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Sunday January 20th, 2008 |
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Five
countries issue travel ban on Sri Lanka
The country’s tourism sector, which is already in dire straits,
was dealt yet another severe blow after at least five countries
issued strict advisories against their...
(See Inside)
Anura appoints CBK to key post
Ailing former Minister and
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) stalwart Anura Bandaranaike has
appointed former President...
(See Inside)
Handunnetti discounts
rumours
Speculation is rife about the future of Sunil Handunnetti as a
MP of the Janatha Vimukthi...
(See Inside)
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A sea of tears
Bereaved relatives of the
22-year-old girl who was murdered on Friday, allegedly by a
rejected admirer, grieving in front of the main suspect’s house
soon after the crime was discovered. The victim was brutally
murdered and her body was found inside a lavatory on Saturday
morning in Makavita, Gampaha
(Pic by Nissanka Wijerathne)
See story |
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Legal Aid seeks enhanced
compensation for Jamis
Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva told The Nation that
the recently released P.P. Jamis had to spend 50 years of his
life at the...
(See Inside)
Mihin plans massive
tamasha in Singapore
The
controversy-ridden government owned budget airline, Mihin Lanka,
which nearly...
(See Inside)
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NEWS |
Doomsday for CMC?
Western Province (WP) Chief Minister Reginald Cooray and WP
Governor Alavi Moulana are scheduled to meet with President
Mahinda Rajapaksa tomorrow to take a final decision on the
crisis plagued Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
The meeting comes in the backdrop of a directive by Rajapaksa
for Cooray to take action against the CMC, based on the report
submitted by the one man commission led by retired Appeal Court
Judge Dr. Chandradasa Nanayakkara.
The retired judge, in his report, has recommended
dissolution of the Council, following...
(See
Inside) SB gives thumbs up to Mahinda
United National Party (UNP) National Organiser S.B.
Dissanayake has praised moves by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to
implement the 13th Amendment during a late night telephone
conversation on Wednesday.
The conversation had taken place at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday
when Rajapaksa had telephoned the former Minister, and the two
had had a long, amicable conversation, sources told The Nation.
“The President returned Dissanayake’s call on Wednesday night
because Rajapaksa was unable to talk to him when Dissanayake had
called earlier,” sources said.
(See Inside) Tamils to boycott SriLankan?
The London-based British Tamils’ Forum has called for a global
boycott of SriLankan Airlines as a mark of protest against the
President Mahinda Rajapaksa-led government’s decision to end the
nearly six-year-old Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) with the LTTE.
In an appeal to Tamils around the world, the forum claimed that
£12 million in foreign currency earned annually by the airline
was being used to reinforce the government’s war chest.
“The Sri Lankan Government has abandoned all pretence of
observing a ceasefire, while resorting to an escalating
war on the Tamils, corralled into an ever-tightening
military cordon in their traditional...
(See Inside) Over our dead bodies!
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday announced that the
party is planning to launch a protest campaign against the
statement made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise
Arbour calling on the government and the LTTE to protect
international law following the termination of the CFA.
JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa told The Nation
that they will hold a protest in Colombo on January 23, against
the terror tactics of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Arbour has unleashed terrorism with her recent
statement, where she has said that she...
(See Inside) Five Tamils arrested in Thanamalwila
Based on suspicion, five Tamil
suspects have been arrested by the Sooriyawewa Police in
Thanamalwila.
According to the Sooriyawewa Police, the five suspects have been
identified as residents of Madolsima in Badulla, who had visited
the area three days ago. initial investigations have revealed
that the suspects had come to work as labourers in a chena at
Lunugamwehera.
On Friday the Police had been informed that the suspects were
roaming towards the Sooriyawewa area and a team was deployed to
observe them under the instructions of the
superintendent of Police.
(See Inside) Five Tamils arrested in Thanamalwila
Based on suspicion, five Tamil
suspects have been arrested by the Sooriyawewa Police in
Thanamalwila.
According to the Sooriyawewa Police, the five suspects have been
identified as residents of Madolsima in Badulla, who had visited
the area three days ago. initial investigations have revealed
that the suspects had come to work as labourers in a chena at
Lunugamwehera.
On Friday the Police had been informed that the suspects were
roaming towards the Sooriyawewa area and a team was deployed to
observe them under the instructions of the superintendent of
Police. The suspects had been arrested when...
(See Inside) SLMC tells NWPC to withdraw support for
govt.
A directive has been issued by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
(SLMC) leadership to all the provincial councillors in the North
Western Provincial Council (NWPC) to withdraw support to the
government.
The directive has also indicated that the respective provincial
councillors of the SLMC should in the future sit in the
opposition.
The NWPC is represented by five SLMC members. The governing
party, led by Chief Minister Athula Wijesinghe, has shown a
majority in the council only with the support offered by the
SLMC.
With...
(See Inside) |
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POLITICS |
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Stage set for bloody, long drawn-out
war
 The
bus bomb, and consequent shooting of hapless civilians at Buttala where
27 persons died, could well be the beginning of a long list of similar
events. Those who viewed television footage of the site will realise the
obvious: it is impossible to provide security for each and every bus
plying in the remote regions of the country.
By staging this incident targeting civilians on the day the CFA was
lapsing, when media attention of the entire world was focussed on Sri
Lanka, the LTTE seems to be keen to send some signals not only to
Colombo but also to the world at large.
Firstly, the Tigers are in effect stating that they will not fight shy
of endangering civilians lives, even if such actions might not endear
them to the international community and its assorted fora. Secondly, by
staging attacks in the deep southeast of the country, it is trying to
negate Colombo’s claims...
(See
Inside) Going back to the future
 Eelam
War (EW) IV has become official with the government’s decision
to unilaterally abrogate the Cease-Fire Agreement (CFA) with the
LTTE, from January 16.
The Norwegian-brokered CFA was signed between the then Prime
Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE Supremo Velupillai
Prabhakaran in February 2002, when Chandrika Kumaratunga was the
President of Sri Lanka.
It now appears that EW IV is a do-or-die battle for the Mahinda
Rajapaksa administration, which accommodated a demand made by
the extremist JVP, which saved the Rajapaksa regime from defeat
at the third reading of the Budget in December 2007.
The government, heeding to the JVP demand, ended the CFA
abruptly, with an announcement on January 2. This was hailed by
the JVP and its leaders.
The JVP went one step further and demanded the withdrawal of
Norway as the facilitator to the peace process.
Its...
(See Inside) |
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NEWS FEATURES |
APRC in quandary as Jan. 23 deadline
nears
 The All Party Representative Committee (APRC) is facing a
practical dilemma as D-day, or January 23, draws near!
The APRC, chaired by Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa
Vitarana, is in a quandary about what its future course of
action should be in terms of presenting a final report on
Constitutional reform to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on January
23.
President Rajapaksa last week changed the goalposts while the
match was in progress when he asked the APRC to furnish him with
a comprehensive report on how the existing provincial councils
system could be rejuvenated with enhanced devolution as provided
under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
When Rajapaksa appointed the APRC in 2006, he had mandated it to
present a comprehensive scheme of Constitutional reform. He also
promised to abide by its report.
(See Inside)Police demonstrate apathy
 In the early morning of January 16, W.M. Vilan
Sudarshana was expecting the day to be just like countless
others he has spent in the village of Hedella: Quiet and
routine. At around 7:30 in the morning he was aroused by a sound
that shook the entire area. His first thought was that it was a
tyre puncture of the bus that he knew would be passing his house
at that time, as usual.
When he ran down the road, the scene he encountered was anything
but routine and normal. “There were people running towards me.
Their faces were gripped with fear. Some were crying ‘budu
ammo.’ Then I heard a sound like firecrackers. There was a
person on top of the bus wearing an Army uniform shooting at the
running people. There were a few others on the nearby hill,”...
(See Inside)
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India win ends Aussie
record bid
 India
denied Australia a record 17th straight victory by
dismissing them for 340 to win the third Test by 72 runs
on the fourth day at Perth.
Resuming on 65-2, chasing 413, the hosts did well to only lose Ricky Ponting
(45) on the fourth morning.
But Mike Hussey (46), Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee fell to make
it 243-7 at tea, while Anil Kumble had Michael Clarke (81) stumped.
Mitchell Johnson (50 no) shared 73 with Stuart Clark (32) but India persevered
to cut their series deficit to 2-1.
It ended the home side’s hopes of surpassing the 16 consecutive victories
achieved by Steve Waugh’s Aussies between 1999-2001.
The defeat was their first since the thriller at Trent Bridge against England in
2005, and their first on home soil since India beat them in Adelaide in 2003.
And the tourists will now fancy their chances of completing their fight back in
the finale at the same South Australia venue and emulate the series draw they
achieved that time.
That is a remarkable prospect considering the acrimony and soul-searching which
followed their controversial defeat in Sydney.
Australia was hoping the Waca pitch, which had shown signs of variable bounce
and turn would hold up well in the baking heat.
(See Inside)Point Blank
The ICC’s trouble-shooter
 The
International Cricket Council (ICC) must be fortunate to have an individual of
the calibre of Ranjan Madugalle in their ranks. In recent times the former Sri
Lanka captain has turned out to be the ICC’s trouble-shooter saving the
international cricket body, which has often been referred to as ‘a toothless
tiger’, from total embarrassment.
When the ICC appointed him the first chief referee in 2001 they knew they were
not far from wrong in doing so. In making the appointment the ICC’s Chief
Executive Malcolm Speed stated: “He is clearly regarded as the outstanding
member of the existing panel. His record as a former captain of Sri Lanka and
the high regard in which he is held throughout the cricket world make him an
ideal appointment for this position.”
Madugalle’s easy going manners and charming personality makes him easily
accessible and likeable to everyone. But underneath, it is someone with a
reputation as a strict disciplinarian as most international captains have found
out to their dismay.
So when things came to a head at Sydney and India were threatening to call of
their tour of Australia midway, the ICC had no other alternative but to SOS for
their hit-man who had just completed a Test series in
India against Pakistan last month and was relaxing at
his home...
(See Inside)
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INTERVIEWS |
 Abrogating
the CFA: A heroic act? Or a stupid act with dire consequences?
 United
National Party (UNP) parliamentarian Lakshman Seneviratne has
warned that the abrogation of the CFA, will force most of the
European countries to withdraw the 17 % tax concession granted
to Sri Lanka on exports by these countries, after signing the
CFA in 2002. He says the cancellation of the CFA, though
described as a ‘heroic act’ by a few government officials and
parliamentarians, has been viewed as being a most, ‘stupid’
action by global leaders.
“The consequences of this action are going to be badly felt only
in the coming months and years. Right now the government does
not realise the impact of such a hasty decision. This shows this
government is immature,” he told The Nation in an interview.
He also severely condemned the JVP and the JHU for applying
pressure on the government to cancel first the CFA, and then the
APRC. He accused President Mahinda Rajapaksa of dancing to the
whims and fancies of the JVP and JHU, adding that it was
Rajapaksa who should be held responsible for the present chaotic
situation in Sri Lanka
Following are excerpts:
Q: How do you view the present volatile situation?
A: The present situation is frightening. I hold the UPFA
government responsible for this. The government is dancing to
the tunes of the JVP and the JHU. It is these two parties that
wanted the CFA abrogated.
(See Inside) |
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