TBC LONDON

By Colombo Telegraph -

“During the reporting period from March 1 to August 31, 2009, officers referred 335 NIV cases to the Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU). Of those, fraud was confirmed in 42 cases (12.5%) and 39 are still pending further investigation. During the same period in 2008, 240 cases were referred to FPU, with fraud confirmed in 13 cases (5.4%).” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

A four-member squad on Friday morning attacked the secretary of the Jaffna University Student Union (JUSU) using iron-rods near a Sri Lanka Army camp at Kaladdi in Jaffna with causing serious injuries to the 25-year-old student leader, who was on his way to the University in a bicycle to observe Mu’l'livaaykkaal Remembrance.

QUESTION: Do you have a readout on Secretary’s meeting with the Sri Lankan foreign minister this morning?

The political dialogue between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil National Alliance(TNA)that progressed in fits and starts has reached a state of impasse for several months. The current deadlock is due to rigid positions adopted by both sides on the key question of a Parliamentary Select Committee(PSC).

Almost two years after a derelict cargo ship with 492 Tamil migrants arrived on the B.C. coast, five of the asylum-seekers remain in the custody of police or border authorities — their cases illustrating the convoluted, rough-and-tumble course refugee claims can sometimes take.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris on Friday apprised Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton of the steps his government is taking to hold accountable those responsible for committing war crimes during a three decade-long war with Tamil rebels.

The Summary dismissal of Ms. Tamara Kunanayagam from Geneva, along with a concerted attack being launched against Dr. Dayan Jayatileke and Tamara Kunanayagam accused for being responsible for the defeat over the US-led resolution, is part of a veritable coup d’état being hatched by crony upstarts in the Ministry of External Affairs.

How could one expect that the Colombo government would negotiate with us to find a political solution while we are not even refused to honour the war dead people on this day, asked Maavai Senathiraja MP of the Tamil National Alliance on Friday at the remembrance event held on Martin Road office by the Tamil National Alliance.

Mr.Jeyasankar says that there has been a statement in the leaflets like this, distributed at the premier of the drama “Theatre needs no spoken language and it evolutes sans spoken language several decades ago” says the leaflet”

By Colombo Telegraph -

“The absolute power and the arrogant ways of the present Sri Lankan regime are earning the disgust of the international community. This in turn is creating conditions favourable to our cause. In addition, there are noticeable and encouraging changes in the mind set and approach of the international community following the disaster at Mullivaaikkaal. It is up to our ingenuity and political intelligence how we take advantage of these turn of events in the way we act.

Indian diplomat in Jaffna, V. Mahalingam, who chose to insult the Eezham Tamils bereaving the Mu’l’lvaaykkaal genocide by participating the ‘victory’ celebrations of the genocidal Sinhala military at the Palaali camp in Jaffna, was in turn insulted by the occupying military and its commander Maj. Gen. Hathurusinghe on Thursday.

Three years after the government of Sri Lanka declared an end to decades of civil conflict with separatist rebels, thousands of people are still missing, according to the UN and Sri Lankan activists.The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) of the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 5,671 reported cases of wartime-related disappearance in Sri Lanka, not counting people who went missing in the final stages of fighting from 2008 to 2009.

He discussed, with members of the House of Representatives, Sri Lanka’s progress in post-conflict reconciliation and development, as well as reform measures that had been designed to ensure a lasting peace, a spokesman for SL embassy in Washington said.

Today marks three years since the end of the fighting in Sri Lanka . I would like to mourn the dead but still I do not know how many. Estimates range from seven to 147,000. It is a shocking difference.How is it possible in this world of satellites, rolling news and internet we have no idea how many human beings really perished, even rounded up to the nearest thousand?

Most Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka could become things of the past if the Supreme Court acts on a petition that seeks disqualification of the parties for retaining the demand for a separate state in their party documents, called constitutions.Long after the Tamil political parties dropped their demand for a separate state, their unamended party constitutions, in which the demand for a Tamil Eelam are stated, have come to haunt them.

The following remarks had been prepared in the belief that speakers would have about 10 minutes each.However, speakers were only given a few minutes for a few introductory remarks, the rest of the 45 minutes for the opening section being devoted to answering questions from the Moderator.

General Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Sri Lanka Army and defeated presidential candidate will be freed over the weekend, according to highly placed sources. Sources close to President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night told The Island that the Cabinet had endorsed the President’s decision to release the four-star General consequent to an understanding with Democratic National Alliance (DNA) MP Tiran Alles.

Plea highlights unamended manifestos on Eelam Most Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka could become things of the past if the Supreme Court acts on a petition that seeks disqualification of the parties for retaining the demand for a separate state in their party documents, called constitutions.Long after the Tamil political parties dropped their demand for a separate state, their unamended party constitutions, in which the demand for a Tamil Eelam are stated, have come to haunt them. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, enacted in August 1983, prohibits political parties from having as one of their aims the establishment of a separate State.

 Robert Fernando drives his truck along a lonely stretch of road at midnight, passing a causeway that leads to northern Sri Lanka.The ethnic Sinhalese is carrying furniture manufactured in the southern part of the country and is heading into the Tamil minority-dominated Jaffna Peninsula, 390 kilometers north of Colombo.

Today marks three years since the end of the fighting in Sri Lanka. I would like to mourn the dead but still I do not know how many. Estimates range from seven to 147,000. It is a shocking difference. 

Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka’s wife Anoma said yesterday she had not been notified by anyone of her husband’s impending release despite reports to that effect.Ms. Fonseka said although her husband’s release was discussed during discussions between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Tiran Alles and though it was reported that Mr. Fonseka would be released soon it was still uncertain about the final result.

Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga on Monday asserted that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would have reacted differently if he had come under the same pressure as the late President J. R. Jayawardene. J. N. Dixit had been lucky that he had had to deal with JRJ and not President Rajapaksa, Weeratunga said.

Assassinated former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had turned his attention to establishing an independent Tamil Eelam state, DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi stated.Karunanidhi stated that when he had taken oaths as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time he had met with Rajiv Gandhi during which the former Prime Minister had stated that he would give his full support to the establishment of a Tamil Eelam state under the leadership of Prabhakaran, Indian media reported.

The emergence of new Buddhist structures in the North has raised concerns among local residents:“Leaving Keerimalai, the road to Mathagal, leads to a sign board Dambakola pattuna; the port to which the sapling of the sacred Bo tree was brought to Sri Lanka by Maharath Sangamitha from India. Statues and structures depicting this event which took place over 2,000 years ago have been recently built.”

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has asked the President to remove two UPFA National List MPs from parliament and to appoint two Tamil youths from the North to parliament.The Defence Secretary has explained to the President that the people in the North did not have confidence in the Tamil MPs in the government and therefore a new political leadership needed to be built in order to get closer to the Northerners. He has said that several youths who could be appointed to parliament have already been identified by him.

On the face of it, Sri Lanka has much to celebrate this week as it marks the third anniversary of its military victory over the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). After that scarring 26-year civil war, which was among the bloodiest in modern Asia, ended, the economy is the hottest in its neighborhood:

“The first special broadcast will be on May 18th (Friday), for one hour from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Sri Lanka time.” Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)* today announced that it will start broadcasting Radio News to the Island of Sri Lanka starting from May 18, 2012; the 3rd anniversary of the Genocide of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government forces.

A Sri Lankan man who had long been linked to the massive MV Sun Sea human smuggling operation appeared in a Vancouver courtroom on Wednesday and was ordered to return June 5 for a bail hearing.Kunarobinson Christhurajah, 32, was the owner of the Thai cargo ship that arrived off the West Coast in August 2010 carrying 492 Sri Lankan refugee claimants. He was arrested Monday along with Lesly Jana Emmanuel.