Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 01 Sep 2009 20:38

Whatever be the provocation from anywhere, a High Court in India or any other country with the rule of law would not be influenced in its verdict and sentencing like this. If the Rajapakses can get a High Court judge to give a sentence in order to send a message to people within the country or outside, it speaks very poorly about the judiciary in that country. Or about any prospects for reconciliation for that matter.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 02 Sep 2009 10:10

Whatever be the provocation from anywhere, a High Court in India or any other country with the rule of law would not be influenced in its verdict and sentencing like this. If the Rajapakses can get a High Court judge to give a sentence in order to send a message to people within the country or outside, it speaks very poorly about the judiciary in that country. Or about any prospects for reconciliation for that matter.

What made you think that MR had any thing to do with the high court decision.

We have been pussy footing with the terrorist. That is why we have a huge problem with Terrorism around the world. It is time the citizens of Sri Lanka send a message, enough is enough and you will pay big for aiding terrorism.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 02 Sep 2009 18:58

thusitha wrote:We have been pussy footing with the terrorist. That is why we have a huge problem with Terrorism around the world. It is time the citizens of Sri Lanka send a message, enough is enough and you will pay big for aiding terrorism.

Thats rich and funny, as far as I read, he was guilty of supporting terrorism and inciting racial hatred (as if Tamils and Singhalese were partners). They say he received funding from LTTE and his articles showed up in Pro LTTE publications, that cannot be a sole reason to jail him for 20 years, unless the govt is not publicizing all the evidence of his terrorist connections.

Also, why did it took TID to file charges on him after 6 months of his arrest? Wouldn't it work the other way, first charge the person and arrest him?

Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam, 45, who contributes to the local Sunday Times and also ran a website that focused on the country’s Tamil population, was found guilty of spreading ‘racial hatred’ and ‘supporting terrorism,’ an official at Colombo’s High Court said.

The scribe, detained for over 400 days now, was charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for an article he had written in the pro-LTTE magazine North Eastern Herald, which has since been closed.

Tissainayagam was arrested on March 7, 2008 and later charged under the anti-terrorism legislation. His family has decided to appeal against the ruling.

The state-owned Daily News had claimed in May this year that Tissanayagam in an admissible confession had admitted his links with the LTTE.

“The confession was admitted in evidence at the court trial. There was material that showed his close links to Sivaram alias Tharaki one time editor of the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet,” the newspaper said. “Tissanayagam was associated with several opinion making publications of the LTTE organisation and was part of their propaganda outfit and was instrumental in securing funding for LTTE publication. He has also links with prominent personalities of the LTTE,” the paper claimed.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/internati ... e12424.ece

From Amnesty International,

A year ago Tissainayagam, known for his work for the Sri Lankan Sunday Times and the North Eastern magazine, was taken into custody by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) – part of the Sri Lankan police force.

He was initially arrested by the Police on suspicion of links to the armed opposition group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (he is an ethnic Tamil). At the time of his arrest, he was visiting the TID detention centre in the capital of Colombo, to inquire about North Eastern printer Vadivel Jasikaren, who had been arrested with his wife the previous day.

Tissainayagam was not issued with a detention order and his family was not informed of his arrest, even though both are required under Sri Lankan law.

He was charged with "aiding and abetting a terrorist organisation". The only material evidence against Tissainayagam relates to two articles covering the Sri Lankan conflict and a confession, which is believed to have been taken under duress.

Senior Journalist Jeyaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam was crossed examined before Colombo High Court Judge Ms. Deepali Wijesundera in the inquiry to ascertain whether the confession made by him to the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) was a voluntarily one or made under pressure and duress.

During further cross examination by State Counsel Sudarsana de Silva yesterday, Tissainayagam identified the signature in a detention order that was shown to him as his signature but said that the handwriting of the date in that order was not his.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Secti ... RTID=31620

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 02 Sep 2009 20:20

chetak wrote:
Neela wrote:WARNING! Gruesome pictures below.
Definitely not for the lily-livered!

Pictures of dead Tamil fighters emerge in pro-Eelam website with signs of mutilation.
One of the pictures show SL soldier placing his foot over the head of a dead LTTE fighter.
http://www.athirvu.com/target_news.php? ... m=&ucat=17&

Reminds you of how our dear neighbor returned the bodies of Lt Kalia along with five jawans -- Sepoys Arjun Ram, Bhanwar Lal Bagaria, Bhika Ram, Moola Ram and Naresh Singh.

And the LTTE behaviour wrt IPKF soldiers. I still remember the photos from India Today of those times.

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 02 Sep 2009 22:27

thusitha wrote:What made you think that MR had any thing to do with the high court decision.

I don't have any reason to believe he did or did not have anything to do with the high court decision. But Philip's suggestion that the overly harsh sentence was because of the reaction from leaders outside the country seems to point to the complete absence of rule of law in the country.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 03 Sep 2009 15:57

Sridhar wrote:
What made you think that MR had any thing to do with the high court decision.

I don't have any reason to believe he did or did not have anything to do with the high court decision. But Philip's suggestion that the overly harsh sentence was because of the reaction from leaders outside the country seems to point to the complete absence of rule of law in the country.

Phillips might be just conjecturing. I don't think he has some kind of a solid proof to this. What do you mean complete absence of rule of law in SL? Are you talking about our legal system? Or are you talking about general lawlessness? If it general lawlessness I might agree, but if you are talking about our legal system, you need to show some kind of reason for such a comment. You might not agree with the current ruling, but that shouldn't point to a problem with our legal system. Anyway this guy can still appeal. Who knows what will happen then.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 03 Sep 2009 16:12

Javee
Thats rich and funny, as far as I read, he was guilty of supporting terrorism and inciting racial hatred (as if Tamils and Singhalese were partners). They say he received funding from LTTE and his articles showed up in Pro LTTE publications, that cannot be a sole reason to jail him for 20 years, unless the govt is not publicizing all the evidence of his terrorist connections.

Also, why did it took TID to file charges on him after 6 months of his arrest? Wouldn't it work the other way, first charge the person and arrest him?

Regarding your comment as if Tamils and Sinhalese were partners: Isn't that the whole point? If we were, there won't be any racial hatred. In India are you allowed to instigate racial hatred? As far as I know you jail people for doing that.

TID has the legal right to keep anyone they suspect under terrorism law. That is the law of our country. So there is no point asking that question. I believe that is the way Guantanamo works as well. Has India always charge people just after arresting (I don't know the answer for this, but I am sure India would have arrested people without charging under terrorism laws). Therefore I don't believe my comments are rich at all.

If a lawyer gives 20 years to someone, this person must have done more than criticising the government. It is bit hard to believe a lawyer giving someone 20 years knowing very well the only thing that person has done was criticise the government. If that person is a Buddhist (most probably Hindu as well) that would be huge Karma.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 03 Sep 2009 18:34

I know its the law of your country, but it is also stupid, TID can arrest a guy and manufacture evidence in the 6 months they had in custody. POTA laws were repealed in India for a reason and inciting racial hatred does not come under terrorism. At this point, the govt has to let others know what "other" things he did warranting 20 years in prison. The guy is a well known tamil journalist, so giving BS reasons will not fly, its been clearly documented that current SL Govt does not take criticism that well.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Sep 2009 18:38

Can't reveal first person details here,too sensitive, but even the SC CJ has been known to be quite "obliging" on occasion allegedly (I have to use this word!).In the case of the journo,whatever the facts of his "guilt" of LTTE connections,the sentence in my considered oponion,well knowing the situ there,Lankans pride in their system of justice,is that being praised as a hero by none other than Messiah Obama,given an international award,draws parallels with the manner in which Aung San Su Kyi has been turned into a martyr by the west and has been incarcerated by the Burmese junta.This similar vase with the west's nwest Lankan "hero",now that their great Tamil hope,Fuhrer Prabhakaran was indecently despatched downstairs,cannot but have had an effect on the severity of the sentence,as no nation's judges like to be questioned on theri judgements by anyone especially the Black man in the White House! had the Messiah kept his gob shut,the poor journo might've got off with a warning or lighter sentence,believe you me.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 03 Sep 2009 19:52

Blessings for a bright future

A group of former LTTE cadres who underwent rehabilitation were given employment in Malaysia by the government. Pictured here are seven of the ex-Tigers obtaining the blessings of the clergy after they were given their passports and relevant documents in Colombo today. Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda was also present at the occasion. Pic by Pradeep K. Pathirana

Child soldiers get Malaysian jobs

COLOMBO - A GROUP of former child soldiers from Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have won jobs on construction sites in Malaysia after undergoing re-training, the government here said on Thursday.

The seven men were among hundreds of former child soldiers who surrendered in the months before government troops finally defeated the Tigers in May at the end of decades of ethnic warfare.

Now aged between 19 and 21, the seven joined the Tigers' ranks as children and fought with the rebels in their unsuccessful and bloody campaign for an independent Tamil state.

Some former fighters are not charged over their involvement with the rebels and instead undergo one-year vocational training in plumbing, masonry, carpentry and electrical work at state-run welfare centres.

The government, which has often been accused of mistreating the large Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, says it helps the child soldiers secure jobs overseas or return to their villages in the north and east of the island.

'This is the first batch of former child soldiers for whom we have been able to find jobs in Malaysia,' Cyril Jayawardene, a senior executive of the government's rehabilitation bureau, said.

The Justice Ministry is in the process of rehabilitating some 3,000 fighters.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2B ... 25154.html

Sri Lanka plans to open up Colombo port

Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55pm IST

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka plans to open a second gate in the island nation's main Colombo port for the first time in a decade, aiming to boost traffic after the end of a 25-year war, a top port official said on Thursday.

"We will be opening the north gate in a couple of days,"

Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Priyath B. Wickrama told Reuters. "This will help to improve our vessel turnaround time and we can accommodate more ships."

The port handled a record 3.68 million TEUs (Twenty-foot equivalents) last year. Wickrama said he expected vessel turnaround time to improve by 6-7 hours because of the change.

Port officials said the north gate had been shut for 10 years due to security threats from the Tamil Tigers rebels, who were wiped out in May.

Sri Lanka since the end of the war has been vying for hub status in the Asian maritime industry supported by its strategic location on the world map between the east and the west.

http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsia ... 8620090903

Sri Lanka shares at new 16-mo high amid profit-taking

Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:49am EDT

By Shihar Aneez

COLOMBO, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's shares .CSE hit a new 16-month closing high on Thursday, led by blue chips and in spite of a bout of retail profit-taking.

The bourse closed 0.14 percent or 3.77 points firmer at 2630.77, its highest close since May 12, 2008.

The market is up 75 percent so far in 2009, making it one of this year's best performers, and 37.9 percent since the government declared victory in the war on May 18.

"It's a retail market (where) some investors sold shares for profit-taking and some chased select shares expecting high returns," said Prashan Fernando, executive director at Acuity Stockbrokers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndu ... 8720090903

Sri Lanka and India sign a MOU to set up English training center

Sept 03, Colombo: Sri Lanka entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with India today at the Presidential Secretariat to set up a center for English language training.

The proposed India-Sri Lanka Centre for English Language Training (ISLCELT) at Peradeniya will include a state-of-the-art digital language laboratory.

Two professors specialized in the teaching of spoken English from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad will provide their services to the center.

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_091/ ... 627CH.html

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 03 Sep 2009 20:18

Javee wrote:I know its the law of your country, but it is also stupid, TID can arrest a guy and manufacture evidence in the 6 months they had in custody. POTA laws were repealed in India for a reason and inciting racial hatred does not come under terrorism. At this point, the govt has to let others know what "other" things he did warranting 20 years in prison. The guy is a well known tamil journalist, so giving BS reasons will not fly, its been clearly documented that current SL Govt does not take criticism that well.

Have not Vaiko and Nedumaran been in jail for voicing their opinion? Was not Varun Gandhi arrested for his hate speech?

Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, the TNA which has basically been the mouthpiece of the LTTE operated from its headquarters in Colombo with its members sitting in parliament.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 03 Sep 2009 20:21

Kashyap wrote:Have not Vaiko and Nedumaran been in jail for voicing their opinion? Was not Varun Gandhi arrested for his hate speech?

Vaiko, Varun were arrested for hate speech but they are not spending 59 years in jail, see the difference?

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 03 Sep 2009 20:27

Javee wrote:
Kashyap wrote:Have not Vaiko and Nedumaran been in jail for voicing their opinion? Was not Varun Gandhi arrested for his hate speech?
Vaiko, Varun were arrested for hate speech but they are not spending 59 years in jail, see the difference?

Not really. Because it seems people are arrested and thrown in jail in India (more specifically Tamil Nadu?) for far less - for example folks like Vaiko and Nedumaran. In Sri Lanka, the TNA has long been advocating the case of the LTTE and a separate state and their memebers sit in parliament. But Vaiko or Nedumaran mention anything close to breaking up India and they are thrown in jail.

Tissa still has the right to appeal and that's what his lawyers have planned to do. I have to admit, however, there are many other folks who have been actively involved in the LTTE who have escaped any 'punishment' - heck one of the biggest of them - Karuna - is now a member of parliament (very likely responsible for killing the 600 Sri Lankan policemen who surrendered in the east).

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 04 Sep 2009 01:34

Kashyap: There is a big difference between being arrested and being sentenced by a court of law, a High Court no less. There have been many instances of abuse of power by Governments in India, but the judiciary, especially the higher judiciary, has usually acted according to the rule of law.

Thusitha: As per Indian Penal Code, no person who is arrested can be detained for more than 24 hours without being produced before a magistrate. After that, he/she can remain in police custody only if the court so rules and only for the time that the court allows (typically a few days to a couple of weeks). Secondly, admission of guilt by the accused is usually inadmissable as per the Indian Evidence Act, unless it is made in front of a magistrate in open court. In this instance, the accused said in court that his admission to the police was coerced. And yet it was accepted unquestioned. Not by a mere trial court, but by a High Court. Such things typically only happen in banana republics. Sri Lanka has a much stronger democratic tradition and it behooves citizens such as yourself to be fighting against the subversion of rule of law, not defending the indefensible.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Sep 2009 18:48

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sect ... TID=60415

The Foreign Ministry has sent a report to the EU on the judgment and the circumstances that led to the conviction of journalist T.S.Tissainayagam as some foreign and local elements were on a mischievous attempt to intimidate the independence of Sri Lanka’s judiciary, the government charged yesterday.

Cabinet spokesman Information and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told the weekly news briefing at the Information Department that nobody had the right to question the independence and rationale of the judgment by a court in a democratic country.

“The 20 years prison sentence was mandatory on the conviction of the charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) of 1979 that include cross examination by defence counsel in a fair trial. The convict can appeal to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court and plead with the President if and when all legal avenues for mitigation were exhausted,” Minister Yapa said.Similar judgments have been delivered on such charges against journalists in the US and UK and many other democracies but those judgments have never been an issue for protests or controversies, he said.

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 04 Sep 2009 20:46

Wow, so this act dates from 1979, well before any serious troubles started in Sri Lanka!

The act is a masterpiece. For instance, this

PART I

OFFENCES

2. (1) Any person who -
...

(i) without lawful authority erases, mutilates, defaces or otherwise interferes with any words, inscriptions, or lettering appearing on any board or other fixture on, upon or adjacent to, any highway, street, road or any other public place; or

...

shall be guilty of an offence under this Act.

So a person who defaces a public board of any kind is a terrorist! By this definition, there are loads of terrorists around the world, with a tub of paint as their deadly weapon!

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 04 Sep 2009 20:55

Also, the Government of Sri Lanka is openly lying. It states that the 20 year sentence is the mandatory sentence under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Here are the relevant sections from the Act. Decide for yourself.

First the offence. Note the paragraph corresponding to the offence (the letter before the offence in bold).

PART I

OFFENCES

2. (1) Any person who -
...

(h) by words either spoken or intended to be read or by signs or by visible representations or otherwise causes or intends to cause commission of acts of violence or religious, racial or communal disharmony or feelings of ill-will or hostility between different communities or racial or religious groups;

So Tissainayagam was convicted under section 2(1)-h of the act.

Now, see the following about the punishment

(2) Any person guilty of an offence specified in - (i) paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection (1) shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for life, and (ii) paragraphs (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i) or (j) of subsection (1) shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment of either description for a period not less than five years but not exceeding twenty years.

Note the parts in bold. For the offence that Tissainayagam was convicted of (assume for a moment that the conviction was valid), the sentence is a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years. Further, there is nothing in the act that mandates rigorous imprisonment. In fact, it explicitly mentions imprisonment of either description - i.e. simple or rigorous.

Thus, the court has awarded the maximum possible sentence permissible under the act - 20 years rigorous imprisonment. Yet the official spokesperson of the Cabinet, himself a Cabinet Minister blatantly lies that he was awarded the mandatory sentence under the Act, implying that the court had no avenue to award a lighter sentence.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 05 Sep 2009 11:43

Sri Lanka strengthens navy to deter overseas threats

Sept 05, 2009 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's navy commissioned 90 officers and an offshore patrol vessel last weekend as it continues to expand, having defeated the powerful Tamil Tiger naval wing.

Senior defence officials said the navy's future focus will be on protecting the island's ocean resources and patrolling the surrounding seas to ensure terrorism, which was sustained by overseas supplies, does not recur.

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a former army officer who now heads the defence establishment, says there are indications Tamil rebels, defeated by government forces in May, are trying to revive their campaign for a separate state.

Rebel remnants who survived the military campaign and their supporters overseas still pose a threat, he said in a speech to navy troops at their main base in the eastern Trincomalee harbour.

"In future we must not allow them to raise their heads again. We must protect the gains of our victory over terrorism," Rajapaksa said.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/full ... 1030770133

Sri Lanka celco eyed by India's BSNL

Sept 04, 2009 (LBO) - India's state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning to buy Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular's Sri Lanka operations, a media report said.

The management committee of BSNL on Wednesday approved a proposal to bid for thee firm, India's Hindustan Times newspaper said.

Millicom International is selling its operations in Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Laos. In Sri Lanka, its Tigo network is the third-largest mobile network with a subscriber base of over 2 million (20 lakh).

"We are looking at various opportunities to expand our operations in foreign markets," the newspaper quoted Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing director of BSNL as saying.

"This is one of them."

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/full ... 1928042117

UN chief, minister discuss plight of displaced Sri Lankans

UNITED NATIONS, September 3, 2009 (AFP) - UN chief Ban Ki-moon met with a Sri Lankan minister in Geneva Thursday to discuss the plight of civilians displaced by the government defeat of the Tamil separatist insurgency earlier this year, his press office said.

UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Ban and Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka's minister for disaster management and human rights, exchanged views on conditions in the camps for displaced minority Tamils and the importance of reconciliation and accountability in the south Asian island nation.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/full ... 1928042117

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 05 Sep 2009 11:59

Sridhar wrote:Thus, the court has awarded the maximum possible sentence permissible under the act - 20 years rigorous imprisonment. Yet the official spokesperson of the Cabinet, himself a Cabinet Minister blatantly lies that he was awarded the mandatory sentence under the Act, implying that the court had no avenue to award a lighter sentence.

Politicians lie all the time, I'm sure you already knew that. Plus, Tissa had other charges laid against him - not just the one about causing communal disharmony as far as I know.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 05 Sep 2009 12:01

NTPC team to visit Sri Lanka

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: A top delegation of officials from the NTPC is arriving here on Sunday to hold discussions on setting up of a 500- MW coal-based thermal plant in Sampur/Muttur East in Trincomalee district.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the government had in December 2006 signed an agreement for the construction of the plant. However, there was no forward movement due to delay in identification of site.

As per the original pact, the site was to be jointly decided by local and NTPC experts. The government has identified Sampur captured in September from the Tamil Tigers, as a possible location though an NTPC team had earlier identified a site near the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) oil complex, close to Trincomalee harbour, as the ideal location.

http://www.hindu.com/2009/09/05/stories ... 581500.htm

27 politicos got money from LTTE: Swamy

NT Bureau | Sat, 05 Sep, 2009,02:41 PM

Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy today claimed he had ‘official evidences’ that 27 political leaders belonging to various parties in Tamilnadu received money from the LTTE.

Speaking to reporters here, he said he would go to the court with the evidences if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to take action against ‘those leaders’.

‘I have received official and authentic evidences from Sri Lanka that 27 political leaders in the State received money from the Tigers. I am ready to unveil the details in the court if the Prime Minister of India failed to initiate action against them,’ he said.

Swamy also named some leaders, including some popular ones, and alleged all of them were paid by the LTTE seeking their support.

http://newstodaynet.com/newsindex.php?i ... 0section=6

Sri Lanka imports machines to clear mines

Five Bozena Flail machines costing Sri Lanka Rs. 250m bought from Slovakia to remove land mines buried in the North and East arrived in the island on a special Chinese Airways airline yesterday. They were handed over to the Sri Lanka Army at the Airport by Ministers Sarath Gunaratne and Rishard Bathiudeen. Picture by Saman Sri Wedage

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka has imported equipment to speed up mine clearing in the former war zone in the island's north, the defence ministry said Saturday.

The mine-clearing machines imported from Slovakia would be used to accelerate resettlement of people driven out of the area during the height of fighting, the ministry said in a statement.

Sri Lanka's army and eight other organisations were involved in removing thousands of mines, but most of the work was done manually, K. Kumarasiri, secretary to the Nation Building Ministry, told AFP.

"Only 10 square metres (about 100 square feet) can be de-mined daily (by one mine clearer) through manual work," added Major General D.M.D. Alwis, coordinator of the Sri Lanka Humanitarian Demining Project.

"But these machines can clear 5,000 square metres," he said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... PsXkkVP-NA

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 05 Sep 2009 17:09

Excellent news,that the GOSL is accelerating the mine clearance.Once the northern conflict areas are cleaeared of mins,the locals can pick up their lives there again.

The SLN's innovative tactics for defeating the Sea Tigers is being studied in detail by many navies affected by maritime terrorism and piracy.The ideal solution for carrying out similar open ocean protection by small fast boats like the "Arrows",is by possessing several LPD class surface warships which sail with the task force ,carrying several of these these small boats in their docks.These boats could be used when the task force warships approaches the coast,or during transits of narrow straits like the Malacca Strait and in Gulf waters.The Iranians are doing the opposite,using a large number of Revolutionary Guard manned boats to intercept and attack shipping.Not too long ago,RN sailors were captured by the Iranians,an acute embarrassment to the RN.

Sridhar · Post by **Sridhar** » 06 Sep 2009 08:20

Once the mine clearance happens, Sri Lanka has an opportunity at reconciliation. Let's see if they pursue that path or one of suppression that they have followed all along.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 06 Sep 2009 10:40

A Tamil Dreyfus?

There were problems in the defence of Tissainayagam. What was most embarrassing was that one of the witnesses called by the defence, the deputy chairman of the Human Rights Council, actually ended up testifying against the defendant! The witness stated that he had been visiting the Vakarai area and meeting the divisional secretary for the area and that the World Food Programme had been distributing food through this divisional secretary and that there were government hospitals and governments doctors even though it was an LTTE controlled area in 2006. This witness had also said that he had met LTTE commanders of the areas as well. So the defence deftly proved that the defendant had been factually incorrect in his reporting, thus making the imputation of an intent to incite hatred that much easier! When shown what Tissanayagam had written about Vakarai, this defense witness had agreed that the statements were indeed incendiary.

And that was not the only defense debacle. In any criminal case, the first thing that any defense lawyer would do is to have any confession signed by the defendant while in custody declared inadmissible as evidence. Sri Lankan law does not allow non-voluntary confessions to be admitted as evidence. When the court decided after an examination that the confession signed by Tissainayagam had been voluntary, the defense lawyer had failed to appeal against this decision at that stage. The judgment in fact specifically states that the defence had the opportunity to appeal against the decision to admit the confession as evidence, but that they did not avail themselves of the opportunity.

No Sri Lankan court will lightly arrive at the conclusion that a confession has been voluntary, because judges tend to be wary about confessions. Any defence lawyer, usually, will leave no stone unturned to appeal against any declaration that a confession made by his client was voluntary. However in this case the defense lawyer did not contest that declaration. Later, however when what was said in the confession began to tally with other evidence presented by the prosecution such as records of telephone calls and details of bank deposits and withdrawals, the defence had raised objections to using the confession as evidence. The court had not been inclined to entertain these objections at that stage.

In fact throughout the case, the Judge makes specific mention of the defence not contesting this or that point. What takes the cake is that when the sentence was pronounced, Tissainayagam had been given ten years for one count and five each for the other two, making it twenty in all. The defense lawyer had not requested that these sentences run concurrently, so Tissainayagam had ended up with 20 years! This raises the question as to what is going on? The court follows a certain procedure and at every turn it appears that the defense has not been doing what a defence would normally be expected to do.

http://www.island.lk/2009/09/06/politics1.html

Asian Shippers Council shifts permanent Secretariat to Sri Lanka

By Dilshani Samaraweera

This week the Asian Shippers Council (ASC), the largest maritime representative body in the world, announced that it will shift its permanent Secretariat to Sri Lanka from Singapore. The shippers are the first to take advantage of Sri Lanka’s new permanent state of peace after nearly 30 years of war and also Sri Lanka’s geographic location in the maritime routes.

“Asia is the world’s biggest merchandise exporter and about 90% of these exports are through the sea. The ASC represents shippers from all of Asia. This includes Greater China, North East Asia, South East Asia, South Asia and Oceania. So the ASC represents that largest maritime body in the world. The ASC is also the Asian component of the Global Shippers’ Forum. So this shift in permanent Secretariat means that thousands of shippers around the world will recognise Sri Lanka as a central point,” the Secretary General of the ASC, Rohan Masakorala told journalists this week announcing the shift of the Secretariat to Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo.

The shift to Colombo, says the ASC will highlight Colombo as an important transhipment and aviation location in the South Asian region. The move is also expected to increase confidence internationally in Sri Lanka and help reduce high insurance charges on freight from Sri Lanka.

http://www.sundaytimes.lk/090906/Financ ... /ft39.html

Commanding Officer of Pakistan Navy Ship ‘Zulfiquar’ calls on Commander of the Navy

Commanding Officer of PNS “Zulfiquar” Captain Zahid Ilyas paid a courtesy call on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe today (05th of September 2009) at the Naval Headquarters. PNS “Zulfiquar”, a warship belonging to the Pakistan Navy, arrived today on a goodwill visit to Sri Lanka.

Upon its arrival, PNS “Zulfiquar” was ceremonially welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy. Defence Adviser of Pakistan to Sri Lanka Colonel Syed Khurram Hassnain Alam was also present at the welcoming ceremony held at the Port of Colombo.

Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe in conversation with the Commanding Officer of PNS Zulfiquar Captain Zahid Ilyas

http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=1852

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 06 Sep 2009 10:56

NATO air strike inquiry promised
THE US commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan has promised a full investigation into a NATO air strike, but stopped short of admitting any civilians had been killed in the bombing.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,2 ... 1,00.html

When we kill it is genocide, war crimes. When they kill, lets have an inquiry and forget about it. I wonder how many thousands of civilians have been killed by NATO forces in Afganistan by now.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 08 Sep 2009 06:32

Findings of professional analysis pertaining to Channel 4 video footage

The findings of independent professional analysis into the alleged video footage aired on British Channel 4 news service has clarified that the footage was concocted with a hidden objective.

Following details extracted from a publication issued by the Media Center for National Security elaborates the outcome of the analysis.

Four independent professionals did a thorough and comprehensive analysis on the validity of the video clip. Among these professionals are Mr. Siri Hewawitharana Who is an Australian Digital Video Developer, The Former head of Cisco's global broadcast and digital video practice and Executive Director at IPTV System, Dr Chathura Ranjan de Silva who is the Senior lecturer of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Director for the Centre of Instructional Technology for the University of Moratuwa, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe who is the Head of the Sri Lanka Army Signal Corps and Major P.A. Bandara of the MCNS. When looking at these four investigations one can see that they have all come to a common conclusion

http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=co ... Itemid=44

Please note, GoSL is not trying to say that there were no extra judicial killings, just that this video is a fake video.

pgbhat · Post by **pgbhat** » 08 Sep 2009 06:35

thusitha wrote:NATO air strike inquiry promised
THE US commander of foreign troops in Afghanistan has promised a full investigation into a NATO air strike, but stopped short of admitting any civilians had been killed in the bombing.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,2 ... 1,00.html

When we kill it is genocide, war crimes. When they kill, lets have an inquiry and forget about it. I wonder how many thousands of civilians have been killed by NATO forces in Afganistan by now.

You have a point but remember you are bombing your fellow countrymen ... NATO is not..... precisely the reason why even in the height of militancy in J&K India never used helicopter gunships or fighter jets.

Sanku · Post by **Sanku** » 08 Sep 2009 11:39

Sridhar wrote:Wow, so this act dates from 1979, well before any serious troubles started in Sri Lanka!

The act is a masterpiece. For instance, this

For whatever it is worth, India has a bunch of far worse laws hanging around from the British times when draconian laws were enacted to brutally suppress the population.

Sigh....

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 08 Sep 2009 15:21

pgbhat
You have a point but remember you are bombing your fellow countrymen ... NATO is not.....

Hmm. So people from ones own country are human beings and people from another country are animals that we can kill according to our own wishes. To me this looks like pretty western way of thinking.
This kind of thinking is the reason for innumerable innocent deaths of innocent people in
Hiroshima, Dresden, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq and now Afghanistan, just to name a few.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 09 Sep 2009 01:29

thusitha wrote:Hmm. So people from ones own country are human beings and people from another country are animals that we can kill according to our own wishes. To me this looks like pretty western way of thinking.
This kind of thinking is the reason for innumerable innocent deaths of innocent people in
Hiroshima, Dresden, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Iraq and now Afghanistan, just to name a few.

I'm not sure why you even posted NATO bombing here. Srilanka killing its citizens is a shame, just because NATO does the same will not make it right. Also, NATO bombing Afghans is not the same as SLAF bombing tamils in the north east. Like it or not, Tamils are SL citizens but NATO does not give 2 hoots on Afghanistan, they are in Afghanistan to fulfill their own agenda.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 09 Sep 2009 02:42

thusitha & Kashyap: I am curious to know why you choose to post in BRF?

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 09 Sep 2009 14:39

SwamyG
thusitha & Kashyap: I am curious to know why you choose to post in BRF?

The reason I post here is to show things in the perspective of Sri Lankans (Actually Sri Lankan expat and this might not be the same view as the SL in SL).

Do you have a problem about it? Don't you want to SL to post on here? Then it would be like SL creating a forum relating to India and do not won't the Indians to post on it. That would be very boring.

I give my perspective on things. Some times I am right, some times I am wrong.

And SwamyG, why do you think we post here?

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 09 Sep 2009 18:26

Javee
I'm not sure why you even posted NATO bombing here. Srilanka killing its citizens is a shame, just because NATO does the same will not make it right. Also, NATO bombing Afghans is not the same as SLAF bombing tamils in the north east. Like it or not, Tamils are SL citizens but NATO does not give 2 hoots on Afghanistan, they are in Afghanistan to fulfill their own agenda.

The reason I posted the NATO bombing is to show the double standard applied to SL by the west. Yes, you are right SL killing citizens is a shame. What you are saying is to treat citizens of your own country to the rest of the world. I have been living overseas most of my life, and I cannot agree with you regarding this. Value of the innocent life you be equal without any regard to the nationality or ethnicity.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 09 Sep 2009 18:52

No, I don't have any problem with you posting here. I was wondering the motivation to spend so much time here. It shows it matters to you what we think and write here.

Don't worry about us getting bored here, we have variety of people here

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 09 Sep 2009 21:10

thusitha wrote:The reason I posted the NATO bombing is to show the double standard applied to SL by the west. Yes, you are right SL killing citizens is a shame. What you are saying is to treat citizens of your own country to the rest of the world.

No one said world is fair, so there is no point in comparing each other.

I have been living overseas most of my life, and I cannot agree with you regarding this. Value of the innocent life you be equal without any regard to the nationality or ethnicity.

Regardless of you agreeing with me, every nation just cares for their own citizens, so you cannot expect compassion from NATO in Afghanistan.

melonski · Post by **melonski** » 10 Sep 2009 22:14

Sri Lanka: Detention of Tamil civilians to continue indefinitely
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/0 ... 618143.php
Saturday, August 22, 2009 : Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse reiterated on Monday that up to 300,000 Tamil civilians who fled the fighting in the final days of the country’s protracted civil war will remain incarcerated indefinitely. Their detention in squalid camps near Vavuniya and Jaffna as de facto prisoners of war is a flagrant abuse of democratic rights.

It is now three months since the army overran the last stronghold of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in northern Sri Lanka. Thousands of civilians were killed in the final battles as the military indiscriminately bombarded the LTTE’s positions with artillery and from the air. Many of those who survived were injured and suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. They were herded into “welfare villages” surrounded by barbed wire and heavily armed troops.

Amid widespread international criticism, the government initially promised to resettle 80 percent of the detainees within 180 days. However, that pledge was quickly dropped after Sri Lanka with the backing of Russia and China blocked a resolution in the UN Human Rights Council that called for greater access to the detention camps.

The arbitrary detention of hundreds of thousands of Tamils, including the elderly and the very young, underscores the communal character of the war. For all the official propaganda about “liberating” Tamil civilians, the latest comments by Defence Secretary Rajapakse in the Island on Monday make clear that the government and the military regard all Tamils as the enemy—members of the “terrorist Tigers”.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 11 Sep 2009 08:00

melonski
Sri Lanka: Detention of Tamil civilians to continue indefinitely

---------------------
You seem to be quoting old news. This was published on 22 of August. If there is any truth in it TamilNet would have had a field day. Most probably GR is being misquoted purposely. No one can keep people in this type of camps indefinitely.

melonski · Post by **melonski** » 11 Sep 2009 12:24

Thursday, 10 September 2009 07:03 UK
Monsoon worry in Sri Lanka camps
Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8247195.stm
Sri Lankan civilians
It's feared that civilians could suffer when the monsoon arrives

A British charity worker who has recently visited camps holding more than 250,000 refugees in Sri Lanka says there are concerns about the monsoon.
The worker said that military authorities in charge of the camps were treating the forthcoming rains with some urgency.

Last month sudden storms flooded many of the vast camps, submerging toilets and contaminating water.

Thousands of makeshift homes were also damaged in the rainfall.

The monsoon is due next month.

An official of the UK-based Catholic Fund for Overseas Development, or Cafod, Geoff O'Donoghue, visited the camps with two British bishops, and said one of the military officers in charge there was overseeing an extension of the camp to ease crowding.

"As the monsoon comes in there is deep concern, both expressed by the brigadier in the camp and workers in the camp," Mr O'Donoghue said.

"A potential crisis could brew there if the rains come through and those camps are still as congested as they are [now]."

The Sri Lankan authorities are still preventing nearly all those in the camps from leaving.

The government has just announced though that relatives or friends of those inside can now apply to accommodate them.

Such relatives, like the camp dwellers, will also be subject to screening for possible links with the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels.

Meanwhile, the Catholic church has proposed that 12,000 of the displaced people be allowed to move to a large local church and shrine as a first step to returning home.

Mr O'Donoghue said the plan had passed several stages of government approval.

melonski · Post by **melonski** » 11 Sep 2009 12:26

War refugees kept in Sri Lanka "welfare camps"
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/ ... 64658.html

Sri Lanka's government has been accused of killing thousands of its own civilian citizens, war crimes, rape, torture and inhuman treatment of hundreds of thousands of refugees from its war against the Tamil Tigers.

Al Jazeera has conducted its own investigation into the conflict and spoken to Tamils who have suffered and aid workers who have remained silent until now, revealing testimonies that call into question the version of events Sri Lanka's government wants the world to believe.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 11 Sep 2009 17:40

In the latest Frontline there is a pic of the massive amount of landmines recovered from the battlezone,which is a major worry for the Lankan govt. before the IDPs are sent home.Another media report says that the 50 Indian doctors have returrned to India after their work in the refugee camps and that in the last several months ,treating tens of thousands of people,only two deaths occured because those who died were brought into the camps in a critical condition.There is a clear difference between reports from Indian journalists who have visited the ex-conflict zone and those of western origin,who want to smear the GOSL as much as possible in revenge for their gameplan being defeated.The Eelam diaspora also still has huge funds available to buy their reporters,NGOs and foreign politicos.Al Jazeera is generally more accurate and independent and one is not disputing the veracity of their journo's report here.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 12 Sep 2009 13:14

10,000 released, another 290,000 or so to go

http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090912_02

Govt. release 9900 IDPs to their hometowns
The resettlement of the internally displaced spearheaded by Special Presidential Adviser and MP, Basil Rajapaksa,Chairman of the Northern Task Force yesterday (11 September) released 9900 internally displaced persons housed at the Menik Farm in Vavuniya to their hometowns, these IDPs were provided transport through state buses to reach their homes by the authorities.

The hometowns they reach are now cleared of mines buried by the LTTE during the war period.

Among those released were 6838 to Jaffna, 2170 to Trincomalee, 683 to Batticaloa and 274 to Ampara.

Among them were 74 students selected to the Jaffna University. They were sent back in special buses under armed escort.

Northern Task Force Head, Basil Rajapaksa, Ministers Risath Badiutheen and Douglas Devananda, Northern Province Governor G. A. Chanbdrasiri, Governor Eastern Province Mohan Wijewickrema and several other high ranking state officials were present on the occasion where all IDPs left with smiles to reach their homes.