The Major General’s Fustian Gamble

Our Politicians are selling their souls to the Devil in droves. "To gain what for themselves?" as the Persian tent maker asked. Most of them, just for a whiff or hope of political power. The UNP Leader, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, when he is not smashing coconuts, or breaking pots and pans or riding buggy carts on alighting from his luxury limousine, or when he is not tooting horns or promising bangles and bracelets to village damsels, is romping round Mrs. Chandrika B, his erstwhile ‘bete noir’, promising his political soul (what’s left or it!) for a mess or pottage, that pottage being whatever CB’s contribution can now be.

And CB herself is romancing round RW, offering her now defunct political soul to another political bankrupt. We see the same soul trading by Mr. Mahanama S’weera. Not to be outdone, the President and his coterie sold their political souls to some of the erstwhile "CFA Gang" and vice versa for like pottage. Political principles have been thrown in along with their souls for good measure. Dr. Faustus is in company! But the Midnight Hour will come!

And now the Faustian gamble is tempting Army types too, but hopefully will not spread too much. Major General Janaka Perera, Hero of many battles and the man who saved Jaffna in 1999/2000 has taken that Faustian plunge in accepting the UNP’s Chief Ministerial Candidacy of the NCP from the very forces that were hostile and treacherous to the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of the country which he so very able defended throughout his military career. He must know what damage both politically and militarily the UNP’s and RW’s CFA did to Sri Lanka.

Read more,
http://www.island.lk/2008/06/28/opinion4.html

Ranil criticises anti-terror war effort

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has told Indian media that Security Forces in Sri Lanka had failed in the war against LTTE terrorism.

Wickremesinghe, who did not participate in the Ranaviru Day (War Heroes Day) ceremony in Kotte, cited the frequent bomb attacks on civilians as a reason for saying that the war against terror had failed in Sri Lanka.

"Whenever there is terrorism, you need a response. But (that) is not (happening) in Sri Lanka," the Opposition Leader told reporters at the airport, on arrival from Coimbatore en-route to Delhi. He said only a political settlement through "credible power-sharing acceptable to all communities" could bring lasting peace in the island.

The UNP leader arrived at Kochi from Colombo on Thursday and had closed-door sessions for two days with well-known astrologer Parappanangadi Unnikrishna Panicker, the Indian website NewsByte said.

"It was for an Ashtamangalya Prasnam (an astrological pooja for knowing what is in store in the coming days) that Wickremesinghe came here. He used to call on me quite regularly," Panicker told NewsByte. On Saturday and Sunday, Wickremesinghe prayed at the Lord Krishna temple at Guruvayur before emplaning for Chennai.

Extracted from,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/06/10/pol02.asp

Sri Lankan opposition leader obstructed from attending parliament

Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament here Thursday that he was obstructed from attending parliament by a noisy demonstration.

Wickremesinghe made the announcement as the island's parliament resumed its sittings Thursday after its recess since early May.

Speaker W. J. M. Lokubanadara said that an investigation will be made into the incident.

A group of government supporters held a noisy demonstration accusing the main opposition leader of acting against the government.

He was branded a supporter of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) who seek a separate homeland for the minority Tamil community in the island's Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Wickremesinghe alleged that his way into parliament was blocked by the pro-government demonstrators.

Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/05/content_8318060.htm

Sri Lankan PM says no more truce with Tamil rebels

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake said here Tuesday the government would never enter into any more cease-fire agreements with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

Wickramanayake said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had exploited cease-fire agreements with the government in the past.

"I will tell you one thing for sure. There will never be anymore cease-fire agreements in the future with the LTTE", the prime minister said.

Wickramanayake's government in January this year unilaterally withdrew from the February 2002 cease-fire.

The Norwegian backed cease-fire held until the end of 2005 when violence escalated. The new wave of violence in the island's long drawn out separatist armed conflict has so far cost over 7,000 lives since December 2005.

Read more,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/14/content_8164083.htm

VAIKO MEETS ERIC SOLHEIM AND BEGS OF HIM TO GIVE LIFE BACK TO THE ABROGATED CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT

India’s maverick politician Vaiko has begged of Norway’s most controversial peace negotiator and International Development Minister Eric Solheim who has been charged by non-tiger Tamil groups as a pro-LTTE man, to give life to a dead cease fire agreement that has been violated thousands of times by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) itself.

LTTE news sources revealed that the two controversial men met recently at Oslo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Vaiko requested Solheim to help revive the Norway brokered abrogated Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed between Ranil Wickramasinghe government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

A close personal friend of the late Tamil Tiger “peace negotiator” Anton Balasingham, Soheim has been publicly attacked as a “White Tiger”, and enjoys very little credibility in Sri Lanka. He has been criticized by anti-LTTE Tamil groups and pro-Sinhala groups in the country as a non acceptable man.

Pro LTTE news sources said, Vaiko expressed his “gratitude on behalf of the Tamils in India to the Royal Norwegian Government for its engagement as facilitator to the CFA ..” when the two controversial politicians met each other in Oslo in Norway few days ago.

Read more,
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items08/140408-1.html

Smashing pots and pans: CIA-inspired

It seems that UNP National Organizer S.B. Dissanayake has borrowed a leaf from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency which helped to stage the rightwing military coup that overthrew Salvador Allende's government in Chile. With the ousting of the popularly elected Allende the way was open for the notorious General Augusto Pinochet to seize power.

The CIA paved the path to his military dictatorship by instigating Chilean housewives to demonstrate on streets with pots and pans and beat them to protest against the rising cost of living in Chile under Allende's Government in 1973. S.B. Dissanayake has modified this a bit by planning to smash pots and pans instead of beating them.

Once a government is elected under a democracy, the normal procedure is to allow it to run its normal course. But Ranil, S.B. and company have no such patience. From day one since Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected President they have been wracking their brains on ways and means to topple his regime.

Read more,
http://www.srilankawatch.com/index.php?

Chandrika and Ranil try to stop aid says President

In an obvious reference to former President Chandrika Kumaratunga and United National Party leader Ranil Wickramasinghe President Mahinda Rajapaksa said they are conspiring to stop foreign aid to Sri Lanka in a way injurious to the common masses of the country to spite him.

Addressing the 18th Annual Convention of the ruling Sri lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) President Mahinda Rajapaksa accused not only the United National Party leadership but some past leaders of his own party of conspiring to stop foreign aid to the country to spite him in an obvious reference to former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.

He said certain leaders have tried to stop the GSP plus concessions granted by the European Union on purported charges of violation of human rights in the country by secretly conspiring against the people.

Before the President leveled these accusations Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade has admitted that the government was in the know that former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has had talks with some European Union leaders.

Read more,
http://www.sinhalaya.com/news/english/wmview.php?ArtID=15052

UNP Decide to contest for Eastern PC Polls

Sri Lanka's Main opposition United National Party (UNP) has decided to contest the Eastern Provincial Council Election to be held on May 10.

Working Committee of the party unanimously approved the party’s decision today. They also appointed a nomination board to coordinate the Eastern Provincial Council Election.

Ranil Wickranasinghe, the leader will discus with Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and other parties, General Secretory, Tissa Atthanayaka said.

Party has also decided to urge government and election commissioner to disarm armed groups before nominating, Atthanayaka said to media.

UNP did not contested for Batticaloa mini Election.

Extracted from,
http://news.nidahasa.com/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=515

UNP would never return to power - JVP Leader

Sri Lanka would have ended up in division by now with a state of Eelam in the North if Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected President at the last Presidential election.

Therefore, the JVP has no regrets for having enabled President Mahinda Rajapaksa to win the last Presidential election said JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe.

The JVP Leader said so addressing a party rally held near the Kandy Central Market on Monday, March 10.

The rally was held to protest against alleged moves to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which the JVP says would lead to a division of the country.

Amarawansa said the JVP’s stand at the last Presidential election helped to save a division of the country. If the people thought the JVP had taken a wrong decision then they would expect the people to pardon them like a mother would do to an errant child.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/03/13/pol11.asp

S.B. Dissanayake asked why shouldn’t UNP contest Batticaloa elections

S.B. Dissanayake asked why shouldn’t UNP contest Batticaloa elections when it could have registered a facile victory in Batticaloa going by the last Presidential elections results: UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe secured almost 12 lakhs votes whereas President Rajapakse could only poll 27808 votes in the East!

The UNP was not prepared to play into the hands of the Govt..’s machinations aimed at only winning elections by the foulest means collaborating with another terror group –the Pillayan who were as bad as or worse than the LTTE , because the Pillayan was backed by the Govt. to the hilt allowing them even to use weapons.

In some instances they had even gone to the prospective candidates’ houses and forced them at gun point to withdraw or contest under their symbol. Even, pro Govt. Douglas Devananda party had admitted that Pillayan group was committing atrocious crimes with impunity: abductions, intimidations and extortions.

It is alleged that a Mudalali. A friend of Minister Maithripala Sirisena was also a victim of extortion of the Pillayan group. The UNP candidates who were preparing for candidature was also threatened at gunpoint against contesting.

Read more,
http://lankaguardian.blogspot.com/2008/03/

UNP's fullest support for 13th Amendment

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday extended the UNP's fullest cooperation to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which has been proposed by the APRC proposals. The Opposition Leader gave this assurance following an extensive discussion with President Mahinda Rajapaksa held at Temple Trees yesterday.

During the discussion, President Rajapaksa briefed the Opposition Leader on the implementation of the 13th Amendment proposed by the APRC proposals.

In addition, the discussions also centred on the 17th Amendment, a media release issued by the President's Media Unit said yesterday. The UNP's representation for the next rounds of the APRC discussions was also discussed.

The discussions were conducted in a very cordial manner. SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Prof. Vishwa Warnapala represented the SLFP while the UNP Chairman MP Rukman Senanayake and MP K.N. Choksy represented the UNP, the release added.

Extracted from,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/02/27/pol01.asp

President-Ranil meeting backed by India?

A meeting between President Mahinda Rajapakse and Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe will take place today, Tuesday, at 7.30 p.m.

Sources said the meeting was due to persuasion by the international community, especially India, to use the opportunity to work out a minimum consensus on a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the country.

Earlier, the president and leader of the opposition met at the unveiling ceremony of a bust of former president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, where President Rajapakse had extended an invitation to the latter to discuss a solution to the ethnic problem in the country.

Read more,
http://outreachsl.com/en/?p=125

Top UN official arrives in Sri Lanka

Angela Kane, UN assistant secretary general for political affairs arrived in Sri Lanka today following a request from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for a weeklong fact finding mission, Foreign Ministry announced.

“The top UN official will come here for a week for primarily to review the work of the UN Country Team in the South Asian nation in all key areas,” a statement said.

“The visit is part of her regular consultations in the areas of her responsibility,” it added.

Foreign Ministry said that Ms. Kane will hold talks with the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona and envoys from the European Union, Norway and India. She will also meet the opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. The top UN official is expected to meet leaders of the All Party Representative's Committee (APRC) during her weeklong visit from Feb 20 through 26.

Exrtacted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/February20124758JV.html

Opposition leader never missed a national day party of Norway, yet going to boycott own Independence Day says Hemakumara Nanayakkara

Minister of Agriculture Hema Kumara Nanayakkara speaking on behalf of the United National Party (D) said the decision of the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to boycott the 60th anniversary celebrations of Sri Lanka's independence should be condemned as a treacherous act of a leader of a party whose past leaders toiled hard to gain the country's independence.

"Mr. Wickremesinghe's act," said Nanayakkara of the UNP breakaway group "is another body blow by him against our own motherland."

Speaking at a press briefing in Colombo, Hemakumara Nanayakkara said Wickremesinghe is a person who has never missed a national day party of Norway and was also the leader who had invited the Portuguese to come to Colombo in 2005 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of their cruel occupation of the island nation of Sri Lanka in 1505. "No wonder such a leader was planning to boycott the country's independence celebrations," Nanayakkara said.

In other words, said Nanayakkara, the UNP leader was planning to stop, the garlanding of the UNP founder and Sri Lanka's first Prime Minister Rt. Honourable D.S.Senanayaka, he said.

He said certain sinister organisations connected with Norway and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were boycotting the independence celebrations and he wanted to know whether Wickremesinghe belonged to the same clique.

He said at a time our heroic forces were sacrificing their lives to drive out the last vestiges of terrorism from the country in the North, after liberating the Eastern Province, it was the most treacherous act on the part of the UNP leader to boycott the country's independence celebrations.

Read more,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080203_04

Akashi wants military action to cease to give aid!

Yasushi Akashi, Japan's special peace envoy has warned that Japan would cut off aid if military action against tiger terrorists continued.

"We could be forced to review our aid policy if military action keeps escalating, although Sri Lanka wants Japan to continue it," Yasushi Akashi had told the media in Tokyo.

He had said the S.L. Government and the LTTE should choose peace indicating that GoSL have talks with tiger terrorists. Yasushi Akashi was in Sri Lanka from the 13th to 15th of this month when he met several political leaders including the President, Ranil Wickremasinghe and JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe.

Read more,
http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2008/January/31/20080131_10.htm

BUTTALA BUS BLAST – TRIBUTE TO RANIL’S CFA FINALE

On the final day of the ignominious CFA the terrorists murdered 27 innocent civilians and wounded around 67 persons in the Buttala claymore mine blast. Although the United States have condemned this brutal massacre of the terrorist outfit, the Videshapriya media dogs, and NGO vultures who cry foul for everything that affects or disadvantages the terrorist outfit and talk vociferously about humanitarian values and call for respect of innocent civilian life remain totally silent and ignorant of this horrendous massacre as it had happened in some other planet.

If the terrorists and the enemies of the nation who earn their livelihood by helping the terrorists and terrorism to prevail in this country hope that this type of inhuman acts and massacres could frighten the masses or open up a communal backlash, they are utterly mistaken. Terrorists and their bootlickers should realize that the people are determined to eradicate terrorism from Sri Lanka and they would confront any and every obstacle in this historical melee daringly and fearlessly, without falling pray to their schemes and strategies.

At the time of the blast, around 7.40 a.m. on Wednesday (16th) the SLTB long chassied bus from Buttala to Okkampitiya is reported to have been carrying over 100 passengers including many school children. There are three school children and 13 women among the dead. The injured have been taken to Moneragala and Buttala hospitals and 5 patients on critical conditions have been airlifted to the National Hospital in Colombo.
Read more,
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items08/170108-2.html

Gnanakone rubs shoulders with UNP MPs at party inaugural meeting in LA

Jayantha (Donald) Gnanakone, the controversial Tamil activist, with alleged connections with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rubbing shoulders with Dr. Jayalath Jayewardena, the UNP stalwart at the inaugural Los Angeles meeting of the United National Party became the cynosure of the gathering when Pro-Ranil Wickremesinghe leaders converged on the metropolis for the historical event .

"I may be supporting Mano Ganeshan in Colombo ( a pro-LTTE politician) or anybody else and it's none of the f..... business of anybody or RAW or any one of its agents," he said when asked whether he has joined the UNP. RAW is the Indian intelligence service and currently dreaded by the LTTE since the assassination of the former Indian Prime Minister by a LTTE suicide killer. Formerly RAW funded, armed and trained the LTTE in South Indian military camps when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India.

Jayantha Gnanakone is the brother of the now acquitted alleged participant of the assassination of the former Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.

At the inauguration of new branch of the UNP in LA delirium reind supreme when two UNP stalwarts mingled with a bother of a well-known LTTE financier cloistered inside the Hyatt Summerfield Hotel in El Segundo on Sunday and sang the praises of Ranil Wickremesinghe to their hearts content.

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071225_06

Government wins Budget 2008 by majority of 47

The budget vote which generated much tension finally turned out to be an anti-climax with the Government securing a comfortable majority of 47.

The voting commenced today around 5.00p.m by name for and against the budget. There were 114 votes for the Budget and 67 against it. The JVP abstained from voting.

The UNP (Democratic Group), Jathika Hela Urumaya, Upcountry People's Front, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and the Ceylon Workers' Congress voted for the budget while the UNP (Ranil Group), Tamil National Alliance and the Western Province People's Front voted against it.

Earlier in the day, veteran politician Anura Bandaranaike crossed over to the opposition benches.

Subsequent to the vote, Minister D.M. Jayaratne said that the Government will defeat terrorism and develop the country:

"Today we have emerged victorious on the 2008 budget and we will not hesitate to defeat terrorism and to carry forward our development programme," Mr.Jayarathne told www.news.lk.

Although SLMC’s Rauff Hakeem stirred up controversy with his crossover on Wednesday, with the UNP claiming that others in the Government will break ranks at today's vote, the Government mustered a comfortable 114 votes, sufficient to secure a majority even if the JVP had voted against the budget.

Wijedasa Rajapaksa, who crossed over to the opposition but abstained from voting at the second reading, opted to do the same today as well.

Wimal Weerawansa, Propaganda Secretary of the JVP, addressing parliament said that his party was not ready to be anyone's catspaw and makes decisions in the best interest of the country and the people.

Meanwhile Chief Government Whip, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told www.news.lk that it was the LTTE and no one else that was behind moves to defeat the budget. "It was obviously an attempt to reverse the victories achieved by the security forces in the Eastern Province,

Extracted from,
http://news.lk/index.php?option=com

Govt will win Budget vote with ease - Minister Maithripala Sirisena

The Government will pass the budget with a majority of votes at its Third Reading despite Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's attempts to weaken the Government in Parliament, SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

Minister Sirisena said that Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe had failed every step of the way to topple the Government. "Wickremesinghe is misleading the public in his campaign to topple the Government," he added.

Minister Sirisena pointing to the Opposition Leader's campaign against the Government and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said Wickremesinghe should learn how to speak in public and act as a responsible leader.

"Wickremesinghe in his new campaign has inserted an advertisement saying that the youth should be given wings to fly and the Government had not granted enough opportunities to the youth."

Read more,
http://www.mulpituwa.com/?viewnews=10027

The UNP and media freedom – Daily Mirror clarifies

The main opposition UNP yesterday issued a statement challenging the contents of the Daily Mirror page one comment titled “UNP and the Media Freedom” in which the Editor of the Daily Mirror said that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe reprimanded Daily Mirror journalist Kelum Bandara.

The first statement sent by the UNP yesterday did not have a signature. However when contacted by the Daily Mirror Mr. Wickremesinghe’s Media Secretary Saman Athaudahetti confirmed that the statement was sent by the UNP. Later the UNP sent a second copy signed by UNP spokesman Gayantha Karunatilleka with similar contents.

Please find below the Daily Mirror response to the contents of the UNP statement.

UNP : In its comment titled “UNP and Media Freedom”, the Daily Mirror has failed to live up to the editorial practice that ‘facts are sacred”. It is a misrepresentation of facts.

DM : It is the UNP that has misrepresented facts. We will prove this point in our answers below.

UNP : The Leadership of the UNP did not contact Daily Mirror journalist Kelum Bandara yesterday.

DM : UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe did speak to Kelum Bandara and he used the mobile number 0777 448224 to call the journalist and reprimand him.

Read the full article here,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/11/10/front/2.asp