by: Rasul Bakhsh Rais

The entry of countries outside of South Asia as observers at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) might make some waves. These observer countries are important players, however, on the global economic and security scene, and have a varying interest in the South Asian landscape. States seek observer status in regional or other international organisations when they don’t meet the criteria for membership.

China, the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Iran and the European Union have all been accepted into SAARC as observers, meaning they would attend summit meetings, watch proceedings and make statements with the permission of the chair. For nearly a quarter century since the creation of SAARC, no country from adjacent regions or afar evinced any interest in the agenda, vision or functioning of this largely ineffective organisation, except sending the usual messages wishing it the best of luck.

A breakaway group of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers will be disarmed within months and integrated into the security forces, its leader has announced. Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan, widely known as Colonel Karuna, said that the rehabilitation of former cadres under his command had already begun.

The former senior Tamil Tiger leader broke away from the rebels in 2004. It was a major setback to the rebel movement and contributed to their loss of control of the east in 2007.

If the rehabilitation process is fully implemented, it will be the first time in Sri Lanka that a group which took up arms against the state is integrated into the state security establishment.

An alleged LTTE operative in Switzerland has been given the maximum sentence of 45 months for his role in the theft of 80 assault rifles from a Swiss military depot two years ago.

The district court in canton Bern handed a sentence of 42 months to one of the three Swiss defendants, and gave suspended sentences of 14 and 24 months to two accomplices, Swiss news agencies reported.

A group of 28 Tamil civilians including 6 children who had escaped the LTTE held areas, sought protection with security forces in Jaffna last morning, 4 November. The naval patrol craft which detected two boats in northern seas, immediately rushed to their assistance and accompanied them ashore under naval protection. According to the sources, 22 adults including 13 males and 9 females and 6 children are among the escapees and they are residents of Mullaian, Kaddaikadu, Paranthan, Kilinochchi and Champianpaththu areas.