US mulls military support to Lanka

Sri Lanka can look forward to US military assistance to crack down on LTTE terrorism as the United States is now considering to lift the arms embargo following the recent release of child soldiers by the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP).

The United States which has come down hard on terrorism, suspended air and maritime surveillance assistance to Sri Lanka last year citing two reasons - recruitment of child soldiers by the TMVP and human rights violations.

US Ambassador Robert O. Blake told the Sunday Observer that there was a possibility of resuming military assistance to the government to defend the LTTE.

“US military assistance is currently suspended due to two provisions in the US law. The first being child soldiers. The TMVP has released over 50 child soldiers and this is a very good sign”, he said.

Blake said that the US had welcomed the move publicly and hope they would release more.

According to UNICEF figures over 100 child soldiers were still in the custody of the TMVP, he said.

“The US believes that we will be able to lift that particular restriction and to continue to provide military assistance if the TMVP releases more children”, he said adding that the United States is working closely with the government to improve its human rights record too.

Blake said that US military assistance in the areas of air and maritime surveillance has helped the government to detect LTTE arms shipments in the territorial waters of the country.

Read more,
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/05/25/sec02.asp

Another time bomb found in Kandy

Police personnel of Wattegama police station have found a time bomb placed near an electric transformer at Madawala Junction this morning (May 25).

According the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), the bomb has been discovered by the police around 9.20 am on information provided by a vigilant civilian. The army bomb disposal team has defused the bomb. The weight of the bomb is about 1kg, said the sources.

Police investigations are in progress.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080525_04

Three arrested LTTE suspects released on bail by British Courts

Three LTTE suspects, who were arrested by the Britain police for conspiring to procure equipment to LTTE, have been granted bail by the British Courts.

Media reports said that fourth man was not released as he has not applied for bail.

Jegatheswaran Muraleetharan, alias Muralee Tharan, 46, Jeyatheswaran Vythyatharan alias Vithy Tharan, 39, Murugesu Jegatheeswaran alias M Jegan, 33 and Shanthan are charged with conspiring to receive equipment for terrorist purposes between January 2003 and December 2006, reports said.

Shanthan was granted bail with a large financial security and on condition that he contacts the police by phone daily through voice recognition equipment.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/May24140118JV.html

Rice from Myanmar to check Sri Lanka shortage

A consignment of rice from Myanmar is expected to reach the port of Colombo early next week that will meet the local market needs, a top official said Saturday.

R. M. K. Ratnayake, secretary to the Minister of Trade and Consumer Affairs, said 7,000 metric tons of rice from Myanmar would arrive on May 27.

This was part of the 50,000 metric tons ordered by the Sri Lankan government in late March.

Escalation of retail rice prices due to a shortage prompted the government to place urgent orders with Myanmar.

The government early April imposed price control as means to ensure the availability of rice, the staple diet of the 20 million population.

"There is no shortage right now but we are concerned about August/September. If there is a problem then Myanmar rice will help us to overcome the situation," Ratnayake told reporters.

He said the cyclone in Myanmar had delayed the rice shipments from arriving. The Sri Lankan rice crop was affected by heavy monsoon rains and floods in the last quarter of 2007.

Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/25/content_8246485.htm

High tea production in Lanka to give boost to exports

Sri Lanka has registered a 29 per cent increase in its tea output to around 112 million kgs in the first four months of 2008 that is expected to give a boost to its exports, which are slated to cross one billion dollars in value terms this year.

Sri Lanka's tea exports is likely to grow by 15 per cent for 2008 against the landmark one billion dollar export mark on top of high output due to favourable weather conditions this year, according to experts.

The rise in demand for Sri Lankan black tea from Russia, Iran and Libya is likely to push tea exports from the island country to a new high in 2008, they said.

Sri Lanka would face competition for its sought after orthodox tea (black tea) from Vietnam, which produces similar variety of high quality tea.

Tea Production for the period January-April 2008 is pegged at around 112 million kgs, which is 29.2 per cent higher as compared to the same period in 2007, the Sri Lankan Tea Board said.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200805241421.htm

Were Noyahr’s abductors trying to get a lead on his `sources’?

As Thursday’s abduction and torture of Keith Noyahr, Associate Editor of The Nation, drew widespread condemnation, Sunday Island inquiries revealed his tormentors had been taken him to Dompe and then brought him back to his Dehiwela residence after Rivira Media Corporation triggered a frantic search for him.

Well informed sources said the gang would have been after the identity of Noyahr’s ‘sources.’

The timely intervention of Lalith Alahakoon, Editor of The Nation and Krishantha Prasad Cooray,

CEO of the Rivira Media Corporation, had forced the government to search for the missing journalist. But his release, the sources said asserted would have been after the gang had established the identities of the target’s ‘sources.’

Now, they would be after his ‘sources,’ the sources said. Had not for their intervention, Noyahr would have been killed and dumped somewhere, the sources said.

A UK based businessman early this year bought a 49 per cent stake of Rivira Media Corporation which publishes ‘Rivira’, ‘The Nation’ and ‘Bottom Line’ newspapers. He is reported to have paid Rs. 100 million.

Read more,
http://www.island.lk/2008/05/25/news2.html

Another time bomb defused

A time bomb weighing 03 kg was detected in a COLOMBO - MORATUWA bus and defused by the Army bomb disposal unit today(24) around 8.45 p.m.

A woman passenger had noticed the suspicious parcel. The Army bomb disposal unit was informed and the parcel identified as a time bomb and defused.

The vigilance of the woman passenger had foiled the terrorists attempt and prevented a carnage.

News extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=12692

Is it all that important to be seated on the UN Human Rights Council? USA & Israel doesn’t think so – why should Sri Lanka?

Desmond Tutu must be happy, so too must be Adolfo Perez Esquivel & former President Carter & perhaps many more of the human rights activists & NGOs that set in motion an international propaganda to project Sri Lanka as a nation in the grips of anarchy & urged member nations to reject Sri Lanka’s attempt to secure a re-election to the 47 member UN Human Rights Council.

But is this seat all that important? Why is the US & Israel not a member of it since they voted against the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council on 15th March 2006 & why did Venezuela abstain from voting citing that certain paragraphs paved the way for intervention in the internal affairs of States.

There are likely to be many interpretations of the denial of Sri Lanka to the UN Human Rights Council, of course in the world of diplomacy it may be considered a slap to the Sri Lankan Government & possibly a jolt to its ego internationally but then considering the countries that have secured election purely by the structure of the Council, it becomes questionable whether Sri Lanka should feel disheartened at all.

Sri Lanka presently being accused of atrocious human rights abuses must feel quite content for being omitted from a seat in view of the members having to uphold highest standards in the promotion & protection of “human rights” not to mention being subject to periodic review.

Read more,
http://www.sinhalaya.com/news/english/wmview.php?ArtID=15330

Terror bomb attack at civilians averted- Ganemulla

Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force (STF) bomb disposal team defused a time bomb weighing 1.25 kg this evening found in a public transport bus at Kossinna in Ganemulla (May 24) . According to the defence sources, the conductor of the bus who initially detected the ownerless parcel has thrown it out of the bus at a remote location. Then he has alerted the STF on the suspected parcel, the sources said.

The bomb was found in the bus that was due to leave Colombo from Parakandeniya. According to the sources, there were no passengers in the bus when the conductor detected the suspected parcel found under one of the passenger seats.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080524_03

No human rights organizations would be allowed in! – Govt. informs UNHRC

Sri Lanka has informed UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva that no human rights organizations would be allowed to investigate human rights situations in Sri Lanka here after.

The government has accused UNHRC for being a victim of incorrect information supplied by various voluntary organizations while the government was rigorously involved in safeguarding human rights in the country adding that the government would never give in to the demands of voluntary organizations that receive foreign funds to dismantle the work of the government.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to investigate the colossal sum of money received by voluntary organizations and how they are spent in this country. It has been revealed that a certain human rights organization has received a sum of $40 million.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankatruth.com/index.php?

Sri Lanka starts to build China-funded arts theater

Work on the construction of a performing arts theater funded by China commenced Friday in Sri Lankan capital Colombo with the participation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ye Dabo.

The project, which will be built on 2.18 acres of land, was finalized during Rajapaksa's official visit to China in 2007.

Sri Lankan officials said the theater will be equipped with ultra modern facilities such as an auditorium with 1,288 seats, parking facilities for 500 vehicles, library and training facilities for performing arts, and facilities to conduct educational and research activities.

The project is expected to be completed in 26 months.

Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/24/content_8239917.htm
Photo,
http://www.silumina.lk/2008/05/25/mainpic_1.jpg

PRO-LTTE REPORTS ON ATTACKS AGAINST CIVILIANS REFUTED

THE SRI LANKA ARMY flatly refutes and despises attempts of the pro-LTTE media to blame the Army over alleged explosions of claymore mines in un-cleared areas of Kilinochchi, targeting both an ambulance and a van during the course of the day (Friday,23rd, 2008). The areas alleged in those reports lie about 100 km away from the northern most Omanthai Entry/Exit point and defence lines under the government control in Vavuniya.

Those reports shamelessly claimed that an ambulance carrying an Assistant Director of the Fisheries Corporation, Mannar and a civilian was the target of the first claymore mine in Muzhangkaavil, Kilinochchi. Adding another dimension a few hours later, the same pro-LTTE mouthpiece alleged that one more van carrying sixteen civilians, including six children, four girls and two boys was attacked with a claymore mine at about 2.15 p.m. on Friday (23) in the same un-cleared Muzhangkaavil area while they all were allegedly returning from a hospital.

It is crystal clear that those LTTE reports have been attributed to the Army with a sinister move and the sheer intention of tarnishing the image of the Army unreservedly and also provoking the international community in order to win back the world sympathy for their lost cause. Many such reports carried in their media in the past provide ample evidence and examples to this effect. The Army categorically refuses such reports and appeals sensible readers to judge the motive behind such pro-LTTE allegations.

extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=13466

Dethroned for violations or...?

Sri Lanka has lost its seat in the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) due mainly to a disrespecting of the world system, arrogance, complete lack of counter propaganda against LTTE and bungling and rantings by a group of theoreticians and technocrats.

International norms dealing with torture, disappearances, and political killings have emerged due mainly to the atrocities committed elsewhere. Human Rights groups, pioneered by the work of Amnesty International have used fact finding, consensus building, principled norm construction, norm application etc paving the way for HR standards and measures broadly described as 'principled norm emergence'.

In times of war, the principle Jus in Bello (Justice in War) is said to apply to regulate the conduct of military forces. The rules of warfare aim to safeguard human life and some other fundamental Human Rights, and to ensure that war is limited in its scope and level of violence. It is the premise that combatants have voluntarily forfeited some of their rights whilst civilians have not and carry at all times the full rights under the UN Charter.

Although international law suggests that the inhabitants of non-occupied territory, who take up arms on the approach of the enemy and resist the invading troops, even if they have not had time to organize themselves, count as armed forces, a guerrilla or insurgent force fighting mostly without uniforms are miles apart and cannot be easily distinguished from unarmed civilians.

Read more,
http://defencewire.blogspot.com/2008/05/dethroned-for-violations-or.html

President orders full investigation into attack on Keith Noyahr

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed IGP Victor Perera to launch a full investigation into the abduction and attack on senior journalist, Keith Noyahr who is the Deputy Editor of The Nation newspaper.

Noyahr went missing last night and his wife had lodged a complaint at the Dehiwala Police Station when his vehicle was found empty outside his house around 11.00 pm.
Noyahr had been released by his abductors early this morning (May 23) around 5.30 and had come home carrying severe injuries. He was hospitalized thereafter.

Police Spokesman N.K. Ilangakoon said that three police teams have been deployed to carrry out the investigation.

Extracted from,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5927&Itemid=44
Photos,
www.dailymirror.lk