http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101029_03
Lessons learnt and reconciliation commission:
Lanka among safest after terrorism defeat - Gomin Dayasiri
Advocate Gomin Dayasiri
Sri Lanka has because one of the safest countries in the South Asian region in one and half years after the defeat of terrorism, Advocate Gomin Dayasiri told the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission at the Lakshman Kadiragamar Institute yesterday.
He said that the war came to an abrupt end as soon as the LTTE leader was eliminated proving the fact that this war was fought only against terrorism and not against any community.
Elaborating a number of points to justify the country's position from the charges made by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon's Three Persons Commission, US Senate Report and ICG Commission, Dayasiri said Sri Lanka is the only country which handed over free food, medicine and other basic facilities to the enemy group during the intense days of war.
He noted that he had the opportunity to go through the allegations made in the US Senate Report and almost all of them were dated within a very short period during the last stages of the war.
"Nobody could expect zero casualties at an intense war fare. The LTTE used a human shield to defend themselves. People desired to cross over from the side of the LTTE, and there were no war prisoners held by the Government. Most of the alleged civilian casualties were reported in the No Fire Zone," he said.
Dayasiri also brought out the fact that Sri Lanka was not dealing with any kind of legal body, liberation movement or a separatist movement, but with an internationally pronounced terrorist group which had worldwide connections surpassing the boundaries of the country. According to international law, it is a main principle that a war should only be fought over an humanitarian issue. "We started our humanitarian operation to gain access to water for agricultural purposes. This was a deprivation of a basic humanitarian need of the people," he said.
He also reminded the fact that the government took military action as the last option when all attempts for peace talks failed. The LTTE had violated the peace agreement at numerous times, he added. Dayasiri also expressed that maintaining high security zones are absolutely necessary for the time being to ensure security.
He suggested that with the conclusion of war now the government should focus on ethnic harmony by creating a trilingual society. "Trilingual education should be given from the younger age. For that it should be made compulsory from grade one. Trilingual program initiated by the President is commendable in this effort. For national harmony the language program should be carried forward in an accelerated manner. Both Sinhala and Tamil should be given prominent places rather than giving prime place for English," he said. Dayasiri said that mix colonization and creating a position of an ethnic ambushment are good options to improve national harmony.
Courtesy : Daily News
Friday, October 29, 2010
Northerners praise forces
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101028_06
Northerners praise forces
Security Forces personnel have earned the praise of Northern civilians for building a large number of houses and repairing many since the conclusion of the war in May last year, according to reports from the North.
Responding to a query by The Island, Military Spokesperson Major General Udaya Medawewa, yesterday said that the Army had built 4,575 new houses and reconstructed 2,758 houses in the Northern Province.
The Military spokesperson said that this was part of the efforts to help the war displaced in the wake of Sri Lanka's victory over the LTTE.
Of the new houses, 2,293 are in the Kilinochchi district, 1,030 in Mullaitivu, 662 in Vavuniya, 572 in Jaffna District and 18 in the Eastern Province.
Of the reconstructed houses, 952 are situated in Kilinochchi, 897 in Mullaitivu, 897 in the Vanni and 2 in the Jaffna district.
Northerners praise forces
Security Forces personnel have earned the praise of Northern civilians for building a large number of houses and repairing many since the conclusion of the war in May last year, according to reports from the North.
Responding to a query by The Island, Military Spokesperson Major General Udaya Medawewa, yesterday said that the Army had built 4,575 new houses and reconstructed 2,758 houses in the Northern Province.
The Military spokesperson said that this was part of the efforts to help the war displaced in the wake of Sri Lanka's victory over the LTTE.
Of the new houses, 2,293 are in the Kilinochchi district, 1,030 in Mullaitivu, 662 in Vavuniya, 572 in Jaffna District and 18 in the Eastern Province.
Of the reconstructed houses, 952 are situated in Kilinochchi, 897 in Mullaitivu, 897 in the Vanni and 2 in the Jaffna district.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Sri Lanka successfully controlled negative consequences of post-conflict scenario
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101026_07
Sri Lanka successfully controlled negative consequences of post-conflict scenario
Minister Peiris
The world has given inadequate recognition to what Sri Lanka has achieved in controlling the negative consequences in a post- conflict situation, stated Minister of External Affairs Prof G L Peiris today (26).
He was speaking at the Seminar on 'Conflict in Sri Lanka: Internal and External Consequences', jointly organized by the Centre for Security Analysis (CSA), Chennai, India and the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS), Colombo.
Not only has Sri Lanka controlled negative consequences within the country but also managed to curb these in the world at large, he said.
Prof. Peiris pointed out that the proliferation of small arms is a problem seen in the aftermath of a conflict, especially in the post-conflict situation in Cambodia. No such thing has happened in Sri Lanka. This is not coincidental and was due to well thought out and properly constructed policies, he stressed.
Another negative consequence of the post-conflict scenario which is the refugee situation is successfully being handled by the government, he said adding that the government has managed to reduce the number of internally displaced persons to nearly 18,000 from an initial 280,000 who escaped from the LTTE. The government has placed no restrictions on those remaining as they move in and out of relief centres on their own accord.
The Minister further stated that ex-LTTE combatants are being rehabilitated and reintegrated into society. Only around 1400 hardcore ex-LTTE combatants are held from the initial 11,000, he pointed out.
The Minister added that resuscitation of the economy in the areas ravaged by terrorism has been given significant attention to by the government with the help of external aid, particularly India. He drew attention to the 50,000 houses being built for IDPs with Indian assistance.
With the Provincial Council elections in the Eastern Province and local government elections held in two areas of the Northern Province, due political process is taking place to establish democracy and stability in the area, he further said, adding that the Northern Provincial Council elections will be held in the near future.
Prof. Peiris emphasized that the government ensures humanitarian efforts are reinforced by political and economic processes.
Minister Peiris also cited that another negative consequence with the aftermath of a conflict was the high degree of collaboration between insurgent groups which the government of Sri Lanka did not allow to take place.
With regard to the refugee problem, the Minister stated that Sri Lanka has been commended by other nations such as Australia and Canada for the actions taken to prevent the situation from escalating. Australia was particularly appreciative of the steps taken by Sri Lanka that helped ease the pressure on the Australian government with regard to alleged refugees from Sri Lanka. He added that the Canadian government was also looking favourably at such a situation in view of the UNHCR's report that there was no justification to consider refugee status for Sri Lankans who arrive in groups and the growing acceptance that there was no reason for anyone to flee the country due to fear.
Minister Peiris also emphasized that the security of the sea lanes has also been ensured in order to prevent trafficking, piracy and other related issues that affected other regions.
Thus, the quality and magnitude of Sri Lanka's achievements has not been adequately recognized by the international community, he said.
He further stated that although terrorism has been defeated, insurgent groups continue to have assets such as a highly sophisticated international communications network, one that efforts to establish a Transborder Government of Tamil Eelam.
Minister Peiris, who is also a professor of law, explained that orthodox concepts of international law must be rethought in order to eliminate terrorism. At the moment, insurgent groups are at an advantage with the current laws. Therefore, intentional law needs to be re-modulated to make the fight against terrorism more effective taking into consideration that prevailing international law was framed in the context of conflicts between nation-states.The situation was different today due to the involvement of terrorists who are non-state actors.
Prof. Peiris also talked about internationalization of internal matters. He pointed out that the belief that problems should be solved at international standards is not suitable. Countries must be encouraged to solve their own problems and the colonial mentality of the belief in the intellectual and political inability of countries to handle their own crises, which is condescending and patronizing must be done away with, he stressed. He added that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission is a good example of seeking home-grown solutions to internal issues.
Courtesy : President Media Unit
Government removes security check points in city areas
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101027_03
Government removes security check points in city areas
Government has decided to remove all security check points in the city gradually. Military Spokesman Major General Ubaya Medawala addressing media Tuesday (Oct 26) said, due to the improved security situation in Colombo, the government has decided to remove all check points in the city.
"Two check points at Wellawatta and Bambalapitiya have already been removed", he further said. According to defence sources, the check points will be replaced by snap road blocks and constant alternative surveillance systems.
"There around ten permanent security check points within the Colombo metropolitan area and all these will be gradually removed", Maj Gen Medawala said.
Further addressing media he said that, "these security check points were set up during a period which was stained with cowardly LTTE suicide attacks targeting innocent civilians".
Government removes security check points in city areas
Government has decided to remove all security check points in the city gradually. Military Spokesman Major General Ubaya Medawala addressing media Tuesday (Oct 26) said, due to the improved security situation in Colombo, the government has decided to remove all check points in the city.
"Two check points at Wellawatta and Bambalapitiya have already been removed", he further said. According to defence sources, the check points will be replaced by snap road blocks and constant alternative surveillance systems.
"There around ten permanent security check points within the Colombo metropolitan area and all these will be gradually removed", Maj Gen Medawala said.
Further addressing media he said that, "these security check points were set up during a period which was stained with cowardly LTTE suicide attacks targeting innocent civilians".
Soldiers complete building 4575 new homes & renovating another 2758 in Wanni & North
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101027_01
Soldiers complete building 4575 new homes & renovating another 2758 in Wanni & North
Sri Lanka Army formations in Wanni and North, in support of the government's ongoing resettlement project under 'Uthuru Wasanthaya' programme, have to-date completed construction of 4575 new houses and rebuilt or renovated 2758 existing units on the instructions of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya after the resettlement drive commenced last year.
Soldiers serving field formations under Security Forces Headquarters, Wanni, Kilinochchi, Mullaittivu and Jaffna were accordingly able to put up those new houses with the cooperation of state agencies, private donors, recipients and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in their respective areas. A total of 2293 new houses had been thus built in Kilinochchi. In addition, troops built 1030 houses in Mullaittivu, 662 in Wanni, 572 in Jaffna and 18 in the East during this period contributing their might towards the nation-building.
As the resettlement programme reached its apex, soldiers with the consent of the returnees have been able to renovate or repair a total of 2758 dilapidated or damaged or partly-ruined houses in Wanni and the North. This renovation and repair programme, covered 962 houses in Kilinochchi area, 897 in Mullaittivu area, 897 in Wanni area and 2 in Jaffna during the same period.
Soldiers have also been able to complete these projects with minimal cost to both the government and the re-settlers since the majority of the resources were either collected or received as donations.
Courtesy : Army media
Soldiers complete building 4575 new homes & renovating another 2758 in Wanni & North
Sri Lanka Army formations in Wanni and North, in support of the government's ongoing resettlement project under 'Uthuru Wasanthaya' programme, have to-date completed construction of 4575 new houses and rebuilt or renovated 2758 existing units on the instructions of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya after the resettlement drive commenced last year.
Soldiers serving field formations under Security Forces Headquarters, Wanni, Kilinochchi, Mullaittivu and Jaffna were accordingly able to put up those new houses with the cooperation of state agencies, private donors, recipients and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in their respective areas. A total of 2293 new houses had been thus built in Kilinochchi. In addition, troops built 1030 houses in Mullaittivu, 662 in Wanni, 572 in Jaffna and 18 in the East during this period contributing their might towards the nation-building.
As the resettlement programme reached its apex, soldiers with the consent of the returnees have been able to renovate or repair a total of 2758 dilapidated or damaged or partly-ruined houses in Wanni and the North. This renovation and repair programme, covered 962 houses in Kilinochchi area, 897 in Mullaittivu area, 897 in Wanni area and 2 in Jaffna during the same period.
Soldiers have also been able to complete these projects with minimal cost to both the government and the re-settlers since the majority of the resources were either collected or received as donations.
Courtesy : Army media
Water pumps & money gifted to resettled families
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101027_02
Water pumps & money gifted to resettled families
Mr. Namal Rajapaksa Chairman 'Tharunyayata Hetak' youth organization recently visited newly-resettled families in Adampan, Mannar. During his tour, 432 families received monetary donations and 103 more families were gifted with water pumps for agriculture development.
Mr. Namal Rajapaksa also reviewed the progress of seminars organized by 'Tharunyayata Hetak' for the students sitting for their G.C.E.(O/L) examination in Adampan Madya Mahavidyalaya, Mannar Al Asar Vidyalaya and Mannar St. Savoir Vidyalaya. Around 2500 students participated in these seminars. He also awarded a special prize to the student who scored the 3rd highest marks at the grade 5 scholarship examination, this year.
Commander, Security Forces Wanni Major General G. D. H. K. Gunaratne, General Officer Commanding 54 Division Brigadier M. A. M. Dias and many senior Army and Police officers were present at the occasion.
Water pumps & money gifted to resettled families
Mr. Namal Rajapaksa Chairman 'Tharunyayata Hetak' youth organization recently visited newly-resettled families in Adampan, Mannar. During his tour, 432 families received monetary donations and 103 more families were gifted with water pumps for agriculture development.
Mr. Namal Rajapaksa also reviewed the progress of seminars organized by 'Tharunyayata Hetak' for the students sitting for their G.C.E.(O/L) examination in Adampan Madya Mahavidyalaya, Mannar Al Asar Vidyalaya and Mannar St. Savoir Vidyalaya. Around 2500 students participated in these seminars. He also awarded a special prize to the student who scored the 3rd highest marks at the grade 5 scholarship examination, this year.
Commander, Security Forces Wanni Major General G. D. H. K. Gunaratne, General Officer Commanding 54 Division Brigadier M. A. M. Dias and many senior Army and Police officers were present at the occasion.
Jaffna Students Enjoy Four-Day Trip to Up Country
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101026_01
Jaffna Students Enjoy Four-Day Trip to Up Country
524 Brigade of Security Forces Jaffna arranged four day tour to the students and teachers of four Tamil schools in Point Pedro recently.
The trip named 'Thal Aranen Kadukarayata'consisted of 77 students and 10 teachers from Hartly College, Methodist College, Ponnambalam College and Vigneswara College with some of their parents. During the first two days of the trip the group enjoyed by visiting Tooth Relic Temple, Peradeniya Botanical garden, Peradeniya University, Kothmale reservoir and Labukalle Tea Factory in Kandy District.
Last two days they visited Nuwara Eliya Seethai Amman Kovil, Hakgala flower Garden, New Zealand Farm, Victoria Park and some other beautiful and important places in Nuwara Eliya District.
Dstrict secretariats in both districts arranged food and their accommodation facilities with the help of 2nd Battalion Sri Lanka Rifle Corps , Trade Union and SSP office in the area and students of Nuwara Eliya District arranged a colourful cultural show for the enjoyment of their brother students in Northern Province.
After getting the valuable parcels of school items given by the District Secretariat of Nuwara Eliya on their return journey they worshipped the famous Rangiri Dambulu Temple
Jaffna Students Enjoy Four-Day Trip to Up Country
524 Brigade of Security Forces Jaffna arranged four day tour to the students and teachers of four Tamil schools in Point Pedro recently.
The trip named 'Thal Aranen Kadukarayata'consisted of 77 students and 10 teachers from Hartly College, Methodist College, Ponnambalam College and Vigneswara College with some of their parents. During the first two days of the trip the group enjoyed by visiting Tooth Relic Temple, Peradeniya Botanical garden, Peradeniya University, Kothmale reservoir and Labukalle Tea Factory in Kandy District.
Last two days they visited Nuwara Eliya Seethai Amman Kovil, Hakgala flower Garden, New Zealand Farm, Victoria Park and some other beautiful and important places in Nuwara Eliya District.
Dstrict secretariats in both districts arranged food and their accommodation facilities with the help of 2nd Battalion Sri Lanka Rifle Corps , Trade Union and SSP office in the area and students of Nuwara Eliya District arranged a colourful cultural show for the enjoyment of their brother students in Northern Province.
After getting the valuable parcels of school items given by the District Secretariat of Nuwara Eliya on their return journey they worshipped the famous Rangiri Dambulu Temple
Road network through Kaytes and Mandathivu naval bases open for civilians
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101026_06
Road network through Kaytes and Mandathivu naval bases open for civilians
For the convenience of the civilians living in Kaytes and Manadathivu islands, the road network which runs through Naval Bases SLNS Kanchchadewa in Kaytes and SLNS Velusumana in Mandathivu was declared open by Minister Douglas Devananda in the presence of Governor of the Northern Province Major General (rtd) G.A. Chandrasiri and Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander Northern Naval Area Rear Admiral Susith Weerasekera.
A new bus service was also launched for the people in the area. Religious and local dignitaries, residents and Naval personnel of the Northern Naval Command were also present on the occasion.
Road network through Kaytes and Mandathivu naval bases open for civilians
For the convenience of the civilians living in Kaytes and Manadathivu islands, the road network which runs through Naval Bases SLNS Kanchchadewa in Kaytes and SLNS Velusumana in Mandathivu was declared open by Minister Douglas Devananda in the presence of Governor of the Northern Province Major General (rtd) G.A. Chandrasiri and Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander Northern Naval Area Rear Admiral Susith Weerasekera.
A new bus service was also launched for the people in the area. Religious and local dignitaries, residents and Naval personnel of the Northern Naval Command were also present on the occasion.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
The Australian, Edition N - Canberra MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 002
The Australian, Edition N - Canberra
MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 002
Sri Lanka urges hard line on Tamil asylum-seekers
By: ROWAN CALLICK, ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR .There are claims most refugees return home within a yearSRI Lanka's security supremo has called on Canberra to get tough with asylum-seekers amid claims the vast majority return home within a year.The call by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa came as terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said 70 per cent of Tamils granted asylum in Australia and Canada had returned to Sri Lanka for a visit.Mr Rajapaksa said the navy and police, now with the command of the seas around the island, had stopped the flow of boats from Sri Lanka's shores. ``We have not recently had a single case of people going from here in boats to seek asylum,'' he said.Now, instead, people travel to third countries by air and set off from there, he told The Australian.Mr Rajapaksa, the brother of the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda, said that after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May last year after a 26-year insurgency there was no reason for Tamils to seek asylum overseas. ``There is no reason why anybody should leave Sri Lanka out of any fear. They have the freedom to live anywhere,'' said the former lieutenant colonel, who narrowly escaped a suicide bombing attempt on his life four years ago. ``When people come to know that countries are sympathetic and give them asylum, it is very difficult to stop.``The Australian government has to be very strict on anybody to whom they are considering granting asylum. If they just stopped giving asylum, it would be much easier to stop this process.''The Singapore-based Professor Gunaratna described the Defence Secretary -- a 20-year army veteran, brought back by his brother from a successful information technology career in California to mastermind the defeat of the Tamil Tigers -- as ``the second-most powerful man in Sri Lanka''. ``It doesn't really matter to Sri Lanka whether these people leave or not. But for Australia, it does. Seventy per cent of those who have been granted refugee status in Australia or Canada then return to visit Sri Lanka within one year,'' he said.Mr Rajapaksa said that some Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres escaped the final collapse of their military campaign. ``We know there are a few groups trying to continue the fight in a different form.``Obviously there could be a re-grouping in other countries. So the Australian government has to be very careful in deploying its intelligence agencies on this issue.''He said Sri Lanka had been working ``very closely'' with Australia, ``especially on human-smuggling'', with visits by Australian police and naval officials.Mr Rajapaksa said that the Sri Lankan government had been unable to match the ``heavy propaganda and lobbying''of the Tamil diaspora, influenced by the Tigers, in many Western countries including Australia.The government has invited opinion leaders of that diaspora to visit Sri Lanka as it emerges from the war, and to visit centres of past conflict. Those who had gone, including some from Australia, had ``returned pleased.''
MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 002
Sri Lanka urges hard line on Tamil asylum-seekers
By: ROWAN CALLICK, ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR .There are claims most refugees return home within a yearSRI Lanka's security supremo has called on Canberra to get tough with asylum-seekers amid claims the vast majority return home within a year.The call by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa came as terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna said 70 per cent of Tamils granted asylum in Australia and Canada had returned to Sri Lanka for a visit.Mr Rajapaksa said the navy and police, now with the command of the seas around the island, had stopped the flow of boats from Sri Lanka's shores. ``We have not recently had a single case of people going from here in boats to seek asylum,'' he said.Now, instead, people travel to third countries by air and set off from there, he told The Australian.Mr Rajapaksa, the brother of the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda, said that after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers in May last year after a 26-year insurgency there was no reason for Tamils to seek asylum overseas. ``There is no reason why anybody should leave Sri Lanka out of any fear. They have the freedom to live anywhere,'' said the former lieutenant colonel, who narrowly escaped a suicide bombing attempt on his life four years ago. ``When people come to know that countries are sympathetic and give them asylum, it is very difficult to stop.``The Australian government has to be very strict on anybody to whom they are considering granting asylum. If they just stopped giving asylum, it would be much easier to stop this process.''The Singapore-based Professor Gunaratna described the Defence Secretary -- a 20-year army veteran, brought back by his brother from a successful information technology career in California to mastermind the defeat of the Tamil Tigers -- as ``the second-most powerful man in Sri Lanka''. ``It doesn't really matter to Sri Lanka whether these people leave or not. But for Australia, it does. Seventy per cent of those who have been granted refugee status in Australia or Canada then return to visit Sri Lanka within one year,'' he said.Mr Rajapaksa said that some Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres escaped the final collapse of their military campaign. ``We know there are a few groups trying to continue the fight in a different form.``Obviously there could be a re-grouping in other countries. So the Australian government has to be very careful in deploying its intelligence agencies on this issue.''He said Sri Lanka had been working ``very closely'' with Australia, ``especially on human-smuggling'', with visits by Australian police and naval officials.Mr Rajapaksa said that the Sri Lankan government had been unable to match the ``heavy propaganda and lobbying''of the Tamil diaspora, influenced by the Tigers, in many Western countries including Australia.The government has invited opinion leaders of that diaspora to visit Sri Lanka as it emerges from the war, and to visit centres of past conflict. Those who had gone, including some from Australia, had ``returned pleased.''
The Australian, Edition 1 - All-round Country MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 013
The Australian, Edition 1 - All-round Country
MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 013
Brothers who tamed the Tigers
By: ROWAN CALLICK, ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR .
How two powerful siblings won Sri Lanka's 26-year civil warWARS can still be won, even against formidable terrorist organisations. And Sri Lanka shows how. That is the core message of the country's security supremo, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a rare interview with The Australian.His office is in the Defence Ministry -- his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, holds the title of Defence Minister -- a British colonial era building bristling with armed soldiers, alongside a highly fortified military base on a prime location on Colombo's beautiful sandy foreshore.The war may be over, with the leaders of the Tamil Tigers almost all killed following the final assault in May last year, but Rajapaksa is understandably taking no chances having narrowly survived a suicide bombing four years ago in downtown Colombo thanks to his armoured vehicle.Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna described the Defence Secretary -- a 20-year army veteran and former lieutenant-colonel, brought back by his brother from a successful information technology career in California to mastermind the defeat of the Tamil Tigers -- as the second most powerful man in Sri Lanka.``If not for him,'' Gunaratna says, ``Sri Lanka would never have won the war'', which lasted 26 years, during which time more than 70,000 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced.Rajapaksa is inevitably a figure of some controversy at home and overseas, characterised -- with his brother -- as behaving brutally as the war was brought to its bloody conclusion.The army commander who triumphed with the brothers, General Sarath Fonseka, fell out with them after the war, stood for president in January and was convincingly defeated, with 40 per cent of the vote against Mahinda Rajapaksa's 57.8 per cent.Last month, Fonseka was sentenced to three years' jail for corruption over military procurements. Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror editorialised on Friday that the ``cacophony created by the hostility between the president and the former army commander . . . is killing the optimism generated by the epic war victory''.This noise is loud in Colombo right now. But the wider world -- especially Western countries exhausted by their military commitments and losses in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere -- is interested in lessons that can be learned when wars are won.Sri Lanka now joins a tiny list of countries whose governments have succeeded against determined guerilla opponents waging long-standing campaigns. The victory in Malaysia against the 12-year communist insurgency, ended in 1960, is the only comparable case in Asia.Rajapaksa emphasises this was ``a large scale terrorist war'' in which the Tigers, who fought to establish a separate state in the north and east, at one time controlled a third of the country. It was the first terrorist group to have its own naval and air wings as well as army. But its leadership is gone.Today, the long pent-up economic potential of Sri Lanka -- which before the war was the Singapore of South Asia -- is at last being realised in a boom, including tourism, up 44 per cent this year on the same period in 2009. The five-star hotels in Colombo are full of business people from across the world. Economic growth is running at almost 8 per cent.Rajapaksa and his brother are members of a formidable political dynasty. Their uncle and father were MPs from 1936, and at the last election eight members of the family were returned to the parliament. The president was the youngest MP when first elected in 1970.Rajapaksa says the reasons for the failure of eight governments comprising both main parties to conclude the civil war through five presidencies, were legion: military, political, diplomatic, social.``We had a very professional military, with very committed officers. We had won all the major battles, but were unable to finish the war. Some might think it a silly thing to say, but a key factor in our victory was my being the brother of the president. I was able to present him with the whole picture.''They can work together intimately, without a crack of light between them. And Rajapaksa knows the military and the intelligence services intimately. Many of the emerging top officers have served under him.The first reason for failure was that the military lacked the numbers needed to hold areas it had won. Naturally, says Rajapaksa, any other defence secretary would have aroused suspicion when he asked for the tripling of troop numbers, as he did.But being his brother, the president ``didn't have anything to worry about on my account''. Rajapaksa wasn't about to start a coup.``I can very well remember telling him about the tripling. He said, `if that's what you need to finish this, that's what we'll do'.''Gunaratna says that Rajapaksa is also the most honest defence secretary of the war period. Funding was not diverted elsewhere.No new military units were established. But the resources were raised significantly. ``So we could also fight on a wider front.''The Tigers, he says, ``always tried to inflict many casualties, then withdraw. They knew that when the military moved on, they could come back, it was never ending. Now, we could hold the ground.''All the services co-operated. The navy did jungle fighting, the air force protected supply routes. ``We raised nearly 150 battalions,'' he says: all volunteers, no conscription. ``We had a lot of casualties during this period,'' the final four-year stage of the war with almost 6000 troops killed and 20,000 injured. ``But we always replenished the forces.''An achievement, in a country the size of Tasmania and with the population of Australia.It was a big economic stretch, especially at the end when the global financial crisis had hit. Sri Lanka had to buy arms and ammunition on credit.Gunaratna says that during the two-year run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China -- which had provided 85 per cent of Sri Lanka's military supplies -- had halted the transportation of munitions, as a security precaution. Thus, much of it had to be sourced at this time from Pakistan instead.Previously, as the war dragged on, recruitment had become a problem. But Rajapaksa says his brother's single-minded leadership helped attract more young men to the military. ``He said we wouldn't stop half-way this time.''Many rounds of talks and ceasefires had failed over the years, most disappointingly those brokered by Norway in 2002.The second decisive factor in winning, Rajapaksa says, was working closely with India. Ultimately, he says, it wasn't crucial how the US or China or Europe responded to events in Sri Lanka.``Any other country, we could ignore.'' But India, which has 16 million Tamils, always retained a capacity to influence the outcome.The president flew to New Delhi and explained frankly the country's plight. The countries then set up a crucial contact group. On Sri Lanka's side there was Rajapaksa and the president's chief of staff and top adviser. On India's side, the national security adviser and foreign and defence secretaries.They met frequently, in Colombo and Delhi. India knew everything. There were no surprises.Besides the centrality of India, intelligence co-operation from Australia and the US was vital, says Gunaratna, with Operation Halophyte a ``key operation''. This involved the Australian Federal Police charging three Tamils resident in Australia with terrorism, although the charges were later downgraded to supporting a proscribed organisation.The final key factor in winning the war, Rajapaksa says, was to plan a humanitarian operation in parallel with the military one.``Civilians would get caught in between. We considered how to supply food and medicine, and evacuate them if needed. How to look after displaced people, to resettle them, to de-mine districts.''No-fire zones were announced, to which civilians were told they could safely retreat though just how safe these were to prove remains contested. Gunaratna says that Tigers moved into some, and took civilians hostage.A humanitarian committee was established at the start of the final military drive, involving UN organisations and key ambassadors, non-government organisations, and government heads.``We couldn't get this 100 per cent right. But if we hadn't attended to it, the situation would have been much, much worse.''Now, he says, in the north, the Tamil heartland, of 300,000 people involved in the conflict, 90 per cent have been resettled, and 70 per cent of the area de-mined.The military skills that won the war, he says, are now being redeployed for other purposes. For instance, the navy is working on re-establishing long neglected centuries-old canals built by the Dutch in Colombo, which would help prevent flooding.The navy is also helping, including by training young people, to rehabilitate the fishing industry. The air force is doing civilian transport work.Is Sri Lanka now completely safe? People in Colombo -- hit most severely by suicide bombing and other attacks during the war -- appear to believe so.``But remember, Rajapaksa says, ``this war went on for 30 years, and people were recruited from a very young age, they were brainwashed. Obviously we have to work gradually to tackle the remaining issues.''Gunaratna says that Sri Lanka has developed a rehabilitation program for such people, with 3000 fighters already released.Rajapaksa says the Tigers are ``no longer capable of military operations, but elements remain, including overseas, that are trying to regroup, and we have to be very vigilant. Now we need to bring stability and economic growth.''To solve the underlying problems that drove the civil war, ``we have to develop the country, to improve living standards. We want everybody to live peacefully as Sri Lankans, not as Singhalese or Tamils or Muslims.''Considerable effort is being made to develop the naval capacity to intercept any arms and munitions. ``They are not being made here, so anyone who wants to cause trouble has to bring them by sea.''That will also help Sri Lanka protect shipping that passes around the country, heading between Europe and the Middle East, and East Asia. China, which acquired considerable leverage in Sri Lanka during the war, is building a $1 billion port at Hambantota on the southern tip of the country, whose facilities it can use for its own fast-growing navy.Rajapaksa says China and India are ``old friends'' of the country. ``Whatever their own differences, both have been very helpful to us over the years.''Their help in building Sri Lanka's economy will now become especially important, he says.Sri Lanka has long had free education and health, and with 84 per cent literacy, Rajapaksa says it is time to build further, including hi-tech.He is disappointed with the extent of criticism from Western countries during the war, but says that was inevitable given that Tiger cadres had become a force abroad.But gradually that is changing as Tamils overseas begin to express support for rebuilding the country, he says.
MON 18 OCT 2010, Page 013
Brothers who tamed the Tigers
By: ROWAN CALLICK, ASIA-PACIFIC EDITOR .
How two powerful siblings won Sri Lanka's 26-year civil warWARS can still be won, even against formidable terrorist organisations. And Sri Lanka shows how. That is the core message of the country's security supremo, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a rare interview with The Australian.His office is in the Defence Ministry -- his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, holds the title of Defence Minister -- a British colonial era building bristling with armed soldiers, alongside a highly fortified military base on a prime location on Colombo's beautiful sandy foreshore.The war may be over, with the leaders of the Tamil Tigers almost all killed following the final assault in May last year, but Rajapaksa is understandably taking no chances having narrowly survived a suicide bombing four years ago in downtown Colombo thanks to his armoured vehicle.Singapore-based terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna described the Defence Secretary -- a 20-year army veteran and former lieutenant-colonel, brought back by his brother from a successful information technology career in California to mastermind the defeat of the Tamil Tigers -- as the second most powerful man in Sri Lanka.``If not for him,'' Gunaratna says, ``Sri Lanka would never have won the war'', which lasted 26 years, during which time more than 70,000 people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced.Rajapaksa is inevitably a figure of some controversy at home and overseas, characterised -- with his brother -- as behaving brutally as the war was brought to its bloody conclusion.The army commander who triumphed with the brothers, General Sarath Fonseka, fell out with them after the war, stood for president in January and was convincingly defeated, with 40 per cent of the vote against Mahinda Rajapaksa's 57.8 per cent.Last month, Fonseka was sentenced to three years' jail for corruption over military procurements. Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror editorialised on Friday that the ``cacophony created by the hostility between the president and the former army commander . . . is killing the optimism generated by the epic war victory''.This noise is loud in Colombo right now. But the wider world -- especially Western countries exhausted by their military commitments and losses in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere -- is interested in lessons that can be learned when wars are won.Sri Lanka now joins a tiny list of countries whose governments have succeeded against determined guerilla opponents waging long-standing campaigns. The victory in Malaysia against the 12-year communist insurgency, ended in 1960, is the only comparable case in Asia.Rajapaksa emphasises this was ``a large scale terrorist war'' in which the Tigers, who fought to establish a separate state in the north and east, at one time controlled a third of the country. It was the first terrorist group to have its own naval and air wings as well as army. But its leadership is gone.Today, the long pent-up economic potential of Sri Lanka -- which before the war was the Singapore of South Asia -- is at last being realised in a boom, including tourism, up 44 per cent this year on the same period in 2009. The five-star hotels in Colombo are full of business people from across the world. Economic growth is running at almost 8 per cent.Rajapaksa and his brother are members of a formidable political dynasty. Their uncle and father were MPs from 1936, and at the last election eight members of the family were returned to the parliament. The president was the youngest MP when first elected in 1970.Rajapaksa says the reasons for the failure of eight governments comprising both main parties to conclude the civil war through five presidencies, were legion: military, political, diplomatic, social.``We had a very professional military, with very committed officers. We had won all the major battles, but were unable to finish the war. Some might think it a silly thing to say, but a key factor in our victory was my being the brother of the president. I was able to present him with the whole picture.''They can work together intimately, without a crack of light between them. And Rajapaksa knows the military and the intelligence services intimately. Many of the emerging top officers have served under him.The first reason for failure was that the military lacked the numbers needed to hold areas it had won. Naturally, says Rajapaksa, any other defence secretary would have aroused suspicion when he asked for the tripling of troop numbers, as he did.But being his brother, the president ``didn't have anything to worry about on my account''. Rajapaksa wasn't about to start a coup.``I can very well remember telling him about the tripling. He said, `if that's what you need to finish this, that's what we'll do'.''Gunaratna says that Rajapaksa is also the most honest defence secretary of the war period. Funding was not diverted elsewhere.No new military units were established. But the resources were raised significantly. ``So we could also fight on a wider front.''The Tigers, he says, ``always tried to inflict many casualties, then withdraw. They knew that when the military moved on, they could come back, it was never ending. Now, we could hold the ground.''All the services co-operated. The navy did jungle fighting, the air force protected supply routes. ``We raised nearly 150 battalions,'' he says: all volunteers, no conscription. ``We had a lot of casualties during this period,'' the final four-year stage of the war with almost 6000 troops killed and 20,000 injured. ``But we always replenished the forces.''An achievement, in a country the size of Tasmania and with the population of Australia.It was a big economic stretch, especially at the end when the global financial crisis had hit. Sri Lanka had to buy arms and ammunition on credit.Gunaratna says that during the two-year run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China -- which had provided 85 per cent of Sri Lanka's military supplies -- had halted the transportation of munitions, as a security precaution. Thus, much of it had to be sourced at this time from Pakistan instead.Previously, as the war dragged on, recruitment had become a problem. But Rajapaksa says his brother's single-minded leadership helped attract more young men to the military. ``He said we wouldn't stop half-way this time.''Many rounds of talks and ceasefires had failed over the years, most disappointingly those brokered by Norway in 2002.The second decisive factor in winning, Rajapaksa says, was working closely with India. Ultimately, he says, it wasn't crucial how the US or China or Europe responded to events in Sri Lanka.``Any other country, we could ignore.'' But India, which has 16 million Tamils, always retained a capacity to influence the outcome.The president flew to New Delhi and explained frankly the country's plight. The countries then set up a crucial contact group. On Sri Lanka's side there was Rajapaksa and the president's chief of staff and top adviser. On India's side, the national security adviser and foreign and defence secretaries.They met frequently, in Colombo and Delhi. India knew everything. There were no surprises.Besides the centrality of India, intelligence co-operation from Australia and the US was vital, says Gunaratna, with Operation Halophyte a ``key operation''. This involved the Australian Federal Police charging three Tamils resident in Australia with terrorism, although the charges were later downgraded to supporting a proscribed organisation.The final key factor in winning the war, Rajapaksa says, was to plan a humanitarian operation in parallel with the military one.``Civilians would get caught in between. We considered how to supply food and medicine, and evacuate them if needed. How to look after displaced people, to resettle them, to de-mine districts.''No-fire zones were announced, to which civilians were told they could safely retreat though just how safe these were to prove remains contested. Gunaratna says that Tigers moved into some, and took civilians hostage.A humanitarian committee was established at the start of the final military drive, involving UN organisations and key ambassadors, non-government organisations, and government heads.``We couldn't get this 100 per cent right. But if we hadn't attended to it, the situation would have been much, much worse.''Now, he says, in the north, the Tamil heartland, of 300,000 people involved in the conflict, 90 per cent have been resettled, and 70 per cent of the area de-mined.The military skills that won the war, he says, are now being redeployed for other purposes. For instance, the navy is working on re-establishing long neglected centuries-old canals built by the Dutch in Colombo, which would help prevent flooding.The navy is also helping, including by training young people, to rehabilitate the fishing industry. The air force is doing civilian transport work.Is Sri Lanka now completely safe? People in Colombo -- hit most severely by suicide bombing and other attacks during the war -- appear to believe so.``But remember, Rajapaksa says, ``this war went on for 30 years, and people were recruited from a very young age, they were brainwashed. Obviously we have to work gradually to tackle the remaining issues.''Gunaratna says that Sri Lanka has developed a rehabilitation program for such people, with 3000 fighters already released.Rajapaksa says the Tigers are ``no longer capable of military operations, but elements remain, including overseas, that are trying to regroup, and we have to be very vigilant. Now we need to bring stability and economic growth.''To solve the underlying problems that drove the civil war, ``we have to develop the country, to improve living standards. We want everybody to live peacefully as Sri Lankans, not as Singhalese or Tamils or Muslims.''Considerable effort is being made to develop the naval capacity to intercept any arms and munitions. ``They are not being made here, so anyone who wants to cause trouble has to bring them by sea.''That will also help Sri Lanka protect shipping that passes around the country, heading between Europe and the Middle East, and East Asia. China, which acquired considerable leverage in Sri Lanka during the war, is building a $1 billion port at Hambantota on the southern tip of the country, whose facilities it can use for its own fast-growing navy.Rajapaksa says China and India are ``old friends'' of the country. ``Whatever their own differences, both have been very helpful to us over the years.''Their help in building Sri Lanka's economy will now become especially important, he says.Sri Lanka has long had free education and health, and with 84 per cent literacy, Rajapaksa says it is time to build further, including hi-tech.He is disappointed with the extent of criticism from Western countries during the war, but says that was inevitable given that Tiger cadres had become a force abroad.But gradually that is changing as Tamils overseas begin to express support for rebuilding the country, he says.
Be alive to non-traditional threats too: Indian President
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101024_05
Be alive to non-traditional threats too: Indian President
While terrorism remains the foremost challenge to the civilised world, there is need to develop capabilities to respond to non-traditional challenges, President Pratibha Patil cautioned on Thursday.
Emphasising that India stood for protection of its values, commitment to democracy, rule of law and pluralism, which enabled the country to earn the respect of the world, she said threats to these basic concepts needed to be addressed, the Hindu reported (23).
"One of the foremost threats that the civilised world is confronted with is from terrorism, and India has been its victim...but terrorism is a global challenge with a worldwide network that threatens regional and global security. The world community has woken up to this challenge. India believes that terrorism has to be confronted with all the force at our command and in close cooperation with the international community."
Ms. Patil was inaugurating a seminar on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the National Defence College (NDC) here.
Flagging other challenges to security outside the classical notions of inter-state conflict, the President said that in a globalised world transnational crimes, piracy, drug trafficking and cyber attacks no longer respected national borders and many remained interlinked.
"All this requires that we must develop capabilities of adequately responding to not only the traditional threats but also the new threats of the 21st century. The tools available to us are no longer limited to military power. Other attributes of power, including soft power, economic strength and technological advances, have an increasing role to play."
Menon on new challenges
Delivering the keynote address on the theme of the seminar, 'The Role of Force in Strategic Affairs,' National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon advocated a new, open, balanced and inclusive security architecture to correspond to the new emerging situation.
"The security challenges of the 21st century are radically different from those of the 20th. Nuclear confrontation or war between major powers is not as likely as the threat from derivatives of nuclear deterrence, namely terrorism and nuclear proliferation, which are being used to subvert the emergence of a plural, secular and democratic international order in the 21st century. The challenges of a globalised world cannot be handled by 20th century military alliances or containment strategies," he said
Courtesy: The Hindu
Be alive to non-traditional threats too: Indian President
While terrorism remains the foremost challenge to the civilised world, there is need to develop capabilities to respond to non-traditional challenges, President Pratibha Patil cautioned on Thursday.
Emphasising that India stood for protection of its values, commitment to democracy, rule of law and pluralism, which enabled the country to earn the respect of the world, she said threats to these basic concepts needed to be addressed, the Hindu reported (23).
"One of the foremost threats that the civilised world is confronted with is from terrorism, and India has been its victim...but terrorism is a global challenge with a worldwide network that threatens regional and global security. The world community has woken up to this challenge. India believes that terrorism has to be confronted with all the force at our command and in close cooperation with the international community."
Ms. Patil was inaugurating a seminar on the occasion of the golden jubilee of the National Defence College (NDC) here.
Flagging other challenges to security outside the classical notions of inter-state conflict, the President said that in a globalised world transnational crimes, piracy, drug trafficking and cyber attacks no longer respected national borders and many remained interlinked.
"All this requires that we must develop capabilities of adequately responding to not only the traditional threats but also the new threats of the 21st century. The tools available to us are no longer limited to military power. Other attributes of power, including soft power, economic strength and technological advances, have an increasing role to play."
Menon on new challenges
Delivering the keynote address on the theme of the seminar, 'The Role of Force in Strategic Affairs,' National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon advocated a new, open, balanced and inclusive security architecture to correspond to the new emerging situation.
"The security challenges of the 21st century are radically different from those of the 20th. Nuclear confrontation or war between major powers is not as likely as the threat from derivatives of nuclear deterrence, namely terrorism and nuclear proliferation, which are being used to subvert the emergence of a plural, secular and democratic international order in the 21st century. The challenges of a globalised world cannot be handled by 20th century military alliances or containment strategies," he said
Courtesy: The Hindu
Channel 4 has failed to counter the challenge made on Doctored Photographs
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16513&Itemid=44
Channel 4 has failed to counter the challenge made on Doctored Photographs
Monday, 25 October 2010
With the prime motive of vilifying Sri Lanka and its people certain International Non-Governmental Organisations are carrying out a malicious campaign against Sri Lanka. The recent release of some photographs by organisation calling themselves they are humanitarian organisation was one such incident. The photographs released was doctored photographs similar to the ones released sometime ago by Channel 4 and up to now Channel 4 has failed to counter the challenge made by him with concrete evidence on their propaganda canard. This was stated by the Minister of Mass Media and Information Mr. Keheliya Rambukwella addressing a Media Conference at the Information Department this morning.
He said that when the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) requested three Non-Government Organisations who claim to be independent and representing humanitarian interests to give evidence, the three organisations issued press releases from three different places, at the same timing and with the same wordings rejecting the invitation. This itself shows that although they appear as different organisations, they are all hand-in-hand and acting with the same objective of bringing disrepute to the government and people of Sri Lanka for the very reason of dispelling the attempts made by them to halt the war and provide a respite to the terrorist leadership. Mr. Rambukwella said that these vicious Organisations only attempt unsuccessfully to implement hidden agendas on behalf of Sri Lanka’s enemies.The Minister said that the final report of the LLRC will be released to the United Nations and other Organisations when it becomes ready. (niz).
Channel 4 has failed to counter the challenge made on Doctored Photographs
Monday, 25 October 2010
With the prime motive of vilifying Sri Lanka and its people certain International Non-Governmental Organisations are carrying out a malicious campaign against Sri Lanka. The recent release of some photographs by organisation calling themselves they are humanitarian organisation was one such incident. The photographs released was doctored photographs similar to the ones released sometime ago by Channel 4 and up to now Channel 4 has failed to counter the challenge made by him with concrete evidence on their propaganda canard. This was stated by the Minister of Mass Media and Information Mr. Keheliya Rambukwella addressing a Media Conference at the Information Department this morning.
He said that when the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) requested three Non-Government Organisations who claim to be independent and representing humanitarian interests to give evidence, the three organisations issued press releases from three different places, at the same timing and with the same wordings rejecting the invitation. This itself shows that although they appear as different organisations, they are all hand-in-hand and acting with the same objective of bringing disrepute to the government and people of Sri Lanka for the very reason of dispelling the attempts made by them to halt the war and provide a respite to the terrorist leadership. Mr. Rambukwella said that these vicious Organisations only attempt unsuccessfully to implement hidden agendas on behalf of Sri Lanka’s enemies.The Minister said that the final report of the LLRC will be released to the United Nations and other Organisations when it becomes ready. (niz).
Monday, October 25, 2010
'Habouring snakes and raising hell'- Island Editorial
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101025_01
'Habouring snakes and raising hell'- Island Editorial
'Sri Lankan refugees have caused grave concern to several countries. Although the war has ended, there are still attempts being made by certain groups to take boatloads of Sri Lankans to affluent countries claiming that they are refugees' states the Island Editorial on Monday (Oct 25).
In a timely editorial posted the Island further asserts the 'boat people' drama- a heinous propaganda stunt by anti-Sri Lankan and sleuths of the LTTE terrorist outfit.
Full text of the editorial follows.
Canada is adopting tough measures to battle human smuggling. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's anti-human smuggling Bill to 'prevent human smugglers from abusing Canada's immigration system', if passed, is sure to give a turbo boost to his country' campaign to hold human smugglers at bay. However, some of its provisions considered draconian have come under criticism and the speculation is that the bill may have to be amended before its passage. A section of the Canadian media has urged the Harper government to critically study the bill before rushing it into law.
Several other foreign governments have felt the need for tightening their lax immigration laws which have proved to be a boon for human smugglers and turned their countries into havens for illegal immigrants.
Sri Lankan refugees have caused grave concern to several countries. Although the war has ended, there are still attempts being made by certain groups to take boatloads of Sri Lankans to affluent countries claiming that they are refugees.
The LTTE and its agents smuggled thousands of Sri Lankans including their activists to the West for several reasons. Refugees are a political issue that can be used to bring pressure to bear on foreign governments and influence their foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. The LTTE once successfully employed this method to jolt some Tamil Nadu politicians into taking on Sri Lanka. Refugees have also helped the LTTE with its anti-Sri Lankan propaganda as evident from the 'boat people' drama that has attracted global media attention. Funds from the economic refugees masquerading as the victims of Sri Lanka's conflict have been one of the main sources of the LTTE's revenue, which is also augmented with large amounts of money extorted from the expatriates who do not make voluntary contributions to the LTTE' war chest. Politically, the LTTE has used refugees to create sizeable block votes in the developed countries and exchange them for favours from unscrupulous politicians thus manipulating their governments. In the West, where electoral politics is characterised by voter apathy, these block votes mean a lot to power hungry politicians willing to stoop to the level of prostituting their privileged positions to advocate terrorism. The LTTE has also made generous contributions to political campaigns in those countries for this purpose with the help of funds from the economic refugees.
In most cases, the LTTE has carried out its refugee rackets with the connivance of some Colombo-based western diplomats who compromised themselves either for money or out of sympathy. Some foreign visa officers who served in Colombo have been arrested, prosecuted and punished for bribery. Western governments ought to keep a watchful eye on their visa officers in countries like Sri Lanka, where economic refugees get visas over the counter while genuine visa applicants are shamed and rudely turned away.
That the LTTE has been involved in forging passports and visas is only too well known. (How human smugglers conduct their illegal operations with the help of forged travel documents is lucidly explained in Gregory David Roberts' phenomenally enthralling 933-page book, Shantaram, which, based on a true story, is a must read for all diplomats, immigration officers and police personnel dealing with illegal immigrants.)
While the western governments that played host to the LTTE during Sri Lanka's war are struggling to rid their countries of illegal immigrants, there has been reported an increase in the number of Sri Lankan refugees returning home from India. Last week, 67 of them came back with the help of UNHCR. According to the Indian government statistics, as of July 2010, there were 71,654 Sri Lankan refugees in India living in 112 camps and 32,467 staying elsewhere.
The return of refugees from India has given the lie to the claims by the Tamil Nadu politicians and other LTTE apologists that the situation in Sri Lanka's North and the East has not improved since the end of the war.
The developed world which has let the grass grow under its feet over the question of illegal immigrants and accommodated even terrorists and their sympathisers in the garb of refugees, finds itself, as a pithy Sri Lankan saying goes, in the same predicament as a person who 'goes out of his way to harbour venomous snakes under his sarong and raises hell when he gets stung'.
Courtesy: The Island
'Habouring snakes and raising hell'- Island Editorial
'Sri Lankan refugees have caused grave concern to several countries. Although the war has ended, there are still attempts being made by certain groups to take boatloads of Sri Lankans to affluent countries claiming that they are refugees' states the Island Editorial on Monday (Oct 25).
In a timely editorial posted the Island further asserts the 'boat people' drama- a heinous propaganda stunt by anti-Sri Lankan and sleuths of the LTTE terrorist outfit.
Full text of the editorial follows.
Canada is adopting tough measures to battle human smuggling. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's anti-human smuggling Bill to 'prevent human smugglers from abusing Canada's immigration system', if passed, is sure to give a turbo boost to his country' campaign to hold human smugglers at bay. However, some of its provisions considered draconian have come under criticism and the speculation is that the bill may have to be amended before its passage. A section of the Canadian media has urged the Harper government to critically study the bill before rushing it into law.
Several other foreign governments have felt the need for tightening their lax immigration laws which have proved to be a boon for human smugglers and turned their countries into havens for illegal immigrants.
Sri Lankan refugees have caused grave concern to several countries. Although the war has ended, there are still attempts being made by certain groups to take boatloads of Sri Lankans to affluent countries claiming that they are refugees.
The LTTE and its agents smuggled thousands of Sri Lankans including their activists to the West for several reasons. Refugees are a political issue that can be used to bring pressure to bear on foreign governments and influence their foreign policy towards Sri Lanka. The LTTE once successfully employed this method to jolt some Tamil Nadu politicians into taking on Sri Lanka. Refugees have also helped the LTTE with its anti-Sri Lankan propaganda as evident from the 'boat people' drama that has attracted global media attention. Funds from the economic refugees masquerading as the victims of Sri Lanka's conflict have been one of the main sources of the LTTE's revenue, which is also augmented with large amounts of money extorted from the expatriates who do not make voluntary contributions to the LTTE' war chest. Politically, the LTTE has used refugees to create sizeable block votes in the developed countries and exchange them for favours from unscrupulous politicians thus manipulating their governments. In the West, where electoral politics is characterised by voter apathy, these block votes mean a lot to power hungry politicians willing to stoop to the level of prostituting their privileged positions to advocate terrorism. The LTTE has also made generous contributions to political campaigns in those countries for this purpose with the help of funds from the economic refugees.
In most cases, the LTTE has carried out its refugee rackets with the connivance of some Colombo-based western diplomats who compromised themselves either for money or out of sympathy. Some foreign visa officers who served in Colombo have been arrested, prosecuted and punished for bribery. Western governments ought to keep a watchful eye on their visa officers in countries like Sri Lanka, where economic refugees get visas over the counter while genuine visa applicants are shamed and rudely turned away.
That the LTTE has been involved in forging passports and visas is only too well known. (How human smugglers conduct their illegal operations with the help of forged travel documents is lucidly explained in Gregory David Roberts' phenomenally enthralling 933-page book, Shantaram, which, based on a true story, is a must read for all diplomats, immigration officers and police personnel dealing with illegal immigrants.)
While the western governments that played host to the LTTE during Sri Lanka's war are struggling to rid their countries of illegal immigrants, there has been reported an increase in the number of Sri Lankan refugees returning home from India. Last week, 67 of them came back with the help of UNHCR. According to the Indian government statistics, as of July 2010, there were 71,654 Sri Lankan refugees in India living in 112 camps and 32,467 staying elsewhere.
The return of refugees from India has given the lie to the claims by the Tamil Nadu politicians and other LTTE apologists that the situation in Sri Lanka's North and the East has not improved since the end of the war.
The developed world which has let the grass grow under its feet over the question of illegal immigrants and accommodated even terrorists and their sympathisers in the garb of refugees, finds itself, as a pithy Sri Lankan saying goes, in the same predicament as a person who 'goes out of his way to harbour venomous snakes under his sarong and raises hell when he gets stung'.
Courtesy: The Island
Home is where your heart is : Ex-combatants yearn for recognition
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101024_03
Home is where your heart is : Ex-combatants yearn for recognition
Paskaran Selvakumari
Kumar
Can you remember the days when you refused to eat food and your mother made you scary saying that devils would come and swallow you?
Looking around with wide open eyes and without troubling your mum anymore, you meekly emptied the dish.
For more than two decades, the children of the North, were made scary when they did not eat food not by calling devils but telling them that Sinhalese soldiers would come and cut them into pieces.
Whenever they committed an innocent naughty act, their parents 'called' the soldiers. "We did not utter a word but ate dosai silently when my mother called the Sinhalese soldiers. From our small days, we saw posters where soldiers kill small children," Kaneshapillai Ranjith Kumar said.
Released from the rehabilitation centre at Vavuniya, Kumar who is disabled is waiting for a sponsorship for an artificial limb.
Northern children who were born two decades ago were continuously exposed to posters and propaganda campaigns by the LTTE to cultivate their animosity towards the Sinhalese and their soldiers.
The LTTE's long-term plan for the cause - to get the brain washed youth to fight - became successful to a greater extent and they made it easy to motivate the innocent youth die for their useless cause - Eelam.
oday thousands and thousands of Tamils who have seen the Sinhalese and their soldiers after the end of the war know the 'breed' that they were taught to be devils are humans that saved them from the real 'devils'.
Married to escape the forced conscription and hidden in a bunker with his newly married wife, Kumar who escaped terror filled Puthumathalan in 2009, a few days before the battle came to a complete end, is trying to become a popular garage owner in Mullaithivu.
Their hope is for a better future - Pix: Thilak Perera
Despite his disability, he repairs whatever vehicle that comes to his garage. Clad in a sarong and shirt with black grease patches he apologises for coming to meet us in dirty and smelly clothes.
He has put up a temporary garage at Thanniuththu with the material given to build a house in the resettled village.
"I can earn Rs. 1,000 to 1,500 daily", the 29-year-old, who had run a garage in the Mullaithivu town since 2006 said.
The LTTE police which was hunting civilians to strengthen the outfit ordered hundreds of people to get photos wearing LTTE uniforms and Kumar went to get a photo and never returned home. When he refused to join the LTTE threatened to recruit his brother.
He was trucked with over 250 civilians including underaged children to the Kokuthuduwai training camp for a half a month training and then deployed at the Forward Defence Lines in Tampanai, where he lost his left limb to an AP mine buried by the LTTE itself.
Treated for six months at the Mullaithivu hospital, Kumar was asked to work in a LTTE garage in Pokkanei.
"I could not work in that garage and I escaped. I came home and tried to surrender to the soldiers but the LTTE shot at us. My sister, aunt and her sister were killed by the LTTE while they were running. However we reached the huge earth bund at Ampalanpokkanei.
Over 45 people were shot dead. There were pregnant women, old people and children ", he said.
Kumar, his family and others thought the Army would kill them but tried to escape the LTTE terror. "LTTE sympathisers got the chance of escaping in boats but they herded us towards the fighting areas and asked us not to run. But the soldiers saved our lives", he recalled.
New life
He is not alone. There are over 4,000 ex-LTTE cadres who have gone back home to start a new life free of violence. Having undergone a successful rehabilitation process where they were taught to brush up their hidden skills and the values of life, they are aspiring to lead a peaceful life to make a brighter future for them.
Talk to them... you will realise they don't harbour the LTTE's day dream - Eelam- anymore. They all want to be a part of the efforts to bring a new culture and a brighter future for Sri Lanka.
Exposed to terror since their birth, this segment of youth who were forcibly misled and lived with hatred against the Sinhalese, have learnt that there is no discrimination against them.
The artificially created 'ruse' by the LTTE and some interested segments are fading away in the horizon painting a new colourful picture from the far end of the North to the South bridging gaps that distanced historical ties.
Paskaran Selvakumari, another young female, is grateful to the Sinhalese soldiers who helped her to build the tiny house in her village. After return from the rehabilitation centre at Pompemadu, she has been reunited with her family of two daughters - Pathmakumari (7) and Banusha (6) and is trying hard to meet the day's expenses with the meagre earnings of her deaf husband who is doing odd jobs in the Mullaithivu town.
Unable to find a job with her poor educational qualifications, the young mother who studied only upto grade five, dreams of giving her two daughters a good education.
"The LTTE did not want us to study. I had to stop schooling due to LTTE threats. My poor parents did not have an option other than to give me to the LTTE to save the lives of my younger brother and sister. I was taken to Mullankavil training centre while my parents came behind the white van full of people who were dragged in", she recalled while taking a deep breath.
After a two-month training in Pooneryn with over 150 girls, she was recruited to the Malathi regiment and sent to Jaffna FDLs. She had to fight in Nagar Kovil, Palei FDLs but in 2000 she got injured at a clearing operation where over 30 terrorists died.
The bullet that ripped through her right ear came out from the right eye.
Admitted to the Kilinochchi Hospital she came home partially blind.
When they were planning to flee from Pokkanei, the military announced that LTTE cadres who were with the LTTE even for a day could surrender. As she wanted to save her children's lives she surrendered to the military with the family.
Suffering from frequent headaches, Selvakumari feared to undergo an eye operation. " I am scared that I will die and there would be no one for my two children", she said.
These youth, who were born and bred under LTTE terror, had been denied their rights as children and youth. Their parents had to pay taxes from each cent they earned.
When they defied LTTE orders they were harassed or killed. Though the LTTE boasted that the dead LTTE cadres were venerated and their families known as Mahaweera families looked after well, these ex-LTTE cadres claim those were only propaganda slogans to get more innocent victims to the outfit.
"When a boy or a girl died in battle, the LTTE gave a few thousands of rupees as compensation and the stay about looking after the family was a lie. The families of the senior LTTE cadres were looked after well and they had luxurious lives", they complained.
Slowly threading their lives with the new found peace, every ex-LTTE cadre who came back home after rehabilitation wants a better future.
Harbouring new hopes, they yearn for equal recognition from society to forget the bitter past."But still some of our own people look at us differently. They still see us as terrorists. We never wanted to fight but we were helpless.
We joined the LTTE as we wanted our families to survive", Thambiraja (21) said.
At the moment over 4,000 ex-LTTE cadres are back in society and also another 4,000 are waiting to come back. The need of the hour is to change the mindset of society to welcome them warmly.
If we cast doubts on them, they would naturally be cornered with the same hatred nulifying all fruitful efforts to rehabilitate them.
Back home
The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe said society had a great responsibility to welcome them as normal youth.
"After rehabilitation, they go back to their homes as normal youth.The Government Agent, Grama sevaka and the Army Civil Affairs officers in each district are aware of the number of rehabilitated ex-cadres are in their respective areas. They monitor their movements in a way not disturbing their freedom", he said adding that the system was initiated to facilitate them in their day-to-day activities.
He said so far not a single incident of violence created by the rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres has been reported from the North.
"Instead, they coordinate with government officers now. They have been issued 'Released Certificates' which will facilitate them in travelling, banking and finding jobs", he said.
Brigadier Ranasinghe said there were no child soldiers under rehabilitation and they, who had gone home, were now continuing their education with the help of the UNICEF.
Meanwhile, religious dignitaries in the North got together last week to discuss the rehabilitation process of the ex-LTTE cadres.
Over 150 Buddhist, Hindu and Christian religious dignitaries took part in the discussions with government officials involved in the rehabilitation of these youth.
"The clergy in each religion can make a huge impact on the lives of these youth. Once they are released and go back to their villages they should be welcomed and given recognition as they have come back to society as new souls. This situation can be created through the clergy. They can contribute to a greater extent to make these youth feel comfortable in their own societies. They also can make a huge impact on these lives through getting them involved in their religious activities", he said.
Courtesy : Sunday Observer
Home is where your heart is : Ex-combatants yearn for recognition
Paskaran Selvakumari
Kumar
Can you remember the days when you refused to eat food and your mother made you scary saying that devils would come and swallow you?
Looking around with wide open eyes and without troubling your mum anymore, you meekly emptied the dish.
For more than two decades, the children of the North, were made scary when they did not eat food not by calling devils but telling them that Sinhalese soldiers would come and cut them into pieces.
Whenever they committed an innocent naughty act, their parents 'called' the soldiers. "We did not utter a word but ate dosai silently when my mother called the Sinhalese soldiers. From our small days, we saw posters where soldiers kill small children," Kaneshapillai Ranjith Kumar said.
Released from the rehabilitation centre at Vavuniya, Kumar who is disabled is waiting for a sponsorship for an artificial limb.
Northern children who were born two decades ago were continuously exposed to posters and propaganda campaigns by the LTTE to cultivate their animosity towards the Sinhalese and their soldiers.
The LTTE's long-term plan for the cause - to get the brain washed youth to fight - became successful to a greater extent and they made it easy to motivate the innocent youth die for their useless cause - Eelam.
oday thousands and thousands of Tamils who have seen the Sinhalese and their soldiers after the end of the war know the 'breed' that they were taught to be devils are humans that saved them from the real 'devils'.
Married to escape the forced conscription and hidden in a bunker with his newly married wife, Kumar who escaped terror filled Puthumathalan in 2009, a few days before the battle came to a complete end, is trying to become a popular garage owner in Mullaithivu.
Their hope is for a better future - Pix: Thilak Perera
Despite his disability, he repairs whatever vehicle that comes to his garage. Clad in a sarong and shirt with black grease patches he apologises for coming to meet us in dirty and smelly clothes.
He has put up a temporary garage at Thanniuththu with the material given to build a house in the resettled village.
"I can earn Rs. 1,000 to 1,500 daily", the 29-year-old, who had run a garage in the Mullaithivu town since 2006 said.
The LTTE police which was hunting civilians to strengthen the outfit ordered hundreds of people to get photos wearing LTTE uniforms and Kumar went to get a photo and never returned home. When he refused to join the LTTE threatened to recruit his brother.
He was trucked with over 250 civilians including underaged children to the Kokuthuduwai training camp for a half a month training and then deployed at the Forward Defence Lines in Tampanai, where he lost his left limb to an AP mine buried by the LTTE itself.
Treated for six months at the Mullaithivu hospital, Kumar was asked to work in a LTTE garage in Pokkanei.
"I could not work in that garage and I escaped. I came home and tried to surrender to the soldiers but the LTTE shot at us. My sister, aunt and her sister were killed by the LTTE while they were running. However we reached the huge earth bund at Ampalanpokkanei.
Over 45 people were shot dead. There were pregnant women, old people and children ", he said.
Kumar, his family and others thought the Army would kill them but tried to escape the LTTE terror. "LTTE sympathisers got the chance of escaping in boats but they herded us towards the fighting areas and asked us not to run. But the soldiers saved our lives", he recalled.
New life
He is not alone. There are over 4,000 ex-LTTE cadres who have gone back home to start a new life free of violence. Having undergone a successful rehabilitation process where they were taught to brush up their hidden skills and the values of life, they are aspiring to lead a peaceful life to make a brighter future for them.
Talk to them... you will realise they don't harbour the LTTE's day dream - Eelam- anymore. They all want to be a part of the efforts to bring a new culture and a brighter future for Sri Lanka.
Exposed to terror since their birth, this segment of youth who were forcibly misled and lived with hatred against the Sinhalese, have learnt that there is no discrimination against them.
The artificially created 'ruse' by the LTTE and some interested segments are fading away in the horizon painting a new colourful picture from the far end of the North to the South bridging gaps that distanced historical ties.
Paskaran Selvakumari, another young female, is grateful to the Sinhalese soldiers who helped her to build the tiny house in her village. After return from the rehabilitation centre at Pompemadu, she has been reunited with her family of two daughters - Pathmakumari (7) and Banusha (6) and is trying hard to meet the day's expenses with the meagre earnings of her deaf husband who is doing odd jobs in the Mullaithivu town.
Unable to find a job with her poor educational qualifications, the young mother who studied only upto grade five, dreams of giving her two daughters a good education.
"The LTTE did not want us to study. I had to stop schooling due to LTTE threats. My poor parents did not have an option other than to give me to the LTTE to save the lives of my younger brother and sister. I was taken to Mullankavil training centre while my parents came behind the white van full of people who were dragged in", she recalled while taking a deep breath.
After a two-month training in Pooneryn with over 150 girls, she was recruited to the Malathi regiment and sent to Jaffna FDLs. She had to fight in Nagar Kovil, Palei FDLs but in 2000 she got injured at a clearing operation where over 30 terrorists died.
The bullet that ripped through her right ear came out from the right eye.
Admitted to the Kilinochchi Hospital she came home partially blind.
When they were planning to flee from Pokkanei, the military announced that LTTE cadres who were with the LTTE even for a day could surrender. As she wanted to save her children's lives she surrendered to the military with the family.
Suffering from frequent headaches, Selvakumari feared to undergo an eye operation. " I am scared that I will die and there would be no one for my two children", she said.
These youth, who were born and bred under LTTE terror, had been denied their rights as children and youth. Their parents had to pay taxes from each cent they earned.
When they defied LTTE orders they were harassed or killed. Though the LTTE boasted that the dead LTTE cadres were venerated and their families known as Mahaweera families looked after well, these ex-LTTE cadres claim those were only propaganda slogans to get more innocent victims to the outfit.
"When a boy or a girl died in battle, the LTTE gave a few thousands of rupees as compensation and the stay about looking after the family was a lie. The families of the senior LTTE cadres were looked after well and they had luxurious lives", they complained.
Slowly threading their lives with the new found peace, every ex-LTTE cadre who came back home after rehabilitation wants a better future.
Harbouring new hopes, they yearn for equal recognition from society to forget the bitter past."But still some of our own people look at us differently. They still see us as terrorists. We never wanted to fight but we were helpless.
We joined the LTTE as we wanted our families to survive", Thambiraja (21) said.
At the moment over 4,000 ex-LTTE cadres are back in society and also another 4,000 are waiting to come back. The need of the hour is to change the mindset of society to welcome them warmly.
If we cast doubts on them, they would naturally be cornered with the same hatred nulifying all fruitful efforts to rehabilitate them.
Back home
The Commissioner General of Rehabilitation, Brigadier Sudantha Ranasinghe said society had a great responsibility to welcome them as normal youth.
"After rehabilitation, they go back to their homes as normal youth.The Government Agent, Grama sevaka and the Army Civil Affairs officers in each district are aware of the number of rehabilitated ex-cadres are in their respective areas. They monitor their movements in a way not disturbing their freedom", he said adding that the system was initiated to facilitate them in their day-to-day activities.
He said so far not a single incident of violence created by the rehabilitated ex-LTTE cadres has been reported from the North.
"Instead, they coordinate with government officers now. They have been issued 'Released Certificates' which will facilitate them in travelling, banking and finding jobs", he said.
Brigadier Ranasinghe said there were no child soldiers under rehabilitation and they, who had gone home, were now continuing their education with the help of the UNICEF.
Meanwhile, religious dignitaries in the North got together last week to discuss the rehabilitation process of the ex-LTTE cadres.
Over 150 Buddhist, Hindu and Christian religious dignitaries took part in the discussions with government officials involved in the rehabilitation of these youth.
"The clergy in each religion can make a huge impact on the lives of these youth. Once they are released and go back to their villages they should be welcomed and given recognition as they have come back to society as new souls. This situation can be created through the clergy. They can contribute to a greater extent to make these youth feel comfortable in their own societies. They also can make a huge impact on these lives through getting them involved in their religious activities", he said.
Courtesy : Sunday Observer
Vested interests trying to destabilize Lanka" says Secretary Defence
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101024_04
Vested interests trying to destabilize Lanka" says Secretary Defence
"Information has been received that certain vested interests are attempting to undermine Sri Lanka's hard gained stability by creating student unrest. The students should be aware of such evil forces", said Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Discipline has eroded among the students of schools and universities alike. It has fallen to such ebb that some have even resorted to assaulting Vice Chancellors like what happened at the Ruhuna University recently. This is not what parents expect from their children, said Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa while addressing the male and female school cadets at the National Cadet Corps Training Centre at Rantembe on Saturday (Oct 23).
"A sizable amount of tax payers' money is being invested in children's education, expecting them to become good and responsible citizens and contribute towards the development of this country," the Defence Secretary added.
"I served in an American university for about eight years. I never saw any ragging there. Ragging or 'navaka vadaya' is a 'vadaya' (cruelty). Likewise, I never saw students boycotting classes or lectures there. This is because they spend a large amount of money to enter those institutions," Mr. Rajapaksa reiterated.
Sri Lanka utilizes tax payers' money to provide free education to its children. Hence the students should strive to gain maximum advantage of this and should not become pawns of those hatching various conspiracies to destablise this country, said Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
"It is extremely important that students do not become willing or unwilling partners in these international conspiracies and bring to naught the ongoing and planned development of this country," warned the one time Sri Lanka Army Lt. Colonel and the current Defence Secretary, while also urging the parents to be extra vigilant of such moves.
"When they go out of their homes and families for the first time to obtain higher education, the students should remember that they also carry the expectations of their parents and loved ones on their young shoulders. They expect the children to become responsible citizens and contribute to the development of a better society," reminded Mr. Rajapaksa.
"We need to build a disciplined society. If you look closely at countries which have developed speedily, you will always notice that their society has been disciplined," added the Defence Secretary.
Vested interests trying to destabilize Lanka" says Secretary Defence
"Information has been received that certain vested interests are attempting to undermine Sri Lanka's hard gained stability by creating student unrest. The students should be aware of such evil forces", said Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Discipline has eroded among the students of schools and universities alike. It has fallen to such ebb that some have even resorted to assaulting Vice Chancellors like what happened at the Ruhuna University recently. This is not what parents expect from their children, said Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa while addressing the male and female school cadets at the National Cadet Corps Training Centre at Rantembe on Saturday (Oct 23).
"A sizable amount of tax payers' money is being invested in children's education, expecting them to become good and responsible citizens and contribute towards the development of this country," the Defence Secretary added.
"I served in an American university for about eight years. I never saw any ragging there. Ragging or 'navaka vadaya' is a 'vadaya' (cruelty). Likewise, I never saw students boycotting classes or lectures there. This is because they spend a large amount of money to enter those institutions," Mr. Rajapaksa reiterated.
Sri Lanka utilizes tax payers' money to provide free education to its children. Hence the students should strive to gain maximum advantage of this and should not become pawns of those hatching various conspiracies to destablise this country, said Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
"It is extremely important that students do not become willing or unwilling partners in these international conspiracies and bring to naught the ongoing and planned development of this country," warned the one time Sri Lanka Army Lt. Colonel and the current Defence Secretary, while also urging the parents to be extra vigilant of such moves.
"When they go out of their homes and families for the first time to obtain higher education, the students should remember that they also carry the expectations of their parents and loved ones on their young shoulders. They expect the children to become responsible citizens and contribute to the development of a better society," reminded Mr. Rajapaksa.
"We need to build a disciplined society. If you look closely at countries which have developed speedily, you will always notice that their society has been disciplined," added the Defence Secretary.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Cultivate positive attitudes, President tells officials
http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/10/22/news02.asp
Cultivate positive attitudes, President tells officials
Rasika SOMARATHNA
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stressed that Sri Lanka could face upto any challenge and realize its cherished goals, that of transforming the country into the ‘Wonder of Asia’ by inspiring and promoting positive attitudes and wholesome conduct of the people.
“At a time when terrorists were promoted as an invincible force by both local and foreign vested interests and with a low morale prevailing in the country, we were able to bring an attitudinal change that we could win this and overcome the challenge,” he said. “We were able to inculcate that positive mindset and bring about a social change. As a result more youth joined the forces. We brought all like minded forces under one flag and worked as a cohesive unit to defeat the forces of terror”.
The President also said “we should all have that ‘can do’ attitude in our hearts. If so, in the same way we defeated terrorism we could transform the country into a developed, disciplined, independent-minded and a resolute nation,” he said. He was addressing both State officials and politicians during the launch of a program to improve positive attitudes of Sri Lankans towards creating a noble society with economic development, at Temple Trees yesterday.
The long-term goal of the national program developed and implemented under the guidance of the Prime Minister’s office is to evolve social development parallel to economic development thereby creating a contended and secure society in Sri Lanka.
The President continuing said that due to Government efforts already significant social changes was taking place in the country.
He pointed out to the laws against smoking and drinking in public places, streamlining garbage disposal etc.
He said that a disciplined society was the key and added that there were no exceptions and everyone was equal before the law.
He also told State officials to serve the public with dedication and commitment. He said that from politicians downwards, the responsibility of the whole state machinery was to serve the public fairly and productively.
The objectives of the national program launched yesterday is to raise consciousness of the people on the pride and dignity of the nation, to build up a society which can co-exist amicably with the environment and to create a society imbued in self-discipline.
The target groups are members of households, the student population, Government and private sector employees, community organizations, youth societies etc.
The program is to be implemented in three years 2011 – 2013 through public seminars, awareness programs, workshops, media propaganda etc.
Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne, the Prime Minister’s Secretary S.Amarasekera, Additional Secretary S.Liyanwala, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge, Prof.Siri Hettige too addressed the gathering.
Cultivate positive attitudes, President tells officials
Rasika SOMARATHNA
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stressed that Sri Lanka could face upto any challenge and realize its cherished goals, that of transforming the country into the ‘Wonder of Asia’ by inspiring and promoting positive attitudes and wholesome conduct of the people.
“At a time when terrorists were promoted as an invincible force by both local and foreign vested interests and with a low morale prevailing in the country, we were able to bring an attitudinal change that we could win this and overcome the challenge,” he said. “We were able to inculcate that positive mindset and bring about a social change. As a result more youth joined the forces. We brought all like minded forces under one flag and worked as a cohesive unit to defeat the forces of terror”.
The President also said “we should all have that ‘can do’ attitude in our hearts. If so, in the same way we defeated terrorism we could transform the country into a developed, disciplined, independent-minded and a resolute nation,” he said. He was addressing both State officials and politicians during the launch of a program to improve positive attitudes of Sri Lankans towards creating a noble society with economic development, at Temple Trees yesterday.
The long-term goal of the national program developed and implemented under the guidance of the Prime Minister’s office is to evolve social development parallel to economic development thereby creating a contended and secure society in Sri Lanka.
The President continuing said that due to Government efforts already significant social changes was taking place in the country.
He pointed out to the laws against smoking and drinking in public places, streamlining garbage disposal etc.
He said that a disciplined society was the key and added that there were no exceptions and everyone was equal before the law.
He also told State officials to serve the public with dedication and commitment. He said that from politicians downwards, the responsibility of the whole state machinery was to serve the public fairly and productively.
The objectives of the national program launched yesterday is to raise consciousness of the people on the pride and dignity of the nation, to build up a society which can co-exist amicably with the environment and to create a society imbued in self-discipline.
The target groups are members of households, the student population, Government and private sector employees, community organizations, youth societies etc.
The program is to be implemented in three years 2011 – 2013 through public seminars, awareness programs, workshops, media propaganda etc.
Prime Minister D.M.Jayaratne, the Prime Minister’s Secretary S.Amarasekera, Additional Secretary S.Liyanwala, President’s Secretary Lalith Weeratunge, Prof.Siri Hettige too addressed the gathering.
Drug offences decline
http://www.dailynews.lk/2010/10/22/news01.asp
Drug offences decline
Mathata Thitha bearing fruit:
The number of arrests for cannabis and heroin related offences in 2009 has declined considerably compared to the year 2008.
According to the statistics released by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board there have been only 13,300 cannabis related arrests in the country during 2009 whereas the corresponding figure for 2008, was 20,097. Similarly heroin related arrests in 2009 were only 5,431 compared to 8,050 in 2008. In both cases the arrests have been reduced by about one-third.
There has also been a considerable reduction in the number of youth aged 25 - 29 who have been arrested for these offences in 2009. While 5,397 youth in this age group were arrested for cannabis related offences in 2008 the corresponding figure for 2009 was only 2,361. Corresponding figures for heroin related arrests were 5394 (2008) and 4023 (2009).
Similar reductions were also seen in the arrest of teenagers for the same offences during 2009. However, there has been a 11 percent increase in the number of cannabis related arrests of those aged 30 and above in 2009 compared to 2008. In the case of heroin related offences the number of arrests in the same age group has increased by seven percent. As before, the Western province leads in the number of offenders followed by Southern and Central provinces
Drug offences decline
Mathata Thitha bearing fruit:
The number of arrests for cannabis and heroin related offences in 2009 has declined considerably compared to the year 2008.
According to the statistics released by the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board there have been only 13,300 cannabis related arrests in the country during 2009 whereas the corresponding figure for 2008, was 20,097. Similarly heroin related arrests in 2009 were only 5,431 compared to 8,050 in 2008. In both cases the arrests have been reduced by about one-third.
There has also been a considerable reduction in the number of youth aged 25 - 29 who have been arrested for these offences in 2009. While 5,397 youth in this age group were arrested for cannabis related offences in 2008 the corresponding figure for 2009 was only 2,361. Corresponding figures for heroin related arrests were 5394 (2008) and 4023 (2009).
Similar reductions were also seen in the arrest of teenagers for the same offences during 2009. However, there has been a 11 percent increase in the number of cannabis related arrests of those aged 30 and above in 2009 compared to 2008. In the case of heroin related offences the number of arrests in the same age group has increased by seven percent. As before, the Western province leads in the number of offenders followed by Southern and Central provinces
Do away with negative attitudes – President
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca201010/20101021do_away_with_negative_attitudes.htm
Do away with negative attitudes – President
The general attitude towards the conflict some time back was quite negative, but we as a nation stood against all odds and came victorious, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.Addressing a gathering today (21) at the inaugural ceremony of the Programme to Improve Positive Attitudes of Sri Lankans towards creating a noble society with economic empowerment, President Rajapaksa said that positive attitudes should be inflicted from childhood when they are toddlers. "That will pave the way to make a better society," he said. Organized by the Prime Minister's Office, the programme aims to evolve social development parallel to economic development, creating thereby a contended and secured society in Sri Lanka. Discipline is an important factor in the forward march of any nation said the President emphasizing the importance a government officer can play for the social and economic development of a society. "A government officer should always be a public servant," President said.Today we live in a new Sri Lanka, a country which had overcame challenges. As long as we are geared to overcome future challenges, developing the country would not be a difficult task, the President added.Addressing the gathering Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said the duty of the intellectuals of today's Sri Lanka is to empower the less privileged with knowledge."Economic development and social development go hand in hand," said the Prime Minister adding that the vision of President Rajapaksa is to guide the country to achieve both these ends at an equal speed.
Do away with negative attitudes – President
The general attitude towards the conflict some time back was quite negative, but we as a nation stood against all odds and came victorious, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.Addressing a gathering today (21) at the inaugural ceremony of the Programme to Improve Positive Attitudes of Sri Lankans towards creating a noble society with economic empowerment, President Rajapaksa said that positive attitudes should be inflicted from childhood when they are toddlers. "That will pave the way to make a better society," he said. Organized by the Prime Minister's Office, the programme aims to evolve social development parallel to economic development, creating thereby a contended and secured society in Sri Lanka. Discipline is an important factor in the forward march of any nation said the President emphasizing the importance a government officer can play for the social and economic development of a society. "A government officer should always be a public servant," President said.Today we live in a new Sri Lanka, a country which had overcame challenges. As long as we are geared to overcome future challenges, developing the country would not be a difficult task, the President added.Addressing the gathering Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne said the duty of the intellectuals of today's Sri Lanka is to empower the less privileged with knowledge."Economic development and social development go hand in hand," said the Prime Minister adding that the vision of President Rajapaksa is to guide the country to achieve both these ends at an equal speed.
LTTE supporting Maoist activities - Indian govt tells tribunal 'Pose danger to sovereignty and unity of India'
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101021_02
LTTE supporting Maoist activities - Indian govt tells tribunal 'Pose danger to sovereignty and unity of India'
India's union government yesterday (20) told a tribunal examining the validity of the ban on LTTE, that the outfit was supporting Maoist activities and would pose a danger to the sovereignty and unity of the country if it was not proscribed.
Deposing before the 14-member Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal, headed by Justice Vikramjit Singh, at its public hearing in India, P K Mishra, Secretary, Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs, said LTTE's extension of support to Maoist activities in India would also prove dangerous to the security of the country, PTI reported yesterday (20).
Mishra said an LTTE sympathiser Manivannan alias Castro was held on charges of abduction and arms smuggling in India after 2008. The LTTE was first banned in India in 1992 under the Unlawful (Prevention) Activities Act. This has been renewed once in two years since then.
The militant group is responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The latest notification extending the ban was issued in May last by the Indian Union Home Ministry which had said despite its decimation, LTTE was re-grouping in Tamil Nadu and remnants of its cadres could use India, especially Tamil Nadu, as a rear base for this purpose, the PTI further stated.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
LTTE supporting Maoist activities - Indian govt tells tribunal 'Pose danger to sovereignty and unity of India'
India's union government yesterday (20) told a tribunal examining the validity of the ban on LTTE, that the outfit was supporting Maoist activities and would pose a danger to the sovereignty and unity of the country if it was not proscribed.
Deposing before the 14-member Unlawful Activities Prevention Tribunal, headed by Justice Vikramjit Singh, at its public hearing in India, P K Mishra, Secretary, Internal Security, Ministry of Home Affairs, said LTTE's extension of support to Maoist activities in India would also prove dangerous to the security of the country, PTI reported yesterday (20).
Mishra said an LTTE sympathiser Manivannan alias Castro was held on charges of abduction and arms smuggling in India after 2008. The LTTE was first banned in India in 1992 under the Unlawful (Prevention) Activities Act. This has been renewed once in two years since then.
The militant group is responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. The latest notification extending the ban was issued in May last by the Indian Union Home Ministry which had said despite its decimation, LTTE was re-grouping in Tamil Nadu and remnants of its cadres could use India, especially Tamil Nadu, as a rear base for this purpose, the PTI further stated.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
ICG, AI & HRW has broader targeted agenda against Govt
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101021_05
ICG, AI & HRW has broader targeted agenda against Govt
- Ministry of External Affairs
The joint letter issued by the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the Secretary of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission contains a series of unsubstantiated allegations against the Sri Lankan government and the unusual decision of the three organizations to release the joint letter to the public, is demonstrative of a broader targeted agenda against the Government of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement yesterday (20).
With regard to the claims by ICG, HRW and AI that due to the lack of witness protection 'no organization or individual can disclose confidential information to the Commission', the Ministry emphasized that the reality on the ground is that since the Commission began its work, civilians including displaced persons, widows and members of civil society have recounted their experiences before the Commission.
If there were any fear to testify, such a strong public participation in the work of the Commission, especially in the North and in the East of the country, would not have materialized, the statement said.
Here is the full text of the statement
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS ON THE JOINT LETTER BY INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
The attention of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is drawn to the joint letter addressed by the International Crisis Group (ICG), Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) on 14 October 2010, to the Secretary of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
It is observed that the joint letter contains a series of unsubstantiated allegations against the GoSL on a wide range of issues, including matters unrelated to the purview of the Commission. This, as well as the unusual decision of the three Organisations to release the joint letter to the public, is demonstrative of a broader targeted agenda against the GoSL.
It is a matter of record that the GoSL, having been encouraged by the international community, established the LLRC on the 15th May this year as a domestic process in pursuing an agenda of restorative justice, to address the human and emotional repercussions of the decades-long conflict and thereby lay the foundations for continued reconciliation. This step was welcomed both nationally and internationally.
The LLRC began work in August this year. The Terms of Reference of the Commission which have been made public, have been so drawn up as to afford the Commission the amplitude necessary to address all related issues. In order to be as accessible as possible to those wishing to testify, the Commission is holding hearings not only in the capital city of Colombo, but also in locations within the formerly conflict-affected areas. The testimony of civilians from all parts of the country, who have demonstrated their confidence in the process by appearing before the Commission, has raised critical issues that have been the subject of an interim communication to the Government by the LLRC. The Government has already considered the concrete steps required to address these issues contained in the interim recommendations of the LLRC, and given appropriate directions for the implementation of those recommendations to several agencies of the Government as a matter of priority.
With regard to the claims by ICG, HRW and AI that due to the lack of witness protection 'no organization or individual can disclose confidential information to the Commission", the reality on the ground is that since the Commission began its work, civilians including displaced persons, widows and members of civil society have recounted their experiences before the Commission. If there were any fear to testify, such a strong public participation in the work of the Commission, especially in the North and in the East of the country, would not have materialized.
The matter of the State of Emergency is also extraneous to the work of the LLRC. Sri Lanka faced for nearly three decades the extreme menace of terror and the very nature of that situation, required specific laws to cope with the attendant exigencies. With the end of that situation, the Government substantially repealed provisions of the Emergency Regulations. Moreover, Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, including publication. There are therefore no grounds for the sweeping unwarranted assertion of the existence of "laws that criminalize political speech". On the contrary, the Government has taken steps to remove the offence of criminal defamation from the Penal Code.
The three Organizations have taken as well the unacceptable step of publicly discrediting the individual Commissioners, on the grounds that they have previously served as public officials. It must be noted that there are several examples from all over the world, including at the present moment, of former officials having been entrusted the responsibility of serving on Commissions. The Commissioners appointed by the President of Sri Lanka have been selected on the basis of their proven experience, competence and integrity. It is indeed unacceptable therefore that these respected individuals have been personally targeted.
The comment that previous Commissions have not fulfilled expectations, is a claim best left to the people of Sri Lanka, to determine. The tradition of unbroken democratic commitment to democratic governance spanning now over 79 years, provides the people the wherewithal and the political maturity, to apply their judgement. It is in this context that the three Organizations involved could have better contributed, by following the internationally recognized principle and practice of co-operating with national institutions and domestic mechanisms and processes, in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Today, with the end of the conflict situation in Sri Lanka, security and stability has been restored throughout the country. Recently in Parliamentary and Presidential elections held for the first time in many years without the menace of terror, the Government received a resounding mandate from the people. The Government is now embarked on a programme aimed at reconstruction and rehabilitation of the conflict-affected areas, along with equitable long-term development in all parts of the country. The internally displaced have been resettled, all former child combatants have resumed schooling and have rejoined their families, ex-combatants have recommenced life as productive citizens and Provincial Council elections have been held in the East of the country. Similar elections will shortly take place in the North. All of this would create the necessary space for the democratic Tamil political leadership that the separatist terrorist group tried so hard to stifle, to flourish once more.
Given the above, the development of the joint letter of 14th October by the ICG, AI and HRW to the Commission, leaves room to believe that these Organizations would by far prefer to voice allegations from distant parts of the world, rather than jeopardize their claims to credibility by subjecting their assertions to scrutiny under the transparent and legally sound process afforded by the LLRC.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
ICG, AI & HRW has broader targeted agenda against Govt
- Ministry of External Affairs
The joint letter issued by the International Crisis Group, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the Secretary of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission contains a series of unsubstantiated allegations against the Sri Lankan government and the unusual decision of the three organizations to release the joint letter to the public, is demonstrative of a broader targeted agenda against the Government of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement yesterday (20).
With regard to the claims by ICG, HRW and AI that due to the lack of witness protection 'no organization or individual can disclose confidential information to the Commission', the Ministry emphasized that the reality on the ground is that since the Commission began its work, civilians including displaced persons, widows and members of civil society have recounted their experiences before the Commission.
If there were any fear to testify, such a strong public participation in the work of the Commission, especially in the North and in the East of the country, would not have materialized, the statement said.
Here is the full text of the statement
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS ON THE JOINT LETTER BY INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
The attention of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is drawn to the joint letter addressed by the International Crisis Group (ICG), Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) on 14 October 2010, to the Secretary of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).
It is observed that the joint letter contains a series of unsubstantiated allegations against the GoSL on a wide range of issues, including matters unrelated to the purview of the Commission. This, as well as the unusual decision of the three Organisations to release the joint letter to the public, is demonstrative of a broader targeted agenda against the GoSL.
It is a matter of record that the GoSL, having been encouraged by the international community, established the LLRC on the 15th May this year as a domestic process in pursuing an agenda of restorative justice, to address the human and emotional repercussions of the decades-long conflict and thereby lay the foundations for continued reconciliation. This step was welcomed both nationally and internationally.
The LLRC began work in August this year. The Terms of Reference of the Commission which have been made public, have been so drawn up as to afford the Commission the amplitude necessary to address all related issues. In order to be as accessible as possible to those wishing to testify, the Commission is holding hearings not only in the capital city of Colombo, but also in locations within the formerly conflict-affected areas. The testimony of civilians from all parts of the country, who have demonstrated their confidence in the process by appearing before the Commission, has raised critical issues that have been the subject of an interim communication to the Government by the LLRC. The Government has already considered the concrete steps required to address these issues contained in the interim recommendations of the LLRC, and given appropriate directions for the implementation of those recommendations to several agencies of the Government as a matter of priority.
With regard to the claims by ICG, HRW and AI that due to the lack of witness protection 'no organization or individual can disclose confidential information to the Commission", the reality on the ground is that since the Commission began its work, civilians including displaced persons, widows and members of civil society have recounted their experiences before the Commission. If there were any fear to testify, such a strong public participation in the work of the Commission, especially in the North and in the East of the country, would not have materialized.
The matter of the State of Emergency is also extraneous to the work of the LLRC. Sri Lanka faced for nearly three decades the extreme menace of terror and the very nature of that situation, required specific laws to cope with the attendant exigencies. With the end of that situation, the Government substantially repealed provisions of the Emergency Regulations. Moreover, Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees the freedom of speech and expression, including publication. There are therefore no grounds for the sweeping unwarranted assertion of the existence of "laws that criminalize political speech". On the contrary, the Government has taken steps to remove the offence of criminal defamation from the Penal Code.
The three Organizations have taken as well the unacceptable step of publicly discrediting the individual Commissioners, on the grounds that they have previously served as public officials. It must be noted that there are several examples from all over the world, including at the present moment, of former officials having been entrusted the responsibility of serving on Commissions. The Commissioners appointed by the President of Sri Lanka have been selected on the basis of their proven experience, competence and integrity. It is indeed unacceptable therefore that these respected individuals have been personally targeted.
The comment that previous Commissions have not fulfilled expectations, is a claim best left to the people of Sri Lanka, to determine. The tradition of unbroken democratic commitment to democratic governance spanning now over 79 years, provides the people the wherewithal and the political maturity, to apply their judgement. It is in this context that the three Organizations involved could have better contributed, by following the internationally recognized principle and practice of co-operating with national institutions and domestic mechanisms and processes, in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Today, with the end of the conflict situation in Sri Lanka, security and stability has been restored throughout the country. Recently in Parliamentary and Presidential elections held for the first time in many years without the menace of terror, the Government received a resounding mandate from the people. The Government is now embarked on a programme aimed at reconstruction and rehabilitation of the conflict-affected areas, along with equitable long-term development in all parts of the country. The internally displaced have been resettled, all former child combatants have resumed schooling and have rejoined their families, ex-combatants have recommenced life as productive citizens and Provincial Council elections have been held in the East of the country. Similar elections will shortly take place in the North. All of this would create the necessary space for the democratic Tamil political leadership that the separatist terrorist group tried so hard to stifle, to flourish once more.
Given the above, the development of the joint letter of 14th October by the ICG, AI and HRW to the Commission, leaves room to believe that these Organizations would by far prefer to voice allegations from distant parts of the world, rather than jeopardize their claims to credibility by subjecting their assertions to scrutiny under the transparent and legally sound process afforded by the LLRC.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
Canadian laws get tougher against human smugglers
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101021_06
Canadian laws get tougher against human smugglers
The Canadian government will target criminal organizations that orchestrate the smuggling of migrants into Canada for profit and establish minimum prison sentences as part of a promised crackdown on human smuggling.
The new measures, being announced Thursday in Vancouver, will also tighten existing legal language to enhance chances of convicting accused smugglers and establish - for the first time - mandatory minimum sentences of up to 10 years, reported Global Toronto
A major goal will be to track down and successfully prosecute people living in Canada who play a role in the smuggling operation.
People found guilty of smuggling more than 50 people into Canada for profit while putting their lives in danger will face a mandatory 10 years in prison.
A senior government official laid out some of the provisions on the eve of the announcement by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, the two key ministers on the file.
The Canadian government has been promising tough, new anti-smuggling initiatives since a ship carrying almost 500 Tamils landed on the B.C. coast in August, less than year after an earlier boat had landed with more than 72 Sri Lankan Tamils. All have sought refugee status.
The Canadian government's campaign to highlight the evils of smuggling picked up last week against the backdrop of reports, taken seriously by authorities in Canada, that another ship loaded with migrants was headed to Canada.
The government says prosecutors have had trouble nailing smugglers under current laws because they have to prove the accused knew the individuals being smuggled did not have the documents required to enter Canada.
The law has prevented prosecutors from bringing charges against the smugglers connected with the two ships that arrived from Sri Lanka - the Ocean Lady and the Sun Sea.
The proposed rewrite will remove some of the onus on the prosecutor to prove the smugglers knew they were carrying illegal migrants.
Officials say the package is detailed and complicated, in part because it involves tweaking several laws. Officials have struggled for months to put together a package that won the approval of cabinet and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reported Global Toronto.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
Canadian laws get tougher against human smugglers
The Canadian government will target criminal organizations that orchestrate the smuggling of migrants into Canada for profit and establish minimum prison sentences as part of a promised crackdown on human smuggling.
The new measures, being announced Thursday in Vancouver, will also tighten existing legal language to enhance chances of convicting accused smugglers and establish - for the first time - mandatory minimum sentences of up to 10 years, reported Global Toronto
A major goal will be to track down and successfully prosecute people living in Canada who play a role in the smuggling operation.
People found guilty of smuggling more than 50 people into Canada for profit while putting their lives in danger will face a mandatory 10 years in prison.
A senior government official laid out some of the provisions on the eve of the announcement by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, the two key ministers on the file.
The Canadian government has been promising tough, new anti-smuggling initiatives since a ship carrying almost 500 Tamils landed on the B.C. coast in August, less than year after an earlier boat had landed with more than 72 Sri Lankan Tamils. All have sought refugee status.
The Canadian government's campaign to highlight the evils of smuggling picked up last week against the backdrop of reports, taken seriously by authorities in Canada, that another ship loaded with migrants was headed to Canada.
The government says prosecutors have had trouble nailing smugglers under current laws because they have to prove the accused knew the individuals being smuggled did not have the documents required to enter Canada.
The law has prevented prosecutors from bringing charges against the smugglers connected with the two ships that arrived from Sri Lanka - the Ocean Lady and the Sun Sea.
The proposed rewrite will remove some of the onus on the prosecutor to prove the smugglers knew they were carrying illegal migrants.
Officials say the package is detailed and complicated, in part because it involves tweaking several laws. Officials have struggled for months to put together a package that won the approval of cabinet and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reported Global Toronto.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
Minister Peiris refutes LTTE Propaganda in London
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101021_04
Minister Peiris refutes LTTE Propaganda in London
It is regrettable that groups close to the LTTE, knowing very well that they cannot unleash violence the way they did with impunity in the past, have now taken on an initiative of a different complexion, which has assumed the character of an economic onslaught against Sri Lanka, Minister of External Affairs Minister Pro. G.L Peiris said.
He made this statement delivering the Keynote Address of the first Dialogue between the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.
"Their purpose now is to dissuade investors and tourists from coming to Sri Lanka and cut off access to western markets for Sri Lankan products," the Minister said.
Referring to a query from The Telegraph yesterday seeking the views of the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of photographs the suppliers of which had claimed to be taken in the North of Sri Lanka during the final phases of the conflict which ended in last May, the Minister said that the group which is close to the LTTE and had supplied the photographs to the newspapers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place and the veracity of the material supplied by them. Citing this as an example to explain the nature of the misinformation campaign against Sri Lanka, the Minister added that when several photographs allegedly depicting war crimes were first published by Channel 4, the Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that they were not genuine but fake. However, the same set of photographs continues to appear in a well planned, systematically orchestrated pattern, from time to time. He recalled that one week before the European Commission was scheduled to take a decision on the extension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka, they again surfaced, the Sri Lankan High Commission in London said in a press release.
A report, strongly adverse to Sri Lanka but phrased in the vaguest language, with reference to anonymous sources, without any attribution or identification, was launched with considerable fanfare by the International Crisis Group in London. The timing of this event had great significance: it took place, Minister Peiris pointed out, a week before the European Commission was due to make a decision having important repercussions for Sri Lanka. On the very next day, for good measure, Amnesty International followed suit, also in London with a similar charade, Professor Peiris continued.
Responding to a question raised by the Amnesty International representative on the Witness Protection Bill the Minister said that the draft bill is under consideration by Parliament but it will be decided by the Parliament according to the needs of Sri Lanka and not as dictated by any other party. The Minister stated that Amnesty International was acting on a political agenda at present, their postures determined by preconceived notions and prejudices, with scant respect for objectivity of judgement.
Commenting on the dedication of the government of Sri Lanka to pursue a political solution the Minister said that the solution has to be decided by the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister also said that whatever the Government would do about the future of the country in shaping its destiny has to be done in consonance with those who actually live and die in Sri Lanka. He added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a series of meetings with legitimate representatives of the Tamil people, who necessarily carry for more credibility than self-appointed guardians who live thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, pursuing their own agendas with very little sensitivity to the genuine aspirations of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The Minister said that the government will, with its two thirds majority which provides it with the legal capability to change the Constitution, address he relevant issues through a due process.
The Keynote address also contained extensive reference to the present developments in Sri Lanka including the progress made with regard to resettlement of the displaced, major development drives aimed at restoration of infrastructure and livelihood of the people in the conflict affected areas, and the work done so far by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Minister Peiris referred to the firmly established relationship, nurtured by history and culture, between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. He went on to identify a variety of fields which offer abundant scope for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the new era which has opened in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism.
The Dialogue also featured three sessions on "Post Conflict Progress in Sri Lanka", Sri Lanka - UK Bilateral Relations: Future Perspectives" and "Countering Terrorism & Transnational Terrorist Front Organizations". This is scheduled to continue as an annual event between the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan High Commission in London said.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
Minister Peiris refutes LTTE Propaganda in London
It is regrettable that groups close to the LTTE, knowing very well that they cannot unleash violence the way they did with impunity in the past, have now taken on an initiative of a different complexion, which has assumed the character of an economic onslaught against Sri Lanka, Minister of External Affairs Minister Pro. G.L Peiris said.
He made this statement delivering the Keynote Address of the first Dialogue between the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.
"Their purpose now is to dissuade investors and tourists from coming to Sri Lanka and cut off access to western markets for Sri Lankan products," the Minister said.
Referring to a query from The Telegraph yesterday seeking the views of the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of photographs the suppliers of which had claimed to be taken in the North of Sri Lanka during the final phases of the conflict which ended in last May, the Minister said that the group which is close to the LTTE and had supplied the photographs to the newspapers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place and the veracity of the material supplied by them. Citing this as an example to explain the nature of the misinformation campaign against Sri Lanka, the Minister added that when several photographs allegedly depicting war crimes were first published by Channel 4, the Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that they were not genuine but fake. However, the same set of photographs continues to appear in a well planned, systematically orchestrated pattern, from time to time. He recalled that one week before the European Commission was scheduled to take a decision on the extension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka, they again surfaced, the Sri Lankan High Commission in London said in a press release.
A report, strongly adverse to Sri Lanka but phrased in the vaguest language, with reference to anonymous sources, without any attribution or identification, was launched with considerable fanfare by the International Crisis Group in London. The timing of this event had great significance: it took place, Minister Peiris pointed out, a week before the European Commission was due to make a decision having important repercussions for Sri Lanka. On the very next day, for good measure, Amnesty International followed suit, also in London with a similar charade, Professor Peiris continued.
Responding to a question raised by the Amnesty International representative on the Witness Protection Bill the Minister said that the draft bill is under consideration by Parliament but it will be decided by the Parliament according to the needs of Sri Lanka and not as dictated by any other party. The Minister stated that Amnesty International was acting on a political agenda at present, their postures determined by preconceived notions and prejudices, with scant respect for objectivity of judgement.
Commenting on the dedication of the government of Sri Lanka to pursue a political solution the Minister said that the solution has to be decided by the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister also said that whatever the Government would do about the future of the country in shaping its destiny has to be done in consonance with those who actually live and die in Sri Lanka. He added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a series of meetings with legitimate representatives of the Tamil people, who necessarily carry for more credibility than self-appointed guardians who live thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, pursuing their own agendas with very little sensitivity to the genuine aspirations of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The Minister said that the government will, with its two thirds majority which provides it with the legal capability to change the Constitution, address he relevant issues through a due process.
The Keynote address also contained extensive reference to the present developments in Sri Lanka including the progress made with regard to resettlement of the displaced, major development drives aimed at restoration of infrastructure and livelihood of the people in the conflict affected areas, and the work done so far by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Minister Peiris referred to the firmly established relationship, nurtured by history and culture, between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. He went on to identify a variety of fields which offer abundant scope for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the new era which has opened in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism.
The Dialogue also featured three sessions on "Post Conflict Progress in Sri Lanka", Sri Lanka - UK Bilateral Relations: Future Perspectives" and "Countering Terrorism & Transnational Terrorist Front Organizations". This is scheduled to continue as an annual event between the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan High Commission in London said.
Courtesy: President Media Unit
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
යාපනය, ත්රිකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට, සුන්දර වෙරල තීර ආශ්රීතව හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ ඉදිකෙරෙනවා
යාපනය, ත්රිකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට, සුන්දර වෙරල තීර ආශ්රීතව හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ ඉදිකෙරෙනවාPosted on October 19th, 2010
යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්ය, ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම
නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමාගේ ඉඳිරි වැඩ පිළිවෙල පිළිබඳව, අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන පත්තර කාරයෙක් හැටියට මට දැනෙන්නේ ආශ්වාදජනක ආඩම්බරයක්
යාපනය, ත්රිකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට, ආදී සුන්දර වෙරලතීරයන් ආශ්රිතව, තරු 4, 5, 6 හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ අලූතෙන් ඉඳිකරමින් තිබෙන බව, යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්ය ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මහතා තංගල්ලේ දී ප්රකාශ කළේය.
ජාතික ආධුනිකත්ව හා කාර්මික පුහුණු කිරීමේ අධිකාරිය * යටතේ, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කය තුළ හෝටල් ක්ෂේත්රයේ නව පුහුණු පාඨමාලා තුනක් (3* ආරම්භ කිරීම නිමිත්තෙන් තංගල්ල, කාල්ටන් පෙරපාසල් ශ්රවණාගාරයේදී පැවති උත්සවයේදී ඒ මහතා මේ බව ප්රකාශ කළේය.
මෙහිදී තවදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ අමාත්ය, ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මහතා මෙසේද කීය,
නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමා හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කය තුළ තරුණ වැඩසටහනක් සකස්කරලා, එම වැඩපිළිවෙල ක්රියාත්මක කරවීම සඳහා යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්යාංශයට යොමුකළා. පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ වෙනත් කිසිදු මන්ත්රීවරයෙක් මෙවැනි වැඩපිළිවෙලක් අපේ අමාත්යාංශයට යොමුකළේ නැහැ. එතුමාට ගෞරවයක් වශයෙන් අද මා මෙය ප්රකාශ කරනවා.
මෙම පුහුණුවට ඇතුළත් වන ඔබට, යම් චකිතයක් ඇතිවෙන්න පුළුවන්, මේ සහතිකයත් ඔබේ සහතික ගොන්නට එකතුවෙන තවත් සහතිකයක් පමණක්ද? කියලා. තරුණයන්ට වෘත්තීය පුහුණුව ලබාදීමේ අවශ්යතාවය ශ්රී ලාංකිකයන් හැටියට වැදගත් වන්නේ කොහොමද කියන කාරණය සොයා බැලිය යුතුයි. නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමා, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කයේ ඉදිරි අවශ්යතාවය දැකල, අලූත් විදිහට හිතලා, එය මහින්ද චින්තන ප්රතිපත්ති සමුදායට ගලප්පගෙන, ක්රියාත්මක කරන මෙම වැඩ පිළිවෙල පිළිබඳ අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන දේශපාලනඥයෙක් ලෙස නොව, අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන පත්තරකාරයෙක් හැටියට මට දැනෙන්නේ ආශ්වාදජනක ආඩම්බරයක්.
1970 මැයි 16 වැනිදා, බෙලිඅත්තේ ජනතාව ගහපු කතිරයෙන් පත්වෙන මන්ත්රීවරයා අනාගතයේ මේ රටට නිදහස කැන්දාගෙන එන නායකයා බවට පත්වේවි කියලා, බෙලිඅත්තෙ ජනතාව සිතුවේ නැහැ. එහෙම හිතන්න ඔවුන්ට, පසුබිමක් තිබුණෙත් නැහැ. පසුගිය අපේ්රල් 08 වැනිදා හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික් ජනතාව දිවයිනේ වැඩිම ඡුන්ද ප්රතිශතය ලබාදීලා, නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ, මහතා මන්ත්රීවරයෙක් බවට පත්කළා. අද ඔහු හම්බන්තොට මෙන්ම, රට දියුණු කරවන වැඩ පිළිවෙලට අවතීර්ණ වෙලා සිටින ආකාරය පිළිබඳව අපට දැන්නෙත් එදාට නොදෙවෙනි සොම්නස් සහගත සිතිවිල්ලක්.
මහින්ද චින්තන ඉදිරි දැක්මෙන්, ජනාධිපතිතුමා කිව්වා ඉදිරි වසර 05 තුළ සංචාරකයින් ලක්ෂ 25 ක් මෙරටට ගෙන්වා ගැනීමට කටයුතු කරන බව, දැනට ලංකාවට එන්නේ වසරකට සංචාරකයින් ලක්ෂ 05 යි. මේ වසර තුළ ලක්ෂ 06 වේවි. ඒ සඳහා රට සූදානම් කරන ලෙස ජනාධිපතිතුමා, අමාත්ය මණ්ඩලයට උපදෙස් ලබාදී තිබෙනවා. පසුගිය සතියේ ජාත්යන්තර භූගෝලීය නාලිකාව ලෝකෙට කිව්වේ සංචාරය කරන්න ¥පතක් හැටියට ලස්සනම රට ශ්රී ලංකාව කියලයි.
ලෝකයේ පිළිගැනීමක් තියෙනවා වනජීවීන් බලන්න නම් අප්රිකාවට යන්න. නිවර්ථන වනාන්තර බලන්න, දකුණු ඇමෙරිකාවට යන්න, සංස්කෘතිය බලන්න ඉන්දියාවට යන්න. නූතනත්වය බලන්න ජපානයට, නිව්යෝක් නගරයට යන්න. මෙවැනි පිළිගැනීමක් ලෝකයේ සංචාරක කර්මාන්තයට වෙන්කරද්දී, මේ සියල්ල එකවිට ශ්රී ලංකාව තුළදී බලාගන්න පුළුවන් කියන විශ්වාසය අද ලොව පුරා ගොඩනැගී තිබෙනවා. ඒ නිසයි, ශ්රී ලංකාව කෙරෙහි දැඩි ආකර්ශනයක් ඇතිවෙලා තියෙන්නේ.
ලෝකයේ සංචාරක ව්යාපාරය පිළිගන්නේ ෙදැවැනි විශාලතම කර්මාන්තය ලෙසයි. පිරිවැටුම වසරකට ඇ.ඩොලර් බිලියන 900 යි. දකුණු ආසියාවේ ඉලක්කය එයින් 3% යි. බිලියන 18 ක් පමණ. මේ බිලියන 18 න් කොටසකුයි, දකුණු ආසියාවේ අපට ඩැහැගන්න තියෙන්නේ. යාපනය, ත්රීකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට ආදී සුන්දර වෙරළ තීරයන් ආශ්රිතව තරු 4, 5, 6 හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ හෝටල අලූතෙන් ගොඩනැගෙනවා.. මහා භාණ්ඩාගාරය කියන්නේ ඉදිරි වසර 04 තුළදී පමණක් හෝටල් ක්ෂේත්රයේ ලක්ෂ 03 ක් සේවක සේවිකාවන් අවශ්ය බවයි. ඔවුන් අද පුහුණු නොකළොත් මේ සඳහා සේවකයින් පිටරටින් ගෙනඑන්නට සිදුවේවි. ඒ අවශ්යතාවයටයි නයිටා ආයතනය මෙම පාඨමාලා සැලසුම් කර ආරම්භ කලේ. සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්රයේ රැුකියාවක් තෝරාගන්නා කිසිවෙක් ඒ තුළ අනාථ වෙන්නේ නැහැ, කියන සහතිකය ඉතා වගකීමෙන් ලබාදෙනවා. සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්රය ආශ්රිත රැුකියාවන් අප රටේ සුරක්ෂිතම රැුකියාවන් බවට පත්වීම කිසිවෙකුටත් වලක්වන්න බැහැ.
යෞවන කටයුතු නියෝජ්ය අමාත්ය, මහින්දානන්ද අලූත්ගමගේ, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්රී නාමල් රාජප්කෂ, නයිටා උප සභාපති, විජය වික්රමරත්න යන මහත්වරුන්ද මෙහිදී කතාකළේය.
යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්ය, ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම
නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමාගේ ඉඳිරි වැඩ පිළිවෙල පිළිබඳව, අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන පත්තර කාරයෙක් හැටියට මට දැනෙන්නේ ආශ්වාදජනක ආඩම්බරයක්
යාපනය, ත්රිකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට, ආදී සුන්දර වෙරලතීරයන් ආශ්රිතව, තරු 4, 5, 6 හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ අලූතෙන් ඉඳිකරමින් තිබෙන බව, යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්ය ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මහතා තංගල්ලේ දී ප්රකාශ කළේය.
ජාතික ආධුනිකත්ව හා කාර්මික පුහුණු කිරීමේ අධිකාරිය * යටතේ, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කය තුළ හෝටල් ක්ෂේත්රයේ නව පුහුණු පාඨමාලා තුනක් (3* ආරම්භ කිරීම නිමිත්තෙන් තංගල්ල, කාල්ටන් පෙරපාසල් ශ්රවණාගාරයේදී පැවති උත්සවයේදී ඒ මහතා මේ බව ප්රකාශ කළේය.
මෙහිදී තවදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ අමාත්ය, ඩලස් අලහප්පෙරුම මහතා මෙසේද කීය,
නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමා හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කය තුළ තරුණ වැඩසටහනක් සකස්කරලා, එම වැඩපිළිවෙල ක්රියාත්මක කරවීම සඳහා යෞවන කටයුතු අමාත්යාංශයට යොමුකළා. පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ වෙනත් කිසිදු මන්ත්රීවරයෙක් මෙවැනි වැඩපිළිවෙලක් අපේ අමාත්යාංශයට යොමුකළේ නැහැ. එතුමාට ගෞරවයක් වශයෙන් අද මා මෙය ප්රකාශ කරනවා.
මෙම පුහුණුවට ඇතුළත් වන ඔබට, යම් චකිතයක් ඇතිවෙන්න පුළුවන්, මේ සහතිකයත් ඔබේ සහතික ගොන්නට එකතුවෙන තවත් සහතිකයක් පමණක්ද? කියලා. තරුණයන්ට වෘත්තීය පුහුණුව ලබාදීමේ අවශ්යතාවය ශ්රී ලාංකිකයන් හැටියට වැදගත් වන්නේ කොහොමද කියන කාරණය සොයා බැලිය යුතුයි. නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ මන්ත්රීතුමා, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික්කයේ ඉදිරි අවශ්යතාවය දැකල, අලූත් විදිහට හිතලා, එය මහින්ද චින්තන ප්රතිපත්ති සමුදායට ගලප්පගෙන, ක්රියාත්මක කරන මෙම වැඩ පිළිවෙල පිළිබඳ අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන දේශපාලනඥයෙක් ලෙස නොව, අනාගතයට ඉව අල්ලන පත්තරකාරයෙක් හැටියට මට දැනෙන්නේ ආශ්වාදජනක ආඩම්බරයක්.
1970 මැයි 16 වැනිදා, බෙලිඅත්තේ ජනතාව ගහපු කතිරයෙන් පත්වෙන මන්ත්රීවරයා අනාගතයේ මේ රටට නිදහස කැන්දාගෙන එන නායකයා බවට පත්වේවි කියලා, බෙලිඅත්තෙ ජනතාව සිතුවේ නැහැ. එහෙම හිතන්න ඔවුන්ට, පසුබිමක් තිබුණෙත් නැහැ. පසුගිය අපේ්රල් 08 වැනිදා හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්රික් ජනතාව දිවයිනේ වැඩිම ඡුන්ද ප්රතිශතය ලබාදීලා, නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ, මහතා මන්ත්රීවරයෙක් බවට පත්කළා. අද ඔහු හම්බන්තොට මෙන්ම, රට දියුණු කරවන වැඩ පිළිවෙලට අවතීර්ණ වෙලා සිටින ආකාරය පිළිබඳව අපට දැන්නෙත් එදාට නොදෙවෙනි සොම්නස් සහගත සිතිවිල්ලක්.
මහින්ද චින්තන ඉදිරි දැක්මෙන්, ජනාධිපතිතුමා කිව්වා ඉදිරි වසර 05 තුළ සංචාරකයින් ලක්ෂ 25 ක් මෙරටට ගෙන්වා ගැනීමට කටයුතු කරන බව, දැනට ලංකාවට එන්නේ වසරකට සංචාරකයින් ලක්ෂ 05 යි. මේ වසර තුළ ලක්ෂ 06 වේවි. ඒ සඳහා රට සූදානම් කරන ලෙස ජනාධිපතිතුමා, අමාත්ය මණ්ඩලයට උපදෙස් ලබාදී තිබෙනවා. පසුගිය සතියේ ජාත්යන්තර භූගෝලීය නාලිකාව ලෝකෙට කිව්වේ සංචාරය කරන්න ¥පතක් හැටියට ලස්සනම රට ශ්රී ලංකාව කියලයි.
ලෝකයේ පිළිගැනීමක් තියෙනවා වනජීවීන් බලන්න නම් අප්රිකාවට යන්න. නිවර්ථන වනාන්තර බලන්න, දකුණු ඇමෙරිකාවට යන්න, සංස්කෘතිය බලන්න ඉන්දියාවට යන්න. නූතනත්වය බලන්න ජපානයට, නිව්යෝක් නගරයට යන්න. මෙවැනි පිළිගැනීමක් ලෝකයේ සංචාරක කර්මාන්තයට වෙන්කරද්දී, මේ සියල්ල එකවිට ශ්රී ලංකාව තුළදී බලාගන්න පුළුවන් කියන විශ්වාසය අද ලොව පුරා ගොඩනැගී තිබෙනවා. ඒ නිසයි, ශ්රී ලංකාව කෙරෙහි දැඩි ආකර්ශනයක් ඇතිවෙලා තියෙන්නේ.
ලෝකයේ සංචාරක ව්යාපාරය පිළිගන්නේ ෙදැවැනි විශාලතම කර්මාන්තය ලෙසයි. පිරිවැටුම වසරකට ඇ.ඩොලර් බිලියන 900 යි. දකුණු ආසියාවේ ඉලක්කය එයින් 3% යි. බිලියන 18 ක් පමණ. මේ බිලියන 18 න් කොටසකුයි, දකුණු ආසියාවේ අපට ඩැහැගන්න තියෙන්නේ. යාපනය, ත්රීකුණාමලය, මඩකලපුව, හම්බන්තොට ආදී සුන්දර වෙරළ තීරයන් ආශ්රිතව තරු 4, 5, 6 හෝටල් 200 ක් පමණ හෝටල අලූතෙන් ගොඩනැගෙනවා.. මහා භාණ්ඩාගාරය කියන්නේ ඉදිරි වසර 04 තුළදී පමණක් හෝටල් ක්ෂේත්රයේ ලක්ෂ 03 ක් සේවක සේවිකාවන් අවශ්ය බවයි. ඔවුන් අද පුහුණු නොකළොත් මේ සඳහා සේවකයින් පිටරටින් ගෙනඑන්නට සිදුවේවි. ඒ අවශ්යතාවයටයි නයිටා ආයතනය මෙම පාඨමාලා සැලසුම් කර ආරම්භ කලේ. සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්රයේ රැුකියාවක් තෝරාගන්නා කිසිවෙක් ඒ තුළ අනාථ වෙන්නේ නැහැ, කියන සහතිකය ඉතා වගකීමෙන් ලබාදෙනවා. සංචාරක ක්ෂේත්රය ආශ්රිත රැුකියාවන් අප රටේ සුරක්ෂිතම රැුකියාවන් බවට පත්වීම කිසිවෙකුටත් වලක්වන්න බැහැ.
යෞවන කටයුතු නියෝජ්ය අමාත්ය, මහින්දානන්ද අලූත්ගමගේ, පාර්ලිමේන්තු මන්ත්රී නාමල් රාජප්කෂ, නයිටා උප සභාපති, විජය වික්රමරත්න යන මහත්වරුන්ද මෙහිදී කතාකළේය.
Minister G L Peiris Refutes LTTE Propaganda in London
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2010/10/19/minister-g-l-peiris-refutes-ltte-propaganda-in-london/
Minister G L Peiris Refutes LTTE Propaganda in LondonPosted on October 19th, 2010
Press Release Sri Lanka High Commission London
Delivering the Keynote Address of the first Dialogue between the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, the External Affairs Minister Professor G.L Peiris said that it is regrettable that groups close to the LTTE, knowing very well that they cannot unleash violence the way they did with impunity in the past, have now taken on an initiative of a different complexion, which has assumed the character of an economic onslaught against Sri Lanka. Their purpose now is to dissuade investors and tourists from coming to Sri Lanka and cut off access to western markets for Sri Lankan products.
Referring to a query from The Telegraph yesterday seeking the views of the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of photographs the suppliers of which had claimed to be taken in the North of Sri Lanka during the final phases of the conflict which ended in last May, the Minister said that the group which is close to the LTTE and had supplied the photographs to the newspapers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place and the veracity of the material supplied by them. Citing this as an example to explain the nature of the misinformation campaign against Sri Lanka, the Minister added that when several photographs allegedly depicting war crimes were first published by Channel 4, the Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that they were not genuine but fake. However, the same set of photographs continues to appear in a well planned, systematically orchestrated pattern, from time to time. He recalled that one week before the European Commission was scheduled to take a decision on the extension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka, they again surfaced.
A report, strongly adverse to Sri Lanka but phrased in the vaguest language, with reference to anonymous sources, without any attribution or identification, was launched with considerable fanfare by the International Crisis Group in London. The timing of this event had great significance: it took place, Minister Peiris pointed out, a week before the European Commission was due to make a decision having important repercussions for Sri Lanka. On the very next day, for good measure, Amnesty International followed suit, also in London with a similar charade, Professor Peiris continued.
Responding to a question raised by the Amnesty International representative on the Witness Protection Bill the Minister said that the draft bill is under consideration by Parliament but it will be decided by the Parliament according to the needs of Sri Lanka and not as dictated by any other party. The Minister stated that Amnesty International was acting on a political agenda at present, their postures determined by preconceived notions and prejudices, with scant respect for objectivity of judgement.
Commenting on the dedication of the government of Sri Lanka to pursue a political solution the Minister said that the solution has to be decided by the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister also said that whatever the Government would do about the future of the country in shaping its destiny has to be done in consonance with those who actually live and die in Sri Lanka. He added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a series of meetings with legitimate representatives of the Tamil people, who necessarily carry for more credibility than self-appointed guardians who live thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, pursuing their own agendas with very little sensitivity to the genuine aspirations of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The Minister said that the government will, with its two thirds majority which provides it with the legal capability to change the Constitution, address he relevant issues through a due process.
The Keynote address also contained extensive reference to the present developments in Sri Lanka including the progress made with regard to resettlement of the displaced, major development drives aimed at restoration of infrastructure and livelihood of the people in the conflict affected areas, and the work done so far by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Minister Peiris referred to the firmly established relationship, nurtured by history and culture, between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. He went on to identify a variety of fields which offer abundant scope for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the new era which has opened in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism.
The Dialogue also featured three sessions on “Post Conflict Progress in Sri Lanka”, Sri Lanka – UK Bilateral Relations: Future Perspectives” and “Countering Terrorism & Transnational Terrorist Front Organizations”. This is scheduled to continue as an annual event between the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.
19th October 2010Sri Lanka High CommissionLondon
Minister G L Peiris Refutes LTTE Propaganda in LondonPosted on October 19th, 2010
Press Release Sri Lanka High Commission London
Delivering the Keynote Address of the first Dialogue between the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka, the External Affairs Minister Professor G.L Peiris said that it is regrettable that groups close to the LTTE, knowing very well that they cannot unleash violence the way they did with impunity in the past, have now taken on an initiative of a different complexion, which has assumed the character of an economic onslaught against Sri Lanka. Their purpose now is to dissuade investors and tourists from coming to Sri Lanka and cut off access to western markets for Sri Lankan products.
Referring to a query from The Telegraph yesterday seeking the views of the Government of Sri Lanka on a number of photographs the suppliers of which had claimed to be taken in the North of Sri Lanka during the final phases of the conflict which ended in last May, the Minister said that the group which is close to the LTTE and had supplied the photographs to the newspapers themselves had admitted that they were not in a position to confirm the authenticity, place and the veracity of the material supplied by them. Citing this as an example to explain the nature of the misinformation campaign against Sri Lanka, the Minister added that when several photographs allegedly depicting war crimes were first published by Channel 4, the Government clearly established, by reference to technical considerations, that they were not genuine but fake. However, the same set of photographs continues to appear in a well planned, systematically orchestrated pattern, from time to time. He recalled that one week before the European Commission was scheduled to take a decision on the extension of GSP+ trade concessions to Sri Lanka, they again surfaced.
A report, strongly adverse to Sri Lanka but phrased in the vaguest language, with reference to anonymous sources, without any attribution or identification, was launched with considerable fanfare by the International Crisis Group in London. The timing of this event had great significance: it took place, Minister Peiris pointed out, a week before the European Commission was due to make a decision having important repercussions for Sri Lanka. On the very next day, for good measure, Amnesty International followed suit, also in London with a similar charade, Professor Peiris continued.
Responding to a question raised by the Amnesty International representative on the Witness Protection Bill the Minister said that the draft bill is under consideration by Parliament but it will be decided by the Parliament according to the needs of Sri Lanka and not as dictated by any other party. The Minister stated that Amnesty International was acting on a political agenda at present, their postures determined by preconceived notions and prejudices, with scant respect for objectivity of judgement.
Commenting on the dedication of the government of Sri Lanka to pursue a political solution the Minister said that the solution has to be decided by the people of Sri Lanka. The Minister also said that whatever the Government would do about the future of the country in shaping its destiny has to be done in consonance with those who actually live and die in Sri Lanka. He added that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has had a series of meetings with legitimate representatives of the Tamil people, who necessarily carry for more credibility than self-appointed guardians who live thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, pursuing their own agendas with very little sensitivity to the genuine aspirations of the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The Minister said that the government will, with its two thirds majority which provides it with the legal capability to change the Constitution, address he relevant issues through a due process.
The Keynote address also contained extensive reference to the present developments in Sri Lanka including the progress made with regard to resettlement of the displaced, major development drives aimed at restoration of infrastructure and livelihood of the people in the conflict affected areas, and the work done so far by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Minister Peiris referred to the firmly established relationship, nurtured by history and culture, between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. He went on to identify a variety of fields which offer abundant scope for fruitful collaboration between the two countries in the new era which has opened in Sri Lanka after the eradication of terrorism.
The Dialogue also featured three sessions on “Post Conflict Progress in Sri Lanka”, Sri Lanka – UK Bilateral Relations: Future Perspectives” and “Countering Terrorism & Transnational Terrorist Front Organizations”. This is scheduled to continue as an annual event between the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka.
19th October 2010Sri Lanka High CommissionLondon
Lanka prepares for rebirth of tourism industry - The Independent
Lanka prepares for rebirth of tourism industry - The Independent
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16488&Itemid=44
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Post-war Sri Lanka is preparing for a rapid growth in tourism numbers over the coming five years as the local industry gets back on its feet - and international visitors once again have faith in the security situation in the island nation, stated Britain's The Independent newspaper in a report published yesterday(18).
The newspaper reported that the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) this week predicted around 500,000 tourists would have headed to Sri Lanka by the end of this year while the Sri Lankan government has announced plans to welcome 2.5 million visitors per year and to add a further 25,000 hotel rooms nation wide by 2016."With an end to its war, Sri Lanka has now entered a period of relative peace and political stability and international visitors are responding with strong demand. Actual arrivals are well above the forecast for 2010 as at August,'' quoting PATA, the Independent said
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16488&Itemid=44
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Post-war Sri Lanka is preparing for a rapid growth in tourism numbers over the coming five years as the local industry gets back on its feet - and international visitors once again have faith in the security situation in the island nation, stated Britain's The Independent newspaper in a report published yesterday(18).
The newspaper reported that the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) this week predicted around 500,000 tourists would have headed to Sri Lanka by the end of this year while the Sri Lankan government has announced plans to welcome 2.5 million visitors per year and to add a further 25,000 hotel rooms nation wide by 2016."With an end to its war, Sri Lanka has now entered a period of relative peace and political stability and international visitors are responding with strong demand. Actual arrivals are well above the forecast for 2010 as at August,'' quoting PATA, the Independent said
Sri Lanka’s Economic growth remains robust.
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16487&Itemid=44
Sri Lanka’s Economic growth remains robust.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Economic growth of the country remains robust and broad based with all sectors contributing to the expansion of output. The Central Bank claims Credit flows continue to rebound with credit to the private sector from commercial banks growing on a year on year basis by 12.8 per cent in August 2010, further reinforcing the growth prospects. At the same time, year on year growth in broad money remained moderate at 13.9 per cent in August.
The Bank further claims the successful issue of the 10-year international sovereign bond on 27 September at a comparatively lower coupon rate of 6.25 per cent and attracting an order book of more than 6 times the value of the bond reflects the improved investor confidence in the economy. Gross international reserves have increased with the receipt of the fifth tranche of the IMF-SBA facility and the proceeds of the international sovereign bond. Inflation, is expected to remain subdued over the coming months, although it showed an increase of 0.8% in the month of September over the inflation figure of August this year.Taking into consideration these current and expected developments in the economy, the Monetary Board, at its meeting held yesterday decided to maintain the policy interest rates of the Central Bank unchanged. Accordingly, the Repurchase rate and the Reverse Repurchase rate of the Central Bank would remain at 7.25 per cent and 9.00 per cent, respectively.(niz).
Sri Lanka’s Economic growth remains robust.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Economic growth of the country remains robust and broad based with all sectors contributing to the expansion of output. The Central Bank claims Credit flows continue to rebound with credit to the private sector from commercial banks growing on a year on year basis by 12.8 per cent in August 2010, further reinforcing the growth prospects. At the same time, year on year growth in broad money remained moderate at 13.9 per cent in August.
The Bank further claims the successful issue of the 10-year international sovereign bond on 27 September at a comparatively lower coupon rate of 6.25 per cent and attracting an order book of more than 6 times the value of the bond reflects the improved investor confidence in the economy. Gross international reserves have increased with the receipt of the fifth tranche of the IMF-SBA facility and the proceeds of the international sovereign bond. Inflation, is expected to remain subdued over the coming months, although it showed an increase of 0.8% in the month of September over the inflation figure of August this year.Taking into consideration these current and expected developments in the economy, the Monetary Board, at its meeting held yesterday decided to maintain the policy interest rates of the Central Bank unchanged. Accordingly, the Repurchase rate and the Reverse Repurchase rate of the Central Bank would remain at 7.25 per cent and 9.00 per cent, respectively.(niz).
The Murugan Kovil, a Hindu Temple in Kalmadu which had been partly ruined and abandoned for 12 years due to terrorism had been restored by Army troops
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16491&Itemid=44
The Murugan Kovil, a Hindu Temple in Kalmadu which had been partly ruined and abandoned for 12 years due to terrorism had been restored by Army troops to fulfill the spiritual needs of the IDP families resettled in the area.
This Hindu temple was ruined and remained abandoned since 1998 after villagers in the area fled when LTTE terrorists intensified their attacks against the troops.The army troops commenced restoration work a few months ago to bring this temple back to its ancient grandeur upon completion of the government-initiated IDP resettlement programme in the area. Accordingly, resettlement of 289 displaced civilians, belonging to around 76 families took place on 10th July 2010 in the area. Major General Gunaratne, Commander, Security Forces, Wanni, accompanied by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 61 Division, Brigade Commanders and Senior Officers ceremonially sanctified the restored temple and made the inaugural offerings in accordance with Hindu religious traditions on Oct. 17.
Canadian soil to become taboo to rudiments of fleeing Tiger Terrorists
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16493&Itemid=44
Canadian soil to become taboo to rudiments of fleeing Tiger Terrorists
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Canada has made arrangements with Thailand and other “transit” countries to prevent human smugglers from sending boatloads of migrants to Canada. Redundant LTTE terrorist elements are using several countries as launching pads for smuggling remaining hard core terrorist elements and other Sri Lankans seeking green pasture in countries such as Canada, Australia and Malaysia. Canada has taken this move following information received that smugglers in Southeast Asia are arranging for another boatload to come to Canada.
Canadian government officials have told the Canadian Media that recent arrests of Sri Lankan Tamils in Thailand under Thai immigration laws are a reminder that human smuggling operators have also used Thailand as a transit country to target Canada’s immigration system. They have said that stronger cooperation with authorities in transit countries such as Thailand is part of the Government’s overall strategy to prevent human smugglers from abusing Canada’s immigration system.Canadian Prime Minister Mr. Stephen Harper has vowed to crack down on human smuggling after a ship carrying 492 Tamil migrants arrived in British Columbia last August. It was the second such ship in less than a year, and government officials say they fear Canada is becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers because of its generous policies.Meanwhile the Canadian government is to table anti-human-smuggling legislation this week that would serve as a further deterrent. The Canadian Tamil Congress, believed to be an off-shoot of the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, has raised objections saying the Canadian move would hurt legitimate refugees desperately searching for a safe place to live. A spokesman for the Tamil Congress David Poopalapillai has said that Canada cannot negate its international obligations and have countries such as Thailand to carry out its dirty workThai police raided 17 locations in Bangkok last week and arrested 155 Sri Lankans who had improper documentation and were suspected of waiting in Thailand to arrange asylum in a third country. Thai officials said that the arrested people included some suspected Tamil Tiger terrorist. Thailand has not signed international conventions that forbid countries from sending asylum seekers back to their home countries without due process, but Canada has signed this convention.The Canadian Immigration Minister Mr. Jason Kenney has announced that he would send former Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director Ward Elcock to Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries to improve co-operation and information sharing.(niz).
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 October 2010 )
Canadian soil to become taboo to rudiments of fleeing Tiger Terrorists
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Canada has made arrangements with Thailand and other “transit” countries to prevent human smugglers from sending boatloads of migrants to Canada. Redundant LTTE terrorist elements are using several countries as launching pads for smuggling remaining hard core terrorist elements and other Sri Lankans seeking green pasture in countries such as Canada, Australia and Malaysia. Canada has taken this move following information received that smugglers in Southeast Asia are arranging for another boatload to come to Canada.
Canadian government officials have told the Canadian Media that recent arrests of Sri Lankan Tamils in Thailand under Thai immigration laws are a reminder that human smuggling operators have also used Thailand as a transit country to target Canada’s immigration system. They have said that stronger cooperation with authorities in transit countries such as Thailand is part of the Government’s overall strategy to prevent human smugglers from abusing Canada’s immigration system.Canadian Prime Minister Mr. Stephen Harper has vowed to crack down on human smuggling after a ship carrying 492 Tamil migrants arrived in British Columbia last August. It was the second such ship in less than a year, and government officials say they fear Canada is becoming a magnet for asylum shoppers because of its generous policies.Meanwhile the Canadian government is to table anti-human-smuggling legislation this week that would serve as a further deterrent. The Canadian Tamil Congress, believed to be an off-shoot of the Tamil Tiger Terrorists, has raised objections saying the Canadian move would hurt legitimate refugees desperately searching for a safe place to live. A spokesman for the Tamil Congress David Poopalapillai has said that Canada cannot negate its international obligations and have countries such as Thailand to carry out its dirty workThai police raided 17 locations in Bangkok last week and arrested 155 Sri Lankans who had improper documentation and were suspected of waiting in Thailand to arrange asylum in a third country. Thai officials said that the arrested people included some suspected Tamil Tiger terrorist. Thailand has not signed international conventions that forbid countries from sending asylum seekers back to their home countries without due process, but Canada has signed this convention.The Canadian Immigration Minister Mr. Jason Kenney has announced that he would send former Canadian Security Intelligence Service Director Ward Elcock to Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries to improve co-operation and information sharing.(niz).
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 October 2010 )
Sri Lanka rejects Tamil massacre photos as rebel canards
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16495&Itemid=44
Sri Lanka rejects Tamil massacre photos as rebel canards
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Professor G L Peiris cast doubts on the photographs released by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) showing a massacre of Tamils during the country's civil war, saying that it is canards and a step taken by rebel sympathizers to tarnish thecountry's image.
With the conclusion of three decade long conflict with the LTTE terrorists many of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora are now working with the government to develop tiger held northern province with more investment while a few are engaged in a futile attempt to tarnish theimage of the country.Government has taken the initiatives to speed up the development process in the northern region. President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday presided over a high powered meeting at northern Vavuniya to review the development activities that are underway in all five districts in the north.GTF, a group that includes former supporters of the Tamil Tiger rebels, has released photographs showing blood stained bodies of young men and women who had been blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs. Other photos appear to show dead young men, two of whom lie in pits.These photos have been released at a time when Minister Peiris is scheduled to meet his British counterpart William Hague on Wednesday.While addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Peiris said that similar pictures of unproven veracity hadbeen published before by the LTTE sympathisers. He also labeled the human rights groups as "patronizing, condescending and almostcolonial" for criticising a government-appointed inquiry into claims of war crimes.
Sri Lanka rejects Tamil massacre photos as rebel canards
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Professor G L Peiris cast doubts on the photographs released by the Global Tamil Forum (GTF) showing a massacre of Tamils during the country's civil war, saying that it is canards and a step taken by rebel sympathizers to tarnish thecountry's image.
With the conclusion of three decade long conflict with the LTTE terrorists many of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora are now working with the government to develop tiger held northern province with more investment while a few are engaged in a futile attempt to tarnish theimage of the country.Government has taken the initiatives to speed up the development process in the northern region. President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday presided over a high powered meeting at northern Vavuniya to review the development activities that are underway in all five districts in the north.GTF, a group that includes former supporters of the Tamil Tiger rebels, has released photographs showing blood stained bodies of young men and women who had been blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs. Other photos appear to show dead young men, two of whom lie in pits.These photos have been released at a time when Minister Peiris is scheduled to meet his British counterpart William Hague on Wednesday.While addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Peiris said that similar pictures of unproven veracity hadbeen published before by the LTTE sympathisers. He also labeled the human rights groups as "patronizing, condescending and almostcolonial" for criticising a government-appointed inquiry into claims of war crimes.
IDPs now down to 18,799
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101020_06
IDPs now down to 18,799
The total number of IDPs in the Vavuniya relief villages has dropped to 17, 641 as of yesterday (Oct. 19), due to the Government's speedy resettlement programme, the Ministry of Resettlement stated.
In addition, 1158 IDPs remain in Jaffna bringing the total number of IDPs to 18, 799.
Last Monday, 430 IDPs were resettled in the Oddusudan area.
As the Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G L Peiris said recently, the government has been able to resettle IDPs in their places of origin in less than 15 months after peace was restored in the country. Initially nearly 280,000 people were sheltered in government sponsored welfare centres in the North.
According to the Ministry of Resettlement, only 4, 058 IDPs remain in Kadirakamar relief center while 5802 IDPs remain in Anandakumaraswami Zone 1. Three batches of IDPs; 2573, 2569 and 2639 are remaining in Ramanadan, Arunachalam and Zone 4 respectively in the Menik Farm relief village. Out of these 11, 236 IDPs are on free movement outside camps.
On 23 Oct, 380 IDPs will be resettled in Madu area including Pullikulam, the Chief Coordinating Officer of the Competent Office for IDPs in Vavuniya said.
Following is an illustration of the remaining IDPs from August 2009 to October 13, 2010:
As at
IDPs in relief villages in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee & Jaffna
August 20092, 42, 318
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
December 20091, 11, 270
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
May 201062, 627
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
September 201023, 352
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
October 19. 201018, 799
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
IDPs in relief centers
(August 2009 to October 19, 2010)
As at IDPs in relief villages in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee & Jaffna August 2009 2, 42, 318 December 2009 1, 11, 270 May 2010 62, 627 September 2010 23, 352 October 19. 2010 18, 799
Each figure represents 10,000 IDPs
Courtesy : Government Official website
IDPs now down to 18,799
The total number of IDPs in the Vavuniya relief villages has dropped to 17, 641 as of yesterday (Oct. 19), due to the Government's speedy resettlement programme, the Ministry of Resettlement stated.
In addition, 1158 IDPs remain in Jaffna bringing the total number of IDPs to 18, 799.
Last Monday, 430 IDPs were resettled in the Oddusudan area.
As the Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G L Peiris said recently, the government has been able to resettle IDPs in their places of origin in less than 15 months after peace was restored in the country. Initially nearly 280,000 people were sheltered in government sponsored welfare centres in the North.
According to the Ministry of Resettlement, only 4, 058 IDPs remain in Kadirakamar relief center while 5802 IDPs remain in Anandakumaraswami Zone 1. Three batches of IDPs; 2573, 2569 and 2639 are remaining in Ramanadan, Arunachalam and Zone 4 respectively in the Menik Farm relief village. Out of these 11, 236 IDPs are on free movement outside camps.
On 23 Oct, 380 IDPs will be resettled in Madu area including Pullikulam, the Chief Coordinating Officer of the Competent Office for IDPs in Vavuniya said.
Following is an illustration of the remaining IDPs from August 2009 to October 13, 2010:
As at
IDPs in relief villages in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee & Jaffna
August 20092, 42, 318
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
December 20091, 11, 270
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
May 201062, 627
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
September 201023, 352
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
October 19. 201018, 799
www.defence.lk " pbshowcaption="true">
IDPs in relief centers
(August 2009 to October 19, 2010)
As at IDPs in relief villages in Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee & Jaffna August 2009 2, 42, 318 December 2009 1, 11, 270 May 2010 62, 627 September 2010 23, 352 October 19. 2010 18, 799
Each figure represents 10,000 IDPs
Courtesy : Government Official website
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
" Sri Lanka, the World's best filming site" - Location Guide
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20101019_02
" Sri Lanka, the World's best filming site" - Location Guide
www.defence.lk ">Sri Lanka has earned a rave review as a destination for movie and broadcast productions in the 2011 edition of The Location Guide, the film industry's bible for selecting movie and commercial production locales.
The latest edition of The Location Guide featured a separate "Focus" on Sri Lanka, highlighting the island's natural beauty, a film-friendly government and its reasonable production costs. The Guide noted Sri Lanka's wildlife parks, central-highlands tea plantations, miles of pristine beaches and the colonial architecture found.
"Dubbed the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, my feeling is that Sri Lanka deserves this title and there is no question that it has great locations for filming and excellent production values with crew rates which would have to be considered the most competitive in the region," Murray Ashton, the founder of the London-based The Location Guide, wrote in the latest edition.
"If you need to film anything remotely associated with the tropics, then you are in the right place."
The annual guide has provided film and production companies, directors and producers with essential information and location contacts for filming worldwide since 1998.
Sri Lanka boasts an impressive history of filmmaking. It was the setting for such memorable movies as Bridge on the River Kwai, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Jungle Book and Tarzan the Ape Man.
"When you visit Sri Lanka, it is plain to see why the world's best directors chose it as a location," The Location Guide states.
Natural Beauty is just one advantage Sri Lanka offers filmmakers. The Guide also noted the abundance of talent in Sri Lanka, where 300 commercials were filmed in 2009. "The production community is also made of around 700 film professionals working across all production categories," the guide stated.
While in Sri Lanka, Ashton was assisted by by Gopi Darmaratnam of Sri Lankan film actor Ravindra Randeniya's company The Film Team (Pvt) Ltd. Driver Anton Gomes drove Ashton nearly 3,000 kilometres around Sri Lanka in order to complete his report.
The lack of red tape for production companies and a lack of film unions are other huge pluses for Sri Lanka, according to the guide. Sri Lanka recently established a 235-acre tele-cinema studio facility, the guide states, and the government and recently re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa "strongly support the film and television industries."
Relatively few film permits are required, and those needed to film in government or historic buildings, or for street scenes, are easy to obtain with a minimum of paperwork, the guide adds.
"Sri Lanka can be considered film-friendly as government institutions increasingly realize the importance the role of filming plays in the promotion of tourism to the country," it states.
"I am pleased that The Location Guide sees a bright future for the film industry in Sri Lanka," said Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States. "Sri Lanka has a rich tradition of hosting a variety of film projects over the years, and we have the facilities that will make our country a world leader in film production."
Courtesy: Embassy of Sri Lanka - Washington DC
" Sri Lanka, the World's best filming site" - Location Guide
www.defence.lk ">Sri Lanka has earned a rave review as a destination for movie and broadcast productions in the 2011 edition of The Location Guide, the film industry's bible for selecting movie and commercial production locales.
The latest edition of The Location Guide featured a separate "Focus" on Sri Lanka, highlighting the island's natural beauty, a film-friendly government and its reasonable production costs. The Guide noted Sri Lanka's wildlife parks, central-highlands tea plantations, miles of pristine beaches and the colonial architecture found.
"Dubbed the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, my feeling is that Sri Lanka deserves this title and there is no question that it has great locations for filming and excellent production values with crew rates which would have to be considered the most competitive in the region," Murray Ashton, the founder of the London-based The Location Guide, wrote in the latest edition.
"If you need to film anything remotely associated with the tropics, then you are in the right place."
The annual guide has provided film and production companies, directors and producers with essential information and location contacts for filming worldwide since 1998.
Sri Lanka boasts an impressive history of filmmaking. It was the setting for such memorable movies as Bridge on the River Kwai, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Jungle Book and Tarzan the Ape Man.
"When you visit Sri Lanka, it is plain to see why the world's best directors chose it as a location," The Location Guide states.
Natural Beauty is just one advantage Sri Lanka offers filmmakers. The Guide also noted the abundance of talent in Sri Lanka, where 300 commercials were filmed in 2009. "The production community is also made of around 700 film professionals working across all production categories," the guide stated.
While in Sri Lanka, Ashton was assisted by by Gopi Darmaratnam of Sri Lankan film actor Ravindra Randeniya's company The Film Team (Pvt) Ltd. Driver Anton Gomes drove Ashton nearly 3,000 kilometres around Sri Lanka in order to complete his report.
The lack of red tape for production companies and a lack of film unions are other huge pluses for Sri Lanka, according to the guide. Sri Lanka recently established a 235-acre tele-cinema studio facility, the guide states, and the government and recently re-elected President Mahinda Rajapaksa "strongly support the film and television industries."
Relatively few film permits are required, and those needed to film in government or historic buildings, or for street scenes, are easy to obtain with a minimum of paperwork, the guide adds.
"Sri Lanka can be considered film-friendly as government institutions increasingly realize the importance the role of filming plays in the promotion of tourism to the country," it states.
"I am pleased that The Location Guide sees a bright future for the film industry in Sri Lanka," said Jaliya Wickramasuriya, Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States. "Sri Lanka has a rich tradition of hosting a variety of film projects over the years, and we have the facilities that will make our country a world leader in film production."
Courtesy: Embassy of Sri Lanka - Washington DC
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