-Viduthalaithiv falls to the army: (July 17) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 's 58 division has been able to take control of the Viduthalaithiv town as of today (16th). LTTE maintained a major sea tiger base in the area which plays a vital role in providing supplies to the organization. In addition to its role as a logistics base, Viduthalaithiv has been the launching pad for several sea tiger raids on naval outposts recently. According to military intelligence, the LTTE have moved some of their hardware and personnel further northwards, deep into LTTE held territory. The base has been under siege for days, both by regular infantry units of the 58 division as well as by squads of commandos. Viduthalaithiv, located 20km north of Mannar, has been under LTTE control for nearly 19 years.
-Ready for talks with LTTE, says Mahinda Rajapaksa: (July 13)Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday that his government was ready to resume talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) provided it laid down arms.Talking to journalists at the end of his two-day pilgrimage to the hill temple, Mr. Rajapaksa said the LTTE should give up terrorist activities and come to the negotiating table in the interest of the nation.
-No foreign hand in attack on Indian embassy: Gates (July 10) The United States has said that there was no evidence suggesting involvement of foreign agents in the suicide bombing on Indian Embassy in Afghanistan that left 41 people, including four Indians, dead. "I haven't seen any evidence or proof that foreign agents were involved," Defence Secretary Robert Gates said during a media briefing at Pentagon.
-Defiant Iran tests missiles : (July 09)Iran on Wednesday test-fired nine missiles in the medium and long range category, state media reports.The tests come at a time of rising tension between Iran, Israel and the United States.The missiles can hit targets in Israel and US bases in the region.
-CID Questions Two PMs : (July 07) Criminal Investigation Division in Sri Lanka has questions Member Parliamentarians Vijitha Herath and Ramalingam Chandrasekaran in connection with the arrest of a former Director of the film cooperation.
-Blast hits Indian embassy in Kabul : (July 07) At least 40 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul Monday morning. A health ministry spokesman indicated that the death figure is expected to rise.
-Top UN official killed in Somalia : (July 07) Gunmen have killed the head of the UN Development Programme in Somalia, UN officials say. Osman Ali Ahmed was shot as he left a mosque in the capital, Mogadishu, and died in hospital of his injuries. It is the latest in a string of attacks on officials, which is plagued by lawlessness after years of conflict.
-President to decide on nominee for Dy Speaker: (July 07)President Mahinda Rajapaksa will preside over a meeting Monday evening with UPFA party leaders to decide on the nominee for the Deputy Speaker’s post. The vacancy was created by the resignation of Mr. Geethanjana Gunawardena. The Deputy Speaker is due to be appointed on Tuesday. The JVP has declared they would not be contesting for the post.
-Sri Lanka win Asia Cup(July 06): Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup beating India by 100 runs in the final at the Karachi stadium in Pakistan a short while ago. Spinner Ajantha Mendis became the first bowler to take more than 5 wickets is an Asia Cup match. Sanath Jayasuriya scored a century for the Lankans.
-Fresh Internal Crisis Within the TMVP: (July 05) Another internal conflict erupted within the TMVP between Karuna and his deputy S. Chandrakanthan, also known as Pillayan after Azad Maulana who is a party media spokesman has appointed as one of two representatives to the APRC on last Week by Pillayan without the Party’s majority.
Visionary science fiction guru Arthur C. Clarke, best known for the classic film "2001: A Space Odyssey," died in a Sri Lankan hospital on
third week of March 2008 at the age of 90.
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India & Global Peace
“Sri Lanka is a frightening example in this respect with both the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam procuring arms from various countries especially from the West. If Western industries are dependent on the arms trade, seeking global peace is going to be a tough process.”.
H.L.D.Mahindapala: Editor, Sunday and Daily Observer (1990 – 1994). President, Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (1991 -1993). Secretary-General, South Asia Media Association (1993 -1994). He has been featured as a political commentator in Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Special Broadcasting Services and other mainstream TV and radio stations in Australia. He is Sri Lanka’s most senior journalist working in the English medium. He read for his degree at Melbourne University and resides in Melbourne, Australia. .
Victor Karunairajan, a journalist with extensive East-West experience has had an exciting career having worked with Anglican, CSI and Catholic institutions, a Buddhist organization and a socialist government in as many as seven countries.
Bahukutumbi Raman, Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, and Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute for Topical Studies, Chennai. He is also associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies..
The Rajapakse administration was willing to work closely with the Tamil opponents of the LTTE. If they cooperated they would be granted the security they needed to escape from the Tiger killers, a paramount consideration for any dissenting Tamil; they would also be assisted in their work against the LTTE, with money and weapons.
"The JVP, like the LTTE, did not want to share power with anyone; it wanted to rule alone. It would have tolerated the existence of other political parties and organisations only on condition of uncritical obedience. Even the SLFP was attacked, and attacked mercilessly, when it proved itself unwilling to abide by all the JVP’s rules."
Aimed at our young people in particular, The Sri Lankan Guardian launches a campaign to help develop awareness of our rich natural assets and the need to protect and conserve them. We will from time to time publish features and reports on nature life which we are confident, will be used in schools as supportive material.
Copyrights Protected: All the content on this web site is copyrights protected and can be reproduced only by giving the due courtesy to Sri Lanka Guardian.
Interviews
New Book:- TERRORISM :Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Terrorism is a threat, a modus operandi and a phenomenon. A resolution of the UN
General Assembly after 9/11 designated it as a threat to international peace and security.
As an MO, from a largely uni-dimensional threat of the years before the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, it has evolved into a multi-dimensional threat. As a phenomenon, it has many dimensions—political, economic, ideological and operational. Even the profile of a terrorist keeps changing. The terrorists of yesterday were seen as “misled youth” from the exploited or wronged sections of society. An increasing number of the terrorists of today are educated and come from well-to-do families. They are self-motivated and technology savvy. Their ability to add sophistication to their methods of operation surpasses the skill of the security agencies. This book seeks to contribute to the task of understanding terrorism as it is evolving.
Its author, B Raman, headed the counter-terrorism division of the Research & Analysis
Wing (R&AW), India’s external intelligence agency, for six years and has continued studying the subject even after his retirement in 1994. He is well known as an analyst of terrorism in India and abroad. He is much in demand in international conferences on terrorism. His prolific writings on this subject are widely read and his views are heard with attention and respect.
Children In Sri Lanka
"...We are Tamils…but this story is about children of war…we crouched down in the bunker in silence. We would alternately sit on our flip-flops to avoid dirtying our clothing, and stand huddled in the bunker that was eerily reminiscent of a grave. It was just tall enough that we could bend over halfway without brushing against the tree trunks making up the roof of this make-to shelter. But as the bomber planes flew overhead more and more frequently, forcing us to disrupt our classes to run into the bunkers, the bunker seemed more and more like a grave.....
"Pillaiyan is as yet an unknown political personality just as the TMVP is a less known political entity. So far most of the Sri Lanka watchers and analysts have tended to see him in relation to Karuna or as the Tamil troubleshooter of President's brother and advisor Basil Rajapaksa, the Military Intelligence, or the Security Forces. The TMVP has invariably been understood only in the negative glow of its highhanded conduct with the public or for its friction with the Muslims, the STF etc. In this context, TMVP's political proposals handed over to Thissa Witharana, the Chairman of All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) in May 2007 are useful. The TMVP document provides some understanding of its stand on issues connected with ethnic relations, provincial autonomy, devolution, nature of war against the LTTE, and support to Rajapaksa."
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(May 18, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The swearing in of Sivanesathurai Chandirakanthan (better known as Pillaiyan, his nom de guerre of militancy days) as the chief minister of the newly created eastern provincial council on May 16, 2008 marks a new turn in Sri Lanka politics. It came about after a great deal of backdoor bickering, rumours and heart burning. Even as the decision to choose Pillaiyan was being debated in the high security office of President Rajapakse, not far from there the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) unwittingly greeted the event with a suicide bomber ramming his motorcycle into a police van killing ten people and injuring 95 others. The two contrasting events illustrate the Yang and Ying of Sri Lanka politics and militancy. Pillaiyan, heads theTamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) the new found ally of the ruling United Peoples Front Alliance (UPFA). It was formed out of cadres who walked out of the LTTE along with Karuna, the estranged Batticola leader. The participation of the TMVP as an ally of the ruling alliance was controversial. The TMVP cadres have gained an unsavoury reputation as armed political bullies indulging in intimidation, extortion and kidnapping of kids. And they had a record of violence against the Muslim population. To top it all, they retained the arms of their insurgency days for "their own protection"! And no political party wanted to be seen with them.
All the three major opposition parties – the United National Party (UNP), the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) - have complained of election malpractices including rigging and intimidation by the UPFA and TMVP. The election commissioner had also acknowledged these complaints. These are to be out rightly condemned.
However, such aberrations have been hardy perennials of elections in Sri Lanka (as also in its South Asian neighbours) and the May 10 election has proved to be no exception. But the more significant thing was the election was conducted without any major violent incident. This is a commendable achievement considering the explosive mix of multiple ethnic, religious and linguistic character of the province, with its near-equal population of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalas. There had been no complaints of the TMVP members overtly displaying their weapons during or after the elections. Similarly there was no conspicuous LTTE activity to interfere with the polls. These would indicate that the administration had established its firm control over the province, which is good news for the harried population.
The President took a political gamble the first time when he formed an alliance with the TMVP for the PC polls. This was unpleasant news to his Muslim allies. However, he managed to persuade MLAM Hisbullah, influential eastern Muslim leader to part ways with the SLMC and ally with the UPFA. The SLMC headed by Rauf Hakeem fought the election as an ally of the opposition UNP. The President's gamble appears to have paid off as the UPFA group won 20 out of the total 37 seats of the provincial council (including two bonus seats) as against the UNP's 15 seats and one each won by the JVP and the Tamil National Democratic Alliance (TNDA).
The President has now taken a second gamble by making Pillaiyan the chief minister of the eastern PC, disregarding the vociferous claims of Hisbullah for the post as a Muslim claimant. Though there are eight Muslims as against only six Tamil (TMVP) members among the UPFA's 20 councillors, Muslim dissent does not appear to worry the President. The President must have counted upon the internal divisions among Muslim members to work in his favour when he nominated Pillaiyan.
Pillaiyan is as yet an unknown political personality just as the TMVP is a less known political entity. So far most of the Sri Lanka watchers and analysts have tended to see him in relation to Karuna or as the Tamil troubleshooter of President's brother and advisor Basil Rajapaksa, the Military Intelligence, or the Security Forces. The TMVP has invariably been understood only in the negative glow of its highhanded conduct with the public or for its friction with the Muslims, the STF etc. In this context, TMVP's political proposals handed over to Thissa Witharana, the Chairman of All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) in May 2007 are useful. The TMVP document provides some understanding of its stand on issues connected with ethnic relations, provincial autonomy, devolution, nature of war against the LTTE, and support to Rajapaksa. As a political entity and partner of the UPFA, the TMVP is in a position of power now to turn some of its beliefs and recommendations into reality. Some of these are as follows:
TMVP believes that devolving political, administrative and financial powers from the Centre to the peripheral units of governance (provincial councils) within an un-divided and united Sri Lanka holds the solution to the Tamil issue
The powers to be devolved to the provincial governments should be clearly defined and not restricted by the Central Government except under special circumstances defined in the constitution.
The Southern Sinhala polity has to unite to defeat the LTTE terrorism. At the same time it has to be accommodative to seek and offer political solution to the Tamils. This two- pronged approach only can permanently put an end to terrorism in Sri Lanka.
Though Tamil has been recognized as a national language in the constitution, it has not become an administrative reality. The use of Tamil by the Tamils while dealing with the government and its institutions should become a reality.
Tamils must be chosen to serve the government and its various services based upon merit. Their services should be recognized and rewarded on their merit. No Tamil should be excluded from any of the government services because he/she is a Tamil.
State-aided colonization schemes in the north and east should be brought to an end, while the movement of people across the island should be free and unrestricted.
Special provisions should be made to earmark adequate financial and administrative resources to re-build the north and east and speed up development and progress.
The TMVP's views on issues like the merger of north and east are practical and realistic rather than reverting to polemics of the past:
The TMVP recognizes the merger of the north and east brought through the Indo-Lanka agreement. The 13th amendment to the constitution as originally brought forth through this agreement, should be the starting point for further constitutional reform.
However, the reality of de-merger has to be accepted under the present circumstances. The TMVP demands that a referendum should be held in the east on the merger of north and east after the completion of two years of provincial council elections in the north and east.
Elections for the Northern Provincial Council in areas under government control should be held as soon as possible and the Council should be permitted to function without any let or hindrance.
Conditions must be created in the north and east for people who are living as refugees in India and the IDPs to return and resume their normal lives in areas of their original habitation.
Elections for the provincial Councils should be held only after such conditions are created. Except for the diehard Eelamists, others would probably find the above proposals as pragmatic and having reasonable chances of success in the present circumstances. But how far Pillaiyan and the TMVP will be able to get at least a few of them implemented?
If Pillaiyan is serious about the TMVP proposals, he should be ready to undergo a trial by fire awaiting him as a chief minister. Then only he can burn a number of ghosts that haunt the TMVP and as a corollary Pillaiyan's reputation. Much of this is a mind game on what people come to believe from experience. It cannot be always achieved by political gamesmanship or propaganda.
The first is to get an image make over for the TMVP. The TMVP should gain more respectability. This comes not only by power but by public conduct of the party men. Pillaiyan will have to disprove the adage power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is a tall order for any party. But there is little choice for Pillaiyan. He will have to rein in his petty war lords and local chieftains who might be tempted to flex their muscles more and distribute favours now that the TMVP is in power.
Collection of money, subscription or other forms of extortion from the public for the party coffers or otherwise will have to be stopped. Public property seized, lands illegally occupied or procured under coercion, will have to be restored to original owners.
Pillaiyan has to get rid of the anti-Muslim halo that hovers around him as a TMVP leader. He will have to curb the temptation to dish out favours for Tamils. Only free and fair conduct towards all ethnic groups, particularly Muslims, can redeem his image. If he fails to do so, the President might leave him in the cold as a political liability because his own reputation is at stake in making the eastern PC a viable entity.
Pillaiyan is often described as the point man of Basil Rajapaksa. So Pillaiyan will have to acquire his own independent identity when he embarks as the chief minister. This can come through only with impeccable performance. But the moot point is will Pillaiyan be allowed to do so by the Rajapaksa triumvirate for fear of "growing too big for his own good."
He has to create a positive political image among Tamil population who are very skeptical about his credentials and capabilities. For this he will have to shed the militant image and don the mantle of a Tamil political leader. There is reservoir of capable and forward thinking Tamils in other political parties and public entities. He should not hesitate to muster their support for the common good.
The successful conduct of the Eastern PC elections and installation of Pillaiyan at the helm as the chief minister is a victory for President Rajapaksa. However, east will require a lot of handholding and sympathetic consideration as it embarks on a new path. Though the election has given the President and his party a foothold in the east now, he has the more difficult task of establishing it in a tricky environment. He has to make the UPFA not merely as a vehicle of power but also of development. This can be done only through empowerment of the provincial council with adequate financial and administrative resources. Unless the ruling alliance is seen as a proactive participant in the development of east there will be no ownership of the people in it. And then the only winners will be bureaucracy and corruption. We have seen this happen too often in the past.
Other political parties, particularly the opposition, will have to recognize the reality of eastern province and see the political developments there in the national perspective. The UNP and SLMC will have to rethink their strategies to recoup their waning fortunes. And that means overcoming internal personality clashes, revamping the leadership styles and motivating party members.
These are the realities of the east which are far beyond cosmetic changes of power sharing. The task ahead is much bigger and more difficult and goes farther than mere power play.
(Col. R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia, served as the head of intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-90.He is associated with the South Asia Analysis Group and the Chennai Centre for China Studies. E-mail: colhari@yahoo.com) - Sri Lanka Guardian
Thanks to pillian and kaurna ,hundred s of thousands of youth Tamils lives are saved.Or else still their fate would be similar to the youth of Jaffna,who are still suffering due to Terminator PrabakAaran's pray.The writer only finds ways how to dis mental the democratic political machine in the east instead of find the ways ,what will happen when all governing parties get together and go forward to develop east to eradicate unrest among young generation. Hisbulla and his followers ,due to greediness of power has conveniantly forgetten who help to sweep the terrorism from east and what was his contribution for that.
The writer apperas to be neutral but overall contents are more anti SL govt. holding the elction without LTTE sabotage is a fact which must be commended in great heights.Again if there had been such large scale vote rigging, intimidation how could Trincomlee selections went against ruling party? With out any personnel agenda why not we praise this election positively & bless a vibrant, progressive, peaceful new era to Eastern brothers & sisters..
Rock and Crack: Nuwan Jayatilleke, a young short film director in Sri Lanka, expresses reservations when talking the merits of his experience of the "Rock and Crack" 'A film that isn't a feature film in terms of length of time. Has to be able to get the message/ideas etc. across a lot faster.' He was born in 1985 and early 2000 he was joined with the mainstream medias in Sri Lanka. He can be reached at j.nuwan@gmail.com.
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The Feature article based on Internal Crisis of the JVP .
"We are back to an old truth, a truth the government seems unaware of, despite its vaunted economic populism. Though necessary, economic growth by itself cannot improve the living conditions of a majority of the people; the state must put in place means of disseminating the benefits of growth among those who occupy the lower half of the economic totem pole.”.
"A good example, which is now publicly known, is the intelligence gathered by the R&AW about the plans of the Khalistani terrorists to kill Rajiv Gandhi when he went to Rajghat in October,1987. The R&AW was able to get complete details of this plot including when, where and how the Khalistanis would try to kill Rajiv Gandhi. The report was totally correct,but the R&AW's credibility with the Delhi Police was so low that they did not act on this report thinking that it must be one of those "gups" of it.” by B.Raman .
As expected the delegation had discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the service chiefs, and senior members of bureaucracy. .
The show is not just a platform for the designers, but it means more than that. The ramp is the market, stalls are the business places and this fashion fair is a place where many business relations start.:by Zubina Ahmed from Kalkata.
Zubina Ahmed, art editor of the Sri Lanka Guardian. She also is working as a sub editor for The Statesman, Indian leading newspaper and a student of St. Xavier’s college Kolkata doing her bachelors in English.
Ranil with CBK
The West has defined the crisis facing them as a necessary war waged by democracies against terrorism. Brown went further and said that “the war on terror was a struggle for the soul of the 21st century.” .
Thanks to pillian and kaurna ,hundred s of thousands of youth Tamils lives are saved.Or else still their fate would be similar to the youth of Jaffna,who are still suffering due to Terminator PrabakAaran's pray.The writer only finds ways how to dis mental the democratic political machine in the east instead of find the ways ,what will happen when all governing parties get together and go forward to develop east to eradicate unrest among young generation.
Hisbulla and his followers ,due to greediness of power has conveniantly forgetten who help to sweep the terrorism from east and what was his contribution for that.