China to provide Sri Lanka's first communication satellite

May 29, 2013

BEIJING, May 29 (UPI) -- China's Great Wall Industry Corp. has signed a contract to provide Sri Lanka's first communication satellite.

The company, in which China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. has an equity interest, is China's only authorized provider of commercial satellite launch services to the global market, the official media said. The contract will help further expand China's growing presence in the strategically located Indian Ocean island nation.

The deal, whose financial and other details were not disclosed, was signed Tuesday in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

It is part of an agreement between the two countries to expand bilateral trade, investment and cooperation in agriculture, space technology and infrastructure, China Daily reported. Last year, bilateral trade totaled $2.68 billion, up 19.6 percent from 2011.

The satellite to Sri Lanka will be based on the DFH-4 satellite platform, which would provide telecommunications and broadcasting services to Sri Lanka and its neighboring countries and regions, the report said.

China Daily, quoting a source, said several countries intend to buy the services from Sri Lanka.

The Chinese company said as of May it has launched 43 satellites and 37 launch services for foreign clients, covering 18 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas and Oceania.

China hopes to have a 10 percent share of the global satellite market and 15 percent of the world's commercial launch market by 2015, China Daily reported.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2013/05/29/China-to-provide-Sri-Lankas-first-communication-satellite/UPI-21451369804254/.

Sri Lanka police fire tear gas during fuel price protest

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (BNO NEWS) -- Police fired tear gas and used water cannons on Friday to disperse a protest against fuel prices and the rising cost of living in Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo, local media reported on Saturday.

Thousands of people joined the protest which was organized by opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe and members of his United National Party (UNP) outside Colombo's main railway station. Police used tear gas and water cannons after barricading the road to disperse protesters who were trying to march towards the president's residence.

Protesters pelted stones at police officers in retaliation of the tear gas and water cannons and sat on the main road, the Colombo Page reported. Police closed the main road, affecting thousands of rush hour commuters.

Friday's protest came after one demonstrator was killed on Wednesday when police officers opened fire on fishermen who were protesting against fuel prices in the town of Chilaw in northwestern Sri Lanka. Thousands of fishermen in the region have been staging protests since the Sri Lanka government increased fuel prices on Saturday evening.

The government raised diesel prices by 35 percent and kerosene prices by 49 percent, both fuels used by the fishermen. Private bus owners also launched a strike but it was settled when the government allowed them to increase bus fares by 20 percent.

The government has pledged to spend 2 billion rupees ($17 million) a month to provide fuel subsidies to affected sectors such as the bus and rail service and fisheries. The government says the petroleum authority is losing billions of rupees from subsidizing fuel and the government has to follow global market trends.

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

Source: Newstro.
Link: http://newstro.com/article/sri-lanka-police-fire-tear-gas-during-fuel-price-protest.html.

Mass protest held in northwestern Sri Lanka over murder of aid worker

COLOMBO (BNO NEWS) — Residents in northwestern Sri Lanka held a mass protest on Wednesday over the murder of a prominent human rights activist whose body was found 17 months after he disappeared, the Colombo Page reported on Thursday.

The body of Pattani Razeek, the managing trustee of Community Trust Fund (CTF) and a leading member of regional non-governmental organization networks, was found on July 28 under a partially built house in the country’s Eastern Province. Razeek was abducted by an unidentified group in February 2010 in the city of Polonnaruwa in the North Central province.

The protest on Wednesday began in the town of Puttalam soon after the funeral of Pattani Razeek got underway. Shops and nearby areas were shut down while transport came to a standstill in the area due to the protest.

The United Nations human rights office on Friday had called for a swift investigation and prosecution of the killers of Razeek. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that two suspects in the killing were only arrested in the past few weeks.

“The information they provided reportedly led to the body. Now that the fate of this human rights defender has been established, it is time for an investigation to establish the truth of the circumstances of this heinous crime, and for the prosecution to bring justice to the victim’s family,” she said.

Shamdasani added that there have been allegations of political interference, while CTF members and Muslim community leaders have been threatened to drop the case. She also voiced hope that there will be a breakthrough in similar cases of people who have disappeared since Sri Lanka’s civil war.

The bloody civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers left as many as 100,000 people dead. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was militarily wiped out in May 2009, ending the 26-year-old civil war.

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19246/mass-protest-held-in-northwestern-sri-lanka-over-murder-of-aid-worker/.

Tamil Party Wins Elections in Former War-zone Regions

By Jasper Fakkert
July 24, 2011

Sri Lanka’s largest Tamil party Saturday won a majority of seats in regions torn by decades of civil war.

The local elections were the first in the country since government forces defeated Tamil Tiger separatists in armed conflict in 2009.

The Tamil National Alliance won with two-thirds of the vote coming away with 18 out of 26 seats in the north and east of the country.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s United People’s Freedom Alliance won all other contested districts in Saturday’s elections, BBC reported.

Tamil politicians and civil society groups had accused the government of using threats and scare tactics ahead of the elections, according to the report.

The United Nations reported that both government forces and the Tigers committed war crimes during the three-decade-long conflict.

According to the U.N., there are credible allegations that the Sri Lankan government killed many civilians in widespread shelling, which hit hospitals and other humanitarian facilities. The rebels are accused of using civilians as human shields and killing civilians indiscriminately, as well as recruiting child soldiers, according to the report.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/tamil-party-wins-elections-in-former-war-zone-regions-59482.html.

Sri Lanka to count its elephants for first time

July 13, 2011 — COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka is preparing for its first census of elephants in the island's forests to help protect the endangered species against the loss of its habitat.

The head of the Wildlife Department, Chandrawansa Pathiraja, said the census will run over two days starting on the full moon of next month, which falls on Aug. 13. Elephants will be counted as they come to drink from water holes, reservoirs and tanks.

With the survey, Pathiraja said he hopes to find out the minimum number of elephants, distribution of the population and the composition of herds, including males, females, babies and tuskers. It will also help the government determine whether it needs legislation to regulate the elephant population

"The census we do can be used for many years for the policymakers and government authorities in order to prepare policies and projects aimed at conservation of elephants," Pathiraja said. Elephants are considered sacred animals in Sri Lanka. Costumed and decorated pachyderms are used in Buddhist ceremonies as they parade through streets carrying the sacred relics of the Lord Buddha.

In the past, elephants were the country's trucks, taxis and even battle tanks. But human encroachment and development have eaten into their habitats, and wild elephants are increasingly entering villages in search of food, rampaging through houses and destroying crops and killing people.

Around 250 elephants are killed every year, mostly by farmers. About 50 people are killed in elephant attacks each year too. The only count available now dates back a century when an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 elephants roamed wild in Sri Lanka. But habitat loss and poaching are believed to have roughly halved their numbers.

Wildlife officials estimate Sri Lanka's elephant population at between 5,000 to 6,000. Previous head counts by the Wildlife Department were confined only to certain regions and in 1993, one such census found 1,967 elephants but it excluded the island's north and east where a civil war was raging at the time.

With the war's end in 2009, wildlife officials have gained access to the former war zones. The Wildlife Department has already opened up some parks that were closed down during the quarter-century strife.

Tamil voters in Britain behind London's Sri Lanka stance: WikiLeaks

Sat, 04 Dec 2010

Berlin - The British government's concern for ex-pat Tamil voters in marginal constituencies at home drove London's criticisms of the Sri Lankan government's actions in last year's ending of the country's civil war, WikiLeaks diplomatic cables suggest.

David Miliband, then British foreign secretary in a Labor government, was outspoken in criticism of the actions of the Colombo government as it closed in on Tamil fighters in the north of the island, where many thousand civilians were also sheltering.

The cable noted "the have ry vocal' Tamil diaspora in the UK, numbering over 300,000" people.

"With UK elections on the horizon and many Tamils living in Labor constituencies with slim majorities, the government is paying particular attention to Sri Lanka," read a cable from the United States embassy in London from the spring of 2009.

As the Sri Lankan military made its final push in the early part of 2009 against the militant Tamil Tigers, human rights groups warned of extreme abuses taking place, and United Nations officials estimated that thousands of civilians might have been killed in the final weeks of fighting.

Another cable, from the US Embassy in Colombo, highlighted that US diplomats had concerns over human rights abuses and the failure of the government to adequately address the charges.

The "responsibility for many of the alleged crimes rests with the country's senior civilian and military leadership, including President Rajapaksa and his brothers and opposition candidate General Fonseka," a message said.

The British foreign office led a concerted diplomatic effort against the government in Colombo, in an effort to allow humanitarian aid to reach Tamil civilians and stem the violence.

However, when Western governments finally did call Colombo before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, developing countries backed Sri Lanka in its dispute with its former colonial master.

The final resolution from the council ended up praising Sri Lanka's government - despite an outcry from human rights groups concerned for the mostly Tamil civilians in displaced persons camps.

But the cables also noted an "obvious split" between Tamils in Sri Lanka and the diaspora, with the ones in country less intent on pressing the issue of accountability for war crimes, while those abroad "would like to see the issue as an immediate top-priority issue."

The Tamils in the country, under pressure from the increasingly authoritarian government, felt themselves "vulnerable to political or even physical attack if they raise the issue of accountability publicly."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356539,sri-lanka-stance-wikileaks.html.

Sri Lankan minister protests against Tamil rally in London

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Colombo - A Sri Lanakan minister and his supporters demonstrated Friday outside the British High Commission in Colombo against a London protest rally which led to the cancellation of a public appearance by President Mahinda Rajapaska.

Minister of Construction Wimal Weerawasna, who leads the National Freedom Front party, said the British government had failed to prevent demonstrations against Rajapaksa in London, bringing disrepute to the president and to the country.

Rajapaksa was due to address the Oxford Union on Thursday, but the organizers canceled the event due to protests by Tamil minority groups.

Tamil groups have been protesting over alleged human rights abuses during the final stages of the military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels who were defeated in May 2009.

"The British government has given a free hand for pro-LTTE demonstrators, despite the organization being banned in the United Kingdom," Weerawasna said.

The minister and his supporters chanted anti-British slogans and displayed posters saying "Britain - Go to Hell," or "Do not support Terrorism," and "Hands off Sri Lanka."

Rajapaksa was to return to Sri Lanka later on Friday.

The government has accused an opposition United National Party parliamentarian of traveling to London to organize the protests.

Jayalath Jayawardena, who denied the allegations, narrowly escaped physical assault in parliament Thursday by ruling party ministers and lawmakers.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356381,protests-tamil-rally-london.html.

Sri Lankan president speech in London canceled over protests

Wed, 01 Dec 2010

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's scheduled speech to the Oxford Union in London on Thursday has been canceled over fears of protests by Tamil minority groups demanding probes of alleged human rights violations, government officials said Wednesday.

Rajapaksa, currently in London, was invited by Oxford University to speak. But Tamil groups said they had called on the organizers to cancel the event.

In a statement, presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga announced the cancellation for security reasons.

"This is a decision that has been made unilaterally by the Oxford Union, reportedly as a result of pressure applied by pro-LTTE (Tamil rebel) activists," the statement said.

The Oxford Union confirmed the event had been called off, saying that "due to the sheer scale of the expected protests, we do not feel that the talk can reasonably and safely go ahead as planned."

Rajapaksa's visit to London came amid fresh allegations over human rights abuses that had taken place in the final phase of the military operations against Tamil rebels before the conflict was brought to an end in May 2009.

New footage of a massacre which is said to have been carried out by the Sri Lankan military was broadcast on British tv Channel 4.

The Defense Ministry in Colombo and the Sri Lankas High Commission in London have denied the allegations.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356122,speech-london-cancelled-protests.html.

Pakistani president starts four-day visit to Sri Lanka

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Colombo - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari began a four- day visit to Sri Lanka on Saturday, officials said.

The president is due to call on his Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday for talks on a range of topics, including trade and defense.

"The visit is aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties between the peoples of the two countries which date back to the days of Buddhist civilization and have been marked by a shared interest in regional peace and stability and the fight against militancy," a statement from the Pakistani government said.

The Pakistani president will preside over the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Forum on Monday.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defense Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar are among those accompanying the president.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355452,four-day-visit-sri-lanka.html.

India to help rebuild Sri Lankan railways damaged in war

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Colombo – The Indian government agreed Friday to help rebuild railway lines damaged during fighting between Sri Lankan government troops and ethnic Tamil rebels in the north of the country, officials said.

The two countries signed a credit agreement for 416 million dollars at the President's Office in Colombo for the construction of the rail lines.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and visiting Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna attended the ceremony.

The project is to rebuild rail lines between Vavuniya town and Jaffna city and from Medawachchiya to Mannar that were damaged during fighting with the separatist rebels, which lasted 26 years and ended last year with the rebels' defeat.

"In most areas, the railway lines do not exist as the tracks were removed by the rebels for their bunkers," a railway official said.

The Indian government is also helping Sri Lanka to construct 50,000 houses for people displaced by the war. The first phase of the project is to be launched Saturday when Krishna tours the north.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355312,lankan-railways-damaged-war.html.

Sri Lankan president sworn in for second term

Fri, 19 Nov 2010

Colombo - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in for a second term Friday, saying his main focus was development work after the end of the civil war against ethnic Tamil rebels.

"During the last era, we worked with many nations in agreement and friendship for national security," Rajapaksa said, stressing his country's policy of non-alignment. "We now step into the development era. We extend our hand of friendship to those who assist us in this endeavour."

Rajapaksa has been accused of distancing himself from Western countries and maintaining closer links with China, India, Iran and Pakistan.

Many Western countries have demanded an independent inquiry of alleged human rights abuses during the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended last year when the government defeated the separatist rebels. The government has refused to allow the investigation.

"We united this country, achieving a victory over terrorism that had global echoes," Rajapaksa said at the inauguration, which took place at the Presidential Secretariat before Chief Justice Ashoka de Silva. "Today, on November 19, I take over this country again with determination, strength and courage to raise my motherland to a position of greatness in the world."

"Our task is to ensure lasting national unity and sustainable, permanent peace in our motherland," he said.

Rajapaksa opted for early elections in January, two years before his term was due to end, and received 57.81 per cent of the votes. He then delayed being sworn in for his second term by nine months, enabling him to gain the maximum period in power.

The event was attended by local and foreign dignitaries, including Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, and Jigme Y Thinley, Bhutan's premier.

His inauguration was also marked with a series of religious and other celebrations throughout the country.

He was due to carry out a cabinet reshuffle Monday, followed by the presentation of the budget for next year.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/354266,lankan-president-sworn-term.html.

PREVIEW: Sri Lanka's president to start second term on Friday

Thu, 18 Nov 2010

Colombo - Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to be sworn in for his second term on Friday, a day after his 65th birthday.

More than 1,000 local and foreign dignitaries are due to attend the ceremony in Colombo.

The government is to declare open some 54,000 development projects throughout the island during a 10-day period to mark the event. Among them is the commissioning of a new international harbor built with Chinese assistance in the south-east.

Rajapaksa was elected in 2005 but opted for early presidential elections in January this year, nearly two years ahead of the end of his term. After winning the election, he delayed the swearing-in ceremony by nearly nine months to gain the maximum period in office and continue as leader until 2016.

The president's popularity shot up after ending the war against the Tamil rebels in May 2009. He reaped the benefits of early elections and secured 57.81 per cent of the vote. His main rival, the former army commander Sarath Fonseka, got 40.21 per cent.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance government led by Rajapaksa is also in a strong position after securing 143 seats in the 225-seat parliament in the April elections. It later won the support of 17 more opposition members to gain a two-thirds majority.

Rajapaksa is to offer additional portfolios to some of the opposition members in a cabinet reshuffle scheduled for November 22. The move would mean the further expansion of the 41-member cabinet.

As Rajpaksa starts his second term, the opposition has vowed to step up its campaign to secure the release of Fonseka. He is serving a 30-month jail term after being convicted of favoring his son-in-law in awarding military contracts while he served as the army chief.

Fonseka was arrested two weeks after the presidential elections on January 26 and tried by two different courts martial. One of them stripped him of his rank of general after finding him guilty of involvement in politics while serving as the army chief. The other jailed him for awarding military contracts to his son-in-law.

Three more cases are pending against Fonseka in the civilian courts.

Rajapaksa also faces the challenge of finding a political solution to the ethnic tensions with the minority Tamils in the north and eastern parts of the country, after the end of the 26-year civil war.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/354073,president-start-term-friday.html.

Tamil journalist pardoned in Sri Lanka

Colombo - A Sri Lankan journalist sentenced for 20 years for "inciting communal disharmony" is to receive a presidential pardon, External Affairs Minister GL Peiris said Monday.

JS Tissainayagam, a member of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority, was sentenced in August under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

He was charged for printing a monthly magazine in which he had allegedly published material inciting communal disharmony. He was also found guilty of collecting funds through the magazine and thereby promoting terrorism.

Tissainayagam denied the allegations. His conviction triggered protests by media rights activists and international media organizations.

Tissainayagam has filed an appeal against his conviction and was earlier released on bail.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/321704,tamil-journalist-pardoned-in-sri-lanka.html.

Malaysia admits arresting and deporting Sri Lankan rebels

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia has arrested and deported several leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka last year, officials confirmed Friday.

Key members of the Tamil Tigers were caught and then deported by Malaysian police between August last year and March, Home Ministry officials said.

"We did not want them here any longer than necessary," Director of Special Operations Fuzi Harun said.

"Our preventive action was to stop them from turning the country into their hub or base for global terrorist operations," he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.

Sri Lanka's military defeated the LTTE last year after 26 years of civil war. Rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed, and the surviving leaders went into hiding.

In a statement issued Thursday, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the arrest of the LTTE leaders was made known to Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the time.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320185,malaysia-admits-arresting-and-deporting-sri-lankan-rebels.html.

Sri Lankan new premier swears in

Sri Lankan new Prime Minister Dissanayake Mudiyansalage Jayaratne has taken the oath of office following the ruling party's landslide victory.

Jayaratne, one of elder statesmen of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was elected as premier on Thursday by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to head the government in the parliament.

The victory of the UPFA was achieved after voting was re-run in two districts, which had canceled the polls due to fraud.

The ruling party that managed to secure 140 seats in the 225-member parliament, however, missed the opportunity to rewrite the constitution as it fell six seats short of the two-thirds majority that would enable the party to change the constitution.

UPFA's nearest rival, United National Front, could pick up only 60 seats. An ethnic Tamil party and a coalition led by the country's jailed former army chief won 14 and seven seats, respectively.

Jayaratne's political background goes back to 1970 when he was first elected to parliament. He is the founding member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the second-largest in Sri Lanka and the main party in the ruling coalition.

The new parliament will convene on Thursday for the first time.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124045§ionid=351020406.

Islamic Convert's Detention Sparks Debate on Tolerance

(WARNING): Article contains propaganda

* * * * *

By Feizal Samath

COLOMBO, Apr 8, 2010 (IPS) - Issues of religious tolerance, the rule of law and freedom of expression in this mainly Buddhist country are being thrown into debate by the detention of a Sri Lankan Buddhist woman who converted to Islam and was writing a book on her conversion.

Sarah Malathi Perera, a 38-year old migrant worker who has lived in Bahrain for 20 years, was detained by police in Colombo under emergency regulations on Mar. 20, ostensibly over a book she had written and published on her conversion to Islam.

But police have since given different versions of the reasons for her detention, saying that the book was offensive to Buddhism or that she was being probed for links to Tamil militants and Muslim extremist groups.

On Tuesday, police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody was even more vague. "She has been detained under emergency regulations but I don’t have details as to why she is in detention. Let me check and let you know," he told IPS. He was the same official who earlier gave different reasons for Perera’s detention.

The incident reflects a cultural and social intolerance that Sri Lankan society has never previously experienced, argues Dayan Jayatillaka, former vice president of the U.N. Human Rights Council and former chairman of the intergovernmental working group on the implementation of the Durban declaration against racism.

"How (else) should we begin to define a country in which an unarmed young woman, a woman who has not harmed anyone, is detained in a police station under emergency laws or anti-terrorism laws, for writing a book, and a book which does not call for violence against anyone?" Jayatillaka said in an interview.

Lakshman Gunasekera, president of the Sri Lanka chapter of the South Asia Free Media Association, says that as journalists, they are concerned that Perera has been arrested under emergency regulations. "Although I have not read her book, this is an issue that concerns freedom of expression," he said.

He added that this kind of reaction is more often seen in situations of serious religious fundamentalism and extremism like Pakistan, Iran or Afghanistan, where writers have been accused of blasphemy against Islam and subjected to verbal and physical attacks.

"This is a country where all religions are respected and tolerated. So why this intolerance?" said a women’s rights activist who declined to be named. Perera returned to Sri Lanka three months back to settle a land dispute concerning her elderly mother in Colombo. She has said she has analyzed the spiritual substance of Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism and Christianity, and published a book entitled ‘From Darkness to Light: Questions and Answer’.

Sri Lanka’s 20 million people comprises 73.7 percent Buddhists, 10.9 percent Hindus, 7.6 percent Muslims and 6.2 percent Christians, and the rest from smaller ethnic groups. Non-Buddhists have the constitutional right to freely practise their religion.

But in recent years, the Jathika Hela Urumaya or JHU (National Heritage Party), a extreme racist party with little support in the country but with huge influence on President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has along with allied or similar groups been suspected of being behind attacks against largely Christian places of worship.

Perera, who wears a ‘hijab’ (dress that covers the body from head to toe), alleges that her arrest came after the courier company she was planning to use to send her books to Bahrain, tipped off the JHU, which in turn informed the police. JHU officials were not immediately available for comment.

Lakshan Dias, Perera’s lawyer, says his client has been informed that she is being detained on charges of offending Buddhism and possible links to Tamil militants and overseas Muslim militant groups. "She has been told that she has been detained under a 30-day detention order under emergency regulations. She has not been informed when she would be produced before a magistrate," he said.

Perera’s case points to a breakdown in law and order more than religious intolerance, some say. "People get arrested over some ideosyncratic issue and then once that happens, the system takes over and you can’t get out," said Jehan Perera, a columnist in the ‘Daily Mirror’ newspaper.

Under the Sri Lankan Penal Code, offenses relating to religion include acts such as damaging or defiling a place of worship, uttering words or sounds or making gestures with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings and trespassing in places of worship.

Jayatillake said the response to Perera’s book could have been a critical review of it, not an arrest. "Isn't this against both Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on freedom of expression as well as the rights and freedoms recognized by the Sri Lankan Constitution? Who decides on arrests like this and what is the law transgressed?" Equally worrisome to some is the government’s use of emergency laws almost a year after its defeat of the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

"The Sri Lankan emergency means that people enjoy any personal or legal rights solely at executive convenience and discretion," said an activist who requested anonymity. "Accordingly, Ms Perera has been detained without trial, charge, bail or much access to family or lawyers and any legal or procedural safeguards."

Source: IPS.
Link: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50958.

Sri Lanka's first terrorism-free new year for 26 years - Feature

Colombo – Sri Lankans are set to celebrate their traditional New Year free of the threat of terrorism for the first time in 26 years, after the army defeated Tamil rebels in May.

Traditional sports festivals and other celebrations are among the events planned for April 14, as locals take time off and travel all over the country, including to the northern regions held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) until their defeat last year.

The traditional New Year is celebrated by both the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and the minority Tamil Hindus, who account for around 73 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, of the country's 20-million population.

Sri Lankans are enjoying their new freedom to move around the country, as previously strict security regulations were relaxed. "We are having close to 10,000 visitors to the (northern) Jaffna peninsula from the south of the country," said G Kuganathan, news editor of the Tamil daily Uthayan.

"The majority are Sinhalese who were unable to come here during the war," he added.

During the past 20 years the main road between the south and the Northern Province capital Jaffna was closed, except during a Norwegian-backed truce from 2002 to 2006. Even then, few holiday-makers traveled to the north.

But this year, both civilians who were caught up in the conflict and soldiers are enjoying the most peaceful New-Year season for nearly three decades.

"We have given leave to soldiers - except for the minimum required number - enabling them to visit their parents in their villages," military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said.

In the areas worst hit by the fighting last year, soldiers are organizing celebrations for the predominantly Tamil villages, he said.

"We are relaxed and have no tension this year as in other years. Even I can take time to visit my parents," Samarasinghe added.

However, an estimated 75,000 Tamil civilians displaced by the war still remain in camps unable to return home, largely due to the unfinished clearing of landmines, the government claims.

New Year celebrations have also been organized for the displaced persons' camps in the north.

As the checkpoints that used to dot the country's roads are disappearing, Sri Lankans are also traveling to other holiday destinations.

"This year we have seen more people in the market places," Wasantha Chandrapala, a journalist based in the eastern town of Ampara, said. "One reason is that there aren't any security problems and the people can move freely."

Ampara was one of the towns seriously affected by the violence, including several fatal bombs during the war.

Nearly three decades of war cost Sri Lanka the lives of over 100,000 civilians and around 23,000 soldiers. An estimated 7,000 soldiers were maimed and more than 300,000 civilians displaced in the final phase of the conflict.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa won a landslide victory with over 60 per cent of the vote in last Thursday's parliamentary elections, largely due to Rajapaksa's popularity for ending the war.

Rajapaksa himself recorded a 58-per-cent victory in January's presidential elections, seeing off a challenge by ex-army chief General Sarath Fonseka.

The general, who spearheaded the military campaign against the Tamil rebels, is currently in military custody facing charges of conspiracy against the government and involvement in "fraudulent acts."

Fonseka, previously hailed a hero, has come under criticism for his role since he fell out with Rajapaksa.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318411,sri-lankas-first-terrorism-free-new-year-for-26-years--feature.html.

Sri Lanka parliamentary polls close

Polling has passed off in Sri Lanka's post war parliamentary elections amid reports of violence, with President Mahinda Rajapaksa's ruling alliance expected to win with a clear majority.

Voters lined up at polling booths as the nationwide parliamentary elections opened today throughout the island. Results are due on Friday.

Police had deployed 60,000 constables and kept another 20,000 military personnel on alert to deal with any major outbreak of violence during the voting period.

However, independent observers said the nine-hours of balloting were marred by a shooting incident and reports of intimidation.

The president cast his ballot in his home village of Medamulana south of the country.

Rajapaksa, 64, is seeking a two-thirds majority in parliament which would allow him to change the constitution.

He remains popular among Sri Lankans after bringing the 26-year conflict with the separatist Tamil Tigers to an end last year.

The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) reported 286 incidents of poll-related violence with most complaints being against Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance.

With more than 14 million eligible voters, the CMEV estimated the turnout at between 45 and 50 percent, much lower than the 75 percent recorded in the January presidential election.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122796§ionid=351020406.

Sri Lankan president to dissolve parliament

Fri, 29 Jan 2010

Re-elected Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will soon dissolve the country's parliament and call for legislative elections.

The date of the proposed elections is unclear; however, the current parliament's term will be up in April.

The announcement came a day after the 64-year-old politician won his second war in a year, crushing an electoral challenge by former army chief General Sarath Fonseka who broke ranks with him just months after they claimed victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Fonseka, who claimed the election was rigged in favor of the incumbent president, said at a news conference in Colombo on Thursday that his name was blacklisted.

He said authorities harassed members of his political team and arrested some of his associates.

Information Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, however, denied Fonseka's claims that the authorities had put his name and passport number on a blacklist, preventing him from leaving the country.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117330§ionid=351020406.

Parliament dissolved in Sri Lanka - Summary

Colombo - Parliament in Sri Lanka has been dissolved with effect from midnight Tuesday ahead of new elections, officials said. The vote for the 225-seat legislature is likely to be held in April, but an official announcement is expected by the Commissioner of Elections in the next few days.

Two weeks ago, President Mahinda Rajapaksa of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was re-elected for a second term.

The dissolution comes after the arrest of former army commander Sarath Fonseka, who led the military victory over the separatist Tamil rebels before unsuccessfully running in the presidential election.

Fonseka was arrested at his Colombo office Monday while discussing plans to contest the parliamentary vote, said Somawansa Amarasinghe, head of the opposition Marxist JVP party, who was present at the time of the arrest.

"The military police stormed into the meeting and took him away. He agreed to surrender to the police, but they (the military police) insisted they had power to arrest him took him away," Amarasinghe said.

"From our point of view it is an abduction," he said.

A separate statement said Fonseka was arrested on charges of "committing alleged fraudulent acts and military offenses," but did not give details of the offenses.

Government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella accused the ex- army chief of leaking information discussed at Security Council meetings, thereby posing a threat to President Rajapaksa's life.

The director general of the Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle, said Fonseka, who ran as the presidential candidate of an opposition coalition, would appear before a military court on charges of conspiring against the government.

Hulugalle said Fonseka was arrested for conspiring to topple the government and for creating divisions within the army when he was the commander.

The government had earlier claimed that Fonseka and the opposition planned to assassinate Rajapaksa.

Fonseka was expected to contest the presidential election results in the courts this week.

At least 10 political parties, including three main opposition parties, plan a sit-in against Fonseka's arrest near the Supreme Courts complex in Colombo on Wednesday.

Fonseka's wife, Anoma, claimed that she had not been able to meet her husband.

"I have not been able send his medication to him so far and have appealed to International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene," she said.

Fonseka, who was injured in a suicide bombing inside the army headquarters in April 2006, continues to need medication for the after-effects of the injuries.

However, a government statement said the family has been "granted unhindered access to the detainee (Fonseka) and full medical assistance as required."

Fonseka commanded the army in its defeat in May of the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which had been fighting for a separate state for Sri Lanka's Tamil ethnic minority.

He was demoted soon afterward to the ceremonial post of defence chief of staff and decided in November to challenge the president with the backing of three main opposition political parties.

The ex-army chief managed to win 40 per cent of the vote against 58 per cent for Rajapaksa, according to official data.

Since the elections, more than 20 members of Fonseka's staff, including a retired major general, have been arrested.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308356,parliament-dissolved-in-sri-lanka--summary.html.