ENB261207:LTTE should accept IEC: Devananda

LTTE should accept IEC: Devananda
Tuesday, December 25,2007 COLOMBO:

Social Services and Social Welfare Minister and
EPDP leader Douglas asserts the LTTE will have no choice but
to accept proposals for an Interim Executive Council (IEC) to
conduct the affaires in the North East as it is agreeable to all
stakeholders to the conflict. Minister Devananda who has proposed the IEC to President
Mahinda Rajapaksa, however emphasised it is not the final
solution but will be a start towards the final solution and will
conduct the affairs in the North East by restoring civil
administration in a bid to bring peace and stability to the
province. “This will bring the LTTE to the position of a fish in a kettle.
They will not have an alternative but to accept it. In 1994 when
the Parliamentary elections were announced the LTTE
boycotted it and threatened to kill those who contest labelling
them as traitors. Ultimately they forced themselves into
Parliament through the TNA. The same happened in 1998 and
the LTTE forwarded nominations for 2006 local government
polls even for areas under uncleared areas, he pointed out,”
Minister Devananda said MondayDevananda expressed confidence that President Rajapaksa
would accept his proposals and appoint the IEC taking into
considering the grievances of Tamil people and the mayhem
created by the LTTE in the country. The Minister explained the proposals are “something agreeable
to all stakeholders to the conflict. However, this is not the final
solution. This will act as a good start for the final solution”. The IEC shall meet at least once a month and the proceedings
of the meetings shall be in the form and style adopted by the PC
assembly. All members of both IECs together with Chief
Secretaries will constitute the Joint Executive Council (JEC)
which will be co – chaired by both chairmen. The Chairman of
the JEC shall take up any matter directly with the President that
needs direct ruling or directive, Mr. Devananda noted. “When implemented these proposals you can convince the
Sinhala Community that the south can devolve power without
creating a separate state or disintegrating the country. The Tamil
people will also understand that there is a solution to their
grievances within one country,” Devananda said.

TNA to go to courts against polls in East

*Says ground not conducive to hold polls
*Claims it’s going to be big political fraud
*TMVP also vows to contest elections
*Nominations open from Jan. 4 to 21
By Kelum Bandara
The Tamil National Alliance yesterday vowed to take legal
action against moves to hold local government elections in the
East on the ground that there is no conducive atmosphere in the
province for people to exercise their franchise freely and fairly.
TNA Jaffna district parliamentarian N. Srikantha told the Daily
Mirror the party took a unanimous decision to file a case in the
Supreme Court, because the climate was not conducive at all
for holding free and fair elections in the East where a certain
group roams in the area brandishing weapons and committing
various crimes.
Mr. Srikantha said the right of franchise was not a ‘joke’, but
an essential ingredient of the sovereignty of country as enshrined
in the Constitution.
He said he believed the sole idea of holding an election now
was to perpetrate a political fraud on the people of Batticaloa
who are at the receiving end of the Nature’s fury as well.
He said that there is a ‘sinister design’ in this case, and the TNA
saw it with due seriousness.
“It is going to be a big political and electoral fraud,” he said
recalling that three of its members representing Batticaloa were
unable to exercise their franchise during the third reading of the
budget following threats from this armed group.He also said the
East had been liberated from one armed group to be handed
over to another.
The government has already planned to receive nominations for
local government polls from January 4 to 21 next year from
recognized political parties and independent groups fielding
candidates to eight Pradheshiya Sabhas and the Batticaloa
Municipal Council in the East.
The Pradheshiya Sabhas are Manmunai Pattu, Manmunai South
and Eruvil Pattu, Porativu Pattu, Manmunai South-West Pattu,
Manmunai West, Koralai Pattu, Eravur Pattu and Koralai
Pattu-North.
Meanwhile, the TMVP yesterday said it would contest the local
government election in the Eastern province and look forward
to filing nominations for the nine local government bodies.
TMVP spokesman Azath Maulana told the Daily Mirror that
they were trying their best to get the Party registered with the
Elections Commissioner’s Department early next month before
the filing of the nominations begins.
“We will hold discussions with the other political parties like the
TULF, EPDP and EPRLF to see whether there is a possibility
of forming an alliance to contest the upcoming local government
election,” Mr. Maulana said.

Troops in strategic move to break Tiger resistance
Forces capture 10 Tiger bunkers:
Ranil Wijayapala
Troops on the Wanni battle front made a strategic move during
the past 48 hours capturing the Uyilankulam LTTE checkpoint
and part of Thampanai, forcing Tiger cadres to flee their
defences in the face of advancing troops, the Military said
yesterday.
Troops operating under Task Force -1 in Mannar took the
improved weather condition in the Mannar area on Saturday to
launch a major assault on the Uyilankulam LTTE entry - exit
point and captured 10 Tiger bunkers and the ICRC checkpoint
at the LTTE’s end.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara told the
Daily News that eight Tiger cadres were killed and 14 injured
as troops captured 10 Tiger bunkers in the Uyilankulam
checkpoint around 10 am on Saturday. One soldier was killed
and six other sustained injuries during the confrontation.
The LTTE entry - exit point is some 500 metres away from the
Security Forces’ defences at the Uyilankulam checkpoint used
as a gateway to the Wanni from the cleared areas in Mannar.
“Security Forces thwarted the subsequent attempts by the Tiger
cadres to capture the bunker line on Saturday afternoon around
2 pm directing artillery and mortar fire on the reinforcement
arriving there,” Brigadier Nanayakkara added.
According to military sources, dozens of Tiger cadres also
perished due to retaliatory artillery and mortar fire directed at
the Tiger cadres attempting to recapture the bunker line.
“Troops are now consolidating their positions in the newly
captured Tiger bunkers in Uyilankulam LTTE entry exit point,”
Brigadier Nanayakkara added.
According to ground sources, Bhanu the Tiger leadership in
Wanni defence has given up attemps to recapture the
Uyilankulam checkpoint as he was not receiving any support
from the cadres operating there. Meanwhile, troops attached to
the 57 Division also captured a Tiger base in
Periyapunchankulam in the North - East of Periyathampanai on
Saturday.
According to ground sources the Tiger base has been identified
as the Vietnam Base stretching 400 metres to 300 metres with
18 to 20 overhead bunkers. “Eight to 10 cadjan roofed huts
and a kitchen were also inside the Tiger base,” Brigadier
Nanayakkara added.
Ground sources in Wanni confirmed that troops have also been
able to capture a part of Thampanai village as Tiger cadres
started to withdraw from the area in the face of the Security
Forces advance.
Intense battles erupted in Thampanai area during the past few
months as LTTE used this village as a strategic location to resist
Security Forces advance towards LTTE Wanni strongholds.
“The recent development indicates that the Tiger cadres are in a
reverse trend of withdrawing from the area due to the low
morale of the cadres operating in the Tiger FDLs,” Brigadier
Nanayakkara added.

Crisis looms as milk food prices soar in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 09:29 GMT]
A serious humanitarian crisis is developinging in Jaffna due to
the acute shortage of infant milk food, and the resulting doubling
of prices in black market. The high prices have made the
essential commodity out of reach to many mothers with infants,
consumer groups in Jaffna reported. The groups urged
Government authorities to take urgent action to rectify the
situation and protect the welfare of peninsula infants, especially
those under 3 years of age.
The situation currently prevailing in Jaffna mirrors the critical
situation that arose soon after clashes erupted between Sri
Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) on Aug11, 2006 resulting in the closure of A9
Highway, the only land route to the peninsula.
Refuting the claims by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL),
civil society sources said that throughout the province there is
no milk food items required for children under the age of three,
while there is an overstock of milk food required by the children
of ages above Five. This is due to mismanagement on the part
of GOSL and the officials in charge of distribution of essential
food items to the North, sources added.
Colombo has falsely created an impression of normalcy in the
Jaffna peninsula, while the residents here are compelled to pay
exorbitant prices for the essential food items, civil society
sources in Jaffna said. The milk food for adults are currently
sold in the black market at nearly 450 rupees which is more
than double the normal price and even at this price they are very
scarce, sources added.
Meanwhile, the Government agent of Jaffna announced Sunday
that each family will be given one packet of milk food.
However, the consumer groups have said that it will not meet
even the basic needs of the children affected by shortage.
Until concerted and genuine effort is made to allow goods to
flow freely into Jaffna peninsula, the prices are likely to stay
high, consumer groups said.

Tamil girl abducted in Ka'n'niyaa, Trincomalee
[TamilNet, Monday, 24 December 2007, 16:00 GMT]

Unidentified armed persons came in a vehicle had abducted an
eighteen year old Tamil girl while she was staying with her
relatives at Ka'n'niyaa, a Tamil village located in Uppuve'li
police division, Sunday night according to a complaint lodged
with the Uppuve'li police.
The girl had been employed in Colombo and was on her way to
her mother's house in Batticaloa.
She had arrived in Trincomalee and was staying with her
relatives in Ka'n'niyaa, a village located about 7 km off east port
town along Trincomalee –Anuradhapura road when she was
abducted, her relatives said.

Nepal parties pact encouraging development: India
By IANS Monday December 24, 10:14 PM New Delhi, Dec 24 (IANS)

India has welcomed the agreement
reached between the seven political parties in Nepal, which
ended the deadlock in the political establishment and paved the
way for Constituent Assembly elections in April 2008.
'This is an encouraging development in the right direction,' said
external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna Monday on
the 23-point agreement reached after three months of political
crisis following the Maoists walking out of the ruling alliance.
India, however, made did not make any comment on a crucial
part of the agreement, which was the sacking of the monarchy
following the CA elections.
Noting that the agreement had given the CA elections 'central
importance', the spokesperson said that the 'exercise of the
people's right to elect a Constituent Assembly in a free, fair and
fearless manner is the best way to enable the people of Nepal
to choose their own future'.
India hoped that the new deadline of mid-April 2008 for
holding the elections will be adhered. 'We hope that all
concerned will work towards maintaining the new deadline for
CA elections,' Sarna said.
The spokesperson asserted that India stood ready to 'assist in
every possible way, Nepal's transition to a democratic, stable,
peaceful and prosperous state'.
The agreement reached on Sunday included a clause for 58
percent of the members of Constituent Assembly to be elected
through proportional election - a key demand of the Maoists.
Nepal's new constitution will declare the Himalayan kingdom a
federal democratic republic, with the actual sacking of the king
to occur only in April after the twice-deferred constituent
assembly election is held.

the island lk
Nepal backs MR’s battle against LTTE

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said that Nepali Premier
Girija Prasad Koirala backed President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
decision to retaliate against LTTE terror, during a recent
meeting he had with Koirala in Kathmandu.

"All South Asian and Asian countries must help out Sri Lanka to
wipe out the LTTE terrorism," quoted Prachanda as saying.

Prachanda to Prabhakaran: Stop terror attacks
25 Dec 2007, 1246 hrs IST,PTI
SMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updatesCOLOMBO:
In an interesting turn of events, the once-feared
Nepalese guerrilla leader Prachanda has reportedly said Tamil
Tiger supremo Vellupillai Prabhakaran should stop terrorist
attacks on civilians and politicians.
"LTTE leader Prabhakaran must stop his suicide bomb attacks
on politicians and civil society," said Prachanda, whose Maoist
party returned to political mainstream in Nepal after signing a
landmark peace deal last year.
The Maoist chairman's comments came during a meeting on
Sunday with Sri Lankan Healthcare Minister Nimal Siripala de
Silva in Nepal, the Island newspaper reported on Tuesday.
"All South Asian and Asian countries must help out Sri Lanka to
wipe out the LTTE terrorism," it quoted Prachanda as saying.
The decade-long Maoist insurgency left at least 13,000 people
dead in Nepal.
During his Nepal trip, De Silva also held discussions with Prime
Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and other senior leaders and
officials. Talks were held on exchanging Buddhist pilgrims
between the two countries, sharing the experience of terrorist
problem and introducing the health policy model of Sri Lanka in
Nepal.
The Sri Lankan Minister said every rebel leader had a time
period and it applied to the LTTE chief as well.

Communication in Tamil

"This is not a stray case. This is the normal case in this country.
There are many Sinhalese, including so-called intellectuals,
challenging anyone who says there is discrimination against the
Tamils. When the Tamils say there is discrimination against them
they will be branded as LTTErs or LTTE sympathisers and the
matter would be put to rest with that."
by Arul
(December, 25, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian)

After thirty years of making Tamil an official Language, communication
between the government and the Tamils in Tamil is almost nil.
This month I received a printed copy of the Life Certificate to
be perfected and returned to the Divisional Secretariat which
pays my pension, in Sinhala and English but not in Tamil. Last
year too the Secretariat sent the form in Sinhala and English
only. I complained about it through the press. But who takes
notice of any complaint regarding Tamil.
This is not a stray case. This is the normal case in this country.
There are many Sinhalese, including so-called intellectuals,
challenging anyone who says there is discrimination against the
Tamils. When the Tamils say there is discrimination against them
they will be branded as LTTErs or LTTE sympathisers and the
matter would be put to rest with that. If any Sinhalese, for
instance, like Rev. Fr. Tissa Balasooriya, would state with facts
and figures, that there is discrimination against the Tamils, he too
will be branded an LTTE supporter and even called a traitor. If
a foreigner says that there is discrimination against the Tamils he
also would be called a person bought over by the LTTE.
Somewhere in the latter part of 1999, Professor Ratnajeevan
Hoole made a statement that Tamils were being overlooked in
government and professional bodies which Prof. Kalasuriya
refuted. Before Professor Hoole replied I pointed out the
promotion of eighteen Assistant Superintendents of Police to the
rank of Superintends of Police, at about that time, all of them
Sinhalese and not even one Tamil or a Muslim.
Prof. Kalasuriya kept silent. But still many Sinhala persons,
including so-called intellectuals, ask dramatically whether there
is any discrimination against Tamils and to prove it, pointing out
some appointments here and there and some facilities and so
on.
The government says it is not against the Tamils and is, in fact,
trying to save them from the LTTE. Is it by communicating with
the Tamils in Sinhala and discriminating against them that the
government is trying to save the Tamils from the LTTE?
Trying to meet the arguments of some Sinhala persons who say
that there is no discrimination against Tamils, I have found, is a
futile exercise. Either they are ignorant and blind or they refuse
to accept the truth.
The people who argue that there is no discrimination against
Tamils may become the cause for the separation of the country.

Rs. 53 billion of disbursed tsunami funds missing –

TISLOver Rs.53 billion of disbursed tsunami donor funds has gone
missing,Transperancy International Sri Lanka(TISL) said
yesterday. Implementing agencies were given Rs 122.2 billion
but they are unable to account for Rs 53.6 billion of that money,
the transparency watchdog said.