Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 24 Feb 2015 07:01

Maldives has already signed up to China's "Maritime Silk Road" and has basically showing the metaphorical finger to India because it has no fear of any repercussions for doing anything inimical to India's interests -- no news yet on whether Sirisena's regime will also follow suit.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 24 Feb 2015 12:12

Tuvaluan wrote:Maldives has already signed up to China's "Maritime Silk Road" and has basically showing the metaphorical finger to India because it has no fear of any repercussions for doing anything inimical to India's interests -- no news yet on whether Sirisena's regime will also follow suit.

and yet we welcome the maldivian citizens to India and provide them various services on a priority basis. Let them come in like other tourists and feel the pain. Perhaps that will improve their manners as well as the behavior of their govt towards India.

Don't see these maldivian aam aadmi and khas aadmi guys going to china for any of their needs. Best of both worlds, take money from big brother and dump on small brother with no fear of repercussions.

When the global warming kicks in, and the waters rise, the entire population barring a few very rich types will land up en mass in India.

habal · Post by **habal** » 24 Feb 2015 12:23

what do you mean 'they will', most of their stamp sized island is already here. Visit any shopping malls in Dera Socialist .. they are hanging out there after breakfast, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 24 Feb 2015 12:55

^^^^^^^

atithi devo bhava.

most of them are here for long duration because of "medical treatment"

We deserve it.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 02 Mar 2015 09:37

3 cheers for SL and Sirisena! (If true)

Sri Lanka concerned by China loans, rules out submarine visits
By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING Sat Feb 28, 2015
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/ ... HU20150228

.
(Reuters) - Sri Lanka is concerned with the roughly $5 billion in Chinese loans it has and will send its finance finance minister to Beijing to discuss the issue, the foreign minister said on Saturday, as he also ruled out future Chinese submarine visits to the country.

New Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has unnerved China with his re-examination of certain projects that China has invested in, including a $1.5 billion "port city" project in the capital Colombo

India, which lost out to China in infrastructure development on the Indian Ocean island, was in particular concerned about the security threat posed by Chinese ownership of land, aggravated by the docking of Chinese submarines in Colombo last year.

India had grown increasingly wary of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's pursuit of closer ties with China, which became a key supporter of the island's economy after its 26-year-civil war ended in 2009.

Speaking in Beijing at the end of a two-day visit, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said there were concerns about the manner in which the some $5 billion Chinese loans for his country had been raised.

"During the run up to the last presidential campaign the people of Sri Lanka raised many, many questions about the interest rates especially, and also in certain cases about the manner in which these loans were raised," he told a news conference.

"So we will, as a government committed to transparency, want to go into each of these matters."

The country's finance minister will visit Beijing after President Sirisena's state visit to China, slated for March 26-28, Samaraweera said.

China has built a seaport and airport in the south of the country, raising fears it is seeking influence in a country with which India has traditionally had deep ties.

India's concern grew after the Rajapaksa government allowed the Chinese submarines to dock.

Asked whether there would be any Chinese submarine visits in the near future, Samaraweera said: "I don't see any".

"I really don't know which circumstances lead to some submarines coming to the port of Colombo on the very day the Japanese prime minister was visiting Sri Lanka, but we will ensure that such incidents -- from whatever quarters -- do not happen during our tenure."

Samaraweera said the re-examination of certain projects was actually a good thing for foreign, including Chinese, investors.

"We want to create a rule-based investor climate because we feel that some of the investments which were decided upon by the previous government were not totally given on merit," he said.
(Editing by Louise Heavens)

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 05 Mar 2015 16:35

3 hearty cheers again! PC suspended.
Port City project suspended

The Cabinet approval was granted last night to suspend the Chinese funded Colombo Port City Project, a minister said.

He said the committee headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed to look into the port city project has observed that the due procedure had not been followed with regard to the project.
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/65527/port-ci ... j2wb0.dpuf

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 05 Mar 2015 17:02

Tuvaluan wrote:Maldives has already signed up to China's "Maritime Silk Road" and has basically showing the metaphorical finger to India because it has no fear of any repercussions for doing anything inimical to India's interests -- no news yet on whether Sirisena's regime will also follow suit.

chetak wrote: and yet we welcome the maldivian citizens to India and provide them various services on a priority basis. Let them come in like other tourists and feel the pain. Perhaps that will improve their manners as well as the behavior of their govt towards India.

Don't see these maldivian aam aadmi and khas aadmi guys going to china for any of their needs. Best of both worlds, take money from big brother and dump on small brother with no fear of repercussions.

When the global warming kicks in, and the waters rise, the entire population barring a few very rich types will land up en mass in India.

chetak Ji :

But naturally.

Just like we allow Shia and Ahmedies from Pakistan, Bangladeshis by the Millions and EVEN ROHINGYAS FROM MYANMAR.

We should stop all the Education, Health etc. i.e. so called "Humanitarian" Acts and let the Indians enjoy these facilities - something that they are paying the Indian Taxes. Muslims be they Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Maldivians and Rohingyas from Myanmar etc. will only take refuge in India and then ask for Sharia etc.

Cheers

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 06 Mar 2015 05:19

http://news.yahoo.com/sri-lanka-threate ... ector.html

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka could take legal action against a Chinese firm for not halting work on a $1.5 billion luxury real estate project until a probe is completed, a government minister said.The project, which risks getting involved in a diplomatic row, involves development of a port city on reclaimed land in the capital Colombo, complete with shopping malls, a water sports area, golf course, hotels, apartments and marinas.Sri Lanka's Investment Promotion Minister, Kabeer Hashim, said the Board of Investment (BOI) had asked the Chinese firm last month to halt the project until the investigation was completed.However, the port city construction had actually been accelerated since the new government came in."Rightfully, they should stop," Hashim told Reuters on Wednesday. "The ministry of ports will take necessary action to halt the work until this inquiry is done."If it was not stopped, he said, "Then legal action will be instituted against them to not proceed any further."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China understood and respected the desire of Sri Lanka's new government to improve the investment environment."We believe that Sri Lanka will take into account the overall picture of friendly bilateral ties and the basic interests of Sri Lanka's national development to appropriately resolve the relevant issue to maintain the confidence of Chinese companies investing in Sri Lanka," she told reporters on Thursday.An official in CCCC's investor relations department said the firm was not aware of the minister's latest remarks."The government has made some suggestions during its review but there has been no mention of cancelling the project," said the Beijing-based official, who declined to be identified, citing company policy.China has said the port city and another port under development in southern Sri Lanka were good for the country as tens of thousands of jobs would be created and millions of dollars of foreign direct investment would come in.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 06 Mar 2015 05:32

Interesting statement by the Chinese official: Don't disturb us, or the face the consequences. 'Resolving appropriately' here means 'to China's satisfaction'. Wonder what they are really building that needs to be accelerated.

member_23370 · Post by **member_23370** » 06 Mar 2015 09:19

India should make sure SL keeps its word and chinese are driven out.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 07 Mar 2015 10:55

Indian fishermen may be shot if they intrude, says Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickramasinghe

Colombo March 7, 2015

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here, Premier Ranil Wickramasinghe has stoked a controversy suggesting that Indian fishermen may be shot if they intruded into Sri Lankan waters.

Alleging that Indian fishermen were taking away the livelihood of Northern Lanka fishermen, he told Tamil Thanthi TV that, “If someone tries to break into my house, I can shoot. If he gets killed…Law allows me to do that.”

Talking about the fishermen issue, he said, “As far as I’m concerned, I have very very strong lines. This is our waters…Fishermen of Jaffna should be allowed to fish. We stopped them from fishing , that’s why the Indian fishermen came in, they are willing to have a deal…Let’s have a reasonable deal. But not at the expense of the income of the Northern Fishermen…No.”

Asked about allegations of Sri Lankan Navy shooting fishermen with around 600 Indians killed in the last many years, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister said there has been no such incident recently with the last one being in 2011.

“Part of that earlier was during the time of (Lankan civil) war, they felt some of them actually were involved in supplying of arms,” Wickramasinghe said.

“As far as we are concerned, even today the northern fishermen are shouting why the Navy isn’t defending us…We have a job explaining to them, Look these are territorial waters, but we still have to go and talk to India and sort it out,” he said.

Wickramasinghe also questioned the alleged illegal fishing by Indian fishermen in Sri lankan waters, saying, “Why
are you coming into our waters? Why are you fishing in our waters? Stay on the Indian side…There will be no issue…No one will shoot anyone else,” he said.

“You stay on the Indian side, Let our fishermen stay on the Sri Lankan side… Otherwise don’t make accusations of Human rights violation by the Navy. You came in there,” he added.

Wickramasinghe also raised the issue of Italian sailors being arrested, saying that if India is friendly with Italy, it should show the “same magnanimity to Italy that you want us to show.”

There have been several cases of arrest and abduction of Indian fishermen in the last month. Sri Lankan fishermen have been complaining that since the advent of new government, the number of Indian fishermen breaching the country’s waters for illegal fishing have been increasing.

As many as 86 Indian fishermen were arrested and their 10 fishing boats seized by the Sri Lanka Navy for allegedly poaching in the country’s waters last month.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 08 Mar 2015 06:50

Wickramasinghe also raised the issue of Italian sailors being arrested, saying that if India is friendly with Italy, it should show the “same magnanimity to Italy that you want us to show.”

What is up with this cussedness of these sinhala bigots in SL? Behaving exactly like the pakis -- the italians shot Indian citizens -- how is the SL navy arresting people for fishing even an equivalent situation.

How is this guy any better than Rajapakse? SL govt. seems to be craving for a hostile relationship with India -- absolutely no need for this drama right now, unless it is deliberately meant to insult the Indian PM before his visit there.

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 08 Mar 2015 07:53

Tuvaluan wrote:
Wickramasinghe also raised the issue of Italian sailors being arrested, saying that if India is friendly with Italy, it should show the “same magnanimity to Italy that you want us to show.”
What is up with this cussedness of these sinhala bigots in SL? Behaving exactly like the pakis -- the italians shot Indian citizens -- how is the SL navy arresting people for fishing even an equivalent situation.

How is this guy any better than Rajapakse? SL govt. seems to be craving for a hostile relationship with India -- absolutely no need for this drama right now, unless it is deliberately meant to insult the Indian PM before his visit there.

This is Sri Lankan politics for you. All Sinhala politicians throughout history are flip flop like this. To be honest, SL Tamils should not put forth their trust in any Sinhala governments, as we are well aware of both the UNP and the SLFP during the course of 1948-2015. While Rajapaksa was a straight shooter, Mr. "Nice" Wikramasinghe on the other hand is a wolf in sheep's skin, who cannot be trusted and a dangerous person pretending to be harmless. He will not keep any of his promises just like all the “broken-promises” by the successive Sri Lankan governments for the Tamil minorities’ grievances that since independence nothing has ever been manifested. No one within the country of Sri Lanka would listen and genuinely offer an everlasting peaceful solution to the Tamils’ problem – our only hope is to seek the compassionate support of world opinion.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2015 13:48

There have been zillions of words uttered and written about the "fishing" problem. here is my take.

Facts: Our guys have been for decades "fishing in troubled waters". There was rampant smuggling going on even before the ethnic conflict post 1983. This was being conducted by both sides.It explains why the Sea Tigers were so feared,because of their knowledge of the seas in that region. When the Eelam War was on,Lankan fishermen of the north were banned from fishing beyond a certain distance for obvious reasons,the arms shipments,drug trafficking by the LTTE. Our fishermen made full use of the opportunity to fish in Lankan waters.Our CG DG gave a clear picture of the situ some years ago. many of them could not be identified properly and in a war zone were shot at. This was no deterrent because of the huge moolah to be made smuggling for the LTTE a vast variety of goods including petrol/diesel,stolen vehicles,arms and ammo,medicines,cement,building materials,comestibles,and drugs. The guise was "pretending to be fishermen". Much of this still hasn't abated. The SLN may also in the circumstances be trigger-happy. ISI smuggling of fake currency in recent times from the island has alarmed our security cluedos.

After the war,the Lankan Tamil fishermen of the north have been reclaiming their traditional fishing grounds and have been clashing more frequently with TN fishermen. adding to the chaos has been the advent of trawlers,which spell long term doom for fishing in the Palk Straits.Trawlers should be banned from fishing here,and allowed out only into the open ocean. If we are serious about resolving the issue,why has there been opposition from our side (local) for "joint patrolling by both navies/CG? It raises in the mind a big Q mark whether external forces want this to be a burning issue between both nations, The demos against the KKMNPP affecting our fraternal ties have been found to have been financed in large measure by foreign agent provocateurs. One suspects that here too ,the goal of our enemies is to fan the flames of this issue to sabotage Indo-Lankan ties,now on the upswing.

In any case,what will we do with an unidentified firang intruder,shoot at and destroy him like we did with the Paki vessel off the Gujarat coast recently? Ranil W is stating the obvious,though he could've been more diplomatic. We need to get our act together asap. Install ID devices on all fishing vessels,so that the boats can be tracked to see whether they are at fault or not. Joint patrolling is another necessity.

To revive local fishing in the Indian coastline,we need to scuttle old merchant ships close to the coast where it wouldn't interfere with traffic. These wrecks become great fish breeding spots as has been found worldwide. The situ however must be defused asap.A meeting between all stakeholders GOI,GOSL,FMs,fishermen from both sides needs to be held asap,reduce intrusions, tensions,trigger-happy SLN sailors,and damage Indo-Lankan relations even further which are now on the mend.

geeth · Post by **geeth** » 09 Mar 2015 19:17

The fact of the matter is ...all the fish is in Srilankan waters and there is nil fish in Indian waters..so much so that we have sometimes wondered whether the fish actually know the IBL.! There is no other reason for most of the Indian fishermen to tresspass into Srilankan waters. And the SL Navymen illtreat them. And those Ba$!@#€$ get trained by IN how to shoot. Period.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 09 Mar 2015 19:42

The TN govt. is mostly useless, but it is the job of the state government to either find altrnate employment and support for the fishermen or to ban fishing in those areas until the local fish population increases to sustainable levels. Poaching on the waters of sri lanka is not really an answer, except for TN politicians who have nothing better to do than play politics with issues that they need to be dealing with in the public interest.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 09 Mar 2015 21:50

http://www.niticentral.com/2015/03/08/s ... 05830.html

India and Sri Lanka are keen to resume ferry services “as early as next month” for greater connectivity between the people of the two countries.

The resumption of the ferry services between Talaimannar and Rameswaram and Colombo and Tuticorin was one of the issues discussed by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with her Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera here yesterday

The issue was also discussed with Sri Lanka recently by a visiting Indian trade delegation headed by Commerce Secretary Rajeev Kher.

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 10 Mar 2015 06:10

Sri Lanka travel ban for Gotabhaya Rajapaksa over arms ship
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31794762

A court in Sri Lanka has banned Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former president's brother and defence secretary, from leaving the country.

Police are investigating a boatload of weapons belonging to a private security company set up by Mr Rajapaksa.

The company says the weapons were for escorting commercial ships, but police say they have had complaints the firearms were used for intimidation.

Mr Rajapaksa and his brother Mahinda, the former president, deny wrongdoing.

A magistrate in the southern port city of Galle impounded Gotabhaya Rajapaksa's passport, along with those belonging to three others, AFP reported police as saying.

"Police investigating the Avant-Garde Security Service floating armoury case sought and secured a ban on their travel abroad," a statement said.

Ship full of weapons

The discovery of a floating arsenal off southern Sri Lanka, and of another weapons haul in the capital, came in the days after Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office in January.

Police are reported to have found a ship carrying more than 3,000 weapons, including machine guns.

The BBC's former Colombo correspondent Charles Haviland says this is not the only accusation dogging Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

An ex-minister who served in the same government has alleged that he was responsible for abductions, and for killings including that of a newspaper editor, Lasantha Wickrematunge.

This is the first restriction placed on his movements.

"The reports on travel bans imposed on the former defence secretary and some former senior members of the armed forces regarding a criminal investigation that is taking place will be welcomed by all those who wish [for] rule of law to prevail in Sri Lanka," said Basil Fernando, director of the Asian Human Rights Commission.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 10 Mar 2015 10:02

Tuvaluan wrote:The TN govt. is mostly useless, but it is the job of the state government to either find altrnate employment and support for the fishermen or to ban fishing in those areas until the local fish population increases to sustainable levels. Poaching on the waters of sri lanka is not really an answer, except for TN politicians who have nothing better to do than play politics with issues that they need to be dealing with in the public interest.

Agree with you. Some how I feel that vested interests in TN wants the GoI to act like plain & simple goondas and to arm twist SL government to allow the TN fishermen to just do what they want in SL's territory. No self respecting government would allow such a thing to happen. SL Minister had just stated a various obvious thing. Illegal encroacher would get shot. This is what Indian Coast Guard did to a suspect vessel in India's waters as well.

TN government also should be told in very clear terms that GoI can try getting the arrested fishermen back etc., but that is not GoI's only job & TN also ensures that the fishermen don't just do what they please.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 10 Mar 2015 10:12

Sachin wrote:
Tuvaluan wrote:The TN govt. is mostly useless, but it is the job of the state government to either find altrnate employment and support for the fishermen or to ban fishing in those areas until the local fish population increases to sustainable levels. Poaching on the waters of sri lanka is not really an answer, except for TN politicians who have nothing better to do than play politics with issues that they need to be dealing with in the public interest.
Agree with you. Some how I feel that vested interests in TN wants the GoI to act like plain & simple goondas and to arm twist SL government to allow the TN fishermen to just do what they want in SL's territory. No self respecting government would allow such a thing to happen. SL Minister had just stated a various obvious thing. Illegal encroacher would get shot. This is what Indian Coast Guard did to a suspect vessel in India's waters as well.

TN government also should be told in very clear terms that GoI can try getting the arrested fishermen back etc., but that is not GoI's only job & TN also ensures that the fishermen don't just do what they please.

The demand for free access to SL waters is driven more by drug and other smuggling than by mere "fishing". This is the very lucrative elephant in the room that is not being mentioned by both parties.

even a child knows the meaning of international borders and the mortal dangers of illegally crossing them.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2015 10:46

Chetak is spot on! This morning's papers had a report that a sack containing 4kg of ganga was picked up in the Palk Straits which seemed to have accidentally fallen from a boat carrying a larger shipment of drugs to the island.

As I said before,drug smuggling is a main pillar of the economy of the Straits.From SL,traditionally such shipments have been delivered to Europe,etc. Yachts belonging to European travelers/tourists in the past have been suspected of smuggling drugs.The fishing woes are simply camouflage for the larger and more lucrative business going on,which has had many politicos allegedly involved. We have no alternative but to beef up the CG assets in the Straits and prevent our fishermen from straying into Lankan waters and vice versa. All fishing vessels/boats should be registered/numbered with ID trackers aboard .Vested interests are muddying the waters,who also do not want a more holistic Indo-Lankan partnership but want it to be always viewed through narrow northern Tamil ethnic issues.

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat ... tle=121041

Considerations for the Port City
March 9, 2015,
It is heartening to see our government standing up for the rule of law and the protection of our rights and health in the face of corrupt deals made by shadowy individuals with no concern or love for this nation.

The Port City project has nothing to do with bi-lateral projects involving the government of China and the government of Sri Lanka. It is a deal struck with a corporation and we should always be conscious of that fact. Fortune 500 or 600 or whatever, a corrupt deal that does not consider the well being of the citizens of a sovereign nation, is still a corrupt deal that must now become honest or go away.

We are all aware of the corruption that reigned during the rule of the last government, with that in mind we should examine the "procedures and conditions stipulated in the said agreement entered into with the Government of Sri Lanka". Did these conditions consider the impact of this project on the citizens of Sri Lanka? More specifically on the environs around the proposed project? If not, they must attend to these needs without delay.

This is especially pertinent when considering the words of the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who when commenting on the landfill projects that China was doing on the Spratly Islands stated, "We are not like some countries which have carried out ‘illegal building’ in other people’s homes, and we won’t accept unwarranted remarks about work on our own home," If the construction of the Port City has commenced without the requisite studies and against the law of this land it has to be viewed as ‘illegal building’ in our home ! We trust that Foreign Minister Wang Yi will step in to defend the image of China as not carrying out ‘illegal building’ in our home and request the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) to examine and abide by the legal and environmental consequences of continuing with the Port City Project.

We also look to the words of President Xi Jinping, who recently stated his view on companies and individuals contributing to polluting activities, last Friday he said that "We are going to punish, with an iron hand, any violators who destroy ecology or the environment, with no exceptions," We welcome his words and trust that this will apply to the Port City project as well. The Sri Lankan Government should immediately commission a study on the impact of this proposed project on our health, land, water and air quality and if the ecology and environment of Colombo city and its environs are going to be impacted, report these facts officially to the Government of China.

The stated vision of the Port City is also suspect, It states that: "The land created will attract local and international investments for shopping malls, hotels, apartments, an exhibition center, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, theme parks, restaurants etc. Port City is planned to be very much a city for the people of Sri Lanka to be shared and enjoyed by all Sri Lankans". There is no mention of high noise and polluting racetracks for car racing and the possibility of gambling, to name a few of the ‘hidden agenda’ items. High-speed racing not only produces a massive amount of noise pollution, it also generates large quantities of particulate matter that are 2.5 microns or less. Known as PM 2.5, these particles are the tiniest of airborne pollutants, and contribute to a range of diseases, including asthma and heart disease. The air quality of major Asian cities has now become a source of major concern, has the EIA of this project addressed the air quality that the existing City of Colombo will receive from the proposed project?

It seems that the current operators are hiding behind the very narrow EIA issued, they state that they will continue to adhere to: "commitments contained in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment study and addendum thereto. " These documents must be presented to the Sri Lanka public to see if the EIA under discussion has addressed the impact on public health, air quality, water supply and toxic garbage, just to name a few. There is also a statement of jobs for Sri Lankans, is this during the construction phase (which is temporary) or once the project is completed? What are the jobs available in the new city?

As for us, we need to examine the agreements signed and identify the individuals who have signed away our birthright we have to examine their accounts to see if they are part of the ‘Criminal Cabal’ who have been looting this country. If so they must be punished to the fullest extent of our law.

If indeed we control this runaway Port City project, what should be the next steps? While the conformity to contractual obligations and national laws have to be examined and argued we do have a physical landfill to deal with. If this project does not meet with the requisites of a comprehensive EIA, what should be done with the land reclaimed? It might be good to envision a new public park much like Galle Face that could provide much needed public spaces for the Megapolis that is envisaged for Colombo.

Ranil Senanayake

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2015 12:02

Tata's too in questionable real estate project. Th Lnakan FinMin had this to also say about the Chinese Port City project:

"You cannot just jump into the Indian Ocean and start filling it up".

Tata housing project under scrutiny - Ravi

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has revealed that the government is presently examining a multi-million housing project initiated by Indian conglomerate Tata in Central Colombo.

"The Tatas come in and say they will put in US$250 million, but they put in US$20 million, use our land, and sell it back to us for a higher price. How does that work?" the Finance Minister questioned during an interview with a Chinese newspaper. Last year, Tata started a US$400 million housing project in central Colombo that involved the displacement of 65,000 people.

Karunanayake, in an interview with the South China Morning Post, said Chinese projects were not the only ones being reviewed by the Sri Lankan government.

Sri Lanka's new leadership is not targeting China and only wants its help to fight corrupt deals orchestrated by the last government, the minister said.

"Sri Lanka is trying to do what Xi Jingping is doing: Root out corruption. We are not against China but against the Chinese companies manipulated by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime into corrupt deals that are bleeding the taxpayer. The Chinese government might have been unaware of the activities of Chinese companies here," Karunanayake said, referring to the former President.

"Our relationship with China goes back to the 1950s, when we defied the West to forge the rice-rubber pact with China. But Chinese investment is as good as any other investment, we cannot give it preferential treatment," he said.
"You can't come here and demand carte blanche, as the last government gave them. If a project costs one million dollars, you cannot make the taxpayer pay six million dollars," said Karunanayake, who is scheduled to head to Beijing soon as part of Colombo's efforts to renegotiate the contracts the Rajapaksa government signed with Chinese companies and financing bodies.

Karunanayake said the fears over China losing its investments in Sri Lanka were misplaced. "These are not Chinese investments. These are loans, it's we who are paying for it."

On whether his government will try to renegotiate the loans, he said: "That's what we are asking China: 'Please help us'."

The minister made these remarks in the wake of the suspension of the controversial US$1.5 billion Colombo Port City project.

According to the finance minister, there is no record of the mandatory environmental impact and feasibility studies for the project, nor is there any document that shows the government cleared it. "That's why we have asked them [CCCC] to show us any document that they may have been issued illegally, which they have failed to do so far."

CCCC maintains all necessary project studies had been conducted and approved by the previous government.

Asked if any foreign company can start a project of this scale without a go-ahead from the Sri Lankan government and if blocking the project is tantamount to reneging on contractual obligation, Karunanayake put the onus squarely on CCCC.

"There was no clearance. And, I am told this company is blacklisted in other countries. You cannot just jump into the Indian Ocean and start filling it up. We want to work with China to fix the problems with projects like these and move on."
- See more at: http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=local/tata-h ... 8M4hD.dpuf

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 13 Mar 2015 00:40

Sri Lanka seeks to mend ties with India
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/featur ... 33612.html

Kashi · Post by **Kashi** » 13 Mar 2015 07:48

From rediff

Modi reaches Colombo, first Indian PM to visit Lanka in 28 years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flew into the Sri Lankan capital in the early hours for a historic visit during which he is expected to hold talks with the country's top leadership.

Modi was received by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe at the airport after he arrived in Colombo for a two-day visit at 5.25 am following an overnight journey from Port Louis in Mauritius in a special Air India plane.

Sri Lanka is the final stop of his three-nation tour of Indian Ocean island nations that took him to Seychelles and Mauritius. Modi, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit Lanka in 28 years, will today hold summit talks with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, who was in India last month on his first foreign trip after assuming office in January.

He will also hold talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 13 Mar 2015 12:16

Ex-Pres Rajapakse is at it again,ranting and raving at RAW,saying that RAW and western intel agencies,the CIA and MI-6 were responsible for his defeat on the eve of Mr.Modi's visit. That they brought together anti-Rajapakse parties,that he kicked out the alleged RAW station chief,blah,blah. The actual facts are that he decided upon a pres. poll at very short notice. Where was the time for any foreign intel agency to orchestrate a conspiracy? Western media sources say that it took the CIA a whole year of planning to orchestrate the ouster of Mubarak in Egypt.

Rajapakse did not realize how unpopular his govt. was with the majority of Lankan people.The glow of being the man who won the Eelam war had considerably faded and everyone knew how corrupt he,his family and cronies were,stealing billions of $$$ from the poor Lankan taxpayers. However,our media has said that top BJP leaders want to hedge their bets that Rajapakse might make a sort of comeback in the parliamentary polls,which is why Mr.Modi will meet him at his brother's residence. The Sirisena govt. is grappling with many contentious issues in its attempt to reverse the crony capitalist regime of the Rajapakses. A return of Rajapakse in any major role will see another round of vicious anti-Indian policies as he is totally in debt to his Chinese masters. Rajapakse appears to have has some bum-chums in India who are trying to muddy the waters and sabotage the warming Indo-Lankan relations under the new dispensation and triumvirate of Sirisena,Ranil and Chandrika. They too have their work cut out and if they fail to deliver on their election promises,will find the going tough as Rajapakse attempts a Kejriwal.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/66395/modi-as ... or-lankans

Modi assures on-arrival visas for Lankans
2015-03-13 The visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today announced that beginning from the National New Year on April 14, India would grant visas to Sri Lankans on arrival.

According to ‘The Hindu’, he also said that the complex fishing crisis between India and Sri Lanka involved livelihood and humanitarian concerns and both sides would need to find a long-term solution to this festering matter.

This morning, Prime Minister Modi and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena inked four agreements including agreements on currency swap arrangements and on customs cooperation.

Meanwhile, the New Indian Express said PM Modi had also pledged to help Trincomalee become a regional energy hub.

“I see this visit as an opportunity to further strengthen our relationship in all its dimensions – political, strategic, economic, cultural, and above all, people to people contacts,” he had said in his pre-departure statement.

Modi will also address the Sri Lankan Parliament during his visit. He will be the first Indian Prime Minister and only the second foreign leader after British Premier David Cameron to visit Jaffna in the once war-ravaged Northern Province, where he will hand over homes built with Indian assistance.

Some 20,000 such homes were built in Jaffna described by India as “a flagship cooperation project currently in Sri Lanka”. He is also expected to meet leaders of the Tamil National Alliance and other political parties.
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/66395/modi-as ... 5ztDo.dpuf

Rajapakse's ranting.
.

Full transcript of interview with former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa by Suhasini Haidar.

This was an election you were so confident about; you called them ahead of time. What do you think contributed to your defeat?

I misjudged the North and the East vote. In the South I have won, but I didn’t expect the North and East vote to go this way. Even in provincial elections, the turnout of people had been 55%, this time it was over 80%, I don’t know how. When I saw that, I knew that I am going to lose.

You are saying it was the high turnout in the North and the East, but you lost votes across several groups….the rural population, the poor, minorities all felt cut out of your regime?

That’s not correct, in the southern areas I have won, in the south province, in Uva, north central, north-western province we won, but lost our majority.

Once you knew you were losing what did you do? Because the government has alleged, specifically the Foreign Minister Samaraweera accused you of trying to use the Army to ensure you stayed in power?

No that is nonsense. As I told the Vatican cardinal who called me, and asked what would happen if I lose….I said within 5 minutes, I will leave. And I left. This government wants to throw mud at me. I mean how can you start a coup with every other government being within two hours to thwart any attempt by me? I think they were speaking to Western governments and they had this idea about me.

You have said the election was a betrayal. What did you mean? Who betrayed you?

My own people left me, one night they were eating hoppers with me, the next morning they had left. I couldn’t imagine it. But this had been going on for two years.

Rajapaksa accuses RAW

You’re saying the betrayal was from President Sirisena and other members of your government. Yet in an interview to the Dawn newspaper of Pakistan and SCMP of China you implicated RAW for what happened in Sri Lanka...do you believe that?

Not only RAW but also the Western agencies, working together, possibly for the first time. (Laughs).

It sounds like a conspiracy theory, what is the proof you have against them?

It was very clear, and if you ask them they will say yes. They won’t deny it.

The Indian government has denied it.

Officially yes. But agencies are active in this region.

Are you saying the election was rigged?

No, I think it was a free and fair election at least as far as I could tell.

So without putting words in your mouth is what you’re saying is that the coming together of the opposition against you was facilitated by RAW and other Western agencies?

Yes.

In India, the RAW works under political guidance, so are you saying there was a political sanction for this? Are you accusing the Indian government under Prime Minister Modi?

No. I’ve never accused Mr. Modi. Because he only came in less than a year ago. It was a long-term plan. They misunderstood me over the Chinese question. And that is why they planned this. When they would ask me, I said I have a duty for the development of my people. I won the war, and my next step for economic development.

I do want to come to the Chinese question, but first, in the interview you gave you said: “It was very open, Americans, the Norwegians, Europeans were openly working against me. And RAW. You said you asked the Indians, why are you doing this? “Who did you ask, and what was the reply?

I don’t think I ever said that.

But did you take up your concerns with India that you felt RAW was working against you? What was the response?

I did. I said the man (RAW station chief) who is here in Colombo, should be moved out. They agreed, but only at the very last-minute before the election, and by then it was too late.

The last time you and Mr. Modi met at the SAARC summit in Colombo, he wished you good luck with the elections…now as he comes to Sri Lanka…will you be meeting him?

Yes, I met him three times before. When he comes to my country, I felt I must meet him.

Failed promises to Tamils, China’s entry

India said you failed to keep promises to Tamils, and you allowed China strategic influence in the region. Compared to 2009, where did India-Sri Lankan ties go wrong?

India changed its policy and voted against me under the influence of the West at the Human Rights Council in 2012, and that was a shock to me. I think it was a misunderstanding over the China issue.

There was a specific incident even with the Modi government, when you had a Chinese submarine dock here twice. That wasn’t a misunderstanding, surely?

Well, when a Chinese vessel comes through here they generally inform the Indian embassy in China. They must have done this time too. Everybody knew about it. And then after going out west towards the Maldives, it returned this way again. It was that simple.

If it was that simple, why was it so hard to clear the misunderstanding?

I guess they wanted an issue.

India’s relations with new government

In contrast, the relations with the new government seem vastly improved - four major visits in less than two months. How do you see this?

I think its good and I wish them well. Our government was never antagonistic to India. I always tried to get India’s support. Before I offered anything to any other country, it was offered to India. The harbour, port in Hambantota, the airport there, the port on Colombo, they were always informed, but they never bid for it.

Given the new relationship, I wanted to ask you your comments on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe’s remarks on Sri Lanka's right to shoot Indian fishermen if they trespass?

I can’t understand why he said this. He is a mature politician; I was very surprised to hear this came from him. I’ve always said you can’t blame fishermen because they always follow the fish. Indian government would arrest our people, one even died in prison. When we started arresting them, we would keep them for a few weeks and then release them. We wanted to discourage them. Unfortunately it was the trawlers that did bottom trawling that became the problem. This was introduced by the Norwegians. They gave us multi-day boats, but gave India bottom trawlers, that finished the Indian sea belt. It is very unfair that the government allows Indian fishermen to do this to Sri Lankan fishermen, most of whom were Tamils.

At the same time the new government’s ties with China seem strained…how do you view the suspension of Colombo Port City?

They shouldn’t have done this. My view is we wont get a port city deal like this in a hundred years.

But the government says you had no environmental clearances for it, you were giving away land sovereignty to this Chinese company. Also allegations of corruption against your regime and the port authority as well.

They have to prove that. The Chinese President came and set this up. You have to respect that. Tomorrow Mr. Modi will be here to inaugurate projects. What if some next government comes and says no we will not allow this, we can’t do that. Whether it is China India or the U.S., the principle is wrong. I deny this was a pro-China move

Charges against Rajapaksa and family

There are several court cases against your family now. Your brother has had his passport impounded, your son questioned, corruption allegations are you worried?

This is just harassment. They had to withdraw the case against my son. If there is any charge they can take me to court. The case against my brother involves a legal armoury that signed a contract with the Navy. Forget that he is my brother. He was the defence secretary with authority to do this. Is every decision going to be questioned like this?

You can dismiss these charges, but the most serious charge of war crimes remains. In the U.K., President Sirisena has agreed to start a war crimes investigation…

They can…who said not to. My instructions to former Army chief Sarath Fonseka were very clear, no matter what he says now, is that not a single civil casualty should be there.

Yet thousands of civilians died, thousands went missing, and no action was taken…

They’ve never proven that. We held several inquiries. We put the LLRC into place.

Yet you never accepted its recommendations….

We monitored the ministry doing that. But it had some recommendations on having two national anthems for example, to which I said nothing doing.

There was the allegation you were always surrounded by a coterie, that every member of your family had a position…your brothers, your son.

So what? My son was elected…There have been Rajapaksas in public life since 1931. Sometimes there have been no Rajapaksas. In 1977, I lost badly, that’s why I am happy to wait right now, take up another challenge. I’m used to it.

Political comeback?

Coming to your political plans… you’ve been meeting the public, two rallies have been held in your name, a group of politicians calling for your return, are you ready for another fight? A comeback?

Not yet. I’ve seen many leaders losing before, but I have been surprised this time by how many people have come to see me after I lost, to ask me to come back. You can come to my home in the mornings and see. I have not decided.

What would make your decision?

Well see, I gave the party to President Sirisena. And see what they did. They harassed my party people. They sacked all the people we gave jobs to. These are the things that agitate us. If they didn’t, I would have just supported this government. But now they want to probe, put us in jail, take our passports. They have no evidence. How can I retire like this? I never said I would retire. At the moment I am taking a rest.

If you were to come back to power…what would you do differently?

I think in these two months I have seen many of the mistakes I made in my ten years. And I could have done much more. People may not have appreciated the work we did, but now I think they do. Because there is no development going on. Everything has stopped.

That’s as far as development goes, how about the war against the LTTE? Since this an emotive issue in India. Would you have done the war differently?

No. I did try to talk to the LTTE. I said I will come to your territory to talk. But I had to go ahead with the war. I couldn’t stop once we began. That hadn’t worked in the past. I was fighting a terrorist. The most dangerous brutal terrorist in the world, who created suicide bombs. Or we would have faced attacks everyday.

If war crimes were committed in the process, who should take responsibility?

Then we must find out who did them. You don’t ask during a war, but after it is over. We have taken some action when there were specific charges.

So to come back to that question, if you were to return to government, would you do things differently?

We must wait and see if that happens.
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/66375/mr-says ... p9FH7.dpuf

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 13 Mar 2015 22:22

Frankly amusing to see this beligerent tool Rajapakse who was and continues to be openly hostile to India and its interests -- hope this Rajapakse and his thieving clan never gets elected again to be in charge of SL...

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 14 Mar 2015 05:55

Lots of interesting details, hence posting in full.

Delhi toehold in key Lanka port, at last

New Delhi, March 13: India has slipped a toehold into one of Sri Lanka's strategically most critical port facilities that Colombo had long blocked and that has for more than 50 years been a weathervane on the island nation's leanings between New Delhi and Beijing.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopped between meetings, lunches and speeches after landing in Colombo today, the two nations agreed to allow Indian Oil Corporation to develop South Asia's largest oil depot at a key port near Trincomalee on the island's northeast.

The public sector IOC will work with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to develop the Upper Tank Farm at the abandoned World War II port, ironically known as China Bay, under an agreement Sri Lanka had blocked for several years under former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The pact, struck under Rajapaksa's successor Maithripala Sirisena, is a recognition of past strategic opportunities India has missed. It is equally a reminder of the depth of China's relationship with Sri Lanka, often misunderstood as a creation of the Rajapaksa era - Colombo had once considered leasing the China Bay port to Beijing to use during the 1962 India-China war.

"India stands ready to help Trincomalee become a regional petroleum hub," Modi said in a statement after a meeting with Sirisena and delegation-level talks where Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, Indian foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval had joined them. "The ocean economy is a new frontier that holds enormous promise for both of us. It is a priority for our two countries."

In Trincomalee, which Modi will not visit, India today sealed what could be the biggest strategic takeaway from the Prime Minister's visit.

The China Bay port stares at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and at South East Asia, giving those with presence on the port strategic access to one of the region's busiest waterways - especially for trade with China, as its name suggests.

But the port's journey has long mirrored Sri Lanka's relations with the neighbourhood's two giants - India and China.

When India and China were locked in the 1962 war, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the Prime Minister of the country then called Ceylon, offered to play peacemaker. But her proposals to broker an understanding between India and China were heavily tilted in favour of Beijing, where she was famously called an "angel of peace".

One of her proposals was to let China use the China Bay port as a base - a suggestion she had to discard amid protests from the Opposition United National Party, currently headed by Wickramasinghe.

Four decades later, in the early 2000s, Sri Lanka decided it wanted to modernise the tank farm at the port. India offered assistance and, in 2003, the IOC and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation signed an agreement.

But Sri Lanka then blocked a subsequent agreement to lease the land to the IOC, which was critical for the public sector major to begin its work, citing a series of concerns through the Rajapaksa years when Colombo edged closer to China again.

For India's strategic community, Sri Lanka has long been a land of missed opportunities - a key reason, officials said, why India had jumped to accept the Sirisena government's signal of a thaw.

When Sri Lanka decided it wanted to develop the Hambantota port at the southern tip of the country, India recognised the strategic gains possible from a role in the project. But mired in bureaucracy, India's offer reached Sri Lanka too late.

Colombo had by then handed the project to China.

Modi landed in Colombo early Friday morning, the first Indian Prime Minister on a bilateral visit to Sri Lanka since Rajiv Gandhi in 1987. The Prime Minister was received at the airport by Wickramasinghe.

After the bilateral diplomatic meetings - where four pacts in all were inked - Modi lunched with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister before addressing the country's Parliament.

The Indian Prime Minister visited the headquarters of the Maha Bodhi Society, a Buddhist group that has for over a century tried to spread Buddhism across South Asia, including India. He also paid homage at a memorial to fallen soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Later in the evening, Modi met leaders of parties in the Opposition, and leaders from the Tamil National Alliance, the country's leading grouping of Tamil parties. The Prime Minister will tomorrow visit Anuradhapura - a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage city - and Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil-dominated Northern Province.

In Talaimannar - the town in the country's northwest that is geographically closest to Rameswaram in India - Modi will launch a rail line built with Indian help.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 14 Mar 2015 13:20

The "toehold" in Trinco is most welcome.The usage of the splendid WW2 oil tank farm has been a neglected asset by the GOSL for decades.At a time when global oil prices are so low,the GOSL could've cobbled together intl. investors/nations who would stockpile petro products there and transport them when required.This would also help reduce the threat of disruption of supplies in the volatile Gulf/ME region sending prices skyrocketing. Having a major strategic regional reserve at Trinco would benefit many nations not only in the IOR but also ASEAN and further. THis is asignal agreement between India and SL,much appreciated and kudos to those involved in working out the agreement.

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 14 Mar 2015 21:13

Hats off to PM Modi for this great gesture:

PM Modi visits war-torn Jaffna, seeks respect for all citizens in Sri Lanka

Making a historic visit to a region once ravaged by strife, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for equitable development and respect for all citizens in Sri Lanka, seen as an oblique reference to Tamils who had suffered during the war between the LTTE and forces.

Varoon Shekhar · Post by **Varoon Shekhar** » 14 Mar 2015 23:06

Also very nice to see N.Modi visit the Buddhist shrine, and pay reverence there. This should be made *very* visible on all electronic and print media. How many world leaders will go to another religion's place of reverence, and feel totally comfortable, un-self conscious, with no apprehension at all? Saudi, Iran, Israel, the US? Should be projected, not only as a sign of 'religious tolerance', but of extremely comfortable self-identification and blending in, with another religion. Wonder how the so called 'secular left' group in India is going to take this. So far, the "Hindu" newspaper has written favourably, at least neutral, with no sarcastic or motivated commentary.

Really need to push this in the "Buddhist world" and everywhere.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 14 Mar 2015 23:22

X-post.

PM Modi pays homage to martyred Indian Army soldiers at IPKF Memorial in Colombo - DNA India, through ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first Indian Head of Government to pay homage at the IPKF memorial in Colombo this evening.

In a ceremony marked by solemnity, poignancy and reflecting the best in terms of military tradition, Prime Minister Modi walked up to the memorial accompanied by senior defence officers and placed a floral wreath at the base of the memorial. He then stood in silence as the Last Post was sounded as a mark of respect for the martyred soldiers.

The inscription on the granite plaque at the memorial reads as follows: "This monument is dedicated to the members of Indian Peace Keeping Force who made the supreme sacrifice during the peace keeping mission from 1987 to 1990 in Sri Lanka."

It took over 25 years for a memorial to be constructed for the 1200 Indian Army soldiers who died while trying to prevent the disintegration of Sri Lanka. When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was here for the SAARC Summit in 2008, he did not visit the memorial. {Shows up relative priorities}
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to pay his respects at this memorial.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 14 Mar 2015 23:25

PM Modi flags off train service at Talaimannar in Sri Lanka - G Sudhakar Nair, Talaimannar, NitiCentral through PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flagged off a train service at the north-western Sri Lankan town of Talaimannar – the closest point to India – restored after decades of civil war, completing the reconstruction of the entire Northern Province Railway Line.

Accompanied by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Modi also unveiled a plaque inaugurating Talaimannar 1650 Pier Railway station.

Modi flew in here by an IAF chopper from the ancient holy town of Anuradhapura where he offered prayers at the sacred Mahabodhi tree.

He is on his way to Jaffna, a former war zone in the island’s Tamil-majority Northern Province.

The newly-constructed 63-km railway track between Madhu Road and Talaimannar Pier is the last segment of the 265-km long, prestigious Northern Railway Line Reconstruction Project which is being executed by IRCON International Ltd., a Government of India owned company.

It is designed with a speed potential of 120 km per hour.

The completion of the rail projects in the northern region is a big step towards providing safe, time and fuel efficient, comfortable and environment friendly transport service to the people of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan officials said that after commissioning of the new section, the commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to restore rail track connectivity in the Northern Province after a lapse of 25 years has been fulfilled.

This will also fulfill the long-cherished dream of the local Tamil people for having direct rail connectivity to Colombo that will also help in the reconciliation efforts of Government of Sri Lanka, they said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Mar 2015 08:07

The picture of NaMo in Jaffna stirring the pongal pot shows the healing touch he brought Sri Lanka.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 16 Mar 2015 10:25

ramana wrote:The picture of NaMo in Jaffna stirring the pongal pot shows the healing touch he brought Sri Lanka.

ramana ji,

They actually want him stirring the eelam pot.

pongal pot they can stir themselves.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 16 Mar 2015 11:47

Trivia:I think its called "paal kaacharuthu"-boiling the milk.In Indian English,i think its called 'house warming"

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 16 Mar 2015 13:18

Great work, Modi and government. We still have miles to go before undoing all the damage done by the war criminal and corrupt elected-dictator Rajapakse.

Great to see Modi call for equal rights and decentralization of power in SL. One would expect more stronger push regarding the same in his private meetings with SL leaders.

India should play a major role in developing port and associated facilities in Trincomalee (Thirikona Malai - three angled or triangular mountain in Tamil) port. Getting a toehold for IOC is the first step. We should offer to develop the Trincomalee port into a major deep water port in the IOR region (The depth of the see there makes it possible for it to be natural deep water port). We can start cheaper ferry services between Rameshwaram and Trincomalee which will boost people-people interaction between both nations and promote tourism in a big way.

If this project is successfully executed in record time and in a win-win situation (unlike Chinese investments which are too one-sited to China), it will make a better case for India to co-develop a more strategically important port in the south - near Colombu (Even the one where China already is developing part of it).

One should place a close watch on Rajapakse supporters such as SuSwamy who supported Rajapakse blindly even when that prick was doing everything possible to genocide tamils and harm Indian interests. Some fellows in this very forum also supported Rajapakse all this while. Hmm..

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 16 Mar 2015 19:39

Analysis: "Sirisena’s Promised Reforms Help Reset Sri Lanka-India Ties—for Now"
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/arti ... es-for-now

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 16 Mar 2015 22:48

svenkat, I meant that also. We have the boiling the milk ceremony for a new beginning in a new house.
I added rice to my description.

Akbaruddin, MEA spokesman, tweeted its the milk boiling ceremony before entering a new house!!!!

chetak look at the symbolism. Not time for wisecracks.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 17 Mar 2015 05:50

Who is Prof. Hudson McLean?
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015 ... nt-page-1/

e.g.,

Prime Minister Modi visit was as smooth as his synthetic-fabric rainbow coloured shawl he paraded in. His offers to counter the Chinese influence, without a time frame, are not worth a dime, until the dimes are delivered in reality.

India is currently trying to build-up their New Colonialism in South Asia islets, where Sri Lanka is the Shining Star.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 17 Mar 2015 07:34

Seems to be a bogus pseudonym of some Rajapakse supporter -- seems to be a dealer in misinformation and propaganda. Tries to link SL Tamils with ISIS and equates all SL Tamils to LTTE members. He seems to be a professor in Horse Manure Generation. Pretends to be from scotland, just like I am a scotsman.

Seems to have a fake profile set up in zoominfo

http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Hudson-McLean/145215059

Most likely someone working for Lanka Web -- the only people referring to him are sinhalese and people associated with Lanka Web. Definitely some made up identity of a sinhala bigot -- dedicates himself to trolling SL Tamils and Indians. Wants the US to setup military bases in Sri Lanka.

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/cate ... on-mclean/

also, interestingly http://www.lankaweb.com seems to be hosted by a site in China which shows that it is registered in the Bahamas -- highly shady operation...

http://www.aa2.cn/V_www.lankaweb.com.html

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http://www.webboar.com/whois-phone/%2B44.7546458118

48,733 Domain(s) Use +44.7546458118 As Whois Phone

some proxy company in the Bahamas owns this website for a fee.