By Shamindra Ferdinando in The Island
Prabhakaran’s successor, T. S. Pathmanathan or simply ‘KP’ as he is better known has thrown his weight behind Sri Lanka’s post-LTTE efforts to restore peace in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
In an exclusive interview with The Island in Colombo yesterday, Pathmanathan, former confidant of the slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and the outfit’s main arms procurer, said what he expected of the Tamil Diaspora and what the Diaspora expected of him was to step up the rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement programmes now underway.
KP said it was essential for the Tamil Diaspora to realise the ground reality in a post-LTTE era and review its strategy to meet the new challenges. He said he had stepped in as he felt there was a leadership vacuum to be filled. Emphasising his determination to go ahead with what he called a tangible action plan, the LTTE veteran said everybody should have come forward and assist in the rebuilding efforts without trying to live in the past. The media should play a positive role in the post-LTTE period and strengthen the ongoing reconciliation efforts. Nothing could be as bad as negative reporting, though no one would dispute the right of the media to cover any issue the way it deemed fit, KP said. However, he said their focus should be on development and peace building efforts such as rebuilding, speedy resettlement of the war displaced and rehabilitation of ex-combatants.
About the North-East Rehabilitation and Development Organisation (NERDO), he had set up recently, he said it is ready to play a key role in the rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement processes. With its main office situated at No 10, 1st Lane, Kathiresu Road, Vairavaputiyankulam, Vavuniya, NERDO is engaged in various activities in support of the Tami speaking people. We are only concerned about the welfare of the people, particularly children, though some seek fresh funding to cause mayhem. People are fed up with war and every effort should be made to alleviate the suffering of the people without playing politics with a purely humanitarian issue. We are appealing for funds – -$1 from each Tamil living abroad on a monthly basis.
About the turning point in the Eelam war IV, KP said: There are many other factors, but the primary reason is nothing but the rapid rise of Al-Qaeda, which prompted the West to change its attitude. This brought about a drastic change in the attitude of political leaders in the other parts of the world. Circumstances made propagation of separatist sentiments extremely difficult in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, an influential section of the LTTE, including its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran did not realize the urgent need to change its strategy. Had he done that the situation would have been different today. There is a New World Order today, which does not tolerate armed campaigns and that is the hard reality. www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=3160
2.Sri Lanka ex-army chief faces new trial
COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was brought before the Colombo High Court on Thursday to answer charges of provoking violence.
Fonseka, who already faces two courts martial and two more criminal cases, was taken before a three-member "trial-at-bar" for the first time and charged, his attorney said.
"The main charge is inciting people to violence," lawyer Nalin Laduwahetti said. Some 20 witnesses will be called during the next hearing, on September 27.
The trial-at-bar dispenses with the normal practice of trial by jury, and is normally used by the state to fast-track legal proceedings in high-profile cases. If convicted, Fonseka could be jailed for five to 20 years.
Fonseka was charged under tough emergency laws in relation to accusations he incited violence by commenting to a newspaper that surrendering rebel leaders were executed during the country’s civil war, which ended in May 2009.
Fonseka maintained that the published comments — which suggested defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the younger brother of the president, had ordered the executions — were in fact misquotes. Rajapakse has denied the charge.
A retired four-star general, Fonseka led the Sri Lankan army to a spectacular victory against Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year, ending the island’s 37-year separatist conflict.
But he has since fallen out with the government and says the legal cases against him are politically motivated.
Fonseka made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Rajapakse at elections in January, but went on to win a seat at April parliamentary polls.
He is currently in military custody, facing two courts martial for allegedly dabbling in politics while in uniform and illegally awarding contracts to a company in which his son-in-law had an interest.
Fonseka’s party has said the cases against him are fabricated and form part of a political vendetta.http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100729/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankapoliticsmilitarytrialfonseka/print
3.Sri Lankan produced ‘water gel’ to replace dynamite
Colombo: ‘Water gel’ the innovative environmental friendly Sri Lankan production is to replace dynamite explosive chargers. The product is to soon take its place in the Sri Lankan market cutting of costs prevailed over the use of dynamite for industrial purposes.
The product came to light following instructions given by Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa in substitute for the expensive and environmental hazardous dynamite. This new explosive cracker is manufactured at the Kelani Fire Works Limited, factory located at Meerigama.
A comparative experiment into the industrial use of the new explosive charger along with dynamite explosives was conducted at a quarry located at Kotadeniyawa in the Diwulapitiya area, on 27th July.
Additional Secretary Ministry of Defence Mr. Jagath Jayaweera, Deputy Forensic, Deputy Cotroller for explosives, Kelaniya Fire Work Managing Director Mr. Rajith Fernando and the Gampaha District Assistant Explosive Controller were also present at the site. www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20100728_05
4.Tamil hunger striker wins damages for burger claims
LONDON — A Sri Lankan Tamil demonstrator who went on hunger strike outside London’s Houses of Parliament accepted damages on Thursday from British newspapers who accused him of eating burgers during his fast.
Parameswaran Subramanyam will receive nearly £80,000 (95,000 euros, 125,000 dollars) from the Daily Mail and the Sun, his lawyers said.
He spent 23 days last year fasting as part of a protest by thousands of British Tamils about the treatment of their people in Sri Lanka. He later spent five days in hospital recovering.
The two newspapers falsely alleged that the 29-year-old had secretly eaten burgers from McDonalds during his hunger strike.
Parameswaran sued them for libel at the High Court in London and the newspapers have now apologised, withdrawn the allegations and agreed to pay damages totalling nearly £80,000.
A statement read out in court said Parameswaran "did not consume any food at all throughout his hunger strike" and that he had been "ostracised" by Tamils after the untrue stories were published because they believed he had "betrayed" them and "undermined the Tamil struggle globally".
Parameswaran said he had thought about committing suicide after the newspapers published their stories because of the criticism he faced from other Tamils.
"I had death threats through mobile and text and all over the Tamil community they were spreading texts like ‘kill Parameswaran’ and ‘bastard’," he told AFP.
His solicitor Magnus Boyd added: "We are delighted that both newspapers have at last seen sense, climbed down and apologised publicly to Parameswaran for the hurt and distress that they caused him." http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5haS7-Zx3MaDJmkuuEvhgw7nA5GyA
5.Naval Deployment Puttalam commissioned as SLNS Thambapanni
Naval Deployment Puttalam, which was initially established on 28th December 2008, was ceremonially commissioned as Sri Lanka Naval Ship Thambapanni (SLNS Thambapanni). The Commissioning Warrant awarded by His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, was awarded to the Commanding Officer SLNS Thambapanni Commander JAJK Perera by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe at the commissioning ceremony held on 28th July 2010 organized under the patronage of Commander North Western Naval Area Rear Admiral Ruwan Dias.
Religious dignitaries in the area, Commander Western Naval Area, Commander North Central Naval Area, senior officers of the Naval Headquarters and the North-western Naval Command and senior service and government officers in the area were also present at the occasion.
The administration of nine Naval Detachments within the axis of 30 kilometers and the providing security for the Puttalam town are carried out by this Naval Base. Further, providing security for the Wilpattu National Park and the surrounding coastal belt, sea surveillance and assisting the fishing industry in the area are some of the prominent tasks assigned to the Naval personnel attached to newly-commissioned SLNS Thambapnni.
According to "Mahawamsa", the Great Chronicle, in 543 BC the first human settlement named "Thammana Nuwara" also known as "Thambapanni" which was built by the Prince Vijaya and the group after their arrival on the west coast in the island, is situated close to the new Base. Hence, it was named "Thambapanni". http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20100730_04
6. Eastern coast to get hit first, says NARA
The east coast of Sri Lanka would witness a rise in the water level of sea by 1. 2 millimeters a year and the western coast, a marginal increase, due to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas, the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) said in a research.
NARA Research and Development Director Dr. K. Arulananthan told Daily Mirror yesterday that the increased river discharge in to the Bay of Bengal by Ganges and Bramaputra due to the melting of Himalaya’s glaciers were the main causes for the rising sea level.
“The east coast is witnessing an increase of 1.2 millimetres a year while the west coast also will witness a marginal increase,” he said.
Dr. Arulananthan said that roughly the country would see a 10-35 millimetres increase per year around its sea levels except in the north east coast.
This research by NARA was done after a study by the University of Colorado and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research stating that sea levels were rising unevenly in the Indian Ocean, placing millions at risk along low-lying coastlines.
The University of Colorado and the National Centre for Atmospheric Research said the rising sea levels were caused in part by climate change and were triggered by warming seas and changes to atmospheric circulation patterns. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/17133.html
7. Release Tamil political prisoners or grant a general pardon: TNA MP requests President
TNA Batticaloa District MP P. Ariyaneththiran has requested President Rajapakse to release the 55 Tamil women political prisoners and their children who are held in custody at the Welikade Prison.
The MP has addressed a letter to the President informing him that the 705 political prisoners who are in yet in custody in the Prisons be granted a general pardon. If that is not possible, to release them on bail, and to file action against those who are having charges.
In Ariyaneththiran‘s letter to the President he has furnished personal details of 50 detainees.
There are 10992 prisoners in the prisons and other detention sites who are suspected of having LTTE links. Of them 2098 are women.
8898 detainees are men. 4143 of detainees in general are married while 6849 are unmarried. 1420 detainees are disabled individuals, according to reports. http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=9807
