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Even though intentions of the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not known to them, the United National Party welcomes it. This is due to UNP is against loss of lives and property.

UNP General Secretary and Kandy district parliamentarian Tissa Attanayake made these remarks at a media briefing held at the Office of the leader of Opposition today, according to a report published in Tamil daily Virakesari.

He added that UNP has continued to express its stand over and over again, on war related destruction. The UNP is firm on its belief that war cannot bring peace, according to the General Secretary of UNP.

The unilateral declaration may be aimed towards winning the good will of SAARC leaders. However, it’s the LTTE and Mahinda Rajapakse government who are amidst war in this environment, Tissa Attanayake MP said.

[Tissa Attanayake MP]

The 15th SAARC summit is to be held in Sri Lanka from July 27 to August 3 under the theme ‘Partnership for our people’ and according to the vision ‘Towards a South Asian Union’.

The LTTE statement declaring the ceasefire said,

“We are always keen to develop friendship with the countries of the world and our neighbouring countries in our region. We are sincere in our efforts to create the external conditions in order to build these friendships. We wish to express the good will and trust of the Tamil people.

As a sign of this goodwill, our movement is glad to inform that it will observe a unilateral ceasefire that is devoid of military actions during the period of the SAARC conference from 26th July to 4th August and give our cooperation for the success of the conference”.

Minister Nimal Siripala Silva, a negotiator for Government of Sri Lanka at the previously held peace talks told parliament on Tuesday evening that the “Government was not ready to accept any ceasefire that would supply oxygen to the LTTE”.

Government won’t enter a ceasefire when LTTE is militarily weak, Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was quoted as saying to the media.

A new milk collection facility will be open on 23 rd July, 2008 in Trincomalee in order to support rural dairy farmers in the district. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded World Concern Sri Lanka to build the centre at Uppuveli, Trincomalee enabling dairy farmers along the Kuchchaveli coast to supply direct to the domestic market. MILCO, who own Highland milk products, will run the centre transporting milk daily to their upcountry processing plant. The centre can hold 3,000 litres in chilled milk at present and has the capacity to expand to 5,000 litres in future.

Representatives from the Department of Animal Production & Health, MILCO, the District/Divisional Secretariat and CIDA are expected to attend the opening which marks a turning point for Trincomalee’s dairy farming community. It has been over three years since farmers had a regular buyer for their milk. With powdered milk prices now at record highs, demand for fresh milk is increasing and both Nestle and MICLO are actively soliciting farmers in the district. Farmers can now make between Rs. 32 and Rs. 35 per litre, providing much needed income as they rebuild their lives after many years of economic hardship.

The Trincomalee facility is one of two MILCO run regional facilities built by World Concern Sri Lanka, an International NGO ‐ the other having recently opened at Vellavely in Batticaloa. CIDA and World Concern also built three smaller Community Chilling Centres with 500 and 1000 litre tanks through which farmers societies can keep their milk cold before transporting it to the regional centres.

Over the 15 month project World Concern Sri Lanka has supporting 580 farmers with technical training, the purchase of cows, micro credit facilities, insurance services and the provision of milk cans and cattle sheds ‐ all designed to improve the farmers productivity and to raise rural incomes. Ian McInnes – Country Director for World Concern Sri Lanka – says that “incomes for these farmers have more than doubled as a result of this project”. World Concern Sri Lanka is also working in Batticaloa and Ampara with a total of 1,500 famers across the Eastern Province. Mr. McInnes believes there is plenty of scope to assist thousands more farmers across the Province as they resettle through the Governments IDP resettlement project. He says “Many farmers are returning to find their cattle gone, their old collection facilities in disrepair and that they have no access to a regular milk run. Once the cattle are reclaimed or new cows are purchased, the problem of replacing the milk run is easily solved as long as the chilled collection facilities can be rebuilt”.

This project was possible thanks to a contribution from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Author: Ian McInnes, Country Director, World Concern Sri Lanka

About 10,000 persons depending on day labour work in Colombo business district face job losses, due to SAARC security measures, reports Tamil daily Thinakkural, published from Colombo.

Thinakkural report further says:

Day labourers fully rely on these jobs for daily survival of their families.

They perform manual duties in loading and or unloading - carrying on their head and shoulders and by way of pulling carts loaded with merchandise for distribution.

They will not be able perform their tasks when the SAARC is in session in Colombo.

The workers distribute items throughout Colombo area and work on transporting goods to and from other parts of the country, on any given day in the main business hub of the city, Pettah.

Daily paid labourers, known as “Nattammais” in Tamil [pic:HA]

The security measures in place for the SAARC will not permit anyone without “passes” to the declared high security zone that includes the centre of business activity in Colombo, Fort and Pettah.

Due to these special high security measures, all business activity – in Fort and Pettah are expected to come to a standstill, when SAARC is in session later this month in Sri Lanka.

Government won’t enter a ceasefire when LTTE is militarily weak, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was quoted as saying to media in Sri Lanka.

Minister Nimal Siripala Silva, a negotiator for Government of Sri Lanka at the previously held peace talks told parliament on Tuesday evening that the “Government was not ready to accept any ceasefire that would supply oxygen to the LTTE”.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) on Tuesday announced that the movement would observe unilateral ceasefire during the period of SAARC conference from 26th July to 04 August, giving cooperation for the success of the conference. Conveying goodwill and trust of the Tamil people, the LTTE Political Wing, in a press statement issued from Vanni said it wished for the success of the SAARC conference, extending the movement’s support to the “countries of our region, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.”

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expressed their dismay at reports of assault and harassment of three media personnel by government officials in Colombo on July 18. The IFJ further stated that they are alarmed at reports that hundreds of police personnel at the scene did not intervene or were unable to stop the assaults.

“Now is the time for the subcommittee to demonstrate the Sri Lankan Government’s genuine commitment to support and protect Sri Lanka’s independent media, by investigating all attacks on media immediately and bringing the perpetrators to account,” the IFJ Asia-Pacific said.

On July 18th, The Daily Mirror’s - Journalist Yohan Perera was assaulted by persons said to be Sri Lanka Urban Development Authority officials, as he covered residents protesting demolition of homes in preparation for the SAARC summit.

Addressing a press conference on July 21st the Police Spokesman said that they are waiting for the victim to identify the assailants to record statements.

Full text of statement by IFJ:

Call for Investigation as Sri Lanka Government Officials Assault Journalists

The Intern ational Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is alarmed at reports of assault and harassment of three media personnel by government officials in Colombo on July 18.

The incident marks the eighth attack on independent media since the five main journalists’ organisations in Sri Lanka welcomed moves by the Government in late June to set up a Cabinet subcommittee to investigate media rights violations. The subcommittee, however, has not investigated any of the recent cases of intimidation or attacks on media personnel.

According to the Free Media Movement (FMM), an IFJ affiliate, officials from the Urban Development Authority reportedly assaulted Daily Mirror journalist Yohan Perera and photographer Pradeep Dilrukshana. Perera was hospitalised with injuries from the attack.

Television journalist Dushantha Manoj from Sirasa TV was also reportedly harassed by the officials.

The media personnel were reporting on the alleged illegal demolition of hundreds of homes in Colombo for the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting to be held in Colombo on August 2 and 3.

The IFJ is further dismayed at reports that hundreds of police personnel at the scene did not intervene or were unable to stop the assaults.

“We see this incident as a sign of the absolute intolerance towards independent coverage of critical issues related to democratic governance,” the FMM said.

The IFJ joined the FMM on July 18 in calling on the Government to ensure the subcommittee investigated immediately and transparently on the continuing intimidation and harassment of journalists and the independent media in Sri Lanka .

“Now is the time for the subcommittee to demonstrate the Sri Lankan Government’s genuine commitment to support and protect Sri Lanka ’s independent media, by investigating all attacks on media immediately and bringing the perpetrators to account,” the IFJ Asia -Pacific said.

“Only by encouraging a safe environment where journalists no longer fear for their lives will Sri Lanka be able to boast an independent media profession that is representative of real democracy.”

180 people have been abducted by ‘white van’ squads, since January 1st 2008 thru July 20th 2008 says P. Radhakrishnan MP, a parliamentarian of the Up Country People’s Front (UPF).

Mr. Radhakrishnan, Deputy Minister of Vocational Training in the present United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government of Sri Lanka also says, within the last six months the pace of abductions have increased compared to 2006 and 2007. The deputy minister regretting the increase said it’s a disturbing trend that is affecting all parts of the country including capital Colombo, in a report published in the premier Tamil daily of Sri Lanka – Virakesari.

In the past few days three abductions have been reported to Deputy Minister P. Radhakrishnan MP, the Police and the Committee to investigate disappearances.

Disappearances of Selvarajah Suthan (25) of Vavuniya - Karuveppangkulam, R. Vincent Vimalraj (26) of Vavuniya – Ootrukulam and Sinnaraja Janarthanan (32) of Vavuniya – Sri Nagar disspearing in Wellawatte have been reported to the minister.

Recently, the new Inspector General of Police in Sri Lanka, Jayantha Wickremaratne mocked the whole ‘white van’ kidnappings by requesting journalists to identify the so called white vans.

“I have not seen the dreaded white van. I have only heard about it. Please help me to find one,” he said at a media briefing.

Responding, Convener, Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) and MP Mano Ganesan said that this issue concerned the blood and tears of the families of the abducted and it was not a matter for amusement.

[Affected families stand outside the United Nations office in Colombo holding pictures of their missing relatives October 11, 2007]