Day: 18 October 2014

SL military turns back UN official at Oamanthai check-post on World Food Day

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TamilNet, Saturday, 18 October 2014, 09:51 GMT] The occupying military of genocidal Sri Lanka on Thursday turned back the country representative for United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) at Oamanthai military check post in Vavuniyaa citing the lack of SL Defence Ministry pass to travel to North, civil sources in Vavuniyaa said. Ms Beth Crawford, the FAO representative for Maldives and Sri Lanka, invited as Special Guest to attend the World Food Day event organised by the Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) in Ki’linochchi, was unable to attend the event.…

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Action needed in UK in converting legal victory into political victory: V. Koppe

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[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 October 2014, 21:10 GMT] “It is a legal victory, but obviously, it should also be won [as] a political victory. And this decision would be a perfect moment to start negotiations again,” said LTTE’s lawyer Victor Koppe, commenting on Thursday’s European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgement in the LTTE vs. EU case. For reasons not sure to him, Great Britain and the Netherlands, the former colonisers of the island, actively defended the LTTE ban in the case, the Amsterdam-based attorney said in an interview to TamilNet on…

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SL losing the ‘cold-war’, says Dr. Jayatilleka

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Recent verdict by a European Union court to strike down anti-terrorism sanctions against the LTTE prognosticates that Sri Lanka is likely losing the ‘cold war’ against it, which emerged following the 2009 war victory, Political Scientist, Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka said. “The court announced that it recognized the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in 2006 was based on imputations derived from the press and the internet. By that, now they apparently attempt to demonstrate its verdict to annul sanctions against the LTTE came as there were no concrete evidences against the…

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TRC Hopes Packer Would Look Beyond The Profit Motive After Viewing ‘No Fire Zone’

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The Tamil Refugee Council (TRC) while commending the pledge made by Crown Resorts Proprietor James Packer to view the documentary on Sri Lanka’s killing fields – the ‘No Fire Zone‘, called upon him to look beyond the profit motive and empathize for the Tamils. TRC Spokesman Trevor Grant issuing a statement had said, “During the meeting where Packer had promised to watch the documentary, he had said his heart bleeds for the people caught in the conflict. . . When he sees it, he cannot fail but allow his heart…

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‘South Korea will always support Sri Lanka at international fora’

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The government of Korea will extend its unconditional support to Sri Lanka against any attempts to divide the country, South Korean Ambassador to Sri Lanka Chang Won-sam said yesterday.   The South Korean diplomat said so at a meeting with Construction Engineering and Common Amenities Minister Wimal Weerawansa, at the ministry at Sethsiripaya, Battaramulla. “South Korea has its own share of very bad experiences of separatism. The Korean public is well aware of this situation,” he said.”Korea and Sri Lanka have similarities in terms of geological aspects. When it comes…

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MR Gives Green Light To Weerawansa’s Proposals Ahead Of Crucial Election

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President Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised to implement 12 proposals presented by National Freedom Front, led by Wimal Weerawansain return for NFF’s support for him in the Presidential election.. The NFF earlier claimed that its support to the government would depend on the government’s response to the 12 proposals endorsed by the national convention which was held by the Freedom Front. The 12 proposals were presented to the President a few months ago and the government appointed a committee to look into Weerawansa’s proposals. The committee included Economic Development Minister Basil…

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Tamils are not second class citizens but a part of one nation and have a stake in national decision making!

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by K. Godage The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is perhaps the most powerful of the six principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action through Security Council resolutions; it is the only UN body with the authority to issue binding resolutions to member states. As we all know the Security Council was created following World War II to address the failings…

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Leading US role in EU ban on Tigers recalled

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European Court of Justice assertion India not reliable source of info raises many an eyebrow By Shamindra Ferdinando The EU wouldn’t have listed the LTTE, if not for the US throwing its weight behind a high profile Sri Lankan campaign to have the group proscribed in Europe, those involved in the diplomatic initiative said yesterday. The EU announced the ban on May 30, 2006. A former diplomat said the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar on the night of August 8 2005 and the US backing had influenced the EU…

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NSC appalled at Govt., Muslim Ministers silence over BBS menace

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The National Shoora (Consultative) Council (NSC) said yesterday that it viewed with deep concern the announcement that the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and the dreaded anti-Muslim 969 movement of Myanmar plan to work together in Sri Lanka. The announcement made by the two extremist groups following the BBS meeting held on September 28, in Colombo. That alliance did not augur well for the country the NSC said, adding that it can derail and undermine the process of nation building and reconciliation that Sri Lanka wants to engage in. “The BBS…

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Five Ways The Rajapaksas Hijacked Parliament

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By Niranjan Rambukwella – The composition of Parliament today is not what voters intended it to be in 2010. By allowing cross-overs, the voter’s primary choice – his or her choice of party – has been denied. This is because Sri Lanka has a proportional system of representation. This means that the number of seats a party obtains is roughly proportionate to the number of votes it obtains in elections. However, the executive and the courts have distorted this principle, and thus the public’s will. In general elections, voters first vote for…

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GET APPROVAL TO GO TO NORTH WHICH IS UNDER MILITARY.

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Sri Lanka bars foreigners from the north Sri Lanka has barred foreigners from visiting a former war zone in the island’s north without permission, due to national security concerns Much of the development work in the North is done by organizations like UN Habitat, ICRC and FAO. These travel restrictions are expected to affect the representatives of these organizations and their work mostly as a number of them are foreigners. Foreigners, who wish to visit the North, will need prior approval from the Defence Ministry, Military Spokesperson, Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya…

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Yal Devi and the sudden interest in reconciliation initiatives, vitally important to the presidential election!

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The Yal Devi chug-chugged to the Jaffna railway station on Monday, helping President Mahinda Rajapaksa fulfill an important post-war promise. After 24 years, Sri Lanka’s major southern towns were reconnected to the Tamil historic and cultural heartland of Jaffna by rail, once the easiest and most economical way to travel between the two ends of the island. The physical reconnection has immense psychological significance. Regular trains between Colombo and Jaffna ensured the people of the south remained linked to those in the north; terrain and geography were familiar, trade and…

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Former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva is sorry for 2005 ruling

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President Rajapaksa was accused of misappropriating tsunami funds by depositing them in an account in a private bank. Sarath N. Silva had however ruled that the allegations were false. Former Chief Justice Sarath N Silva has apologised for the ruling he gave in support of then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2005 the ‘Helping Hambantota’ case. Silva has told the BBC Sinhala service that he had given the ruling in the case based on the evidence before him and felt he had ensured justice. The court order ensured Rajapaksa could contest the 2005 Presidential…

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Special Court Issues Order for Release of Jayalalithaa

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BANGALORE: The Special Court here today issued the order for release of AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa from jail here in accordance with the Supreme Court order granting her bail in the disproportionate assets case. >>Read: Celebrations at Party HQ, Across TN Also Read SC Grants Bail to Jayalalithaa on Health Grounds Jayalalithaa’s Jail Time: Eating Curd Rice, Evening Strolls   Jayalalithaa Convicted, Sentenced to 4 Years in Jail; 100 Crore Fine   Jayalalithaa First CM to Face Disqualification   From Starlet to CM, Jayalalithaa’s Roller Coaster Life   Jayalalithaa Assets…

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Tamil Nadu groups want LTTE ban lifted

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Tamil Nadu political parties that back the LTTE have become vociferous in their demand for lifting the ban on the outfit after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) asked the Council of European Union to quash restrictive measures imposed on it in 2006, The Hindu newspaper reported. PMK founder S. Ramadoss said India should take its cue from the ECJ’s directive. He said 27 European Union countries would lift the ban, and the prospects were high for the LTTE to get a similar relief in the U.S. and Canada. “The…

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