Dec 6-12: " Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” - Mahathma Gandhi (1869-1958)
UN’s Special Envoy of Special Representative of Secretary for Children & Armed Conflict- General (ret) Patrick Cammaert was in Sri Lanka. [TC]
Journalist Tissainayagam completes 100 days of the 20 year hard labour 'unfair jail term'
tweet bundle from the twitter pages by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
19 media personnel were killed &109 brutally attacked during President Rajapakse's rule (2005-2009) allege journalists at press conference [TC]
Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thera MP displays double-standards on imbibing liquor
Jathika Hela Urumaya MP Ven. Ellawela Medhananda Thera displays double-standards over Mahinda Rajapakse & Sarath Fonseka on imbibing liquor [TC]
Violators, apologists & accomplices of perpetrators speak on human rights in Jaffna
Heights of Hypocrisy reached on HumanRights Day(dec 10th) in Jaffna. Human rights champions & violators of human rights address meeting together [TC]
Dec 11th: Birth anniversary of Tamil poet Mahakavi Bharathy
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Interestingly a film song by Bharathi was censored in Sri Lanka. Two lines from a song in the the film "Kaikodutha Deivam" were slashed [TC]
'Sarath Fonseka not racist, reflected views of Government in the media' - Mangala
Mangala says Sarath Fonseka is not a racist & much of what he told media about minorities as army commander reflected views of Government [TC]
Portrait of the East: "I am your friend, I am your relative"
tweet treats from the East from the twitter pages by Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai
Forget the past: "We want to be friends of Tamils"say Muslims of the East."We want to friends of Muslims" say Tamils of the East. [TC]
Degrading aftermath of Sri Lanka’s civil war demands international action
By Martin Shaw
In the aftermath, the Colombo government corralled 280,000 Tamils who had fled from Tiger-controlled territory in forty-one “detention-camps”. [TC]
No Action against US lawyer Visvanathan Rudrakumaran - Amb. Blake
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Robert Blake states in Colombo that no action would be taken by US Govt against US lawyer Visvanathan Rudrakumaran [TC]
Karuna justifies destruction of LTTE monuments commemorating the fallen [TC]
Mahinda vs Sarath:Grassroots vs "Townie"
by Muthu Padmakumara
One cannot demand recognition or reward. Though initially it might have been earned, demanding it brings you disrespect. [TC]
The Zurich meeting,Usual Suspects and Usual Suspicions
by Prof.Rajiva Wijesinha
There was much speculation recently about the provenance of the meeting of minority parties in Zurich. The usual suspects were thought to be behind the event, with the usual suspicions [TC]
Whichever candidate wins presidential elections US-Sri Lanka relations will grow
by Robert Blake
Even in death Prabhakaran has won the war-Mangala Samaraweera
by Shakuntala Perera
Key architect of the Opposition Alliance bringing in Gen. Sarath Fonseka as a Common Candidate at the next Presidential election, SLFP M Wing Leader Mangala Samaraweera expresses confidence that the UNF will bring in the necessary changes to governance [TC]
Repairing SL-US Relations: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee Report
By Dayan Jayatilleka
As a citizen of Sri Lanka and a political scientist by vocation, hardly a day passes when I do not envy the American people for the high intelligence of their political leadership and policy elites, the capacity for self-correction ensured by the functioning of their democratic political institutions, and the transparent, accountable, democratic and participatory character of their civic culture. (I didn’t feel this way during the Bush years of course). [TC]
The Presidential election, and the politics of the Tamil-minority
by Prof. Chandre Dharmawardana
Prabhakaran is no more. Fonseka, an architect of the fall of the Eelam regime has crossed over to the pro-western, seemingly more minority-sensitive UNP led by Ranil Wickremasinhe [TC]
President takes the campaign North while oppositions fly allegations
tweet bundle from the twitter pages by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
President Rajapakse worships at Our Lady of the Rosary Church at Marudhamadhu in Mannar dist known as famous Catholic shrine of Madhu Madha [TC]
Food in short supply and life inside camps still hard says detainee
By Karon Snowdon
As the numbers decrease, camp conditions are improving but Kannan says food is in short supply and life inside is still hard. [TC]
Human-rights and conflict-resolution activists refute US Senate report on Sri Lanka
"This report is an incredibly shoddy, ill-informed piece of work that grossly overstates the strategic importance of Sri Lanka to the United States and woefully understates the degree of abuses carried out by the government there," said Robert Templer, director of the Asia programme at the Brussels- based International Crisis Group (ICG)." [TC]
Sri Lanka: Recharting U.S. Strategy after the war
Executive Summary by US Committee on Foreign relations
The administration is currently evaluating U.S. policy toward Sri Lanka in the wake of the military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), one of the world’s deadliest terrorist groups [TC]
New Tamil group People’s Liberation Army vows to start a fresh war
by Anthony Loyd in Colombo
A Marxist group of Tamil militants with connections to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and Cuba is preparing to mount a new insurgency in Sri Lanka six months after the Government declared an end to the 26-year-old war there. [TC]
Robert Blake not visiting Colombo to confront but reconcile with Govt
tweet bundle from the twitter pages by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Major policy shift in US towards Sri Lanka because of report by Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be released next week in Washington [TC]
"People’s Permanent Tribunal " in Dublin to probe Sri Lankan war crimes
tweet bundle
Alleged war crimes by Sri Lankan Govt & armed forces will be probed by the "People’s Permanent Tribunal " in Dublin on January 14th & 15th 2010 [TC]
East: "Colours of umbrellas lead a steady way through heavy wind & rain"
a bundle of tweets of nature & Life ~ from the twitter pages of Ebony
Dust settles down as it began to rain heavily in Batticaloa. Hindu temples are being painted and given a new look. [TC]
Moves underway to field Supreme court Judge Wikneswaran in Prez poll
tweet bundle
Moves are on to make former Supreme court Judge Wikneswaran the common Tamil presidential candidate. But will he agree? [TC]
Why Mahinda Rajapaksa should be re-elected President
by Dayan Jayatilleka
It is alternately nauseating and hilarious that some who have never looked violent death in the face say or heavily hint that General Sarath Fonseka who has shed blood copiously for the Sri Lankan cause, carries enemy lead in his body, and was the driving force of the main force – the army – of the historic victory against the Tamil tigers, is a traitor. [TC]
Poor women, political power, Common Candidate and the next tragedy
by Kusal Perera
by Prof. A.R.M. Imtiyaz
The post-cold war political climate is vulnerable to identity-oriented tensions, caused by both primordial and constructed political strategies.[TC]
"Bogols bombast" continues on IDP camp access and Commonwealth Summit
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
ICRC & media not given access to Wanni IDP camps still despite foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama's announcement that IDP camps are open [TC]
SLA firing in Kalkudah beach at fleeing people leaves 1 dead, 2 injured
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
People who paid "agents" 3-5 lakhs to go to Australia months ago were waiting on beach to be taken by boats to deep sea & put aboard ships [TC]
‘No qualms about shelling huge numbers of ethnic minority civilians‘
BY Andrew Stroehlein
"Genocide" is too limiting a term in any case. In recent years, governments have not necessarily been exterminating entire subgroups en masse with crystal-clear intent. Yet some governments show no qualms about shelling huge numbers of ethnic minority civilians trapped in confined war zones, as we saw in Sri Lanka earlier this year. [TC]
Tamil doctor Interdicted by Health Ministry for expressing private opinion
by Namini Wijedasa
A Tamil doctor has been interdicted by the ministry of health allegedly for expressing a private opinion to a Sinhala doctor that was interpreted as “causing disrepute to the Government of Sri Lanka”. [TC]
Dragon's share of Lankan development projects given to China
China has bagged the largest chunk of post-war development projects in Sri Lanka’s North and South with ongoing and projects concluded estimated at more than US$ 6.1 billion or about Rs 6,973 million. [TC]
Rajapaksa vs.Fonseka: What Choice For India?
by Kuldip Nayar
When dealing with neighbouring countries, India's main predicament is to choose between two options, both of which are uncertain and without hassle. [TC]
Sarath Fonseka wont have manifesto for election campaign
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
SarathFonseka wont have manifesto for election campaign due to UNP-JVP rivalry. He will have "common action program" acceptable to both parties [TC]
SMS & e-mails on property buying spree by brothers not true says President Rajapakse
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Preident Mahinda Rajapakse tells journalists of vilification campaign through SMS & e-mails that his brothers are on a property buying spree [TC]
AI Letter to Asst Sec Blake on His Upcoming Visit to Sri Lanka
by Amnesty International USA
I urge you to raise the following with Sri Lankan authorities: [TC]
Mixed loyalties: Sri Lanka's challenge of transforming military victory into lasting peace
by Times UK Correspondent in Trincomalee
A chance encounter behind the wire offered the cook an opportunity to serve exquisite revenge on his would-be killer. [TC]
Children among 11,000 Tamil ‘fighters’ held in rehabilitation
by Times UK Correspondent in Trincomalee
Sri Lanka is holding more than 11,000 Tamil prisoners without charge in closely guarded “rehabilitation centres”, despite the Government’s claim that it released all Tamil civilians from detention centres this week.
Sarath Fonseka fails to satisfy key leaders & officials in India
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Gen.(retd) Sarath Fonseka returns to Colombo after failing to satisfy key leaders & officials in India about the exact nature of his politics [TC]
Sarath Fonseka,Caste Factor and Presidential Poll; a Historical Irony
By Uvindu Kurukulasuriya
The caste factor which has for long been swept under the carpet has begun to raise its ugly head in Sri Lankan politics with the entry of Sarath Fonseka into the Presidential elections. [TC]
‘LTTE funds being clandestinely misappropriated to Rajapakse family coffers’
BY D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe demands the Govt must disclose to Parliament details of funds & assets owned by the Liberation Tigers. [TC]
President Rajapakse forbids media interviews of Gotabhaya
by D.B.S. Jeyaraj
President Rajapakse forbids media from interviewing Def secy Gotabhaya & provoke him into making adverse statements against Sarath Fonseka [TC]
Senior journalist-activist Poddala Jayantha, wife & only daughter flee Sri Lanka
by D.B.S Jeyaraj
Senior journalist/activist Poddala Jayantha,wife & only daughter flee Sri Lanka to seek asylum abroad due to sustained threats to their lives [TC]