Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

When UK subway was attacked British police became Srilankan police.

When twin towers were attacked America became Srilanka or worse than that

In Sri Lanka, THE CAUSE OF all these violence is ONLY BY TAMILS. Yet, in Sri Lanka, SUSPECTED tamils cannot be arrested or abducted simpley because of the ethnic card.

Government will never kneel down before terrorism

-president(MR)

16th June 2007 - 06:05 S.L.T

Travel embargo on Gota

Western diplomats keep records of persons involved in HR violations

By Munza Mushtaq
Sri Lanka?s controversial defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is facing a travel embargo along with other officials for allegedly committing human rights violations and abductions in the country.
Rajapaksa also faces the threat of being turned back at international airports in some Western countries for admitting the eviction of Tamils from Colombo and the rampant abductions taking place in the country which is a ?human rights violation?, informed sources said.
The Nation reliably learns that several Western diplomats based in Colombo are of the opinion that their countries are unlikely to issue a visa in the event the need arises for the defence secretary. However, as Mr. Rajapaksa is a citizen of the United States of America, regulations have it that he does not need a visa to travel to some parts of the world.
?But the option of denying him entry into that country at the respective country?s international airport still stands,? the sources said. The diplomats expressed these sentiments following the defence secretary?s outburst against Western countries and to justify the violation of human rights including the recent eviction of hundreds of Tamils from Colombo and making statement to the effect that ?anything is fair? taking into consideration the present context in the country.
?The embassies in Sri Lanka will not entertain anyone who has been involved in violating human rights,? sources said.
Foreign embassies have already collected details of those who have been involved in such incidents including those of police officers following the recent outburst of UNP MP Lakshman Seneviratne in Parliament who disclosed a list of names all of whom being part of a group allegedly carrying out the abductions in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, several Sri Lankan led civil organizations based in the United States are contemplating to take legal action against the defence secretary based on the recent eviction and the abductions.
?These organizations are awaiting the defence secretary?s arrival to the USA to proceed with court action and are in the process of seeking legal advice with regard to this matter,? sources added.

Rajapaksa ticks off US

By Dharisha Bastians
The US Embassy in Colombo is reported to be very displeased by the comments made by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa during an interview with Reuters and the BBC last week.
?The embassy is very displeased by the remarks, but they also realise that he is famous for making such unguarded statements,? one official said on condition of anonymity.
The mission, headed by Ambassador Robert O. Blake is particularly peeved about the fact that the US government had been overt in its support of Sri Lanka?s war against the LTTE, The Nation learns.
According to reliable sources, the US government which has always provided Sri Lanka with defensive military equipment, has in recent times even been considering the option of making offensive equipment available to the Sri Lankan defence establishment. However, the sources indicated that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa?s recent inflammatory statements about ?US covert operations? may have consequences in terms of the US government?s ?Sri Lanka policy?, although no indication of such fallout was evident so far.
Diplomatic sources also said that the US Embassy had decided not to issue a public statement expressing their displeasure, but the issue had been taken up at several internal meetings.
Meanwhile, diplomatic circles are also abuzz with speculation that the Defence Secretary?s statements could result in some of the administration?s officials being hauled before the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity because Sri Lanka is a signatory to the relevant convention governing the ICJ.
The Nation also learns that the US Embassy decided to allow the United Nations, whose officials were also slighted in the Defence Secretary?s statements to defend itself, hoping that the tone of that message would convey the international community?s general displeasure. The Co-Chairs meeting to be held next week may also result in a statement being issued condemning the remarks by Secretary Rajapaksa, it is learnt.

http://www.spur.asn.au/prominent_tamil_leaders_killed.htm

'The government is a set of jokers!'

Sripathi Sooriyarachchi has been through the mill since his sacking in February this year. He has been grilled by the CID, remanded, hauled before court and bailed out a few weeks later. But none of the harassment meted out to Sooriyarachchi has proved capable of silencing the firebrand SLFP MP.

In an in depth interview with The Nation this week, Sooriyarachchi revealed details about the alleged pre-election pact between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the LTTE and vowed to bring the matter before court at the relevant time.

Following are excerpts:
By Dharisha Bastians

Q: You filed action in court against the sale of NTT shares to a Malaysian company and there are allegations that a member of the government stood to earn a massive commission from this deal. Could you name this government member?
A: The Public Enterprise Reforms Commission came under me when I was Skills and Enterprise Development Minister. At the time there were about seven interested parties. After I was removed from the cabinet Mr. Basil Rajapaksa went to Japan with Mr. Ralph Marshall from this Malaysian company. Therefore this allegation ? especially made by Mr. Wimal Weerawansa in parliament ? you can guess who he was referring to. At the same time though it is called a US $ 10 million deal, my assessment is that the total deal amounts to about Rs $ 280 million. At the same time NTT share values have gone up over the last few weeks because they have obtained TV Radio 3G and other licenses and duty free concessions for five years ? Telecom has got all this, driving its share value up. Therefore NTT also benefits. At the same time, Maxies will obtain the total control of SLT by buying 25.3 percent of the total share. So they also benefit a great deal. So if you calculate 10% from both sides it runs into about Rs. 6 billion. Plus this so-called Malaysian company is registered in Netherlands and it doesn?t have a webpage, employees or investors. It?s just a name-board company. So they don?t have any qualifications to manage SLT. If the government wanted someone to take over the management of SLT, they should have called for proposals from strategic partners. Then it should be properly evaluated and processed ? this is what the Chief Justice also said ? it should have been done in a transparent manner. When I was in charge of PERC I suggested to suspend dealings in the stock exchange and then if NTT wanted to sell it could sell to anybody, but if the government was going to hand over the management to anybody then it should be done properly by either calling for proposals or informing other share holders. Here none of these procedures have been followed. They have acted as if this is all their property.
Q: How do you think the court action will go?
A: I cannot presume what the judiciary is going to do but yesterday they suspended any action being taken to sell NTT shares and prevented the deal going through. At the same time, the courts have directed the Cabinet Secretary to submit all papers and cabinet memoranda pertaining to this deal. So I have hope. The case will be taken up again on September 17.
Q: With regard to the Tiran Alles matter, could you tell us what was contained in the affidavit/statement Mr. Alles gave the TID when he was arrested two weeks ago?
A: I was there when he made the statement to the TID officers at the Nawaloka Hospital along with his lawyers. He very clearly talked about the payment made by Basil Rajapaksa to the LTTE before the Presidential Election and how it was made and all that. He also narrated how the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during the Presidential Election campaign directed Mr. Tiran Alles to enlist the support of the LTTE to ensure his victory. At that time Mr Alles had not met Basil Rajapaksa and it was Mahinda Rajapaksa who introduced them and asked them to go ahead. That is how the LTTE-Mahinda Rajapaksa deal started. Tiran narrated how the money was paid and all that. At the same time, he also mentioned to the TID that after the President?s victory, how Presidential Secretary, Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundera and Basil Rajapaksa were directed to ensure the fulfilling of the conditions of the agreement and how they met LTTE people to do so.
Q: Was the deal purely monetary or were there other conditions involved?
A: No it was not only money. I have mentioned this clearly to Mr. Dulles Allahapperuma in my letter- the creation of the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA), the fact that Mr. Douglas Devananda was not given any ministry connected to North East matters, that the Hindu Affairs Ministry be abolished and to immediately begin peace negotiations. You see, from 2003 April to April 2004 there was no peace discussions with Ranil Wickremesinghe ? the LTTE refused to talk to the UNF. Then from April 2, 2004 to November 2005, there were no peace talks with Chandrika Kumaratunga. Both Wickremesinghe and Kumaratunga have been branded as pro-peace people ? but the LTTE refused to talk to them. But as soon as Mahinda Rajapaksa came to office suddenly LTTE agreed to talks even though Rajapaksa?s campaign was wholly for a unitary state and he branded himself as a Dutugemunu of this modern era. So why did the LTTE prove so willing ? that was because of the agreement. At the same time, after the election also the LTTE was paid close to Rs. 1 million. They demanded that their leaders be released from Sri Lankan prisons and President Mahinda Rajapaksa released about 15 of the LTTE?s most dangerous and prominent leaders.
Q: Were these conditions or the receipts ever written down or was it just verbal?
A: The agreements were mostly verbal but there were some documents exchanged with regard to it. There are some notes to the cabinet instructing that the money be paid ?there was a lot of correspondence with regard to the deal.
Q: When Mr. Alles? house was allegedly broken into last week, you mentioned that some tapes were missing. What was in the tapes?
A: When Mr. Basil Rajapaksa paid this Rs. 200 million to LTTE in two instalments, there are some video tapes showing how he was counting the cash and handing it over to the LTTE people.
Q: Who was the LTTE person involved?
A: Emil Kanthan. When Tiran Alles? house was burgled that day he immediately called me and asked me to check in a certain cupboard for a tape and two cds. I looked but it was not there.
Q: So do you think Mr. Alles has copies?
A: I was told that he could manage to obtain some copies of the relevant tapes.
Q: Did Emil Kanthan attend RADA meetings?
A: That I am not sure of. Because I myself went to the first discussion with the LTTE along with Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. There I had a very heated arguments with LTTE people especially with regard to Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar?s killing. Therefore I had to walk out from the meeting. But Basil Rajapaksa continued on the same day and he also got another day for the meeting. After about another week, I asked Basil how things were going with the LTTE negotiations. I told him to be careful because we were contesting with the JVP and the JHU as well. But he said there was no problem and said the discussions were going very well but he told me ?you don?t come. They don?t like your presence there.? It was only after the election that I realised what had happened. Because we trained about 400 people to act as polling agents in Jaffna and Vavuniya where there were cluster polling booths to prevent rigging by anybody. But then Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the President himself asked me not to go ahead with the programmes in the north and east because they had arranged the necessary things. So even in Vavuniya our coordinators were asked not to go ahead. I was suspicious about that. During the negotiations in Geneva in February 2006 I was also a member of the negotiating team. The LTTE disliked my presence there very much and they attacked me in all their websites. But Basil had directed Tamilselvan and the crowd ?he had gone to Kilinochchi secretly- and ensured that all the conditions had been met and peace discussions could go ahead. That is why the LTTE accepted the JVP and the JHU. Even though Mahinda Rajapaksa?s whole slogan was to do away with the ceasefire agreement signed by Prabhakaran and Ranil Wickremesinghe in the final joint communiqué issued from Geneva that February, they agreed to uphold the CFA. I objected but Basil Rajapaksa and the President from Colombo also directed that we were to go ahead. I later realised that they were implementing these conditions because they had agreed upon all of them earlier.
Q: How do you respond to Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle?s statements about appointing a select committee only if the LTTE admits to having received money?
A: Mr. Fernandopulle is the same person who was accused of helping the LTTE to attack the airport previously. There was a report also to indicate that he had helped LTTE camera crew to video that place. At the same time, I know Mr. Fernandopulle is the person who coordinated the release of 15 LTTE cadres after the President?s victory.
The question here is why is it that when Ranil Wickremesinghe was advocating a federal solution to the north east problem, the LTTE boycotted the election and allowed Mahinda Rajapaksa to win? In reality, the President who should have been in office today is Ranil Wickremesinghe. Due to this arrangement Mahinda Rajapaksa won the election. The LTTE also may have had a dual purpose in this whole deal. They knew that Mr. Rajapaksa would start war and with the poor human rights record, they would be able to gain internationally. Right now also, they are well ahead with the recruitment and collecting money from the Tamil Diaspora. Now Tamils all over the world are holding protests and picket campaigns. So basically, the LTTE is well on their way to achieve their ?cause?. That may have been one aim ? the other of course was money to purchase weapons and equipment to fight our own forces. So it is the LTTE that has gained the maximum out of this deal ? politically and financially. If the government is so clean and innocent, why is it refusing the appointment of a select committee in parliament which would then vindicate them if they are being honest?
Q: What is the next course of action to be followed with regard to this alleged deal? Can the matter be taken to court?
A: Most probably we will be able to take it to court. Our legal team is currently studying the whole matter. Most likely we will take the matter to court at the relevant time and place.
Q: And would the charge be a criminal one?
A: We can do different things. Constitutionally also there are options. Then financing terrorism is also an offence according an act passed by Lakshman Kadirgamar ? that was actually the last bill he got passed. At the same time, misappropriation of government funds is also applicable under the penal code. There are a lot of sections so we are studying it.
Q: Would Mr. Alles also be a respondent in the case?
A: No, he would be the first witness, because he was directed by a higher authority. Being the Civil Aviation Authority Chairman, he had to comply with the orders of the Prime Minister. He has only arranged the connection between the LTTE and Basil Rajapaksa. From that point onwards it has gone ahead with approval from the President. So Tiran would be the key witness.
Q: But because of immunity you cannot take the President to court. How would you overcome that hurdle?
A: The thing is, the President did these things while he was Prime Minister, so immunity may not apply.
Q: So do you mean to say that there is a possibility of bringing the President to court while he is in this current term of office?
A: This is what we are actually studying, whether immunity extends to history. Say someone has killed a person and then became the President ? could he claim immunity. That is what is being studied.
Q: How do you respond to government claims that the break-in to Tiran Alles? house was staged?
A: That is a joke. As you saw that day, the burglars searched only the documents. All the valuables were there but nothing was touched. The government has become a set of jokers today. The Prime Minister makes an apology about the eviction of the Tamils and some other Minister retracts it. When good things happen, that is the work of the President and his brothers. If something bad happens, it is the work of some subordinate or lower ranker. You can fool the people only for so long. It has now come to a stage where even President?s brothers are being stoned in this country. I haven?t even experienced even normal Ministers being stoned but here, people are so angry that they are stoning the President?s brothers. So the government is basically a set of jokers, a set of liars.
Q: Well there is no doubt that in urban areas, especially Colombo and suburbs, the government is very unpopular. But there is an opinion that in the villages the government is still popular. How do you read the mood of the people?
A: In remote areas it is much worse than this. He promised to double the Samurdhi. Now out of 1.94 million families, the beneficiaries have been reduced to less than one million families. At the same time, for the last four months, Samurdhi benefits have not been given to the people. So they are really suffering. Then there is the price of the essentials ? what are the poor people to eat? Rice, dhal, sugar, milk food ? the prices are sky high. It is not like in Colombo where the people eat ham, bacon and sausages. These people don?t have their basics. I have even heard that lately ordinary families are closing their doors and sleeping by 7 o?clock because they cannot afford kerosene to keep oil their lamps. The grassroots situation is worse than this.
Q: How do you feel about being a member of the SLFP today?
A: The SLFP has always advocated the middle path. From S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike down this is how it has been. Now the SLFP has been incriminated in some terrible things thanks to this government. As you know, during 1983, it was the UNP that was blamed for the riots and the SLFP had its hands clean. But now, Tamil people were forcibly removed from Colombo and it is an SLFP government in power. So as a party, we are ashamed now. SLFPers talk to me in parliament and I know this is their view. They are very frustrated. We don?t like to say that we?re members of SLFP in public. It is high time to save the party I think.

This is well said

http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2007/June/16/20070616_2.htm