Sri Lanka Watch, News and Discussions

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Fonseka threatens to approach court seeking more security



Amid indications that the Sri Lankan Government would announce the date for Presidential election on Monday, the just retired General Sarath Fonseka and a possible opposition candidate against President Mahinda Rajapaksa has threatened to file a fundamental rights case seeking more security personnel in his security contingent.

English weekly, Lakbima reported that the former Army chief had been offered 25 security men as an initial measure comprising eight soldiers in each shift while he had petitioned for 100 security personnel when he made his farewell call as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) last week.

In response to his representation, President Rajapaksa ordered that he be given 62 security personnel comprising two officers, 10 commandos and 50 Sinha regiment soldiers.

Gen. (retd) Fonseka’s contention is that of the 62 security men he could use about 20 soldiers in a shift and that the security squad was not enough to meet the threat to his life.

“Yes I am contemplating going to courts over my security cover”, he told Lakbima in response to a question on his security contingent post-retirement.

Though the opposition parties in the island are still in the process of consultations among themselves on their strategy in the event of a Presidential election, Gen. (retd) Fonseka has made up his mind and has even chosen the venue for his election office.

In an interview to English weekly The Sunday Leader the `war hero’ bitterly complained, “Contrary to all previous false reports I allowed my predecessors both General Shantha Kottegoda and Donald Perera to continue in this house for three and a half months after they had retired from service.

“Yet, I as Chief of Defence Staff am being treated like dirt-given a mere week to get out. I don’t in any case want to stay in this place, I am very keen to go. If I choose to go to court on this matter they will lose.”

“We did find a few houses that were suitable and the owners were initially more than willing to rent to us-but when we went back they refused to rent to me. They had been pressured by them,” . Fonseka charged. Asked who “them” was he said, “The Defence Ministry and its Secretary.”

Gen. (retd) Fonseka submitted his resignation to President Rajapaksa on November 12 citing 16 reasons and was granted permission to retire from November 16.

In his four-page November 20 `farewell’ letter addressed to the troops he had said, “No matter whatsoever obstacles will be encountered, I assure that I will dedicate myself to secure the weakening democracy, human rights, media freedom, social justice and secure communal harmony and also will be with you as a shadow for the wellbeing of the future”.

He was at pains to emphasise that it is the soldiers and officers of the three services who are the `real war hero’s’ and went on to add “you all faced this war as very professional soldiers. Hence we won this war graciously. We have to maintain this dignity within the Army in the future. We should not allow anybody to tarnish the honour of the Army and we should not allow anybody to politicise the Army. Even though others attempt to blemish us we should remember that we are the real hero’s of the victory of the war”.

Gen. (retd) Fonseka further complained, “An official function was scheduled to be held on November 26th at the farewell of my 40 years service in the Army. The Commanders of the Three Forces and the Inspector General of Police did not get an opportunity to participate in this event.

“My security was decreased to 25 in spite of my request to provide a unit of 100 soldiers because of the threats on my life. On repeated requests it is stated that I will be provided 60 soldiers and 3 vehicles. I have been ordered by the highest authority to vacate the official residence as soon as I have retired. Although many obstacles have arisen to find a suitable rented house some are trying to drag me on to the road. It is a well known fact that a house to be built on your behalf is none other than giving birth to a mouse after suffering much pain akin to a mountain”


The Hindu : News / International : Fonseka threatens to approach court seeking more security

 

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General Sarath Fonseka is UNF’s Presidential Candidate

The United National Front has decided that General Sarath Fonseka will be its Presidential Candidate, but no official announcement would be made, until the government Gazettes the election notification.Senior Vice President of the UNP,John Ameratunga told The Island that after several rounds of talks the UNF leaders agreed on Fonseka as their candidate.

Asked if Fonseka was agreeable to the UNF’s 10 point policy statement, he said that unless there was agreement, the alliance would not have picked Fonseka.Questioned as to what the UNF’s symbol would be, Ameratunga said that it was being discussed and a decision will be taken shortly.

According to the conditions laid down, Fonseka has to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNF, to the effect that in the event he is elected President, he will offer the TNA and JVP important portfolios, establish all the independent commissions required for good governance, resettle the northern IDP’s in their original homes, abolish the Executive Presidency and appoint UNF leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the caretaker Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday afternoon, decided to hold a Presidential Election, but the notification was not Gazetted at the time of going to press.


The Island-News

 

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Fonseka looks forward to support from India

Colombo, Nov 25 (PTI) Former top General Sarath Fonseka, expected to run as the Sri Lankan Presidential candidate, today said that he was looking forward to support from India for his nation's future.

Expressing that he was "very fond" of India, Fonseka, who is being endorsed as the joint opposition candidate to challenge the incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa today said he was looking forward to support from India during his future plans."I will always do all I can to fulfill the aspirations of the people," Fonseka said when asked whether he would contest against Rajapaksa, to make it battle between war heroes.Both Fonseka and Rajapaksa are claiming credit for wiping out the dreaded Tamil Tigers and the former army chief told All India Radio that he would go public with his plans soon.

fullstory

 

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S. Lanka opposition endorses ex-general for president

- Sri Lanka's main opposition party said on Thursday it will support former army chief Sarath Fonseka's candidature for presidential elections, in the most serious challenge to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's bid for re-election.Fonseka, widely credited for the army's victory over Tamil Tiger rebels in May ending a 25-year revolt, is yet to formally announce his candidature for the election set for January.

"The UNP has taken a historic decision to endorse General Sarath Fonseka as its common candidate in the next presidential election," Ranil Wickremesinghe, the leader of United National Party told reporters.Fonseka quit the army last week sparking speculation he planned to run for president as an opposition common candidate.

S. Lanka opposition endorses ex-general for president | Markets | Hot Stocks | Reuters

 

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Sri Lanka to hold presidential poll in January

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on January 26, the electoral office said Friday, with President Mahinda Rajapakse expected to face his former military chief Sarath Fonseka.

"Elections will be held on the 26th of January," Dayananda Dissanayake, the commissioner of elections, told AFP by telephone.

Rajapakse, 64, called the election two years ahead of schedule in a move aimed at helping the government tap public goodwill after the end of the country's 37-year separatist conflict which ended in May.

Local media had widely predicted the poll would be announced for January 23 or 26, which are considered astrologically auspicious for the president.

Fonseka, 58, is expected to confirm his candidature at a news conference on Sunday after he won the backing of Sri Lanka's two main opposition parties this week.

The former general quit as chief of defence staff this month after a rift with Rajapakse over who should take credit for the military defeat of the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

After the fighting ended, Fonseka was moved from the post of army chief to become chief of defence staff, a more ceremonial position that reportedly left him feeling sidelined because of its lack of command powers.

A statement from the elections office said that nominations would be accepted on December 17.

Sri Lanka, where parliamentary elections are also expected some time before April 2010, has 14 million eligible voters. Some 13 million people were eligible to vote during the last presidential poll in 2005.

Rajapakse narrowly won the 2005 poll for a six-year term with 50.12 percent of the vote by defeating the main opposition candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe.His victory was marred by a boycott of the vote by Tamil Tiger guerrillas who prevented some 350,000 minority ethnic Tamils from voting in the island's north and east.

Wickremesinghe is not contesting the January poll and has backed Fonseka to oust Rajapakse. He accuses the president of granting key state positions to family members and of wanton corruption.

"It's a historic situation where we are backing General Fonseka to defeat President Rajapakse," Wickremesinghe told reporters on Thursday.

He said opposition parties will campaign separately to rally support for Fonseka, who is considered a war hero for having defeated the Tamil rebels who had been fighting for an independent homeland since 1972.Fonseka told AFP on Thursday that he had won "broad support from most opposition political parties. But I will officially announce my (presidential) intentions" on Sunday

 

[icecoolben]

India's stand

I firmly believe India would throw its weight behind Rajyapakshe than the general. A civilian leader would be better suited to India's interests than a military one.
After all, RAW nurtured the LTTE and a military general would definitely harbour animosity than a civilian leader towards India for this.

 

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LTTE cadres fleeing Sri Lanka via India

New Delhi: The decimation of the LTTE in Sri Lanka has given a big push to illegal immigration involving Sri Lankan Tamils in India. There is a sudden spurt in Sri Lankan Tamils illegally crossing over to India to take a flight abroad. Agents have kept apace by doubling fees for passports and visa.
Investigators believe most Sri Lankans trying to cross-over to western shores via India are LTTE cadres or sympathizers. Airport authorities have caught at least 40 Sri Lankan Tamils trying to take such flights from Indian airports.

In a latest case at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport on November 16, Rajan Kumar was stopped from boarding an Air India flight to New York, after the US visa on his passport drew suspicion. The regional passport office in Hyderabad had purportedly issued the passport.

But close scrutiny showed the passport was fake. It would have gone down as another case of illegal immigration had Rajan not told investigators he was a Sri Lankan Tamil who had illegally crossed over to India.

His original name was Sivapalan and apart for his Indian passport, he was also carrying documents to prove his Sri Lankan identity. Sivapalan explained he planned to show his original Sri Lankan documents on reaching America. "He would have claimed to be an LTTE sympathizer and a victim of persecution by Sri Lankan forces," said a source who interrogated Sivapalan. But authorities are undecided on whether Sivapalan was really an LTTE recruit or just trying to get a toe-hold in the US.

Sivapalan had got his boarding pass before he was detained, indicating some kind of connivance with airline staff. It is also clear that Sivapalan got his Indian passport from a gang that catered to Sri Lankan Tamils.

The gang has links to an illegal immigration racket busted in Chennai. On October 22, the Chennai police arrested two agents -- Mahenthiran Kajenthiran and Vellaiyan Tharamalingan -- from Vetri Nagar and recovered 27 Indian passports of Sri Lankan Tamils from their houses. Seven Sri Lankan passports and some visa stamps of UK and other western countries too were found.

The passports were meant for Sri Lankan Tamils but the racket was busted before they could be handed over to clients. What startled the authorities was recovery of LTTE propaganda, indicating the gang was helping Sri Lankan Tamils flee India.

During interrogation, the agents gave details of a well-oiled operation in which LTTE cadres or sympathizers are sent abroad. The gang was led by a person named Kalidass, arrested later.

Kalidass used to take people to exotic European locales posing as film crew. But the crew never returned.Authorities are still clueless on the whereabouts of such Sri Lankan Tamils whose passports the gang prepared. So far, only their names are known.

LTTE cadres fleeing Sri Lanka via India - dnaindia.com

 

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VAVUNIYA, Sri Lanka — Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians held in state-run camps following the island's ethnic conflict were allowed to walk free Tuesday, ending their internationally-condemned detention.

Men, women and children were given their first opportunity to leave the northern Manik Farm complex since their incarceration over seven months ago.

But many of them, their homes and villages destroyed in the country's long ethnic war, were expected to continue living in the camps.

N. Thirugnanasampanther, the senior civil servant in the area, said that since the gates were thrown open, many people had already left. "Transport out of the camps is a problem, but people seem to be very happy," he said.

The United Nations had led international criticism of the camps, which it said were collective punishment for ethnic Tamils on whose behalf the Tiger guerrillas fought their 37-year-long guerrilla war.

Officials said over 100,000 out of about 130,000 still held in the camp complex 250 kilometres (160 miles) north of the capital Colombo left the camps on Tuesday, albeit temporarily for many of them.

"We have not received any assistance from the authorities to go and see our relatives, but this is better than being locked inside," one detainee, E. Thavamani, told local reporters as she waited for a bus.

There was a flood of requests to leave the camps and visit friends and relatives, but many people were held up due to a lack of transport and cash.

The camps held 280,000 people at their peak in May, when fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels ended with the Tiger leadership being wiped out.

The government said the mass detention was needed to screen for rebels and because mines had to be cleared from their villages.

V. Pushpavathi, 38, said she had been given permission to leave her camp for a week, but was told that she would lose state aid for re-settlement if she did not return.

"I want to go back to my village in Kilinochchi (the former rebel political capital), but I don't have any money for the journey," she said.

"But I want to make use of this opportunity to go and visit some relatives who are living close by."

Under intense international pressure, the government has promised to close down all the camps by the end of January.

Some 11,000 people are still being held as rebel suspects and were not allowed out their detention camps, officials said.

Independent journalists were not allowed into the camps on Tuesday and the government maintained its ban on reporters based outside the region from travelling to the northern district of Vavuniya.

Journalists have been given guided tours in the past but only under strict military supervision.

The UN and international aid groups had criticised conditions inside the tightly guarded facilities, with three families often forced to share one small tent meant for six people.

Drinking water and toilets were scarce and many of the temporary shelters flooded when it rained, according to detainees and some local officials.

A few Tamils petitioned the Supreme Court and had their relatives freed from the camps, while cases filed by opposition politicians to lift a ban on their visiting the camps are still before the courts.

"We have started a new phase of our re-settlement programme from today," said G.A. Chandrasiri, the governor of Sri Lanka's Northern Province. "We have turned all the IDP (internally displaced people) camps into open camps."

Chandrasiri said people were free to leave and return at will, and would be given time to decide whether to return to their villages -- many of which were flattened in the fighting and are still surrounded by minefields.

Sri Lanka allows Tamils to leave war camps

The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka's separatist conflict, which began in 1972 when the Tamil Tigers took up arms demanding an independent homeland for the island's ethnic Tamil minority.

AFP: Sri Lanka allows Tamils to leave war camps

 

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Sri Lanka allows Tamils to leave war camps


VAVUNIYA, Sri Lanka — Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians held in state-run camps following the island's ethnic conflict were allowed to walk free Tuesday, ending their internationally-condemned detention.Men, women and children were given their first opportunity to leave the northern Manik Farm complex since their incarceration over seven months ago.

But many of them, their homes and villages destroyed in the country's long ethnic war, were expected to continue living in the camps.N. Thirugnanasampanther, the senior civil servant in the area, said that since the gates were thrown open, many people had already left. "Transport out of the camps is a problem, but people seem to be very happy," he said.

The United Nations had led international criticism of the camps, which it said were collective punishment for ethnic Tamils on whose behalf the Tiger guerrillas fought their 37-year-long guerrilla war.

Officials said over 100,000 out of about 130,000 still held in the camp complex 250 kilometres (160 miles) north of the capital Colombo left the camps on Tuesday, albeit temporarily for many of them."We have not received any assistance from the authorities to go and see our relatives, but this is better than being locked inside," one detainee, E. Thavamani, told local reporters as she waited for a bus.

There was a flood of requests to leave the camps and visit friends and relatives, but many people were held up due to a lack of transport and cash.The camps held 280,000 people at their peak in May, when fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels ended with the Tiger leadership being wiped out.

The government said the mass detention was needed to screen for rebels and because mines had to be cleared from their villages.V. Pushpavathi, 38, said she had been given permission to leave her camp for a week, but was told that she would lose state aid for re-settlement if she did not return.

"I want to go back to my village in Kilinochchi (the former rebel political capital), but I don't have any money for the journey," she said.

"But I want to make use of this opportunity to go and visit some relatives who are living close by."

Under intense international pressure, the government has promised to close down all the camps by the end of January.

Some 11,000 people are still being held as rebel suspects and were not allowed out their detention camps, officials said.

Independent journalists were not allowed into the camps on Tuesday and the government maintained its ban on reporters based outside the region from travelling to the northern district of Vavuniya.

Journalists have been given guided tours in the past but only under strict military supervision.

The UN and international aid groups had criticised conditions inside the tightly guarded facilities, with three families often forced to share one small tent meant for six people.

Drinking water and toilets were scarce and many of the temporary shelters flooded when it rained, according to detainees and some local officials.

A few Tamils petitioned the Supreme Court and had their relatives freed from the camps, while cases filed by opposition politicians to lift a ban on their visiting the camps are still before the courts.

"We have started a new phase of our re-settlement programme from today," said G.A. Chandrasiri, the governor of Sri Lanka's Northern Province. "We have turned all the IDP (internally displaced people) camps into open camps."

Chandrasiri said people were free to leave and return at will, and would be given time to decide whether to return to their villages -- many of which were flattened in the fighting and are still surrounded by minefields.

The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka's separatist conflict, which began in 1972 when the Tamil Tigers took up arms demanding an independent homeland for the island's ethnic Tamil minority.

AFP: Sri Lanka allows Tamils to leave war camps

 

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Sri Lanka to freeze 600 LTTE bank accounts

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is considering taking steps to freeze about 600 bank accounts of the LTTE held the world over.
Defense spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters here on Wednesday that the Attorney General was looking into the ways and means of doing this.

Information of these accounts had been obtained through the interrogation of Selvarasa Pathmanathan, alias KP, the LTTE’s main arms procurer, now in the custody of the Sri Lankan government after he was captured from a South East Asian country in early August.

Asked for an estimate of the amount held by the LTTE in these accounts, the spokesman said that it was not possible to give a figure given the secrecy laws applicable to the banks.

20,000 DESERTERS DISCHARGED: Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, Military spokesman, said that 20,597 deserters had been legally released from the army, but 5972 had joined the army in the last two months.

Sinhalese-Buddhist for Rajapaksa

All the known Sinhalese- Buddhist nationalist groups are backing President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the on-going race for the presidency.

The Federation of Nationalist Organisations, comprising Patriotic National Movement, Patriotic Bikkhu Front, Nil Ma nel Movement, Lanka Jathika Sa ngha Sabha, said that Fonseka had fa llen into a trap laid by some internationally backed local forces.

India wants peace process revived in Sri Lanka

 

[ppgj]

www.outlookindia.com | ?He Said The Army?s Too Strong, Sri Lanka Will Become Like Myanmar?

Interview

‘He Said The Army’s Too Strong, Sri Lanka Will Become Like Myanmar’
Guarded by army commandos, the retired Sri Lankan General sits in his new war room, preparing for Sri Lanka’s next big battle
Satarupa Bhattacharjya Interviews Sarath Fonseka

General (retd) Sarath Fonseka has found himself an office space in the posh neighbourhood of Colombo 7. Guarded by army commandos, Fonseka sits in his new war room, preparing for Sri Lanka’s next big battle—presidential elections 2010. A multi-party opposition coalition called the United National Front has pitted him as its candidate against incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The last three years have been tumultuous for Fonseka. On April 25, 2006, an LTTE suicide bomber had tried to kill him. Two years, eight months and three weeks later, Fonseka’s troops were swarming over LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran’s body near a lagoon in the island’s north-east. And then, within days of the LTTE being decimated and the nation rejoicing, Fonseka fell out with Rajapaksa. Excerpts from an interview the retired general gave to Satarupa Bhattacharjya:

Why did you quit the post of chief of defence staff and enter the electoral arena. And so soon after the victory?

In my retirement letter to the President (Mahinda Rajapaksa) dated November 12, I have given my reasons...it’s a long story. The post of chief of defence staff was comfortable but without authority. Sitting in a place like that, I realised the level of corruption in the country...the lack of justice for the people. I’ve realised that this executive presidency was doing a lot of damage to the country, a lot of damage to the principles of democracy. It’s good to have a powerful head (of state) provided he doesn’t abuse the powers. But this particular executive presidency leaves enough room for any president to abuse power. Besides, I haven’t seen any infrastructure development in this country in the last few years. Some of the roads and bridges that were built had been planned by the previous government. The war can’t have been a reason for stopping development.

The West has spoken about allegations of war crimes. We must clear our name... we’ve to do the right thing.

How much was spent on the war?

We didn’t spend more than four per cent of the GDP.

What would that amount to, say, in the last three years of the war?

For instance, if you take last year’s army budget, it was about 70 billion Sri Lankan rupees (US $62 million). But this Rs 70 billion includes the money we spent on ammunition and other defence purchases. Before we started the war (the last phase, August ’06-May ’09), it was about Rs 32 billion. It doubled during the war. But what we mostly purchased during the war was ammunition. I didn’t buy any new weapons systems. All the weapons systems we had were heavy artillery which had been purchased during the previous president’s time. We were fighting with old ammunition stocks till the end of 2007. The new lot that we ordered came only in 2008. The weapons purchased (in ’08) were mostly on credit lines. Actually, the dues will be finally settled by 2020. Most of the credit lines came from China...they were the only people giving credit lines. During the Beijing Olympics, though, they didn’t send ships for four months; then I had to approach Pakistan’s army commander to get some emergency ammunition from his army stocks.

Did you buy ammunition from any other country?

The air force bought MiGs from Ukraine and bombs from Israel.

We must ensure India’s security sentiments are not underestimated. We should be seen as a friend.

What kind of help did you get from New Delhi?

Political and moral support.

Did India help with satellites or intelligence inputs?

Not really, but even (if) they did...I can’t tell you (laughs). We didn’t expect that kind of support from India. India was always against the terrorism here. So, despite the pressure which Tamil Nadu politicians had put on the central government even when general elections were being held in India (May ’09), India didn’t interfere in our operations.

What kind of role did President Rajapaksa play in getting political support from India?

Colombo and New Delhi had a mutual understanding that we won’t launch an attack on the Tamils (the people). Within that framework, I don’t think India had any problems with the military operations. We told India that we were not going to harm the Tamil people but that we wanted to destroy this terrorist organisation (LTTE).

Even if they (India) did, I can’t tell you...we didn’t expect this kind of support. India was always against the terrorism here.

Did Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination change Indo-Lanka relations?

Before 1991, India used to think that the Tamils were being discriminated against in Sri Lanka. After 1991, I think India realised that it was a case of a terrorist movement here.

If elected, what will be the focus of your foreign policy?

The policy of being non-aligned will continue. In the last year or so, our relations with western nations have been strained. They have spoken about allegations of war crimes. We have to ensure that all doubts are cleared. We must clear our name...how to do it is a matter for us to discuss with them. We have to do the right thing. There are international norms and standards by which these things are done.

In the region, we must ensure that India’s security sentiments are not underestimated. We should be seen as a friend. India should know that Sri Lanka will never be a threat to its national security. Of course, our military-to-military relations have been very good. We also have to maintain good relations with the saarc countries.

How will you be looking at China vis-a-vis India?

We have long relations with both China and Pakistan. With China, of course, our relations have been non-strategic— related to development projects.

This executive presidency is doing a lot of damage to the country, a lot of damage to democracy.

You told President Rajapaksa that the Lankan army’s image had been tarnished by Colombo contacting New Delhi for help, fearing a coup by the army. What happened?

I wonder if someone was drunk that night (October 15), telephoning all over the world about this. If I’m the head of state, I can’t be worrying all the time about how I can keep my army (in check)...if the state can’t trust its own army, then it will not be able to do its job.

Why did you fall out with Rajapaksa?

Five days after we won the war, at a meeting of the (president’s) security council, he said he’d stop recruiting new people in the army because it’s too strong and too big, that Sri Lanka would become like Myanmar. Such statements demoralised me. I thought they were disgusting.

What is your opinion on the 13th amendment? Are you in favour of devolution of powers in the north and east?

I will not be able to speak of a solution right away. There will be consultations among the political parties in the opposition fold. I’m for 13-plus because we need to move beyond the Indo-Lanka accord (1987)...the best solution would be the one which is acceptable to all communities.

I wonder if someone was drunk that night (Oct 15), telephoning all over the world about a coup.

What happens to the thousands of detainees who have been kept in prisons since the war ended in May?

Those who were involved in terror activities will have to be dealt with by the laws of the land. Others against whom proof of crimes do not exist but have been taken into custody to be questioned will be set free. Also, 10,000 LTTE combatants who surrendered in the last stages of the war will be rehabilitated.

Have you ever trained in India?

I first went to India in 1973 to attend a commando course in Belgaum, then a jungle warfare programme in 1976 in Mizoram, a battalion support course in 1979 in Mhow (MP) and, finally in 1991, I did the senior command course again in Mhow. I have lots of friends in India. Retired general Satish Nambiar is a good friend.

Do you watch Bollywood movies?

During my initial years in the army (’70s), my friends and I used to watch Amitabh Bachchan’s films. I also liked Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore.

 

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New Tamil group People’s Liberation Army vows to start a fresh war


Marxist group of Tamil militants with connections to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and Cuba is preparing to mount a new insurgency in Sri Lanka six months after the Government declared an end to the 26-year-old war there.The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was founded in eastern Sri Lanka four months ago and has vowed to launch attacks against government and military targets unless its demands for a separate Tamil homeland are met.“This war isn’t over yet,” Commander Kones, head of the PLA’s Eastern District military command, told The Times during a night meeting in a safe house in the east of the country last week.

“There has been no solution for Tamils since the destruction of the LTTE [Tamil Tigers] in May. So we have built and organised the PLA and are ready to act soon. Our aim is a democratic socialist liberation of the northeast for a Tamil Eelam [the desired Tamil state].”


Kones, a nom de guerre, claimed that the PLA had 300 active members and expected to recruit 5,000 volunteers from the 280,000 Tamil civilians recently freed from detention camps.He said that the PLA, commanded by a ten-man committee, was an entirely separate organisation from the LTTE, but said that former LTTE cadres would be able to join the organisation provided that they swore their allegiance to the PLA’s political aims.

“There are former LTTE members in the PLA now,” he said. “But the LTTE was an extremist organisation that fought only for itself rather than the people’s needs.

“It is totally destroyed now and I don’t worry about it. We are socialist ideologues and we are trying to draw different Tamil groups together for a people’s struggle, a people’s war.”

Although the PLA’s capabilities remain unclear, it includes in its ranks several experienced insurgents who fought against the government forces in Sri Lanka in the 1980s before falling foul of the LTTE and either leaving the country or becoming dormant.

Commander Kones, now in his forties, had himself been given guerrilla training at a camp in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1983, where his trainers included fighters from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).“We still have a relationship with the PLO, as well as Cuba and Indian Maoist groups,” he said.“They fight for their rights just as we do.”

During later action against government forces in eastern Sri Lanka he was imprisoned and tortured, before escaping from the country to live in Europe.

The threat of an aspiring new Tamil insurgent group comes at a complicated time for the Sri Lankan authorities.The unified image that accompanied their decisive victory over the Tamil Tigers in May has been eroded. The architect of that victory, General Sarath Fonseka, has become embroiled in a political scrap with the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa as both men vie for a presidential election victory next month.

Their rivalry could split the vote of the Sinhalese majority, offering the swing vote to the country’s Tamil minority, who have yet to declare their political allegiance.

A new round of violence during this period could have a dramatic reversal on efforts to stabilise the country.

“We are much more politically skilled than the LTTE ever were and know how to avoid the ‘terrorist’ label that they acquired,” Kones said.

“Our enemy is simply the Government here, and we fight just for Tamil rights. We are not against the international community,” he said. “Indeed, we want them to support us in pressurising the Sri Lankan Government.”

Kones said that he had no intention of trying to emulate the Tigers’ style of warfare, but suggested a more asymmetric strategy involving attacks by widely dispersed PLA cells. However, he added that his targets would include economic and administrative centres, as well as military forces.

Other PLA insiders said that one of their likely first fights would be with groups of former LTTE cadres led by the infamous Colonel Karuna. Karuna split from the LTTE ranks in 2004 and later joined the Government, but still holds influence in eastern Sri Lanka.

“We are getting stronger by the day, much stronger than any other group,” Kones said. “The day of action is close.”

A few nights after meeting Commander Kones, deep in a rural area, The Times encountered three young PLA recruits waiting for a guide to take them to one of the organisation’s jungle training camps.

Two were 15 years old, one was 16. “The PLA sound very interesting to us,” they said. “They are the only ones now doing something for the Tamil people.”

Theirs was not, however, a pervading sentiment. Shattered by their experiences in the war zones this year, depressed by their subsequent incarceration in detention camps, few Tamils expressed any great enthusiasm for a return to war.

“I’m not interested in Eelam,” Raja Muragaswaran, 31, who was released from a camp last month, said.“I lost everything that I had ever worked for in the name of Eelam. How many died for Eelam, and all for what? We just want peace.”

New Tamil group People’s Liberation Army vows to start a fresh war - Times Online

 

[RAM]

For Tamils, it's a choice between devil and deep sea

New Delhi: With a sizeable population and the tendency to vote en bloc, the Tamils can make or mar political fortunes in Sri Lanka. This truism in mind, politicians from the island nation have been busy wooing India aggressively in the run-up to the presidential polls in late January.After combined opposition nominee Sarath Foneska made a trip to New Delhi and made politically correct statements recently, it's the turn of the Sri Lankan Freedom Party's (SLFP) Mahinda Rajapaksa to send the right message across. A high-power delegation from Colombo will have consultations with New Delhi on Thursday on Tamils. The team includes Rajapaksa's two brothers -- defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and presidential adviser Basil Rajapaksa -- as well as secretary to the president Lalit Weeratunga.

Though part of the regular interaction between the two sides, the emphasis this time is on rehabilitation of Tamils, who are living in refugee camps since the elimination of the top LTTE leadership. The Indian side will be led by national security adviser MK Narayanan, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and defence secretary Pradeep Kumar.

Ironically, for the Tamils the choice is between tweedledum and tweedledee. After the annihilation of the LTTE by the Lankan army and the excesses during the military operation, they have an axe to grind against the island's Sinhala politicians. But, they have to choose between Fonseka and Rajapaksa, both flaunting Sinhala pride while claiming credit for the success against the LTTE. While president Rajapaksa ordered the action against the LTTE, Fonseka was the commander of the forces.The island's Tamil population, though disappointed with New Delhi refusal to bail out the LTTE or bat for the civilians caught in the crossfire during the last days of the military campaign, continues to give weightage to India, basically because of the Tamil Nadu connection. Also, they know that in case of ethnic clashes their only refuge is finally neighbour India.

Just after the war Colombo had promised New Delhi that the 1.95 lakh refugees would be sent home by the end of the year. The process is on and a definite time frame about resettling the refugees is expected to be shared with India.
New Delhi, which had kept a low profile during the military campaign, had been pushing president Rajapaksa to come out with a political settlement of the ethnic problem and give the Tamils living in the northern and eastern provinces some amount of autonomy. He has so far shown no sign of delivering on this issue, saying that he had to have a two-third majority in parliament before announcing the political package. He had also talked of a "Sri Lankan solution" to the ethnic issue. However he never spelt out what this means.


For Tamils, it's a choice between devil and deep sea - dnaindia.com

 

[RAM]

Palk Strait continues to be a problem: Sri Lankan Navy Chief


Sri Lanka Navy Chief T.S.G. Samarasinghe on Thursday said that the understanding between Colombo and New Delhi on handling contentious issues arising from the fisher folk of both sides straying in to each other’s waters has eased the tensions to a great extent.

The original understanding made in October 2008 was reiterated in New Delhi on June 24 in the course of a meeting between the External Affairs Minister and a three member Senior Adviser to the Sri Lankan President, Basil Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka, Gothbaya Rajapaksa and Secretary to the President, Lalith Weertunga.

“I also took this occasion to reiterate the need to strictly adhere to the understanding reached in October 2008 on matters relating to fishing. The Sri Lankan government clarified that it does not contemplate putting up any military structures at Katchchativu,” the External Minister had said after the meeting with the Sri Lankan delegation.

According to the Sri Lanka Navy Commander, there is a mechanism in place to deal on a humanitarian basis on all issues related to fisher folk. “I must put on record that the Indian Coast Guard, Navy and other authorities are fully cooperative in persuading fisher folk not to stray into the Lankan waters,” he told reporters at a news conference to mark the beginning of the 60th year of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN).

Describing the Indo-Lanka naval relationship as ‘brilliant’, the SLN chief also raised concern about the continuing incidents of Indian fishermen illegally fishing in the Palk Strait and the presence of unauthorised Indian trawlers in the region.

“Palk Strait continues to be a problem area and on our part, we are honouring the commitment to provide all the assistance to the Indian fisher folk who stray into our waters inadvertently or advertently. Any Indian fisher person found in our waters is being released without following the normal process of law, once we are satisfied that it is a genuine person,” he said.

He called for a two-way reciprocity and said that fishermen from both sides stray into each other’s maritime boundaries and these situations have to be ‘managed’. On the nature of relations between the two sides, he said that most naval officers have been trained in India and that that every six months, there are interactions with their naval counterparts in India.

In response to questions, the SLN chief maintained that all restrictions on Lanka Tamil fishermen in the North and East of Sri Lanka have been lifted and they could now go fishing at night as well on 25 horse power mechanised boats.

Commander Samarasinghe said that as the Sri Lankan Navy enters into the 60th year, it has ‘silently improved and strengthened itself’ by acquiring sophisticated instruments not only from India, but also other countries. Navy is all set to buy six more Fast Attack Craft in January from Israel, he said.

Replying to the query about the fate of the Sea Tiger leader Soosai’s wife and other family members who were arrested in the last few days of the war with the LTTE while fleeing through the sea route, the Commander said that they were “safe” and that an “appropriate decision at the appropriate time will be taken by the appropriate authority”.

Soosai’ s family members who were attempting to escape disguised as refugees in the wee hours of May 15 in the seas of Mullaithivu were apprehended along with cash amounting to Sri Lanka Rs. 575,000 and jewellery weighing approximately 2 and ½ kg.

The Naval Commander said that after the military victory of the security forces over the LTTE in May this year “no activity by sea tigers have been sighted in the last seven months” in the region.

The Hindu : News / International : Palk Strait continues to be a problem: Sri Lankan Navy Chief

 

[atleast_a_bronze]

YouTube - Sri-Lanka shoots Tamil civilians

Sri Lankan war crimes video is authentic, Times investigation finds

Video footage that appears to show Sri Lankan troops committing war crimes by summarily executing captured Tamil Tiger fighters on the battlefield was not fabricated, as claimed by the Sri Lankan Government, an investigation by The Times has found.

The findings come after General Sarath Fonseka, the former head of the army, alleged that Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Minister, had ordered that surrendering Tiger leaders be killed rather than taken prisoner in the final days of the brutal 26-year civil war that ended in May.

The claims, vehemently denied by the Government, added to a lengthy list of war crimes allegations against it.

The video of the alleged battlefield executions, which was aired on Channel 4 in August, shows a naked man, bound and blindfolded, being made to kneel.

Another man, dressed in what appears to be Sri Lankan army uniform, approaches from behind and shoots him in the head at point-blank range. “It’s like he jumped,” the executor laughs. The camera then pans to show eight similarly bound corpses.

It is impossible to confirm when and where the filming occurred or the identities of the men shown. Pro-Tamil groups alleged that the video was filmed by troops on a mobile phone in January, when they overran the Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi in the north of the country. Those claims were denied by government officials, who said they had “established beyond doubt” that the footage was fake.

An analysis for The Times by Grant Fredericks, an independent forensic video specialist who is also an instructor at the FBI National Academy, suggests otherwise. He found no evidence of digital manipulation, editing or any other special effects. However, subtle details consistent with a real shooting, such as a discharge of gas from the barrel of the weapon used, were visible.

“This level of subtle detail cannot be virtually reproduced. This is clearly an original recording,” said Mr Fredericks, who was previously the head of the Vancouver police forensic video unit in Canada.

There was also strong evidence to rule out the use of actors. “Even if the weapons fired blanks, the barrel is so close to the head of the ‘actors’ that the gas discharge alone leaves the weapon with such force it would likely cause serious injury or death,” Mr Fredericks said.

The reactions of those executed was consistent with reality, he added. “The victims do not lunge forward . . . [they] fall backward in a very realistic reaction, unlike what is normally depicted in the movies.”

In Mr Fredericks’s opinion “the injury to the head of the second victim and the oozing liquid from that injury cannot be reproduced realistically without editing cuts, camera angle changes and special effects. No [errors] exist anywhere in any of the images that support a technical fabrication of the events depicted,” he said.

The Sri Lankan Government said in a statement in September that the footage was “done with a sophisticated video camera, dubbed to give the gunshot effect and transferred to a mobile phone.”

Mr Fredericks’s research showed that code embedded in the footage appeared to match with software used in Nokia mobile phones.” He said: “The recording is completely consistent with a cell phone video recording and there are no signs of editing or alterations.”

The strong evidence that the footage does show real executions could reinforce international calls for an independent war crimes investigation — something that the Sri Lanka Government has resisted. A Sri Lankan army spokesman requested that a copy of Mr Fredericks’s report be sent to him yesterday, but did not reply when it was.

Mr Fonseka, who resigned from the army last month after being sidelined, is campaigning to unseat President Rajapaksa, the Defence Minister’s brother, at elections next month.

SL Army/ those in the political establishment responsible must be tried for war crimes.

 

[IBRIS]

^^^^
Video stirs call for Sri Lanka war crimes probe

AP – Sri Lankan Army soldiers patrol past an election billboard of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa …

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI, Associated Press Writer Bharatha Mallawarachi, Associated Press Writer – Fri Jan 8, 11:20 am ET

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A video purportedly showing troops shooting blindfolded, naked Tamils in the final months of Sri Lanka's civil war has revived calls for a war crimes investigation and cast a shadow over the upcoming presidential elections.

The controversy heated up after a top U.N. human rights investigator said the footage — reportedly shot by a soldier with a mobile phone — appeared to be authentic.

Sri Lankan officials said Friday the video was a fabrication, rejected any war crimes probe and said the U.N. investigator, Philip Alston, was prejudiced against the country.

"We believe his conclusions are highly subjective and biased," Sri Lanka's Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said. "We believe he is on a crusade of his own to force a war-crime inquiry against Sri Lanka."

The revived focus on possible abuses could complicate the island nation's efforts to close the book on its quarter-century civil war with the Tamil Tiger rebels and attract the millions in international aid needed to fund its costly rebuilding plans.

U.N. reports say more than 7,000 civilians were killed in the months leading up to the government's victory over the rebels in May. Human rights groups accused the military of shelling hospitals and heavily populated civilian areas during the fighting, and the rebels of holding the local population as human shields. A U.S. State Department report has accused both sides of possible war crimes.

The government barred journalists and nearly all aid groups from the northern war zone.

In August, the group Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka released video footage that appeared to show soldiers summarily executing unarmed, naked Tamils, including two blindfolded men shot in the head at close range. The group said it was shot by a Sri Lankan soldier in January 2009 using a mobile phone.

On Thursday, Alston, the U.N. Human Rights Council's investigator on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, said reports by three U.S.-based independent forensic experts "strongly suggest that the video is authentic."
Rupert Colville, spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, told reporters in Geneva on Friday that Alston's report added to a series of troubling allegations regarding the conduct of the war.

"We believe a full and impartial investigation is critical if we're to confront all the very big question marks that hang over this war," he said. "Obviously if the Sri Lankan armed forces and the Sri Lankan government has done nothing wrong, it will have nothing to fear from an international investigation."

However, there may not be much international appetite into launching an investigation. The U.N. Human Rights Council last year rejected such calls and instead praised the government for crushing the rebels.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama also rejected the calls for a war crimes probe and accused Alston of timing his comments to interfere with upcoming presidential elections.

The revived allegations could complicate the hard-fought presidential campaign between the main architects of the war: President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his recently retired army chief, Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

Political analyst Jehan Perera said the latest salvo could cause a dilemma for Tamil parties that have pressed for a war crimes probe but also endorsed Fonseka — who led the army in its final battles — in his opposition bid for the presidency.

The rebels fought since 1983 for an independent homeland for minority Tamils after decades of marginalization by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. Between 80,000 and 100,000 people were killed in the war.

Perera said some sort of investigation was crucial to reconciliation in the scarred country, though he preferred a credible national probe to an international one.

"The issue of what happened in the war has to be dealt with. It can't be ignored," he said.

Bradley S. Klapper contributed to this report from Geneva.
Video stirs call for Sri Lanka war crimes probe - Yahoo! News

 

[ppgj]

India, Sri Lanka ink pact for construction of railway line in Northern Province

B. Muralidhar Reddy, January 11, 2010

India and Sri Lanka on Monday signed commercial agreement for the construction of the railway line between Omanthai and Pallai in the war-torn Northern Province.

A press statement by the Indian High Commission said that the pact was signed at the Ministry of Transport in the presence of the Sri Lanka’s Minister of Transport Dullas Alahapperuma and the High Commissioner of India Ashok K. Kantha and on behalf of IRCON International (a Government of India Undertaking which will construct the railway line) by S.L. Gupta and on behalf of Sri Lanka Railways by P.P. Wijesekara.

The agreement is backed by a Government of India line of credit for USD 185 million. It is part of a larger package of assistance directed at the rehabilitation of railway infrastructure in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, for which Government of India has committed a total amount of USD 425 million in lines of credit, it said.

The latest agreement follows similar agreements that have been signed earlier for the rehabilitation of the Southern Railway corridor, which had been extensively damaged in the 2004 tsunami.

Under that agreement, India is assisting in the rehabilitation of the Colombo-Matara rail link through a line of credit of USD 167.4 million. Work on the Colombo-Kalutara sector of this line is already at an advanced stage.

Speaking on the occasion, High Commissioner Kantha noted that the reconstruction of transport-related infrastructure was an essential requirement for the restoration of normal economic life in the Northern Province as it would both generate and support livelihood-related activities.

The High Commissioner said that India remains committed to continuing its assistance to Sri Lanka as it undertakes the important and challenging task of reconstructing the Northern Province.

The Hindu : News / International : India, Sri Lanka ink pact for construction of railway line in Northern Province

 

[Pintu]

AFP: Tense peace reigns as Sri Lanka heads to polls

Tense peace reigns as Sri Lanka heads to polls

By Amal Jayasinghe (AFP) – 5 hours ago

COLOMBO — War-scarred Sri Lanka holds a peace-time presidential election this week after a bitter and highly personal campaign between the architects of the crushing of an almost four-decade-long insurgency.

President Mahinda Rajapakse will face his former army chief Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday in an intriguing contest between two men who were victorious allies on the battlefield last year but are now sworn enemies at the ballot box.

There are no reliable opinion polls in the country and political observers say the election is too close to call. Both camps believe they can claim a majority in the voting by the 14.08-million-strong electorate.

Rajapakse and Fonseka wiped out the Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year, ending their 37-year violent struggle for a Tamil homeland that left between 80,000 and 100,000 people dead, according to UN estimates.

"We are having the first presidential election without the Tigers calling the shots," said moderate Tamil politician, Dharmalingam Sithadthan. "There could be residual Tiger influence, but they no longer pose a threat."

There is tension in Colombo, however, after Fonseka warned Saturday of violence and vote-rigging amid claims from the opposition that the army might stage a coup in support of Rajapakse if the president loses.

In the run-up to the poll, police say at least four people have been killed and hundreds wounded in clashes between the factions. The house of an influential opposition figure was bombed on Friday.

Rajapakse, 64, a nationalist from the majority Sinhalese ethnic group, called Tuesday's vote after only four years of his six-year mandate, in a bid to harness a groundswell of support after the victory over the Tigers.

Fonseka, 59, a political novice whose popularity and influence also rose with the military victory, dashed Rajapakse's hopes of an easy ride back to power by deciding to run as an opposition candidate.

The retired four-star general accuses the president of sidelining him after the war and making false accusations that he was plotting a coup.

Both men remain dogged by allegations of war crimes and whoever eventually triumphs will have to contend with continuing pressure from the United Nations and Western nations to submit to a probe.

The United Nations says 7,000 Tamil civilians may have died in the final months of the fighting, though the government denies this. Independent journalists were not given access to the war zone.

Fonseka has said he is willing to face scrutiny for his role in the war but Rajapakse has vowed he will not allow any of his men to be tried.

In a curious twist, the minority Tamils, on whose behalf the Tigers waged their war of suicide bombings and assassinations, might swing the final result if the two candidates split the Sinhalese vote equally.

"Tamils could decide the next president," said political analyst Victor Ivan of the Ravaya weekly in Colombo.

Rights groups regularly accuse Rajapakse of stifling free speech, perverting the judiciary and encouraging corruption through his network of family members in key government positions.

He was also widely criticised by European countries, the US and the UN for holding 300,000 Tamil civilians in restricted camps until the end of last year.

"People in Sri Lanka are tired of the rule of the gun and long for the rule of law," Amnesty International's Yolanda Foster said.

"People have lost faith in the justice system and there has been a chilling effect on freedom of expression and association in the country."

The tone of the campaign has been bitter and highly personal throughout.

Fonseka called Rajapakse a "cardboard king" in his closing campaign speech on Saturday and his team released a photograph of the president's eldest son Namal with a Tamil rebel leader at a London nightclub.

The ruling party have portrayed Fonseka as a future dictator, with some even comparing him to Idi Amin, the notoriously brutal Ugandan military leader.

"There is no informed debate on any of the pressing issues," said political analyst Ivan. "What we are seeing is a personality clash and a slanging match."

 

[amoy]

If elected, what will be the focus of your foreign policy?

The policy of being non-aligned will continue. In the last year or so, our relations with western nations have been strained. They have spoken about allegations of war crimes. We have to ensure that all doubts are cleared. We must clear our name...how to do it is a matter for us to discuss with them. We have to do the right thing. There are international norms and standards by which these things are done.

In the region, we must ensure that India’s security sentiments are not underestimated. We should be seen as a friend. India should know that Sri Lanka will never be a threat to its national security. Of course, our military-to-military relations have been very good. We also have to maintain good relations with the saarc countries.

this ex-general keeps on saying 'India’s security sentiments are not underestimated'. It seems India is not in good relationship with most neighbors except the protege Bhutan, and occupied Sikkim. Perhaps Fonseka wants to assure and please India he's a friendly candidate to deal with.

How will you be looking at China vis-a-vis India?

We have long relations with both China and Pakistan. With China, of course, our relations have been non-strategic— related to development projects.

This executive presidency is doing a lot of damage to the country, a lot of damage to democracy.

What damage? Associated with China? Curiously he refers to 'damage' when answering such a question.

 

[Agantrope]

It seems India is not in good relationship with most neighbors except the protege Bhutan, and occupied Sikkim.

In which world you are in,even CCP had accepted sikkim as indian territory and which world you are in.

MODS, please remove this if it is irrelevant