Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
News in Brief
Two Muslim protestors were killed and 8 wounded when Police fired at the protestors Thrusday in Kathankuddy town, in Batticaloa district, which continues to be in turmoil for the eighth consecutive day as police open fire and teargas Thursday to control crowds which have set fire to a police sentry post, one CTB bus, four auto rickshaws, four shops and four banks in Kathankudyy town. The orthodox Muslims, engaged in a spate of anger against the controversial Islamic sect, demand the remains of M. S. Abdullah Payilvan, the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, to be removed from Katthankudy soil and buried elsewhere. A police curfew has been imposed in Kathankudy Thursday.
At least 25 houses were set on fire by the mob. A number motorcycles were destroyed.
Branches of Seylan Bank, Hatton National Bank, Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank were also damaged in the clashes between the two Islamic factions and the police attempting to control the angered protestors.
Since Thursday last week the orthodox Muslims are observing a Hartal demanding the removal of Payilvan's remains from the Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds in Kathankudy.
The Jamiyathul Ulama board, Town council, Mosques and Muslim organizations of Kathankudy had jointly submitted a petition to Batticaloa Courts to order the remains of Payilvan removed from Kathankudy.
Batticaloa court Wednesday ordered the removal of Payilvan's remains from the Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds in Kathankudy, the police said.
Nearly five thousand orthodox Muslims demonstrated in protest against the police for not carrying out the Court's verdict, in front of the Kathankudy Regional Council.
The agitation, growing strong, reached Thursday its heights as enraged orthodox Muslims of Kattankudy set ablaze a police sentry post, Hatton National Bank, Seylan Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Peoples bank, two shops and one CTB Bus, four three-wheelers in Kattankudy town, the sources said.
Tyres were burnt on the roads. Buses from Batticaloa to Kalmunai were stopped in front of Kattankudy police station and the buses from Kalmunai and Batticaloa were stopped in front of Araiyampathy Special Task Force of the police.
Though Batticaloa Courts had granted permission to remove the Tharikathul Mufliheen building from Kathankudy, it still remains intact in its original site and is heavily guarded by armed police and army.
Payilvan's grave is guarded by the Special Task Force of the police as Payilvan has donated millions of rupees to the Security Funds of Sri Lanka, orthodox Muslims of Kathankudy alleged.
Appoints a special Magistrate from Colombo to the Batticaloa District Court on Friday finalize the unrest in Kattankudy town. The verdict of court by a Jury ordered to the police demolish the part of a building, a jury which has to decide whether there is enough evidence against the Payilvan for a trial in court. The UC labourers have demolished the part of the building.
At least 25 houses were set on fire by the mob. A number motorcycles were destroyed.
Branches of Seylan Bank, Hatton National Bank, Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank were also damaged in the clashes between the two Islamic factions and the police attempting to control the angered protestors.
Since Thursday last week the orthodox Muslims are observing a Hartal demanding the removal of Payilvan's remains from the Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds in Kathankudy.
The Jamiyathul Ulama board, Town council, Mosques and Muslim organizations of Kathankudy had jointly submitted a petition to Batticaloa Courts to order the remains of Payilvan removed from Kathankudy.
Batticaloa court Wednesday ordered the removal of Payilvan's remains from the Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds in Kathankudy, the police said.
Nearly five thousand orthodox Muslims demonstrated in protest against the police for not carrying out the Court's verdict, in front of the Kathankudy Regional Council.
The agitation, growing strong, reached Thursday its heights as enraged orthodox Muslims of Kattankudy set ablaze a police sentry post, Hatton National Bank, Seylan Bank, Bank of Ceylon, Peoples bank, two shops and one CTB Bus, four three-wheelers in Kattankudy town, the sources said.
Tyres were burnt on the roads. Buses from Batticaloa to Kalmunai were stopped in front of Kattankudy police station and the buses from Kalmunai and Batticaloa were stopped in front of Araiyampathy Special Task Force of the police.
Though Batticaloa Courts had granted permission to remove the Tharikathul Mufliheen building from Kathankudy, it still remains intact in its original site and is heavily guarded by armed police and army.
Payilvan's grave is guarded by the Special Task Force of the police as Payilvan has donated millions of rupees to the Security Funds of Sri Lanka, orthodox Muslims of Kathankudy alleged.
Appoints a special Magistrate from Colombo to the Batticaloa District Court on Friday finalize the unrest in Kattankudy town. The verdict of court by a Jury ordered to the police demolish the part of a building, a jury which has to decide whether there is enough evidence against the Payilvan for a trial in court. The UC labourers have demolished the part of the building.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Payilvan dies, sectarian violence flares up in Kattankudy
Sectarian violence between orthodox (Sunnathwal Jamaath – Quran & Hathees –Prophet way Followers) Muslims against the anti Islamic (Faith) sect, that preaches pantheism, resurfaced in Muslim town of Kattankudy in Batticaloa district Thursday following the death of M. S. Abdullah Payilvan, one of the leaders of controversial Islamic faith sect and the President of All Island Tharikathul Mufliheen, and his burial in Kattankudy. The orthodox Muslims observed a Hartal demanding the removal of the body from the burial grounds. About 25 houses belonging to the followers of Payilvan were set ablaze from Thursday night.
M.S. Abdullah Payilvan, 69, passed away in Colombo Apollo hospital Wednesday at 8:00 pm; his body was brought to Kattankudy in a private helicopter around 2:00 am Thursday and buried at Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds around 4:00 p.m.
Orthodox Muslims, who claim that Kattankudy soil is sacred where no bodies belonging to persons having contradicting views of the preaching of holy Quran should be buried, demand the body of Payilvan, who is also from Maruthamunai, another Muslim village in Amparai district, to be exhumed and buried elsewhere.
Tension prevailed in the town due to the general shut down and Police in large numbers patrolled the area. Sri Lanka Government has given Special Police protection to prominent figures of Mufliheen sector, and the burial ground is guarded by security personnel.
Meanwhile, officials of the Kattankudy Jammiyathul Ulama Council and Federation for Kattankudy Mosques and other Organizations submitted a petition at Batticaloa District Courts Thursday demanding the exhumation of Payilvan's body. The hatred between the two factions has widened in the last few years. Violent clashes between the two factions have grown in intensity and have left many injured, and millions of Rupees worth properties, including houses and vehicles, damaged.
M.S. Abdullah Payilvan, 69, passed away in Colombo Apollo hospital Wednesday at 8:00 pm; his body was brought to Kattankudy in a private helicopter around 2:00 am Thursday and buried at Tharikathul Mufliheen Mosque burial grounds around 4:00 p.m.
Orthodox Muslims, who claim that Kattankudy soil is sacred where no bodies belonging to persons having contradicting views of the preaching of holy Quran should be buried, demand the body of Payilvan, who is also from Maruthamunai, another Muslim village in Amparai district, to be exhumed and buried elsewhere.
Tension prevailed in the town due to the general shut down and Police in large numbers patrolled the area. Sri Lanka Government has given Special Police protection to prominent figures of Mufliheen sector, and the burial ground is guarded by security personnel.
Meanwhile, officials of the Kattankudy Jammiyathul Ulama Council and Federation for Kattankudy Mosques and other Organizations submitted a petition at Batticaloa District Courts Thursday demanding the exhumation of Payilvan's body. The hatred between the two factions has widened in the last few years. Violent clashes between the two factions have grown in intensity and have left many injured, and millions of Rupees worth properties, including houses and vehicles, damaged.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Tamil rebels kill 3 civilians, injure 10 students, 1 teacher: Sri Lanka military
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A barrage of artillery the military said was fired by separatist Tamil Tigers hit a school and other civilian areas in northeast Sri Lanka on Thursday, killing three people and wounding 10 students and a teacher, officials said. Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said Tamil Tigers fired artillery shells into government-held Kallaru _ on the border of Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts in the northeast _ hitting the school and wounding 10 mostly Muslim and Sinhalese students and one teacher.
Hours later, another shell hit the area, killing three civilians, he said, without elaborating.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan denied the Tigers had fired any artillery in the region, where the military has several small bases and both the government and the rebels hold neighboring pockets of territory.
The violence comes as the government reinvoked a strict counter-terrorism law, a move one Tamil lawmaker warned could strip all ethnic Tamils of their human rights.
``From now on there is no point of talking about human rights in Sri Lanka,'' said Nallathamby Sri Kantha, a Tamil member of Parliament.
The government's decision to reinvoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act followed a suspected suicide bombing by Tamil rebels that targeted the defense secretary last week. A renewal in fighting between Tamil Tigers and the government has killed more than 3,500 people this year.
The anti-terrorism law gives state security forces sweeping powers to detain anyone without a warrant for six months, raid any home and even demolish properties considered a threat to national security.
``Even a minor offense can be treated as an act of terrorism,'' Kantha said.
The new regulations prohibit all symbols relating to terrorism, and any contact with terrorist groups. Violators can be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
``These are very vague terms and our fear is that the state security will make use of them to suppress the Tamil voice,'' Kantha said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam _ who say they are fighting on behalf of the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority _ are banned in the United States, Britain, Canada, the EU and India.
The Cabinet decided not to ban the Tigers during a meeting Wednesday after rebel supporters warned it would effectively scupper a peace process already derailed by the spike in violence.
TamilNet, a pro-rebel Web site, criticized the regulations.
``The Cabinet decision, viewed as a major breach of the CFA (cease-fire agreement), gives excessive powers of arrest and detention to the Sri Lankan armed forces,'' the Web site said, referring to a 2002 truce left in tatters by this year's violence.
``Thousands of Tamil men, women and children were indiscriminately arrested, tortured and detained for indefinite periods under the PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) until Colombo agreed to temporarily suspend the application of the act under the provisions of the CFA,'' TamilNet said.
The rebels have fought the government since 1983 to carve out a separate state for ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. More than 65,000 people were killed before the cease-fire.
Hours later, another shell hit the area, killing three civilians, he said, without elaborating.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan denied the Tigers had fired any artillery in the region, where the military has several small bases and both the government and the rebels hold neighboring pockets of territory.
The violence comes as the government reinvoked a strict counter-terrorism law, a move one Tamil lawmaker warned could strip all ethnic Tamils of their human rights.
``From now on there is no point of talking about human rights in Sri Lanka,'' said Nallathamby Sri Kantha, a Tamil member of Parliament.
The government's decision to reinvoke the Prevention of Terrorism Act followed a suspected suicide bombing by Tamil rebels that targeted the defense secretary last week. A renewal in fighting between Tamil Tigers and the government has killed more than 3,500 people this year.
The anti-terrorism law gives state security forces sweeping powers to detain anyone without a warrant for six months, raid any home and even demolish properties considered a threat to national security.
``Even a minor offense can be treated as an act of terrorism,'' Kantha said.
The new regulations prohibit all symbols relating to terrorism, and any contact with terrorist groups. Violators can be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
``These are very vague terms and our fear is that the state security will make use of them to suppress the Tamil voice,'' Kantha said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam _ who say they are fighting on behalf of the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority _ are banned in the United States, Britain, Canada, the EU and India.
The Cabinet decided not to ban the Tigers during a meeting Wednesday after rebel supporters warned it would effectively scupper a peace process already derailed by the spike in violence.
TamilNet, a pro-rebel Web site, criticized the regulations.
``The Cabinet decision, viewed as a major breach of the CFA (cease-fire agreement), gives excessive powers of arrest and detention to the Sri Lankan armed forces,'' the Web site said, referring to a 2002 truce left in tatters by this year's violence.
``Thousands of Tamil men, women and children were indiscriminately arrested, tortured and detained for indefinite periods under the PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) until Colombo agreed to temporarily suspend the application of the act under the provisions of the CFA,'' TamilNet said.
The rebels have fought the government since 1983 to carve out a separate state for ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. More than 65,000 people were killed before the cease-fire.
No progress on resumption of peace talks after Norwegian envoy's visit to Tamil Tigers
Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A Norwegian peace envoy met Friday with Tamil Tiger rebel leaders to discuss ways to resuscitate the island's moribund peace process, but no progress was made, a rebel official said.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived in Sri Lanka - last week, has already met with government officials and discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks between the government and Tigers. He arrived in the rebels' northern stronghold of Kilinochchi on Friday.
``We clearly stated our positions on various issues,'' rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan told The Associated Press. ``The only positive outcome was that there was a talk.''
The rebels continued to demand a permanent reopening of a vital transportation route that connects the Tamil-dominated northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland before peace negotiations resume.
The A-9 highway was closed by the military in August after the Tigers attacked a military checkpoint and killed several soldiers. The military has said the move was necessary to stop rebels from transporting weapons and fighters into government-held areas.
However, nearly 500,000 Tamil civilians have been cut off from vital supplies since the highway's closure.
Last month, the government said it was ready to reopen the highway for a one-time supply run, but the rebels balked at the offer, calling it politically motivated.
``There is no change in our stand that the government must immediately reopen A-9 highway permanently,'' Ilanthirayan said.
Sri Lankan officials could not be reached for comment late Friday.
The Tiger rebels have been fighting for more than 20 years for a separate homeland for the island nation's 3.1 million-strong ethnic Tamil minority, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but the rebels want sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
A sharp spike in violence this year has killed at least 3,500 fighters and civilians, leaving a 2002 cease-fire in tatters and the country in an undeclared civil war.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived in Sri Lanka - last week, has already met with government officials and discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks between the government and Tigers. He arrived in the rebels' northern stronghold of Kilinochchi on Friday.
``We clearly stated our positions on various issues,'' rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan told The Associated Press. ``The only positive outcome was that there was a talk.''
The rebels continued to demand a permanent reopening of a vital transportation route that connects the Tamil-dominated northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland before peace negotiations resume.
The A-9 highway was closed by the military in August after the Tigers attacked a military checkpoint and killed several soldiers. The military has said the move was necessary to stop rebels from transporting weapons and fighters into government-held areas.
However, nearly 500,000 Tamil civilians have been cut off from vital supplies since the highway's closure.
Last month, the government said it was ready to reopen the highway for a one-time supply run, but the rebels balked at the offer, calling it politically motivated.
``There is no change in our stand that the government must immediately reopen A-9 highway permanently,'' Ilanthirayan said.
Sri Lankan officials could not be reached for comment late Friday.
The Tiger rebels have been fighting for more than 20 years for a separate homeland for the island nation's 3.1 million-strong ethnic Tamil minority, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but the rebels want sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
A sharp spike in violence this year has killed at least 3,500 fighters and civilians, leaving a 2002 cease-fire in tatters and the country in an undeclared civil war.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Sri Lanka defense secretary escapes suicide attack; three dead, 14 wounded
Breaking News .....
Associated Press, Fri December 1, 2006 06:41 EST COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of vehicles carrying Sri Lanka's defence secretary and other security officials in the capital Friday, killing himself, two soldiers and wounding 14 others, the military said.
Soon after the blast, police and other security men opened fire. The body of an unidentified man lay at the scene with gunshot wounds. A car caught fire as a result of the blast, an AP photographer at the scene said.
The government blamed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack which appeared to target the island's defence secretary, who is also the president's brother, and who escaped unhurt.
"Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse escaped unharmed when an LTTE suicide killer, targeted the convoy of vehicles in which he was travelling," a government statement said, using the acronym for the rebels' official name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said the bomber triggered the explosives as the five-car convoy of vehicles was passing. Samarasinghe confirmed that Rajapakse, who is the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, was in one of the cars.
"He is safe, no harm has come to him," Samarasinghe said. Minutes after the blast, the government released photographs of the president hugging his brother, who in another photo showed photographers the blood spatters on his white shirt.
Military said two soldiers died while nine others and five civilians were hospitalized with varying degree of injuries.
The suicide bomber apparently approached on a motorized rickshaw from the opposite direction and targeted the convoy, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jayantha Wickremeratne.
Rajapakse, a retired military colonel, was in a bulletproof car, which was flanked by two motorcycle escorts.
At the blast site, a popular thoroughfare, there was the stench of human flesh and blood was splattered over the area, suggesting some of the wounded may have been badly hurt.
Meanwhile, the United States condemned Friday's blast, which it said bore "all the hallmarks" of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
"We once again call on the LTTE to renounce terrorism, to give up violence and to join in negotiating a peaceful solution to Sri Lankas conflict," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
Colombo has been under tight security for several months over fears of possible attacks by the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.
Separately, a roadside bomb blast killed two police in northern Jaffna peninsula, an official at the Media Centre for National Security said.
President Rajapakse appointed his brother to the post after coming to power last year.
Secretary Rajapakse provided the Sri Lankan army with new weapons to help their fight against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Suicide bombings are a hallmark of the Tamil Tiger rebels, who say they are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
The Tigers have been fighting for over 20 years, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but the rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
The latest round of peace talks held in Switzerland in October failed to make any progress in resolving the issue and relations between the two sides have since deteriorated.
A sharp spike in violence this year has killed at least 3,500 fighters and civilians, imperiled a 2002 ceasefire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered ceasefire "defunct," but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Associated Press, Fri December 1, 2006 06:41 EST COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A suicide bomber targeted a convoy of vehicles carrying Sri Lanka's defence secretary and other security officials in the capital Friday, killing himself, two soldiers and wounding 14 others, the military said.
Soon after the blast, police and other security men opened fire. The body of an unidentified man lay at the scene with gunshot wounds. A car caught fire as a result of the blast, an AP photographer at the scene said.
The government blamed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels for the attack which appeared to target the island's defence secretary, who is also the president's brother, and who escaped unhurt.
"Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse escaped unharmed when an LTTE suicide killer, targeted the convoy of vehicles in which he was travelling," a government statement said, using the acronym for the rebels' official name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said the bomber triggered the explosives as the five-car convoy of vehicles was passing. Samarasinghe confirmed that Rajapakse, who is the younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, was in one of the cars.
"He is safe, no harm has come to him," Samarasinghe said. Minutes after the blast, the government released photographs of the president hugging his brother, who in another photo showed photographers the blood spatters on his white shirt.
Military said two soldiers died while nine others and five civilians were hospitalized with varying degree of injuries.
The suicide bomber apparently approached on a motorized rickshaw from the opposite direction and targeted the convoy, said Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jayantha Wickremeratne.
Rajapakse, a retired military colonel, was in a bulletproof car, which was flanked by two motorcycle escorts.
At the blast site, a popular thoroughfare, there was the stench of human flesh and blood was splattered over the area, suggesting some of the wounded may have been badly hurt.
Meanwhile, the United States condemned Friday's blast, which it said bore "all the hallmarks" of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
"We once again call on the LTTE to renounce terrorism, to give up violence and to join in negotiating a peaceful solution to Sri Lankas conflict," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
Colombo has been under tight security for several months over fears of possible attacks by the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.
Separately, a roadside bomb blast killed two police in northern Jaffna peninsula, an official at the Media Centre for National Security said.
President Rajapakse appointed his brother to the post after coming to power last year.
Secretary Rajapakse provided the Sri Lankan army with new weapons to help their fight against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Suicide bombings are a hallmark of the Tamil Tiger rebels, who say they are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
The Tigers have been fighting for over 20 years, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but the rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
The latest round of peace talks held in Switzerland in October failed to make any progress in resolving the issue and relations between the two sides have since deteriorated.
A sharp spike in violence this year has killed at least 3,500 fighters and civilians, imperiled a 2002 ceasefire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered ceasefire "defunct," but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Sri Lanka on brim of full-scale civil war
With the independence call of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger leader and high-profile assassination attempt on a key governmental security official, the island country is on the brim of resuming full-scale civil war.
Velupillai Prabakaran, the leader of the rebel LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) said Monday that it will resume its struggle for independence for Sri Lanka's 2.5 million Tamil minority abandoning six years of negotiations to end the conflict.
In his annual Heros Day speech, Prabakaran said "the uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam (separate Tamil homeland)."
Commenting on the February 2002 ceasefire backed by the Norwegian facilitators, the Tiger leader said it has now become defunct as the new government "hopes to decide the fate of the Tamil nation using its military power."
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has played down the rebel leader's independence call, saying that his government will not in any way deviate from a negotiated political settlement for permanent peace in the country.
"For me, the LTTE and Prabakaran and the whole Tamil people in Sri Lanka are different. Their views are different. We always believe that we stand for the rights of all, whether Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims," Rajapaksa said.
The president said that he has always urged the LTTE leader to come to the negotiating table and discuss with him directly without the participation of outsiders.
The United States, which is one of four co-chairs of Sri Lanka's peace process, has urged the LTTE to go back to talks.
Robert Blake, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, was quoted by a local newspaper as saying that the United States would take a strong stand against any LTTE bid to go for a separate state.
"We believe that the government and the LTTE should sit down and discuss a peaceful solution through sharing of power," Blake said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also told President Rajapaksa that India supports Sri Lanka's territorial unity and a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian special peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer has come to Sri Lanka for a fresh bid to bring the two warring parties to the negotiating table.
The Norwegian effort beginning in 2000 saw the LTTE and the government meeting face to face eight times for negotiations since 2002 when the two parties signed the current ceasefire agreement.
Even as Norway's peace effort is going on, suspected LTTE members on Friday made an assassination attempt on Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defense ministry secretary of the island country and the younger brother of President Rajapakse.
Gotabhaya was unhurt but two persons were killed, eight soldiers and five civilians were injured and the vehicle of the defense secretary was badly damaged, said the Department of Government Information in a statement.
In condemning "this dastardly attack," the government said it is "totally committed to peace," but "would not hesitate to take appropriate action to safeguard the people and the sovereignty of the state."
An article carried Wednesday in the official newspaper Daily News even proposed a "total war" against the LTTE in response to the rebel leader's independence call.
Over 60,000 were killed in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict between the 1980s and 2002 when the Norwegians brokered a ceasefire.
Violence between the two parties has been escalating from December 2005 with more than 3,500 people being killed in the island country.
President Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka's major political parties would make a collective decision on a solution to the ethnic conflict probably by December end.
It is not immediately known whether the LTTE will accept the proposed solution and what will be the government's reaction if the solution is refused by the LTTE.
Velupillai Prabakaran, the leader of the rebel LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) said Monday that it will resume its struggle for independence for Sri Lanka's 2.5 million Tamil minority abandoning six years of negotiations to end the conflict.
In his annual Heros Day speech, Prabakaran said "the uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam (separate Tamil homeland)."
Commenting on the February 2002 ceasefire backed by the Norwegian facilitators, the Tiger leader said it has now become defunct as the new government "hopes to decide the fate of the Tamil nation using its military power."
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has played down the rebel leader's independence call, saying that his government will not in any way deviate from a negotiated political settlement for permanent peace in the country.
"For me, the LTTE and Prabakaran and the whole Tamil people in Sri Lanka are different. Their views are different. We always believe that we stand for the rights of all, whether Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims," Rajapaksa said.
The president said that he has always urged the LTTE leader to come to the negotiating table and discuss with him directly without the participation of outsiders.
The United States, which is one of four co-chairs of Sri Lanka's peace process, has urged the LTTE to go back to talks.
Robert Blake, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, was quoted by a local newspaper as saying that the United States would take a strong stand against any LTTE bid to go for a separate state.
"We believe that the government and the LTTE should sit down and discuss a peaceful solution through sharing of power," Blake said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also told President Rajapaksa that India supports Sri Lanka's territorial unity and a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian special peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer has come to Sri Lanka for a fresh bid to bring the two warring parties to the negotiating table.
The Norwegian effort beginning in 2000 saw the LTTE and the government meeting face to face eight times for negotiations since 2002 when the two parties signed the current ceasefire agreement.
Even as Norway's peace effort is going on, suspected LTTE members on Friday made an assassination attempt on Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the defense ministry secretary of the island country and the younger brother of President Rajapakse.
Gotabhaya was unhurt but two persons were killed, eight soldiers and five civilians were injured and the vehicle of the defense secretary was badly damaged, said the Department of Government Information in a statement.
In condemning "this dastardly attack," the government said it is "totally committed to peace," but "would not hesitate to take appropriate action to safeguard the people and the sovereignty of the state."
An article carried Wednesday in the official newspaper Daily News even proposed a "total war" against the LTTE in response to the rebel leader's independence call.
Over 60,000 were killed in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict between the 1980s and 2002 when the Norwegians brokered a ceasefire.
Violence between the two parties has been escalating from December 2005 with more than 3,500 people being killed in the island country.
President Rajapaksa said Sri Lanka's major political parties would make a collective decision on a solution to the ethnic conflict probably by December end.
It is not immediately known whether the LTTE will accept the proposed solution and what will be the government's reaction if the solution is refused by the LTTE.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Norwegian peace envoy arrives, scheduled to meet government, Tamil leaders
Associated Press, Thu November 30, 2006 00:30 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A Norwegian peace envoy arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for talks with government and rebel officials that would include the island's moribund peace process, a spokesman for the Norwegian embassy said.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer ``is here on a routine visit,'' embassy spokesman, Erik Nurnberg, said. ``Naturally, he will be discussing all the issues.''
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Hanssen-Bauer would travel to the rebels' northern stronghold early next week, Nurnberg said.
Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Separately, the Sri Lankan military said Thursday they seized two explosive-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said, blaming Tamil Tiger rebels for hiding the explosives.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes, according to government figures.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer ``is here on a routine visit,'' embassy spokesman, Erik Nurnberg, said. ``Naturally, he will be discussing all the issues.''
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Hanssen-Bauer would travel to the rebels' northern stronghold early next week, Nurnberg said.
Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Separately, the Sri Lankan military said Thursday they seized two explosive-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said, blaming Tamil Tiger rebels for hiding the explosives.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes, according to government figures.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Norwegian peace envoy begins talks with Sri Lankan officials on moribund peace process
Associated Press, Thu November 30, 2006 07:56 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ A Norwegian peace envoy on Thursday began talks with Sri Lankan government representatives on ways to save the island's moribund peace process with Tamil Tiger guerrillas, an official said.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived earlier Thursday, met with the government's chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva, a close aide of the Sri Lankan official said.
He said de Silva discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks with the rebels.
A round of talks held in Switzerland late last month failed when the rebels insisted that a key highway linking the Tamil-majority Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened, a request the government flatly rejected.
Jaffna residents face acute shortages of food and medicine because of the road's closure since August because of heavy fighting.
The rebels want the road reopened immediately to send essentials, while the government says it can send the goods by sea or through an alternate land route. The government maintains the rebels could use the highway to transport fighters and weapons and extort money from motorists.
Some 500,000 people are trapped in the Jaffna peninsula while another 36,000 people are isolated in Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district, because access roads are closed.
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Tamil Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Ilanthirayan, meanwhile, accused Sri Lanka's navy of attacking a unit from the rebels' sea wing off the northwest coast, wounding one fighter. ``We retaliated to the navy attack causing damages to their boats,'' he said.
The navy, however, denied the attack occurred, and claimed the Tigers shot dead a local fishermen at sea and wounded another.
``They fled the scene when navy boats approached and no gunbattle took place,'' said a navy official on condition of anonymity, as he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
Also on Thursday, army seized two explosives-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and airstrikes, according to government figures. The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Jon Hanssen-Bauer, who arrived earlier Thursday, met with the government's chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva, a close aide of the Sri Lankan official said.
He said de Silva discussed ways to restart the stalled peace talks with the rebels.
A round of talks held in Switzerland late last month failed when the rebels insisted that a key highway linking the Tamil-majority Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened, a request the government flatly rejected.
Jaffna residents face acute shortages of food and medicine because of the road's closure since August because of heavy fighting.
The rebels want the road reopened immediately to send essentials, while the government says it can send the goods by sea or through an alternate land route. The government maintains the rebels could use the highway to transport fighters and weapons and extort money from motorists.
Some 500,000 people are trapped in the Jaffna peninsula while another 36,000 people are isolated in Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district, because access roads are closed.
Hanssen-Bauer's visit comes amid escalating violence between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam that has imperiled a 2002 cease-fire and threatened to return the country to all-out war.
The Tiger's top leader earlier this week called the Oslo-brokered cease-fire ``defunct,'' but the rebels later clarified they would abide by the truce.
Tamil Tiger spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan, said Hanssen-Bauer was scheduled to meet with the rebel leadership on Dec. 4 and that political wing chief, Suppiah Thamilselvan, would explain the rebels' aims.
Ilanthirayan, meanwhile, accused Sri Lanka's navy of attacking a unit from the rebels' sea wing off the northwest coast, wounding one fighter. ``We retaliated to the navy attack causing damages to their boats,'' he said.
The navy, however, denied the attack occurred, and claimed the Tigers shot dead a local fishermen at sea and wounded another.
``They fled the scene when navy boats approached and no gunbattle took place,'' said a navy official on condition of anonymity, as he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.
Also on Thursday, army seized two explosives-laden jackets from an abandoned house in northern Jaffna peninsula.
Spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said besides the jackets, the military also found two rocket propelled grenades and two T-56 automatic weapons and ammunition during the search late Wednesday.
``We got a tip-off and found the explosives which were to be used against us,'' Samarasinghe said.
Suicide attacks are the hallmark of the rebels, who are fighting the Sri Lankan government to create a separate homeland for the country's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority.
Sri Lanka's open civil war stopped after the 2002 truce, but since a spike in violence this year the agreement now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in assassinations, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and airstrikes, according to government figures. The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Norway denies giving television to Sri Lankan rebel leader
Associated Press, Wed November 29, 2006 05:52 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Peace-broker Norway on Wednesday denied a report that it gave a six-foot (1.8 meter) television to Sri Lanka's reclusive rebel leader, who is said to like watching Hollywood movies and copy methods for attacks and assassinations.
A statement from Norway's Foreign Ministry called the allegations carried by state-run Daily News ``misconceptions and lies.''
The paper on Monday carried an interview of a breakaway Tamil Tiger leader named Karuna, who alleged that Norway's Aid Minister Erik Solheim had given the television to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Karuna, a one-time confidante of the top guerrilla leader, said Prabhakaran liked watching movies. Karuna told the interviewer that Solheim had given ``a six-foot (1.8 meter) TV screen to Prabhakaran to watch films.''
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry emphatically denied the claim.
``The ministry would again like underline that it is surprised to see that such blatant lies are being printed by the Daily News. Mr. Solheim has certainly not bought a television for Mr. Prabhakaran,'' the statement said.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also denied Karuna's claim that Solheim gave the rebel group money.
Solheim was instrumental in arranging a cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in 2002 aimed at ending a two-decade civil war that had killed 65,000 people.
The guerrillas split in 2004 when Karuna broke away with some 6,000 fighters.
A statement from Norway's Foreign Ministry called the allegations carried by state-run Daily News ``misconceptions and lies.''
The paper on Monday carried an interview of a breakaway Tamil Tiger leader named Karuna, who alleged that Norway's Aid Minister Erik Solheim had given the television to rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Karuna, a one-time confidante of the top guerrilla leader, said Prabhakaran liked watching movies. Karuna told the interviewer that Solheim had given ``a six-foot (1.8 meter) TV screen to Prabhakaran to watch films.''
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry emphatically denied the claim.
``The ministry would again like underline that it is surprised to see that such blatant lies are being printed by the Daily News. Mr. Solheim has certainly not bought a television for Mr. Prabhakaran,'' the statement said.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry also denied Karuna's claim that Solheim gave the rebel group money.
Solheim was instrumental in arranging a cease-fire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in 2002 aimed at ending a two-decade civil war that had killed 65,000 people.
The guerrillas split in 2004 when Karuna broke away with some 6,000 fighters.
Tamil Tigers not withdrawing from cease-fire; Sri Lanka calls for peace talks
Associated Press, Wed November 29, 2006 00:57 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have not quit a truce despite calling it ``defunct,'' European cease-fire monitors said Wednesday, as the government called for renewed peace talks.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said the Tigers assured truce officials they would not withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire during a meeting in the rebel stronghold in Kilinochchi on Tuesday.
The truce ended two decades of civil war, but now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in unsolved killings, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes this year, according to government figures.
Monitoring officials were told top rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran called the cease-fire defunct ``mainly due to violations of the truce by the government, especially the closure of the A-9 highway,'' said Omarsson.
The A-9 highway _ closed by the military in August _ connects the northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland. The rebels have refused to continue negotiations until the government reopens it.
Prabhakaran also said Monday that the rebels were recommencing their freedom struggle.
A Sri Lankan official said Wednesday the government is ready for peace talks.
``We hope they (rebels) return to the negotiating table as we believe this can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,'' said Palitha Kohona, the chief of the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, which is directly involved in the peace process.
Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, an envoy of peace broker Erik Solheim, was scheduled to arrive in the Sri Lankan capital late Wednesday, said Kohona.
He will meet with government officials and is likely to visit the rebel leadership in the north.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, 85 vehicles carrying food and medicine reached rebel-held Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district to help nearly 36,000 ethnic Tamils trapped by fighting, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.
But he accused the rebels of using the time of the transport _ when government forces held their fire _ to building bunkers. ``The Tigers, taking advantage of the situation, resorted to construct and improve the defenses,'' Samarasinghe said.
On Tuesday, a convoy of 115 aid vehicles was turned back amid heavy shelling, which government and insurgents blamed each other for.
The rebels are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million minority ethnic Tamils, saying they can prosper only away from the domination of the Sinhalese majority. Previous peace talks that started after the truce have failed to resolve the issue.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, said the Tigers assured truce officials they would not withdraw from the 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire during a meeting in the rebel stronghold in Kilinochchi on Tuesday.
The truce ended two decades of civil war, but now only exists on paper, with more than 3,500 fighters and civilians killed in unsolved killings, mine blasts, suicide attacks, artillery exchanges, sea battles and air strikes this year, according to government figures.
Monitoring officials were told top rebel leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran called the cease-fire defunct ``mainly due to violations of the truce by the government, especially the closure of the A-9 highway,'' said Omarsson.
The A-9 highway _ closed by the military in August _ connects the northern Jaffna peninsula with the mainland. The rebels have refused to continue negotiations until the government reopens it.
Prabhakaran also said Monday that the rebels were recommencing their freedom struggle.
A Sri Lankan official said Wednesday the government is ready for peace talks.
``We hope they (rebels) return to the negotiating table as we believe this can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations,'' said Palitha Kohona, the chief of the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, which is directly involved in the peace process.
Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer, an envoy of peace broker Erik Solheim, was scheduled to arrive in the Sri Lankan capital late Wednesday, said Kohona.
He will meet with government officials and is likely to visit the rebel leadership in the north.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, 85 vehicles carrying food and medicine reached rebel-held Vaharai village in eastern Batticaloa district to help nearly 36,000 ethnic Tamils trapped by fighting, military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.
But he accused the rebels of using the time of the transport _ when government forces held their fire _ to building bunkers. ``The Tigers, taking advantage of the situation, resorted to construct and improve the defenses,'' Samarasinghe said.
On Tuesday, a convoy of 115 aid vehicles was turned back amid heavy shelling, which government and insurgents blamed each other for.
The rebels are fighting to create a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million minority ethnic Tamils, saying they can prosper only away from the domination of the Sinhalese majority. Previous peace talks that started after the truce have failed to resolve the issue.
The government says it is willing to give autonomy to areas where Tamils are in the majority, but rebels insist on sweeping changes that the government says will infringe on the country's sovereignty.
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