It is reported that the government has agreed to merge the Northern and Eastern Provinces that were merged in 1987, without any referendum, merely on pressure from India and were later de-merged on a court order in 2006. In 1987 the two provinces were merged by the then UNP government stating a referendum would be held later to decide whether to have them merged or not. However, this referendum was not held.

found it interresting,,, so sharing

We don`t know exactly what General Fonseka`s motives were when he wrote that letter to the President, but the result is that now 130,000 Tamil civilians will have their freedom.

the bull is in the china shop...the game will change forthwith.....enjoy the show...

They initially reduced my security to 25. I protested. They then increased it to 60 infantrymen. Again I protested and now they have assigned me a mere 12 commandos not men that I handpicked. They are all new men. They could be an assassination squad maybe they are trying to assassinate me.

By Frederica Jansz

Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Leader General Sarath Fonseka bitterly recounted his ordeal last week. Having been ordered to vacate `Generals` House` by today, November 22, Fonseka was given a mere week to find alternative housing.

Contrary to all previous false reports I allowed my predecessors both General Shantha Kottegoda and Donald Perera to continue in this house for three and a half months after they had retired from service Fonseka said, asserting Yet, I as Chief of Defence Staff am being treated like dirt given a mere week to get out.

Amidst the applause of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Senior Presidential Advisor and Chairman of the Task Force for Northern Development Basil Rajapaksa MP said that all restrictions on Internally Displaced Persons in the Wanni will be lifted from December 1.

He was addressing a special meeting in this connection at the Menik Farm, Chettikulam in Vavuniya, yesterday.

Rajapaksa said there are no more restrictions for IDPs at the IDP centres in the Wanni and they could move out of the centres freely.

From a lecture by Prof. Gananath Obeysekera:

Let me begin with the classic narration of Sigiriya in chapter 38 of the Mahavamsa entitled `The Ten Kings` dealing with the reign of Dhatusena followed by the next chapter on `The Two Kings` which is about Kasyapa and Mugalan (Mogallana). Chapter 40 is missing, the only one in all of the one hundred chapters that constitute the three Mahavamsa texts. The first ten couplets of chapter 38 deal with the takeover of Anuradhapura by Tamil rulers and the emergence on the scene of Dhatusena, son of an ordinary householder belonging to the Maurya (Moriya or `peacock`) clan. This is followed by a very interesting story about the early life of Dhatusena (couplets 11-28). It says that a certain householder, Dathanama of the Maurya clan had two sons, Dhatusena and Silatissabodhi, by a woman of the same caste.

Fourth Monday in November.

On the fourth Monday in November, the upper part of the old city of Bern between the railway station and the Bundesplatz, the square facing the Parliament buildings, is transformed into a giant marketplace. At hundreds of stalls, farmers from roundabout, especially from the lake region of the canton of Fribourg, sell their plaited strings of onions (over 100 tons worth), along with other winter vegetables, drupes, and nuts.

The market venders offer their usual merchandise for sale as well. In the afternoon and evening, once school is out and working hours are over, carnival spirit takes hold of the crowd. There are confetti battles, people in disguise, and small groups who appear as jesters in the restaurants to do take-offs on events which have occurred during the past year. Satirical leaflets also appear in the streets at this time.

UNITED NATIONS, November 20 -- In Haiti on November 10, UN peacekeepers fired live ammunition resulting in injuries to civilians. Inner City Press asked spokesperson Michele Montas about the incident, and about UN peacekeepers using live ammunition instead of rubber bullets. Video here, from Minute 12:31. Inner City Press also asked about the CREDIBILITY OF PREVIOUS UN INVESTIGATIONS.

Ms. Montas replied that after an emergency landing, `some Haitians entered the helicopter.` She said a person in the helicopter fired and a cartridge hit a civilian. She also said that `a person in the plane.. shot in the air.` (This is reminiscent of the incident in 2008 during the Security Council`s visit to Goma in the Congo, where a UN security official shot his weapon in the plane to try to show that it was empty, triggering an all night bus ride by Ambassador to Kigali, Rwanda.)

Political parties representing minority Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka are holding talks in Switzerland, the first since the conflict ended in May.

Sri Lanka`s social welfare minister said they aim to find a shared position on issues affecting minorities.

The meeting, organised by the Tamil diaspora, gathers representatives from across the political spectrum.

Although there is no formal agenda, issues about the return of internally displaced people will be discussed.

Senior Presidential Advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa, who visited the Menik Farm welfare village in Vavuniya this morning, said that the Internally Displaced People (IDP) in the camps will have greater freedom of movement with effect from the 1st of December.



The chief of the President`s Task Force for Rehabilitation and Resettlement made the official announcement as part of government moves to improve the rights and privileges of Internally Displaced People housed at welfare centers and villages in the North.

The rarest commodity under the free market economy in this country today appears to be integrity. Not only in this country but in the whole world, judging by what is happening around the world including in the British Parliament.

Not only in public life, but even in personal life. It appears as if almost nobody could be trusted particularly with power, authority, money or property or even with love. We are told, `trust in God, but tie the camel`. It no longer seems to be a cherished value in human relationships. It may be that it is not in vogue anymore so much so that when one comes across integrity, it is looked upon as an embarrassment, an inconvenience, an irritant and a `pain in the neck`.

ZOO TO BE REFURBISHED TO ACCOMMODATE NEW ANIMALS


By Shalika Ranaweera

Sri Lanka National zoo at Dehiwala does not have enough space to accommodate new animals, therefore the zoo authorities are planning to refurbish the zoo premises according to a master plan on completion of the new zoo in Pinnawala and the Safari park in Ridiyagama Hambantota , Director of the national zoo Duminda Jayaratne said.