Sri Lanka - News and Discussion

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 03 Oct 2009 17:19

After the catastrophic annihilation of the LTTE,the Eelam diaspora still armed with annual earnings of hundreds of millions of dollars,is trying to claw its way back into the limelight.The "usual suspects" of agent provocateurs in TN are being pumped up yet again to bring the issue back to the front pages,like the invasion of the Lankan High Commission in Delhi,clearly a pre-planned act.Fishermen being attacked has been the standard ploy being used by ther Eelamists who have been funding the Palk Strait smuggling for decades.The Katchativu demand is a new ploy to try and create tension within India,as thousands of LTTE cadre/sympathisers are believed to still be at large in the island.The mopping up ops have along way to go as well as the de-mining of the northern battlefields.Alarmed at the huge coopertaion that exists between the GOI and the GOSL,the Eelamists are trying to sabotage these honest efforts at restoring the north of the island as a fit place for the northern Tamils to live and work in peace and with dignity.The Diaspora's bameplan is to disrupt this as much as possible,because if a genuine peaceful situation is created in the north,it will be the end of their extortion rackets and the route to easy money,as many European nations will want the so-called "refugees" to go back! Therefore,one can clearly see who truly wants an endless war in the island,the Eelam diaspora,leeches and vampires of their own community.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 03 Oct 2009 18:46

Centre moots granting citizenship for Lankan refugees

October 03, 2009 17:41 IST

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] said on Saturday that the Centre would consider a proposal by the Tamil Nadu government to grant Indian citizenship to all Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in the state.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi [ Images ] had earlier urged the Centre to grant Indian citizenships to these refugees.

Briefing reporters after meeting Karaunanidhi, Chidambaram said: "The matter will be considered after holding talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna [ Images ]."

Commenting on sending a delegation of Indian MPs to Sri Lanka [ Images ] to assess the post- conflict situation there, Chidambaram said it is also under the consideration of the Union Government.

The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazagam (DMK) adopted a resolution on September 26 on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of former state Chief Minister C N Annadurai and asked Centre to grant citizenship and rehabilitate over 100,000 refugees in the state.

Meanwhile, spiritual leader Ravi Shankar had backed the Tamil Nadu Government's demand and said his Art of Living Foundation would conduct a signature campaign in support of this demand.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/ ... fugees.htm

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 03 Oct 2009 21:00

So the Kaangress is trying to re-create the Eelam problem inside of Tamil Nadu.

In their blind desire to be all things to all people, and to get all possible votes, they are selling out the stability of the country. In order to make ends meet today, they always try to mortgage the future.

The day will come when the Eelamists campaign to have Tamil Nadu turned into the separate country called Eelam.

Chidambaram doesn't care about anything except getting re-elected, which he seemed to only be able to achieve by the skin of his teeth the last time, through a "re-count".

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 03 Oct 2009 23:44

Kashyap wrote:
may be TN fishermen folk are 2nd grade citizens for GoI??
Or...maybe their stories are a just a *little* over exaggerated, and possibly even false? Like the following:
‘We were forced to use Tricolour as loin cloth’

So that article just disproves all the atrocities that SLN navy did? Nice weirdo logic, and you still wonder why the fishermen hates SLN ??
Fishermen from the Coramandel coast from Tanjavoor to Kanyakumari are complaining, may be they are "over" exaggerative and SLN is pure as snow.

There is always an end, it may not be near, but its not too far and I meant our patience

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 03 Oct 2009 23:51

Sanjay M wrote:So the Kaangress is trying to re-create the Eelam problem inside of Tamil Nadu.
In their blind desire to be all things to all people, and to get all possible votes, they are selling out the stability of the country. In order to make ends meet today, they always try to mortgage the future.

May be this is what they call history repeats?? After 1971, the refugees of East Bengal settled in West Bengal, Assam and NE states. Most of the refugees came to India just prior to war and then settled in India with citizenship. Most of the Srilankan refugees in camps in TN came here in the 80's, most of the newer generation refugees were born, studied, wok and live here. So I don't see anything wrong in accommodating them because either way they live here with or with out citizenship.

The day will come when the Eelamists campaign to have Tamil Nadu turned into the separate country called Eelam.

Ok.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 04 Oct 2009 01:16

Will GOi show similar benevolence and gant same citizenship right to the refuggees in J&K ,suffering since 47?

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 02:37

Sanjay M
So the Kaangress is trying to re-create the Eelam problem inside of Tamil Nadu.

In their blind desire to be all things to all people, and to get all possible votes, they are selling out the stability of the country. In order to make ends meet today, they always try to mortgage the future.

These people have been living in India for almost 30 years. Aren't they almost Indian now? Also, it is just around 100,000. Surely India with around billion people should be able to accommodate that. Wouldn't it be good for the relation between the centre and TN.

The day will come when the Eelamists campaign to have Tamil Nadu turned into the separate country called Eelam.

I thought this type of stuff is in the past. Clearly last election results in TN showed that Tamil people are against LTTE. Hence against any separatism. So has some thing happened to change this? Surely India with RAW and a large army would be able to nip in the bud any such movements.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 04 Oct 2009 03:02

thusitha wrote: These people have been living in India for almost 30 years. Aren't they almost Indian now? Also, it is just around 100,000. Surely India with around billion people should be able to accommodate that. Wouldn't it be good for the relation between the centre and TN.

There are two things here. Humanitarian, and what is GoSL's duties towards its citizens. But what can we expect a country that dis-enfranchises its fellow Tamil people in the name of Sinhalese chauvinism, well it is a circle. Good deeds get blessed with good rewards and bad with bad, aint that what the Buddha say?

I thought this type of stuff is in the past.

Duh, and you take his comments seriously? The guy essentially provides comic relief on this thread.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 04 Oct 2009 03:13

Prem wrote:Will GOi show similar benevolence and gant same citizenship right to the refuggees in J&K ,suffering since 47?

What citizenship rights to J&K refugees? Last I checked, J&K ratified Indian constitution, therefore legal residents of that state are Indian citizens, so how do you grant citizenship rights to people who are already citizens?

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 04 Oct 2009 03:18

thusitha wrote:These people have been living in India for almost 30 years. Aren't they almost Indian now? Also, it is just around 100,000. Surely India with around billion people should be able to accommodate that. Wouldn't it be good for the relation between the centre and TN.

Sure, you live in India for 30 years and they are almost Indian. You live for 2000 years, yet they are still an outsider in SL

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 03:32

Javee
Sure, you live in India for 30 years and they are almost Indian. You live for 2000 years, yet they are still an outsider in SL

Who said that, they are welcome to come to SL. What can we do if that is not what they wish?

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 04 Oct 2009 03:38

thusitha wrote: Who said that, they are welcome to come to SL. What can we do if that is not what they wish?

Did you read my previous posts from the book by Jeyaratnam Wilson?

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 03:41

Stan_Savljevic

There are two things here. Humanitarian, and what is GoSL's duties towards its citizens. But what can we expect a country that dis-enfranchises its fellow Tamil people in the name of Sinhalese chauvinism, well it is a circle. Good deeds get blessed with good rewards and bad with bad, aint that what the Buddha say?

I think we have bigger problems with IDPs than the Refugees in India. I think that is where governments main focus is right now. It is a daunting task to handle 300,000 IDPs plus Refugees plus rebuilding and reconstruction of the country.

The funny thing is, why DMK want to give citizenship to these SL refugees now. Why didn't they try to do this when the war was raging. I mean six months or 1 year earlier? It is because now GoI is considering sending them back as the war is over?

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 04 Oct 2009 03:43

thusitha wrote: The funny thing is, why DMK want to give citizenship to these SL refugees now.

How many times would you have CNA's 100th birth anniversary? Btw, GoTN cannot give anyone citizenship. That is the imperative of GoI. DMK in its capacity passed a resolution favoring granting citizenship to the refugees on a humanitarian basis. This move has been welcomed by a few other parties in TN.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 03:55

Stan_Savljevic
Did you read my previous posts from the book by Jeyaratnam Wilson?

I read that. But aren't these refugees war refugees? The war is over at least for the foreseeable future. People have to wait and see few more years about complaints of discriminations and how they are being addressed. If some of the projects planned in SL takes off properly we will see discrimination complaints being reduced.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 04:13

Javee
So that article just disproves all the atrocities that SLN navy did? Nice weirdo logic, and you still wonder why the fishermen hates SLN ??
Fishermen from the Coramandel coast from Tanjavoor to Kanyakumari are complaining, may be they are "over" exaggerative and SLN is pure as snow.

First, SL forces have been accused of many things. Accused of using chemical weapons, phosphorus e.t.c. Recently they are accused of using rape as a weapon of war. There is always a value of lying and making a huge incident for people who are smugglers. The only way to stop people coming to SL waters is to treat them very badly, so people think twice before trying to pull off such things. Indian navy should correspond in the similar fashion. How else can we stop incursions to each others waters? Giving them coffee and biscuits when they cross maritime boundaries?

Even Indian navy cannot stop TN fishermen coming to SL waters? So what do you expect a our navy to do? It is not easy thing to figure out who is an innocent fisherman and who is a gun runner, drug smuggler e.t.c.

Maybe these fishermen who plan to go to the borders should be given a GPS. Or rent a GPS programme (Not sure how economically viable this is)

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 04 Oct 2009 04:55

thusitha wrote: The only way to stop people coming to SL waters is to treat them very badly, so people think twice before trying to pull off such things. Indian navy should correspond in the similar fashion. How else can we stop incursions to each others waters? Giving them coffee and biscuits when they cross maritime boundaries?

And how do you know Indian fishermen ventured in to SL waters all the time, for sure? What if the SLN pre empted them in international waters? Its not like a land border where they have razor wires and mines. How are you so sure that these incidents did not happen in International waters?

And ramming fishermen boats and firing at them is not a solution perpetuated by rest of the civilized world for trespassing in to EEZ waters.

Even Indian navy cannot stop TN fishermen coming to SL waters? So what do you expect a our navy to do? It is not easy thing to figure out who is an innocent fisherman and who is a gun runner, drug smuggler e.t.c.

Indian fishermen have traditional rights guaranteed by both Indian and SL govts for fishing in Katcha theevu area. So there is nothing that we can do under law to stop these fishermen.

Maybe these fishermen who plan to go to the borders should be given a GPS. Or rent a GPS programme (Not sure how economically viable this is)

The fishermen have GPS, some of them do willfully violate SL territorial waters, but that is never the case for mid sea firing and killing fishermen. And just because you do it does not mean we do it too. Indian authorities arrested 26 of your fishermen for straying in to Indian waters, they did not shoot them nor rammed their boats, just arrested them.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 04 Oct 2009 05:07

Prem wrote:Will GOi show similar benevolence and gant same citizenship right to the refuggees in J&K ,suffering since 47?

No, because Pandit Nehru's granddaughter-in-law isn't really a Pandit, and couldn't care less.

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 04 Oct 2009 05:22

Javee
Indian fishermen have traditional rights guaranteed by both Indian and SL govts for fishing in Katcha theevu area. So there is nothing that we can do under law to stop these fishermen.

So, the so called innocent fisherman are prepared to risk their lives to exercise their fishing rights and take on SL army? This is bit unusual. Are these people that desperate to risk their lives for few fish?

And how do you know Indian fishermen ventured in to SL waters all the time, for sure? What if the SLN pre empted them in international waters? Its not like a land border where they have razor wires and mines. How are you so sure that these incidents did not happen in International waters?

If this not the case, Indian Navy should monitor this and should protect your innocent fisherman. Indian navy should try to and trap SL Navy. It is the duty of the Indian navy to protect their innocent fisherman if they are being harassed by SL Navy. Indian Navy should be quite capable to do that, don't you think so?

Indian authorities arrested 26 of your fishermen for straying in to Indian waters, they did not shoot them nor rammed their boats, just arrested them.

That is because there are no arms shipments from SL to India. If for some reason SLs are providing arms to separatist movements in India, your navy wouldn't be that caring.

Every time SL Navy go near these fisherman they risk death. So, I think SL navy has every right to be aggressive.

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 04 Oct 2009 07:13

thusitha wrote:So, the so called innocent fisherman are prepared to risk their lives to exercise their fishing rights and take on SL army? This is bit unusual. Are these people that desperate to risk their lives for few fish?

Thats hardly unusual. Most fishermen brave the elements to go get a decent catch every time they go out to the ocean.

If this not the case, Indian Navy should monitor this and should protect your innocent fisherman. Indian navy should try to and trap SL Navy. It is the duty of the Indian navy to protect their innocent fisherman if they are being harassed by SL Navy. Indian Navy should be quite capable to do that, don't you think so?

And thats exactly my comments on the original post. Indian Navy and coast guard is capable of stopping SLN with their pants down, but they haven't done so far. Geo politics at play.

That is because there are no arms shipments from SL to India. If for some reason SLs are providing arms to separatist movements in India, your navy wouldn't be that caring.
Every time SL Navy go near these fisherman they risk death. So, I think SL navy has every right to be aggressive.

Thats funny, how many arms shipments did LTTE got from India in the last 10 years?? Did they ever got a major haul of arms crossing from TN side to SL in the recent past? LTTE stopped procuring arms from India when they lost official support and to be frank there is nothing much they can get in India when compared to Africa/Thai/China.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 04 Oct 2009 07:41

Light at the end of the tunnel for Jaffna - Mayoress

by Ananth PALAKIDNAR

Mayoress of Jaffna Yogeswari Patkunaraja

Yogeswari Patkunaraja was elected as the 25th Mayor of Jaffna, at the Local Government polls to the Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) held recently. The second woman to be elected to this position, she will be sworn in as the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Mayoress for Jaffna before President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 12. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer, Yogeswari Patkunaraja outlines her vision for Jaffna.

Q: You have been elected as the Mayoress of Jaffna. How do you see your new position?

A: First of all, I thank my people for electing me as their Mayoress.The Jaffna Municipal Council, which is one of the oldest Local Government bodies in Sri Lanka, had been defunct for more than two decades. Three Mayors, Alfred Duraiyappah, Sarojini Yogeswaran and K. Sivapalan were assassinated by the LTTE. The majestic Jaffna Municipal Council building, which was identical to the Jaffna Public Library, was also blown up by the LTTE in the early eighties.

Now, with the end of LTTE terrorism,the city of Jaffna and the entire Northern Province have to be rebuilt to regain their former pristine glory. Therefore, as the new Mayoress of Jaffna, I see there is a huge task lying ahead of me in rebuilding the city of Jaffna which was known to be a clean and highly cultured city in the good old days.

http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2009/10/04/pol02.asp

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 04 Oct 2009 07:51

Javee wrote: So that article just disproves all the atrocities that SLN navy did? Nice weirdo logic, and you still wonder why the fishermen hates SLN ??
Fishermen from the Coramandel coast from Tanjavoor to Kanyakumari are complaining, may be they are "over" exaggerative and SLN is pure as snow.

There is always an end, it may not be near, but its not too far and I meant our patience

Yes, maybe they do over exaggerate. That's a possibility too. Let's hope the end is when Tamil Nadu fisherman stop poaching in Sri Lankan waters and end their gun running/smuggling side business and Sri Lankan fisherman stop poaching in Indian waters or some sort of agreement is made. During the height of the war when these reports of 'attacks' came out, joint patrolling by Sri Lankan and Indian navies was mooted. Who opposed it? The very people who are now (still) complaining about such 'attacks.' But I suppose according to the Tamil Nadu fisherman, as mentioned in the article I posted, the Indian navy is in cahoots with the Sri Lankan navy

From the fishermen's point of view, straying takes place inadvertently, due to sheer ignorance about maritime boundaries. At times, the drift is because of engine failure or strong currents. At the same time however, quite a few Indian fishermen engage in free floating to exploit marine resources in Sri Lankan waters, knowing fully well, the risks involved in crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Sri Lankan waters have rich untapped shrimp and other marine products. Growing markets for marine resources and increasing investments back home have emboldened Tamil Nadu fishermen to take risks. Many of these fishermen have also asserted their traditional fishing rights around Kachchathivu, notwithstanding the Maritime Agreement of 1974 and Exchange of Letters of 1976 between the two countries. Under the Agreement, although Indian fishermen are allowed access to Katchthivu for rest, drying of nets and for the annual St. Anthony's festival, they have not been granted fishing rights around the island.

http://www.ipcs.org/article_details.php?articleNo=2632

Even Sri Lankan Tamil fishermen don't seem to be too happy with what Tamil Nadu fishermen are doing:

Indo-Lankan fishermen clash in mid-sea

A mid-sea clash, lasting nearly six hours, in which about 400 Indian fishermen were attacked by Sri Lankan fishermen off the Rameshwaram coast on March 3 has triggered off an unrest in the small fishing town in south Tamil Nadu. Seventy-five Indian fishermen and 19 mechanised boats were forcibly taken away by the Sri Lankan fishermen. Forty-two more fishermen were abducted the next day. Two of the fishermen were said to have been seriously injured in the attack and admitted to a hospital at Talaimannar in Sri Lanka. Some of the boats too were said to have been damaged in the attack. The Sri Lankan fishermen unleashed the attack on their Indian counterparts for allegedly fishing in the catch-rich Kachchateevu waters, which fall within Sri Lankan territory.

http://news.indiamart.com/news-analysis ... -2107.html

In my opinion, the tantrums thrown by various Tamil Nadu politicians should not be allowed to get in the way of Indo-Lankan relations and Sri Lanka ought to work very hard to stop Tamil Nadu from throwing a spanner in the works.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 04 Oct 2009 10:25

I wish the DMK would stop acting like the Pak Pashtuns.

Really, our own people are disrespecting international borders as if they were Pashtuns crossing the "Durand Line"

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 05 Oct 2009 23:58

No recent evidence of rape as weapon in Lanka: US
http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/ ... nka-us.htm

The old albions and the new albions are similar....

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 06 Oct 2009 06:59

Karuna for refugees back in Sri Lanka
http://www.hindu.com/2009/10/06/storie ... 51700.htm

B. Muralidhar Reddy
COLOMBO: Minister of National Integration Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman has said there is no need for India to grant citizenship to Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu.

“Colonel” Karuna, former LTTE commander, told the Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror that there was no need for such a gesture as the situation in Sri Lanka had improved.

“The situation in the country was now very good and it would be better to receive the Sri Lankan refugees back in the island,” the Minister told the paper.

Stan_Savljevic · Post by **Stan_Savljevic** » 07 Oct 2009 01:47

For those who have a passport and the money getting to India is not a problem at all. In the villages, they inform the army that they are going to Colombo to see their relatives. Once they reach Colombo they just leave for India. The Sinhalese do not object to any Tamil leaving for India. In fact they don't object to any Tamil leaving for any country, Tamils, who have come over from Sri Lanka, told rediff.com.

http://news.rediff.com/special/2009/oct ... e-camp.htm

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 08 Oct 2009 08:45

Hindu Religious Ceremonies Get Underway

The Hindu ceremony to invoke blessing on the Army on its 60th Anniversary was held at Sri Balaselvanayagam Murthi Kovil, Captain Gardens, Colombo 10 Tuesday (06) afternoon.

Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Brigadier R. Rathnasingham, President of the Sri Lanka Army Hindu Association and a host of senior officers and other ranks attended the special pooja conducted by the Head Priest Bhrmachari B. Shanmuganathan Sharma Kurukkal.

The Army flag was blessed at the Kovil by the Head Priest Kurukkal Shanmuganathan Sharma and later on he blessed the Army Commander according to Hindu religious traditions.

Lt. Gen. Jayasuriya in recognition of the Kovil’s long service rendered to the Army, presented Rs. 50,000/= as a contribution for renovation of the temple. The Commander also donated a brass bell to the temple.

http://www.army.lk/detailed.php?NewsId=1347

Islamic Religious Observances to Mark Army 60th Anniversary Performed at Davatagaha Mosque

The Islamic religious ceremony to bless the Sri Lanka Army on its 60th Anniversary and the Army Day on 10th October took place on Monday (05) at the Davatagaha Jumma Masjid Shrine Colombo 2.

A series of religious observances coinciding with the 60th Anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army commenced on Friday (02) with the Flag Blessing ceremony at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi Anuradhapura.

Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Chief Guest at the ceremony lit the oil lamp and garlanded the holy place Ziyarath of Sheik Husman Valiyullah at the mosque before prayers were conducted by a section of Muslim maulavis, headed by Maulavi Rev. Sayed Hassan who commenced invoking blessings on the Army and its members.

Army Commander later on signed the VIP Book maintained in the mosque at the invitation of the Managing Trustee of the mosque Rev. Reyyaz M. Salley subsequent to Islamic religious rites.

The Davatagaha mosque religious ceremony was attended by, President Army Muslim Association Major General Abdul Zaheer, Senior Army Officers and members of the Army Muslim Association.

http://www.army.lk/detailed.php?NewsId=1341

Lankan Prez to visit Nepal

Kuvera Chalise

KATHMANDU: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who had to cut short his visit to Nepal in March following an attack on the national cricket team in Pakistan, is expected to be here by the end of October.

He is scheduled to inaugurate a Sri Lankan monastery in Lumbini. Last time around, Rajapakse could not visit Lumbini since the terror strike coincided with his trip to the birth place of Lord Buddha. “The details of his visit are yet to be worked out,” said a source at the Sri Lankan Embassy.

Sri Lanka is the current chair of the eight-member regional bloc of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Sri Lankan president will be the first SAARC chairperson to visit Lumbini. A majority of the population in the Emerald Isle follows Buddhism.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNe ... wsID=37613

Indian Navy in Sri Lanka

In a first after the 27-year-old war with the LTTE ended in May, a group of 140 Indian Navy and Coast Guard cadets reached Sri Lanka on Monday as part of a training programme with cadets from the Sri Lankan navy.

The cadets came on two Indian navy war ships, from the Cochin-based first training squadron, and a coast guard ship.

INS Shardul, INS Krishna and coast guard ship Varuna have docked off the Colombo port and will be in Sri Lanka till October 10. Both Shardul and Krishna, originally a British Navy ship, are warships which are now used to train cadets. Both can carry a helicopter each.

``Two Sri Lankan navy ships will also be part of the interaction in the next few days. The Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) ships taking part would be Sayura and Samudra,’’ SLN spokesperson, Commander DKP Dasanayake told HT. Originally, SLNS Sayura was INS Sarayu, which was sold to the Lankan navy 2000.

Dasanayake added that the Indian cadets will be visiting among other places the military and naval academy in Trincomalee. ``We have also lined up a football match between cadets from the two countries,’’ he said, adding that at the peak of the conflict with the LTTE such interactions could not be held.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indian-Na ... 61602.aspx

Sri Lanka Navy Officer Cadets join Indian Naval Ships for Sea Training

INS Shardul and ICGS Varuna which arrived to the island yesterday in response to an invitation extended by the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, commenced joined Naval Exercise with their Sri Lankan counterparts today. The exercise code named ‘Cadex 2009’ will go on till 08th October 2009. 107 Officer Cadets of the Sri Lanka Navy’s Naval and Maritime Academy joined the exercise to avail themselves a unique opportunity to be part of a Naval Exercise. The mission of the exercise is to provide Sri Lanka Naval Cadets an opportunity to train onboard Indian Ships and for Sri Lanka Navy ships to enhance and exchange knowledge with Indian ships.

The exercise began in the Western waters of Sri Lanka with SLNS Sayura and SLNS Samudura joining the formation as a part of the program where many areas of evaluations are to be carried out. Casting off Procedures, Seamanship Evaluations, Coastal Navigation, FLYEX and NBCD Exercise are some of the areas which will be evaluated.

The ‘Helo Ops’ conducted today on the Helo decks of Sri Lanka Navy’s craft was a focal point. The Vertical Replenishment Procedures (VERTREP) conducted availed the Sri Lankan Naval personnel on board SLNS Sayura and SLNS Samudura to gain valuable exposure and experience. Sri Lanka Navy is in the possession of four vessels capable of carrying helicopters. Plans are in the offing to have a Naval air wing in the future as well.

The visiting Indian Naval Cadets who are at present at the Naval and Maritime Academy in Tricomalee are participating in an interactive program which will give them a better understanding of the Sri Lanka Navy. These exercise programs are expected to boost bilateral relationship and mutual cooperation between the two navies.

http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=1919

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 09 Oct 2009 06:48

.
Hunger striker's £7m Big Mac: Tamil who cost London a fortune in policing was sneaking in fast-food

Tamil takeaways: 'Hunger striker' Parameswaran Subramaniyan, sitting outside the Houses of Parliament, secretly ate McDonald's burgers

By Stephen Wright

09th October 2009

He was the hunger striker at the centre of one of the longest-running demonstrations ever mounted in Britain.

For weeks Parameswaran Subramaniyan lay in a tent outside the Houses of Parliament as Tamils protested about the plight of relatives under attack in Sri Lanka.

At one stage, his supporters claimed he was 'critically weak'.

The protest finally ended in June, but two revelations put it back in the spotlight yesterday.

First, police said it had left them with a £7.1million overtime bill.

Then it emerged that Mr Subramaniyan, 28, had eased his ordeal by secretly eating McDonald's burgers.

Scotland Yard surveillance teams using specialist monitoring equipment had watched in disbelief as he tucked into the clandestine deliveries.

A police insider said: 'In view of the overtime bill, this has got to be most expensive Big Mac ever.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -food.html

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 09 Oct 2009 07:09

Self-sacrifice FAIL.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 09 Oct 2009 11:25

Congress, DMK delegation to visit Lanka

U Anand Kumar

09 Oct 2009 11:04:57 AM IST

NEW DELHI: A delegation of Congress and DMK MPs is leaving for Sri Lanka on October 10 for an on-the-spot assessment of the difficulties faced by displaced Tamils.

The MPs would visit some of the relief camps. The delegation is likely to return to India on October 14 and submit a report to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on its findings and suggest steps Delhi should take to mitigate the problems of Tamils in the island nation.

The delegation comprises four Congress MPs — Sudarsana Nachiappan (Rajya Sabha), N S V Chittan, Aaron Rashid and S Alagiri from Lok Sabha.

Sources said former Union Minister T R Baalu and Kanimozhi would represent DMK, and A K S Vijayan, Helen Davidson and T K S Elangovan were likely to join the DMK delegation.

Though reports suggested that Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin could lead the delegation, sources said Stalin would not be part of it. Baalu is likely to lead the delegation.

Nachiappan said the members of the delegation had been asked to meet in Chennai on Friday for a briefing. Congress and DMK MPs had met the PM last month to press for sending an MPs team to Lanka to study the plight of displaced Tamils.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... ehHe7IsSU=

Sri Lanka's president goes for home victory

Thu Oct 8, 2009 10:48am EDT

By Ranga Sirilal

COLOMBO, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's native Southern Province goes to the polls on Saturday, handing him another political boost before he calls early national elections soon after.

Victory for parties in Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance ruling coalition is all but certain, with major development work under way and his popularity at a peak after defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels and ending a 25-year war in May.

Rajapaksa's allies say they expect him to call an early presidential vote in January and parliamentary polls in March.

"He wants this to be a show of strength," said Rajpal Abeynayake, editor of the weekly Lakbima News English-language paper. "There is no hurdle for him. He has been winning all the recent elections.

"He wants to show that they can get 70-80 percent which will lead to a two-thirds majority at the upcoming general election."

Rajapaksa's ruling coalition has won all six provincial elections, at which voters elect representatives to the provincial councils, held since May 2008. Only the formerly Tiger-ruled Northern Province has yet to vote.

Were Rajapaksa to gain a two-thirds majority in the parliament, he would have the votes to change Sri Lanka's constitution.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCr ... SCOL434148

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 09 Oct 2009 15:51

Then...

Pro-LTTE supporters protest against Sri Lanka

Chennai, May 29 (ANI): Hundreds of pro-LTTE supporters under the banner of Viduthali Chiruthai Katchi, took out a mass rally in Chennai on Thursday to protest against Sri Lankan offensive on the ethnic Tamils in the island nation.

The protesters raised slogans against Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and demanded that he be declared a war criminal for initiating military action against the LTTE.

"On May 16, 17 Sinhalese many Tamils were killed. LTTE leaders went for compromise but they were killed ... The party condemns action of Sri Lanka.

UN and international community should announce Mahinda Rajapaksa as a war criminal before a court. We urge the international community to give maximum punishment of hanging to Rajapaksa," said Thol Thirumavalavan, General Secretary, Viduthali Chiruthai Katchi, Chennai.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jf ... _Sri_Lanka

Close down Sri Lankan mission in Chennai - Thirumaavalavan

The leader of Viduthalai Chi'ruththaika'l Kadchi (VCK, Liberation Panthers Party), Thol. Thirumavalavan called upon the Indian Government to close down the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Tamil Nadu, while addressing a demonstration held in Chennai on Thursday by Tamil Protection Movement, attended by a large gathering.

He blamed the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai of indulging in "vituperative disinformation campaign" against the Tamil people struggling for their human rights. By publishing books and releasing statements against the Tamils, the Deputy High Commission was trying to malign the Tamil liberation struggle. Therefore, he demanded that the present consulate should be shut down and Sri Lanka should not be allowed to have an office in any corner of Tamil Nadu.

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=25121&catid=79

Now...

Ten Tamil MPs to travel to Sri Lanka tomorrow

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) A delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu will travel to Sri Lanka tomorrow to see for themselves the situation in camps where more than 3 lakh Tamils, displaced due to the civil war there, are currently living.

The delegation comprising 10 MPs from DMK, Congress and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) will leave from Chennai on a five-day visit to Sri Lanka during which they are expected to meet various Tamil leaders.

VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan, a first-time MP, will also be a member of the team.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/322498_Ten- ... a-tomorrow

Russia will assist Lanka without conditions: Envoy

STAFF WRITER 14:16 HRS IST

Colombo, Oct 9 (PTI) Assuring that it will render unconditional assistance to Sri Lanka, Russia has said it always respected the national dignity and sovereignty of the country.

"My country supported Sri Lanka starting from its struggle for independence, in building its national economy and of course in its struggle against terrorism," Russian Ambassador to Sri Lanka Vladimir Mikhaylov said yesterday.

"We have always respected the sovereignty, independence and the national dignity of Sri Lanka and will render all possible assistance without any conditions," he said.

The Russian Federation provided Sri Lanka an aid worth USD 5.82 lakh including two mobile power stations, tents, blankets, food items like canned meat and canned fish together, medicines and disinfectants for the IDPs in the North.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/322363_Russ ... ons--Envoy

Sri Lanka, India coal plant deal to be inked in November

Oct 09, 2009 (LBO) - Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka's state-run power utility, will sign a firm deal with India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to build a 500MegaWatt coal plant in November, an official said.

The plant is a 50/50 joint venture between CEB and NTPC with each partner putting 75 million US dollars of equity and 350 million US dollars in debt, additional general manager - transmission, Ranjith Gunawardana said.

Gunewardana said a power purchase agreement, a joint venture agreement and an implementation agreement would be signed in November following approval from Sri Lanka's cabinet of ministers.

He said a CEB official was in India and final touches were being put on the agreements. Once a power purchase agreement was signed, the coal plant would approach international lenders for debt financing, he said.

Land for the plant in Muttur, in the north eastern Trincomalee district, has already been vested with the state, officials said.

http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/full ... 1299218741

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 11 Oct 2009 00:41

Yatha raja tatha praja.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -food.html

Hunger striker's £7m Big Mac: Tamil who cost London a fortune in policing was sneaking in fast-food

By Stephen Wright
Last updated at 10:41 AM on 09th October 2009

He was the hunger striker at the centre of one of the longest-running demonstrations ever mounted in Britain.

For weeks Parameswaran Subramaniyan lay in a tent outside the Houses of Parliament as Tamils protested about the plight of relatives under attack in Sri Lanka.

At one stage, his supporters claimed he was 'critically weak'.

The protest finally ended in June, but two revelations put it back in the spotlight yesterday.

First, police said it had left them with a £7.1million overtime bill.

Then it emerged that Mr Subramaniyan, 28, had eased his ordeal by secretly eating McDonald's burgers.

Scotland Yard surveillance teams using specialist monitoring equipment had watched in disbelief as he tucked into the clandestine deliveries.

A police insider said: 'In view of the overtime bill, this has got to be most expensive Big Mac ever.'

Scotland Yard made no official comment but senior sources said police decided against dragging the bogus hunger striker out of his tent for fear it would start a riot.

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 11 Oct 2009 16:52

Jehadi who planned attack on Sri Lanka team held

October 11th, 2009 - 4:36 pm ICT by IANS

Pervez Musharraf Rawalpindi, Oct 11 (IANS) A terrorist arrested from the Pakistani Army headquarters has been identified as the mastermind of the attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team in March, a media report said Sunday.

Muhammad Aqeel alias Dr. Usman, a former Pakistani soldier, was taken into custody after he led an audacious attack on the army headquarters here Saturday that left some 20 people dead.

Geo TV reported that he was also the mastermind of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March that forced the visitors to cut short their trip and head home.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sou ... z0TcqdwU6E

Tamil Nadu delegation urges release of IDPs from camps

By N. Parameshwaran in Jaffna

A visiting Tamil Nadu parliamentary delegation today called for the release of the displaced people in camps in Vavuniya, the restoration of democracy and a political solution to the conflict.

In an address made at the Jaffna library this morning head of the visiting delegation T.R.Balu said a political solution is necessary to resolve the conflict which had lasted for more than 25 years.

He added that the Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils had a strong bond, a relationship which is also reflected in the ties between India and Sri Lanka.

Also speaking here Kanimozhi, daughter of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, said that the Tamil people should not shed tears anymore, the displaced people should be reunited with their families and democracy restored in the country.

During the visit to Jaffna the Tamil Nadu delegation had talks with Social service Minister Douglas Devananda and the Northern Province Governor Major General Chandrasiri. They also garlanded the statue of the late Chelvanayagam.

People lined up the streets in Jaffna to welcome the visiting Tamil MPs from Tamil Nadu who were scheduled to visit the IDP camps in Vavuniya this evening.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Secti ... RTID=64298

Ruling party sweeps provincial election in Sri Lanka

Oct 11, 2009, 2:52 GMT

Colombo - The ruling coalition convincingly won a southern provincial election on the weekend, largely due to the government's popularity for crushing the Tamil rebels earlier this year.

The United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) secured 67.88 per cent of the vote, while main opposition United National Party (UNP) won 25.09 per cent in an election where 67 per cent of the 1.7 million registered voters turned up for polling.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa had called on voters to endorse the war victory at the ballot box and be vigilant to not allow the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to rise again.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother, said before the polls that Tamil rebels still have influence locally and internationally.

The UPFA took 38 seats on the legislative council, against the 36 it won in the previous 2004 election. The opposition UNP secured 14 seats, compared with the 19 seats it won five years earlier.

Rajapaksa has so far held seven provincial elections since last year and won all of them. Elections are due for the northern province which was brought under the full control of the army this year.

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/ ... -Sri-Lanka

No CEPA with Pakistan before India

Sri Lanka is very likely not pursue a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with Pakistan because a similar agreement with India was put in cold storage last year as Sri Lanka decided not to sign the agreement with India amidst mounting domestic pressure.

"The government is not pursuing a CEPA with Pakistan because the one that was negotiated with India was never concluded," a senior official told the Island Financial Review on condition of anonymity.

As at 2007, Sri Lankan exports to India was ten times as much as exports to Pakistan.

"We would not want to antagonise India just to please Pakistan on this issue," an analyst said.

Minister of Export Development and International Trade, Prof G. L. Peiris was not available for comment in the light of the election campaign in the South while Gomi Senadhira, Director of Commerce, Department of Commerce, was also not available for comment.

Meanwhile, a well informed trade economist told the Island Financial Review that Sri Lanka would not want to antagonise India by signing a CEPA with Pakistan before concluding the CEPA with India which has long being negotiated and haggled-over.

http://www.island.lk/2009/10/10/business1.html

Investors reap peace dividend in Sri Lanka

By Amal Jayasinghe (AFP) – 5 hours ago

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's small stock exchange has become one of the world's top performing bourses as investors reap the peace dividend from the end to the island's bloody ethnic conflict.

Investors are banking on renewed economic strength and profits in the country that emerged in May from a bloody and protracted civil war which claimed between 80,000 and 100,000 lives over nearly four decades.

"All the economic indications are in the right direction but the end of the war has been the key factor" in the market's performance, said Shivantha Meepage, analyst at Acuity Stockbrokers in the capital Colombo.

Tourism-related stocks have been faring particularly well on the back of expectations that more foreign holidaymakers will visit the country's golden sandy beaches, picturesque tea-growing mountains and ancient heritage sites.

Infrastructure-related shares have also been performing strongly on the back of plans by the government to rebuild Sri Lanka's war-ravaged northeast.

The positive news has helped make the stock market Asia's best performer and just behind Peru's Lima in the global stock market rankings.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... P65WRcGiYQ

Kashyap · Post by **Kashyap** » 12 Oct 2009 09:28

Baalu drives Vavuniya collector to tears

Express News Service

12 Oct 2009 02:39:00 AM IST

COLOMBO: The leader of the Tamil Nadu MPs’ delegation to Sri Lanka, T R Baalu, on Sunday drove a Sri Lankan Tamil lady official to tears by throwing his weight around and using harsh language.

Mrs B S M Charles, Government Agent (Collector) of Vavuniya district in north Sri Lanka told Express over the phone that Baalu questioned her bona fides and asked her not to interfere in the programme of the Indian delegation who were visiting Tamil war refugee camps of their choice. His authoritarian tone upset her so much that she broke into tears, she said.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/stor ... an%20Tamil

Jaffnaites snub delegation

PK Balachandran

12 Oct 2009 01:47:47 AM IST

COLOMBO: The residents of Jaffna generally ignored the MPs from Tamil Nadu who visited them on Sunday, sources in the town told Express over the phone.

There were no spontaneous crowds to greet the MPs, though among the visitors was Kanimozhi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s daughter and a star in her own right. “If there was a crowd in some places, they were all followers of Social Welfare Minister and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda,” a resident claimed.

http://expressbuzz.com/edition/story.as ... E7I/Vl8os=

Residents of Vavuniya camp complain of congestion

B. Muralidhar Reddy

The visiting 10-member parliamentary delegation from Tamil Nadu went on a tour of the camps for the war displaced in Vavuniya district and interacted with the inmates.

The residents complained of congestion and day-to-day difficulties. Most of the displaced people expressed their desire to return to their homes at the earliest.

Accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad and Sri Lankan officials, the delegation landed at the Palaly airport near Jaffna in the morning and flew down in a chopper to the Alfred Duraiappah Stadium in the town.

Daily Mirror reporter N. Parameswaran told The Hindu that Social Service Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Governor-General Chandrasiri took them to the re-built Jaffna library.

“The Jaffna Fishermen society made a request to the delegation leader, T.R. Baalu, stop the Indian fishermen from intruding into the northern Sri Lankan sea for fishing. Mr. Baalu assured them that he would discuss the subject with Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram,” said Mr. Parameswaran.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/internati ... e32601.ece

UPFA grand slam

http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/10/12/pol01.asp

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 12 Oct 2009 16:58

Well the "JTs" are playing true to form.They were the staunchest supporters of the LTTE and are boiling inside at the defeat of the fascist Eelamists at the hands of the Sinhalese with the perceived support of the "kala-thonis" and the "coolies" of India.Forgotten is the assassination of Rajiv by the very same Eelamists and their foth columnists at home.As warned,the Eelamiists are trying to regroup in TN and along with their paid hirelings,will try and resurrect their armed struggle from Tamilnadu where security is lax.

Anabhaya · Post by **Anabhaya** » 12 Oct 2009 18:55

Tamil leaders in the Sri Lankan Conundrum

Whilst the public were, indeed remain, sympathetic to the civil rights cause of the SL Tamils they have been simultaneously antagonistic of LTTE’s maniacal operations against fellow Tamil organizations and later its disappointing conduct at every avenue that was made available for a negotiated settlement.

This was clearly demonstrated in the polls held in November 1989. MGR in an alliance with Rajiv Gandhi would sweep the elections even as IPKF continued to battle the LTTE only a couple of hundred miles away.

Today when the likes of Thirumavalavan,Seeman and Nedumaran aim to seek legitimacy by anti-Sinhalese rhetoric the SL Tamils that live abroad and in IDP camps would do well to reflect upon these events that occurred almost twenty years ago.

shyamd · Post by **shyamd** » 14 Oct 2009 03:10

Apologies if already posted
“Operation KP”: Extraordinary rendition of New Tiger Chief

Tuan · Post by **Tuan** » 17 Oct 2009 20:43

Canadian conservative MPs denied Visa to Sri Lanka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHOU0y2s ... r_embedded

thusitha · Post by **thusitha** » 17 Oct 2009 21:26

Galleon Insider Case Ushers in Wiretaps for Finance Prosecution
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 9wcit22I4Q

Another bites the dust. Rajarathnam, billionaire Hedge Fund manager provided millions of Dollars to TRO, LTTE Front Organization.

U.S. prosecutors who used wiretaps to make their insider trading case against billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, founder of hedge fund firm Galleon Group, said they will use similar tactics to fight future crimes on Wall Street.

Anabhaya · Post by **Anabhaya** » 18 Oct 2009 06:31

Possible coup d'état attempt by Fonseka pre-empted by Rajapakse.

India assures Lanka of safeguarding democracy

Sri Lanka informally sounded India on Thursday over reports of a possibility of a destabilization of the democratic system, the Sunday Times learns. Such fears have arisen due to prevailing tensions within the defence establishment.

The subject had come up for discussion during a conversation between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and outgoing Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Alok Prasad. Following apprehensions expressed by President Rajapaksa, Mr. Prasad is learnt to have briefed Govt.leaders in New Delhi.

Diplomatic sources in Colombo said the Indian Government’s position was that it would offer all help under such circumstances to a democratically-elected Government. This is on the same basis India sent troops to the Maldives in the wake of an attack in Male by armed members of PLOTE, then a separatist group, on the invitation of the Maldivian President. Indian troops landed in Male and helped the National Security Service there to restore order.