Friday, May 2, 2014

சாவகச்சேரி மேதின உரையின் பின் சி.வி. விக்கினேஸ்வரன் பொலிசாரால் பாதுகாப்பாக அழைத்துச் செல்லப்பட்டார்-

முதலமைச்சர் சீ.வீ.விக்னேஸ்வரனின் சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்திய மேதின உரை-

01 மே 2014
வடமாகாண முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்கினேஸ்வரனை கூட்டமைப்பு ஆதரவாளர்கள் சுற்றி வளைத்த நிலையில் அவர் அவசர அவசரமாக பொலிஸாரால் பாதுகாப்பாக வெளியேற்றப்பட்டு உள்ளார்.

சாவகச்சேரியில் நடைபெற்ற மேதினக்கூட்டத்தில் பங்கெடுத்து உரையாற்றிய முதலமைச்சர் விக்கினேஸ்வரன் விடுதலைப்புலிகள் தலைவர் பிரபாகரன் தன்னிட்சையாக செயற்பட்டார் என்று பொருள்பட பேசியதாக விளங்கிக் கொண்ட இளைஞர்கள் சிலர் தேர்தல் காலத்தில் பிரபாகரன் மாவீரன் இப்போது சர்வாதிகாரியா என கேள்வி எழுப்பினர்.

இந்நிலையில் தனது உரையினை முடித்துக்கொண்டு முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்கினேஸ்வரன் வெளியேற முற்படுகையில் மண்டபத்திற்கு வெளியே அவரை இளைஞர்கள் சிலர் சுற்றி வளைக்க முற்பட்டனர். யதார்த்தத்தினை புரிந்து கொண்ட அவரது பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு பொலிஸார் அவசர அவசரமாக காரில் ஏற்றி அவரை வெளியேற்றினர்.

இதனிடையே முதலமைச்சர் சி.வி.விக்கினேஸ்வரனின் உரை அங்கு பிரச்சன்னமாகியிருந்த பலரிடமும் சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தியதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. குறிப்பாக சாவகச்சேரியில் மேதின ஏற்பாட்டை செய்திருந்த மாகாணசபை உறுப்பினர் மற்றும் சிவாஜிலிங்கம் போன்றவர்களை சுற்றிவளைத்து பலரும் கேள்விகளை எழுப்பியதுடன் விமர்சனங்களையும் முன்வைத்திருந்ததாக அங்கிருந்து கிடைக்கும் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Low, Dishonest Governance

| by Tisaranee Gunasekara

“….a culture in which orders from above, even if evil, are followed, because they are confused with the law itself.”

Jean-Marie Kamatali (Following Orders in Rwanda)

( May 1, 2014, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) This week, two trains collided in Sri Lanka.

It was an accident waiting to happen, caused by a technical failure left unattended for too long, despite many complaints: “The points of the railway track of the Pothuhera Railway Station were faulty for several years but repeated requests to higher-ups to rectify the problems fell on deaf ears. We were expecting a railway disaster at any moment.”

Low, Dishonest Governance by Thavam Ratna

Self-Determination And The Russian People Of Ukraine

By Veluppillai Thangavelu -May 1, 2014

Veluppillai Thangavelu

Extending the Right of Self-determination to Russian People of Ukraine is the Best Solution

Close on the heels of Crimea‘s voluntary annexation with the Russian Federation after holding a referendum on the basis of the inherent right of people to self determination, Ukraine is in turmoil once again. The Russian people who dominate the south – eastern parts of Ukraine are demanding the same right of self determination to either join the Russian Federation or declare out right independence.

The Russian “separatists” have seized more than dozen towns and cities and even TV stations since protests broke out in April this year. They are most active in Donestk, Lugansk, Slavyansk and Kharkov cities. Ironically, the Russian separatists are adopting the same tactics used by pro-European protesters who occupied government buildings and ultimately forced President Yanukovich to flee the country. Since Yanukovich’s ouster, Kiev’s interim government has faced a wave of protests in the predominantly Russian-speaking east.

On April 16th the Ukrainian authorities began what they called an anti-terrorist operation. It ended in humiliation when two columns of armoured vehicles were stopped by local civilians backed by rebel militiamen. Faced with the choice of having to kill civilians and then probably getting killed themselves, the soldiers capitulated. One column was allowed to leave but the soldiers of the other lost their vehicles and arms, and some 40 soldiers were put on buses and sent back to Kiev the capital. Read More

5 years today - Indiscriminate shelling continues in No Fire Zone, shocking failure to protect civilians says British Foreign Sec

Tamil Guardian 01 May 2014
1 May 2009 - Indiscriminate shelling continues in No Fire Zone, shocking failure to protect civilians says British Foreign SecThe Sri Lankan Army, ignoring calls by the visiting British Foreign Secretary for a ceasefire and immediate international access to the No Fire Zone, continued the relentless shelling of the No Fire Zone killing and injuring scores of civilians in Mullivaaikkal.

Sources on the ground told TamilNet that 110 injured civilians had been admitted to the makeshift civilian whilst 27 injured civilians had passed away during the night.

The previous day saw 200 civilians brought into to the hospital with 39 deaths.
Sources from makeshift hospital were only able to give accounts of people that died in care as severely injured civilians and dead bodies were being left in the fields by this stage.

The British and French envoys speaking on their visit to Sri Lanka, said,

"Time is running out for those trapped or displaced by the fighting. Our mission was simple: to make, in person, the case for the humanitarian relief that the UN, the EU and the G8 have called for."

"Here the refusal to allow the UN, the aid agencies and the media full and proper access is quite wrong."

"As members of the UN Security Council we do not shy away from the responsibility of sovereign governments and the international community to protect civilians

5 Years Today - Hospital in No Fire Zone Attacked, British Foreign Sec Calls for Ceasefire, Sri Lanka Downp... by nelvely

NPC replys to JHU Udaya Gammanpila’s chellenge: Centre does not allow North & East PCs to use their power devoled to them

Reply by National Peace Council: On the functioning of the Provincial Councils of the North and East

In an interview given to the Daily News of 24.04.14, Western Provincial Council minister Udaya Gammanpila has taken issue with a statement of the National Peace Council with regard to Provincial Councils in the North and East. He has quoted from the NPC statement that “although the government has held elections in the Northern Provincial Council, it is useless unless the Council is allowed to function without undue interference from the centre”.

NPC Replys to JHU Udaya Gammanpila’s Chellenge Centre Does Not Allow North & East PCs to Use Their Power De... by Thavam Ratna

Canada Concerned by Sri Lanka’s Inclusion of Canadians on Terrorist List

April 30, 2014 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular), today issued the following statement:

“We are concerned by the Government of Sri Lanka’s listing of 16 entities and 424 individuals for purported links to terrorist activities, including some with ties to Canada.

“Sri Lanka’s action has no legal effect in Canada: it does not constrain the freedom of listed groups and individuals to lawfully express their views in Canada. However, Canadians targeted by this list could be subject to possible questioning, detention or arrest by authorities in Sri Lanka.

“Diaspora communities play an important role in Sri Lanka’s post-conflict reconciliation process. This action by the Sri Lankan government could further hinder progress on reconciliation. While we may share concerns about some of those listed, we remind the Government of Sri Lanka that it must ensure any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with its obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law.

“The Government of Canada remains committed to combatting all forms of terrorism. Under the provisions of the Criminal Code, Canada included the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam on its list of terrorist entities in 2006 and added the World Tamil Movement to the list in 2008.”
A backgrounder follows.

- 30 -

For further information, media representatives may contact:
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @DFATDCanada
Like us on Facebook: Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada-DFATD

Backgrounder - Canada’s Ongoing Support for Human Rights in Sri Lanka

Canada has been a vocal advocate for improved human rights in Sri Lanka, as well as post-conflict reconciliation and accountability. Unfortunately, Canada has received little assurance that the Government of Sri Lanka is serious about addressing these issues. While obvious progress has been made in physical reconstruction, demining and other areas, the Sri Lankan government has not taken comprehensive action on many of the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.

Canada has strongly supported resolutions by the United Nations and the Commonwealth condemning the Sri Lankan government’s lack of action on reconciliation and the country’s disturbing slide in human rights.

Canada continues to call on the Government of Sri Lanka to implement fully the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and to respect human rights and the rule of law. Canada also continues to express concerns over human rights abuses and violations in Sri Lanka, including arbitrary detentions and reprisals against activists.

Canada will continue to pursue these issues through bilateral and multilateral channels and to offer appropriate assistance to Sri Lanka.

Date Modified: 2014-04-30

Government Coalition Has Fifty Cracks…And Counting

By Vishnuguptha -May 1, 2014

“Cracks especially, you have to be careful of the cracks. Sometimes they are disguised as something else. A doorway, or a smile or even a winking eye. And if you fall through them, you never know where you will end up.” ~ Isobelle Carmody

On April 17, 2014, this writer wrote thus: “Surrounded by the grandeur of corruption, nepotism and lies, this government, it seems, could be starved to death only by the austerity of truth. One stark example of that truth was shown most glaringly in the recently concluded elections for the Western and Southern Provinces. The monolith that has been withstanding many storms and tempests seems to be eventually showing mild signs of vulnerability. The Emperor’s clothes are beginning to fall.”

But that observation was made particularly in relation to the decrease in the votes that were cast for the candidates put forward by the United People’s Freedom Front (UPFA) at the recently-concluded elections in the Western and Southern Provinces. It was patently evident that the UPFA suffered a minor setback electorally for the first time since the cessation of the armed conflict between the security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE). Nevertheless, the quasi-humiliation the Governing coalition had to endure inside the House of Parliament last week, one might surmise, is a knee-jerk reaction by some self-appointed guardians of theSinhala-Buddhist culture and traditional values- not necessarily a conscious and deliberate political response- to the seemingly eroding mighty powerbase. This knee-jerk reaction or deliberate attempt to distance themselves from ‘UnBuddhist’-sounding policies of the Government occurred when the machinery of the Rajapaksa regime tried to clear the final hurdle for the establishment of what they call three different ‘integrated resorts’ to be set up at a total cost of US$ 1.4 billion (in excess of Rs 180 billion). Read More

ISI agent, linked to Pakistan official in Sri Lanka, held in Chennai
The terror suspect, hailing from Kandy in Sri Lanka’s Central Province, has been remanded in judicial custody by a magistrate court in Chennai, sources said.

Karthick S,TNN | Apr 30, 2014

CHENNAI: Central intelligence agencies and the Tamil Nadu police claim to have busted a major terror network with the arrest of an ISI suspect in Chennai on Tuesday.

Highly placed sources confirmed to the TOI that a 37-year-old man of Sri Lankan nationality, Sakir Hussain, allegedly linked to a Pakistani terror outfit, was picked up in a joint operation of Central and state police forces.

The terror suspect, hailing from Kandy in Sri Lanka's Central Province, has been remanded in judicial custody by a magistrate court in Chennai, sources said.

Hussain has been tasked by a senior official in the Pakistan High commission in Colombo to recruit youths from south India, especially in Tamil Nadu for terror activities, intelligence sources said.

Based on a tip off that "a person with close links with a Pakistan high commission official in Colombo" was involved in head hunting for the ISI, the state Q branch, a specialized wing of the police department dealing in terror and fundamentalist outfits, laid a trap.

A couple of weeks ago, the central intelligence alerted the Tamil Nadu police to closely monitor passengers flying in from Sri Lanka.

Tamil Nadu police confirmed that Hussain was nabbed on Tuesday and was found to have flown in with a tourist visa.

Hussain was remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday evening and lodged in Puzhal prison. He has been charged under IPC 120 B (conspiracy) besides sections 16 and 17 of Prevention of Unlawful Activities.

"In his confession, he admitted to the role of a Pakistani official. It was a shocking revelation. We got some explosive information. The operation is still on," a senior official said.

The arrest of Hussain and his "explosive confessional statement", sent to the home ministry, has sent shock waves among the country's prime anti-terror agencies, police sources said.

The arrest has activated intelligence teams, which are said to be closely monitoring south India. Police sources said the Pakistani official has been involved in the recruitment process for ISI and to circulate fake currency notes in India for more than two years. During the interrogation, Hussain revealed his contacts in Chennai and few other cities in the state.

In September 2012, the Tamil Nadu Q branch had nabbed A Tamim Ansari in Trichy when he was on his way to board a flight to Sri Lanka with a bunch of secret Indian naval documents and graphics loaded into compact discs.

Ansari was dealing in foreign footwear and was also exporting vegetables. An intelligence officer had stated then that the export business was only a facade to gain acceptability at some strategic levels and he had also in his possession photographs of the Trichy airport shot from various angles. He was booked under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

The LTTE revival and Gopi’s death: answered questionsBy Sunanda Deshapriya

Sunanda Deshapriya
(Lanka-e-News -01.May.2014, 12.30PM) On 11th April 2014, the government of Sri Lanka announced that three former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters were killed by the security forces. A press release of the Ministry of Defence stated that ”in the early hours of 11 April 2014, three armed suspects who attempted to escape the area confronted the troops in the cordon. All three were killed and two of the dead were later identified as Sundaralingam Kajeepan Thevihan, and Selvanayagam Kajeepan aka Gobi. The third is yet to be identified, but is believed to be that of Navaratnam Navaneethan aka Appan.”

The LTTE Revival and Gopi’s Death Answered QuestionsBy Sunanda Deshapriya by Thavam Ratna

Pakistan eyes Colombo as ISI looks South

Karthick S,TNN | May 1, 2014
After security was tightened along the borders in the north with Nepal and Bangladesh, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has been trying to build a base in Sri Lanka to gain entry to India, say experts. The arrest of suspected ISI agent Sakir Hussain from Sri Lanka in Chennai on Tuesday is an indicator of the accuracy of this line of thinking.

Central agencies, who made the arrest, believe that Hussain, 37, was in Chennai as he had been tasked by a senior official in the Pakistan high commission in Colombo with recruiting youth from south India, particularly in Tamil Nadu, for circulation of fake currency and terror activities. Hussain's confession has made Indian agencies take a closer look at Pakistan's plans in Colombo.

Col R Hariharan, a retired military intelligence specialist on South Asia, said the ISI had been trying to gain a larger foothold in Sri Lanka to execute its designs on India. "A few years back, the Pakistan government appointed a retired army person in its high commission in Colombo. He had direct links with ISI, which is keen on finding an entry point in south India using Colombo as a foothold," Hariharan told TOI. He said gold and counterfeit currency smugglers had found it easy to run operations from Colombo.

Investigating officers in the Sakir Hussain case said he was trying to recruit smalltime smugglers in Chennai and other parts of TN. Intelligence officials recalled the arrest of Thanjavur-based trader A Tamim Ansari, who police suspected was a Pakistani agent, in Trichy when he was on his way to board a flight to Sri Lanka with a bunch of secret Indian naval documents and compact discs loaded with maps.

A senior intelligence official also recalled the arrest of a senior leader of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). "The organization was banned after one of its leaders attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) in early 2000. He used Colombo as transit for his trip," the official pointed out.

A central intelligence agency recently alerted the state police that four Sri Lankan citizens with ISI connections were likely to enter Tamil Nadu. Hariharan said the integrated structure involving central intelligence and police organizations in states were not yet fully in place. "It has to progress at a faster pace with greater commitment both at the central and state levels," he said.

Officials said that the launch of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) was a crucial initiative and its successful implementation could improve the country's real time response to terror attacks.

Unseen Footage Emerges Of Muslim Owned Fashion Bug Attacked

May 1, 2014

A new CCTV footage shows what has happened inside the Fashion Bug attack last year( March 29, 2013) Fashion Bug, Muslim owned store was attacked by Buddhist Monks and other mobsters.

Is reconciliation achievable without separation in Sri Lanka?

by Lionel Bopage
- on 05/01/2014

Image credit Steve Chao, via Al Jazeera

“The general population doesn’t know what is happening and it doesn’t even know that it doesn’t know” – Noam Chomsky

Introduction

In the article Post-War Sri Lanka: Way Forward or More of the Same? published in May 2010, I concluded:

Is Reconciliation Achievable Without Separation in Sri Lanka by Thavam Ratna

Cutouts of ‘Rathupaswala Ranja’ must be smaller than those of 'Medamulana MaRa' – order given by insane megalomaniac Rajapakses

(Lanka-e-News- 30.April.2014, 11.30PM) Gotabaya Rajapakse had given orders to the producers of the film ‘Rathupaswala Ranja’ that the size of the advertisements and cutouts that are to be displayed pertaining to the film shall not exceed those of MaRa clearly illustrating that MaRa and his regime’s survival depend only on bogus propaganda , advertisements and cutout displays in their make believe world in which only hollow pomp and empty exhibitionism mean everything.

Though there exist no such laws in this country nor even in the whole world to impose such prohibitions , Gotabaya has deemed it right to impose this moronic and diabolic prohibition.

It is well to recall it is this same Gotabaya alias Goo- baya who became notorious during the period of the war as the army colonel (now SL’s criminal defense secretary ) who fled the country during the war deserting the forces traitorously citing mentally deranged grounds after getting himself condemned medically ,at a time when he should have remained steadfast and fought for his country. It is the general consensus among all , Gotabaya alias Goo baya had all along demonstrated in every action of his since he took over as defense secretary that he is mentally unstable. His instructions to SL ‘s famous film producer Sunil T. Fernando imposing prohibitions on display of cutouts only go further to confirm his lunacy, and that he has still been unable to outgrow his diseased mental condition and acute megalomania that characterize the regime’s members.

The key role actor in this film is by Ranjan Ramanayake M.P.who has created a record by winning the most popular actor annual award for 8 years.

The theme of this film revolves around the emergence of a hero espousing the cause of the people of Rathupaswala village against the misdeeds and destruction caused by a factory located at Rathupaswala . This film is likely to be screened in the latter half of May .

With the permission of the Performance Board for screening , after a number of scenes were censored , advertisement notices and cutouts were being displayed publicly of the film , with pictures therein of Ranjan Ramanayake who is playing the role of Ranja armed with a pistol , bald headed and tattooed .

However suddenly , an officer of the UDA Ministry had phoned Sunil T Fernando and told him that secretary Gotabaya , wished to meet him in connection with the cut out displays.When the producer met Gota , the latter had told him , the cutouts of Ranja of the film should not be bigger than those of the President , and must be much smaller , otherwise the image of the President will be adversely affected.

It is well to recall that during the tenure of office of former Presidents, Dudley, Sirimavo, R. Premadasa and Chandrika , cutouts of actors Gamini Fonseka and Vijaya Kumaranatunge which were larger than those of the Presidents at that time had been displayed freely and plentifully. Indeed Sunil T Fernando had pointed this out to Gotabaya without avail. But Gotabaya who is suffering from an acute inferiority complex coupled with his insane propensities could not understand it. It is unfortunate Gota who is unlucky to be born with a warped mind and feeble thinking power had not been able to understand it however he tried. Therefore he had sternly replied , ‘do what I say if you want to screen your film , or take to something else.’

The film producers are questioning: if they are paying for the space occupied by the cutout; if they are meeting the costs of the cutout; and if they are paying taxes duly to the relevant local body for the cutout ; what is the right the Medamulana Rajapakse land crocodiles have to obstruct their democratic and legal right to display their cutouts?

Response To Gammanpila: On Functioning Of N&E Provincial Councils

By National Peace Council -May 1, 2014

Udaya Gammanpila

He says “I challenge NPC activists to name any powers which the center has withheld from the Northern Provincial Council that are enjoyed by the other Provincial Councils” and goes on as follows: “They say that a measure of autonomy must be given to the Tamils. This is to allude that Provincial Councils have no autonomy. All the Provincial Councils in the country, including the Northern Provincial Council have autonomy in regard to their administration,” he adds.

The NPC wishes to reply to this challenge by Mr. Udaya Gammanpila regarding the actual devolution of power to the PCs and to name any powers which the centre has withheld from the Northern Provincial Council that are enjoyed by the other PCs.

Although on paper the same powers are devolved to all Provincial Councils those in the former North-East Provincial Council and the present Northern Provincial Council have been stultified in their functioning by the manner in which the Governors of these two provinces have used their powers with respect to these two Provincial Councils (the former North –East and later Eastern Provincial Council) and the Northern Provincial Council. Unlike the manner in which the Governors have functioned in the South where they have played a largely passive role and allowed the Chief Ministers and the Councils to function as per their initiative, the Governors in the former North Eastern Provincial Council and later in Eastern and the Northern Provincial Councils have stymied the legislative and executive powers of these Provincial Councils. Read More

Chapter 2. Country Reports:

South and Central Asia Overview

BUREAU OF COUNTERTERRORISM

Country Reports on Terrorism 2013

Report

April 30, 2014

South Asia remained a front line in the battle against terrorism. Although al-Qa’ida’s (AQ) core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been seriously degraded, AQ’s global leadership continued to operate from its safe haven in the region and struggled to communicate effectively with affiliate groups outside of South Asia. AQ maintained ties with other terrorist organizations in the region, such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Haqqani Network (HQN). These alliances continued to provide the group with additional resources and capabilities. In 2013, terrorists in South Asia carried out operations in heavily populated areas and continued to target regional governmental representatives and U.S. persons. On numerous occasions, civilians throughout South Asia were wounded or killed in terrorist events.

Chapter 2. Country Reports South and Central Asia Overview by Thavam Ratna