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JM puts Muslim devolution rights in grave jeopardy – Rauff Hakeem
Although the Government touts the Joint Mechanism as a mere operational arrangement to distribute Tsunami aid, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem told the media today that the "Manner in which the document was finalised had very serious implications in the context of substantive devolution arrangements in a future resumption of peace talks.

Speaking at Party headquarters Dar-us-Salaam in Colombo,Mr.Hakeem said there were implicational clauses in the JM which "cause very serious concern to our future when these implications are considered seriously."

He drove home the point repeatedly that these were the very aspects he sought to secure safeguards against in the formulation stage of the JM and in its implementation stage.". But with Parliament being adjourned, even then we were not able to place on record our position vis—a-vis the JM.

We very categorically insisted that the Muslim community can not be overlooked being a principal party in determining what should be in the document. This has been consistently denied to the Muslim community despite our demands and requests to the government, facilitators, and our complaints to the donor community. Now we find that the way in which the document has been finalised, it has serious implication for the future peace process as well for the Muslim community, he added.

He said the SLMC will immediately launch an awareness campaign among the Muslim people, the affected people in the areas and thereafter decide what its response would be.

Right now I must say the party is of the position that extending our cooperation to this mechanism would be quite difficult given the present composition of the document. Therefore, there may have to be some opportunity for us to raise these issues with the parties concerned, the government and the LTTE. When I met with the President, I did emphasise to her that unless we are able to see in black and white what the document contains.

"We find that some details which have been revealed to us have serious implication for the future of the Muslim community in the peace process. Therefore, we are exercising maximum restraint in taking a total rejection stance because, it also involves the rebuilding of infrastructure and the damaged private properties of the affected people, we would give due consideration to all of that," Mr.Hakeem said, adding that however, "in the mean time we can not compromise the community's basic rights to be consulted, to be involved in the process.

And that has been denied to us and that major blow will also have serious repercussions for the co-existence among communities and therefore as a responsible party we will start our awareness campaigns since the details are only now made available to us, and this has been hatched in total secrecy for so long.

We have been asking our colleagues, who for a variety of reasons had gone and joined the government, to re-unite with us and bring substantial pressure so that at least we would be able to prevent this happening in this manner.

Once again I must reiterate that we are not in league with some of the parties which are totally rejecting any arrangement with the LTTE. We feel that we should have some kind of a mechanism, but this is not the way to go about it, and therefore, I must say that we can not cooperate with this arrangement as it is, that's our position, and we want to make it very clear.

"What we are trying to say here is that by basic denial of our rights to participate in this document as a party, we have not been able to make our input into it and now we find the implications of some of these provisions are going to visit us in a future peace process as well. Therefore, if we did participate without any protest about these matters, without reserving our rights to or without getting the parties who have already signed it to acknowledge that these matters are not going to be taken as a given" it would be a gross abuse of our peoples trust in us.

Forces not consulted on JM

Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo, SLT 7.45 A.M Monday 27 June 2005. Members of the Security Forces expressed anger and displeasure that the government did not consult them before signing the joint mechanism with the LTTE. Senior officers say that there was no professional input from the forces and they are surprised by what the government has done. One officer said "The international community and the LTTE have taken it by force. They attacked our people, killed them violated the CFA and now they have got what they wanted."

Another officer said even the CFA had many gaps and the security forces were never consulted on it even then. He said "The politicians have put us into an embarrassing situation. Even the Trinco harbour area could be now controlled by the LTTE in Killinochchi. The LTTE could use most places along the 2 km coastal area as landing places and the LTTE would make demands saying that they have a legal right after the document was signed." He also wanted to know what the government would do then.

Navy officers say that many Navy camps are covered and come under the joint mechanism agreement. They accuse the government for not consulting the Navy, custodian of the Sri Lankan seas. "The LTTE could control from the South of Yang Oya now and they could do whatever they want. There could be many repercussions due to this. We are in serious doubt. What happens if they come and open a so called Tsunami relief camp 10 yards from a Navy camp? What do we do then? Questioned the officers.

Several Security Forces members said they have decided to ignore the charges levelled by President Kumaratunga that security forces were corrupt. "They are baseless. She is also a politician. We know what most politicians are up to. Don't we', said A war veteran

Ferial under pressure, Hisbullah quits

Chairman Airport Authority M. L. A. M. Hisbullah resigned from his post yesterday (Sunday) protesting against the joint mechanism signed between the government and the LTTE. Hisbullah, who is also the Deputy Chairman of the National Unity Alliance (NUA), gave his leader, minister Ferial Ashroff, forty eight (48) hours to quit the government. Hisbullah told Ashroff that he would also quit from NUA if she would not leave the government.

Hisbullah says by signing the joint mechanism, Kumaratunga has betrayed the Muslims, who were most affected by the tsunami. He was also a former deputy minister for Telecommunications and a close confidante of Minister Mangala Samaraweera. SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem welcomed the resignation and the stand taken by Hisbullah. He said " Even though its late he has taken a courageous stand. we hope others also would follow him"

Ashroff is coming under tremendous pressure to quit the government by her people. Several Muslim organizations have called for a Hartal in the Ampara district today to protest against the joint mechanism. They have asked that the shops and other institutions be closed today.

JVP protestors who tried to storm Parliament yesterday morning disperse after police fired tear gas.

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JM puts Muslim devolution rights in grave jeopardy – Rauff Hakeem

Although the Government touts the Joint Mechanism as a mere operational arrangement to distribute Tsunami aid, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem told the media today that the "Manner in which the document was finalised had very serious implications in the context of substantive devolution arrangements in a future resumption of peace talks.

Speaking at Party headquarters Dar-us-Salaam in Colombo,Mr.Hakeem said there were implicational clauses in the JM which "cause very serious concern to our future when these implications are considered seriously."

He drove home the point repeatedly that these were the very aspects he sought to secure safeguards against in the formulation stage of the JM and in its implementation stage.". But with Parliament being adjourned, even then we were not able to place on record our position vis—a-vis the JM.

We very categorically insisted that the Muslim community can not be overlooked being a principal party in determining what should be in the document. This has been consistently denied to the Muslim community despite our demands and requests to the government, facilitators, and our complaints to the donor community. Now we find that the way in which the document has been finalised, it has serious implication for the future peace process as well for the Muslim community, he added.

He said the SLMC will immediately launch an awareness campaign among the Muslim people, the affected people in the areas and thereafter decide what its response would be.

Right now I must say the party is of the position that extending our cooperation to this mechanism would be quite difficult given the present composition of the document. Therefore, there may have to be some opportunity for us to raise these issues with the parties concerned, the government and the LTTE. When I met with the President, I did emphasise to her that unless we are able to see in black and white what the document contains.

"We find that some details which have been revealed to us have serious implication for the future of the Muslim community in the peace process. Therefore, we are exercising maximum restraint in taking a total rejection stance because, it also involves the rebuilding of infrastructure and the damaged private properties of the affected people, we would give due consideration to all of that," Mr.Hakeem said, adding that however, "in the mean time we can not compromise the community's basic rights to be consulted, to be involved in the process.

And that has been denied to us and that major blow will also have serious repercussions for the co-existence among communities and therefore as a responsible party we will start our awareness campaigns since the details are only now made available to us, and this has been hatched in total secrecy for so long.

We have been asking our colleagues, who for a variety of reasons had gone and joined the government, to re-unite with us and bring substantial pressure so that at least we would be able to prevent this happening in this manner.

Once again I must reiterate that we are not in league with some of the parties which are totally rejecting any arrangement with the LTTE. We feel that we should have some kind of a mechanism, but this is not the way to go about it, and therefore, I must say that we can not cooperate with this arrangement as it is, that's our position, and we want to make it very clear.

"What we are trying to say here is that by basic denial of our rights to participate in this document as a party, we have not been able to make our input into it and now we find the implications of some of these provisions are going to visit us in a future peace process as well. Therefore, if we did participate without any protest about these matters, without reserving our rights to or without getting the parties who have already signed it to acknowledge that these matters are not going to be taken as a given" it would be a gross abuse of our peoples trust in us.

Sri Lanka's main Muslim party rejects deal to share tsunami aid

Sri Lanka's main Muslim party said Saturday it will boycott a deal signed between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to share international tsunami aid because it doesn't include Muslims as equal partners.

``They are looking at us as bystanders and this is not acceptable. We cannot participate in it,'' Rauff Hakeem of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress told a news conference, a day after the deal was signed.

The Dec. 26 tsunami hit the eastern coast where most Muslims live. Hakeem said his party will appeal for an amendment to the deal to include Muslims, the country's second-largest minority after the Tamils.

Sri Lanka's economically powerful Muslims comprise 1.3 million of the island's 19 million people, and like the Tamils, they want autonomy in areas where they are the majority. Hakeem's party has six seats in the 225-member Parliament.

Hakeem said the tsunami aid sharing deal may set a precedent and reduce Muslim chances for autonomy when a final deal is agreed upon between the rebels and the government to end the country's civil war.

The Tiger rebels generally don't trust the Muslims, because they see them as siding with the government.

During the two decades of war, the rebels carried out systematic killings of Muslims, including an August 1990 massacre of 130 people at two mosques on the same day. The rebels have driven out tens of thousands of Muslims from the northern Jaffna Peninsula, and many continue to live in camps.

The aid-sharing deal has already been rejected by the Marxists and the powerful Buddhist monks.

The pact paves the way for the government and rebels to share US$3 billion (euro2.4 billion) in foreign tsunami aid, ensuring that the Tamil-dominated north and east - parts of which are under rebel control - get a fair share of funds.

Critics say the deal raises the rebels' legitimacy in the international community, boosting their separatist agenda and undermining the country's sovereignty. The Marxists pulled their lawmakers out of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's ruling coalition over the issue, reducing her formerly majority coalition to a minority in Parliament. The government could collapse if other parties side with the Marxists in a no-confidence vote.

A 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire halted the two-decade civil war between the Tigers and the government that left nearly 65,000 people dead. Subsequent peace talks have been deadlocked over rebel demands for wide autonomy.

The waves killed more than 31,000 people in Sri Lanka and made 1 million homeless.

Yesterday�s panorama of Mihintale lit up by ANCL.

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Tigers Invite Muslim Leadership For Talks….slate CBK.

LTTE Political Wing leader S.Thamilchelvan has told Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesssen today that the Muslim leadership must have talks with the LTTE towards considering their grievances and possibly accommodating them in the Joint Memorandum.

Thamilchelvan charged today that President Kumaratunga's "proclamations alone were not sufficient to alleviate the sufferings of the Tsunami hit people in the North-East province."

A spokesman for the LTTE in Kilinochchi said Thamilchelvan came down hard on Kumaratunga saying " the people had already reached the very extremes of suffering and tolerance. Furthermore, he said, the people have been waiting for over 20 years of the war to get back to normalcy.

Helgesen is reported to have told Thamilchelvan that the government wanted a few more assurances before aid began flowing from the $3.5 billion foreign aid for Tsunami reconstruction .

What was essential today was to salvage the peace process, he said adding that this was being threatened seriously by cease-fire violations, for the CFA is the key to the entire peace process and if that is hijacked by scheming elements, then there is no useful purpose in the Joint Mechanism or any mechanism for that matter." Tamilselvan said.

He expressed disgust over the armed groups sponsored by the SL Military intelligence units and urged that the case of post-war resettlement, rehabilitation, reconstruction, resettlement and development must not be placed on the back burner.He urged the facilitators to interact with the government to bring about an attitudinal change in Colombo.

Sixty representatives from civilian organizations presented a memorandum to the Norwegian Ambassador expressing Tamil concern over the developing trend in the south. The memorandum recalled " many deceptions heaped on the Tamil people during the past and the growing race hatred and religious fanaticism that is posing a serious threat to communal harmony, in the south.

Tigers Invite Muslim Leadership For Talks….slate CBK.

LTTE Political Wing leader S.Thamilchelvan has told Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesssen today that the Muslim leadership must have talks with the LTTE towards considering their grievances and possibly accommodating them in the Joint Memorandum.

Thamilchelvan charged today that President Kumaratunga's "proclamations alone were not sufficient to alleviate the sufferings of the Tsunami hit people in the North-East province."

A spokesman for the LTTE in Kilinochchi said Thamilchelvan came down hard on Kumaratunga saying " the people had already reached the very extremes of suffering and tolerance. Furthermore, he said, the people have been waiting for over 20 years of the war to get back to normalcy. Helgesen is reported to have told Thamilchelvan that the government wanted a few more assurances before aid began flowing from the $3.5 billion foreign aid for Tsunami reconstruction .

What was essential today was to salvage the peace process, he said adding that this was being threatened seriously by cease-fire violations, for the CFA is the key to the entire peace process and if that is hijacked by scheming elements, then there is no useful purpose in the Joint Mechanism or any mechanism for that matter." Tamilselvan said.

He expressed disgust over the armed groups which he claimed are being sponsored by the SL Military intelligence units and urged that the case of post-war resettlement, rehabilitation, reconstruction, resettlement and development must not be placed on the back burner.He urged the facilitators to interact with the government to bring about an attitudinal change in Colombo.

Ferial will not Quit Government.

The National Unity Alliance lead by Ferial Ashroff will not leave the government even if Muslim aspirations are not included in Tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation structure. NUA leader Ferial Ashroff said "why should we leave the government ? There won't be any JM signed without the inclusion of Muslim aspirations".

Cegu Izzadeen of the National Unity Alliance told the web site Lankamuslims that they do not seek to withdraw their support from the government as they were confident that the President will do justice to the Muslim minority.

He also added that the President stated she was convinced that the Muslims must be a equal signatory in the Joint Mechanism in talks with Muslim MP's.

However, the President had said she would pass this request to the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam through the Norwegian officials.The Norwegian delegation however returned after talks with the LTTE in Kilinochchi empty handed. Thamilchelvan had told Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen that the Muslim leadership should initiate talks with the LTTE to sort out Muslim rights in the JM.

Mr.Izzadeen, the Deputy Minister of Media and Information said he was confident that the LTTE wwould respect the request of the Muslim minority.

Meanwhile, Cegu Izzadeen said that the NUA ministers will not quit the government even if the muslim aspirations are not included in the P-TOM.

"The government and the president are doing the best to accommodate the Muslim representation and if a problem arises, it will only be because of the LTTE so we see no relevance in quitting the government" he added.

However, LTTE sources claimed that the Norwegian officials who visited the LTTE delegation did not bring any decisive message from the government. More...

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"Better late than Never," Muslim Peace Secretariat tells Norway

Munza Mushtaq in Colombo, June 21, 2005, 8.34 p.m.. Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen today termed the possible non inclusion of the Muslim aspirations in the proposed Post Tsunami Operations Management Structure (P-TOMS) as an 'irreparable damage'.

During a meeting with Muslim peace Secretariat Officials today at the Norwegian Embassy, the Norwegian Facilitator had however claimed that it was now too late to amend the P-TOMS deal to accommodate the community's needs. But had noted the Muslim community was represented at both the Apex level and Regional level. However the Muslim Peace Secretariat officials had insisted upon the need for the Facilitators to impress upon to the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government to include the Muslim Community's needs in the P-TOMS more commonly known to as the 'Joint Mechanism'. But Helgesen had claimed that 'its too late', to which the MPS officials had responded as 'better late than never'.

Sri Lankan Muslim leader expresses opposition to govt, Tiger joint deal

The minority Muslim community are to oppose the proposed joint deal between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers, the leader of the main Muslim party said Tuesday.

Rauff Hakeem, the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC)told reporters after a meeting with the visiting Norwegian deputy foreign minister Vidar Helgesen that he was planning to meet with President Chandrika Kumaratunga on the issue

Hakeem said he was disappointed with the Norwegian peace facilitator's failure to have the Muslim community as a signatory to the joint mechanism with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels.

Hakeem said Helgesen had told him that the final draft of the mechanism had been finalized and it was not possible to amend it now.

The government and the LTTE would be the only two signatories to the mechanism which has presented Kumaratunga with severe political repercussions.

The SLMC leader said that the Muslim representatives had earlier been assured that adequate accommodation of Muslim concerns would be made in implementing the mechanism and that Muslims would be given the status of a signatory.

He said he would be having talks with the rest of the Muslim representatives to discuss a common stand against the latest turn of events on the mechanism.

The main partner in the Kumaratunga's ruling alliance, the JVP or the People's Liberation Front had already walked out of the government reducing it to a parliamentary minority.

The Sri Lankan president, however, is determined to go ahead inimplementing it in order to ensure equitable distribution of tsunami relief assistance to Tamil regions in the north and east controlled by the Tigers. Enditem

Today is Fathers� Day. Poets and writers often eloquently describe the mother�s love for the child, but a father�s love is also equally limitless. Parents will surmount all obstacles to bring up their children, as evidenced by this father and mother feeding their child at a camp for the tsunami displaced in Panadura. This father, mother and infant are among the lucky families who survived the cataclysm. Despite the adversity, they are determined to secure a bright future for their child.

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Donors support President, LTTE effort to implement P-TOMS

Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group said they support President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, her Government and the LTTE's, commitment to rapidly implement the structure to administer tsunami assistance in the North-East. The Co-chairs in a statement also called on the LTTE to stop assassinations, including of individuals such as Tamil informants, members of other Tamil groups and political parties and government and military officials, and to stop the recruitment and the use of child soldiers.

The Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group, met in Washington DC on June 13. The statement: "The Co-chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Group met on June 13 to discuss the current situation in Sri Lanka and consider the way forward."

Peace process and Ceasefire Agreement We note with utmost concern that while full-scale hostilities have not resumed, respect for the Ceasefire Agreement has been undermined by persistent violence, including assassinations of individuals affiliated with both parties. The resulting climate of impunity violates the spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement.

The Co-chairs urge the parties to take all necessary steps to end violence and enforce all provisions of the Ceasefire Agreement in areas under their control. The Co-chairs call on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to stop assassinations, including of individuals such as Tamil informants, members of other Tamil groups and political parties and government and military officials, and to stop the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

The Co-chairs likewise call on the Sri Lankan Government to take decisive action to ensure that killings are stopped and paramilitaries are disarmed immediately as required in the Ceasefire Agreement.

We recognise that most Sri Lankans understand that the only path to a better future is through negotiations aimed at peaceful settlement. The Co-chairs continue to call on the Government and the LTTE to bring about substantial and concrete progress in the peace process.

The Co-chairs commend the untiring efforts of Norway to facilitate a peaceful resolution to this conflict, and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in carrying out the monitoring of the Ceasefire Agreement.

Tsunami reconstruction

The Co-chairs support the commitment by the President, her Government and the LTTE to rapidly implement the structure to administer tsunami assistance in the North and East. The Co-chairs recognise the importance of the Muslim community in the functioning of this structure.

We believe such a structure will facilitate effectiveness and equity in tsunami assistance, and can help build confidence between the two sides. We urge the immediate signing of the agreement in order to ensure proper flow of reconstruction aid to tsunami victims in the North and East.

The Co-chairs call on all donors, private and public, to tailor their reconstruction activities in the North and East to the specific humanitarian situation, particularly the need to observe a balance between the victims of the conflict and those of the tsunami."

UNP Calls for Presidential election

While the United National Party says it is not interested in forming a government by capitalizing on a crisis situation faced by President Kumaratunga, it's, calling for a Presidential election by the end of this year. The UNP is of the view that the Presidential election should be held by the end of this year, while the government and the President had gone on record saying she can stay in power till the end of next year. The UNP will begin its pressure campaign with the Jana Bala Meheyuma next month to exert pressure on the President and the government. Party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe has already begun his election campaign. The SLFP and the JVP are yet to announce its candidates.

Some sections of the UNP are calling for the President to resign immediately without leading the country into oblivion. UNP MP, Mano Wijeratne said "She must resign immediately because she is not decisive as a leader. Look at leaders like JRJ and Ranil Wickremasinghe. They took decisions at the right time for the sake of the country however, hard it was for them. She just cannot make her mind up. If she cannot do it she must hand it over to a person who can do it, hold Presidential elections and let the people decide". Wijeratne said that one must look at the state of the economy to see how decisive Chandrika was. "Look at the cost of living. She has not made any decision on the Petroleum Corporation, Electricity Board and whole lot of other issues. Leader should be able to make decisions added Wijeratne. The UNP also urged Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse to break his silence and come out openly and explain to the country his stance on the proposed joint mechanism. Rajapakse, who has a reputation as a grass root leader, is yet to explain his position and has on several occasions said that he is not fully aware of the mechanism.

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JVP accused of 'psychological terrorism’

President Kumaratunga with JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe

Kumaratunga says JVP ministers are blocking 'progressive' cabinet papers

Sri Lanka’s president has accused her coalition partner of running a psychological warfare against her government.

Making a scathing attack on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday said the JVP is sabotaging every attempt in the Cabinet of ministers to introduce “progressive” cabinet papers.

In an hour-long live phone-in interview with Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), the president has accused the four JVP ministers in the cabinet of running a “psychological terrorism”.

Kumaratunga told the chairman of the SLBC Hudson Samarasinghe that the JVP is on a mission to spread false information that the proposed mechanism to share relief aid with Tamil tigers would threaten Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Joint Mechanism

She admitted the country’s economy facing a crisis “due to JVP’s activites”. JVP ministers are blocking all cabinet papers of other ministers while getting approval for their own “pet projects”.

Peoples Bank for example, is on the verge of collapse due to unpaid Rs. 95 billion by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Kumaratunga said.

The inflation rate, which is at 18.5 percent at the moment, could be reduced to 10 percent if the JVP allows restructuring of “failing” government institutions, according to the president.

The JVP on Friday threatened to leave the government unless Kumaratunga withdraw her plans to sign the proposed joint mechanism (JM) between the government and the Tamil Tigers for tsunami reconstruction before 15 June.

However, in an apparent attempt to mobilise support for the JM, she met parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) later on Sunday.

The president said she would meet opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe this week.

Tsunami survivors protest in southern Sri Lanka demanding compensation for destroyed homes

Hundreds of tsunami survivors protested in southern Sri Lanka Sunday alleging the government has still not compensated them for homes lost to December catastrophe.

The demonstrators in Pareliya village carrying black flags blocked traffic on the main road linking capital Colombo with the southern town of Galle.

Protesters turned violent and stoned a bus when police tried to disperse the crowd. They said police attacked protesting women with rifle butts. No one was injured.

Later the villagers sat blocking aroad and demanded that a senior minister visit and assure them of a quick resolution to the problem.

``We have lived in this area with much respect but we have lost everything now and we are not receiving any assistance from the government,'' protester Premalal Dhanawardena said by telephone.

Peraliya, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Colombo was where a train was swept by massive waves on Dec. 26, killing 2,000 passengers and villagers who tried to escape by crawling on top of the train.

Dhanawardena said the government promised 250,000 rupees (US$2,500; euro2,061) for every destroyed home but has not paid.

More than 31,000 Sri Lankan were killed and about 1 million lost their homes in the disaster.

News Today

The LTTE is unlikely to accept India's condition that it should accept other Tamil parties as members of the proposed Joint Mechanism for post-tsunami reconstruction in the North Eastern Province (NEP), according to an informed Tamil source in the north. "The LTTE guards its status as the sole representative of the Tamils zealously. The only Tamil party it will accommodate in the mechanism is its proxy in parliament, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)," the source said. "By insisting on the inclusion of other Tamil parties, India has in effect scuttled the Joint Mechanism proposal," the source added. The source was reacting to a report in the NDTV on Friday in which India's National Security Advisor, MK Narayanan, said that India had agreed to the Joint Mechanism proposal on the condition that other Tamil parties, and not just the LTTE, were also included. "We have agreed to the proposal as long as it is not with the LTTE alone, but with other Tamil parties too," Narayanan told the TV network in New Delhi after the end of the talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the visiting Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Kumaratunga had sought India's support for her bid to establish a Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) for reconstruction work in the Tamil-speaking North Eastern Province (NEP). The proposal mooted first by Norway, and then accepted by the LTTE, envisaged the participation of the Sri Lankan government, the LTTE or its nominees, and representatives of the Sinhala and Muslim minorities. But the proposal ran into a severe storm in the Sinhala-dominated South Sri Lanka, where key political parties said that it would give legitimacy to the LTTE, make it the sole representative of the Tamils and the also give it access and control of reconstruction in areas of the NEP over which it has no control now. A key coalition partner, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JHU) threatened to walk out of government and bring it down. The Buddhist monk's party, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), threatened to make it a hot social-political-religious issue which could inflame Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist passions. On the other hand, the international community led by the US, the donor countries who had pledged US$ 3 billion for post tsunami reconstruction, and Bill Clinton, UN's special envoy on tsunami relief, strongly backed the proposal for a Joint Mechanism as proposed by Norway and accepted by the LTTE. This put President Kumaratunga on the horns of a dilemma. On the one hand, there was the domestic political threat, endangering her government and the chances of her party in the 2006 Presidential elections. On the other hand, there was the possible alienation of the international community and a cut in the much needed development assistance, a cut which might affect reconstruction work in the tsunami-hit parts of South Sri Lankan also. Kumaratunga then rushed to New Delhi to consult the regional power, India, and apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of her efforts to establish the Joint Mechanism which she called P-TOMS. According to the Joint Communique, Singh "expressed understanding of and support for these ongoing efforts." India's conditional support But clearly, India had more things to say than this, as Narayanan's statement to NDTV reveals. India's support is tied to the inclusion of other Tamil parties and not just the LTTE or its proxies. "Although the only other Tamil party in the Sri Lankan parliament from the North East is the EPDP (Eelam Peoples'' Democratic Party), and the EPDP has only one seat, the LTTE will not accept the EPDP on the mechanism. The LTTE and the EPDP are sworn enemies," the northern source quoted above said. Now that a top Indian official has said that the LTTE cannot be taken as the sole representative of the Tamils, the JVP and JHU will take up the tune, and will be chanting it, forcing the President to accept the Indian formulation. But if she does accept it, the LTTE opts out of the process! Plan to get parliament backing for JM To fight the opposition from the JVP and the JHU and draw the main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP) out of its shell, President Kumararunga is reported to be thinking of presenting the Joint Mechanism proposal to the Sri Lankan parliament. If parliament passes the proposal (with a simple majority with the support of the UNP), she could go ahead and establish the Joint Mechanism legitimately. The JVP and JHU may lose face as a result. She would get a simple majority even if the UNP abstains. But if the UNP abstains, the victory will be considered a politically illegitimate one, as only a minority of MPs will have been present and voting. But a victory, however got, will certainly alienate of the JVP and will adversely affect her party's chances in the 2006 Presidential elections or any election for that matter. Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) cannot win national elections without JVP's support.

Ericsson Gets GSM Deal With Mobitel In Sri Lanka

STOCKHOLM -(Dow Jones)- Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Telefon AB LM Ericsson (ERICY) Tuesday said it has been selected by Mobitel as the exclusive vendor to expand Mobitel's telecommunications network in Sri Lanka.

Ericsson said it will supply both core and radio access network equipment, including Global System for Mobile communications, General Packet Radio Service, Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution equipment, as well as turnkey network design, deployment and integration services.

The agreement complements the another contract that was previously awarded to Ericsson, leading to Mobitel's launch of mobile services in 2002, for both consumer and corporate market segments.

The current contract together with the existing will enable Mobitel to more than double its network capacity and offer the latest and advanced features and services to its end users, thereby strengthening Mobitel's leadership in Sri Lanka.

Edited Press Release

STOCKHOLM -(Dow Jones)- Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Telefon AB LM Ericsson (ERICY) Tuesday said it has been selected by Mobitel as the exclusive vendor to expand Mobitel's telecommunications network in Sri Lanka.

Ericsson said it will supply both core and radio access network equipment, including Global System for Mobile communications, General Packet Radio Service, Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution equipment, as well as turnkey network design, deployment and integration services.

The agreement complements another contract that was previously awarded to Ericsson, leading to Mobitel's launch of mobile services in 2002 for both consumer and corporate market segments.

The current contract together with the existing one will enable Mobitel to more than double its network capacity and offer the latest advanced features and services to its end users, thereby strengthening Mobitel's leadership in Sri Lanka.

Members of Bangladesh Soldiers of Islam, the children wing of Youth Jamiyat, hold the Quran during an anti-U.S. protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, June 3, 2005. The group was demonstrating against the alleged desecration of the Quran by U.S. soldiers in Guantanamo Bay


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U.S. Confirms Gitmo Soldier Kicked Quran

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon on Friday released new details about mishandling of the Quran at the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects, confirming that a soldier deliberately kicked the Muslim holy book and that an interrogator stepped on a Quran and was later fired for "a pattern of unacceptable behavior." In other confirmed incidents, a guard's urine came through an air vent and splashed on a detainee and his Quran; water balloons thrown by prison guards caused an unspecified number of Qurans to get wet; and in a confirmed but ambiguous case, a two-word obscenity was written in English on the inside cover of a Quran. The findings, released after normal business hours Friday evening, are among the results of an investigation last month by Brig. Gen. Jay Hood, the commander of the detention center in Cuba, that was triggered by a Newsweek magazine report — later retracted — that a U.S. soldier had flushed one Guantanamo Bay detainee's Quran down a toilet.

The story stirred worldwide controversy and the Bush administration blamed it for deadly demonstrations in Afghanistan. Hood said in a written statement released Friday evening, along with the new details, that his investigation "revealed a consistent, documented policy of respectful handling of the Quran dating back almost 2 1/2 years." A spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Lawrence Di Rita, did not address the confirmed incidents of mishandling the Muslim holy book. Reached while traveling with Rumsfeld in Asia, Di Rita said that U.S. Southern Command policy calls for "serious, respectful and appropriate" handling of the Quran. "The Hood inquiry would appear to affirm that policy," Di Rita said. Hood said that of nine mishandling cases that were studied in detail by reviewing thousands of pages of written records, five were confirmed to have happened. He could not determine conclusively whether the four others took place. In one of those four unconfirmed cases, a detainee in April 2003 complained to FBI and other interrogators that guards "constantly defile the Quran." The detainee alleged that in one instance a female military guard threw a Quran into a bag of wet towels to anger another detainee, and he also alleged that another guard said the Quran belonged in the toilet and that guards were ordered to do these things. Hood said he found no other record of this detainee mentioning any Quran mishandling. The detainee has since been released. In the most recent confirmed case, Hood said a detainee complained on March 25, 2005, of urine splashing on him and his Quran. An unidentified guard admitted at the time that "he was at fault," the Hood report said, although it did not say whether the act was deliberate. The guard's supervisor reprimanded him and assigned him to gate guard duty, where he had no contact with detainees for the remainder of his assignment at Guantanamo Bay.

As described in the Hood report, the guard had left his observation post and went outside to urinate. He urinated near an air vent and the wind blew his urine through the vent into the cell block. The incident was not further explained. In another of the confirmed cases, a contract interrogator stepped on a detainee's Quran in July 2003 and then apologized. "The interrogator was later terminated for a pattern of unacceptable behavior, an inability to follow direct guidance and poor leadership," the Hood report said. Hood also said his investigation found 15 cases of detainees mishandling their own Qurans. "These included using a Quran as a pillow, ripping pages out of the Quran, attempting to flush a Quran down the toilet and urinating on the Quran," Hood's report said. It offered no possible explanation for those alleged abuses. In the most recent of those 15 cases, a detainee on Feb. 18, 2005, allegedly ripped up his Quran and handed it to a guard, stating that he had given up on being a Muslim. Several of the guards witnessed this, Hood reported. Last week, Hood disclosed that he had confirmed five cases of mishandling of the Quran, but he refused to provide details. Allegations of Quran desecration at Guantanamo Bay have led to anti-American passions in many Muslim nations, although Pentagon officials have insisted that the problems were relatively minor and that U.S. commanders have gone to great lengths to enable detainees to practice their religion in captivity.

Hood said last week that he found no credible evidence that a Quran was ever flushed down a toilet. He said a prisoner who was reported to have complained to an FBI agent in 2002 that a military guard threw a Quran in the toilet has since told Hood's investigators that he never witnessed any form of Quran desecration. Other prisoners who were returned to their home countries after serving time at Guantanamo Bay as terror suspects have alleged Quran desecration by U.S. guards, and some have said a Quran was placed in a toilet. There are about 540 detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Some have been there more than three years without being charged with a crime. Most were captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan in 2001 and 2002 and were sent to Guantanamo Bay in hope of extracting useful intelligence about the al-Qaida terrorist network. Both President Bush and Rumsfeld have denounced an Amnesty International report that called the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay "the gulag of our time."

The president told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday that the report by the human-rights group was "absurd." On Wednesday, Rumsfeld called the characterization "reprehensible" and said the U.S. military had taken care to ensure that detainees were free to practice their religion. However, he also acknowledged that some detainees had been mistreated, even "grievously" at times.

Austrians to build 2000 houses for Lanka's Tsunami victims

Austrian organisations working in Sri Lanka will build around 2000 houses at a cost of approximately Rs. 600 million for tsunami victims who lost homes. Those organisations and the Austrian public have already donated 50 million Euro to Sri Lanka for the welfare of tsunami victims, Consul for Austria Senaka D. Amerasinghe said.

Addressing the media at the Colombo Plaza yesterday, Amerasinghe said Austria is very happy about the way Sri Lankans handled the reconstruction of railway tracks destroyed by the tsunami. Two hundred houses in the Galle district have already been constructed and handed over to victims. Construction of more houses are being carried out by Austrian organisations, he added.

Amerasinghe said the Vice Chancellor of the Austrian Government will visit Sri Lanka next week.

Sri Lanka's Coordinator of Institute for Integrative Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding, Christopher Temt said rebuilding tsunami affected villages is not just reconstructing houses but is building peace. This is Austria's contribution for a peaceful Sri Lanka.

Site Project Manager, Waagner - Biro Brueckenbau AG, Colombo Office, Ernie Jimenez said three villages: 250 houses and a hospital in Nintavur, 200 houses in Vattavan and 100 houses in Samuduragama will be constructed. The number of houses expected to be built in the North-East is around 550 and the number of houses expected to built in the South is 450.

Several other representatives from different Austrian organisations also spoke. According to them, they maintain close contacts with the inhabitants of the houses while building them.

A group from the Austrian Army visited Sri Lanka and assisted in debris clearing soon after the tsunami.

Water purification plants, 21 buses and six pick up trucks (from Austrian Federal Railway) are among the six donations received from Austrian organisations.

The Austrian Organisations (Red Cross) also assisted community service in Ratnapura. Seva Lanka and Sarvodaya are among the local organisations which worked with the Austrian organisations.

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India, Sri Lanka express concern over cease-fire violations by Tamil Tiger rebels Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday won India's crucial backing for an aid deal with Tamil Tiger rebels, but both sides expressed concern over cease-fire violations and the alleged acquisition of aircraft by the militants.

After meetings with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other officials, Kumaratunga thanked India for the prompt help after the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami, and briefed them on developments in the peace process with the rebels as well as work done in the tsunami-affected areas.

New Delhi announced a grant of 1 billion rupees (US$22 million; euro18 million) for Colombo's tsunami reconstruction efforts and a three-year moratorium on debt payments, according to an Indian foreign ministry statement.

One of the main purposes of Kumaratunga's visit was to get India's support for her efforts to establish a Post Tsunami Operational Management Structure, an aid coalition involving the rebels. The alliance would for the first time make the rebels a partner in distributing foreign aid, something that has been slammed by Kumaratunga's main coalition partner.

``The Prime Minister expressed understanding of and support for these ongoing efforts,'' the statement said.

On Friday, Kumaratunga also met Sonia Gandhi, head of the Congress party that leads India's ruling coalition. Gandhi's husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber in 1991.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and the breakdown in peace talks in 2003.

``In their discussions on the peace process, concern was expressed over cease-fire violations. Particular concern was expressed over the illegal acquisition of air capability,'' the joint statement said.

Sri Lankan media reports say the rebels have acquired two aircraft, but the Tigers have only admitted to having an airstrip in the rebel stronghold of Mullaitivu.

The statement added that India and Sri Lanka ``emphasized the need for the early resumption of negotiations in the peace process that will lead to a durable political solution that maintains the unity and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.''

India and Sri Lanka have close cultural links. India's southern state of Tamil Nadu is home to 56 million ethnic Tamils, who have traditional links with Sri Lanka's minority of 3.2 million Tamils.

India was among the first countries to help Sri Lanka tackle the damage caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami which killed 31,000 people and affected 1 million others in the island nation. But residents in Tamil-majority areas controlled by the Tigers have complained that aid has been slow to reach them.

Singh ``reiterated that India remains committed to assist Sri Lanka's remarkable efforts to recover from the tragedy of the tsunami,'' the statement said.

Kumaratunga returns home Saturday.

Eds: Associated Press Writer Shimali Senanayake in Colombo, Sri Lanka contributed to this report.

Tamil-majority northeast shuts down, demanding withdrawal of Sri Lankan troops

Grenade attacks wounded at least eight people in northeastern Sri Lanka on Friday, as schools and businesses closed to demand the withdrawal of government troops from a restive city after clashes between ethnic Tamils and Sinhalese, officials and residents said.

About 2,000 extra military personnel and police were deployed in the eastern port town of Trincomalee following the last month's ethnic violence over the construction of a Buddha statue in the heart of the multi-religious town.

Trincomalee has been volatile, with many residents demanding that the security forces leave.

Six people were slightly wounded when unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade into a vegetable market near Trincomalee, about 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, said police officer Neville Wijesinghe.

Separately, two suspected Tamil Tiger rebels threw a grenade at air force troops at a security checkpoint in Trincomalee, said military spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake.

The grenade didn't explode, but the two men were shot when the air force personnel fired in self-defense, and both were hospitalized, Ratnayake said.

Also Friday, suspected Tamil Tigers hurled another grenade at an army vehicle in the same region but it exploded prematurely and caused no damage, the spokesman said.

Area residents wanted the extra security forces out.

``We only want these additional troops withdrawn as promised. They are blocking normal life,'' said lawmaker Kanagalingam Sivajilingam of the Tamil National Alliance, a political party backed by the Tamil Tigers.

Sri Lanka's government had promised to withdraw the extra security forces immediately in return for the postponement of a strike by Tamils, Sivajilingam said. There was no immediate comment from the government.

About 70 percent of Sri Lanka's 19 million people are Sinhalese Buddhists. Minority Tamils are mostly Hindu.

However, Trincomalee _ where Sri Lanka's navy has a base _ has roughly equal numbers of Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims.

Tamils opposed the construction of the Buddha statue in the city, and held a five-day protest strike in Trincomalee last month. Violence broke out and a grenade, thrown by an unidentified attacker, left one person dead.

The Tamil Tiger rebels began an armed insurrection in 1983, demanding a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka's northeast. More than 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before a 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire was signed. Peace talks have been suspended since 2003 due to disagreements over power-sharing.

Tamils have longed claimed to have suffered from discrimination by the Sinhalese.

News in brief

Fire destroys 20 line rooms
TWENTY line rooms were destroyed in a fire which broke out in New Peacock Estate N.P. division in the Pussellawa Police area on Wednesday night.
An electrical short circuit is believed to have caused the fire, said Inspector T.S. Meedin, OIC Pussellawa Police station.
Nearly 100 persons belonging to 20 families were occupying the line rooms but there were no casualties among them. Pussellawa Police is investigating.

Fathima needs help
FATHIMA Rikasha, three and a half-year-old daughter of A. S. Gafoor, a resident of 64/4, St. Joseph's Street, Grandpass, Colombo 14 is suffering from Leukaemia and has been treated at the Meenakshi Hospital, Madurai, India. She needs to undergo further treatment at the same hospital. Dr. V. W. Rajasekaran has recommended further treatment to save the child's life and the cost is estimated at Rs. 200,000. The child's parents have requested public donations for this purpose saying they are unable to bear the total cost. Those wishing to help could remit their contributions to Account No. 046-040661-7 S/A at the Hatton national Bank, Grandpass Branch, Colombo 14.

She needs help
WALGAMPALAGE Julanji Dithmi Perera, two years and eight months, has a cavity in the heart which has to be treated immediately. The heart surgery to cure her is estimated to cost Rs. 235,000, according to a medical report certified by Dr. Aruna Kapuruge, Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon of Sri Jayewardenapura General Hospital, Nugegoda.
The child's parents are unable to meet this expenditure. Financial contributions to meet the medical expenses can be remitted to the child's mother D. Mallika, C/o W. Aloysius Wickremasinghe Perera, No. 3/F/2, Jayatilaka Watta, Melegama, Wadduwa.

Best Tamil Journalist of the year
Wisu Karunanidhi of the Thinakaran has won the award for best journalist of the year (Tamil) in the journalism award for excellence 2004 organised by Editors Guild of Sri Lanka.
Karunanidhi from Ratnapura and old boy of Ratnapura St. Luke's and Ratnapura Tamil Maha Vidyalaya is also interested in radio play writing, poem and short story writing.
A recipient of Diploma in Journalism from the Colombo University Karunanidhi underwent a training program at The Hindu Newspaper at Chennai last year which was organise by the High Commission of India.

News Today

TNA to lead a hartal in the East today

The Tamil National Alliance is to lead a hartal in the eastern province tomorrow. TNA sources said they would lead the hartal today led by some of their parliamentarians from the eastern province. However, TNA leader R. Sambandan will be in Colombo today.

International donors cancel aid meeting with Tamil Tigers after top military officer slain
International donors have called off a key meeting with Tamil Tiger rebels to protest the assassination of a senior military officer, officials said Thursday.
Chief representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, U.N. Development Program and the International Monetary Fund in Colombo, were to fly Friday to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi to meet with the head of the Tigers' political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan.
The meeting has been put off indefinitely as the murder this week of Maj. Nizam Muthalif made it inappropriate to hold the talks, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
Muthalif was killed by gunmen as he sat in his car in Colombo. The government suspects rebels in the attack.
Residents in Tamil-majority areas controlled by the Tigers have complained that international aid has been slow to reach them since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26 killed more than 31,000 people in the country and affected 1 million others.
International donors, who pledged nearly US$3 billion (euro2.37 billion) to Sri Lanka, have been reluctant to give any funds directly to the guerrillas, who are listed as terrorists by the United States, Britain and India.
But the talks Friday were to discuss a proposed deal between the government and the rebels that will make them partners in distributing aid to the Tamil-dominated north and east.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and a breakdown in peace talks in 2003.
Muthalif was the highest ranking intelligence officer to be killed in the 20-year-civil war. His body was riddled with bullets and he died before doctors could operate on him.

News Today

Tigers Snarl At Muslim Business

The LTTE today prevented two Muslim Businessmen entering un-cleared areas at Poonagar, army sources said. Though the LTTE prevents Muslims from entering LTTE controlled areas, businessmen from LTTE areas are allowed to enter Muslim villages for trade and other visits.
Meanwhile, two LTTE cadres assaulted and injured a Muslim fisherman last week while the victim was on his way to Gennai beach area in Muttur. The victim, K Lareef was on his way for fishing with three others when he was obstructed by LTTE cadres who demanded them to vacate the area.

We Will Never Agree to the Joint Mechanism - JVP

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna stated today that they will never agree to the proposed joint mechanism between the LTTE and the government. The JVP is reported to have submitted proposals to President Kumaratunga on how to provide assistance to everyone affected by the Tsunami, covering 659 Grama Sevaka divisions. According to the JVP there is room for all democratic representatives in their proposals. JVP also stated that "The challenge before us is not to use the tsunami to give power to separatist terrorists and give them recognition but, for all democratic forces to unite, How could we let a group of separatists rebuild the north when they are already using tsunami aid to strengthen their defence capabilities." The JVP further more urged the government to withdraw the proposal immediately.

Four die in van-container collision

Four persons were killed on the spot when the van they were travelling in collided with a container lorry in Periyamulla, Negombo in the early hours of yesterday. Five others in critical condition were admitted to Negombo Hospital. A 7-year-old boy who was among the injured was transferred to the ICU of the Colombo National Hospital.
Negombo ASP Mahanama Karunaratne told the Daily News yesterday that the accident occurred around 3.30am along the Colombo-Chilaw highway when a passenger van travelling at high speed collided head on with the container moving towards Chilaw. The van had turned turtle following the accident, the ASP said.
Preliminary Police investigations had revealed that the victims in the van were returning from a funeral in Rajanganaya.
The lorry driver was taken into custody and was produced before the Negombo Magistrate. Negombo Police Traffic Branch is conducting further investigations.

Int'l community has endorsed Govt's tsunami reconstruction program - President

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga yesterday reiterated that she was ready to take forward the process regarding the Joint Aid Distribution Mechanism 'carefully' without making any 'mistake' if the people's blessings are for the process.
The President said there was no time to hear the voice of the 'extremists' against the move as it represents only five per cent of the population.
Addressing a public rally at Polonnaruwa Royal Central College Ground of the concluding ceremony of 'Pulathisi Daruwo' Educational Exhibition, the President said that the strongest ever foundation to take the country towards a bright future has been laid through this move.
"We have already constructed the first storey of the building of a developed country. We need to construct 10 more storeys of the building, no one should obstruct this path by dragging their feet, the President added.
President Kumaratunga pointed out that the People's Alliance Government laid the first and permanent foundation towards solving the North East problem with a clear vision.
"We have taken this process forward step by step to develop the trust between the Sinhalese and Tamils", she pointed out adding it may take a long time for this to happen.
She said the international community and world leaders have already endorsed the Government's programme for tsunami reconstruction at the Kandy Development Forum.
President Kumaratunga pointed out that her Government has laid a strong foundation to develop the country, first through developing the infrastructure and education in the country.
She said it was useless to have all these development programmes if a country has no permanent peace.
She said the Tamil people too have the right to fight for their rights in the same manner that the doctors and nurses demand for their rights.
"This situation has been created as the J.R. Jayewardene regime tried to respond to the Tamil people's demands through killings and violence", she added.
The President admitted that the Tamil people were deprived of their rights for the past five decades.
"No major development programmes have been implemented in the North and East," she added.
The President said more than ninety per cent of population are against dragging the country back to war though some extremists are making a huge hue and cry against the move based on their ideologies.
"They should take decisions practically without basing them on their ideologies," the President pointed out.
"We have no time to hear the extremists voice against the move as country has got its best chance to progress towards a bright future," the President added.
The President said her Government has given topmost priority to education.
River Basin Development and Rajarata Development Minister Maitripala Sirisena, Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and North Central Province Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake also spoke.

Today Top Story

Former US President Bill Clinton on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday.

Clinton arrives, visits Kalmunai today

FORMER US President Bill Clinton who arrived here last night, making his first trip to Sri Lanka as the UN Special envoy for tsunami reconstruction, was received by Finance Minister Dr Sarath Amunugama at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

He will travel to Kalmunai this morning to inspect the reconstruction activities in progress there.

He will meet Eastern Muslim leaders during his tour of this worst affected part of the Eastern Province, in the December 26 tsunami which devastated one third of the country's coastline killing nearly 40,000.

The visit made as part of a lightening tour of four tsunami affected countries in the Indian Ocean rim, the Special Envoy will also meet representatives of the donor community based in Colombo and civil society leaders this afternoon.

He will be hosted to lunch by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at her residence today prior to which she will brief him on the post tsunami reconstruction program of the Government.

After hosting a media conference in Colombo at 4.30 pm, Clinton will leave for the Maldives. He started his tour from Chennai and will end it visiting Aceh province.

News Today

Security tight as Clinton visits Sri Lanka to review tsunami reconstruction Anti-terrorist commandoes in armored vehicles joined policemen to ring the perimeter of a soccer field where Bill Clinton's helicopter was set to land in a Muslim-majority Sri Lankan town, as the former U.S. president toured tsunami-hit areas to make sure aid is being distributed properly. Clinton arrived in Sri Lanka - Friday evening on his second visit to this Indian Ocean island since Dec. 26, when massive waves smashed one-third of the country's coast, killing at least 31,000 people and displacing another 1 million.

Kalmunai is in one of the hardest-hit areas.

During his tour, Clinton hopes to promote ``transparency and accountability'' measures to ensure aid resources are used fairly, ``while retaining the engagement of the millions of investors in this operation,'' according to a statement released before his arrival.

``He is committed to keeping the world's attention focused on the tsunami recovery,'' said Jehane Sedky-Lavandero, the press officer for the Office of the Special Envoy of Tsunami Recovery.

Sri Lanka - says it has received more than US$3 billion (euro2.39 billion) in pledges and commitments for post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction. But the government is far behind schedule in providing permanent homes for the displaced.

The government-run Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency says the number of homeless has fallen from 900,000 immediately after the disaster to 40,000 now but that is mainly because people have moved in with relatives to escape miserable conditions at relief centers.

The government says it has signed agreements with donor agencies to build 27,000 houses, and has pledges for 90,000 in total. But only 119 have been completed, and work to build 5,000 more has just begun.

Clinton traveled to Sri Lanka - from southern India, where he met with tsunami survivors in the hard-hit district of Nagapattinam.

After his Sri Lanka - tour, he will head to the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives, where the tsunami killed 82 people. He will end his trip with a visit to Indonesia, the worst-hit country.

Clinton last visited Sri Lanka - in February with another former U.S. president, George H.W. Bush.

Singapore ex-convicts to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka , report says

A group ex-convicts from Singapore left for Sri Lanka - to provide humanitarian support to tsunami victims, news reports said Saturday. ``This program is proving to be effective,'' said the leaders of one of the two teams to Sri Lanka - , Assistant-Superintendent Mark Galistan. The first team left on Friday while the other is due to depart on June 6. Calls to prison officials rang unanswered Saturday.

LTTE Uses Terrorism to achieve its Political Goals - President Bush

U.S. President George W. Bush says the United States and Sri Lanka have enjoyed close relations based on common support for the values of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and free trade. Sri Lanka has faced great challenges since its independence in 1948, most significantly a separatist conflict with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which uses terrorism to achieve its political goals. He said " No political objectives can justify the use of terror against innocent civilians. A solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement. He said ". The United States supports Sri Lanka's peace process and a solution that respects Sri Lanka's unity and sovereignty. The cease-fire

signed in 2002 opened the possibility of peaceful settlement of Sri Lanka's conflict. Unfortunately that process has stalled. The United States urges all parties in Sri Lanka to reengage with the peace process and reach a final settlement."

He made this observation in remarks exchanged at the formal ceremony where Sri Lanka's newly appointed Ambassador to the US, Bernard A.B. Goonetilleke, presented his Letter of Credence at the Oval Office of the White House, on Thursday. The President also said "Sri Lanka over the years has achieved commendable success in quality of life despite terrorism and the challenges of development" and that " if peace is achieved, Sri Lanka has the potential to end poverty and expand economic opportunity. Sri Lanka's highly educated

population, if mobilized, could expand trade and create new industries in the technology sector. Sri Lanka's highly educated population, if mobilized, could expand trade and create new industries in the technology sector. Completing the task of economic reform has the potential to turn Sri Lanka into a regional trade hub, one that could transform Sri Lanka and provide for all Sri Lankans a secure and prosperous future. Sri Lanka had only begun the long road of recovery from decades of warfare and terrorism when it was struck by the tsunami of December 26, 2004. Americans are a caring people, and all Americans were touched by this tragedy. The United States has joined the international community in a commitment to help rebuild after this disaster. I recently signed into law legislation providing funds for this recovery effort. However, beyond the United States Government contribution to reconstruction are contributions from thousands of private Americans."

Thanking the US President Ambassador Goonetilleke said "For nearly two decades, Sri Lanka had to endure the devastating effects of terrorism silently and alone. In recent years, terrorism has become a global phenomenon compelling the attention of the entire international community. Whether terrorism strikes in Colombo, New York, Madrid or Beslan, as we have witnessed in the recent past, victims of terrorism are by and large innocent civilians and perpetrators are ruthless individuals or groups, who wish to impose their will on others with no regard for human life and democratic

rights of people. We remain steadfast in our support in the battle against global terrorism and are confident that the strong support the United States is giving to bring an end to terrorism in Sri Lanka will be continued." He also said "Sri Lanka is happy to be recognized as a "good partner of the

United States", on the basis of the policies followed in promoting good governance, investing in people, promoting economic freedom and democracy. These attributes have enabled Sri Lanka to be among the first 16 countries selected for funding under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) for FY

2004. We are further encouraged by our subsequent eligibility for MCA assistance in FY 2005." "The close relations we enjoy are also reflected in the development assistance we receive from the USA, which has contributed considerably in improving the lives of our people. Similarly, we are appreciative of the ongoing cooperation in the defence field." added Goonetillke