoned by Namal alone and the main aim was to gather information about unoccupied lands along the Wellawatte beach stretch.

Godahewa ordered to pay for his expenses in the Seychelles

Details

 

Created On Monday, 15 July 2013 16:47

Category: General

The President has ordered the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr. Nalaka Godahewa to immediately pay for his expenses during the visit to the Seychelles, sources from Temple Trees said.

Godahewa participated in the President’s tour to the Seychelles recently in order to explain to the President details of the recent controversy.

“I will not allow officials to participate in overseas jaunts on public expense as long as I’m the President. Every government official must understand that the country is facing an economic crisis. They need to set an example to their junior officers. If he wants to remain in his job, then Godahewa has to pay every penny spent for his trip to the Seychelles,” the President has said.
It was only the President’s confidential financial advisor, MP Sajin Vass Gunawardena who had spoken to Godahewa during the Seychelles tour since he was ignored by the others, including the President. The talk among the business circle these days is that Godahewa’s “mango friend” Dilith Jayaweera had also ignored Godahewa in the Seychelles. Jayaweera was also a member of the President’s contingent.
It is learnt that Jayaweera is now avoiding Godahewa until the latter’s issue with the President is resolved. Godahewa however has made several attempts to contact Jayaweera.
Well known accountant, Nihal Sri Amarasekera’s son, Sarvajana Amarasekera, who was appointed by Jayaweera as a director in his companies has now resigned from all posts after learning about Jayaweera’s racketeering. Sources say that Jayaweera and his partner Varuni Amunugama have been greatly affected by Sarvajana’s sudden resignation.

LTTE pitch invader absconding Thai  courts as well MONDAY, 15 JULY 2013 The CID informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate that the suspect who invaded Britain’s Cardiff cricket grounds carrying a Tiger flag during the semifinals between Sri Lanka and India at the ICC Champions Trophy had appeared internationally under three other names. It said the suspect was also absconding Courts in Thailand after he was released on bail in a case where he was charged with committing ATM frauds in Thailand by fraudulently withdrawing more than Rs.8 million from ATMs. The CID told Magistrate Pilapitiya that the suspect Logeswaran Manimaran had used three other names -- Sudeswaramoorthy Yasodaran Narayana Swamy Mohan, Mohanraja Subramium and Edwin. They said that the suspect was using a  British Passport issued in the name of Narayana Swamy Mohan  and had come to Sri Lanka several times using this passport. The CID requested Court to order the arrest of the suspect in the event he attempts to enter Sri Lanka using this passport.

David Cameron urged to raise human rights with Burma's Thein Sein

Officials farewell president Thein Sein as he leaves Rangoon for Europe. Photograph: Khin Maung Win/AP

Monday 15 July 2013 

David Cameron is under pressure to raise human rights in talks on Monday with Burma's president, Thein Sein, the first leader of the country to visit Britain in more than a quarter of a century.

Thein Sein is due to talk trade, aid and democracy with Cameron and his ministers during a two-day visit at a time when Burma is opening up its oil, gas and telecoms sectors to foreign investors.

Thein Sein, a former military commander, wants the West to help Burma's economy recover from decades of military dictatorship, Soviet-style planning and international sanctions.

Western leaders have praised him for ending the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, releasing some political prisoners, and allowing the opposition to contest an election.

But they want him to loosen further the military's grip before a 2015 presidential election which the British-educated Suu Kyi hopes to contest. Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, visited Britain last year.

Thein Sein is also under pressure to act to protect Burma's Muslim minority from inter-ethnic violence.

"Cameron should not miss an important opportunity to press Burma's president on justice for crimes against humanity committed against the country's Muslims, the release of remaining political prisoners, or an end to repressive laws," Human Rights Watch said.

At least 237 people have been killed in Burma in religious violence over the past year and about 150,000 have been displaced. Most of the victims were Rohingya Muslims, the United Nations said.

Avaaz, a global campaign group, plans a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on Monday, saying almost a million people have signed a petition calling for an end to the violence.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: "We want to recognise the remarkable reforms of the last 18 months but also to raise at the highest levels our ongoing concerns, particularly about inter-communal and anti-Muslim violence."

Britain would press Thein Sein to improve humanitarian access, to address accountability for crimes and to end discrimination against the Rohingya, he said.

Thein Sein, who remains close to the military, this year became the first leader of his country since 1966 to visit the White House. His British trip is thought to be the first by a Burmese leader since the late General Ne Win visited in 1986.

The Tale Of Two Central Banks: Two Different Medicines To Cure One Illness

By W.A Wijewardena-July 15, 2013 

Dr. W.A. Wijewardena

Indonesia tightens its monetary policy

Reports from Indonesia say that the country’s central bank, Bank Indonesia, has increased its interest rates by half a percent, the second such increase it has made within one month. Previously in June this year, it raised its interest rates by a quarter of one percent.
Though the market had expected Bank Indonesia to make this move in July, it had not anticipated an increase of this magnitude since the normal increases in interest rates in the past have been only by notches of a quarter percent on each occasion. Hence, the high quantum of increase this time signifies the high importance which Bank Indonesia has assigned to the current problem faced by the country.

These types of interest rate increases by central banks are known in the markets as ‘quantitative tightening’ since they seek to reduce the increases in the quantity of money. The continued quantitative tightening by Bank Indonesia in this manner has been prompted by two considerations.

High interest rates to prevent inflation becoming permanent

The first is to tame the initial increase in the cost of living of people brought about by a massive increase in the retail prices of petroleum products by the government earlier in June. Though Indonesia has been a petroleum producing country, the retail prices of all petroleum products had been subsidised by the government by selling them below costs.

Since this subsidy was no longer affordable, in June, the price of petrol was increased by 44% and that of diesel by 22%. This has caused the consumer price index to jump to 5.9% in its annual growth as at June thereby exceeding the government’s inflation target of 3 to 5.5% set for 2013.

Since the mandate of the Indonesia’s central bank is to maintain inflation at the targeted level and it cannot come out with excuses later if it has failed to do so, it has taken tough action to tighten the quantity of money being produced in the country.

Raise interest rates to prevent the currency from depreciating             Read More        

Change economic policies drastically and urgently

Sunday, July 14, 2013

The six and a half decades since independence have been characterised by economists as one of missed opportunities. The end of the war in 2009 was considered another opportunity for an economic resurgence. As in the past, the four years since the war ended has proved to be another missed opportunity: an initial expectation turning sour.

Premachandra Athukorala, professor of economics at the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, made an analytical assessment of Sri Lanka’s economic performance. He demonstrated the need for change in economic policies to cope with the global challenges when delivering the Prof. H.A.de S. Gunasekera Memorial Oration at the University of Peradeniya on Friday. He said Sri Lanka must change its economic policies drastically and urgently to cope with the huge development challenges.

Read More

Another Attack on the Jaber Family by Israeli Settlers

Submitted by Rod Driver Salem-News.com-Jul-14-2013 

The settlers' goal is to terrorize the Palestinians to leave their land, which would then be grabbed up by settlers in the name of the state of Israel.

Settlers damaging Jaber`s garden

(OCCUPIED PALESTINE) - For three hours on Friday, July 12, from 11 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon, dozens of settlers from Kiryat Arba invaded the land and gardens of the Jaber family – Atta, Rudina and their three children – in al-Baqaa, near Hebron. Accompanied by the Israeli police and led by Malachi Levinger, the son of the violent settlement pioneer Moshe Levinger who himself has been implicated in many attacks on families in the al-Baqaa area, they uprooted his plants and replaced them with their own.

This is not the first time the Jaber family has been terrorized by settlers from Kiryat Arba, who claim his land and that of his neighbors. The family, which had lived on its land for the past 600-700 years, had 400 dunams of agricultural land (100 acres) before the Israeli Occupation of 1967. Since then they have lost almost all of it, being left with just 60 dunams, and most of that within the Kiryat Arba settlement and thus off-limits to them.

Over the year they have had their vineyards ripped out and their irrigation systems destroyed; indeed, the entire al-Baqaa, a rich grape- and olive-growing valley, is being dried up by Israel’s refusal to supply it with water or even allow the Palestinian farmers to dig wells or reservoirs for the collection of rainwater. (Kiryat Arba’s Olympic-size swimming pool is visible from the Jaber home.)

Pictures of the incident are taken by the family and the Christian Peacemaker Team.

Read Full Article

Hell in Paradise

 by Tisaranee Gunasekara-Sunday, July 14, 2013

““It was in the basement of the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department… we sat and listened as a group of senior police officers took us through the case. My stomach churned as we learned of the sickening and horrific details of the completely unprovoked attack that Khuram and his partner had been subjected to”- British Parliamentarian Simon Danczuk 1, 2

“They started beating me. I fell to the ground….. They killed Khuram and sexually assaulted me…”3

( July 14, 2013, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) That was Victoria Tkacheva, the 24 year old Russian tourist, who, with her companion Khuram Shaikh, came to Sri Lanka to enjoy a holiday in Paradise and found, instead, Hell.

According to witnesses, Ms. Tkacheva was discovered in a room, naked and unconscious. The police subsequently confirmed that she was either raped or sexually assaulted: “She had been raped or sexually assaulted and had suffered vaginal injuries, according to a Sri Lankan police report”4.

Hell in Paradise by nelvely

Discourses On The Thirteenth Amendment: Addressing Misconceptions

By M. A. Sumanthiran -July 14, 2013

M A Sumanthiran

Recent debates surrounding the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution reflect the extreme polarization of Sri Lanka’s political discourse. While the issue is indeed emotive, we have nothing to gain from anything but a clinical approach to these questions. If reason is to prevail in our politics, then reason must prevail in our thinking – and our thinking about the Thirteenth Amendment is a good place to start.

The Thirteenth Amendment provides for a measure of devolution to the Provinces through Provincial Councils. The Amendment however, is applied within the super-structure of the country’s unitary constitution. The powers devolved under the Thirteenth Amendment are indeed meagre. There is provision for a measure of powers of land, law and order, education, health and similar subjects – but even in respect of these, the centre retains a great measure of control. For example, the subject of “national policy in respect of all subjects” lies with the centre, and notwithstanding some limitations imposed on the use of this ruse by the Supreme Court in times past, it has been invoked widely, illegally and most inappropriately by the centre to take back devolved powers. In fact, many of the executive and legislative powers devolved under the Amendment are virtually impossible to exercise fully and effectively if the centre chooses to impose roadblocks. This could be instanced by gubernatorial and presidential interference with the statute-making powers of the Provincial Councils, or through the Governor refusing to cooperate with an elected Board of Ministers.                   Read More

PSC Must Not Be Made Into A Time Buying Exercise

By Jehan Perera- Sunday, July 14, 2013

President Mahinda Rajapaksa meets Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon.

The government has appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to find a political solution that would “empower the people to live together as one nation”.  But, the initial meeting of the PSC was attended only by government members.
The government appointed 19 members representing the spectrum of opinion on the subject including both hard line nationalist Sinhalese and progressive leftist parliamentarians.
The opposition parties which were allocated 12 members did not appoint a single member and so the first meeting of the PSC could be described as a meeting of a government sub-committee rather than a PSC.

PSC Must Not Be Made Into a Time Buying Exercise by nelvely

Sinhala military takes up Buddhicisation of East

[TamilNet, Saturday, 13 July 2013, 05:59 GMT]
The Sinhala military occupying the East of the country of Eezham Tamils is directly engaged in Buddhicising the province, news sources in Batticaloa said, citing the mushrooming Buddha statues in the district in the recent times. Meanwhile, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr R. Thurairatnam said that an effort is now being undertaken to create permanent Buddhist establishments out of the improvised Buddhist shrines built in the SL military camps. Such shrines were ostensibly built for the ‘religious purposes’ of the occupying military and they could be found everywhere, as the Sinhala military is occupying every junction and other strategic locations. 

Already small Buddhist temples have now come up at regular intervals in the Batticaloa –Colombo A4 Highway, right from Naavaladi Junction in Batticaloa to Punaanai at the border of the district, so that one who travels in the Batticaloa district will see only a ‘Buddhist’ district.

At Aaraiyampathi (Aaraip-pattai) in the Kaaththaan-kudi SL police division, the Sinhala military was earlier occupying a handloom mill, and it has planted a Bo-Tree and has built a Buddhist shrine there. Even after the military vacating the mill, the mill workers are unable to clear these structures and clean the place. The SL police intervened when they tried to remove them.

People in Baticaloa are disturbed and they are suspicious of the entire modus operandi, said Mr. Thurairatnam.

People come and complain that with the placement of every Buddha statue, bigger permanent Buddhist enclaves are planned and the SL military is behind the move, the parliamentarian said.

Tamils are not against Buddhism, but this kind of activities will disrupt communal harmony. The SL military should desist from such activities and the mushrooming statues in the traditional land of Tamils should be removed. We will not permit such cultural onslaught and the grab of our land through such activities, the parliamentarian further said.

LLRC Action Plan Gathers Pace Ahead Of CHOGM

By Easwaran Rutnam-Sunday, July 14, 2013

School kids enjoy their school days again at
Hindu College in Kilinochchi

The government is speeding up the implementation of some of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations approved for implementation by the Cabinet. Moves to speed up the implementation 135 recommendations comes as the government looks to defy any criticism that may come their way on human rights related issues on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka in November 2013.

A committee on the National Plan of Action (NPoA) headed by Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga — tasked to monitor the implementation of the Recommendations of the Commission, has gone public with the work it has done so far and it is doing. The execution responsibility rests with 19 line Ministries, the Presidential Secretariat, Attorney General’s Department and the Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province.

The National Plan of Action looks at, among other issues, the killing of five students in Trincomalee in 2006 and the deaths of 17 humanitarian workers in Muttur under controversial circumstances. Weeratunga’s committee says the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) conducted investigations into the case of killing of five students in Trincomalee in 2006 and the outcome of the inquiries was forwarded to the Attorney General.

“Police has been advised to institute Non Summary Proceedings in the relevant Magistrate’s Court, against thirteen suspects on charges of Unlawful Assembly, Murder and Attempted Murder,” the National Plan of Action said. Those 13 suspects were recently produced in court and remanded as investigations continue 7 years since the incident took place. The NPoA states that the CID has also conducted investigations into the killing of 15 Non Governmental Organization workers in Muttur and the outcome of that inquiry was also forwarded to the Attorney General. CID has been instructed to prepare a comprehensive list of witnesses into the incident, which drew a huge international outcry. Another incident, which drew international headlines, was a video aired by Britain’s Channel 4 allegedly showing soldiers killing unarmed LTTE cadres.

The NPoA recalls that an Army Court of Inquiry (CoI), which had investigated alleged civilian casualties reported during the final phase of the war, is now investigating the Channel 4 allegations.
The government and the army, at the outset, had rejected the Channel 4 saying it was doctored and not authentic. The Sri Lanka Navy, meanwhile, appointed a high ranking board of Inquiry to probe into references made on the navy in the LLRC Report.

“After conducting a formal inquiry, the board concluded that the allegations made against the navy that it fired at civilian targets are baseless as there is no evidence to indicate that the navy personnel were responsible for any attacks on civilians or civilian property either deliberately or by negligence,” the NPoA said. Another issue highlighted in the media, particularly the Tamil media is on reports of disappearances. The NPoA states that the Attorney General will take necessary steps to appoint a team of officers to assist any Commission or other investigative body appointed to inquire into any complaints of disappearances or any other violations.

The National Plan of Action says the Justice Ministry is to frame domestic legislation to specifically criminalize enforced or involuntary disappearances, “Action is underway for a team of Attorneys-at-Law under direct supervision and guidance of an Additional Solicitor General and a Deputy Solicitor General to recommend charges, discharge or any other course of action i.e.: rehabilitation having considered evidence available against each detainee.

Between 2009 and 2013, a total of 977 files relating to detainees had been opened and as at present there are only 160 matters to be concluded. The same Additional Solicitor-General functions as the focal point relating to detainees.”

Meanwhile, the Justice Ministry has initiated a study to identify recommendations in the reports submitted by a number of committees appointed in the recent past to look into the issues of the law’s delay to the Criminal Justice system.

The Attorney General’s representative will be nominated to attend any discussion relating to changes to the existing legal provisions upon a request by the Law Commission. Observations of the Attorney General on a proposed ‘Protection of Victims and Witness Bill’ will also be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Another issue often raised by the international community is the issue of media freedom, or the lack of it.
According to NPoA an online complaint system is to be launched by the Sri Lanka Press Council enabling media personnel to lodge any complaint immediately.

Such complaints received will be monitored promptly and remedial actions will be taken within 24 hours. It also notes that draft amendments to the Press Council Act to empower the Council with a wider jurisdiction were submitted to the Legal Draftsman.

The international community has been calling for the full implementation of the LLRC recommendations but the government has decided to implement only some of them. What remains to be seen now is how much of it will be implemented by the time CHOGM comes around and how much of it will remain on the list of ‘to be implemented’.

Playing a game of smoke and mirrors again

Sunday, July 14, 2013

At first blush, recent actions of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration on Sri Lanka’s abysmal governance front may cause some who are apt, (or at least pretend thereto), to wear rose coloured lenses to proclaim that there appears to be glimmerings of hope on the horizon.

A misplaced optimism

One specific development cited in that regard is the indictment of twelve Special Task Force (STF) personnel for the crime of extra-judicial executions of five students in Trincomalee in 2006. Another oft quoted reason is the holding of provincial council elections in the North and the apparent discarding (for the moment) of government plans to dilute the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Playing a Game of Smoke and Mirrors Again by nelvely

Be bold against Sri Lanka's 13th Amendment: Jaya to PM

July 14, 2013 14:44 IST

Voicing concern over the fate of the 13th Amendment to Sri Lankan Constitution that agreed to devolve some authority to provinces, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday called for a "bold stand" by India, saying it cannot remain a "passive bystander."

n a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, she referred to the March 27, 2013 resolution by the state assembly and reiterated her demand for the Centre moving a resolution in the United Nations Security Council for a referendum on 'Tamil Ealam' (homeland).

The 13th Amendment is part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, whereby Colombo agreed to devolve some authority to provinces but that government had been giving indications of late that it may repeal it despite New Delhi's concerns.

Jayalalithaa told Singh that there were "disturbing signs" about Sri Lankan government not being serious about Tamils' rehabilitation, besides its attempts to dilute 13th Amendment.

She said "our worst fears" on the intentions and motives of the present Sri Lankan regime appeared to be coming true, while referring to setting up of a Parliamentary Select Committee by President Mahinda Rajapakse to review the 13th Amendment.

"The hawkish Sinhalese right wing groups have been resorting to agitations and protests to pressure the Sri Lankan Government to repeal the 13th Amendment prior to the elections to the Northern Provincial Council proposed to be held in September later this year. In public statements, the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse has directly called for the repeal of the 13th Amendment," she said.

She said a delegation led by Sri Lankan Minister Basil Rajapakse had also met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, "presumably to justify their stand in this matter."

Jayalalithaa said people of the state and elswehere are "justifiably alarmed" over the move and charged the Lankan government with never being serious about genuine devolution of powers.

The merger of Northern and Eastern provinces into one administrative unit as contemplated in the accord was "dismantled" by the Lankan government in 2007, following an order of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court nullifying it, she said.

"The demerger of the North Eastern Council has to be construed as a serious setback to the Indo Sri Lankan accord and, perhaps, as a sinister first step leading to the eventual abrogation and repeal of the 13th Amendment, which has starkly appeared on the agenda now," she said.

Jayalalithaa said India cannot afford to be a "passive bystander at this juncture," saying "we have a commitment to protect the life and liberties of Tamils in Sri Lanka, whose distinct identity and cultural presence in Sri Lanka, particularly in the Northern and Eastern regions, was the guiding principle behind the accord that led to notification of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution."

India should see to it that reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Tamils, by establishment of democratic institutions of Self-Government, was "not derailed by the insidious attempts now being made by the Sri Lankan Government to jettison the 13th Amendment," she said.

Such a development would spell doom for the lives and liberties of Lankan Tamils, who will again face the prospect of a return to thraldom (bondage, slavery, servitude) under the Sinhalese military and majority, she said while expressing fears of impact to the security in the region.

"In the present turn of events, when the Sri Lankan government is acting with impunity to take away even the limited political rights available to the Tamils, I strongly urge Government of India to take all possible steps to bring pressure to bear upon the Sri Lankan government not to take any steps to repeal or even dilute the 13th Amendment in any manner," she said.

New Delhi should ensure the process of democratic decentralization, integral to the survival of Tamils in Sri Lanka, was in no way jeopardised.

"I hope that the Government of India, as a leader in the region and as a champion of human rights and democracy, will decisively take a bold stand in support of the much discriminated against and long suffering Tamil minorities in Sri Lanka," she said.

Jayalalithaa also referred to the Mar 27, 2013 resolution adopted by the Assembly and said she wished to reiterate it.

The Assembly had adopted a strongly-worded resolution demanding a referendum for a separate Tamil Eelam (homeland) in the United Nations Security Council. 

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Tags: United Nations Security Council, Salman Khurshid, Mahinda Rajapakse, New Delhi, Northern Provincial Council

Security up at Lankan mission after threat

TNN | Jul 14, 2013

CHENNAI: Security has been tightened at the Sri Lankan deputy high commission inNungambakkam after the officials there complained of receiving a threat letter a couple of days ago. 

The officials on Saturday submitted to police commissioner S George a post card containing a few lines warning that bombs would go off on the premises of the mission. The letter also condemned the activities of the Sri Lankan government. 

Security at the mission was being looked after by a wing called Security Chennai Police. Now, at least 35 personnel, including an inspector, a sub-inspector and eight armed reserve personnel, have been assigned to bloster the existing force. "We have ordered that constant surveillance should be maintained around the area," an officer said. 

The letter has been forwarded to the cyber crime wing, while police are making inquiries to find out who sent the letter.