யாழ் திரைகடலோடி

UNP creates broad front while UPFA leads a retreat to the past by Harim Peiris - on 07/14/2015 Photo courtesy Fatalnews As nominations closed earlier this week, the contours of the battle lines for the general election to Parliament became clear. The two major political formations in the country, the UNP and the UPFA are vying for a parliamentary majority and with it effective control of the next government. The UNP spent an useful weekend, creating a broad political front, styled the United National Front for Good Governance, (UNFGG) which will contest the elections under the UNP’s elephant symbol and be registered as a party after the elections. The UNFGG is a b…

Unemployment increases slightly to 5.1% in 3Q 2019 Sri Lanka’s unemployment rate has increased slightly to 5.1% in the third quarter of 2019, from 4.9% in the second quarter, the latest data from the state statistics office show. The number of unemployed persons is estimated as 437,797 during the third quarter 2019. Overall unemployment rate reported for female is 8.5 percent and it is 3.3 percent for male. Youth unemployment rate (age 15 – 24 years) corresponding to the third quarter 2019 is 23.3 percent and that is the highest reported unemployment rate among all age groups. Further the unemplo…

WAR IN WANNI: WHY THE tIGERS ARE DOWN BUT NOT OUT D.B.S.Jeyaraj In writing about the ongoing war in the Wanni northern mainland, I have been regularly emphasising a salient point that goes against the view propagated by upper echelons of the power structure and dominant sections of society. According to this viewpoint, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) faces imminent destruction and the war would be over very soon. While subscribing to the opinion that the armed forces are indeed on the ascendant my take on the LTTE has been different. Regular readers would recall that I have been constantly asserting that the Tigers are not a …

His Excellency John Kerry Secretary of State United States of America Excellency, I wish to extend my warm congratulations to Your Excellency, on your appointment as the Secretary of State of the United States of America. You bring to your office the wisdom and experience gained during a long and distinguished political and professional career. I am confident that your pragmatic outlook, particularly having been the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will stand in good stead in steering the foreign relations of your country in these challenging times. I recall with pleasure that Sri Lanka has…

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s remarks while addressing the UN security council had an inaccurate reference about the Sri Lankan armed forces using rape as a tactic of war . This is the relevant quote from the US Secretary of State: “The resolution we passed today represents a step forward in our global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children in conflict zones, and it builds on two prior Security Council resolutions: Resolution 1325, which called on all parties in conflicts to respect women’s rights and increase their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction efforts; and Resolution 1820, adopted last year, which affir…

Clouds of strawberry mist and peach snow fell on revellers in London as Edinburgh saw a more traditional display. Up to 250,000 have gathered by the Thames to watch London's fireworks Revellers in London were being treated to the world's first "multi-sensory" fireworks display as people around the world welcomed in the New Year. More than 250,000 people lined the Thames for the display, which saw peach snow, edible banana confetti and orange-scented bubbles descend on a section of the crowd. Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle In Scotland, about 80,000 were in Edinburgh city centre for the famous Hogmanay street party. There was music from th…

The British Government, in a statement issued by the British High Commission in Colombo, said that land issues continue to prevent some communities from rebuilding their lives in Jaffna. British Deputy High Commissioner Laura Davies visited the Jaffna town and called on Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, District Secretary Suntharam Arumainayagam and Bishop Thomas Saundaranayagam and also visited the Sabapathipillai Welfare Centre, the British Council and the Jaffna Public Library. Laura Davies said: “My first visit to Jaffna was an opportunity to see how infrastructure developments – including the Yaal Devi train – have the potential to bring real economic b…

Two LTTE cadres to be disciplined over Thirukkovil episode [TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 December 2006, 17:22 GMT] Two Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres have been ordered transferred to Kilinochchi from Amparai, to face disciplinary action for enlisting underage youths from a tuition centre in Thirukkovil Monday, LTTE officials in Amparai told TamilNet. All the 23 civilians, including the 21 students, in the custody of an LTTE unit attached to a training camp, were freed after an internal investigation initiated by LTTE Commander Ram. Two teachers, Tharmarasa Vigneswaran and Velupillai Uthayakumar, were among the persons taken by the LTTE unit from the tu…

UN slams Sri Lanka warring parties over slow tsunami recovery by Amal Jayasinghe Tue Dec 26, 6:32 AM ET COLOMBO (AFP) - The United Nations slammed Sri Lanka's warring parties for stalling tsunami reconstruction efforts as the island marked the second anniversary of the disaster. The outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan blamed both Colombo and the Tamil Tiger rebels for the violence that has slowed rebuilding after the December 26, 2004 tsunami that killed an estimated 31,000 people in the island. In a statement, he said the conflict between the government and rebels had made reconstruction even more difficult in the mainly B…

By: Dasun Edrisinghe Courtesy: The Island - February 10, 2007 JVP MP Vijitha Herath yesterday wanted to know what the government had done with the US dollars 6.2 million it had received from Venezuela as tsunami assistance. He said the money was collected by the people of Venezuela, with President Hugo Chavez launching the fund raiser and sent to Sri Lanka in mid July 2005 during former President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s term of government. "The funds were collected by the people of Venezuela as a symbol of their solidarity with the tsunami-affected people in Sri Lanka. It was initiated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez," Herath told The Isl…

HIJACKED SEATTLE PLANE INSANE FOOTAGE, TRAFFIC CONTROL AUDIO, CRASH DAMAGE

Thoppi(gala) for Tigers With the security forces wresting control of the Chenkaladi-Maha Oya Road on Wednesday, the East, barring the isolated Toppigala jungles, has been cleared before the Sinhala and Hindu New Year. South of Chenkaladi, Illupayadichchenai and further down, Karadiyanaru and the Rukam town on the A-5 highway, have been cleared. The entire operation to wrest control of the Badulla Road from Chenkallady to Maha Oya and the adjacent Tiger bases, including the Karadiyanaru jungle, took 46 days, reminiscent of the month-long Vakarai operation. Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka has already recommended several promotions based on merit. Accordingl…

ஒரு யாமன் நாட்டு ஏழை மாணக்கர் ஜெர்மனியில் சிறப்பாக 6 வருடம் படித்து டாக்டர் பட்டம் பெறும் விழாவில் தன்னுடைய பெற்றோர் ஏழ்மையின் காரணமாக கலந்து கொள்ள இயலவில்லை. மேலை நாடுகளில் அனைத்து பெற்றோர்களும் தங்களுடைய பிள்ளைகள் பட்டம் பெறும் விழாவில் கலந்து கொள்வர். இந்த யாமன் நாட்டு ஏழை மாணக்கருக்கு தெரியாமல் மற்ற நண்பர்களும் கல்லூரி நிர்வாகமும் அவருடைய பெறோர்களை வரவழைத்து விழாவில் கலந்து கொள்ள வைக்கும் நெகிழ்ச்சி மிக்க காட்சி, கண் கலங்க வைக்கும் நிகழ்வு

Thousands protest outside UN headquarters in Geneva, demanding distinct Tamil state GENEVA (AP) - Thousands of protesters gathered from all over Europe on Monday to demand recognition of an independent Tamil state. Police said nearly 9,000 protesters assembled in the main square in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, where they marched, waved flags and bandied placards. The protesters were "demanding that the international community recognize an independent Tamil state in the island of Sri Lanka," said Shan Thavarajah, vice president of the Swiss Tamil Forum, which organized the protest. The demonstration was planned to coincide with…

Russia to Test Whether Its Internet Can Be Disconnected From the Rest of the World Photo: Thomas Kronsteiner (Getty) Internet providers in Russia are preparing to conduct exercises that will help the nation build a path toward possible internet independence, according to Russian news reports. Russian news outlet RosBiznesKonsalting reported the tests were set in motion by a proposed law called the Digital Economy National Program, which parliament introduced last December. The tests should help Russian authorities determine if data used by Russian users can stay within the Russian borders. ZDNet and BBC …

U.S. vetoes Algerian resolution for 'immediate' ceasefire in Gaza

ஐ.நா.வின் தருச்மன் அறிக்கையாளர்களின் கருத்து ஐ.நா.வின் தருச்மன் அறிக்கையாளர்களான தருச்மன், ராட்னர் மற்றும் சூக்கா ஆகியோர் நடக்கும் ஐ.நா. மணித் உரிமை தொடர் பற்றியும் இலங்கை பற்றியும் நியூயோர்க் டைம்ஸில் எழுதியுள்ளனர். Revisiting Sri Lanka's Bloody War By MARZUKI DARUSMAN, STEVEN RATNER and YASMIN SOOKA Even as attention is riveted on the bloodshed in Syria, another conflict, far more deadly, is belatedly attracting the notice it deserves. Beginning this week, the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva has returned to an issue that has haunted it since 2009 — the bloody finish to Sri Lanka’s civil war. That conflict ended on a stretch of beach in…

Security in North and East has been tightened since last Thursday following the arrest of six prominent former LTTE cadres on charges of planning to assassinate a prominent Tamil politician in the North, informed sources said. They said earlier this week, Military intelligence and Terrorist Investigations Department jointly raided a safe house in the North and found some latest communication equipment and a stock of powerful explosives. The sources said, initially, an ex-LTTE cadre who is currently holding a German passport was taken into custody and later the remaining suspects were arrested after the raid on the safe house. Preliminary investigations reve…

ஐக்­கிய அமெ­ரிக்­காவில் சிறு­பான்மை மக்­க­ளுக்­கான உயர்கல்வி நிலை­யங்கள் ஐக்­கிய அமெ­ரிக்­காவின் 32 கோடி மக்­களில் 77.5 சத­வீதம் வெள்­ளை­யர்கள் (77.5%), ஆபி­ரிக்க, அமெ­ரிக்­கர்கள் 4.2 கோடி (13.2%), அமெ­ரிக்க இந்­தி­யர்கள் 40 இலட்சம் (1.2%) ஆசி­யர்கள் 1.7 கோடி (5.4%) இது 2014க்குரிய புள்ளி விபரம். முக்­கிய சிறு­பான்­மை­யி­ன­ராக ஆபி­ரிக்க, அமெ­ரிக்­கர்கள் 1555 – 1865 வரை ஆபி­ரிக்­கா­வி­லி­ருந்து பலாத்­கா­ர­மாக, அடி­மை­க­ளாக அழைத்து வரப்­பட்­ட­வர்­களின் வழித்­தோன்­றல்­க­ளாவர். ஐக்­கிய அமெ­ரிக்­காவில் பெப்­ர­வரி மாதம் கறுப்­பி­னத்­தவர் வர­லாறு மாத­மாகக் கொண்­டா­டப்­ப­டு­கின்­றது. இவர்கள் ஒதுக்­கி­வைக்­கப்­பட்ட இன­மாக இருந்த போதிலும் இன்று ஆபி­…

CFRB1010 THE JOHN MOORE SHOW TORONTO

Prime minister entreats Scotland to vote no to independence during televised statement that includes vow of austerity David Cameron says immigration, cutting the welfare bill, protecting the economy and raising school standards are also priorities in 2014. Photograph: Isopix/Rex Features David Cameron has used his new year's message to plead with the Scots to stay in the UK, while also warning there is still difficult work ahead when it comes to repairing the economy. In a televised statement, the prime minister said 2014 was a historic year because of the vote on Scottish independence, which could "change our country for ever". "Our family of nations is at…

Sri Lanka - UN Inquiry Just the Start of a Long Road to Justice Sri Lankan human rights activists campaigned hard for an independent international commission of inquiry into war crimes during the end of the conflict in 2009. Last month members of the UN Human Rights Council did finally vote to set up an inquiry. To many governments it looks as if the issue of accountability is now being dealt with by the UN and they can put their minds at rest and move on. That couldn't be more wrong. The UN inquiry is just the start - not the end - of a long process of justice. It would be disastrous if the world stopped paying attention now. Not least because Sri Lanka and i…

Tigers eye Jaffna city Bull's Eye by a Special Defence Correspondent In the backdrop of increasing attacks on the security forces in the North, orders were given to the security forces to act in self defence. This has developed to a volatile situation with tension and panic being the order of the day in the peninsular. Constant cordon and search operations have perturbed the LTTE sympathisers who harbour the Tigers that plan attacks. Many such families have left for Tiger held Kilinochchi to avoid security checks. Are these sympathizers offended by the constant security checks or does their leaving herald any possible LTTE offensive against the Governmen…

Despite rejection, Govt. works out strategy to face UN probe By Our Political Editor Pakistani lawyer briefs Govt. leaders on what to do, but non-confluence of thoughts in UPFA - Urgent Bill to protect victims of crime and witnesses as another response to Geneva resolution View(s): The Government is engaged in a number of informal diplomatic initiatives to counter accusations against Sri Lanka, particularly when the UN Human Rights Council’s international investigation into alleged war crimes gets under way. The move is notwithstanding the official position that no such investigation would be recognised nor would those conducting it be allowed to enter the country. Th…

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014 A demonstration was held by Colombo’s Fort Railway Station on the 19th of September to highlight the fact that it had been 200 days since Jeyakumari was detained and to call for her release: It received coverage in the Hindu, Lanka Focus, and in Vikalpa (and again). Appallingly no mainstream Sri Lankan media covered the event. Several senior members of opposition political parties and civil society were in attendance, including: Gajen Ponnambalam – President, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) Siritunga Jayasuriya – General Secretary, United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) M.A. Sumanthiran – MP, Tamil National Alliance (TNA)…