Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Hence, the more the slander the more they would go down in this forum of ours.

Sometimes I am away from the forum because of these commitments. But my mind is always with you guys in the forum.

read my posts, I write in 'a tone befitting the reply'

If I was to assume that your name reflects your religious faith. Well what more is there to be said!

The very people who rank the Hindus one rung above the pig!
The very people who have caused havoc in the modern world based on perversion of their own religion.

You beggars will ride the coattails of the Tamils in good times, then stab us in the back when things get too 'heady for you lot'.

Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs (State Department release)


I think we all understand that the Tamil community in Sri Lanka has certain rights and certain needs and certain grievances that need to be addressed. I met this morning with a number of representatives of the Tamil community and just talked to them about how things are here and what they felt and what they faced. Although we reject the methods that the Tamil Tigers have used, there are legitimate issues that are raised by the Tamil community and they have a very legitimate desire, as anybody would, to be able to control their own lives, to rule their own destinies and govern themselves in their homeland; in the areas they?ve traditionally inhabited so I don?t want to confuse the issue of talking to Tamils and understanding legitimate grievances and legitimate aspirations of the Tamil community with not talking to the LTTE. Whether to talk to the Tigers or not is based upon their behavior and if they continue terrorism we won?t. If they abandon terrorism and one?s able to say they are no longer a terrorist organization, then we would find opportunities to consider dealing with them ?

LTTE cadres have withdrawn to the area north of Trincomalee under severe pressure

How do you know that the facilities were for 'innocent' Tamils and were provided by the GOSL?

To my mind there are no innocent Tamils in this war.

their own who are dying and are getting wounded

but are illiterate / ignorant

International Tamils have been regularly donating medical equipment and funds for medical facilities

Delhi won't ignore TN, Mangala warned Rajapaksa

PK Balachandran

Colombo, February 25, 2007|15:16 IST

Before he was sacked from the Sri Lankan Council of Ministers earlier this month, Foreign and Ports Minister Mangala Samaraweera had warned President Mahinda Rajapaksa that it would not be realistic to expect the Indian government to brush aside objections from Tamil Nadu and back Sri Lanka's military actions or turn a blind eye to human rights violations.

'During Your Excellency's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh last month, it was becoming clear that Indian policy is becoming more and more dictated by Tamil Nadu forces,' Samaraweera pointed out in a letter to Rajapaksa dated December 13, 2006, which the local media published on sunday.

'We must be realistic to recognise that the Indian central government will not do anything to upset any of the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, as those are the states that have put India on the world map through their technological and economic development in many fields.'

'Even the latest assurance by Mrs Sonia Gandhi to Karunanidhi about not supplying lethal weapons to Sri Lanka is indicative of this stance,' Samaraweera said.

What will bridge gap with India

'The only instrument we have to bridge this widening chasm is our clear support for the devolution of power and some visible action with regard to human rights and humanitarian problems,' Samaraweera told Rajapaksa.

And warning the President about the consequences of not attending to these issues, he said: 'If we do not do this, it is quite possible that India may join other powers to bring international strictures and even embargos on Sri Lanka.'

'It is unrealistic to expect India to alienate Tamil Nadu as well as European countries in order to support the Sri Lankan government, especially if we have no clear policy of supporting devolution and preventing and investigating human rights allegations,' Samaraweera said.

India doing its best to help SL militarily

Buttressing his case that Rajapaksa should take into account Indian sensitivities and compulsions and not push it into taking a totally hostile stance, Samaraweera pointed out how India was doing its best to help Sri Lanka meet the military challenge from the LTTE.

'India provided us with most of our requested requirements including important assets for naval and air defence.Subsequent to one such request I conveyed to the Indian Prime Minister and the Defence Minister, a special team was sent to Colombo within 48 hours to assess our needs.'

'In fact, the former Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao informed me that India has not provided so much military help to Sri Lanka since the IPKF days,' Samaraweera said.

Meanwhile, in an appreciate reference to India's help in the naval field, the Sunday paper The Nation said that India was likely to let Sri Lanka keep the Offshore Patrol Vessel Varaha which had been sent as a substitute to SLNS Sayura when it was taken to India for re-fitting.