VANQUISHING BIN LADEN AND PRABAHAKARAN

Victor Ivan

At last the USA has been able to assassinate Bin Laden, America’s No. 1 enemy, the terrorist who terrified the whole of America. Some time earlier, the American intelligence sources were able to track down that Bin Laden was hiding in a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan. When the findings were confirmed, the operation to kill Bin Laden was launched whilst the President of the  USA and his senior aides were watching the video screens of the operation taking place on the other side of the world.

A PEACE OF LOST OPPORTUNITIES

Tisaranee Gunasekara

“….this way leads us nowhere …..to continue so has no glory”.

Neruda (The People)

Jayalalitha Jeyaram, Manmohan Singh, Mahinda Rajapaksa and G.L Peiris

The second anniversary of defeating the LTTE is being celebrated with quintessentially Rajapaksa pomp and pageantry.
Peace has been good to the Ruling Family. It has won all elections, obtained a two-third majority in parliament, removed presidential term-limits, enhanced presidential powers, stymied the opposition and discouraged dissent. Post-war, the Rajapaksas rule continues untrammelled (with sons and nephews being groomed to takeover from the fathers and uncles, someday).

HOW SRI LANKA DEFEATED TERRORISM, DEFENSE SEMINAR; OBSERVATIONS FROM A PARTICIPANT

 Shakya Lahiru Pathmalal

Participants listen intently at the Defense Seminar

From the 31st of April to the 2nd of May I attended the Defense Seminar organised by the Sri Lankan Army.
I wish to draw on what I saw as some of the positive and negative points of the conference. I will also comment on some of the many ‘highlights’ that occurred during the conference and perhaps give a different narrative of these from the ones I have read so far. What can be said from the outset is the fact that the seminar was not the resounding success that it was portrayed to be by some parties, nor was it a dismal failure. The seminar was a mixed bag.

KILLING FIELD AND SRI LANKA

By Tisaranee Gunasekara

SUNDAY LEADER

“We had fed the heart on fantasies, The heart’s grown brutal from the fare; More substance in our enmities Than in our love….”
Yeats (The Stare’s Nest)
On 22nd October 2007, a group of Black Tigers launched a devastating attack on the Saliyapura air force camp. Prior to setting off on their fatal mission, the attackers participated in the usual Black Tiger rituals with Vellupillai Pirapaharan. The pictures of young men and women, destined for death, being blessed by the stolidly middle-aged Tiger Supremo were publicised by the LTTE, even before the attack was over. That act of ruthless premeditation was a chilling reminder that Mr. Pirapaharan’s claim to greatness rested on human sacrifices and the Tiger prospered by devouring its own young.

Senior Minister lauds UNOPS’ contribution towards community development

W. G. S. S. Ranatunga

 June 18, 2011,

Senior Minister for Food and Nutrition, P. Dayaratne undertook an inspection tour of development projects in Dehiattakandiya, recently. Peter Smith, Senior Projects Manager, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) briefed the Minister on the development initiatives launched to improve the living standards of the people of the region.

Rajapaksa regime subjecting Sri Lanka to global ridicule

 Mangala Samaraweera
  June 18, 2011,

The ineptitude of the present regime in the face of intensifying and relentless international pressure is driving Sri Lanka further and further into isolation and is likely to have devastating effects for this country’s prospects for rebuilding and reconciliation in the post-conflict phase.

Shootings, beatings and ‘pinkam’ wars

 June 18, 2011,

A  major topic of conversation last week was the Channel 4 documentary aired last Tuesday. Channel 4 is a small British TV Channel but the documentary it aired got more publicity in this country than a similar documentary on Sri Lanka aired on the international TV channel Al Jazeera several weeks ago. To make that documentary, an Al Jazeera team had visited Sri Lanka and was taken around to see the conflict zone.

The Tamil Nadu Resolution: Jayalalitha secures Chennai stopover in Delhi-Colombo shuttle diplomacy

Rajan Philips

June 18, 2011,

The Tamil Nadu State Assembly resolution of June 8, 2011, apart from provoking conflicting emotions among Sri Lankan Sinhalese and Tamil nationalists, served notice on the Union government that Chennai is to not to be by-passed in future shuttle diplomacy between Colombo and Delhi. Delhi would appear to have heard the message loud and clear.

War Crimes and White Flags

Tassie Seneviratne

 June 18, 2011,

There is so much energy generated in allegations of Human Rights violations and War Crimes, against Sri Lanka in the international arena, that the heat could be utilized to throw some light on reality. The hottest salvo against Sri Lanka is the allegation of "War Crimes and White Flags" aimed by none clean enough to point an untainted finger at us.

UN council recommends 2nd term for Ban Ki-moon

UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Reuters) -

The Security Council unanimously recommended on Friday that Ban Ki-moon be re-elected as U.N. secretary-general, virtually assuring the South Korean diplomat of five more years in the top U.N. job.

The 192-nation General Assembly is planning to meet on Tuesday to formally reappoint Ban, 67, to a second term of office beginning on January 1, diplomats said. The council decision, originally planned for Thursday, was delayed for one day because one of the U.N. regional groups -- Latin America and the Caribbean -- had not agreed to endorse Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister.

Diplomats said the group had still not achieved consensus by Friday morning, but the council went ahead with its recommendation. Endorsement by regional groups is considered desirable but is not technically necessary.

President to commission Kokavil tower tomorrow

SUNDAY OBSERVER: 05/06/2010

Mohammed NAALIR

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will commission South East Asia's tallest multi-purpose transmission tower at Kokavil in Kilinochchi tomorrow. The height of the tower is 174 metres.
When the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was set up in 1982 the Japanese engineers selected two locations to set up transmission stations - Kokavil for North and at Pidurutalagala for the rest of the country.
A 100 metre high transmission tower was set up in Kokavil. The Kokavil tower was destroyed in 1990 by LTTE terrorists, Mass Media and Information Ministry Secretary W.B. Ganegala said.
Addressing the media at Mass Media and Information Ministry Ganegala said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa instructed Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa to reconstruct this tower under the Uthuru Wasanthaya Northern development drive.
The foundation stone for the tower was laid in 2009 by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and the then Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.
The material for the tower were brought from China. Amidst various difficulties Sri Lankan engineers, tower constructors and workers successfully completed the construction work.

Dying to decline a pension

SUNDAY ISLAND: 05/06/2010

Before discussing the events of the past week, we should take a look at a working ‘provident fund cum pension scheme’ in this country.  Many people appear to think this is an unusual arrangement, and that there is something improper in allocating a part of a worker’s provident fund to a pension scheme.  And since the capital of the money that is so allocated to a pension fund will never be paid back to the worker, there are dark whisperings of ‘stealing the people’s money’ and the government wanting to avoid paying lump sums to retirees and fobbing them off with a monthly pittance instead.

While the concept of a provident fund is familiar, that of contributory pension funds are not, and here lies the problem. Wily trade unionists have been spreading panic among workers by saying that the government is going to ‘steal’ a part of the provident funds of workers and that once it goes to a pension fund the workers will never see that money again.  In a situation where provident fund contributors are used to receiving the total amount lying to their credit in the fund, losing ownership of a substantial part of that accumulated capital would certainly be resisted. 

Never again a civil war in Sri Lanka!

SUNDAY ISLAND: 05/06/2010

By Dr.M.A.Mohamed Saleem

We learn from the media that External Affairs Minister G. L. Pieris, speaking to a select group of journalists in New Delhi recently declared… "There is never going to be another civil war in Sri Lanka. Never again" (The Sunday Island May 22). Although it is indeed comforting there are many, inside and outside this country, who would have asked the same question that was raised by one from audience – how could he be sure? And, also find the Minister’s answer less convincing.

Who Will Police The Police

SUNDAY LEADER: 05/06/2010

The latest incident of police brutality has once again highlighted serious problems facing that service. The police service was always seen as corrupt. Those who defend the police say that they are underpaid, over worked and have to constantly please politicians. They claim that this has lowered morale and discipline.

Although these issues are valid, it is also a fact that the police are one of the, if not the most, corrupt organizations in the country, except for governing politicians. That and the continuous interference by politicians have taken it’s toll.  All of the above, underscore reasons behind the fiasco that took place in Katunayake last Monday, May 30, resulting in scores of people being injured.