Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

The Government has despatched a team of Faith leaders to Europe with the aim of persuading the European Union to retain the GSP+ facility for imports from Sri Lanka. It is difficult to understand the strategy of those who thought that it is faith leaders who can swing EU`s decision in Sri Lanka`s favour. Faith leaders by training try and influence the hearts and minds of the faithful some are even able to send women into a trance at Vihara Maha Devi Park and elsewhere. But they will hardly be equal to the task of engaging the hardened politicians and bureaucrats at the EU about Sri Lanka`s case for compliance or non-compliance with the conditions for retaining the GSP+ facility.

Recently, at a media meeting the leader of NFF had said that Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse had been questioned by US authorities said JVP Parliamentarian S.K. Subasinghe and asked the government why that incident had been kept a secret from the country.
Speaking at the emergency debate in Parliament today (6th) Mr. Subasinghe said, We don`t suppose that Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapakse was asked regarding details about his family or what he had eaten or drunk. The only information the US would be interested in is the details regarding the war against tiger terrorists that was won by the heroic Security Forces. If what the NFF leader said was correct regarding Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapakse being questioned in the USA, the question why it was concealed from the people comes up, said Mr. Subasinghe.

The JVP yesterday warned Presidential Advisor MP Basil Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that they would not be able to avoid being prosecuted by the United States unless they gave up US citizenship.

WASHINGTON The United States was tightlipped Monday about Sri Lanka`s visiting top military commander, after the island said US authorities planned to grill him over alleged war crimes.
Sri Lanka summoned the US ambassador to demand the Department of Homeland Security drop what the island`s government said were plans to question General Sarath Fonseka over the campaign that crushed Tamil Tiger rebels.

The JVP would take all measures against any attempt by the USA if it goes out of its limits to take measures against Gen. Sarath Fonseka says the Leader of the JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe. Gen. Fonseka being subjected to normal questioning that is carried out for persons who apply for citizenship in the USA is not an issue says Mr. Amarasinghe and adds that the USA has no right to question him regarding defeating terrorism.

The United Nations chief torture investigator was deported from Zimbabwe early today, after being detained by security officials on Wednesday night as he arrived at the invitation of the country`s government.

Manfred Nowak, the UN special rapporteur on torture, was held for several hours at Harare airport before being put on a plane and returned to Johannesburg.

`We are boarding the plane to Johannesburg now,` a U.N official said by mobile phone from Harare airport.

Mr Nowak had been due to spend a week in the country to investigate allegations of human rights abuses. He had been invited formally by Patrick Chinamasa, the Justice Minister, in February.

An extract found in the bright yellow curry spice turmeric can kill off cancer cells, scientists have shown.
The chemical - curcumin - has long been thought to have healing powers and is already being tested as a treatment for arthritis and even dementia.
Now tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre show it can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab.
Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments.
Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.

Executive presidency could be compared to the position held by a leader of a barbarian tribe says Leader of the JVP group of Parliamentarians Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Just as everything was decided according to whims and fancies of the tribal leader then, under the executive presidential system everything happens according to the needs of the President pointed out Mr. Dissanayake.

Speaking at a media meeting held at the head office of the JVP at Pelawatta today (25th) Mr. Dissanayake said, Sri Lanka is a country that honours representative democracy. However, executive presidency has subdued the cabinet to the monopoly of an individual. No cabinet paper that the President does not approve could be passed in the cabinet. Despite there are ministers their function is only nominal. No minister could do anything without the approval of the President.

The Joint Apparel Associations Forum (JAAF) is likely to continue lobbying for the government to do all it can to secure an extension of EU trade concessions as long as national integrity in not compromised as local manufacturers are susceptible to losing out orders to other cheaper apparel exporting countries.

`We will study the latest EU report and then ask the government to do all it can to help secure GSP Plus trading concessions because it is critical for Sri Lanka`s exports, not only garments, to be able to access EU markets where consumer spending power is high,` JAAF Secretary General Rohan Masakorala said.

The rift between Government Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan (Karuna Amman) and Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan continues with Minister Muralitharan now saying the Chief Minister must be removed from his post and be replaced by a more suitable person.

Speaking to Daily Mirror `Hot Seat` the Minister for National Integration said that in his opinion people like the incumbent Batticaloa Mayor Sivageetha Prabakaran are more suitable to the post than Mr. Chandrakanthan who was once his ally in the LTTE and later the TMVP.

The family of the six-year-old at the centre of a runaway balloon scare are facing criminal charges after the boy`s parents Richard and Mayumi were re-interviewed by Colorado police on Saturday.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said officers were preparing search warrants and drawing up charges against storm chaser Richard Heene and unidentified members of his family over the incident last Thursday when little Falcon Heene was feared trapped aboard a flying saucer-shaped helium balloon that became untethered and flew more than 60 miles across Colorado.

The European Commission is to recommend withdrawing trade benefits from Sri Lanka over alleged human rights abuses in the last stages of the civil war against the Tamil Tigers, The Times has learnt.

The decision could affect British shops including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Next, which have imported hundreds of millions of poundsworth of Sri Lankan-made clothes since the benefits were granted after a tsunami in 2004. The scheme waives import taxes.

Withdrawing the benefits would add about 6 per cent to the cost of products, forcing many retailers to buy from cheaper producers such as China, India and Bangladesh.

An American 6-year-old set off a massive search-and-rescue operation and media frenzy on Thursday for fear he was inside a homemade helium balloon that broke loose and drifted thousands of feet above Colorado for hours before he was found safe at home. Skip related content
Related photos / videos Six-year-old Falcon Heene is surrounded by reporters Enlarge photo Falcon Heene was discovered hiding in a box in the attic above his family`s garage, hours after the odd silver contraption had deflated and landed softly in a dirt field, Larimer County Sheriff James Alderden said.

When C 4 published news about the conditions in the Menik Farm IDP camp the gvt went he ha he ha he ha and said they will take legal action. Since then there is no news about it. Does anyone know why He He He Isnt it that they were BS ng as usual he he

Now if TN delegation finds everything hunkydori we know Karuna Nithi has done a business deal with the gvt he he he

He probably has bought the right to broadcast his Sun TV in Sorry Lanka he he he

average remittances per person has reached US$131 making it a nation with the largest per capita remittances in South Asia. On average the remittances per person in South Asia is US$33. Sri Lanka`s average is eight times higher than the regional average.

US$2,527 million remittances that were sent to Sri Lanka by migrant workers accounted 8% of GDP in 2007.

These facts were revealed by UNDP Resident Representative Neil Buhne when presenting the findings of the 2009 Human Development Report (HDR) based on the concept of Overcoming Barriers: Human mobility and development held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations in Colombo yesterday.