ENB- 241108- Sri Lanka Israel joint venture to expand refinery

Sri Lanka to come to a joint venture with Israel to expand refinery

Sunday, November 23, 2008, 6:36 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Nov 23, Colombo: Sri Lanka Ministry of Petroleum sources say that a feasibility survey is now underway to expand the Orugodawaththa oil refinery with the
assistance of Israeli government.
The Israeli government will bear 75% while the Sri Lankan government will provide the rest of the cost for the project estimated at Rs 1.5 billion.
A cabinet paper is also to be submitted soon in this regard.

Sri Lanka war reaches crucial phase; troops zero in on Kilinochchi

Sun, Nov 23 02:01 PM
Colombo, Nov 23 (IANS) The long drawn out civil war in Sri Lanka has reached a crucial phase with reports of the fighting spirit of the Tamil Tigers said to be at an 'all time low' after the fall of two of their strongholds even as government troops march in on the rebels' political capital Kilinochchi.
The troops last week captured the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) bastions of Pooneryn and Mankulam which they had held for a decade.
Retired navy commander and chief of defence staff (CDS) Admiral Daya Sandagiri said the capture of Pooneryn 'has virtually neutralized the LTTE threat to
the troops stationed in the Jaffna peninsula while the capture of Mankulam has mounted pressure on the LTTE.
'The capture of Pooneryn has now given the military the necessary land route access to Jaffna. Such a land route is vital for ongoing military operation in
terms of logistic supply and casualty evacuation,' Admiral Sandagiri told IANS.
Citing battlefront reports, he said the fighting spirit among the LTTE cadres after the fall of Pooneryn and Mankulam 'was at an all-time low, affecting
their fighting morale and efficiency'.
According to Admiral Sandagiri, LTTE chief '(Velupillai) Prabhakaran believes in fighting, nothing but fighting. He cannot deviate from his original stand. The
LTTE is still left with some striking capabilities, but such capabilities are badly insufficient to halt or reverse the current military successes and progresses'.
According to analysts, losing their strategic strongholds of Pooneryn in the western coast and Mankulam in southern end of areas under its control nearly after a decade has been a major blow to the LTTE, although they have moved their military resources, including heavy weapons, to safer locations.
Mankulam is located on the highway that connects the Sri Lankan mainland to Jaffna in the island's northern tip. Pooneryn is the last major LTTE naval point
on the western coastal belt, from where the rebels in the past have used their long-range artillery and mortar guns to fire at military targets in Jaffna peninsula.
After gaining control of the entire western coastal belt of over 80 km from the northwestern district of Mannar up to Pooneryn, the troops, backed by artillery and aerial bombardment, are now trying to advance towards Kilinochchi town, 350 km north of here, from various directions, despite heavy LTTE resistance and the monsoon showers.
The LTTE, fighting for a quarter century to carve out a separate state in the northeast, is facing a critical situation militarily at a time when it is preparing to commemorate its fallen cadres in the third week of November.
The week-long event ends with an annual speech by LTTE leader Prabhakaran, who will turn 54 Nov 26. His speech, usually setting out the outfit's plans for the next year, largely carries political significance and is closely monitored locally and internationally.
Commenting on the LTTE's fighting capability, Dharmalingham Siddharthan, the head of the ex-militant People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam
(PLOTE), said that it was 'very difficult to judge the LTTE's fighting ability at a time like this'.
'Still I believe that they have about 3,000 battle-hardened cadres. One cannot expect them to give up so easily, although the fall of Kilinochchi, their political capital, is very imminent. It could even happen before Prabhakaran's 54th birthday,' former MP Siddharathan told IANS.
He, however, said that the government troops 'taking upper hand militarily will leave the (Mahinda) Rajapaksa government with no option but to come out
with a political solution acceptable to all the communities sooner than later'.
Siddharathan said that successive Sri Lankan governments 'have made the LTTE an excuse and failed to come out with a just political solution.
'Their excuse has been that the LTTE would never settle for a political solution within a united Sri Lanka and the LTTE has also been proving them correct.
'The fall of Kilinochchi will virtually shrink the LTTE-held areas and confine them to the jungle district of Mullaitivu. With international pressure, mainly from
India, the government has to come out with a reasonable and lasting political solution, adequately addressing the prolonging Tamil national question,' he said.
The weeks ahead are going to be crucial for Sri Lanka both politically and militarily.

"Pillaiyan is doing a very good job" – M.L.A.M.Hisbulla

The eastern provincial council election held a few months ago, was a defining moment in this country’s history. Like the great battle of Kurukshetra in the Mahabharatha, it saw everybody in the east divided into two clearly defined camps. It brought together traditional enemies onto one platform to defeat the common enemy. The LTTE and TNA sided with the SLMC and Many independent Muslims sided with the TMVP. In the aftermath of the election, there was a
tug of war between Pillaiyan and M.L.A.M.Hisbulla for the chief minister’s position. Now six months into the eastern government that was cobbled together
by the president, minister Hisbulla speaks to C.A.Chandraprema of his relationship with the Tamil chief minister and the place of Muslims within the eastern
provincial council.
Q. After the EPC elections, how have you been faring in the provincial council?
A. For the first time, all three communities are working together in one forum, and we have to thank the president for that. I have been in politics since 1988,
and for the past twenty years, whenever there was a problem in the eastern province, there was no way to talk to each other. When I was a minister, even if
I spoke to a TNA parliamentarian, it will not have any effect at the ground level. Now, there is the chief minister, myself and a Sinhala minister, so if any
issues come up, we settle it then and there because a forum has been created for all three communities to work together. I work very closely with the
chief minister and we are working together to develop the eastern province.
Q. A few weeks ago, Kumar Rupesinghe spoke very highly of you and Pillaiyan for having put in place a conflict resolution mechanism in the east. Is there
any formal mechanism that you have put in place?
A. Every Wednesday, we have our board of ministers meeting where we discuss all issues. In the meantime we have already formed an inter communities
friendship council in the Batticaloa district, where Tamil-Muslim clashes usually occur. These councils meet once a month and organize various cultural
events and so on, which bring these two communities together. Also on Saturdays and Sundays, the chief minister visits Muslim villages and I visit Tamil
villages. I went to the temple with him and he came to the mosque with me. I invite him to all my functions and he invites me to all his functions. So we
are working together to bring about unity among the communities. There used to be the complaint that Muslim politicians did not look after the Tamil
community and Tamil leaders and especially the Tamil administrative officers did not look after the Muslims. Now, all appointments are being made
according to the ethnic ratio.
Q. The chief minister that you are working under is an ex-terrorist and may have been personally responsible for attacks on other communities in the east in
the past. How do you now find him as a politician?
A. Of course when he was in the LTTE, he may have done everything. But now he is the chief minister and he has changed. He is very polite, and never
makes hasty decisions. He always listens to things carefully, and in all issues he ensures that all three communities are treated equally and he does not
want any community to have grievances. He’s doing a very good job really.
Q. After the EPC elections and when the appointment of a chief minister was to be made, there was some friction between you and the chief minister. But
now you seem to have ironed out your problems.
A. Yes, there were a lot of problems, I objected because there was this promise that whatever community gets more seats will get the chief ministerial
post. That was the agreement between the Muslim ministers and the president. So we all made that demand. Finally, the president appointed him as the
chief minister and me as a minister. It was after accepting the ministerial portfolio that I went and assumed duties. After that I have not had a problem
and I am giving the maximum support to the chief minister. Yesterday, someone said that the power of the provincial council in the east is because the
chief minister and I are working together. There were no differences or misunderstandings after the appointment. We work very closely with one another. We
work in the same building, and our bungalows are located in the same vicinity, so we are working together.
Q. Had you remained in the SLMC, they may have won, and you may have been the chief minister. Do you regret having left the SLMC?
A. No, because I left the SLMC because the SLMC leader said that he doesn’t want power in the eastern provincial council. That was the problem that I
and Mr Hakeem had. I told Mr Hakeem that we should capture the council because we were in the opposition in the centre and that we can’t be in the
opposition in the east as well.. But he said very clearly that we will sit in the opposition. That is why I and other SLMC members left the party.
Q. Why is it that he did not want power in the east?
A. I don’t know. The SLMC, the UNP, the TNA and even the LTTE all contested under the UNP banner. So it may be that he did not want to talk about a
Muslim chief minister or an SLMC victory for fear of alienating the TNA or the LTTE. He may have feared that if he spoke of a Muslim chief minister, he
may not get the TNA or LTTE votes.
Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. I want to develop the east which has been abandoned for the past twenty years. If you take educational levels, we come 9th in Sri Lanka. Not even 50%
of the students pass the O/L. If you take sport, health and all other social indicators, we come last in the island. So we want to develop the eastern
province. When the time comes, we’ll see what the next step is.
Q. Generally speaking, are you satisfied with the efforts made by the government to develop the east after they reestablished control?
A. Yes, generally, I am satisfied. Water is a main problem in the Batticaloa district and there is a 75 million Dollar project now nearing completion. Work is
going on with regard to all the main roads, so I am satisfied with the work that has been going on. I must especially thank Mr Basil Rajapakse. He comes to
the east once a month and gives encouragement with regard to the development of the area.
Q. The fear in the east was that if the chief minister is from one community…
A. For the past five months we have been in power, and if anything has gone wrong, I too am responsible, because we are working together. The Tamil
community can’t say that that they have been ignored because the chief minister is Tamil. The Muslims can’t complain because I work very closely with
the CM. I don’t know whether this same friendship and working arrangements will continue if someone else comes as chief minister.
Q. What I was going to ask you was whether you feel that the benefits of the development that is going on in the east is trickling down to the Muslims as
well.
A. After 1983, for more than 25 years, the Muslims could not even go to their paddy fields to cultivate their own land in peace. But now, they go about their
work in peace. Even though the LTTE is no more here, the TMVP cadres are still around. Only the name changed. These are the same cadres so if they
don’t allow it, our people won’t be able to go about their work. But our people are now going about their work. In areas like Morawewa and
Gomarankadawala, a large number of Sinhalese farmers could not do their cultivation. But now after many years, they are back at work. One school was
closed, I went and re-opened it. A large number of students have come back to abandoned schools. So all three communities are benefiting now. We have
46 district secretaries divisions in the east. Out of 46, divisions, 21 have been without post offices for the past fifteen years. We have now taken staff for
these post offices. Where there are Tamils, we have put a Tamil officer, where there are Muslims, a Muslim officer and where there are Shinhalese, a
Sinhalese officer.

More than 80,000 jobs cut in just five days

By Andrew Taylor in London -FT
Published: November 21 2008 17:50 Last updated: November 21 2008 17:50
More than 80,000 job losses were announced around the world this week as the global recession tightened its grip in virtually every business sector.
A Financial Times study of company announcements, press briefings and union statements over the past five working days reveals the spread and depth of
the downturn.
Jobs have haemorrhaged from businesses as diverse as a Chicago kosher hot dog factory, a German airline and car plants in Japan. Companies have been
forced into savage cost cutting as the effects of the credit crunch have sapped confidence and sent order books and commodity prices plummeting.
Almost 30,000 job losses have been announced by British companies alone in the past two weeks.
Richard Adkerson chief executive of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, the world’s largest publicly traded copper producer, which is cutting more than 600
jobs in the US, said: “We’re running our business on the basis of being prepared to live with low commodity prices for an extended period.”
More than half the job losses this week, were announced by Citigroup, the US bank, which has increased the number of staff it is making redundant to 52,000.
But even without Citigroup, businesses around the world announced job cuts at the rate of more than 5,500 a day. Economists expect worse to come as
output falls in developed countries and growth continues to slow in emerging markets such as China and Russia.
Carmakers and their suppliers, from component manufacturers to steel producers, have been particularly badly hit, prompting producers in the US to seek a
government bail-out.
Toyota, Japan’s biggest carmaker announced on Friday that it was cutting its domestic temporary workforce by 50 per cent, or 3,000 jobs. Mazda is not
renewing contracts for 1,300 temporary staff while Isuzu, the Japanese truck manufacturer is scaling back production with the loss of 1,400 temporary and
contract workers. Temporary and part-time workers account for about a third Japan’s workforce. Asian business centres are also starting to feel the
backlash of big job cuts announced by international banks this year. HSBC was reported this week to be cutting 500 jobs, the bulk of them in Hong Kong.
Morgan Stanley handed notices to about 100 of its 1,700 Hong Kong staff while Standard Chartered is eliminating 527 jobs at its main office in South Korea.
European job losses are also mounting. On Thursday alone, AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish drug manufacturer announced that it was cutting 1,400 jobs and
closing plants in Spain, Sweden and Belgium; Rolls Royce, the UK jet engine manufacturers, planned to cut 2,000 jobs worldwide; Sandvik of Sweden, the
world’s largest manufacturer, announced that it was axing 2,300 jobs; Voestalpine, Austria’s biggest steelmaker, said it would not be renewing contracts
for 2,100 temporary staff and Peugeot Citroën, the French carmaker, said it was cutting 2,700 jobs.
Air France-KLM also revealed that it was postponing taking delivery of new fuel-efficient aircraft with the group preferring to hold on to its cash. Global
airline-passenger traffic, according to the International Air Transport Association, dropped in September in the first fall for five years.
Air New Zealand announced plans to axe 200 jobs this week while Deutsche Lufthansa is cutting about 500 staff at its regional carrier CityLine.
In the US, where the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits is highest for a quarter of century, jobs are being cut in almost every sector.
In addition to the continuing flow of redundancies at financial services companies, job losses were announced this week at Pepsi Bottling Group (3,150 jobs
to go of which 750 are in North America); Lam, the San Francisco chip equipment manufacturer (600); Pilgrim’s Pride, the largest US chicken producer (335);
Boeing’s defence manufacturing plant at Wichita Kansas (800); International Game Technology, which manufactures computerised gaming machines (460);
and Sara Lee which is closing a kosher hot dog and meat processing facility in Chicago (185).
There are thousands of other jobs being cut at small businesses. According to figures from Automatic Data Processing the world’s largest payroll
processing company, small businesses in the US employing 49 or fewer people lost 25,000 jobs in October.Copyright