The new year bodes ill for prospects of Middle East peace going by the current happenings in Gaza with Israeli fighter planes bombarding this tiny strip of land killing over 300 people and maiming several hundreds while causing massive destruction to Palestinian settlements.

The unfolding mayhem as shown on satellite TV of mangled bodies and devastated buildings has once again raised the spectre of a dangerous conflagration in this most volatile corner of the earth where enmities date back to biblical times.  

Israel says it was responding to Hamas rocket attacks into Israel territory. Whatever the provocation it is apparent that Israel has overreacted and overreached itself judging by the scale of the carnage and the destruction wrought.

Colombo, 31 December, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka will embark on a joint programme to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Sri Lanka next year. In this regard, Sri Lanka President has extended an invitation to President Raúl Castro Ruz, to pay a visit to Sri Lanka in year 2009, to commemorate this event. 

As the year 2009 marks the completion of 50 years of formal relations between the two countries which marked with the recognition of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, it was decided that both sides would identify special activities to celebrate this milestone in a fitting manner.

The Peace Secretariat launched a self employment programme for displaced Muslims in the Puttalam district recently, with the assistance of People’s Bank. One hundred young women are to receive loans of Rs. 50,000 each to help them start their own businesses. Dairy farming, brick making, home gardening and livestock development are amongst the sectors targeted. 

Kavimal Suriarachchi

“Don’t support the LTTE terrorists, let Sri Lankan Tamils live in peace and harmony”. This is the sincere call from the Tamils in the North and East. Even the very Tiger cadres who flee from LTTE clutches in the midst of the ongoing battle there, make the very request to surrender to the Army. 

Thus they request their fellow Tamils to save their lives from those cruel tigers, thereby exposing the true nature of this tiger movement to the entire world. This way they drive home the fact that the LTTE’s defeat is imminent at this crucial movement.”

(By Walter Jayawardhana)  

The US based military strategy website, Strategy Page said, The LTTE attacks against the offensive campaign by the Sri Lankan security forces in their Northern stronghold so far failed , unlike during the last five to ten years, because the LTTE troops do not have a qualitative edge in the battlefield any longer.  

In an analytical piece the website in a December 30 issue said, attempts to push back the army with the LTTE's best soldiers left failed as "the soldiers stood their ground and stopped the LTTE attackers. That didn't happen 5-10 years ago, and is one reason why the LTTE are on their last legs. The rebels no longer have a qualitative edge on the battlefield." The website also added, "There are only a few bits of coastline where the LTTE can land stuff, so it's easier for the navy to catch the smuggling attempts."

-President assures people of Jaffna 
 
  “All that was lost to you due to terrorism will be restored. It will not be long before your brothers and sisters who are trapped in areas such as Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu can be happy. That is when, just like the New Dawn in the East, there will be the New Spring in the North,” said President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a message to the people of Jaffna in connection with the “Future Minds of Jaffna" exhibition currently being held in Jaffna.  

In the first ever address by a Sri Lankan Head of State to the Tamil people in their own language, the President said: “It is time for us to forget the unfortunate developments of the past. We shall take action to restore to the people of Jaffna and the North, all they have lost in the past.”

30 December 2008 

A delegation from the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process attended the opening, on Saturday December 27th, of the Future Minds Of Jaffna Industrial and Educational Exhibition organised in Jaffna by the Security Forces, with the assistance of the Secretariat. Secretary General, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, was accompanied by Director Operations, Brigadier Piyal Abeysekera, and Director Economic Affairs, Rohantha Athukorale.

When there are only three days to pass the year 2008 during which Security Forces recorded remarkable victories against the LTTE, secretary defence Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera went to Welikanda in a bid to wish the troops in the east courage and strength to continue their service to the motherland in the oncoming new year.

Dhaneshi YATAWARA in Jaffna  

Over 100,000 people from all parts of the Jaffna peninsula have visited the Industrial and Educational exhibition 'Future Minds of Jaffna - 2008' by yesterday.  According to records at the entrance around 17,000 people have participated during the first day, and by the next day, the count rose to 95,000 by late afternoon and night.  

Over 100,000 people were present at the carnival at the Jaffna Central College grounds. Electric appliances were sold by leading Colombo based companies including Abans while telecommunication companies - Mobitel and Dialog, received a heavy demand.

by Dayan Jayatilleka 

Sri Lanka closes out its 60th year of Independence, though in the strictest sense it lasts till the beginning of next February when we celebrate our 61st Independence Day. It is a moment to take stock. Due to all the wrong turnings we took and the right ones we did not take and since our Independence six decades ago, we have spent a quarter century commemorating our independence in conditions of a separatist civil war. This will in all probability be so next year too. However it may not be so the year after, and from then onwards, because of what we have achieved this year. And I do mean "we": the leadership, the government, the military, the vast majority of people, the dissident Tamils.  

What has been the balance sheet of 2008? It is that we are winning but have not yet won. Victory is on the horizon but it has not yet been achieved. 2008 was the year in which the Sri Lankan political leadership decisively reversed the balance of forces between the state and the LTTE. It is the year in which the country feels itself on the strategic offensive while the enemy is on the (admittedly dogged) defensive.

T V Sriram

Colombo, Dec 30 (PTI) Sri Lanka plans to hold elections in the war-ravaged Tamil dominated north in 2009 after flushing out the LTTE from their strongholds and rehabilitating the displaced people, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said.

"We want to hold elections in northern Sri Lanka (Wanni) during 2009 after settling the displaced people," Rajapaksa said while talking to a group of Indian journalists here last night.

A recent article in the Boston Globe is yet another example of the brilliant disinformation campaign conducted by the Tamil Tigers to save their military leadership from destruction. The article lacks precision and intellectual discrimination, but is loftily sanctimonious in tone to make up for this. It is presented here with a rewritten version of each paragraph to suggest what a more honest exposition would have included.

ASIA'S longest civil war is building to a violent crescendo. In the island nation of Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese-majority government should be pressed to accept a cease-fire, to permit a political settlement.

Colombo (PTI): The year 2008 saw the LTTE being pushed to the corner virtually by the Sri Lankan Army in the nearly three decades-old ethnic war even as India walked a tightrope on addressing the concerns of displaced civilian Tamils in the island’s embattled northern region.

The year began with the Sri Lankan Government abrogating the 2002 ceasefire and launching an all-out offensive against the LTTE in its strongholds of northern region inflicting heavy damages on the rebels.

by Ifham Nizam The Jaffna Peninsula would return to normal soon with the assistance extended by the International Red Cross and other voluntary organizations along with the massive relief activities carried by the Government, Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda said. 

He told The Island yesterday that he expressed his appreciation of the service of the International Red Cross Chief Residential Representative Paul Castella on behalf of the people of Jaffna for the humanitarian activities they have been carrying out and their willingness to help the Jaffna people out of the present crisis.

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA  

Opening the Industrial and Educational Exhibition `Future Minds of Jaffna’, Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda stressed the fact that development is a vital factor to Jaffna peninsula specially for the younger generation.  

Hence, he said, this event gives a greater chance for the youth to seek solutions for their social problems such as unemployment.  

‘Future Minds of Jaffna’, the mega exhibition and carnival commenced yesterday at Vembadi Girls’ High School and Jaffna Central College premises with the participation of the Minister Douglas Devananda as the chief guest.

LTTE terrorists had abducted 16 children from a Catholic Church run orphanage at Dahrmapuram in Kilinochchi on Friday (Dec 26), the church sources revealed. The sources while condemning this nefarious act of terrorism called the incident to be an ideal example of the inhumanity of the terrorist outfit.

Staff Reporter  

CHENNAI: The ‘Q’ Branch police on Saturday arrested a Sri Lankan national who allegedly acted as an agent of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Chennai.

 Thursday, 25 December 2008  

In his Christmas day message President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the spirit of love and joy that Christmas brings has special relevance in Sri Lanka today as the country comes closer to bringing down the barriers of mistrust and overcomes the fear of terror that have torn society apart for so long.  

The President said that the message of universal love, kindness and forgiveness given by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has spread throughout the world transcending all barriers of country, nationality, race, ethnicity and language.

by Rohitha Bogollagama, M.P

(December 24, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) At a time when the Christian world is celebrating Christmas I am indeed happy to send a message to all Christians and Catholics in Sri Lanka who are joining their brethren in celebrating this important event in the Christian calendar.

In recognition of the multi-ethnic and multi-religious social fabric of Sri Lanka, a decision was made by our Government under the leadership of H.E. the President to celebrate, at the state level, at least one major religious event of the four main religions in Sri Lanka.