Election monitors in Sri Lanka say that there is a danger of people being prevented of voting as a result of the need for an identity card to qualify for voting.
Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) media spokesman Keerthi Tennakoon told BBC Sandeshaya that over 25 percent of voters in Uva province do not possess any alternative identity cards recommended by the authorities.
The commissioner of elections has announced that all voters should carry the national identity card (NIC) or an alternative identity card for the polls.
'Expensive IDs'
“There is a considerable amount of Sinhala and Tamil estate workers in Badulla district. More than 25 percent of them do not have any form of recommended ID,” Mr. Tennakoon told BBC Sinhala service.
He said these estate workers find it difficult to get an alternative ID due to financial difficulties.
“It is difficult for the estate workers to spend about Rs. 300, which is about three days wages of an estate worker, to get and alternative ID,” he said.
The government has earlier dissolved the Uva provincial council paving the way for fresh elections.
Meanwhile, the government says it has been conducting a mobile service to issue NICs in Badulla district.( News- BBC sinhala)
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Monday, June 29, 2009
March for peace in London
Thousands of Sri Lankans representing all major nationalities and religions took part in a peace march in London, say organisers.
The organisers handed over a petition to British PM Gordon Brown at Downing Street after marching in London on Saturday.
“We wanted to express our gratitude to British people for their support in defeating terrorism and urge UK to take concrete steps to prevent terrorism re-emerging in Sri Lanka,” Dhammika Ekanayake, an organiser told BBC Sandeshaya.
The Sri Lankan government declared a military victory over the Tamil Tigers after 26 years of bloody civil war, last month.
Although the LTTE is militarily defeated, say organisers, there is still a considerable sympathy towards the LTTE among Tamil diaspora and some sections of the international community.
“Therefore, we felt it is our duty to appeal to the international community to help rebuild the country than supporting the LTTE,” Mr. Ekanayake said.
The protest was organised by Sri Lankans Against Terrorism (SLAT) UK.
The organisers handed over a petition to British PM Gordon Brown at Downing Street after marching in London on Saturday.
“We wanted to express our gratitude to British people for their support in defeating terrorism and urge UK to take concrete steps to prevent terrorism re-emerging in Sri Lanka,” Dhammika Ekanayake, an organiser told BBC Sandeshaya.
The Sri Lankan government declared a military victory over the Tamil Tigers after 26 years of bloody civil war, last month.
Although the LTTE is militarily defeated, say organisers, there is still a considerable sympathy towards the LTTE among Tamil diaspora and some sections of the international community.
“Therefore, we felt it is our duty to appeal to the international community to help rebuild the country than supporting the LTTE,” Mr. Ekanayake said.
The protest was organised by Sri Lankans Against Terrorism (SLAT) UK.
US warns travellers of S.Lanka terror attack risk
The United States issued Sunday a warning for its nationals travelling to or in Sri Lanka about the risk of possible terror attacks despite the recent crushing of Tamil Tiger separatists.
Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tigers last month but rebel remnants still posed a threat and could carry out assaults, the state department said in the latest travel advisory on its website.
"No new terrorist incidents have occurred since the government?s declaration of military victory over the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," the advisory said.
"Despite the conclusion of hostilities, remnants of the insurgency group remain."
It also noted that Sri Lanka itself was maintaining a heightened state of security despite claiming it had ended the conflict, which lasted almost 40 years.
The US state department warned its nationals against travelling to the island's northern province and to much of the east where battles took place till mid-May between government forces and the Tigers.
"Travel in some parts of the country remains highly restricted by the Sri Lankan government, with particular sensitivity concerning the large number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps (in the north)," it said.
The military is holding nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians who escaped the fighting in internment camps and has severely restricted access to them. About half a dozen foreign nationals of Sri Lankan origin are held in the camps.
The state department also warned US citizens of Sri Lankan origin that they may be subjected to additional scrutiny upon arrival and while in the country.
"In some cases, foreigners of Sri Lankan origin may be detained without their embassy being notified," the statement said. "The activities of journalists, researchers, aid workers, and volunteers receive particular attention."
The latest US warning came as Colombo asked other countries, especially western nations, to relax travel advisories which have discouraged tourists to the South Asian island.
Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tigers last month but rebel remnants still posed a threat and could carry out assaults, the state department said in the latest travel advisory on its website.
"No new terrorist incidents have occurred since the government?s declaration of military victory over the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," the advisory said.
"Despite the conclusion of hostilities, remnants of the insurgency group remain."
It also noted that Sri Lanka itself was maintaining a heightened state of security despite claiming it had ended the conflict, which lasted almost 40 years.
The US state department warned its nationals against travelling to the island's northern province and to much of the east where battles took place till mid-May between government forces and the Tigers.
"Travel in some parts of the country remains highly restricted by the Sri Lankan government, with particular sensitivity concerning the large number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps (in the north)," it said.
The military is holding nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians who escaped the fighting in internment camps and has severely restricted access to them. About half a dozen foreign nationals of Sri Lankan origin are held in the camps.
The state department also warned US citizens of Sri Lankan origin that they may be subjected to additional scrutiny upon arrival and while in the country.
"In some cases, foreigners of Sri Lankan origin may be detained without their embassy being notified," the statement said. "The activities of journalists, researchers, aid workers, and volunteers receive particular attention."
The latest US warning came as Colombo asked other countries, especially western nations, to relax travel advisories which have discouraged tourists to the South Asian island.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Govt. not prepared to cast aside 13th amendment – Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene
13th amendment cannot be ignored just because certain individuals are against it says Minister of Media Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene. Minister Yapa Abeywardene said this speaking at a media meeting held in Colombo today (17th).
He said the amendment has been adopted in the Parliament with a 2/3rd majority and it has been approved by the Judiciary. Hence, the government will take measures to devolve maximum powers through this amendment said Minister of Media.
Speaking further Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said the government would implement proposals by the APRC for a political solution adding that the government has not forgotten to give rights to the Tamil people. (Lanka Truth)
He said the amendment has been adopted in the Parliament with a 2/3rd majority and it has been approved by the Judiciary. Hence, the government will take measures to devolve maximum powers through this amendment said Minister of Media.
Speaking further Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said the government would implement proposals by the APRC for a political solution adding that the government has not forgotten to give rights to the Tamil people. (Lanka Truth)
Sri Lanka releases 9 Indian fishermen
Nine fishermen from here arrested on June 8 by Sri Lankan Navy have been released and were handed over to Indian Coast Guard
personnel at the International Maritime Boundary line in the Palk Strait on Wednesday. The fishermen, who were lodged at the Anuradhapuram Jail in Sri Lanka, were released on the orders of a local court and handed over to the ICG along with two boats. The ICG personnel, in turn, had handed them over to the Indian navy personnel. They would be released from the naval officials custody on Thursday. The fishermen were detained along with the two boats for reportedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Local fishermen had gone on strike for three days, demanding the release of their colleagues. The state and central governments had intervened and assured them to get the fishermen released.
personnel at the International Maritime Boundary line in the Palk Strait on Wednesday. The fishermen, who were lodged at the Anuradhapuram Jail in Sri Lanka, were released on the orders of a local court and handed over to the ICG along with two boats. The ICG personnel, in turn, had handed them over to the Indian navy personnel. They would be released from the naval officials custody on Thursday. The fishermen were detained along with the two boats for reportedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Local fishermen had gone on strike for three days, demanding the release of their colleagues. The state and central governments had intervened and assured them to get the fishermen released.
Sri Lanka rebels try to rise again after defeat
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels are trying to rise from the ashes of their devastating battlefield defeat, swearing off violence and pledging to transform their internationally shunned terror group into a democratic movement for Tamil statehood.
Their rebranding effort faces long odds. The Tamil Tigers' self-proclaimed new leader is a wanted arms smuggler, the group has no presence inside Sri Lanka and the government has brushed off the remaining rebels as irrelevant. It's not even clear if anyone is really in charge of the tattered and demoralized group.
"There is no LTTE now, because we have totally destroyed their capabilities and their hierarchy," Media Minister Anura Yapa said, referring to the rebels by an acronym of their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The rebels once controlled a shadow state across northern Sri Lanka backed by thousands of guerrilla fighters, a navy and even a nascent air force. They were crushed by government forces last month after a quarter century of civil war.
In the final days of the battle, the military killed much of the Tamil Tigers' leadership, including Velupillai Prabhakaran, the unquestioned ruler of the group. His dispatch of hundreds of suicide attackers — whose victims ranged from former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to commuters in a train station — landed the group on terror lists around the world.
Now, nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamil civilians from the rebels' former stronghold are being held in displacement camps in the north as security forces sweep through the rest of the country searching for remaining sleeper cells.
But the rebels also maintained a vast international support network among the estimated 800,000 Tamil expatriates living in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.
In the wake of Prabhakaran's death, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the group's chief of international relations, has seized the leadership mantle and immediately begun trying to recreate the Tamil Tigers' image.
He acknowledged the rebels could no longer hope to achieve their dream of a separate state for minority Tamils — known as Eelam — on the battlefield and renounced violence. He promised the group would reorganize itself based on democratic principles — a major change from Prabhakaran's almost cult-like leadership style. And he announced the creation of a committee to set up a "provisional transnational government" for the proposed Tamil state.
"The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam for their right to self-rule has reached a new stage," he said in a statement Monday. "It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom, bearing in mind the practical realities in our homeland."
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a former rebel legal adviser appointed to head the committee, said he planned to register Tamils abroad to vote for a constitutional assembly. The committee would also reach out to foreign governments and create a platform for negotiations with Sri Lanka.
But Pathmanathan may not be the ideal person to transform the Tamil Tigers into an internationally respected liberation movement. Known as "KP," he ran the group's vast international weapons smuggling ring and remains a wanted man internationally. The government has appealed to foreign governments in recent days to find and arrest him.
"I don't know where he is, but basically we are asking his extradition from whatever country (he is in)," Yapa said.
There are also signs that the Tamil Diaspora is divided over whom to support. The TamilNet Web site, seen as a mouthpiece for the rebels, has refused to carry statements from Pathmanathan and there have been reports that many Tamils are furious with him for quickly acknowledging Prabhakaran's death while others refused to believe the rebel chief had been killed.
Pathmanathan's efforts to transform a violent rebel group based in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka into a peaceful government-in-exile will be "extremely difficult, if not impossible," said Indian journalist M.R. Narayan Swamy, who has written books on the rebel group and Prabhakaran.
Western governments are not likely to lift their bans on the group, Sri Lanka has no incentive to entertain its demands and Tamils abroad may no longer be willing to give money to the remnants of the defeated and discredited rebels, he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, the LTTE does not even exist," he said. (Yahoo News)
Their rebranding effort faces long odds. The Tamil Tigers' self-proclaimed new leader is a wanted arms smuggler, the group has no presence inside Sri Lanka and the government has brushed off the remaining rebels as irrelevant. It's not even clear if anyone is really in charge of the tattered and demoralized group.
"There is no LTTE now, because we have totally destroyed their capabilities and their hierarchy," Media Minister Anura Yapa said, referring to the rebels by an acronym of their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The rebels once controlled a shadow state across northern Sri Lanka backed by thousands of guerrilla fighters, a navy and even a nascent air force. They were crushed by government forces last month after a quarter century of civil war.
In the final days of the battle, the military killed much of the Tamil Tigers' leadership, including Velupillai Prabhakaran, the unquestioned ruler of the group. His dispatch of hundreds of suicide attackers — whose victims ranged from former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to commuters in a train station — landed the group on terror lists around the world.
Now, nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamil civilians from the rebels' former stronghold are being held in displacement camps in the north as security forces sweep through the rest of the country searching for remaining sleeper cells.
But the rebels also maintained a vast international support network among the estimated 800,000 Tamil expatriates living in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.
In the wake of Prabhakaran's death, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the group's chief of international relations, has seized the leadership mantle and immediately begun trying to recreate the Tamil Tigers' image.
He acknowledged the rebels could no longer hope to achieve their dream of a separate state for minority Tamils — known as Eelam — on the battlefield and renounced violence. He promised the group would reorganize itself based on democratic principles — a major change from Prabhakaran's almost cult-like leadership style. And he announced the creation of a committee to set up a "provisional transnational government" for the proposed Tamil state.
"The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam for their right to self-rule has reached a new stage," he said in a statement Monday. "It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom, bearing in mind the practical realities in our homeland."
Visuvanathan Rudrakumaran, a former rebel legal adviser appointed to head the committee, said he planned to register Tamils abroad to vote for a constitutional assembly. The committee would also reach out to foreign governments and create a platform for negotiations with Sri Lanka.
But Pathmanathan may not be the ideal person to transform the Tamil Tigers into an internationally respected liberation movement. Known as "KP," he ran the group's vast international weapons smuggling ring and remains a wanted man internationally. The government has appealed to foreign governments in recent days to find and arrest him.
"I don't know where he is, but basically we are asking his extradition from whatever country (he is in)," Yapa said.
There are also signs that the Tamil Diaspora is divided over whom to support. The TamilNet Web site, seen as a mouthpiece for the rebels, has refused to carry statements from Pathmanathan and there have been reports that many Tamils are furious with him for quickly acknowledging Prabhakaran's death while others refused to believe the rebel chief had been killed.
Pathmanathan's efforts to transform a violent rebel group based in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka into a peaceful government-in-exile will be "extremely difficult, if not impossible," said Indian journalist M.R. Narayan Swamy, who has written books on the rebel group and Prabhakaran.
Western governments are not likely to lift their bans on the group, Sri Lanka has no incentive to entertain its demands and Tamils abroad may no longer be willing to give money to the remnants of the defeated and discredited rebels, he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, the LTTE does not even exist," he said. (Yahoo News)
Those who deposited money in bogus financial companies would not be refunded
The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Udaya Sri Kariyawasam points out that those who deposited money in illegal financial companies will not be refunded.He expressed these views addressing the opening ceremony of the certificate course on financial reporting held in BMICH yesterday (16).
Mr. Kariyawam pointed out that these depositors had not paid taxes to the state and there was no possibility of refunding them with the taxpayers’ money with the mediation of the Central Bank or the government. He also said that the judiciary would also not be able to help them.He said that there were around 2000 bogus financial companies in Sri Lanka and the public needed to be vigilant on them. (Lankaenews)
Mr. Kariyawam pointed out that these depositors had not paid taxes to the state and there was no possibility of refunding them with the taxpayers’ money with the mediation of the Central Bank or the government. He also said that the judiciary would also not be able to help them.He said that there were around 2000 bogus financial companies in Sri Lanka and the public needed to be vigilant on them. (Lankaenews)
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