Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 27 May 2015 15:48

Naam Tamilar party is a total non-entity without any support base in TN. All their activities and crowds are done through funds. All their cadre are paid local goons and jobless youth. I suspect that they get funding via some NGOs or churches with vested interest in inciting Tamil nationalism and to perpetuate the Tamil Eelam and Dravidian faultline. Given his movie background and presstitute culture in TN (where reporters expect a cash reward to prominently cover interviews of such personalities) he is able to be in the limelight passing off as a leader.

Unfortunately, it is Jayalalitha who seems to have given this thug protection and she continues to keep this fellow in her alliance. JJ is proving to be worse than Karuna not just in corruption and bad governance but also in encouraging such fringe elements (she is also the protector of the Tawhid Jamaad - the most fanatical and rabid Sunny Islamic outfit that is Arabianizing Tamil muslims at a fast pace). TN is in dire straights with all its major politicians doing their best to harm the interests of the state and India.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 27 May 2015 16:36

schinnas wrote:Naam Tamilar party is a total non-entity without any support base in TN. All their activities and crowds are done through funds. All their cadre are paid local goons and jobless youth. I suspect that they get funding via some NGOs or churches with vested interest in inciting Tamil nationalism and to perpetuate the Tamil Eelam and Dravidian faultline. Given his movie background and presstitute culture in TN (where reporters expect a cash reward to prominently cover interviews of such personalities) he is able to be in the limelight passing off as a leader.

Unfortunately, it is Jayalalitha who seems to have given this thug protection and she continues to keep this fellow in her alliance. JJ is proving to be worse than Karuna not just in corruption and bad governance but also in encouraging such fringe elements (she is also the protector of the Tawhid Jamaad - the most fanatical and rabid Sunny Islamic outfit that is Arabianizing Tamil muslims at a fast pace). TN is in dire straights with all its major politicians doing their best to harm the interests of the state and India.

It is a rebel political party which is being setup for eventual break India project,

Indians should start identifying them and expose the NGO and the foreign links

Due to weak UPA and INC rule we have NGO forming political parties to create dissent and separatist movements in secret
This should be handled at the earliest and is very serious

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 29 May 2015 21:44

"Sri Lanka conditionally agree for tour of Pakistan"
http://www.thenewstribe.com/2015/05/28/ ... -pakistan/

KARACHI: Sri Lankan team has conditionally agreed for the tour of Pakistan next year, ARY News reports on Thursday.

According to their sources, Sri Lanka may tour Pakistan in 2016 if India agrees to tour United Arab Emirates in December this year.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 02 Jun 2015 16:39

"Sri Lankan navy apprehends fourteen Indian fishermen"
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 514187.cms

AMESWARAM: Sri Lankan navy apprehended 14 Rameswaram fishermen and their three boats on charges of violating the territorial waters.

As many as 747 fishing boats left Rameswaram fishing jetty on Monday morning. Three of them were apprehended by Sri Lankan navy in the Palk Strait on Monday night, marine police (coast security group) sources said.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 02 Jun 2015 17:35

svinayak wrote:
schinnas wrote:Naam Tamilar party is a total non-entity without any support base in TN. All their activities and crowds are done through funds. All their cadre are paid local goons and jobless youth. I suspect that they get funding via some NGOs or churches with vested interest in inciting Tamil nationalism and to perpetuate the Tamil Eelam and Dravidian faultline. Given his movie background and presstitute culture in TN (where reporters expect a cash reward to prominently cover interviews of such personalities) he is able to be in the limelight passing off as a leader.

Unfortunately, it is Jayalalitha who seems to have given this thug protection and she continues to keep this fellow in her alliance. JJ is proving to be worse than Karuna not just in corruption and bad governance but also in encouraging such fringe elements (she is also the protector of the Tawhid Jamaad - the most fanatical and rabid Sunny Islamic outfit that is Arabianizing Tamil muslims at a fast pace). TN is in dire straights with all its major politicians doing their best to harm the interests of the state and India.
It is a rebel political party which is being setup for eventual break India project,

Indians should start identifying them and expose the NGO and the foreign links

Due to weak UPA and INC rule we have NGO forming political parties to create dissent and separatist movements in secret
This should be handled at the earliest and is very serious

Hearing that amma was so emboldened that she purchased a big parcel of land of many tens of acres while she was in jail in Bangalore. great going. She probably needs such flexible allies now.

Sieg heil onlee.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Jun 2015 16:52

"Sri Lanka, Kerala business chambers to hold economic dialogue forum in Kerala in July"
http://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-73617.html

Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) will hold the fourth round of Indo-Ceylon Economic (ICE) Dialogue in Kochi, Kerala, from July 2 to 5.

Following three successive Indo-Ceylon Economic dialogue forums held in Sri Lanka, the fourth ICE forum is expected to provide participants with comprehensive knowledge on import and export opportunities and guidelines for investment in India and Sri Lanka, reports the Colombo Page web site.

JwalaMukhi · Post by **JwalaMukhi** » 16 Jun 2015 03:56

It is a rebel political party which is being setup for eventual break India project,
Indians should start identifying them and expose the NGO and the foreign links

This nonsense has been deeply setup for a long time. Was reading some of the publications from so called "elite -Delhi Tamil Sangam" and clearly has been infested by "eminent historians" way back in 1942. This is the third generation that is producing such gems as below. It is harvest time for the sowing done in early 1900's. Way too many thambis have brought into this kind of non-sense and are groomed to be "theruv porkis" with no bearing and shallow pride in "tamil language" which turns into chuvanism most of the time. Busy creating and proving, with assinine arguments, eminent giant hindu saints as non-hindus.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CG1a0CRUQAA8Az9.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CG1a0DVUQAEVLB9.jpg

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 17 Jun 2015 19:25

Relevance: increasing links between non-Pak SAARC countries, use of Buddhism soft power.

Kolkata-Colombo direct air service begins
http://eprahaar.in/kolkata-colombo-dire ... ce-begins/

Kolkata: Carrying 116 passengers on board, the first direct flight to the city from Colombo touched down at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport today.

The Airbus-319, belonging to Sri Lanka government’s low-cost carrier Mihin Lanka, touched down at 2 pm with 116 passengers — 105 in economy class and 11 in business class — after a three-hour journey from Colombo, an airline official said.

The return flight left the city at around 3 pm taking 120 passengers to Colombo.

“It’s a historic moment and we are quite excited and proud to start this flight service. We are very pleased to add another destination to our network in India,” SriLankan Airlines, Director/CEO Rakita Jayawardena told PTI.

“The two countries have close cultural ties. And because of the presence of several Buddhist relics in Kolkata we felt the need to start up a service. We will do a proper marketing of Kolkata’s connection to Sri Lanka,” Jayawardena said adding that the Kolkata has centuries-old connection with Colombo.

Mihin Lanka will operate the service thrice a week from the Netaji Subhas Chandra International Airport.

Asked whether there were any plans to start all-day service from Kolkata, Jayawardena said, “Yes, we do have such plans but we want to take little but solid steps. We want to see the response in the first three months and then take a decision accordingly.

sampat · Post by **sampat** » 26 Jun 2015 21:55

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved parliament, paving the way for an early general election.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 26 Jun 2015 22:40

Rajapakse intends to come back according to SL news outlets -- that would be very bad news for India. Would be interesting to see how he is handled by the current GoI.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jul 2015 08:31

"Mahinda says Lanka not a threat to India"
http://colombogazette.com/2015/07/05/ma ... -to-india/

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says Sri Lanka will never pose a threat to India, and that it has nothing to gain by helping any other country to become a threat to India.

In an interview to Rediff.com the former President said that Sri Lanka has always had close relations with China from the early 1950s onwards and that India’s concern about Sri Lanka’s relations with China is a new phenomenon which has come about in the past few years in the context of the rivalry between India and China as the world’s rising superpowers in Asia.

“We need to maintain good relations with both India and China. Sri Lanka will never pose a threat to India, and we have nothing to gain by helping any other country to become a threat to India,” he said.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jul 2015 20:29

Sri Lanka political commentary:
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2015 ... nt-page-1/

It is futile now or in the future to depend on the votes of minorities to form a stable government. His {Mahinda's} defeat on 8 Jan was his false hope on the minority Tamil, Muslim and Christian vote. It is clear from the behavior of the Muslims and Tamils both Sri Lankan and of Indian Origin that they have only selfish interests that benefit them and them alone. It is clear from their behavior that their desire is not to be Sri Lankan but to find their own tribal and religious enclaves; more land grabbing and more. A stable government can only be realized only if the Sinhala Buddhist unite realizing the danger and bring a change of government that can work for all Sri Lankans irrespective of race, caste or creed. The minorities have never worked for the common good. They have always voted to enhance their already privileged positions. No country can ever prosper let alone be at peace where the majority rights are neglected. This is what exactly is happening in Sri Lanka. The tail has wagged the dog for too long!

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 05 Jul 2015 20:52

"Indian Consulate in Jaffna to Start Regular Hindi Classes"
http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/I ... 903853.ece

In view of the enthusiasm among the Tamils of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province to learn Hindi, the Indian Consulate General in Jaffna has asked the Ministry of External Affairs for funds to start regular Hindi classes at the Consulate, said A.Natarajan, the Consul General in Jaffna.

“For some time now, the Consulate has been conducting classes, but in an ad hoc manner with no special or dedicated fund for holding such classes. We want to regularize and institutionalize the classes employing regular teachers, for which we need dedicated and adequate funds. We have taken up the matter with the Ministry,” Natarajan toldExpress on Sunday.

“The Consulate is conducting a survey to find out the extent of interest in the Hindi language in Lanka’s Tamil heartland. We are trying to find out how many are familiar with the language and to what extent, and to what age groups they belong, so that we can proceed on the right lines when we institutionalize the set up here,” he said.

Asked if he would be able to find regular Hindi teachers in Lanka’s Tamil heartland where the language is not spoken at all, the Consul General said that he has already received seven applications.

“There are some people who are willing to come to Jaffna to teach free of charge,” he added.

There is no shortage of Hindi teachers in Sri Lanka, but they are all in the Sinhalese-speaking South. Apart from the Indian Cultural Center in Colombo, the Universities of Keleniya and Sabaragamuwa have regular Hindi Departments turning out graduates. In and around Colombo itself there are 40 tutorial colleges conducting Hindi classes. The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation’s FM station has a daily Hindi program woven around Hindi film music. And all but one of the staffers in the Hindi unit there are Sinhalese.

Subhashini de Silva, who is a Hindi announcer at the SLBC, came to learning the Hindi language through Hindustani classical music.

“When I went to the Bhatkhande University in Lucknow to learn classical vocal music, I felt the need to master Hindi also. Initially I learnt from an Indian friend, but later did a Prathmik course of the Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha and also got a Diploma from Kelaniya University.”

Among Sri Lankans, it is the Sinhalese rather than the Tamils who have a passion for Hindi. This is partly because of the hold of Hindi films on the Sinhalese and partly because the Sinhalese language is a Sankritic language like Hindi......

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 05 Jul 2015 21:39

Among Sri Lankans, it is the Sinhalese rather than the Tamils who have a passion for Hindi. This is partly because of the hold of Hindi films on the Sinhalese and partly because the Sinhalese language is a Sankritic language like Hindi......

Well...Tamil is more Sanskritic than Hindi. Other than the Devanagiri script which is used by both Sanskrit and Hindi, Tamil has more in common with Sanskrit than Hindi, which is heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic. More than 50% of words in Tamil are of Sanskrit origin and the very first grammer book of Tamil clearly calls out how to modify pronunciation of words when they are borrowed from Sanskrit. It beats me as to why would any scholar worthy of merit would consider Tamil as not being in the same category of languages as Sanskrit. This whole dravidian family of languages thing is highly suspect.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 06 Jul 2015 05:16

schinnas wrote: Well...Tamil is more Sanskritic than Hindi. Other than the Devanagiri script which is used by both Sanskrit and Hindi, Tamil has more in common with Sanskrit than Hindi, which is heavily influenced by Persian and Arabic. More than 50% of words in Tamil are of Sanskrit origin and the very first grammer book of Tamil clearly calls out how to modify pronunciation of words when they are borrowed from Sanskrit. It beats me as to why would any scholar worthy of merit would consider Tamil as not being in the same category of languages as Sanskrit. This whole dravidian family of languages thing is highly suspect.

+100

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 07 Jul 2015 16:51

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ ... -underway/
"Missing Dornier: Indian Coast Guard in touch with Sri Lanka, rescue operations underway"

Suresh Subash was one of the three crew members who went missing after going on board a Dornier plane for a routine maritime surveillance sortie in coastal Tamil Nadu on June 8.

Since then, multiple agencies, including the Coast Guard, Navy and Coastal Security Group of state police have done extensive search operations in Tamil Nadu, including the Karaikkal-Cuddalore coastline.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Jul 2015 05:50

http://www.economynext.com/India_to_stu ... -2404.html
"India to study feasibility of US$3.6bn bridge to Sri Lanka: report"

India's is planning to study the feasibility of building a bridge to Sri Lanka which may cost 3.6 billion US dollars, which may be backed by the Asian Development Bank, a media report said.

India's Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari was quoted as saying by Business Standard newspaper in India that he had already had talks with the head of the ADB about financing the project.

The bridge could cost about 230 billion Indian rupees (3.62 billion US dollars), Gadkari said.

A road and rail bridge linking Sri Lanka has been part of a Pan Asian highway network planned in the middle of the last century.

The planned bridge falls between Dhanushkodi in India and Sri Lanka' Mannar island, where a land link was believed to have existed earlier.

The area has sand banks and a shallow sea. The so called Ram's bridge or Adam's bridge, also features in the Indian epic Ramayana.

Rahul M · Post by **Rahul M** » 19 Jul 2015 08:50

how about a tunnel ?

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 19 Jul 2015 18:03

U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives: Who Is Atul Keshap?
http://www.allgov.com/news/appointments ... ews=856993

President Barack Obama on March 26, 2015, announced his intent to nominate Atul Keshap, a career Foreign Service officer, as U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives. It will be the first ambassadorial post for Keshap.

Keshap was literally born into the world of diplomacy. His father, Keshap Chander Sen, who was from Punjab, India, was a United Nations development economist working in Nigeria when Atul was born there on June 29, 1971. His mother, Zöe Calvert, had been in the U.S. Foreign Service when she met and married Sen in London. She also served at the U.S. embassy in India. Keshap was one of four children who grew up in Lesotho, Zambia, Afghanistan and Austria.

Eventually the family settled down in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Keshap attended St. Anne’s-Belfield School, graduating in 1988. After traveling the world extensively in his childhood, Keshap stayed close to home in college, and went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in economics and earned an M.A. in 1994 in international relations and security studies.........

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 22 Jul 2015 07:46

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/worl ... 161363.cms
"Sri Lanka probes first Lankan ISIS man"

COLOMBO: A 37-year-old Sri Lankan, who graduated in Sharia Law from Pakistan, has reportedly died fighting along the dreaded Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, prompting authorities to probe whether he was a Lankan national.

Abhu Shuraih Sailani, a father of six, was a karate instructor from the central town of Galewela. He has also worked as the principal of a privately owned education institution at Galewela having come over from Kandy city.

He was reportedly killed in an airstrike in Syria. After completing primary education, he had pursued Islamic studies mastering Hadith science. He later completed his LLB in Shariah Law from the International Islamic University in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka, on behalf of the Muslim community, expressed its deep dismay at media reports of the first Sri Lankan killed in battle in Syria fighting along the Islamic State (IS) militants.

In a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena, the Council said that the group of extremists, who call themselves the caliphate or Islamic State (formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), is a threat to Islam and the group violates both Sharia law and humanitarian law.

Islam is a religion of mercy and tolerance that totally prohibits the taking of innocent lives. There is no theological basis for any crimes to be committed through terrorism or violence, it said.

The Muslims of Sri Lanka join Islamic scholars and Muslim leaders around the world to condemn without any reservation the ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for failing to respect key tenants of Islam. Their actions are un-Islamic and inhumane, the Council added.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 22 Jul 2015 18:56

There was a media report that a former LTTE wallah ,former aide to fuhrer P,was arrested in TN with a large qty. of suicide pills,etc.,etc. Don't underestimate the capability of the LTTE diaspora from stirring the pot continuously.They can only resurrect the "cause" from TN, now that they've been exterminated in SL. These fringe elements in TN ,which adores hero-worshipping,are large enough to cause significant nuisance locally.

Sachin · Post by **Sachin** » 23 Jul 2015 10:42

Philip wrote:There was a media report that a former LTTE wallah ,former aide to fuhrer P,was arrested in TN with a large qty. of suicide pills,etc.,etc.

Report from a not-so common news out let - Eenadu. Looks like even though he had 75 capsules he was not ready to consume one, when about to be captured/arrested

.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 23 Jul 2015 11:06

Sachin wrote:
Philip wrote:There was a media report that a former LTTE wallah ,former aide to fuhrer P,was arrested in TN with a large qty. of suicide pills,etc.,etc.
Report from a not-so common news out let - Eenadu. Looks like even though he had 75 capsules he was not ready to consume one, when about to be captured/arrested .

must be higher level management.

sooicide capsules are only for working level joes.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 25 Jul 2015 09:19

What happens if and when Rajapaksha wins? Will he become PM or does Maithri have a card up his sleeve?

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 25 Jul 2015 09:24

vijaykarthik wrote:What happens if and when Rajapaksha wins? Will he become PM or does Maithri have a card up his sleeve?

i really don't think that the Indians under the BJP are simply going to sit this one out. Need to actively keep the cheeni at bay.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 27 Jul 2015 17:32

http://shipandbunker.com/news/apac/4637 ... s-underway

Sri Lanka Looks at Naval Base for Hambantota as Second Development Phase Gets Underway

Monday July 27, 2015
Sri Lanka Looks at Naval Base for Hambantota as Second Development Phase Gets Underway

Hon.Minister of Port and Shipping Arjuna Ranathunga signaling to commence filling up of sea water to the basin of the port under the second phase of Hambantota Port.

A naval base may be built at Sri Lanka's Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (Hambantota Port), which is said to have been underused since it was built with a Chinese loan in 2010, local media reports.

Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's Minister of Ports, received approval on July 22 from the Sri Lankan cabinet to undertake a feasibility study and prepare a plan to build a naval dockyard at the site.

Hambantota Port has so far cost around $1.5 billion to construct, most of which being coming from a loan from EX-IM Bank of China, and while there have been differing accounts of how many ships have called at the port, it has generally been considered to be underutilized

The new government aims to transform the Port premises into the new socio-economic development with international industrial giants.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority

In 2012 the port was declared exempt from all levies except handling charges and designated for transshipment.

Despite hefty annual interest payments on the Chinese loan, work is nevertheless now underway on an $808 million Phase II development of the port, and China will have exclusive rights to four of the berths under construction.

"The new government aims to transform the port premises into the new socio-economic development with international industrial giants," a press release from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) states.

In April, the SLPA was reportedly looking for joint venture partners to run bunkering services at Hambantota Port as a result of diminishing revenues.

The parliamentary elections are going to be quite different from the pres. one. SL has a proportional representation system,the awful legacy of Jayawardene,which prevents a "first past the post takes all" scenario. Rajapakse still has a substantial following in the country,remember that he lost the election narrowly and even if he loses another 10-15% of the electorate,will still end up with 1/3rd+ of the votes/seats. That gives him considerable influence and with his ,money power (PRC assisted) and powers of persuasion,as many cronies and "catchers" enjoyed the fruits of his ill-gotten looting,will be indebted to him.This is why there is a clarion call from party stalwarts in the SLFP beholden to him,to be nominated the PM after the polls. They're putting pressure upon Sirisena who though relatively clean,is a rather lackluster figure. Add to this is the fact that many Lankans,Buddhists,feel that Sirisena's victory was due mainly because of the minority vote (tamils and Muslims),and that Ranil if he becomes PM will give away too much once again ,encouraging separatism to rear its awful head once more. Arrests in India of LTTE cadre trying to smuggle items,using fake passports make the headlines here.

The problem for Rajapakse is that this time round he will not have the whole administrative bandwagon in support and cannot misuse govt. machinery. They say that "a week is along time in politics".We saw
that during the last poll to good effect! Indian influence of events in Lanka are highly overrated.There is a crying need to improve communications with the majority community in a meaningful manner,not just govt-to-govt freebies,etc. Religious-Cultural ties are v. important,esp. making it easier and cheaper for pilgrims from both countries to visit holy sites in India and the island.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 31 Jul 2015 18:54

A shocker. A shootout in a political rally killing one and injuring 12.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33731369

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 31 Jul 2015 19:59

Gunmen opens fire at political rally in Sri Lank's Colombo, one killed
http://indiablooms.com/ibns_new/world-d ... illed.html

Colombo, July 31 (IBNS): Unidentified gunmen on Friday opened fire at a political rally in Sri Lanka's Colombo city, leaving one person dead.
Twelve other people have been injured in the attack.

The shooting took place shortly after country's Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake left the rally.

According to reports, the gunmen fired bullets at the crowd before escaping.

The incident comes ahead of Sri Lanka's parliamentary elections, which will take place onAugust 17.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 12 Aug 2015 21:55

http://www.economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_st ... -2636.html
"Sri Lanka starts emergency paramedic service backed by India"

Sri Lanka is starting a paramedic response service with the backing of India that will see accident victims and those needing life-saving medical treatment being stabilized and brought to hospital within 30 minutes officials said.

Secretary of Sri Lanka's Health Ministry Palitha Mahipala said the country had very good health indicators and tax payer funded hospitals that gave medical care without fees but there was no paramedic service to give pre-hospital care.

"But we are still lacking in providing pre-hospital care," Mahipala said. "The patient needing emergency medical care has to find their own way to hospital."
...
India is giving 7.5 million US dollar grant to start a paramedical service in the Western and Southern provinces of the island in the first phase, India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Y K Sinha said.

The project was initiated following a request by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after the visit if Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mody to Sri Lanka in March and was under the supervision of Deputy Economic Policy Minister Harsha de Silva.

...He said 600 emergency personnel will be taken to India and trained to run the service by GVK Emergency Response Institute, a non-profit organization that is operating the service in India as a public private partnership.

A person calling the 119 emergency number in Sri Lanka will have the paramedics being dispatched to the address.

The techs will be in contact with a doctor and provide emergency treatment including oxygen and cardiac care so that the patient could be stabilized and taken to hospital within 30-minutes.

Ambassador Sinha said India also built a 150 bed hospital in Dickoya and 200 bed ward hospital in Vavuniya.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 17 Aug 2015 17:59

http://www.outlookindia.com/news/articl ... ack/910144

And Rajapakse is clawing his way back..back to square zero.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 18 Aug 2015 09:16

Rajapakse bites the dust...again!

Conceding deefat,Mahinda Rajapakse yet again bit the dust in his last ditch desperate attempt to seize power in the island.Supported by cronies and "venture crony-capitalists",Rajapake did his best to wrest the reins of power of parliament and the coveted post of PM from Ranil Wickremasinghe ,who was supported by MR's bête noire,former Pres.,Chandrika,who was the mastermind behind his presidential defeat where Sirisena was catapulted into becoming pres. in a brilliantly run campaign producing the shock result.She campaigned v.strongly against Rajapakse in the current election as well,encouraging her party the SLFP, started by her late father,to cross-vote for Ranil and the UNP alliance instead. Once again her strategy has paid off and Rajapakse who said that the election was a battle between him and her has bitten the dust again His political future is now finished even if he makes nuisance value noises in parliament as there are umpteen cases against him,his family and cronies, which will now be pursued with a vengeance by the new govt to be. One will also inevitably see many MPs desert his party/alliance leaving him in the lurch. The era of the Rajapakses appears to be over and the Chinese influence in the island on the wane.

This result is good news for India.

MR concedes election defeat 2015-08-18
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/83859/ex-sri- ... fYErR.dpuf

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 19 Aug 2015 01:43

Sri Lanka goes to the polls: Why it matters
http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/17/asia/sri- ... rss_latest

China and India, in particular, will watch these elections with great interest. Rajapaksa was widely seen as pro-China, courting Chinese money to boost development.

India, meanwhile, has long feared China's role in building outposts around its periphery. In a recent essay, Indian commentator Brahma Chellaney wrote that the fusion of China's economic and military interests "risk turning Sri Lanka into India's Cuba" -- a reference to how the Soviet Union courted Fidel Castro's Cuba right on the United States' doorstep

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 19 Aug 2015 01:53

I am not sure Chinese influence will go away with Rajapakse -- after him, Sirisena followed Rajapakse's tilt though lesser in degree and less overt.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 19 Aug 2015 09:36

China's influence will not evaporate,but it will not be the top priority for the GOSL of Ranil and co. Good relations with India will be the core of Lankan foreign policy. The current Lankan govt. are very happy with the eco help ,etc. that the GOI has profferred.Relations will only further improve.One is positive that nothing that affects India's security will find favour with the new govt.

For SL too,it is an excellent result.One must compliment the Lankan voter in being so astute to get rid of the Rajapakse "familia" in January and not lose sight of the "ball" by dumping him yet again yesterday. With a sincere and humble president and a PM who has his focus on ethnic harmony and the economy,Sri Lanka should have a stable govt. for the next 5 years which will get wide support from the intl. community also because of the pro-Chinese megalomaniac biting the dust in emphatic manner. It now remains to be seen whether the new GOSL will deliver the killer blows to Rajapakse and his cronies who looted billions and whose rule was hallmarked by zero-tolerance of any form of opposition,the press and opponents being victims of alleged murder,torture,disappearances,etc. The era of the "white vans" is over!

Let’s introduce a new political culture: Ranil
2015-08-18
United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe today urged the people not to divide themselves as winners and losers and work together as one family for the betterment of Sri Lanka and to introduce a new political culture to the country.

In his special statement Mr. Wickremesinghe said the people had given a mandate for good governance and consensus-based politics.

He also commended all those who helped ensure the holding of a free and fair election. (YP)
Special Announcement Issued by the Leader of the United National Front Ranil Wickremesinghe

The majority of the people of this country have approved the continuance of good governance and consensual politics endorsed by the people through the silent revolution of 8th of January.

I offer my grateful thanks to all parties and individuals who worked untiringly during the election period to ensure victory for the people. We have been able to create a peaceful atmosphere needed for a free and fair election.

There should not be a division amongst people as winners and losers. We should get together as the sons and daughters of our motherland to the task of building a new political culture in this country. We have to unitedly work towards lifting the nation to a new height by facing challenges of the new era.

I invite all of you to join hands with us to face the challenges of our Mission.

Let us together build a civilized society, build a consensual government and create a new country with equal opportunities for everybody.

18th August 2015
- See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/83875/let-s-i ... TIKsp.dpuf

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Aug 2015 17:04

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat ... tle=130256

India happy that Ranil in, Mahinda out!
August 19, 2015, 10:22 pm

BY S VENKAT NARAYAN
Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, August 19: India is happy that Sri Lankans have voted democrat Ranil Wickremesinghe in and junked authoritarian Mahinda Rajapaksa out a second time in a matter of seven months and a half in Monday’s parliamentary election.

Except for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet congratulating Wickremesinghe on the performance of the United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) in the polls and hoping for good Indo-Sri Lankan ties under him, there has been no formal Indian comment yet on the outcome of the election.

But New Delhi was clearly upset by Rajapaksa’s policy of playing China against close-door neighbour India, and his blatant refusal to honour his own commitment to attend to the minority Tamils’ grievances after the brutal war ended with the LTTE’s decimation in May 2009.

India was delighted by the change of government that the "January 8 Revolution" brought about in Colombo and Rajapaksa’s unceremonious ouster by freedom-loving Sri Lankans.

President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe promptly acted to restore some sanity to Indo-Sri Lankan relationship. Sirisena made his first visit to India as President, and Modi returned the compliment a few weeks later by visiting Sri Lanka.

Policy-makers and analysts see the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government as one determined to regain the world’s respect for the island-nation by honouring international commitments as regards the action that needs to be taken on complaints about human rights violations during the last stages of Eelam War IV, devolution of power to the minorities, resettling internally displaced refugees, returning most of the private lands that were forcibly occupied by the armed forces during the prolonged war against the LTTE.

Indian government officials who have dealt with Wickremesinghe say he has a well formulated vision for economic partnership with a giant neighbour like India. He does not suffer from the fear and panic with which some Sri Lankan politicians and retired diplomats tend to look at this country.

Said an Indian official: "There are not many Sinhalese leaders who would have gone and publicly spoken about the advantages of having CEPA with India—-that too on the eve of a crucial general election!"

In an interview to the Indian Express days before the Monday general election, Wickremesinghe declared that his policies will be "pro-Sri Lanka."

He believes in strengthening trade ties between Sri Lanka and the five southern Indian states, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. "We have always been having ties with southern Indian states. If not formally, informally. So, it is a question of how you regularise it. That’s all," Wickremesinghe told the Hindustan Times.

He also said that bilateral discussions over the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), pending for over a decade, will have to be looked into "anew.

wig · Post by **wig** » 26 Aug 2015 11:30

Tamil Tigers change their stripes: Former fighters become politicians as the struggle for self-rule in Sri Lanka goes on
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 71650.html

The rebel-turned-politicians once carried heavy weapons, killed civilians as well as soldiers and bombed buses and trains packed with children. They wore cyanide capsules around their necks and lived by a code that required them to lay down their lives at any given moment.
Shut inside the hot confines of a house in Jaffna, located in the former northern war zone of Sri Lanka, the nine men are busy drawing the future plans for their defeated party. They are members of “Crusaders for Democracy”, a political party made up of former Tamil Tigers.
All of the party members, except for their leader, are former Tiger terrorists who fought the Sri Lankan military in a three-decade bloody war for a separate homeland, demanding almost half of the tiny island for Tamils, who make up 12 per cent of the population.

The men, who still go by the noms de guerre given to each Tiger member, carry evidence of a war that split the country. Two of the ex-rebels have lost their right leg below the knee, one is blind, and all of them sport gun wounds, shrapnel injuries and deep scars.

Calling themselves the new face of the Tamil Tigers, a rebel group that was once dubbed “the deadliest terrorist organisation in the world” by the FBI, they insist that theirs is a “new cause”.
But their vocabulary, peppered with words such as “cause” and “fight for freedom” are strong echoes of the past. One that is dotted with suicide bombings; assassinations of two world leaders; proscribing women and child soldiers; making history as the only terrorist group to use land, sea and air forces in battle; and “inspiring” terrorist networks across the globe – including al-Qaeda.

But now, their “non-violent battle” they , is for a peaceful solution for the rights of the minority Tamils in Sri Lanka. “We’ve renounced a war with weapons, and now we’re fighting through peaceful and non-violent means to achieve our goals,” says Venthan, 40, who lost his right leg in a battle 20 years ago.

In a country where most rehabilitated Tiger rebels hide their identity, the Crusaders flaunt it. The party members even highlighted their role as “freedom fighters” in speeches prior to Sri Lanka’s elections this month.

The group’s demands, which are reminiscent of those of the past, make people wary. The Crusaders want federalism and self-rule in the north and east, home to majority of the Tamils. During the war years, brutal ethnic cleansing programs were carried out by the Tamil Tigers, purging the north and east of its vast majority of Muslims as well as a few Sinhalese settlements. In 1990 the Tigers forced out 72,000 Muslims from the north in just 24 hours.

“The Tigers are still labelled as terrorists. Our people are affected, and we want to change this,” says Venthan, a former Sea Tiger, the deadly naval wing that carried out most suicide attacks during the war.

A Sri Lankan woman reads through names of fallen soldiers at a memorial in Colombo for those who died in the decades-long conflict against the Tamil Tigers
The Crusaders believe that they are the only group that can get the Sri Lankan government to bow to the pressure of granting the northern and eastern Tamils self-rule. “Even if we lose a limb or an eye, we were trained to keep on fighting,” he says.

“We had faith in weapons, but they were silenced. Our ambitions remain unfulfilled in the past six years, so now we fight a different struggle,” says another Crusader, Thulasi, explaining his reason for exchanging guns for words.

Yet despite their loss in the general election earlier this month – which the group puts down to a late entry, lack of funds and the cautious attitude of the northern masses – the Crusaders remain hopeful. “Forty per cent of the northern citizens didn’t vote because they didn’t trust the TNA [the main Tamil party],” says Thulasi, 37, who is blind in one eye because of a shrapnel injury.

“Politics is new for us, and we have to win their confidence, but those 200,000 mute votes are ours,” he says.

Although they failed to win a single parliamentary seat in the election, Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, the party leader and former editor of two Tamil pro-Tiger dailies, is confident that the Crusaders will grow into a powerful party.

“We will be a powerful force to deal with in two or three years,” says Vithyatharan, the only non-rebel member of the party. “That’s because this party is made up of men who are committed to their cause. Men who were ready to sacrifice their lives in the past, so we can’t fail.”

Despite there being more than 12,000 rehabilitated former rebels in northern Sri Lanka, the Crusaders received only 1,900 votes in the election. The TNA received more than 515,000 votes, winning 16 parliamentary seats in Sri Lanka’s 225-member legislature.

“Now is not the right time,” says Yogeshwari, a former child soldier. “We’re just beginning to rebuild our lives; we don’t want to be associated with the cause [Tigers] again.” “One era is over,” says another former Tiger who refused to be named.

“We don’t want another struggle – political or otherwise. We have to get together with existing parties instead of dabbling in divisive politics.”

Despite Colombo’s refusal to give into Tamil demands of a federal government, the nine men, planning from their Jaffna headquarters, are certain they will not lose their battle this time round. “We lost once,” says Thulasi. “We won’t lose again

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 26 Aug 2015 11:42

Former militants joining political process is a very welcome step. The wounds are very deep in Sri Lanka. Terrorism was done by both LTTE and Sri Lankan army. They both indulged in genocidal practices.

What many do not realize is that the struggle in Sri Lanka started as a demand for a federalistic set up (similar to India) and for Tamilians to have equal rights in that island nation. Successive Singhalese governments took a chauvinistic stand and succeeded in creating the monster of LTTE. I hope Ranil - one of the forward looking and moderate Singhalese leaders in Sri lanka takes a conciliatory approach and ensures that all citizens of Sri lanka enjoy equal rights and live a life of dignity. Some action would also need to be taken against perpetrators of genocide against unarmed Tamil children and women and men during end days of the war, for the wounds to heal.

India should silently encourage and assist the reconciliation processes.

The idiot politicians in TN such as Seeman can play spoilsport and are as dangerous as militant Singhalese.

JE Menon · Post by **JE Menon** » 26 Aug 2015 13:40

Philip, what's your take on the Ranil's policy with regard to China, going forward? Of course, both info and gut feel are welcome. I would, and I think the forum would as well, benefit from your view on that.

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 26 Aug 2015 19:28

schinnas wrote:Former militants joining political process is a very welcome step. The wounds are very deep in Sri Lanka. Terrorism was done by both LTTE and Sri Lankan army. They both indulged in genocidal practices.

What many do not realize is that the struggle in Sri Lanka started as a demand for a federalistic set up (similar to India) and for Tamilians to have equal rights in that island nation. Successive Singhalese governments took a chauvinistic stand and succeeded in creating the monster of LTTE. I hope Ranil - one of the forward looking and moderate Singhalese leaders in Sri lanka takes a conciliatory approach and ensures that all citizens of Sri lanka enjoy equal rights and live a life of dignity. Some action would also need to be taken against perpetrators of genocide against unarmed Tamil children and women and men during end days of the war, for the wounds to heal.

India should silently encourage and assist the reconciliation processes.

The idiot politicians in TN such as Seeman can play spoilsport and are as dangerous as militant Singhalese.

The federalist/separatist ideology in Sri Lanka was NOT a concept of the LTTE, but part and parcel of “Vaddukoddai Resolution” which was adopted on 14th May 1976 long before LTTE came into being. It called for the creation of an independent Tamil Eelam by the Tamil United Liberation Front under the leadership of S. J. V. Chelvanayakam and it fought Sri Lankan parliamentary election in 1977 on its demand for Tamil Eelam and won an overwhelming mandate in the Tamil areas and become the main opposition party in Sri Lanka the only time a minority party has done so. Forty years has passed but nothing has changed so we’re back to square one again.

One of Canada’s former Prime Ministers, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, reminded us often that the true measure of any democracy is the manner in which the majority treats its discrete minorities. To date, Sri Lanka is very far from this notion.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 29 Aug 2015 07:20

Notes From A Textbook Poll
The man of the match in Sri Lanka: Mahinda Deshapriya, elections commissioner
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinio ... book-poll/

Sri Lanka’s recent parliamentary election was one that might well be described as a “textbook” election. Paffrel (People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections), an electoral observer group, described it as “the most peaceful and fair election in the recent history of the country”. Coming as this did on the heels of the January 8 presidential polls, when widespread misuse of state resources was reported, there was a palpable sense of relief.

If I had to select the “man of the match”, it would have to be Mahinda Deshapriya, the elections commissioner.