Tuesday, April 30, 2013

War heroes at Mihindu Seth Medura presented with New Year gifts


The dependant war heroes at "Mihindu Seth Medura", in Aththidiya presented with New year gifts under the patronage of chairperson of the MoD Seva Vanitha Unit Mrs. Ioma Rajapaksa today (26th April).

The war heroes at the healing home received new garments during the ceremony. Mrs. Rajapaksa joined a harmonious eve and enjoyed the songs sung by them and she also had cordial dialogue with the valiant war heroes during the visit.

The concept of 'Mihindu Seth Medura', a brainchild of the Secretary Defence came into reality on 30th May 2011 bestowing upon the needy war heroes who were maimed in the face of terror, and with no helping hand to assist them in basic day today needs.

Vice President of MOD SVU Mrs. Indu Rathnayaka, Commanding officer of the Mihindu Seth Medura and service staff of the Mihinidu Seth Madura were also present at the occasion.

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=fully_furnished_houses_for_the_homeless_20130429_03

 

Fully furnished houses for the homeless


Soon after the war on terrorism ended the army commenced its humanitarian operation of rescuing two hundred and ninety three thousand (293,000) people and gave them food, shelter and protection for several months. Finally, a majority of them were able to settle down in their hometowns.

During the rescue operation around 12,000 ex-LTTE cadres either surrendered or were arrested by the security forces. All of them are now rehabilitated, and we do not use the term LTTE cadres any more because they are fully rehabilitated.

These remarks were made by Major General Udaya Perera, the Security Forces Commander, Kilinochchi in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer.

Soon after the war on terrorism ended around three hundred thousand people who came to the army controlled area needed to be cared for and treated kindly. Due to the trauma they underwent at the hands of the LTTE a majority of them were depressed and needed some form of rehabilitation and counselling. The army and the security forces performed an admirable task in handling this humanitarian problem, he said.

Major General Perera said, the army and the security forces were able to win over the displaced people because they disliked the LTTE and the TNA. This is due to the TNA taking a confrontational stand which could be an obstacle for peace and reconciliation. The people of the North want peace and a peaceful life. Therefore, they fully cooperated with the forces.

He said when the army wished to recruit female soldiers from the Kilinochchi district the young girls in the area, disregarding and rejecting the false propaganda and obstacles put forward by the TNA enthusiastically applied for jobs. We received over five hundred applications from them. The Major General said they are proud because they were able to select around one hundred female soldiers from Kilinochchi which was badly devastated by the war.

These girls are recruited to the volunteer force. If they are willing they can work for the next fifteen years for the army. They are being paid Rs. 32,000 per month and in addition they will be given 18,000 rupees worth food, shelter and uniforms including medical facilities, he said.

He said, since the majority of the female recruits are from poverty stricken families they do not even have a house to live in. Therefore, the army built 20 houses at a cost of Rs. 500,000. The whole construction work was handled by Army personnel. Now these houses are valued at Rs. one million. The houses will be handed over to 20 female army recruits within the next few weeks.

The female soldiers come under Major Shyamin Perera. She said the female soldiers will be initially engaged in civilian work such as the eradication of Dengue and the spread of infectious diseases. They will also be involved in foster care, clerical duties and handling of computers.

Major General Perera said, the army has introduced a scholarship for the children from poor families. The scholarship scheme begins from Grade five to the University entrance class. The yearly scholarship ranges from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000. They are paid from funds collected from army personnel on a voluntary basis.

Courtesy : Department of Government Information

Mine clearing in North almost completed


 
 
Ninety-five percent of the Confirmed Hazardous area has been cleared of mines, according to the National Mine Action Center which was established in the Economic Development Ministry after the war. The remaining confirmed hazard area (CHA) is only 96 square kilometers as at the end of March 2013. Most of this area is covered with shrubs and jungle.

The massive pace of demining has helped the Government to resettle all IDPs.

The Mine Action Centre's programme still continues with the support of UNDP, UNICEF, donor community, the Sri Lanka Army's Engineering Brigade and national and international de-mining organizations to clear the hazardous area of land mines, anti-personnel mines, booby traps and unexploded ordinance (UXOs) the LTTE had laid during the course of the war

Since the gravity of the problem has gradually been reduced, some of the demining organizations such as Sarvatra, Horizan and MMIPE have already moved out since their jobs have been completed. The remaining organizations are still continuing the tasks assigned to them. After they complete their operations the Army Engineering Brigade, which has the biggest resources pool comprising manual, mechanical mine detection techniques and mine Detecting Dogs (MDD), will take over the responsibility in case the need for more mine clearing arises.

In June 2009, a month after the defeat of LTTE terrorism the Government with the support of donor communities such as, Australia, Japan, China, India, EU, USA, etc, UNDP, UNICEF, national and international mine action operators implemented a comprehensive and rapid de-mining programme to clear the affected areas estimated to be 2064 square kilometers.

Courtesy : Department of Government Information

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=Serving_the_people_20130430_06

 

Serving the people


Distribution of stationary for school children

Facilitating the school children in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka Navy donated school books for needy children in Trincomalee District recently (26th April) under the patronage of the Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Rohan Amarasinghe.

Stationary packs were gifted to 127 selected students of below mentioned schools located in the Trincomalee District.

  • Kuniththivu Navalar School in Sampoor
  • Kuniththivu Navalar Pre-School
  • Thissa Maha Vidyalaya
  • Rewatha Childrens' School

Community welfare programme was extended in association with an Australian resident Mr. Nelson Priyarathne who comes from New South Wales, with a view of uplifting the educational background of the students in Trincomalee District. Philanthropic gesture of personal coming forward from abroad to help Trincomalee based children by spending their hard-earned money is praiseworthy and exemplary.

Free medical clinics for newly resettled families in Mannar

Under the direction of the Commander North Western Naval Area, Rear Admiral Dayananda Nanayakkara, a series of medical clinics has been conducted in Mannar for the benefit of the resettled Tamil civilians on 03rd and 21st April 2013.

The caring initiative, which has received wide acclaim due to its immense popularity amongst the beneficiaries, was implemented on the instructions of Director General Health Services continuing its community based welfare oriented programmes.

The free medical clinics launched by the Navy medical doctors and personnel in attendance, concluded successfully with patients walking in including more then 200 children from the Roman Catholic School in Uchchamunai and civil population of Mollikulam, Uchchamunai, Kayakkuli and Karadakkuli located in the Mannar District.

Several communicable and non communicable diseases were treated at primary health care level. All the medicines, dental treatments, nutrition supplements and basic laboratory investigations were also provided free of charge. All that attended expressed their heart-felt gratitude to the Navy emphasizing the fact that the medical clinics were of immense benefit to them since they satisfied a long felt need.

M/S Interpharma Pharmaceuticals, Sanmed Pharmaceutical and Thriposha Lanka Limited extended their supportive hands to accomplish the mission.

Stationary Distribution
Free Medical Clinic

 

http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=It_Time_For_US_Policy_Toward_Sri_Lanka_To_Be_20130427_03

It's Time For U.S. Policy Toward Sri Lanka To Be More Symmetrical


Sri Lanka's economy is growing at about a 7.5% annual clip, with low inflation and a per capita income of US$ 2,923. We are striving towards a per capita income of over $4,000 by 2016 and are on track to surpass the United Nations Millennium Development goals by 2015. This is remarkable, given that Sri Lanka had a per capita income of only US$ 981 in 2003, and it was only four years ago that it broke free from the grip of terrorism, and is still recovering from the economic, political, and social upheaval caused by the destructive conflict. The dividends of peace in Sri Lanka now seem real, and the country is poised to become the next breakout nation.

However, if one were to Google Sri Lanka today, it appears as if the international community, led by the U.S., is mostly focused on a short episode of 2009, namely the last months of the war on the Tamil Tigers, during which many combatants on both sides lost their lives. That is probably why the U.S. sponsored a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council this year that asked Sri Lanka to speed up the reconciliation process and investigate allegations of human rights abuses.

It is now becoming increasingly clear that U.S. (and European) policies towards Sri Lanka are asymmetrical. The U.S. is applying heavy pressure toward the Sri Lanka Government to accelerate the reconciliation process with the minority Tamil population while ignoring the major strides that have been made towards this goal by the Sri Lankan government and people. At the same time, the U.S. seems to be paying little attention to the geo-strategic dimensions of U.S.-Sri Lanka relations as well as to the economic potential that Sri Lanka has to offer as the fastest growing economy in its region and as a gateway to a 1 billion people market in next door India.

When the U.S. declared war on terror after 9/11, Sri Lanka had already been fighting such a war for decades. As with 9/11, Sri Lanka's financial sector too was a target. On January 31 1996, a Tamil suicide bomber drove a truck laden with high explosives into the building of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, killing 91 and injuring 1,300.

Today, the war in Sri Lanka is behind us, having been settled decisively in May 2009 on the battlefield. The challenges facing our nation now include the physical reconstruction of the infrastructure of war-affected areas in the north and east of Sri Lanka, and the growing of an economy that will benefit all Sri Lankans, including the minority Tamil population. Through an active funding program, the government and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has already financed and implemented the removal of landmines, physical reconstruction of infrastructure, resettling all internally displaced persons, improving health and education sectors, strengthening financial inclusiveness, opening up local markets and improving the movement of people and goods, especially in the war-affected areas. All these are vital human rights too.

Of course, reconciliation after a conflict is important. But, this is a psychological process that can take many years, decades in most cases, and which needs to follow its own course, driven by the parties involved. Perhaps U.S. policy makers would do well to reflect as to how long the U.S. took to reconcile after its own civil war. Sri Lankans need time and space to overcome the mistrust and the bitterness brought about by 30 years of war and terrorism. Outside support can be helpful, but outside pressure that appears to be inspired by a very vocal Tamil diaspora, without taking into account, achievements on the ground and the larger political and economic picture, is not well received or understood in Colombo.

From a strategic perspective, Sri Lanka is located at the intersection of the world's busiest shipping lanes between Europe, South Asia, the Middle-East, China and Japan, navigated by 50 percent of global container traffic and 70 percent of global energy supplies. Its harbors are vital in the fight against piracy.

From an economic perspective, Sri Lanka's business climate, well-educated work force and proximity to India make it an ideal springboard for companies to do business in India's states and to launch products onto the global market.

We value our relations with America. The U.S. is a major market for our exports. U.S. investors have made significant foreign direct investments and are the leading holders of Sri Lankan bonds. At the same time, we increasingly depend on China and India for investments in our infrastructure. Just last month, Sri Lanka opened its second international airport, funded by a $209 million Chinese loan.

Is the U.S. "losing" Sri Lanka? Not yet. In December 2009, Senators Kerry and Lugar circulated a report to their colleagues in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that concluded that "U.S. policymakers have tended to underestimate Sri Lanka's geostrategic importance for American interests" and that "a more multifaceted U.S. strategy would capitalize on the economic, trade, and security aspects of the relationship." On its part, Sri Lanka would welcome a recalibration of US policy towards a more symmetrical US strategy that takes into consideration, the key strategic, economic and trade perspectives. Surely, such a strategy will serve both countries' long term interests.

Courtesy : Forbes

 

http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/05/01/news35.asp

Ex-LTTE cadres on friendship tour to South



Three hundred and seventy one Tamil youths on a Friendship Tour from the North to the South organised by the Bureau of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation of Rehabilitation and Prisons Reforms arrived in Galle on Saturday.

Galle Heritage Foundation chairman Parakrama Dahanyake addresses the Tamil youths at the reception
The Tamil youths walking along the ramparts of the historic Dutch Fortress. Picture by Mahinda P.Liyanage – Galle Daily News correspondent

On arrival in Galle, they were received by a group of Provincial Council members led by Southern Province Chief Minister Shan Wijayalal de Silva. They visited the Sivan Kovil in Kaluwella, Galle where the group participated in a special pooja administered by the high priest of the Hindu Kovil Rev Krishna Moorthi Kurakka.

The group of Tamils youths who were former LTTE cadres are being rehabilitated by the Bureau of Commissioner General of Rehabilitation following a court order.

They later visited the Historical Dutch Fortress, a world heritage site, where they visited a number of places of importance within the ancient citadel.

They were accorded a warm welcome by Galle Heritage Foundation officials on arrival to the Galle Fort.

Galle Heritage Foundation chairman Parakrama Dahanayake addressing the Northern youths gave a brief account on the historical back ground of the Galle World Heritage Site.

Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Brigadier Dharshana Hettiarachchi who accompanied the group told the media that the objective of the Friendship Tour was to dispel wrong beliefs and assumptions entertained by Tamil youths regarding the Sinhala community in the South.

He said for years, they had been misled by the LTTE and had advocated hatred against other communities in the country to achieve their terrorist objectives.

“They had been taught that the Sinhala people were a barbarous ethnic group born to destroy Tamils. However, during this trip they were able to learn how hospitable and fraternal the people of South are and they were able to witness for themselves the way Tamils in the South move with other communities in peace and harmony,” he said.

The Brigadier said the bureau had rehabilitated 11,500 such Tamil youths who at present had successfully linked up with the democratic social fabric of the country.

He said the present group would also be released to society after another one year of rehabilitation.

The friendship tour ends today after the youths visiting Kataragama Grand Kovil, Kiri Vehera and Sella Kataragama. They stayed in Deniyaya on Saturday night.

Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera together with ministry officials accompanied the Northern youths.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/05/01/fea01.asp

National Security in Sri Lanka :

Boston, we are not sitting ducks



Fools, men of little intelligence give themselves over to negligence, but the wise man protects his diligence as a supreme treasure The Buddha -The Dhammapada

Security Forces personnel engaged in de-mining activities. File photo
Army personnel helping construct houses in the North

It was reported on the Colombo Page on April 27, 2013 that: Sri Lankan Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Major General Shavendra Silva said that the United States and other Western countries should understand that terrorism wherever and in whatever form is terrorism and it should be eliminated. Speaking to the national radio Major General Silva said bombs used in the Boston attack are similar to the bombs used by the Tamil Tiger terrorists in Sri Lanka.

Army Commander Lieutenant General
Jagath Jayasuriya

The Ambassador said the people of U.S. commended their security services for apprehending the terrorists connected with this attack. Noting that Security Forces of a country are responsible for safeguarding the people from terrorism Major General Silva said Sri Lankan Forces protected the country eliminating the Tiger terrorism. Highlighting that still arms and ammunition are being recovered from the former battlefields in the North and East, the UN envoy said placing Security Forces in those areas is not a matter to be considered in a different perspective, Such vigilance is indeed essential in the interests of National Security.

De-mining operations


It was reported in May last year that the Security Forces in Sri Lanka found the largest stock of explosives since the end of the civil war three years ago. 6,000kg (13,230lb) of explosives were discovered in a bunker used by the rebels in the North. The Security Forces regularly unearth weapons and ammunition from the North, where the last and bloodiest battles of the 26-year civil war were fought. Police said that they discovered the haul after receiving a tip-off.

The plastic-encased explosive, C4, were found near the town of Puthukudiyiruppu. One defense analyst said he was sceptical about the reported finding, asking how such a quantity could have remained undetected for so long. But another said he was sure it was genuine and believed the ammunition was found 6m (19.6ft) underground. Experts say the Tamil Tigers, whose leadership was wiped out in the final army offensive in 2009, favoured C4 over explosives like TNT because it was more powerful.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo said weapons used by both sides during the war still have a tangible effect on Northern Sri Lanka as internal refugees try to start their lives afresh in their home areas. Occasionally children are injured or even killed.(Courtesy: BBC)

Bloody battles


As the North was heavily militarised by the LTTE, the war left behind a heavy concentration of weapons and stray and unexploded ordinance (UXO), while undetected mines in some areas may present a danger. However, it is important to note that in addition to the Sri Lanka Army’s own Humanitarian De-mining Unit, at least eight other organisations engaged in de-mining and clearance of UXO, were engaged in de-mining operations to ensure a mine-free Sri Lanka. The fragility of the post-war environment also demands a stabilising security presence. It should not be forgotten that the reign of the LTTE, which ran most of the North for over two decades, was itself brutal and arbitrary, undoubtedly leaving fissures and cracks in the Tamil society. Then there are the insecurities of the returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the Muslim community – forcibly evicted by the LTTE, with 48-hour notice, from the Vanni more than 20 years ago – who are only just making their way back, only to find in some cases that the lands and houses they were forced to leave behind have long been in the possession of others.

Ambassador Major General
Shavendra Silva

As much as these are reasonable arguments for a security presence, in the North and East of Sri Lanka, providing such a sense of security, ensuring the rule of law and the sort of stability needed in the Northern Province would actually be a civil policing function rather than a military call of duty. Indeed civil policing is central to ensuring that conditions, which may encourage any sort of organised violence do not recur. Although there has been little evidence of any regrouping, let alone resurgence, of the LTTE or its supporters in the North and the East it is prudent for the Security Forces to exercise due diligence by monitoring the activities in these areas in order to avoid any such regrouping or resurgence in the interests of national security.

LLRC recommendations


It was reported that the Sri Lankan Army is to scale down its presence in the former battle zones of the country's North and East, where the troops fought bloody battles with the Tamil Tiger terrorists and liberated the region. The Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya has said that the Army is now completely ready for far-reaching reforms in its structural composition regarding ground realities, security and needs of island-wide ongoing development projects.

The government has been criticized in recent times for the presence of military in the former conflict zones in the North and East nearly three years after wresting control of the region from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). As part of implementing recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, (LLRC) the government has begun to scale down the Army's involvement in the administration of the region and has handed over certain operations to civilian administration.

"While scaling down the number of different regimental and area headquarters and presence of troops in the North and East, plans are afoot to assemble more and more battalions together to form only most required headquarters," the Army Commander had said. According to the Army Chief, the skilled troops who fought at the operational front during the final battles are to be deployed exclusively for security arrangements while troops with multifaceted vocational skills are to be used for all islandwide development work carried out by the government.

Development efforts


The Commander has spoken about measures to expand training at battalion levels and to offer more career development training sessions in the future. It is laudable that the Security Forces personnel have been observed rendering a yeoman service in the development efforts in the country including the beautification of our cities.

In conclusion it may be said that continued monitoring with due diligence has to be maintained by the Security Forces in the North and East as well as other areas of Sri Lanka to prevent any disruption of normal civilian life thereby posing a threat to the security of our nation in order to ensure that unfortunate occurrences such as the recent Boston bombing that occurred in the USA does not take place in our country.

Monday, April 29, 2013

95 P.C MINE FREE - A CIVILIAN BOUNTY

http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/04/30/news01.asp

* Army plays leading role in demining process


* Massive pace of demining helps govt resettle displaced


Ninety five percent of the Confirmed Hazardous Area has been cleared of mines and an area of 96 kilometres remains to be cleared at the end of March 2013, a National Mine Action Centre source said yesterday. A total of 1,968,369,553 square kilometres have been completely cleared of mines in the North, Eastern and North Central Provinces during the last four years, the source said.

The Army has been playing a leading role in the demining process in the Northern and Eastern areas. The Army Engineering Brigade cleared 77,368 square kilometres of battle area and mine fields during the past three months, he said.

A total area of 600,860 square kilometres have also been cleared of mines by the Army during 2012, the source said.

"The massive pace of demining helped the government resettle persons displaced by the conflict within a three-year period," he said. The Mine Action Centre's programme still continues with the support of the UNDP, UNICEF, donor community, the Sri Lanka Army's Engineering Brigade and national and international de-mining organisations to clear the hazardous area of landmines, anti-personnel mines, booby traps and unexploded ordinance, the LTTE laid during the war, the source said.

He said since the gravity of the problem has gradually been scaled down, some demining organisations such as Sarvatra, Horizon and MMIPE have left.

"The remaining organisations are continuing the tasks assigned to them. After they complete their operations, the Army Engineering Brigade, which has the biggest resources pool comprising manual, mechanical mine detection techniques and mine detecting dogs will take over the responsibility in case the need for more mine clearing arises," the source said.

In June 2009, a month after the defeat of LTTE terrorism, the government with the support of donor communities such as, Australia, Japan, China, India, EU, USA, etc, UNDP, UNICEF, national and international mine action operators implemented a comprehensive and rapid de-mining programme to clear the affected areas estimated to be 2,064 square kilometres.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Medawachchiya-Madhu Road opens in May:
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=Northern_Line_gets_ready_for_Yal_Devi_20130428_03

Northern Line gets ready for Yal Devi


Work at the site

If there was a symbol to represent the strong bonds of friendship between the Southern people and the Northern people of Sri Lanka, it was the Yal Devi train. Therefore, it is the Yal Devi train that gets affected first if there are strained relations between the North and the South and the incidents during the three-decades-long terrorism proved this fact beyond any doubt.

In the same way, restoration of that broken down train service between the North and the South is one of the first things, the people in the North or the South, would embark on once the differences between the North and the South are resolved.

Therefore, re-establishing the Northern rail track and restarting the Yal Devi train service is a landmark in the communal harmony of the country in the process of reconciling the communities after ending terrorism.

The Railway Department under the Ministry of Transport and with huge financial assistance from the Indian government under the Indian Line of Credit has embarked on this massive project of restoring the Northern rail tracks to restart the train services connecting the Northern town again to the South through rail links.

People are eagerly waiting to see the train services from the South to the Northern town of Kankesanthurai and to Talaimannar start for the Southern people to visit the North and for the Northern people to visit the South in a relaxed journey while improving their cultural ties in a mutual way.

The Railway officials made the first step towards restoring the train services in the newly re-laid tracks on the Medawachchiya-Talaimananar line, after successfully completing the trial run from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road on April 23 as 96 percent of the track upto Madhu has been completed with the hope of starting the train services upto Madhu Road by the end of next month. Therefore, people would be able to see the recommencement of the train services to the Northern towns within this year.

Commissioned for traffic

According to Chief Engineer Way and Works and Project Director Northern Rail line from Omanthai to Pallai Priya Fernando, nearly 80 percent of the construction work of the Omanthai to Pallai section has also been completed as of now with the focus on completing the first phase of the project upto Kilinochchi by September this year.

The construction site

The railway line from Medawachchi to Kankesanthurai in the northern most part of the country was constructed and commissioned for traffic on September 10, 1905 and the rail line was destroyed by the LTTE several times and the train service completely ceased operations after June 13, 1990.

"The project to construct the rail track from Omanthai to Pallai commenced on March 24, 2011 and it has to be completed by September 24, 2013.

"The construction of the rail track and fixing of bridges and culverts will also be included under this project at a cost of US$ 185 million", he said.

The Indian Railway Construction Company Limited (IRCON) has undertaken the construction work as the key contractor of the project.

"This section of the track is having crossing stations and sub-stations at Puliyankulam, Mankulam, Murikkandi, Kilinochchi, Paranthan, Elephant Pass (Halt) and Pallai. The existing railway stations will be redeveloped to facilitate the project", Fernando said.

Although the former track was constructed with a design speed of 80 kilometres per hour, the new track will have a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour. "That means the trains can run at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour", he said.

Straightening bends

When constructing the new track, steps have been taken to straighten the bends in the earlier track, making it possible to increase the speed of the train. "We can say 90 percent of the earth formation has been done, seven kilometres of the track and 1.25 kilometres of the rail lines have already been laid. Through that process we have completed the most difficult part of the project to facilitate the laying of the track", he said. "We are focusing attention on completing the track upto Kilinochchi at the first phase and to complete the second phase from Kilinochchi to Pallai later", he said.

Project Director for the Northern Rail Line from Pallai to Kankesanthurai section S.G. Premkumar said the construction work of the second phase of the project which has also been undertaken by the Indian Railway Construction Company Limited was also commenced on June 14, 2012.

The trial run from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road on April 23

"We have cleaned the surface of the track and a detailed survey on all the bridges, culverts, level crossings has been done. The rails required have already been brought. Now the contractor is going ahead with the construction work at different stages at different places", he said.

There are seven crossing stations between Pallai and Kankesanthurai and the stations are located in Kodikamam, Chavakachcheri, Navatkuli, Jaffna, Kondavil and Chunnakam. The 11 sub-stations are at Elthumadduval, Mirusavil, Meesalai, Sangasthanai, Kachchanthoppu, Punhankulam, Kokuvil, Lunuvil, Mallakam and Thelippallai. "This section of the project costs US$ 149 million. According to the schedule, the project has to be completed by June 13, 2014 and the contractor is working on that", he said. "The main challenge we faced in this project is the supply of gravel. Since the project comes within the Jaffna peninsula where gravel is not available, the gravel needed for the project has to be brought from the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.

"Therefore, we have to pay a good amount as transport cost for the gravel", he said.

"The other challenge we face is the number of level crossings. Mainly 111 level crossings are there within 65 kilometres and that is not healthy for the speed of the train. However, we have found that one third of those level crossings can be eliminated because they are connecting each other. Therefore, we have presented this case to the Government Agent in Jaffna. Now things are going on little by little and again we will be meeting the Divisional Secretaries with the details of the real roads and connecting roads and to explain to them that there are ways of reducing the number of level crossings", he said.

Newly developed stations

According to Premkumar, only a few of the earlier stations are available at present and they are trying to make use of the existing ones as a part of the newly developed stations. "There were some unauthorised settlers on the rail track, but they were shifted from the track. I must say they shifted without any protest.

Now, only a temple in the university premises is left and I think that issue will also be settled soon without much problem", he said. Project Director, Medawachchiya Madhu and Madhu to Talaimannar Railway Line Development N.P. Lalith N. Peiris said that they are hoping to complete the track from Medawachchiya to Madhu Road by the end of May as they have already completed 96 percent of the work.

"A trial run was successfully conducted on April 23", he said. "We started construction work of this section of the rail track on March 23, 2011. The cost of the project from Medawachchiya to Madhu is US$ 81.31 million", he said.

No sign of tracks

By the time the construction work started, there was no sign of a track and the rails and sleepers had been removed for the construction of bunkers. There are three stations, between the 43 kilometre stretch between Medawachchiya and Madhu Road and they are Nellikulum, Chettikulum and Madhu Road.

Completed section of the rail track

"Now the track is completed and the building work is also about 80 percent completed. By the end of May, the entire section from Medawachchiya to Madhu will be completed if there are no other problems", he said. He said about 50 percent of the construction of the rail track between Madhu Road to Talaimannar is also completed with the aim of completing the project by September."Most of the rails and sleepers have been imported from India to facilitate the project. These things have been designed under Indian railway standards and they are very similar to Sri Lankan standards", he said.

The US$ 149.74 million project of laying the rail track from Madhu to Talaimannar include the construction of the Talaimannar pier. "Since the project also includes the pier the contractors may not be able to complete the entire project within the given time frame", he said.

There are three major bridges to facilitate the project and there will be a 100 foot three span bridge, and a 100 foot two span bridge. The Talaimannar pier is 960 feet in length. Five crossing stations and three sub-stations will be there between Madhu Road and Talaimannar.

The five main stations will be Murunkan, Mannar, Pesalai, Talaimannar and the Taliamannar Pier. The other three halts are located at Manthottam, Thiruketheeswaran and Thoddaweli. "The rail track has a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour, but normally a train can run at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour. That means within one and a half hours you can travel from Medawachchiya to Talaimannar", he said.

The completion of the Medawachchiya, Talaimannar rail track along with the Talaimannar pier will pave the way to create the shortest link between India and Sri Lanka with the starting of the ferry service between Talaimannar and Rameswaran."This is very good for Sri Lanka and India, and it will be a good opportunity for tourism as well. The Northern people will find that it is the shortest and the cheapest way of travelling to India", he said.

Courtesy : Sunday Observer
Opinion: US war crimes exposed :

Obama refuses ‘Truth Commission’











“It is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture and that the nation’s highest officials bore ultimate responsibility for it. The kind of considered and detailed discussions that occurred after 9/11 directly involving a president and his top advisers on the wisdom, propriety and legality of inflicting pain and torment on some detainees in our custody,” was the determination of a bi-partisan commission that consisted of a former Republican Bush official, a Democratic Party former Congressman and other professionals in a comprehensive and extensive 600-page report released last week.

The report significantly noted that the Obama administration declined, as a matter of policy, to undertake or commission an official study of what happened, saying it was unproductive to “look backwards” rather than forward.

The report advocating the wisdom of appointing a commission to establish accountability of action of war crimes among which is torture that the highest officials of the Bush administration bore ultimate responsibility for states:

“In Congress, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont introduced legislation to establish a ‘Truth Commission’ to look into the US behaviour in the years following the September 11 attacks. The concept, successful in South Africa, Guatemala and several other countries, is predicated on recognising the paramount value to a nation of an accurate accounting of its history, especially in the aftermath of an extraordinary episode or period of crisis”.

At the Guantanamo Bay prison

Since the conclusion of the 26-year war against terrorism, defeating a ruthless terrorist group in a South Asian nation, Sri Lanka in 2009, the United States advocated and later almost forced the Government of Sri Lanka to appoint a ‘Truth Commission’ which that Government appointed in the form of a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission and produced its report and recommendations. The State Department, in promoting a commission of that nature in Sri Lanka, brought South Africa as an example.

Charges of torture


The report further states: “The Task Force examined court cases in which torture was deemed to have occurred both inside and outside the country and, tellingly, in instances in which the United States has levelled the charge of torture against other governments. The United States may not declare a nation guilty of engaging in torture and then exempt itself from being so labelled for similar if not identical conduct.

“The United States has routinely and firmly condemned as torture and/or abuse many of the same techniques used by US personnel against detainees over the course of the past decade. The Department of State (DOS), in its annual US country reports on human rights practices, has characterised many of the coercive techniques used against detainees in US custody in the post–September 11 era as torture, abuse or cruel treatment.

These reports, assessing the human rights situation in 194 countries around the world, are submitted annually as required by both the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trade Act of 1974.

“The CIA, in an internal review, acknowledged that the “[enhanced interrogation techniques] used by the [CIA] … are inconsistent with the public policy positions that the United States has taken regarding human rights.”

The Washington Think Tank Constitutional Project's blue ribbon Task Force extensively examined the Detainee Treatment since the 9/11 attacks. It is made up of former high-ranking officials with distinguished careers in the judiciary, Congress, the diplomatic service, law enforcement, the military, and other parts of the executive branch, as well as recognised experts in law, medicine and ethics. The group includes conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats.

This report is the product of more than two years of research, analysis and deliberation by the Task Force members and staff. It is based on a thorough examination of available public intelligence officers, interrogators and policy-makers. It is the most comprehensive record of detainee treatment across multiple administrations and multiple geographic theatres – Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and the so-called “black sites”.

One of those who was on the Constitution Project's Task Force was Asa Hutchinson.

Two years of research


Hutchinson, who served in the Bush administration as chief of the Drug Enforcement Administration and under-secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said he “took convincing” on the torture issue. But after the panel’s nearly two years of research, he said he had no doubts about what the United States did. “This has not been an easy inquiry for me, because I know many of the players,” Hutchinson said in an interview. He said he thought everyone involved in decisions, from Bush down, had acted in good faith, in a desperate effort to try to prevent more attacks.

“But I just think we learn from history,” Hutchinson said. “It’s incredibly important to have an accurate account not just of what happened, but of how decisions were made.” He added, “The United States has a historic and unique character, and part of that character is that we do not torture.”

The panel found that the United States violated its international legal obligations by engineering “enforced disappearances” and secret detentions.

It questions recidivism figures published by the Defense Intelligence Agency for Guantanamo detainees who have been released, saying they conflict with independent reviews. The report’s main thrust was its attempt to assess what the United States government did in the years after 2001 and how it should be judged. The CIA not only water-boarded prisoners, but slammed them into walls, chained them in uncomfortable positions for hours, stripped them of clothing and kept them awake for days on end.

“By the end of 2002, at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, interrogators began routinely depriving detainees of sleep by means of shackling them to the ceiling. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld later approved interrogation techniques in Guantanamo that included sleep deprivation, stress positions, nudity, sensory deprivation, and threatening detainees with dogs. Many of the same techniques were later used in Iraq,” says the report. The Constitution Project Task Force report declared that the CIA also created its own detention and interrogation facilities – at several locations in Afghanistan, and even more secretive “black sites” in Thailand, Poland, Romania and Lithuania, where the highest value captives were interrogated. The Task Force finds that US officials involved with detention in the black sites committed acts of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

CIA Inspector General’s Report


Ample evidence of this treatment is found in the December 2004 CIA Inspector General’s Report on Counter-terrorism, Detention and Interrogation Activities, as well as the testimony of former detainees. The use of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment has long been considered war crimes and violations of customary international law, as well as being prohibited by the Convention Against Torture and denounced by the United States when practised by other states.

(Quote) US forces, in many instances, used interrogation techniques on detainees that constitute torture. American personnel conducted an even larger number of interrogations that involved “cruel, inhuman, or degrading” treatment. Both categories of actions violate US laws and international treaties. Such conduct was directly counter to values of the Constitution and our nation.

The Task Force believes there was no justification for the responsible government and military leaders to have allowed those lines to be crossed. Doing so damaged the standing of our nation, reduced our capacity to convey moral censure when necessary and potentially increased the danger to US military personnel taken captive. Democracy and torture cannot peacefully coexist in the same body politic.The Task Force also believes and hopes that publicly acknowledging this grave error, however belatedly, may mitigate some of those consequences and help undo some of the damage to our reputation at home and abroad. (End Quote)

What the report notes as ‘Publicly acknowledging this grave error’ is the appointment of a ‘Truth Commission’ to establish ‘accountability’ for the ‘war crimes’ committed violating international laws.

Accountability: The report states: (Quote) Despite the president’s opposition to “looking backwards” regarding torture allegations, on August 24, 2009, Attorney General Holder announced he would open “a preliminary review into whether federal laws were violated in connection with the interrogation of specific detainees at overseas locations” by the CIA.

Holder appointed US Attorney John Durham, who was already investigating the CIA’s destruction of videotapes of interrogations at black sites, to conduct the review. In November 2010, Durham concluded that he would not pursue charges in connection with the destruction of the tapes. The Justice Department (DOJ) did not specify the reason for declining prosecution, but made the announcement the same week that the statute of limitations on the relevant criminal charges expired.

Treatment of detainees


In June 2011, DOJ announced the results of Durham’s preliminary review of the CIA’s treatment of detainees. It opened full criminal investigations into the deaths of two detainees in CIA custody - Gul Rahman, an Afghan killed at the Salt Pit in November 2002 and Manadel al-Jamadi, the Iraqi detainee whose corpse is shown in several of the Abu Ghraib photographs. Ninety-nine other cases of alleged detainee abuse were closed without proceeding to a full investigation.

Holder announced on August 30, 2012, that no charges would be brought for al-Jamadi’s or Rahman’s deaths because “the admissible evidence would not be sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.” The Justice Department declined to elaborate further, or respond to questions.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, has denounced the closure of Durham’s investigations without charges as violating the obligation under the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) to hold perpetrators of torture accountable.

In a number of other civil and criminal cases, the Obama administration has robustly defended the CIA’s prerogative to keep information about its treatment of detainees secret. Obama’s Department of Justice successfully argued for the dismissal of Mohamed v. Jeppesen Dataplan Inc., a suit by five rendition victims against a Boeing subsidiary that allegedly participated in flying them to torture overseas, on the basis of the state-secrets privilege. It also successfully opposed Supreme Court review of another rendition victim’s suit, Arar v. Ashcroft.

The DOJ has repeatedly and successfully argued against requiring disclosure of evidence regarding CIA rendition and torture in Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation. The government’s position is that the Justice department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memos released in 2009 revealed a great deal of information about the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation techniques”.

The Constitution Project's Task Force report, which can be found at http://detaineetaskforce.org/ refers to several international covenants to which the United States is a signatory.

Constitution Project's Task Force report

The report cites


(1) Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions which says “prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever” for individuals no longer actively involved in hostilities, specifically including detainees. The prohibited acts include torture, outrages upon personal dignity and cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment, among others. Common Article 3 also creates an affirmative obligation that detainees “shall in all circumstances be treated humanely.”

(2) The Convention Against Torture (CAT) reflects that the ban of torture is one of the bedrock principles of international law. The prohibition of torture is absolute, without exception for war or national emergency. Detainees may not be transferred to countries where they would face a serious risk of torture, and information acquired through torture can never be used in court except as evidence against those accused of torture. Under Article 1 of CAT, torture is (1) an intentional infliction of severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental; (2) to obtain information or a confession, to punish for an act or suspected act, to intimidate or coerce, or for discrimination of any kind; (3) when such pain or suffering is inflicted by, at the instigation of, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.

(3) The Torture Statute is the US federal statute prohibiting acts of torture. The statute was enacted in 1994 by Congress in order to comply with CAT’s requirement to enact enabling legislation. The statute defines torture as an act committed (a) by a person acting under the color of law; (b)specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering upon another person; (c) within his custody or physical control. The Torture Statute covers acts committed outside the United States; acts committed within the United States are prohibited by other federal and state laws.

(4) The War Crimes Act was passed by Congress in 1996 and criminalizes certain violations of the law of armed conflict.108 The act makes it a crime under U.S. law to violate the Geneva Conventions and other international laws of war ratified by the United States.

The WCA applies to all U.S. nationals and members of the U.S. Armed Forces. The WCA, as originally enacted, created two categories of crimes: (1) “grave breaches” of the Geneva Convention in international armed conflicts;111 and (2) any violations of Common Article 3 in other conflicts.

Two additional international law instruments reflect US commitment to the bans on torture and CID: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

After a two-year extensive investigation and perusing the international laws and along with the US federal laws that the Constitution Project's blue ribbon Task Force on Detainee Treatment report finds that top officials of the Bush administration, and President Bush himself, were responsible for the degrading treatment of detainees after the 9/11 attacks and highlights the vitality of the appointment of a ‘Truth Commission’ to investigate and bring those responsible before justice.

The report equally points at the Obama administration of ignoring the demand for a ‘Truth Commission’ with President Obama himself declaring it is better “to look forward” than “backward”. The Asian Tribune found a very interesting comment in the media: Make your own judgement! Seems to me, one of the most abusive and barbaric regimes in the world is the one that points the finger of torture accusations at others. By projecting its own evil onto its intended targets, it then ‘gets away’ with war crime after war crime.

Courtesy: Asian Tribune

Lanka to continue on high growth path



http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2013/04/28/fea03.asp



For America, the most developed country in the World, more attacks similar to 9-11 and the Boston Marathon are possible, unlike in Sri Lanka where the world believed it would never be able to end a 30-year terrorism culture where bombs exploded almost every day somewhere in Sri Lanka.

Since this historic defeat of terrorism, Sri Lanka is now moving towards another ambitious task of a $ 4,000+ plus per capita income regime and a $ 100 billion economy.

Presenting the 63rd annual report of the Monetary Board to President and the Minister of Finance and Planning, Mahinda Rajapaksa recently, Governor Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal said that this dream would be made a reality as all the financial targets set in the past seven years are achieved. “Our aim is to surpass this target before 2016,” he said.

Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal presents the 63rd Annual Report of the Monetary Board to President Mahinda Rajapaksa

He however said that when this trap is reached there is a possibility the country falling in to a ‘middle income trap’, stagnating growth. “This happened to some countries and for Sri Lanka the five hub concept (Maritime, Aviation, Energy, Commercial and the Knowledge along with tourism) spelled out in the Mahinda Chintana would help avoid this.”

The Sri Lankan economy grew at a healthy rate of 6.4 percent in 2012 while inflation was maintained at single digits for a fourth consecutive year, despite several global and domestic challenges. Improved business and consumer confidence, which supported a robust economic growth of 8 percent in the preceding two consecutive years, was accompanied by high credit and monetary expansion and a widening trade deficit fuelled by high import demand.

Inflation was maintained within single digit levels in 2012 for the fourth consecutive year. Inflation declined to a low level of 2.7 percent in February 2012.

However, the upward adjustment of energy prices and transport fares in February 2012 to reflect the rise in oil prices in the international market, the pass-through of the depreciation of the rupee, supply disruptions on account of adverse weather conditions that prevailed in major cultivation areas and the impact of past high monetary expansion resulted in inflation edging up to end the year at 9.2 percent.

Nevertheless, within a relatively short period the impact of the policy measures adopted was evident with the trade deficit and credit granted to the private sector decelerating while managing inflation expectations also helped, containing inflation at single digit levels throughout the year. By end 2012, the annual average rate of inflation stood at 7.6 percent.

Reflecting the government’s continued commitment to the fiscal consolidation process, the overall fiscal deficit was contained significantly below the previous year’s level, although it marginally exceeded the target in the budget.

The slowdown in economic activity and the decline in imports had a negative impact on government revenue collection. However, by maintaining a tight rein on recurrent expenditure and scaling back on capital expenditure, the overall fiscal deficit was contained at 6.4 percent of GDP, marginally above the targeted level of 6.2 percent of GDP and significantly below the 6.9 percent of GDP in 2011.

The external sector strengthened during the year benefiting from the policy measures that were adopted in early 2012 to improve macroeconomic stability. Import expenditure declined by 5.4 percent with non-fuel imports declining at a faster rate of 8.6 percent. Despite the decline in exports by 7.4 percent due to weak external demand and the decline in international commodity prices, the trade deficit contracted to 15.8 percent of GDP in 2012. The improvement in the trade account, increased inflows from trade in services including tourism and transportation, and continued high growth in workers’ remittances helped contain the current account deficit to 6.6 percent of GDP in 2012.

The gross official reserves rose to US dollars 6.9 billion by end 2012.

Real sector developments


The economy grew by 6.4 percent in real terms in 2012 amidst the slow recovery in global demand and the multi-pronged policy measures introduced to strengthen macroeconomic stability. All key sectors contributed positively to economic growth in 2012.

Reflecting the expansion in economic activities, the unemployment rate declined to 4 percent in 2012 from 4.2 percent in 2011.

The Agriculture sector grew by 5.8 percent in 2012, recovering from a slow growth of 1.4 percent in 2011, amidst drought conditions in the third quarter of the year and heavy monsoonal rains and floods in the latter part of the year.

Most agricultural commodities benefited from the favourable prices that prevailed in 2012.

The Industry sector grew by 10.3 percent, contributing substantially to the expansion of the economy in 2012.

The continuation of major government funded infrastructure development projects and increased construction activities of the private sector, including tourism related new construction and renovation activities, contributed to this growth.

External Sector Developments


Overcoming the challenges encountered towards the latter part of 2011, the external sector performed well during 2012 benefiting from the comprehensive policy package implemented by the Central Bank and the government during early 2012. These policy measures mainly aimed at reducing the widening trade deficit in 2011 and early 2012, by curtailing non-essential imports and improving export competitiveness.

Long term inflows to the financial account, including the proceeds from the fifth international sovereign bond, FDI inflows, and other inflows to the banks and private sector, helped strengthen the BOP to record a surplus of US dollars 151 million by end 2012.

Also, the continuing US sanctions against Iran curtailed Sri Lanka’s import of crude oil for its refineries, resulting in higher imports of refined petroleum products at a relatively high cost partly contributing to the increased expenditure on petroleum products during the year.

The services account recorded a significant improvement in 2012 mainly due to increased earnings from transportation, information technology services, travel and tourism.

Remittances by migrant workers increased by 16.3 percent to US dollars 6 billion during the year, continuing to be the largest single source of foreign exchange inflows to Sri Lanka.

The improvement in the trade balance and increased inflows from trade in services and current transfers helped restrain the current account deficit of the BOP.

Accordingly, the current account deficit was contained at US dollars 3.9 billion (6.6 percent of GDP) in 2012 from US dollars 4.6 billion (7.8 percent of GDP) in 2011.

Gross official reserves (excluding ACU balances) increased to US dollars 6.9 billion by end 2012 from US dollars 6.0 billion in 2011.

The total international reserves of the country increased to US dollars 8.4 billion from US dollars 7.2 billion in 2011.

The increase in official reserves reduced the country’s vulnerability to external shocks as reflected in the measures of reserve adequacy.

The import coverage of gross official reserves (excluding ACU balances) was 4.3 months in 2012, compared to the internationally accepted norm of 3 months of imports.

Reserve adequacy, as measured by the ratio of gross official reserves to short term external debt (with remaining maturity of one year or less) improved to 63 percent by end 2012 Fiscal Sector Developments

The government succeeded in reducing the budget deficit to 6.4 percent of GDP in 2012 from 6.9 percent of GDP in 2011, further consolidating the achievements made in the recent past to lower the fiscal deficit.

The funds of the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), which accounts for about 79 percent of the superannuation sector assets, reached Rs. 1,144 billion by end 2012.

High growth path to continue


The Sri Lankan economy is expected to continue on a high growth path benefiting from improved infrastructure facilities and favourable macroeconomic fundamentals.

Encouraging the private sector to reap the benefits of the government’s investments in infrastructure and facilitating them to expand productive capacity would be vital to achieving the envisaged medium term growth targets. Maintaining consistent policies and a conducive business environment will attract higher foreign direct investment (FDI) helping to bridge the gap between the current level of domestic savings and investment required to sustain the projected high growth momentum. Sri Lanka received a major boost when the global ‘Doing Business Index’ upgraded Sri Lanka from the 89th position to 81 position in 2013.

Sri Lanka is the highest ranking country in South Asia and is the only country in the region to improve this ranking. Sri Lanka is now aiming at the 30th position for 2016 taking the country even closer to be the ‘Wonder of Asia.’
Access to electricity:

Lanka on par with developed nations











At a time the electricity tariff revision in Sri Lanka has come into sharp focus, it is important to take a closer look at the energy crisis that has affected all other countries in South Asia.

The Government’s heavy investments on power generation projects such as the Norochcholai coal power station, Kerawalapitiya thermal power station and Upper Kotmale Hydropower Station has enabled Sri Lanka to stand tall at a time all its South Asian neighbours are badly affected and experience long power cuts, up to 20 hours a day.

None of the Opposition politicians here, who try to gain petty political mileage, ever talk of Sri Lanka’s ability to face the power crisis with confidence. Once Phase Three of the Norochcholai coal power station is completed by the end of this year, and the entry of the Sampur power station to the national grid in two years, Sri Lanka will be in an even better position.

Sri Lanka is the only country in the South Asian region to offer an uninterrupted power supply from the national grid while all other countries in the region impose power cuts for a major part of every day.

Only 65 percent of Sri Lanka’s households had access to electricity in 2005. It has now gone up to nearly 98 percent due to President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s strong belief that the rural masses too should have access to electricity.

Undoubtedly, Sri Lanka has the highest percentage of population with access to electricity in South Asia while comparative figures, according to last year’s World Bank report, were: Bangladesh 41 percent, India 66.3 percent, Nepal 43.6 percent and Pakistan 66.24 percent. Moreover, all these countries currently impose daily power cuts while Sri Lanka maintains an uninterrupted power supply for the 98 percent of its population.

Generating capacity


Though one-third of India’s population is still in the ‘dark’, the balance two-third which has access to electricity too experience daily power cuts and regular interruptions. The July 2012 India blackout was the largest power outage in its history, occurring as two separate events on July 30 and 31. The outage affected over 620 million people, about nine percent of the world population - exactly half of India’s population, spread across 22 states in the Northern, Eastern and North Eastern India. An estimated 32GW of generating capacity was taken offline in the outage.

Chaos from power cuts is not limited to India; across South Asia, energy security is a policy challenge. Growing demand, with limited supply expansion, are likely to compound the problem. Although no easy task, regional integration and co-operation will be fundamental to resolving the issue, which could simultaneously be the catalyst for closer economic relations.

The power cut that hit India in July highlights the significant energy challenges that the region must face.

Apart from India, Pakistan is another country that has been badly affected. Except in Sri Lanka, the energy crisis exists right across South Asia. Chronic under-investment, lack of strategic planning and entrenched graft has led to similar situations across the region, albeit not so well documented.

The Pakistan Prime Minister suggested last year that energy was a policy priority of his government and that blackouts have reached a peak of up to 16 hours a day in Islamabad. In rural areas, shortages are even more severe, with reports suggesting that as a result of power failures, residents could only expect about two hours of power daily. Additionally, the rate of access to electricity in South Asia, except for Sri Lanka, is among the lowest in the world.

Energy wealthy nations


Paradoxically, South Asia is energy wealthy. Fossil fuels are plentiful, including coal in Pakistan and India, and gas in Bangladesh and Burma. Renewable potential, such as hydropower, could be exploited to a greater extent across the region. Similarly, analysts suggest Pakistan holds substantial wind power potential.

The catalysts for energy shortages are unique for each state, although commonality exists in projections about the future.

Undoubtedly, demand across the region will rise, with national governments suggesting demand growth of four percent on average.

Yet, across South Asia, there is collective anxiety as to how this demand will be met.

The implications are significant. Power cuts and shortages in energy supplies are proving an inhibitor to economic growth, with Pakistan’s Planning Commission arguing that the power crisis shaved three to four percent off its GDP in 2010-11.

In India, industry has vocalised its concerns, which may result in decreased foreign investment, further contracting the country’s already slowing economy.

Energy shortages and resulting economic factors may create socio-political issues, with protests already taking place in Pakistan and India.

As with security issues and continuing economic development, regionalism is the key to greater energy security.

A regional, inter-connected grid could allow South Asia to diversify its energy mix, reducing the growing gap between supply and demand. Some early trends suggest scope for such co-operation exists, with Bhutan supplying hydro-electricity to India. Correspondingly, India is working on a project to supply 55 megawatts of power to Bangladesh and a cross-border power transmission line to Nepal.

Undeniably, as with all aspects of multi-lateral relations, particularly in South Asia, obstacles remain. For all states, however, a secure energy supply is vital and would remove the current ceiling of economic growth that constrains the region.

Allied to this issue, greater energy co-operation may also promote opportunities to not only improve relations, but also expand regional economic links. The lack of these connections is another key factor, limiting South Asia’s economic potential.

Crippling power cuts


Last year’s colossal collapse of India’s power grid, twice in successive days, highlighted how severe the consequences can be if nations do not address their energy demand and supply situation. Hundreds of millions of people were without electricity, there were massive traffic jams on the roads as signals broke down, and factories and businesses came to a standstill.

It is not just India that is struggling with a massive gap in power demand and supply. Crippling power cuts and shortage of energy supply are hurting growth in other South Asian nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The situation is likely to get worse as the demand for energy increases in these countries.

India’s annual energy demand is growing at a rate of nearly four percent. Official figures show shortages of about 10 percent during peak hours. With diversity of these energy resources, cross-border trade could be a game changer to reduce the gap between demand and supply.

In contrast, Sri Lanka has come out of its 1993 gloomy period during which the Government gave up investing on new power generation projects. However, the situation has changed drastically since President Rajapaksa assumed office in 2005.

Sri Lanka had a vision to increase the strength of its national grid to meet the 300MW annual increase of demand for power.

Phase Two and Three of the Norochcholai coal power plant will add a further 600MW of power to the national grid by the end of this year.

Pakistan’s power crisis is going from bad to worse, with demand projected to reach 50,000 megawatts (MW) by 2030 - three times more than the supply currently available in its system.

Nepal has up to 20 hours of power cuts per day during the dry season, which is when most snow-fed rivers run at their lowest.

Reports said that more than half of Bangladesh’s total population still have no access to electricity. The World Bank says about 30 percent of the rural households in Bangladesh have access to grid electricity.

The government insists it has already reached its target of 7,000 MW capacity by 2013. While these nations have unveiled ambitious plans to overcome the situation, some analysts say the solution may actually lie in them pooling together their resources and supplies through a cross-border network.

A traffic jam following power outages in New Delhi in July 2012

At the same time, South Asian nations must look for alternate energy sources to meet future challenges. Some Pakistani coastal areas have also been identified as having the potential to harness wind power. Availability of bright sunshine almost every month of the year makes South Asia an ideal location to generate solar power.

Energy experts say all these resources pooled together through an inter-connected grid could help South Asia secure its energy supplies. With diversity of energy resources, cross-border trade could be a game changer to reduce the gap between demand and supply.

Nepal alone has 200,000 MW of hydropower potential, India’s is around 150,000 MW and Bhutan and Myanmar have 30,000 MW each.

The vast hydroelectric potential apart, experts say, the region’s abundant solar and wind power could help its countries, mainly India, to gradually reduce the use of dirty fossil fuels such as coal and oil.

Collaborative efforts


However, the idea of combining resources has not gained traction in the region.

The efforts for such a collaboration have been slow, mainly because of geopolitics and the lack of infrastructure such as cross-border transmission lines.

There have been calls for South Asian nations to pool their energy resources.

Hydropower development entails using water resources, a sensitive subject in South Asia’s national and regional politics.

Nepal and India have signed agreements to build various hydropower projects on Nepalese rivers, but those have never been implemented because of controversies on water-sharing, the environment and population displacement. Despite these issues, some key developments have started to take place.

Experts point to the increasing amount of hydropower Bhutan is supplying to India. Three Bhutanese hydro-electric projects contribute a significant chunk of power to India’s national grid.

The Himalayan kingdom has also begun work on new hydropower projects totalling more than 11,000 MW. Most of it is said to be meant for the Indian market. Unless South Asian nations iron out their differences, the region’s power crisis looks set to become perennial.

Fortunately, Sri Lanka is making its own headway, thanks to the visionary projects implemented under the Rajapaksa administration.

Sri Lanka is on par with almost all developed nations as far as the population’s access to electricity is concerned. Uninterrupted power supply from the national grid singles out Sri Lanka from all other countries in the region.

Hence, people should learn to use that facility carefully and save energy, instead of talking about the increase of electricity tariffs.

Though the Opposition attempts to project a gloomy picture, that electricity prices have been doubled, the electricity bills of more than 70 percent of households would be increased between Rs. 75 to Rs. 460.

The Government could even reduce the electricity tariff if it introduces 15-20 hour power cuts as experienced by all other countries in the region.

Even after next month’s tariff revision, the Government continues to subsidise electricity.

The masses should not be misled by the Opposition’s campaign and take a closer look at these ground realities.
Fully furnished houses for the homeless:

Army wins hearts in North


http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2013/04/28/sec03.asp



Soon after the war on terrorism ended the army commenced its humanitarian operation of rescuing two hundred and ninety three thousand (293,000) people and gave them food, shelter and protection for several months. Finally, a majority of them were able to settle down in their hometowns.

Maj. Gen. Udaya Perera
Major Shyamin Perera, officer-in-charge of the women soldiers

Fully-furnished houses to be donated to women soldiers who have no permanent dwellings
Major General Udaya Perera, Security Forces Commander, Kilinochchi speaks to the women soldiers recruited from the Kilinochchi area

During the rescue operation around 12,000 ex-LTTE cadres either surrendered or were arrested by the security forces. All of them are now rehabilitated, and we do not use the term LTTE cadres any more because they are fully rehabilitated.

These remarks were made by Major General Udaya Perera, the Security Forces Commander, Kilinochchi in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer.

Soon after the war on terrorism ended around three hundred thousand people who came to the army controlled area needed to be cared for and treated kindly. Due to the trauma they underwent at the hands of the LTTE a majority of them were depressed and needed some form of rehabilitation and counselling. The army and the security forces performed an admirable task in handling this humanitarian problem, he said.

Major General Perera said, the army and the security forces were able to win over the displaced people because they disliked the LTTE and the TNA. This is due to the TNA taking a confrontational stand which could be an obstacle for peace and reconciliation. The people of the North want peace and a peaceful life. Therefore, they fully cooperated with the forces.

He said when the army wished to recruit female soldiers from the Kilinochchi district the young girls in the area, disregarding and rejecting the false propaganda and obstacles put forward by the TNA enthusiastically applied for jobs. We received over five hundred applications from them. The Major General said they are proud because they were able to select around one hundred female soldiers from Kilinochchi which was badly devastated by the war.

These girls are recruited to the volunteer force. If they are willing they can work for the next fifteen years for the army. They are being paid Rs. 32,000 per month and in addition they will be given 18,000 rupees worth food, shelter and uniforms including medical facilities, he said.

He said, since the majority of the female recruits are from poverty stricken families they do not even have a house to live in. Therefore, the army built 20 houses at a cost of Rs. 500,000. The whole construction work was handled by Army personnel. Now these houses are valued at Rs. one million. The houses will be handed over to 20 female army recruits within the next few weeks.

The female soldiers come under Major Shyamin Perera. She said the female soldiers will be initially engaged in civilian work such as the eradication of Dengue and the spread of infectious diseases. They will also be involved in foster care, clerical duties and handling of computers.

Major General Perera said, the army has introduced a scholarship for the children from poor families. The scholarship scheme begins from Grade five to the University entrance class. The yearly scholarship ranges from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000. They are paid from funds collected from army personnel on a voluntary basis.

 

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2013/04/28/new21.asp

Pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora ignorant of N-E ground situation



Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan said the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora which spread disinformation against Sri Lanka have not properly realised the ground situation in the North and the East. Some of the Tamil diaspora members had left the country 40 years ago and most of their children have been born after they went to those countries. These children don't know anything about the North and the East. They are only getting wrong disinformation spread by the pro-LTTE diaspora, the Deputy Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

At the same time, the pro-LTTE diaspora wants to create some issues for their survival. Since they are living in European countries, they are scared that they would be sent back to Sri Lanka. Hence they are carrying out false propaganda campaigns against the Sri Lankan Government by levelling baseless allegations on human rights, he said.

"Nothing is happening in Sri Lanka as claimed by them. At present the Government is doing a lot of development work with the help of the Army. The Government has effectively utilised their manpower in the country's development drive. A housing project has been launched in Mullaitivu with the help of the Army. The Army is assisting people in the North and the East in several ways. Nevertheless the pro-LTTE Tamil diaspora is attempting to create unnecessary problems there."

Muralitharan stressed the need of clarifying Sri Lanka's position properly to the world through our ambassadors and diplomatic missions. Those who spread wrong information against Sri Lanka should realise that, when they go to London or any other foreign country, they should preserve Sri Lanka's identity. They don't ask whether we are Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims. The Tamil diaspora is living all over Europe with a Sri Lankan identity.

The Deputy Minister said that at present the situation is improving and many members of the diaspora have changed their mindset. Only a handful of people are attempting to create unnecessary problems there. When the LTTE war active they had to pay money to the LTTE, else they could not live in those countries, he said.