Day: 1 September 2014

London School of Economics (LSE) UK lecturer arrested in Sri Lanka.

Karu

Police have revealed details of a British college lecturer who had sought details on the Sri Lankan Army, violating the Immigration laws of the island. Speaking to BBC Sandeshaya, police media spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana has said that the Controller of Immigration and Emigration has questioned Dr Rajesh Venugopal, a lecturer in International Development and. Humanitarian Emergencies, London School of Economics (LSE) in UK. However, the police media spokesman has denied media reports which claimed that Dr. Venugopal was detained by the TID soon after his arrival at the Katunayake…

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GCSE Results Day 2013: Maths Exam Was Like ‘Playing A Game’ Says 9-Year-Old Abhinav Santhiramohan

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A nine-year-old who scored A* in his maths GCSE says it was just like playing a computer game – and even completed the paper with 45 minutes to spare. Abhinav Santhiramohan, from Luton, was awarded the top mark in the subject after taking his GCSE exam seven years early. Abhinav, 9, with his top gradeAbhinav’s mother Vani Santhiramohan said: “I’m over the moon. “He was telling me he would get an A*. He was very confident. “He treated this exam like a game, he didn’t really have to take it…

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Press Barred Again From Covering Gotabaya’s Cross Examination In Court

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Reinforcing that the font of all true power in the Rajapaksa regime lies with the powerful Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa police sealed off the Mount Lavinia District court to media personnel a short while ago when the senior official was due to take the stand for cross examination. Gotabaya – Secretary MOD Secretary Rajapaksa filed a defamation suit against The Sunday Leader newspaper which exposed details regarding the controversial purchase of MiG 29 by the ministry of defence in 2007. DIG Anura Senanayake who was present outside the court house…

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Mahinda depending too much on PR companies

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When the Congress Government of Dr. Manmohan Singh was in power in India, a regular visitor to this country was N. Ram, Editor of the Hindu. He was granted exclusive interviews by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The close connection between Ram and Mahinda was built up by the tireless effort of an Indian PR company, which had been tasked to build bridges between Mahinda and India. To do so, the PR company engaged in a manoeuvre of putting Indian politicians who could influence Indian policy on Sri Lanka in close contact…

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A coup will be crushed within months if not sooner by a confluence of an internal uprising,

Karu

By Kumar David – Provincial elections in Lanka are like by-elections. Elsewhere in the world by-elections are an opening for voters to express their disgruntlement with the party in power, here it is invariably an opportunity for a sycophantic electorate to come out and cheer the party in power, whether SLFP or UNP, and bum its way into favour. What happens at a general election, however, is a different test. Elections to the European Parliament belong to this by-election category; earlier this year the established parties across Europe were hit in the…

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Most Tamils I know outside this country do not support a separate State. They are not separatists, and they are not Terrorists.

Karu

By Jean-Pierre Page – Colloquium –  Issues of Truth and Accountability; Narration III; The Last Stage of the War in Sri Lanka I would like to share with you a few ideas in relation to the 3rd narrative of the last stage of the war in Sri Lanka. I will try to make myself as clear as possible! I don’t believe in this notion that it is the influence of the Tamil Diaspora that determines Washington’s foreign policy and that of its Western allies! And I think it is very wrong and dangerous…

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Detaining Jeyakumari Is A Govt Attempt To Intimidate Those Who Wish To Speak Out Before UN Inquiry: NPC

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The arbitrary arrest and detention of Jeyakumari Balendran in April this year, can be perceived as an attempt to cause fear among victims of the war who have not had any relief from the State and may wish to take their cause before the UN Inquiry, the National Peace Council (NPC) said today. Pointing out her arrest has intimidated local Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) due to the chilling message it has sent across – that their activism may be punished, the NPC in a statement issued to mark the International Day of Victims of…

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PM Pledged 100 Per Cent Support, Says TNA

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COLOMBO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told a delegation of the Sri Lankan Tamil National Alliance (TNA), when the latter met him in New Delhi on August 23, that India would be 100 per cent with the Tamils of Sri Lanka. “We are 100 per cent with you, Modi said at the end of the meeting,” TNA delegation member M A Sumanthiran told Express here on Sunday, confirming a quote in the political column of The Sunday Times. Asked if Modi had requested the TNA to talk to other Tamil-speaking…

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Power sharing a sine qua non – Hasan Ali

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The 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka which led to the creation of provincial councils as well as making Sinhala and Tamil as official languages with English as the link language was passed in parliament on 14 November 1987. Since then, this amendment has been a vexed issue with its implementation being mired in controversy. The Sunday Leader spoke to the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Hasan Ali, seeking the stance of the party, consequent to India stating that the 13th Amendment should be fully implemented. Excerpts of the…

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North Sri Lanka – Growth And Development

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By S. Sivathasan – Investing resources judiciously, creating wealth, consolidating it and distributing it appropriately are prime tasks of governance – Thirukkural. People with a History Sangam literature serves the Tamils well in the study of their social and economic history. The better known Chola exploits of a millennium back owe their origin to the Sangam era. The first Tamil Poet Laureate of Tamil Nadu after India got independence was Namakkal Kavignar. He said “We Tamils are legatees to great achievements; let us do all that is appropriate to regain our past…

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Disappearances and the struggle for truth and justice

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30th August is the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Tens of thousands have disappeared in Sri Lanka in last few decades[1]. On this day, families of disappearances in Sri Lanka will gather in Vavuniya in the North, to once again publicly appeal to find their loved ones, at least know the truth of what happened to them, and hold those accountable to justice. From the day their loved ones had disappeared, family members have been physically going to various military camps, complaining to the Police, National Human Rights…

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PROPAGANDA WAR EQUALS WAR – Dr. Chris Nonis

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 Govt Intensifies Propaganda War Govt Intensifies Propaganda War Sri Lanka ‘pays PR firm £3m to boost post-war image’ – BBC Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields – Watch Free Documentary Online As international pressure continues to mount on the government on the human rights issue, supported by human rights groups and some western countries, including the United States, the government is using all options available to boost its image both locally and overseas. Government propaganda has targeted the local voter base while overseas millions of rupees is being spent on US based firms to promote…

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LTTE move deprived UNP presidential candidate, Ranil Wickremesinghe of approximately 450,000 votes, hence missing an opportunity to become the president.

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Dr. Vigneswaran By Shamindra Ferdinando Former EPDP MP, Dr. K. Vigneswaran on Friday (Aug 29) alleged that LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran had facilitated the then Premier, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s victory at the Nov. 17, 2005 presidential election as he believed the new president would create a situation conducive for him to speedily achieve eelam. One-time Chief Secretary of the Indian backed EPRLF administration in the then temporarily merged North-Eastern Province, Dr. Vigneswaran asserted that the LTTE had probably felt it could take advantage of a crisis caused by the new president.…

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Rajapaksa-Modi Meeting on UNGA Session Sidelines Likely

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COLOMBO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa are likely to meet on the sidelines of the 69th UN General Assembly session in New York in the third week of September, Lankan officials told Express. “Whether Modi will meet a particular Head of Government or not will depend on the number of requests made and the availability of time. The Indian PM is expected to be in New York for three days when he will be having bilateral meetings with select Heads of Government among other engagements,…

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