Accountant returns home to find wife has murdered their sons and killed herself

A 33-year-old woman and her sons aged five and seven months have been found dead in a flat in north London

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

By Gordon Rayner, Chief Reporter, and James Edgar

10 Jan 2014

An accountant returned home to find his wife had murdered their two sons and then committed suicide.

The 33-year-old woman, understood to be Sri Lankan, killed her boys, aged five and seven months, before committing suicide, police believe.

Scotland Yard said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

Neighbours said the couple who lived at the upstairs flat in Harrow, North London, were Sakthivel Vageswaran, 36, and his wife Jeyavani Vageswaran, 33.

Mr Vageswaran runs his own firm, Vaasi Accountancy, from the address in Woodgrange Close.

Tashma Brown, 34, who lives next door, said of Mrs Vageswaran: "She was a person you didn't see often. There was always shouting and arguing, three or four times in a month sometimes.

"Most of the time when they argued he would come outside to cool down."

Ms Brown said she last heard the couple arguing the week before Christmas and also heard the woman getting upset on Tuesday or Wednesday about the baby crying in the house.

"She was shouting but it was in her own language. She sounded upset," Ms Brown said.

She added that she rarely saw the family outside.

"As a mum with a child, I would only see her when she came out with her kids. I would never see her with the kids in the park walking around."

Councillor Reg Colwill, who represents Kenton ward, said: "I think everybody is the same, they are shocked at what's happened.

"If it's accurate that the woman took her own life she must have been at her wits' end and didn't ask for help, or didn't get the help she asked for. It's two young children, it's very sad."

The woman and two boys were pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics were called at 5.20pm on Thursday. Next of kin have been informed.

Leslie Gotts, who has lived in Woodgrange Close for 18 years, said the family had lived in the first floor flat for about a year.

Mr Gotts, 70, said: "I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. You freeze. It's a quiet road, a very mixed community.

"I think I only saw her once. She didn't look very unhappy to me."

The woman and two boys were pronounced dead at the scene when paramedics were called at 5.20pm on Thursday. Next of kin have been informed.

Today as more evidence of war crimes emerge in Mannar, criminal ‘patriots’ deny and protest shamelessly
(Lanka-e-News- 10.Jan.2014, 8.30PM) Even as the skeletal remains including a skull of a child confirming the genocide that was committed are being dug out at Mannar, the self seeking opportunists, criminal patriots and hypocrites like Gunadasa Amarasekera, Bengamuwe Nalaka, Wimal Weerawansa in order to divert the attention from these grave crimes are performing their characteristic devil and thovil dance in front of the US embassy to the accompaniment of their loud baila singing that ‘ nobody has a right to investigate the crimes committed by us.’

These opportunistic scoundrels who pretend to be ‘patriots’ (cardboard patriots) and a bane to the country claimed that Stephen Rapp is a ‘ pariah dog’ , and he is in Sri Lanka (SL) to plunder our oil resources.

While Medamulana MaRa had agreed to hold an international investigation pertaining to the war crimes committed during the final phase of the war and has signed a pact with the UN General secretary , and Dr. G L Peiris as well as Palitha Kohona too have concurred in it for a second and third time , this grade nine qualified Minister Wimal Weerawansa better known as Modawansa staged a protest under the name of ‘Desha hitheishi’ Organization in front of the US embassy against Stephen Rapp , the lawyer representing the US at the UN war crime council who is currently in SL.

Weerawansa alias Modawansa and his henchmen shouted slogans ‘ Stephen Rapp is a pariah dog’ and US is trying to rob SL’s oil resources.

It will not be out of place if we recall how this grade nine qualified Weerawansa alias Modawansa who has no place in the sun unless he indulges in these pavement dramas wearing a cardboard mask of patriotism, enacted a spurious fasting drama in front of the UN Office on an earlier occasion too eating lemon puff biscuits to bluff all and sundry. However all that melodrama did nothing to boost MaRa’s moth eaten image or country’s image , for Modawansa succeeded only in tarnishing before the world even that little reputation the country had built until then .

Meanwhile, the SL media reported Stephen Rapp had told TNA M.P.Sumenthiran , because an independent investigation had not been launched by Sri Lanka (SL) in regard to the alleged war crimes committed by both sides during the final phase of the war , US is preparing to table a resolution at the Geneva sessions next month in this regard. The attention of Rapp had also been drawn to the recent mass graves that have been uncovered in Mannar .

These mass graves had been discovered by accident near the Mathota Purana Rajamaha vihara at Thrukonehshwaram , Mannar when the workers were laying pipelines recently. These workers have discovered parts of six human skeletal remains . 

Following a court order the search for more was carried out. Until today 32 skeletal remains have been discovered , of which 26 are with the skulls while the remaining six are sans the skulls. In addition, a skull suspected to be of a child too had been discovered. Because there are only a set of ten teeth each in the upper and lower jaws , it is believed that it must be the skull of a child.

It may be unfortunate for the government that even today palpable evidence are surfacing testifying to war crimes , but more unfortunate than that is when a responsible government of that country turns a deaf ear and remains blind until the international community steps in and conducts investigations . 

Our own hypocritical rabid dogs like Wimal Weerawansa , Gunadasa Amaresekera and Bengamuwe Nalaka after spreading their sinister rabies to every household in this country are barking at others and calling them as ‘ pariah dogs’ only to encourage our own ‘pariah dogs and criminal patriots ’ to commit any amount of crimes , while others should just watch idle and turn a deaf ear to them. 

Let us remind that every one in this world is not as shameless and inhumane as these ‘pariah dogs’ and ‘cardboard patriots’ like pavement Weerawansas, Bengamwela Gunadasas and Medamulana Rajapakses . Killing Tamils or Sinhalese or the poor classes are all criminal offences. Hence it is the duty of a civilized government that respects laws and human lives to punish the criminals without exception.

5 Years After The War No Water Nor Electricity In Northern And Eastern Villages

January 10, 2014
It can be safely said that 5 years after the war many villages, well over 60% have no basic utilities supplied to them by the government. There are huge implications for the well being and safety of these people as a result. The following are excerpts of a list of GNDs only in Vavuniya and Kilinochchi Districts, which have been provided to the writer by the villagers. The writer has an indepth knowledge about the North and East. Details of the other Districts will follow.

Vavuniya District:

Vavuniya North DS Division – Vedi vaiththa kallu, Maruthodai, Uoonchal katti, Kadkulam. Paddikudiyiruppu, Mannakam, Sinna adampan, Naina madu.

Chettikulam DS Division – Except Government Departments and 5 out of 20 GNDs have no electricity nor water supply

Vavuniya DS Division – Eachchankulam, Kalmadu

Kilinochchi District:

Poonakary North DSD -

Samipuram, Nallur, Karukathievu, Gnanamadam, Chettikurichchi, Selvapuram, Valaipadu, Kiranchchi, Veravil, Nachchikudah, Madduvui Nadu East & west, Gowthari munai, pallavarayakaddu.

Kandavalai DSD- Puliyanpokkanai, Uooriyan, Korakkalkaddu, Kallaru. Sivapuram, Piramanthanarudiyiruppu, kalmadunadu, Thaduvankotti., Nathan kudigiruppu, Kalmadunagar, Thaduvankotti.

Kilinochchi Karaichchi DSD – Kannakipuram, Vannneri, Aanaivilunthan, Puthumurippu, Uoottupulam, Kanthapuram, Akkarayankulam, Maniyarkulam, Konavil. Vivekananthanagar, Vaddakachchi, Ramanathapuram, Selvanagar, Ponnagar, Ellukadu, Neevil, Mayavanoor, Mavadiamman

Palai DSD- Soranpattu, Vananankerni. Kovilvayal. Iththavil, Mukamalai, Allipalai. Eyakkachchi, Mapar, Paranthan.

It is ironic that the particular government institutions which are supposed to look after such needs of the people are the only buildings that have water and electricity supply. The lack of water supply in particular has severe implications on “ a life back to normal” .

The same list can be supplied for villages in the Eastern Province as well. This is even more ironic given the fact that the East saw the end of the war well over six years ago.

If the basic needs of a group of people cannot be met, steps to  reconciliation in the psychological sphere of truth, apology and trust building is but a pipe dream. Sinhala extremists would like to show that poor rural Sinhalese too are suffering in a similar manner. But that is not correct as most villages south of Anuradhapura are much better off than the North and East.

As a result of this neglect many villages are severely food insecure. One village in the District of Trincomalee in the Eastern Province  is home to over 100 families of which 30 families eat only rice. An 82 year old woman  from this community recently died of starvation. The news did not receive any publicity as the Army threatened the householders not to disclose this fact. Due to  dry weather and lack of water supply,  lack of seed and plant material and other inputs, these agricultural communities are facing severe food shortages.  Over 1/3 of children under the age of 2 years are underweight in Trincomalee as gleaned from the government’s own growth monitoring information. 71% of this 1/3^rd are growth falters, in other words not having a hope of improvement for the next 3 to 6 months. This was the nutrition status of Sri Lankan children at national level well over a decade ago.

All these problems are coupled with a lack of livelihood options, low levels of skills and employability (Sarvananthan, Point Pedro Institute, Report on Employability in the Northern Province, 2012)

The Government of Sri Lanka really needs to bend backwards and accelerate activities from Relief to Reconciliation in a meaningful way if we are to salvage the bodies, hearts and minds of the poor people of the North and East, many of whom have no connections to the diaspora.

*Story by  Gotamini Hathurusinghe                                          Read More

Catholic bishops want probe on cluster munitions

By Associated Press, Published: January 9

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Roman Catholic bishops in Sri Lanka’s former war zone have called for an international war crimes investigation into the country’s civil war including whether government forces used cluster munitions and chemical weapons in densely populated areas.

Rev. Rayappu Joseph and Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam made the request during a meeting with Stephen J. Rapp, an ambassador-at-large with the Office of Global Criminal Justice of the United States on Wednesday.

Joseph told reporters after the meeting in the northern town of Jaffna that civilians who survived a bloody final stage of a quarter-century civil war had reported that cluster munitions and chemical weapons were widely used.

The war ended in 2009 with the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels.

The bishops asked that the investigations also look into allegations against the government of deliberate attacks on hospitals, places of worship and the blockade of food and medicine for the civilians trapped in the fighting as a war tactic, Joseph said.

Rapp is visiting Sri Lanka to discuss issues of alleged war crimes with government and other officials and has met religious leaders, ethnic Tamil politicians. He is scheduled to meet with government leaders before leaving the island nation on Saturday.

He has not commented on his meetings so far.

In 2012 a United Nations mine removal expert reported the presence of unexploded cluster munitions in the former war zone in northern Sri Lanka.

That same year a medical worker told The Associated Press that many of the thousands wounded in the government offensive had burns consistent with those caused by incendiary white phosphorus bombs.

U.N. officials first reported the use of cluster munitions in the conflict zone in February 2009, saying they appeared to hit in an area around a hospital.

The government however has continuously denied using cluster munitions or any banned weapon.

Cluster munitions are packed with small “bomblets” that scatter indiscriminately and often harm civilians. Those that fail to detonate often kill civilians long after fighting ends.

They are banned under an international treaty adopted by more than 60 nations that took effect in August 2010, after the Sri Lankan war.

Rapp’s visit to Sri Lanka comes amid intense international pressure on the country to conduct its own investigations into the alleged war crimes committed by both sides.

The U.S. has sponsored two resolutions at the United Nations Human Rights Council urging a credible local investigation. The rights council is expected to review Sri Lanka’s progress at its sessions in March.

U.N. rights chief Navi Pillay has said she will recommend that the council establish its own probe if Sri Lanka fails to show progress by March.

Meanwhile a group of Sri Lankan government supporters protested Thursday against Rapp’s visit accusing America of ignoring its own human rights violations.

The banner-carrying protesters accused the U.S. of trying to victimize Sri Lanka for defeating the Tamil Tigers, who are designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., European Union and others. They also said the U.S. was using a double standard by ignoring its own human rights violation.

A U.N report says as many as 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians may have been killed in the last few months of the fighting, mostly by government troops.

Abuse allegations against the rebels include holding civilians as human shields, killing those who tried to flee their control and recruiting child soldiers.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Population Control Activists Prey on Women in Sri Lanka

by Population Research Institute | Kilinochchri,1/9/14

Tamil women continue to die at the hands of the Sri Lankan government, which is intent upon eradicating the minority population. A woman named Manjula Satheeskumar and her father are the most recent casualties.

On August 31st, 2013, more than 50 women and their children were told their children were going to get check-ups and were transported to a district hospital in Kilinochchi. At the hospital, Sri Lankan population controllers told the women that unless they accepted a hormonal contraceptive insert, they would not be allowed any future treatments at the hospital. Any women who still refused were told that if they did not cooperate, their husbands would be brought in for vasectomies.

The already pregnant 26-year-old, Manjula Satheeskumar, was among the women coercively sterilized last August. Manjula managed to have her implant removed, but not after contracting a serious infection. Manjula died from the infection at the end of November.

Such forced sterilizations of  Sri Lankan Tamil women are common. Most citizens in Kilinochchi, Manjula’s home town, are Tamil.

Population Research Institute (PRI)  President, Steve Mosher, says, “Forced contraception and sterilization are nothing short of acts of genocide.  Sadly, these are regular occurrences in the island nation of Sri Lanka.”

Anne Morse, media coordinator for PRI, remarked that, “Local health officials are belatedly trying to cover up their crimes. They are coercively and retroactively forcing already sterilized Tamil women to sign affidavits. Such affidavits should not convince anyone that these ‘birth control experiments’ are anything other than genocide. Far from convincing, false affidavits of consent instead add insult to injury by suggesting that the dead women voluntarily submitted themselves to the procedure.”

Manjula’s father, Chinnasamy Rajaratnam, was a key witness in his daughter’s demise, and had been systematically harassed by Sri Lankan military authorities before his death. He was found dead on an electricity wire this past Thursday. Some sources say Chinnasamy committed suicide. Other sources remain highly skeptical that his death was voluntary.

Bandula, Callum in twitter war

By admin on January 10, 2014

Sri Lanka’s Consul General in New South Wales Bandula Jayasekera and British journalist Callum Macrae were involved in a twitter war on the Sri Lankan issue.

Jayasekera accused Macrae of working for Adele Balasingham, the wife of former LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham, which Macrae strongly refuted.

The Sri Lankan Consul General also claimed that Macrae, the producer of the ‘No Fire Zone’ series, is the “propaganda chief” of the LTTE.

“Truth always hurts @Callum_Macrae and he cringes when exposed of his very close connections with terrorist in London Adel Balasingham,” Jayasekera said in a tweet.

Macrae responded by saying he never met Adel Balasingham in his life and accused Jaysekera of being involved in ludicrous propaganda.

“Please grow up,” Macrae told Jayasekera. (Colombo Gazette)

Stephen Rapp was briefed on structural genocide at Bishop’s House in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 January 2014, 17:06 GMT]
After having caused massive deaths and disappearances on the Tamil civilian population during the times of war, the Sri Lankan State now continues to commit acts of structural genocide in the Tamil land. This aims at causing demographic and identity change, ethnic subordination and dilution of Tamils political power, the Bishop of Mannaar Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph told the visiting US diplomat on Wednesday. The visiting delegation was primarily interested in the details of the ‘war crimes’ during the final months of the war, according to Mannaar Bishop. Mr Rapp was told that an international investigation was necessary, not to punish any individual, but to create a conducive environment, which would in turn cause an attitudinal change on the part of the Sri Lankan State.

Stephen Rapp was briefed on structural genocide at Bishop’s House in Jaffna by nelvely

A Warning To Tamils – Beware Tories Bearing Gifts

By TU Senan -January 10, 2014 

TU Senan

The campaign by Tamils living in the UK against holding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka was vigorous. There was huge opposition to the participation of David Cameron, the British prime minister. But unfortunately the campaign was not able to stop him from visiting Sri Lanka and shaking the bloody hand of the war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa.

However, Cameron came under enormous pressure from the international protest movement against Chogm in Sri Lanka. And hopes were raised that this was effective when they saw Cameron’s speech in Colombo.

Cameron was forced to declare that the Sri Lankan government should conduct “a credible, transparent, independent inquiry into alleged war crimes”. He also made a specific statement, saying: “Let me be very clear. If an investigation is not completed by March then I will use our position on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to work with the UN Human Rights Commissioner and call for a full, credible and international inquiry.”

Undoubtedly this message will have hit home with many Tamils, desperate for a sign of improvement in the situation. Number 10 was in full propaganda swing, getting this message out. The intention was to secure the electoral support of the 300,000-strong Tamil population in Britain.

But, in the cold light of day, we must examine what actually happened and what’s taking place now?

Firstly and as campaigners such as Tamil Solidarity predicted, the promise didn’t last long. As early as 18 November a press communique from Number 10 stated that: “If these investigations are not begun properly by March then I will use our position on the UN Human Rights Council to call for an international inquiry”.

Look carefully at how the words have changed. Now the position is not that the investigation should be ‘completed’ by March, instead it’s ‘begun properly’.  Credibility ditched, surely! Also note how ‘international independent inquiry’ has changed into ‘international inquiry’.          Read More  

US embassy photo, tweet about civil war anger Sri Lanka military

Thu Jan 9, 2014

* U.S. embassy tweet about war angers Sri Lankan military

* Events of final few months of 26-year conflict disputed

* Colombo under pressure to allow international inquiry

By Shihar Aneez and Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. embassy in Colombo posted a photograph on Twitter on Thursday which it said showed a site where the Sri Lankan army killed hundreds of families towards the end of the civil war in 2009, prompting an angry response from the military.

The final few months of the 26-year conflict were by far the bloodiest, and the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels blame each other for the deaths of tens of thousands of mainly Tamil civilians.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government, which ended the war in May 2009 by crushing the rebellion, is sensitive to criticism at a time of growing international pressure to investigate allegations of war crimes by the armed forces.

The United Nations has called on Sri Lanka to punish those in the military who were involved in atrocities, and a summit of Commonwealth leaders in the capital Colombo in November was overshadowed by the dispute.

On its twitter account, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo posted a picture of Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues at the State Department, and U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele Sison at a site where 2009 clashes took place.

It is accompanied with the words: "St Anthany's Ground - site of Jan 2009 killing of hundreds of families by army shelling".

Rapp is on a fact-finding mission to northern areas of Sri Lanka where the fighting was concentrated.

Military spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya said the claim was baseless and the embassy tweeted "without verifying the facts".

"It appears they are trying to justify their claim and create a situation (leading to) an international probe."

HUNDREDS PROTEST OUTSIDE EMBASSY

British Prime Minister David Cameron said during the Commonwealth summit that he would push for an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes if Sri Lanka did not conclude an independent investigation by March.

Wanigasooriya said the area where the photograph was taken was used by Tamil Tiger rebels to hand over dead bodies, and rebels would have considered it safe because it was not shelled.

Karunatilake Amunugama, secretary to the Foreign Ministry, said the government would seek clarification from the U.S. embassy on Friday.

The tweet came hours after hundreds of people linked to Rajapaksa's ruling coalition protested in front of the embassy against Rapp's visit to the north.

Asked about the contents of the tweet, a senior official at the U.S. embassy said Rapp and Sison toured a number of sites from the final months of the conflict and met many survivors.

"These are among the reports we heard and that is why credible, independent investigations must take place," the official told Reuters, declining to be named.

Separatist Tamil Tiger rebels renowned for suicide bombings battled government forces from 1983. Rights groups and witnesses say the worst atrocities occurred at the end of the war.

A United Nations panel has said around 40,000 mainly Tamil civilians died in the final few months. Both sides committed atrocities, but army shelling killed most victims, it concluded.

The government has rejected calls for an international inquiry and said repeated requests from overseas were to please the large Tamil diaspora in the West. The government says Sri Lanka is on the way to reconciliation, aided by economic growth. (Writing by Shihar Aneez; Editing by Mike Collett-White)

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY TO MAKE INQUIRY OF US EMBASSY OVER TWEET

January 10, 2014
The External Affairs Ministry stated that it will make an inquiry from the US Embassy in Sri Lanka today (January 10) regarding the internet reports that caused controversy last evening.

 US Embassy in Colombo claimed in a tweet yesterday(January 9) that two top US Ambassadors had visited the site of th

The e “killing of hundreds of families by army shelling” in January 2009.

US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele Sison and US Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice Stephen Rapp are engaged in a visit to the North of Sri Lanka where they also visited St. Anthany’s Ground.

The official twitter account of the US Embassy to Sri Lanka claimed in a tweet that this was the site of the “Jan 2009 killing of hundreds of families by army shelling” which was accompanied by a photograph of the two Ambassadors.

Tweet – “St Anthany’s Ground - site of Jan 2009 killing of hundreds of families by army shelling”

Speaking to Ada Derana, Juliana Spaven, the Information Officer for the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, confirmed that the tweet was sent on an official capacity while adding however that there is no new additional evidence to back the claim.

The two Ambassadors are engaged in a five-day visit to the North where they are scheduled to meet several politicians and religious leaders.

The media have not been allowed to cover most of these meetings.

Gota –LTTE secret arms deal detected by International intelligence organisations


(Lanka-e-News- 10.Jan.2014, 8.30PM) An illicit arms deal concluded between Sri Lanka’s (SL) criminal defense secretary Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapakse and the LTTE has been detected by the International intelligence organisations. This deal is as dangerous as is disgraceful because Gotabaya had transacted this deal with a former LTTE illegal weapon dealer -Yogaraja of the LTTE living in Czechoslavakia which is now Czech republic was Gotabaya’s weapon supplier .

Though the LTTE has known him as Yogaraja , his true name is unknown . The connection between Gota and Yogaraja had been brought about by KP , another LTTE leader , and that MP Sajith Vaas Gunawardena too is associated with it. It has also come to light that a former navy officer who is an agent of Gota in Czech republic has met Yogaraja. These two criminals have met in June- July last year , and on several occasions arms and weapons have been shipped. The latest consignment had been to a Greece port from Czech republic by land , and from Greece it had been dispatched by vessel to the Indian sea .This method of dispatch had been followed even during the period of the LTTE.

It is the arms transaction that was the main objective of criminal defense secretary of SL Gotabaya when he undertook a tour of Italy recently , and visited Israel. During his tour of Italy he had met Yogaraja’s agent in a town called Rimini situated close to the coastal area. An advisor to the criminal defense secretary too had participated in the discussion.

On an earlier occasion a vessel of illicit arms that was secretly ordered by Gota was taken into custody by the United Arab Emirates government . However the release of the vessel was somehow secured after claiming that the consignment was intended for the SL government . But it was discovered later such a consignment of arms had not been ordered by the SL government . Lanka e news posted a detailed report exposing the true picture that time.

In the circumstances, the European intelligence division and India’s intelligence division are extremely watchful over the clandestine arms deals of SL criminal defense secretary Gotabaya.

சர்வதேச புலனாய்வாளர்களிடம் சிக்கியது கோத்தபாயவின் சட்டவிரோத ஆயுத விற்பனை!

[ வெள்ளிக்கிழமை, 10 சனவரி 2014, 08:20.39 AM GMT ]

பாதுகாப்புச் செயலாளர் கோத்தபாய ராஜபக்ஷவின் மற்றுமொரு சட்டவிரோதமான ஆயுத விற்பனை வியாபாரம் தொடர்பான தகவல்கள் சர்வதேச புலனாய்வாளர்களுக்கு தெரியவந்துள்ளதாக சிங்கள இணையத்தளம் ஒன்று தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

விடுதலைப் புலிகளுக்கு சட்டவிரோதமாக ஆயுதங்களை வழங்கி வந்த ஆயுத விற்பனையாளர்களுடன் கோத்தபாய இந்த வர்த்தகத்தை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளதாகவும் இது மிகவும் ஆபத்தான செயற்பாடு எனவும் அதில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.

செக் குடியரசில் வசிக்கும் யோகராஜா என்பவர் கோத்தபாயவுடன் இணைந்து இந்த சட்டவிரோத ஆயுத விற்பனையில் ஈடுபட்டு வருகிறார்.

மேற்படி நபர் யோகராஜா என குறிப்பிடப்பட்டாலும் உண்மையான பெயர் தெரியவில்லை. கே.பி மூலமாக ஏற்பட்டுள்ள இந்த தொடர்புடன் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சஜீன்வாஸ் குணவர்தனவும் சம்பந்தப்பட்டுள்ளதாக தெரியவந்துள்ளது.

செக் குடியரசில் உள்ள யோகராஜாவை, பாதுகாப்புச் செயலாளரின் முகவரான முன்னாள் கடற்படை அதிகாரி ஒருவர் சந்தித்துள்ளார்.

கடந்த வருடம் ஜூன் மற்றும் ஜூலை மாதங்களில் சந்தித்துள்ள இவர்கள் சட்டவிரோதமாக ஆயுதங்களை சில தடவைகள் கப்பல்களில் ஏற்றி இறக்கியுள்ளனர்.

இவர்கள் அண்மையில் செக் குடியரசில் இருந்து ஆயுதங்களை எடுத்து வந்து, கிரோக்கத்தில் உள்ள துறைமுகத்தில் இருந்து இந்து சமுத்திர பகுதிக்கு எடுத்துச் சென்றுள்ளனர். விடுதலைப் புலிகளும் கடந்த காலங்களில் இந்த வழியாகவே ஆயுதங்களை இலங்கைக்கு எடுத்துச் சென்றனர்.

ஆயுத கொள்வனவு தொடர்பான விடயத்திற்காகவே கோத்தபாய அண்மையில் இஸ்ரேல் மற்றும் இத்தாலி ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்கு சென்று வந்துள்ளதாக தெரியவந்துள்ளது.

கோத்தபாய தனது இத்தாலி விஜயத்தின் போது ரிமினி என்ற கடற்கரை நகரில் யோகராஜா என்பரின் முகவரை சந்தித்து பேச்வார்த்தை நடத்தியுள்ளார். இதில் பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சின் ஆலோசகர் ஒருவர் கலந்து கொண்டதாக தெரியவருகிறது.

இதற்கு முன்னர் கோத்தபாயவினால் இரகசியமான முறையில் கொண்டு வரப்பட்ட ஆயுதங்கள் அடங்கிய கப்பல் ஐக்கிய அரபு இராஜ்ஜியத்தில் பிடிப்பட்டதுடன் இலங்கையினால் இறக்குமதி செய்யப்பட்டதாக கூறி அந்த கப்பல் விடுவிக்கப்பட்டது.

எனினும் இலங்கை அரசாங்கம் அப்படியான ஆயுதங்களை இறக்குமதி செய்யவில்லை என்பது பின்னர் தெரியவந்தது.

கோத்தபாயவின் சட்டவிரோத ஆயுத விற்பனை தொடர்பில் ஐரோப்பிய மற்றும் இந்திய புலனாய்வு பிரிவினர் உன்னிப்பாக அவதானித்து வருவதாக அந்த சிங்கள இணையத்தளம் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது.

Looking Down The Road

By Ranil Senanayake -January 10, 2014 

Ranil Senanayake

It was about 1916 when the freedom fighter, F.R.Senanayake began organizing a response to the wanton killing and displacement of traditional villages, living on the land that businessmen wanted. Agri-business was after land, the people who opposed them and supported the villagers, were accused of being subversive due their ‘public service work’.  As the Hon D.S.Senanayake, the first leader of democratic Sri Lanka stated when taken into custody by the British,   “We prisoners were taken to the Police Headquarters and questioned about our public service work. “ Public Service Work had become a threat to the empire. Working in the interest of the people was frowned upon, working without a financial profit motive, was suspicious.  In the face of all this suppression they strived and helped bring about our current nation.  One would assume that this spirit of ‘Public Service’ that led to our independence, should have flowed into the present and produced a content, equitable society living in a clean, beautiful and healthy land. But looking around the land today, one sees a frighteningly different reality.

Sri Lanka has been betrayed! Our people have been poisoned in both body, as seen from the soaring rates of cancers and organ failures and  mind, as seen from the soaring rates of suicides, murders and violence towards women and children.  No amount of political spin can erase these realities.

There is also a disturbing pattern of media spin on critical issues, matters of serious public concern are trivialized, when media control is complete they are inverted.  As great parts of China are severely affected by choking smog,  a recent  announcement in the ‘Chinese Global Times’, a response this smog, a product of their Unplanned Economic Development, was forcing closure of schools and creating  health issues. So they claimed that smog has its own benefits and offers these (translated) rationalizations as to why smog can be good.

1. It unifies the Chinese people.

2. It makes China more equal.

3. It raises citizen awareness of the cost of China’s economic development.

4. It makes people funnier.

5. It makes people more knowledgeable (of things like meteorology and the English word haze).

There is of course global astonishment, even amusement at these comments. But it does illustrate the dire need for people to question the inane statements that are offered as a rationale to justify the process eroding our fundamental human right, the right to life!                                       Read More   

Colombo opens new military camps, ‘Red soldiers’ to monitor Eezham Tamils

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 January 2014, 21:57 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan military has created a new unit, which has come to be called as ‘Red Army’ with military intelligence personnel fluent in three languages. The new ‘Red’ soldiers of the occupying military will be patrolling the interior villages of Vanni in bicycles. While Stephen Rapp, the US Ambassador for Global Criminal Justice was visiting North on Wednesday, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Sri Lankan presidential sibling and SL defence secretary, declared open 3 major military bases of the occupying Sri Lankan military in North. A large complex, which was earlier built by the political division of the LTTE near Ira'naimadu tank, has now become one of the new military installations of the occupying SL military in Ki'linochchi district. 

Another new military base was opened declared at Keerimalai in Jaffna, which is a major pilgrim center of Eezham Tamils along the northern coast of the Jaffna peninsula and is adjacent to the Sinhala Military Zone that is in the making in Valikaamam North. 

At the same time, former military base of the 52 Division, which has been shifted from Vara'ni in Thenmaraadchi, was declared open at a new locality at Ezhuthumadduvaa'l. 

A military hospital, with modern facilities, was also declared opened at Palaali military complex on Wednesday. 

The LTTE was building a large complex at Ira'naimadu, which was referred to as the Parliament Complex. The building was also meant to be the secretariat, if an interim administration was to be formed during the times of the peace negotiations. 

The same complex has now become the new Sinhala military installation in Vanni. 

The post-Mu'l'livaaykkaal space given to Colombo by the international community of Establishments serves nothing but the military consolidation of the genocidal State and the continuation of the genocidal war waged against the remaining Eezham Tamil people, political observers in the island said.

Rs.1.3 bn in kickbacks acquired  by some govt. members – Mangala

Deposited in foreign banks since 2005

 

by Zacki Jabbar-January 9, 2014

Over Rs.1.3 billion in kickbacks received by some powerful personalities in the government had been deposited with several banks abroad over the last eight years,UNP MP Mangala Samraweera alleged yesterday.

He told a news conference in Colombo that they including leading politicians had benefitted from the illegal commissions they had extracted from various projects undertaken by the government.

"The Hambantota and Trincomalee ports and Hambantota oil tank were some of the projects from which the kickbacks had been obtained, MP Samaraweera alleged.

The Central Bank was planning to bring down coins weighing nearly 20,000 kilos found in tills at religious places of worship in India to the tune of Rs. 2.3 billion,t he MP noted. "If the Central Bank is so bankrupt, it should seek the assistance of the World Banks Stolen Asset Recovery (STAR) Unit to recover the illegal commissions lying to the credit of corrupt ruling party politicians in banks abroad without breaking open tills or forcing open drawers belonging to the public which Sri Lankan culture did not encourage."

While the country’s wealth was being plundered by a select few, the masses were being taxed regularly causing the cost of living to skyrocket, Samaraweera said.

He said that the magnitude of corruption that existed at the highest levels was reflected by the fact that national debt which was Rs. 1.8 trillion in 2005 after 57 years of independence had zoomed to Rs.6.6 trillion by the end of 2013.