12 December 2008

The Security Forces announced a major initiative designed to bring real and enduring peace to the country yesterday. For over two decades, fighting has severely affected the lives of the people of Jaffna. Children have suffered the most, being deprived of opportunities to develop their skills and having limited employment prospects in an economy struggling to keep afloat. Jaffna Commander of the Security Forces, Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri, declared his intention to help address some of these problems by organising an industrial and educational exhibition later this month, with the support of the Peace Secretariat.

by Shamindra Ferdinando

* Troops approach Nedunkerni-Mullaitivu road

* LTTE airstrip at Mulliyavalai threatened

* TF III takes Karuppaddamurippu on A 34 

* Kfirs, MIGs 27s and F7s in major assault

While the focus was on the bloody battles waged by 57 Division and Task Force I (TF I) to regain the Kilinochchi-Paranthan stretch of the A9, the army on the eastern flank had reached the outskirts of Mullaitivu over the weekend.

Hands over Letter from H.E. President Rajapaksa to High Commissioner for Human Rights 

The Human Rights Council Geneva held a Commemorative session on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) today (12^th December 2008) at the Palais des Nations of the United Nations Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.

Army Commander, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka speaks about the current status of the humanitarian mission to rid the country of terrorism, the obstacles that had to be overcome and the challenges ahead, in a candid interview with Malinda Seneviratne.

Colombo (PTI): Sri Lanka has told an international gathering that the Mumbai attackers followed the pattern used by the LTTE of using sea routes to launch terror attacks.

Addressing the Bali Democracy Forum in Nusa Dua, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, also underscored the need for the world community to beef up maritime security, given that these attacks were committed by terrorists getting in from the Arabian Sea aboard a hijacked vessel.

10 December 2008 

There are many development projects running in the Eastern Province but none as unique as the work done by the SANASA Development Bank Ltd. (SDBL). It is a bank of cooperative microfinance. Its unique approach to development and high success rate made us investigate further into the Bank’s activities so that other organisations too could get some tips on implementing development work.

08 December 2008 At the Partner Day arranged by partners of the Facilitating Local Initiatives for Conflict Transformation (FLICT) project of German Technical Cooperation, a number of questions were put to the Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat regarding the Peace Process as well as mechanisms whereby Non-Governmental Organizations could contribute to Peace. The dialogue was connected with discussions the Peace Secretariat had had with FLICT about how it could most efficaciously fulfil its mandate.

Preeti Kannan

12 December 2008  DUBAI - Sri Lanka is witnessing an encouraging increase in tourism from the UAE and the Middle East, according to a top Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry official on Thursday.  

There is a marked difference even as the battle against the terrorist outfit the — Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) — is going through a ‘decisive stage’.

Colombo, 10 December, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in his message to mark the 60th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, reaffirmed the renewed commitment of Sri Lanka in upholding the values and goals proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which, he also said, requires the elimination of terrorism in all its forms, ranking high among the threats to all civilized society.

Message from Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, MP, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights on the occasion of the commemoration of the 60^th Anniversary  of the Adoption and Proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – 10 December 2008

FIDEL’S ETHICS OF VIOLENCE, BY DAYAN JAYATILLEKA  

Rémy HERRERA 

[The following is the English translation of a review essay by Prof. Remy Herrera which has just appeared under the caption "Morale de la révolution" – "Morality of the Revolution" - in the December 2008 edition of Afrique-Asie, the reputed French magazine.]  

The Secretary General of the UN has recently appointed Dr. Deepika Udagama, of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human Rights.

by O. L. Ameerajwad    

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) – a brief history 

Today the world celebrates the 60^th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has come to be regarded as possibly the single most important document created in the twentieth century and as such, the accepted world standard for human rights. The UDHR draws life-preserving messages from the past and is seen as an essential foundation for building a world in which all human beings can, in the centuries to come, look forward to living in dignity and peace.

COLOMBO, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday said they had killed 89 troops in two battles around their headquarters town but the military said 20 soldiers and 27 insurgents died in the clashes.

Defence website blasts "BBC Sinhala Service"  

World Food Program (WFP) country director for Sri Lanka, Mr. Adnan Khan today (Dec 10) apologised to the Sri Lankan government over a story filed by the BBC Sinhala service quoting a WFP official, John Cambell, who said IDPs in Sri Lanka live in conditions similar to those in Somalia.

by Shanaka Jayasekara

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is known to have an active presence in several informal sectors such as credit card cloning, money laundering and human smuggling in Europe and North America. However, the LTTE has emerged as a formidable force and influence within the informal arms market and as such has attracted collaborative arrangements with other terrorist groups. The LTTE has developed close relationships with several Islamist groups operating in such networks in a mutually beneficial manner.

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan military on Monday claimed that three “senior LTTE cadres” who fought for the outfit for more than a decade have surrendered to Army.

The Defence Ministry said here the three LTTE cadres aged between 25-30 years showed themselves up to soldiers operating in the Pooneryn area and laid down their weapons.

5 December 2008  

Continuing commitment to social services islandwide

Because of multiple displacement for various reasons over the last two decades, discussion on the status of Internally Displaced Persons in Sri Lanka has suffered from a number of complications. These have not affected the delivery of assistance to the displaced, since the Government of Sri Lanka has acted on the assumption that it was best to provide assistance without any stinting. Thus it has provided relief to the largest possible number declared to be in need.

Monday, December 08,2008

COLOMBO: The main objective of SAARC is the promotion of the welfare of the people of South Asia as a whole and the improvement of the quality of their lives, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Colombo, Dec 8 (Prensa Latina) Solidarity groups formed by women, trade unions and political forces constituted the National Organizing Committee for the celebration of activities for the 50th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in Sri Lanka in 2009.

The first activity will be a meeting on January 9, in which different topics of the Cuban reality in these 50 years of revolution will be discussed, together with their impact in the whole world.