யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

LeN-2007Feb10, 8.00pm) Mahinda Chinthana has kept a world record in having the largest cabinet. The below is a comparison between the cabinets of some countries and that of Sri Lanka. Canada- 31 ministers for 37 million people India- 20 ministers for 1000 million people Russia- 25 ministers for 150 million people Malaysia- 23 ministers for 25 million people Bangladesh- 22 ministers for 150 million people America- 15 ministers for 274 million people Pakistan- 13 ministers for 130 million people Sri Lanka- 108 ministers for 19 million people In Sri Lanka non cabinet and deputy ministers can use 2 official vehicles and one security vehicle, but for…

The pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has roped in the Chennai film industry to increase awareness of the Sri Lankan Tamil problem among the people of Tamil Nadu, and to collect money for the rehabilitation of Tamil refugees in Sri Lanka. Three TNA MPs, MK Sivajilingam, S Ariyanethiran and S Pathmanathan, met leading figures of the Tamil Nadu film industry at the Nadigar Sangam (Actors' Guild) in Chennai on February 6. Among the stars present were Sarath Kumar, President of the Nadigar Sangam; veteran actors Manorama and SS Chandran; and the latest heart throb, Abbas. Sarath Kumar and SS Chandran combine political activism with acting. ... http://www.hindustantim…

UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime [TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT] The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition on Guardian's 'Comment is Free' section. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in his column. He criticised President Rajapakse f…

A four-year-old peace deal has been shattered by a government that has resorted to copying its opponents' brutal tactics Jonathan Steele in Colombo Friday February 9, 2007 The Guardian The roadblock was unexpected. Driving to Colombo along Sri Lanka's south-west coast, we were forced on to a sidestreet by police in Hikkaduwa, one of the island's main tourist centres. There must have been a multiple crash, we assumed, as the detour along narrow village lanes took us past rice paddies shimmering in the afternoon sun. Back on the coast road, fleets of ambulances racing south seemed to confirm our suspicions. Later we discovered the problem was a bomb.…

UN urged not to ignore Rajapakse regime [TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 12:58 GMT] The UN security council working group which is set to study underage recruitment in Sri Lanka later Friday should not ignore the practice of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse’s regime in the practice, a senior columnist with The Guardian newspaper wrote in Friday’s edition. And condemning political movements for the violence they turn to, “whilst ignoring their complaints and the degree of support they command leads only to political stalemate and more bloodshed,” Jonathan Steele said in an op-ed published Friday. He criticised President Rajapakse for destroying the 2002 tr…

Heavy SLA casualties feared in Jaffna claymore attack [TamilNet, Friday, 09 February 2007, 04:10 GMT] Several Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers have been feared killed in a claymore attack on a bus carrying SLA soldiers along Palaly Road, less than 50 meters from Urelu SLA camp at 10:30 p.m. during curfew hours Thursday night, sources in Jaffna said. The Palaly military command has not released official details on the attack. The damaged bus, belonging to the Ceylon Transport Board (CTB), has been taken inside the Urelu camp, local residents said. However, large areas of blood stains and broken glasses are still visible near the scene of the attack, according to res…

Tamil Guardian 07 February 2007 President Rajapakse with Sri Lankan troops in Vaharai on Feb 3, 2007. Photo TamilNet. Buoyed by the Sri Lankan military’s capture, over the past six months, of large tracts of territory from the Tamil Tigers, President Mahinda Rajapakse said the LTTE could come for talks with his government – if it laid down its arms first. Destroying the LTTE – “fighting terrorism” – is the centre piece of President Rajapakse’s policy on the ethnic question. He made it clear that the military campaign would continue in his address at Sri Lanka’s 59th Independence Day anniversary celebrations and in comments a day earlier, made …

Kurdish areas like Irbil have seen less violence than elsewhere in Iraq A group of Sri Lankan migrant workers who paid $2,000 each to secure jobs in the Gulf were duped into travelling to Iraq, according to an aid agency. They had their passports taken and were held against their will in the northern city of Irbil, the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said. The Tamil workers realised they were in Iraq because of the cold weather. After a month they spotted a UN office and asked for help. The IOM helped fly them back to Sri Lanka on Monday. They realised they were in Iraq because the weather wasn't as good as they expected IOM s…

இந்த வார Hardtalk இல் Carne Ross பங்கு பற்றுகிறார். நல்லதொரு நேர்காணல். http://www.eelamist.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=804#804

PK Balachandran Colombo, February 4, 2007|20:31 IST sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapaksa announced on Sunday that the 500 MW power coal fired power project to be set up in collaboration with the National Thermal Power Project (NTPC) of India would be located in Sampur, an area in eastern Sri Lanka captured by the Sri Lankan forces from the LTTE in September last. Rajapaksa referred to this venture in his Independence Day speech. "The Norochcholai and Upper Kotmale Power Plants, the Sampur Coal Power Plant, the Moragahakanda Maha Samudra, the New Airport at Weerawila, expanding the Port of Colombo to twice its capacity, new railways and expr…

Questions raised on Colombo Harbour attack Feb 04, Colombo: The news report on an attempted terrorist attack on the Colombo Harbour on January 27 has created a controversy as media and civil society have questioned the credibility of the reporting. Three boats belonging to attackers were reportedly destroyed by the Sri Lanka Navy and one laden with explosives was said to have exploded, causing minor damage to a ship sailing nearby. However, neither debris from the boats nor corpses of the attackers have been found as in the Galle harbour attack. Harbour Police reported to the Colombo Magistrate Court that no evidence has been found on the identity of …

LONDON (Reuters) - Reuters named a new chief photographer for the Middle East on Thursday and said it had tightened its editing procedures after the publication last year of two photographs that had been digitally altered. The measures were among several steps announced by David Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of the global news and information agency, following an internal investigation that he said had resulted in disciplinary action. The two photos, both of Israeli military action in Lebanon during the war there last August, were taken by a freelance photographer, Adnan Hajj. Reuters ended its relationship with Hajj following an initial inquiry soon after b…

Norwegian peace initiative was fated to fail – Galtung [by Admin , Feb 02,2007] The Norwegian peace initiative was not only fated to fail but was stillborn because it had excluded other parties, says a Norwegian professor who is widely regarded as the founder of the academic discipline of peace research. Prof. Johan Galtung is the founder and director of Transcend, a peace and development network. Galtung established the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, in 1959, the Journal of Peace Research in 1964, and co-launched the Nordic Institute for Peace Research in 2000. Johan Galtung was in. Sri Lanka earlier this month to deliver a talk on the peace process. In a subs…

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the U.S. response the global war on terrorism have changed the world, and the terrorist enterprise that we know as al-Qaeda has changed with it. The current status of al-Qaeda’s network remains unclear, but it is certain that it and other terrorist groups continue to threaten the lives and well-being of Americans, at home and abroad, and the security of our friends and allies. This continuing danger leads to ongoing U.S. and international efforts to monitor, disrupt, and dismantle terrorist groups before they can cause large-scale destruction to our people or our interests. The objective of this RAND Cor…

Mortar attack prompts search operation in Morawewa Soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) with police Tuesday morning conducted a combined cordon and search operation in Morawewa area located about 24 km Northwest of Trincomalee along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road. The operation followed a mortar attack on the SLAF camp located in Morawewa by LTTE cadres Tuesday early morning, security sources said. Military sources in Colombo said there were no casualties on the security side in the mortar attack and that the Government forces had successfully retaliated the attack

On Nov. 27, the Tamil people of Sri Lanka celebrated Heroes Day. It is the day when the first fighter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) lost his life in combat in 1982—a day dedicated to the memory of all Tamils who have died fighting for the right to self-determination. During his annual Heroes Day speech, Velupillai Prabhakaran, LTTE founder and leader, declared the Norway-mediated peace process between the Sri Lanka government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam “defunct.” For all intents and purposes, peace has been defunct ever since Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, chose to intensify military action despite the ongoing peace talks. …

Sri Lanka Govt is Trying to Undermine My Credibility - Allan Rock [by Admin , Jan 29,2007] Former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations and Windsor lawyer Allan Rock says the Sri Lankan government is trying to undermine his credibility with an apparent smear campaign as he prepares to present a report to the UN on child soldiers in the war-torn country. Rock travelled to Sri Lanka in November on behalf of the UN's special representative on child soldiers to meet with militia leaders, government officials and families of children who were abducted and forced to fight on the front lines. The former federal cabinet minister said his find…

Donors warn on Sri Lanka violence International donors have urged Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels to halt worsening violence. At an aid meeting in the city of Galle, World Bank vice president Praful Patel said the bloodshed was "at the centre of any discussion" about the country. US ambassador Robert Blake told delegates there was no military solution to the conflict, which has claimed 65,000 lives since the 1970s. Most of about $4.5bn in foreign aid pledges is contingent on peace moves. 'Obstacle' Mr Patel said there was no way "to politely skirt" the issue of renewed and deepening conflict in the island. World Ba…

Pirapaharan a liability for the Tamil cause Ltte avoids battle of attrition in the east By B. Raman Territorial control where possible; withdrawal where necessary. That has been the tactic followed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka where the Sri Lankan armed forces, with the help of the trained cadres of "Col." Karuna, the former LTTE commander for Batticaloa, have mounted an offensive since September last year in an attempt to eject the LTTE from the Eastern Province. Karuna, who had deserted from the LTTE in March, 2004, following differences with Leader Pirapaharan, has since then been co-operating w…

Conflicting details are emerging about the attack off the seas of Colombo harbour Saturday morning. An informed source told TamilNet Saturday evening that four vessels were destroyed by the attackers, while the SLN suthorities said they have destroyed 3 “suspisours boats”. SLN sources said Saturday evening that they have captured 9 "suspects" who were "fleeing" from the Harbour area. The port remained shut for 2-and a half hours. The SLN toured reporters inside the High Security inner harbour. However, sources in Colombo confirmed that there were four big explosions off Colombo coast, Saturday morning. The LTTE has not commented on the incident.

8 STF commandos killed in Thirukkovil ambush [TamilNet, Saturday, 27 January 2007, 11:18 GMT] Eight Sri Lankan Special Task Force commandos were killed and 12 wounded at Thangavelauthapuram in Thirukkovil division of Amparai district where a STF vehicle was ambushed, Saturday around 9:30 a.m. with Claymore attack and gunfire. The attack, believed to be carried out by an elite guerilla unit of the Tigers, had targeted the STF logistics supply to STF personnel located in areas vacated by the Tigers, according to initial reports from Thirukkovil. STF personnel fired mortar shells and opened fire following the attack that has taken place 41 km south of Kalmun…

LTTE moving north: report B. Muralidhar Reddy Exodus of civilians still continuing, says SLMM COLOMBO: Amidst reports of continuing civilian exodus from the remaining areas in Batticaloa district where the LTTE has influence, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has assessed that the Tigers could possibly have decided not to hold territory in the east but remain present there. In its latest assessment report after the fall of Vaharai, the SLMM said the LTTE has withdrawn from the area and is believed to be regrouping in the jungle north and west of Batticaloa and into Trincomalee district. "It is plausible that the LTTE has de…

By Simon Gardner COLOMBO (Reuters) - What started off as military push to clear Tamil Tiger artillery guns from a strategic harbour in northeast Sri Lanka has culminated in a mission to defeat the rebels completely - with no clear winner in sight. Emboldened by the capture of a key Tamil Tiger stronghold, Sri Lanka has vowed to go on the offensive to seek to destroy the rebels' entire military machine in the apparent belief it can finally win a two-decade civil war. But observers say President Mahinda Rajapakse's government and military are understimating the Tigers, and could simply plunge themselves deeper into a war that has killed more than 67,000 peopl…

A human race in the verge of extinction. Can we stop the devastation of our motherland and save our own species? Priya Raj, 25th January 2007. Death, mayhem, rape, molestation, psychological trauma, malnutrition, displacement and disappearances in the Tamil nation are slowly but steadily pushing the native Tamil race towards extinction. Every second that passes by in the north and east of Sri Lanka confirms this horrific fact and unfolding a story that is beyond the civilized world’s wildest imagination. Of all the species that have lived on the Earth since life first appeared here 3 billion years ago, only about one in a thousand is still livi…

A human race in the verge of extinction. Can we stop the devastation of our motherland and save our own species? Priya Raj, 25th January 2007. Death, mayhem, rape, molestation, psychological trauma, malnutrition, displacement and disappearances in the Tamil nation are slowly but steadily pushing the native Tamil race towards extinction. Every second that passes by in the north and east of Sri Lanka confirms this horrific fact and unfolding a story that is beyond the civilized world’s wildest imagination. Of all the species that have lived on the Earth since life first appeared here 3 billion years ago, only about one in a thousand is still li…