ஈழச்செய்திகள்

Gotabhaya seeks bigger role by India
New Delhi, May 29 (The Telegraph):

The Sri Lankan government has gone beyond seeking arms assistance in its conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and is asking for more pro-active help from a reluctant India.
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who is now in Delhi, wants Indian intelligence inputs and logistics deployment in “sea denial” — or naval blockade — tactics to deter the Sea Tigers, the LTTE’s naval wing, since a May 25 attack on the island of Delft near Jaffna.
“We are not involved in Sri Lanka’s war but we are keeping a close watch and are deploying assets that we think are necessary for our own security,” a high-level defence ministry source said here today after two days of talks that Mr. Rajapaksa — who is also Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s younger brother — had with senior army, navy and air force officials.
India is moving more aerial and naval platforms to Palk Bay.
The increased deployment of ground, air and naval assets practically opens up a new south-eastern theatre for India for the first time since Operation Pawan — the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka (1987-1990).
Ironically, apart from domestic political compulsions from Tamil Nadu, it is the experience of the IPKF that is deterring Delhi from aligning itself with Sri Lankan forces visibly though the military acknowledges that the LTTE’s new capabilities are a definite security threat.
If it was the aerial strike on Colombo and Palaly in the last two months, it was last week’s attack on Delft island, which the Sri Lankan forces claimed to have thwarted and the LTTE claimed was successful, that demonstrated the Tigers’ ability to attack from the sea.
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who survived an LTTE attack on himself in December, met the army chief and chairman, chiefs of staff committee, General Joginder Jaswant Singh, this morning.But it was at his meeting with navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, which was also attended by other senior Indian naval officials, on Sunday that he gave one of the most significant briefings.
The Lankan defence secretary also met national security adviser M.K. Narayanan.
Almost in consonance with the Lankan official’s visit, the Indian Navy has deployed two more ships, in addition to four, in Palk Bay. These two ships are missile corvettes of the Khukri class that are capable of sailing fast, intercepting and engaging small targets from a distance.
The ships are being deployed from the Eastern Naval Command headquarters in Visakhapatnam headed by Vice-Admiral Raman Prem Suthan.
The eastern naval command is already overseeing “low intensity conflict operations” in the region under an exercise that began 12 years back codenamed Operation Tasha.
Operation Tasha is now set to be intensified and will bring within its ambit air defence measures.
India’s Eastern Naval Command and Sri Lanka’s Northern Areas Command are expected to increase coordination beyond meetings on the international mari- time boundary.
The navy and the air force are coordinating the setting up of mobile radar units near Rameswaram. The naval air station at Ramnad (Ramanathapuram) is also set to operate Israeli-made Searcher Mark II and Heron pilotless spy planes. The unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of sorties at night.
The Sri Lankan security forces’ night vision capabilities are doubtful.
The Southern Air Command of the air force, in addition to the deployment of mobile radar stations, has also asked for aerostat balloons — tethered radar systems — that will be deployed along the peninsula.

Govt. to take decision on CFA To strengthen or abrogate in two weeks:
Rafik Jalaldeen and Rasika Somaratne
COLOMBO:

The Government will take a decision on the fate of the Ceasefire Agreement within the next two weeks, Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday.
He said the Government will decide if it is going to abrogate the Ceasefire Agreement or further strengthen it within the next two weeks.
Responding to a question by a journalist during yesterday’s defence briefing on the validity of the CFA in the present context Minister Rambukwella conceded that the CFA is not compatible with the ground reality at present.
The Minister said it has come to a stage where the Government will have to take stock of the CFA and decide on its ultimate fate. “The Government will come out with its decision whether to strengthen or abrogate the CFA within a couple of weeks”, the Minister said.
Earlier Minister Rambukwella said the Government had always been committed to the peace process and it is the LTTE which caused a setback in this regard by withdrawing from negotiations proffering spurious excuses.
He said the history of the peace process showed it was the LTTE who always withdrew from the negotiation process. The LTTE frequently came out with various excuses to justify its withdrawal from the peace talks.
“The history of the peace process is full of instances of the LTTE backtracking Viz., Geneva and Oslo after enjoying the hospitality of the Norwegian facilitators”, he added.

Electoral reforms for whom?
(LeN-2007 May 30, 6.00 pm)

The Peoples' Lawyers Union questions for whom is the government proposing electoral reforms when a majority of the parties have opposed it.
Issuing a statement the secretary of the union says most of the parties have agreed that the existing electoral system does not suit the country the replacement should be a right one. The union questions why the government wants to push forward the particular electoral sreforms when the UNP, JVP, TNA, SLMC, Up Country Peoples? Front and Western Peoples' Alliance have clearly opposed the proposals.
The statement issued by the Lawyers' Union points out that the country should not run towards deterioration through the electoral reforms.
The union reminds that any reform with regards to the electoral reforms should be first referred to the public, but the reforms committee has forgotten the basics. The union requests the authorities to interfere and present electoral reforms that a majority would agree.