President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader who took decisions in the interest and the wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka stated Prime Minister D M Jayaranthne. President Rajapaksa developed the country in a manner that no other political leader has while he gave priority not to the Political gains and it is his only desire to make Sri Lanka one of the most developed countries in the world. Prime Minister made these observations addressing a foundation laying ceremony held at the Gampaha, Weyangoda Marapala Visuddirama Viharaya this morning (22). The government has stepped into island wide massive development drives giving priority to the economic development, Infrastructure facilities and Nation building. Infrastructure is one most important factor in a developing a country he mentioned.It is rare that a leader of the nature of President Rajapaksa is born has is main concern is the people of the country, and it is felt by the public that Sri Lanka is heading towards an era of development. Premiere mentioned that the support extended to the President by the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa is enormous and that she is devoted to look into the welfare of the children of the country. She is more of a mother to all the Sri Lankan children(Colombo Lankapuvath)Action with a heart Headline Animator
Monday, August 23, 2010
President Rajapaksa works towards the interest of the Public- Premiere
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader who took decisions in the interest and the wellbeing of the people of Sri Lanka stated Prime Minister D M Jayaranthne. President Rajapaksa developed the country in a manner that no other political leader has while he gave priority not to the Political gains and it is his only desire to make Sri Lanka one of the most developed countries in the world. Prime Minister made these observations addressing a foundation laying ceremony held at the Gampaha, Weyangoda Marapala Visuddirama Viharaya this morning (22). The government has stepped into island wide massive development drives giving priority to the economic development, Infrastructure facilities and Nation building. Infrastructure is one most important factor in a developing a country he mentioned.It is rare that a leader of the nature of President Rajapaksa is born has is main concern is the people of the country, and it is felt by the public that Sri Lanka is heading towards an era of development. Premiere mentioned that the support extended to the President by the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa is enormous and that she is devoted to look into the welfare of the children of the country. She is more of a mother to all the Sri Lankan children(Colombo Lankapuvath)
Troops & Deminers Continue their Search
NORTH & EAST: TROOPS on their search and clear operations in the general areas of PENTHOKOSTHLANE and KILINOCHCHI recovered two hand grenades and five 81 mm mortar bombs on Sunday (22).(Sri Lanka Army)
KDU Symposium on ‘Sharing Knowledge for Sustainable Peace’ Inaugurated
The third annual symposium, organized by General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) for the express purpose of ‘Sharing Knowledge for Sustainable Peace’ among researchers and scholars got underway Friday (20) morning at the KDU auditorium with the participation of Secretary to HE the President, Secretary Defence, Tri-service chiefs and a host of other distinguished guests.The full-day symposium, designed to further promote the intellectual capacity for Sri Lanka Army, Navy and Air Force officers providing exceptional expertise, derived from diverse scholars in numerous related fields, was to present separate papers and articles, related to national defence strategies.
The inaugural ceremony commenced soon after the KDU anthem rent the air, to be followed by KDU Vice Chancellor Major General M P Peiris’ welcome address. The keynote address on the occasion was delivered by Mr Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to HE the President.
Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence contributed to the inaugural session making a few observations and comments as the technical sessions in the symposium were to follow afterwards.
“When I was a serving officer in the Army, intelligence reports received from Tamil Nadu confirmed that Tiger terrorists were undergoing training and some of them were entering Sri Lanka in batches from Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately, due to misunderstanding that prevailed between Sri Lanka and India at that point of time, nothing was possible. It is worth enough to research and find out how spares and parts of those artillery guns, weapons, explosives and aircraft were smuggled into Sri Lanka. For the benefit of the region, maritime security has to be strengthened and given priority,” Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa said.
Mr Rajapaksa also recalled how personal freedom in some of the Western countries works and restrictions placed on free movement among civilians. He also noted that personal freedom should not in anyway become a bar to national security concerns.
Mr Rajapaksa also had the chance of catching a glimpse of the new construction models, planned for the KDU in the near future when invited by university authorities.
The gamut of academic papers that were taken up for discussion during those sessions in the aftermath of the ceremonial inauguration covered “Environmental aspects towards sustainable peace”, “Social Science for Social Harmony”, “Defence Studies”, “Technology for Sustainable Peace” and “Challenges in the Field of Medicine”. Mrs W C D K Fernando, Symposium Chairperson, Faculty of KDU Academic Studies raised the vote of thanks at the inauguration ceremony.
Selected academic papers forwarded to the symposium are to be published in the KDU defence journal, ‘Defence Academia’ after the symposium. The KDU, founded in 1980 with the specific purpose of inculcating service officers with an academic background has so far produced thousands of Army, Navy, Air Force and Police officers. The KDU, now recognized as one of the unique Defence Universities in the South Asian Region is to extend its academia covering a wide range of fields in the future too, while grooming officers to meet the challenges of modern defence management.
Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke, Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army, Vice Admiral Tisara Samarasinghe, Commander of the Navy, Inspector General of Police Mahinda Balasuriya and a gathering of senior tri-service and Police officers, scholars, researchers and invitees attended the occasion. (News- Sri Lanka Army)
CPI(M) legislator denies leaking ceasefire details to Vaiko
Communist Party of India (Marxist) legislator K. Mahendran on Sunday denied reports that he was involved in the 2009 leak of details about the ceasefire proposed by India to end the war between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Rejecting the claims of the former LTTE international spokesperson, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, that he had conveyed the information to Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general-secretary Vaiko, Mr. Mahendran said he never had any ties either with the LTTE or its political commissar P. Nadesan.
“When the Sri Lankan Tamils were subjected to untold miseries, the CPI(M) demanded a political solution through talks. We have been demanding autonomy for Tamil areas,” Mr. Mahendran said, stressing that his party was never in agreement with the LTTE's approach.
Mr. Pathmanathan, in an interview to the Sri Lanka-based newspaper DailyMirror, had said though Mr. Nadesan had been “advised not to leak the details of the move to people like [Tamil Nationalist Movement leader] P. Nedumaran and Mr. Vaiko, he had, at one point, consulted Mr. Mahendran, the Tamil Nadu Legislator from the CPI(M).”
Mr. Pathmanathan further said that since the CPI(M) was an ally of the MDMK (in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance), Mr. Mahendran had leaked the details.
According to Mr. Pathmanathan, LTTE sympathisers in the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) such as Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, along with Catholic priest Jegath Gaspar Raj, had negotiated with Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram a possible ceasefire.
Mr. Pathmanathan's argument was that Mr. Chidambaram came up with the ceasefire idea because AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa had taken a pro-LTTE stand and the DMK-Congress combine was worried about losing the elections.
“He wanted the LTTE to issue a unilateral statement with two main points. One, to agree to silence arms and surrender them in due course and the other, to accept a political settlement as an alternative to the Tamil Eelam,” Mr. Pathmanathan told D.B.S. Jeyaraj, an expert on Sri Lankan Tamil affairs, in an interview.
The Daily Mirror, so far, has published three parts of the interview.
Claiming that Mr. Chidambaram himself “unofficially” drafted the statement for the LTTE, Mr. Pathmanathan said a guarantee was given that New Delhi would exert pressure on Colombo.
Mr. Pathmanathan said both Mr. Nedumaran and Mr. Vaiko were worried that the Congress would get the credit for a ceasefire and do well in the elections.
“So they wanted to sabotage it. Mr. Vaiko then got angry with the LTTE and warned [Mr.] Nadesan that if the Tigers opted for an alternative to the Tamil Eelam, then the MDMK and other Tamil Nadu parties, supportive of the LTTE, would permanently withdraw their support to the LTTE.”
“[Mr.] Nadesan was given the false hope that the AIADMK-led alliance will sweep seats in Tamil Nadu, and the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] will form the government in New Delhi. Then pressure could be put on Colombo for a ceasefire. Any ceasefire before elections could help the DMK-Congress,” he said, adding that Mr. Nadesan abandoned the idea of releasing a statement because of this.(The Hindu)
Rejecting the claims of the former LTTE international spokesperson, Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP, that he had conveyed the information to Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) general-secretary Vaiko, Mr. Mahendran said he never had any ties either with the LTTE or its political commissar P. Nadesan.
“When the Sri Lankan Tamils were subjected to untold miseries, the CPI(M) demanded a political solution through talks. We have been demanding autonomy for Tamil areas,” Mr. Mahendran said, stressing that his party was never in agreement with the LTTE's approach.
Mr. Pathmanathan, in an interview to the Sri Lanka-based newspaper DailyMirror, had said though Mr. Nadesan had been “advised not to leak the details of the move to people like [Tamil Nationalist Movement leader] P. Nedumaran and Mr. Vaiko, he had, at one point, consulted Mr. Mahendran, the Tamil Nadu Legislator from the CPI(M).”
Mr. Pathmanathan further said that since the CPI(M) was an ally of the MDMK (in the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led alliance), Mr. Mahendran had leaked the details.
According to Mr. Pathmanathan, LTTE sympathisers in the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) such as Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi, along with Catholic priest Jegath Gaspar Raj, had negotiated with Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram a possible ceasefire.
Mr. Pathmanathan's argument was that Mr. Chidambaram came up with the ceasefire idea because AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa had taken a pro-LTTE stand and the DMK-Congress combine was worried about losing the elections.
“He wanted the LTTE to issue a unilateral statement with two main points. One, to agree to silence arms and surrender them in due course and the other, to accept a political settlement as an alternative to the Tamil Eelam,” Mr. Pathmanathan told D.B.S. Jeyaraj, an expert on Sri Lankan Tamil affairs, in an interview.
The Daily Mirror, so far, has published three parts of the interview.
Claiming that Mr. Chidambaram himself “unofficially” drafted the statement for the LTTE, Mr. Pathmanathan said a guarantee was given that New Delhi would exert pressure on Colombo.
Mr. Pathmanathan said both Mr. Nedumaran and Mr. Vaiko were worried that the Congress would get the credit for a ceasefire and do well in the elections.
“So they wanted to sabotage it. Mr. Vaiko then got angry with the LTTE and warned [Mr.] Nadesan that if the Tigers opted for an alternative to the Tamil Eelam, then the MDMK and other Tamil Nadu parties, supportive of the LTTE, would permanently withdraw their support to the LTTE.”
“[Mr.] Nadesan was given the false hope that the AIADMK-led alliance will sweep seats in Tamil Nadu, and the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] will form the government in New Delhi. Then pressure could be put on Colombo for a ceasefire. Any ceasefire before elections could help the DMK-Congress,” he said, adding that Mr. Nadesan abandoned the idea of releasing a statement because of this.(The Hindu)
Sri Lanka revives silk route with new seaport to enhance ties with Middle East
New port is expected to relieve pressure on colombo
Abu Dhabi Sri Lanka is reviving the historic silk route, which was used by Arabs to explore Asia with the opening of a new seaport in southern Hambantota last week, according to the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UAE.
Reviving the silk route means it will greatly benefit the Middle East, Sarath Wije Singhe said at a discussion meeting at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi recently.
Sri Lanka unveiled the Hambantota seaport yesterday, which was built with Chinese assistance as part of a $6 billion (Dh22.04 billion) drive to rebuild infrastructure after the war.
Attract business
The government hopes the port will get business from some of the 36,000 ships that cross the Indian Ocean each year. The first ships will arrive in November.
Sri Lanka has been maintaining trade links with the Middle East for thousands of years and the ‘revival of the Silk Route’ will help the ships from the region, especially the UAE, the ambassador told Gulf News on the sidelines of the meeting.
“We want closer relations with the Middle East, Russia, China and India than the West,” he said.
Dr Priyantha Gunaratna, Marine Projects Specialist, Coastal Zone and Waterways Management Section at Dubai Municipality made a presentation on the project.
A port free zone which will come up soon as part of the project will also give opportunities for investors from the Middle East, he told Gulf News.
A port was first known to be operational in the general area of Hambantota around 250BC, when Chinese and Arabian merchants used it as part of the maritime silk route, according to his presentation.
Sri Lanka is situated along the key shipping route between the Malacca Straits and the Suez Canal, which links Asia and Europe.
The only existing major port in Sri Lanka, the Port of Colombo is catered towards container handling and is unable to provide facilities for port-related industries and services.
The new port will help relieve pressure on the Colombo port, and also provide services to ships that normally take three-and-a-half-day detours from their shipping lanes to receive these services, including refuelling, maintenance, logistics and buying provisions and medical supplies.
The Hambantota Port is being constructed by the Chinese companies China Harbour Engineering Company and Sinohydro Corporation.
The total cost of the first phase of the project is estimated at $360 million, including $76.5 million for the bunker terminal.
Ahead of schedule
About 85 per cent of the funding is provided by the Chinese Government and the remaining 15 per cent by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
The project is currently five months ahead of schedule, and is scheduled to be completed by November.
A $550 million tax-free port zone is being set up with local and international companies expressing interest in shipbuilding, ship-repair and warehousing facilities.
The project is expected to provide employment to over 50,000 people.
36,000
ships, including 4,500 oil tankers use route annually
85%
of the funding by ?Chinese government
50,000
job opportunities from finished project
ahmed kutty/Gulf News
Trade
Sarath Wije Singhe says the project will greatly benefit ?the Middle East.
Numbers
36,000 ships, including 4,500 oil tankers, use the route annually.
$360 million- total costs of phase 1 of project
$76.5 million- cost of bunker terminal.
85% of the funding by Chinese Government
15% funding by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority
$550 million (cost) tax-free port zone
50,000 job opportunities from finished project
Source: Dr. Priyantha Gunaratna
relations
india and sri lanka
The Chinese funding for the Hambantota Port will not affect Sri Lanka’s relations with India, Dr Priyantha Gunaratna told Gulf News. India is already helping Sri Lanka to build an airport, he said. Chinese help is similar in nature, Gunaratna said.
“And Sri Lanka is maintaining excellent relations with India,” he said.
The Sri Lankan government has said the ever-deepening ties with China are purely commercial. But the media reports said that some geopolitical analysts speculated that this port’s future phases might afford Beijing a naval facility, a prospect that worries Sri Lanka’s close neighbour and major benefactor, India.
Phase two
The $600 million (Dh2.2 billion) second phase of the Port of Hambantota project will include a container terminal, which will be completed by 2014, according to the presentation made by Dr Priyantha Gunaratna. The third phase will include a dockyard.
Upon completion, the port will cover 4,000 acres of land and accommodate 33 vessels at any given time, making it the second largest port in South Asia.
The construction of the Port of Hambantota is part of a larger development project centered around the Hambantota District.
Apart of the port, the project consists of the construction of an international airport, a highway, a railway, an oil refinery and related facilities.
The new airport will initially handle cargo related to the port, with plans for later expansion.
Related to the project, a 500-acre Safari Park is being constructed in Ridiyagama, Ambalantota scheduled to be open in 2011.
An international cricket stadium is also under construction in the area, and will host two fixtures at the upcoming 2011 World Cup.
- B.A.K.
Future Expansion of Hambantota Port
The $600 million second phase of the Port of Hambantota project will include a container terminal, which will be completed by 2014, according to the presentation made by Dr. Priyantha Gunaratna.
The third phase will include a dockyard.
Upon completion, the port will cover 4,000 acres of land and accommodate 33 vessels at any given time, making it the second largest port in South Asia.
The construction of the Port of Hambantota is part of a larger development project centered around the Hambantota District.
Apart of the port, the project consists of the construction of an international airport, a highway, a railway, an oil refinery and related facilities.
The new airport will initially handle cargo related to the port, with plans for later expansion.
Related to the project, a 500-acre Safari Park is being constructed in Ridiyagama, Ambalantota scheduled to be open in 2011.
An international cricket stadium is also under construction in the area, and will host 2 fixtures at the upcoming 2011 World Cup.(News-Zawya)
Abu Dhabi Sri Lanka is reviving the historic silk route, which was used by Arabs to explore Asia with the opening of a new seaport in southern Hambantota last week, according to the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UAE.
Reviving the silk route means it will greatly benefit the Middle East, Sarath Wije Singhe said at a discussion meeting at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi recently.
Sri Lanka unveiled the Hambantota seaport yesterday, which was built with Chinese assistance as part of a $6 billion (Dh22.04 billion) drive to rebuild infrastructure after the war.
Attract business
The government hopes the port will get business from some of the 36,000 ships that cross the Indian Ocean each year. The first ships will arrive in November.
Sri Lanka has been maintaining trade links with the Middle East for thousands of years and the ‘revival of the Silk Route’ will help the ships from the region, especially the UAE, the ambassador told Gulf News on the sidelines of the meeting.
“We want closer relations with the Middle East, Russia, China and India than the West,” he said.
Dr Priyantha Gunaratna, Marine Projects Specialist, Coastal Zone and Waterways Management Section at Dubai Municipality made a presentation on the project.
A port free zone which will come up soon as part of the project will also give opportunities for investors from the Middle East, he told Gulf News.
A port was first known to be operational in the general area of Hambantota around 250BC, when Chinese and Arabian merchants used it as part of the maritime silk route, according to his presentation.
Sri Lanka is situated along the key shipping route between the Malacca Straits and the Suez Canal, which links Asia and Europe.
The only existing major port in Sri Lanka, the Port of Colombo is catered towards container handling and is unable to provide facilities for port-related industries and services.
The new port will help relieve pressure on the Colombo port, and also provide services to ships that normally take three-and-a-half-day detours from their shipping lanes to receive these services, including refuelling, maintenance, logistics and buying provisions and medical supplies.
The Hambantota Port is being constructed by the Chinese companies China Harbour Engineering Company and Sinohydro Corporation.
The total cost of the first phase of the project is estimated at $360 million, including $76.5 million for the bunker terminal.
Ahead of schedule
About 85 per cent of the funding is provided by the Chinese Government and the remaining 15 per cent by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
The project is currently five months ahead of schedule, and is scheduled to be completed by November.
A $550 million tax-free port zone is being set up with local and international companies expressing interest in shipbuilding, ship-repair and warehousing facilities.
The project is expected to provide employment to over 50,000 people.
36,000
ships, including 4,500 oil tankers use route annually
85%
of the funding by ?Chinese government
50,000
job opportunities from finished project
ahmed kutty/Gulf News
Trade
Sarath Wije Singhe says the project will greatly benefit ?the Middle East.
Numbers
36,000 ships, including 4,500 oil tankers, use the route annually.
$360 million- total costs of phase 1 of project
$76.5 million- cost of bunker terminal.
85% of the funding by Chinese Government
15% funding by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority
$550 million (cost) tax-free port zone
50,000 job opportunities from finished project
Source: Dr. Priyantha Gunaratna
relations
india and sri lanka
The Chinese funding for the Hambantota Port will not affect Sri Lanka’s relations with India, Dr Priyantha Gunaratna told Gulf News. India is already helping Sri Lanka to build an airport, he said. Chinese help is similar in nature, Gunaratna said.
“And Sri Lanka is maintaining excellent relations with India,” he said.
The Sri Lankan government has said the ever-deepening ties with China are purely commercial. But the media reports said that some geopolitical analysts speculated that this port’s future phases might afford Beijing a naval facility, a prospect that worries Sri Lanka’s close neighbour and major benefactor, India.
Phase two
The $600 million (Dh2.2 billion) second phase of the Port of Hambantota project will include a container terminal, which will be completed by 2014, according to the presentation made by Dr Priyantha Gunaratna. The third phase will include a dockyard.
Upon completion, the port will cover 4,000 acres of land and accommodate 33 vessels at any given time, making it the second largest port in South Asia.
The construction of the Port of Hambantota is part of a larger development project centered around the Hambantota District.
Apart of the port, the project consists of the construction of an international airport, a highway, a railway, an oil refinery and related facilities.
The new airport will initially handle cargo related to the port, with plans for later expansion.
Related to the project, a 500-acre Safari Park is being constructed in Ridiyagama, Ambalantota scheduled to be open in 2011.
An international cricket stadium is also under construction in the area, and will host two fixtures at the upcoming 2011 World Cup.
- B.A.K.
Future Expansion of Hambantota Port
The $600 million second phase of the Port of Hambantota project will include a container terminal, which will be completed by 2014, according to the presentation made by Dr. Priyantha Gunaratna.
The third phase will include a dockyard.
Upon completion, the port will cover 4,000 acres of land and accommodate 33 vessels at any given time, making it the second largest port in South Asia.
The construction of the Port of Hambantota is part of a larger development project centered around the Hambantota District.
Apart of the port, the project consists of the construction of an international airport, a highway, a railway, an oil refinery and related facilities.
The new airport will initially handle cargo related to the port, with plans for later expansion.
Related to the project, a 500-acre Safari Park is being constructed in Ridiyagama, Ambalantota scheduled to be open in 2011.
An international cricket stadium is also under construction in the area, and will host 2 fixtures at the upcoming 2011 World Cup.(News-Zawya)
Former Head of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat blames opposition leader for CFA failure
Aug 23, Colombo: Former head of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat Professor Rajiva Wijesinha giving evidence before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Monday said that the ceasefire agreement (CFA) of 2002 was a good idea, but was a failure mainly due to then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe's inability to integrate it.
Prof. Wijesinha had said that actions of opposition leader and many officials, who were engaged in the CFA process, benefited the LTTE noting one such instance where the Peace Secretariat had provided money to the LTTE.
"The Government wasn't interested in monitoring what was done with the money that was provided. The general lack of monitoring allowed the LTTE to run riot," local Daily Mirror quoted Wijesinha.
Unlike former Presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaranatunga, Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to realize his mistakes of being completely used by the LTTE, Wijesinha pointed out.
"His na�ve and culpable actions during the ceasefire period turned the CFA a betrayer of all the Tamil leaders who stood against the LTTE," he has added.
Former diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala and Ashoka Gunawardena are scheduled to give evidence when the Commission meets again on Wednesday (25). (Colombo Page)
Prof. Wijesinha had said that actions of opposition leader and many officials, who were engaged in the CFA process, benefited the LTTE noting one such instance where the Peace Secretariat had provided money to the LTTE.
"The Government wasn't interested in monitoring what was done with the money that was provided. The general lack of monitoring allowed the LTTE to run riot," local Daily Mirror quoted Wijesinha.
Unlike former Presidents Ranasinghe Premadasa and Chandrika Kumaranatunga, Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to realize his mistakes of being completely used by the LTTE, Wijesinha pointed out.
"His na�ve and culpable actions during the ceasefire period turned the CFA a betrayer of all the Tamil leaders who stood against the LTTE," he has added.
Former diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala and Ashoka Gunawardena are scheduled to give evidence when the Commission meets again on Wednesday (25). (Colombo Page)
President holds further talks with opposition
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has held yet another round of talks with opposition politicians led by UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on proposed constitutional reforms..The discussion at Temple Trees this afternoon (Aug. 23) lasted around one-and-a-half hours, said reports.UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake, senior MP Joseph Michael Perera and SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem were the other members of the opposition leader.(Colombo Today)
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