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Tigers Strike Back in Do or Die Battle
- FOCUS ON HUMAN RIGHTS
* Devolution- Lessons from UK * BATTLESIN AFGHANISTAN
 

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15 JUNE 1997
Tamil
TIME,
ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Wol. XWI No. 6 15 JUNE 1997
Published by: TAMIL TIMESLT) PO Box 121, Sutton, Surrey SM13TD United Kingdom Phone: 0181644 0972 Fax: 01824. 4557 Email: prajanogn.apc.org
Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the editor or publishers. The publishers assume no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork,
CONTENTS
Govt to Go Ahead On Devolution
03 Tigers Accuse Pakistian O4 The Cabinet Reshuffle O4 Battle Hots Up in UNP 06 Industrial Unrest O7 News Digest 08 Focus on Human Rights Tigers Strike Back 12 Devolution in UK-Lessons 17 The Integrative Peace Process 20 Protest Against Coal-fired Plant 23 SAARC Ninth Summit 24 Caste Clashes in TamilNadu 27
See-Saw Battle in Afghanistan 28 Arther Clarke-The Final Oddyssey 29 Classifid 30
“Victory WS “Do
The TTE, inv 1000 of its fighters, major attack - codeor Die” - on 10 June Thandikulam, where quarters of the 55th the ongoing operat launched on 13 May by D.B.S. Jeyaraj on Commenced its assi an artillery barrage Shastrikoolankulam of Vavuniya. The ini in a direct hit upon a dump setting off a leading to the compl camp. The long rang followed by a huma Several directions,
The military wi since their focus had offensive forward tow spite military analys during the previous lighted the difficulty as the troops advan ertheless came as a Reports from V took over 8 hours f approach the area \ der LTTE assault. T bridge at Thandiku major obstacle to th and equipment,
The battle for the left over 15 civilians ( injured. Over 300 s to have killed, many dozen or so missing ment Said that 80 of i included, were killed did not give any figu It is reported that dikulam for almost 3 drawing in the face o by the troops. But d camp was under it cadres managed tot loads of food, medi ammunition from the Some of the mis nel might have been LTTE. Writing in the
 
 
 
 

TAM TIMES 3
EWS REVIEW
ASSured'
Or Die”
lving an estimated
launched a predawn hamed "Operation Do on the army camp at the operational headDivision, from where on Jaya Sikuru was . (See special article page 12). The LTTE ulton the camp with from the direction of situated South-west tial barrage resulted military ammunition series of explosions ete destruction of the 2 artillery assault was in-Wave attack from
as caught off-guard been on pushing the fards Mankulam. Deits raised questions wo weeks and highof securing the rear ced, the attack nev
shock. avuniya state that it ir reinforcements to shich had come une blowing up of the am also created a transport of troops
Thandikulam camp ead and many more ldiers are reported more injured and a The LTTE in a stateScadres, 21 Women 1 the encounter, but a for the injured. he LTTE held Thanhours before withche counter-assault ing their period the control, the LTTE ce away three lorrynes and arms and camp. ng military personken prisoner by the Sunday Times, the
well informed columnist, Taraki, said, "The LTTE is looking not only for special instruments and artillery pieces in the military bases which they overwhelm and destroy, but also for Sri Lankan army of ficers with special skills. It has benefited greatly from what it has been able to extract from these officers through coercion and persuasion. Some are even working with them."
During the fighting, Vavuniya town itself became target for LTTE's long-range artillery attacks. Persons residing in the area said that a large number of shells fell within the Vavuniya town and that there were also reports of persons killed in the crossfire when fleeing from Thandikulam towards Vavuniya, Several thousands of persons have been freshly displaced and are in four main Welfare centres in the Wicinity of Vavuniya.
Coming in the wake of a comment by Deputy Defence Minister a few weeks ago that the LTTE had turned into "jackals', commentators point out that this sneak attack proved the point that the LTTE, although facing setbacks on the military front, may yet turn out to be as crafty as the proverbial jackal.
Govt to Go Ahead on Devolution
As the main opposition United National Party (UNP) is seeking to stall government's efforts to progress the deliberations in the Parliamentary Select Committee, the Sri Lankan government is reported to have decided to present to Parliament the draft constitution, including the devolution package, before November this year, with a view to holding a non-binding referendum afterwards.
According to senior government sources, the President is said to have made this decision after reviewing the outcome of the Parliamentary Select Committee process. The Select Committee, these sources say, has now reached an impasse, with the UNP deploying delaying tactics. The UNP is believed to have decided to stall the Select Committee exercise on such key constitutional issues as, altering the unitary state clause and the unit of devolution in the North-East, by

Page 4
AM.L. TIMES
either opposing the government proposals or not taking a stand at all.
Meanwhile, some consensus is emerging among the Tamil parties and the SLMC on the question of the unit of devolution in the North-East provinces. Amidst dissent expressed by Douglas Devananda's EPDP otherTamil parties have reached an understanding with the SLMC on a three-point formula for the North-East. The proposal, which is yet to take a fore mal shape, envisages the linking of an area of the Amparai district, which has a majority Sinhala population, with the Uva province; the creation of a separate unit for Muslim majority areas in Amparai and Batticaloa districts, and the merger of the Tamil majority areas of the East with the North. The EPDP which is opposed to this formula, wants the merger of the present Northern and Eastern provinces.
When the draft constitution is presented to Parliament, this arrangementon the unit of devolution will be incorporated into the devolution package. The previous versions of the package did not deal with the question of the unit, only with the extent of devolution.
PA sources, meanwhile, expressed some anxiety about how the UNP would react to the unit proposal. The UNP has two options: the first, outright opposition to the unit, is not an easy option because of fears that the party may get decisively isolated from the minorities; the soft option available to the UNP is to allow its Sinhala nationalist and Colombo-based Muslim politicians to oppose the proposal, while the party leadership raised other political issues regarding the government's overall strategy on the ethnic question.
Some sections of the UNP have already begun to question the steps taken by the government with regard to the devolution package. Rani Wickremasinghe, Tyronne Fernando and a few others have been saying that the devolution package, even if it is passed by Parliament, will serwe no tangible purpose without a parallel process of negotiation with the LTTE.
Meanwhile, the government leaders appear to be getting ready to launch a major political campaign, in view of apossible referendum on the draft constitution and the devolution package. President . Kumaratunga met with Tamilpolitical parties over the weekend to explain the government's line of action. Tamil political leaders were in an upbeat mood after Kumaratunga had given them a strong commitment to the political process. Informed sources say Kumaratunga told the Tamil parties that she would even risk her entire political career in going before the people with the devolution package.
in what was clearly a move to preparethe public'smood forthe referendum, last week, Deputy Defence Minister
Anuruddha Rattwatt in the Eastern Prov stitutional Affairs Mi said at a public met
in the battle front V
ported by a political nic question. Ratwa gument in an inter state-owned Daily
"Pakistan
Lanka's
Tamil Tigers ha stani military of he army plan in its cur them, but Pakistan denied the charge.
A statement iss the LTTE's interna London said that it tion that Pakistanin Sri Lankan army to military offensive ag a month ago.
The Staternent officials converged ters in Anuradhapu province of Sri Lan to the launch of the May. The TamilTige mation about Pakist from reliable indep
A spokesman Commission in Col Country was in any going conflict in Sri stan did not interfe fairs of any country The Sri Lankan kesman said the ch, less and describec the Tigers to misli community in ord from the reversals in the military oper
The C Res
Following wee June 9 the Preside tunga announcedh isters in the first since her People's assumed power in now expanded to in cluding the Presid tries were Created İster Were elevate There are also ele ters, Critics comm sion is in direct ci the PA's election p. keep the size of th

15 JUNE 1997
went to Dimbulagala nce, along with Conhister G. L. Pieris, and ting that the victories ould have to be supsettlement to the ethte reiterated the ariew published in the lews On June 2.
Helping Sri
ays LTTE:
ve accused the Pakilping the Sri Lankan ent offensive against
and Sri Lanka have
ued on 13 June from tional Secretariat in had received informabilitary had helped the plan the latest major |ainst the LTTE begun
added that Pakistani at the army headquarra in the north Central ka, immediately prior offensive on may 13th prs said that the inforani involvement came ondent sources. or the Pakistan High Ombo denied that his way involved in the onLanka. He said Pakire in the internal af
Foreign Ministry spoarge was utterly baseit as an attempt by bad the international r to divert attention he LTTE had suffered ation.
cabinet huffle
is of speculation, on t Chandrika Kumaraer new Cabinet of Minmajor re-organisation Alliance government 1994. The Cabinet is clude 30 members, inInt; seven new Minisund eight Deputy Minto Ministerial rank. en new Deputy Minisinted that this expanntradiction to one of omises, which was to
Cabinet down.
While there was a substantial reallocation of functions of previous ministers, the major casualty in the reshuffle was Mrs. Srimani Athulathmudali who held the post of Minister of Transport and Women's Affairs who failed to find a place in the revamped cabinet,
it was obvious that the President had been mindful of her promise to distribute Cabinet portfolios to reflect provinces representation. In the present configuration, the South-Western Province has one Minister and four Deputy Ministers; Ratnapura, Matale, Anuradhapura and Pollonnaruwa Provinces have also benefited from the re-shuffle,
However, the most observable feature of many of the new faces on the Cabinet as well as of the elevations from Deputy to Minister is that they all belong to the so-called Mulberry Group within the SLFP and are also ardent members of the Sudu Nelum(White Lotus) movement. Observers have, however, commented that leading figures in the mulberry group have been left out of this process.
MPs Dilan Perera and Dulles Alahapperuma, who along with the late Nalanda Ellawela provided the ideological and political strength to the dissident SLFPers, as well as Upali Gunaratne and Chama Rajapakse, are among those who were not among the beneficiaries of the recentchange. As this week's YUKTHIYA editorial comment points out, this may be a strategic step towards literally separating the head of the mulberry group from the body, and thereby weakening the dissidents.
At the same time, individuals who were most critical of the policies and performance of the PA government in certain areas have been given Deputy Ministerships in those very areas. For example, SLIMP head, Y.P. de Silva, who wrote a critique of the government's food policy is now Deputy Minister of Food, while Reginold Cooray, a critic of the Samurdhi programme has become the Deputy Minİster for Samurdhi,
Political commentators also point out that among those favoured by the re-shuffle are several members of the PA who were allegedly involved in violations of election laws during the recent local government elections. This has led to the observation that this is an 'election'Cabinet, composed of those members of the PA who will support the government's devolution package at the forthcoming referendum.
The President retained the key Fnance and Defence portfolios but let go of an important religious ministry handling Buddhist affairs which was handed over

Page 5
15 JUNE 1997
to Lakshman Jayakody, the Minister for
Cultural and Religious affairs,
Leading sections of the island's Bud
dhist clergy have traditionally played a
vocal role in religio - ethnic politics, and
since President Kumaratunga advanced the devolution proposals with a view to bring about an end to the ethnic conflict, the relations between the President and prominent leaders of the Buddhist clergy, who opposed her proposals, had become very strained. Her decision to allocate the Ministry of Buddhist Affairs to Richard Pathirana is seen as an attempt to defuse the situation.
Dharmasiri Senanayake retained his position in the cabinet as Minister of Aviation and Tourism but his responsibility for high profile functions relating to information and media were removed which were given to Mangala Samaraweera the Post and Telecommunication Minister who has been described in the local press as a close confidant of the President. Dharmasiri's stock fell after the inglorious defeat of the government's Broadcasting Bill which was summarily overruled as unconstitutional by the country's Supreme Court,
The youthful and rebellious Minister for Labour and Vocational Training, Mahinda Rajapakse, who was seen as pro-labour by the business lobby, was shifted to Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The Labour portfolio went to new entrant John Seneviratne. Health Minister Mohammed Fowzie was given Srimani's Transport and Highways portfolios, while Housing Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva was shifted to Health.
Amarasir Dodangoda, the Minister of Co-operatives, Provincial Councils and Indigenous Medicine in the outgoing cablnet, was appointed Minister of Vocational Training and Rural Industries, a portfolio of reduced importance compared to the one he had previously,
Mrs. Srima Bandaranalike Was retained as Prime Minister. Lakshamn Kadirgamar was reappointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and G.L.Peiris retained his portfolio for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, S Thondaman, the leader of Ceylon Workers Congress retained, his portfolio as Minister of livestock Development and Estate infrastructure,
Apart from Seneviratne who became Minister of Labour, the new ministers are: Mrs. Hema Ratnayake - Women's Affairs; Alavi Moulana - Local Government and Provincial Councils; Maithripala Sirisena - Mahavell Development; Jeyaraj Fernandopulle - Plan implementation and Parliamentary Affairs; Berty Premalal Dissanayake - Social Services; Nandimithra Ekanayake - Forestry and Environment; D. P. Wickramasinghe - Co-operatives Development.
Whither
Srimani's exit widely predicted cratic United Na (DUNLF) desiste ruling Peoples Al the local governm March. In fact, the accused of suppor contesting as inde leader of the OUNL publicised comme ernment's devoluti "Today's decisic other broken pledg of agreement betw People's Alliance,"S said shortly afters the cabinet. She si ways fearlessly expi abolition of executiv political package a country's ethnic war by Kumaratunga's r
The removal of hmudali from the P. cally placed the DU miliar theme: politic statement issued so Cabinet position, Ath how her late husban the Premadasa regi principles. She has moval from Cabinet Lalith's fate.
Smaller politica placed at the mercy O lition leaders, usua victimology and herol DUNLF is most likely during a possible rel tutional reforms late
Much comment the reshuffle has Cor notable victim, Srim leader of DUNLF W member of the ruling the fallure of the DU PA in the local electi political observers p ture of Srimani follow ferences between D ernment over policy. message that the g tolerant of dissent W showed that the rul willing to take on its considerable risk to one analyst.
The PA, which ha ity in Sri Lanka's 225 lies on the support C such as the DUNLF groups to stay in pov the DUNLF will pull overnight because (

e DUNLF?
Xm the cabinet Was er her party, Demoonal (Lalith) Front rom supporting the nce coalition during it elections held last NLF leadership was g slate of candidates indents. Srimani, the has also made much s critical of the gov
proposals. to removemeisanviolating the terms en our party and the mani Athulathmudali e was dropped from id her party had alissed its views about presidency and the med at ending the two promises made ling coalition. Mrs. Srimani AthulatA Cabinet has ironiNLF back on its faa victimology, in a On after she lost her ulathmudali recalled id was persecuted by me for standing for interpreted her reoffice as similar to
parties, that are more powerful coaly survive on both im. And heroism the to find as its theme rendum on constion this year,
the local press on :entrated on its one ni Athulathmuldal, ich is Constituent A coalition, Besides ILF to support the is held last March, dicted the depargrecent sharp difNLF and the govor sacking sent the ernment was less in its ranks and it gleadership was tetractors even at self, according to
a one-vote majorat parliament, repalition members nod other smaller
It is unlikely that t of the coalition he sacking of its
TAMIL TIMES 5
leader from the cabinet and go over to the opposition. According to one analyst, the natural home of people like Srimani is the United National Party (UNP) of which her late husband Lalith Athulathmudal was a leading figure until he defected having crossed swords with the late President Premadasa. But, much as the UNP may like to have her, there may be problems for her joining the UNP at least in the near future. According to testimony given to the Judicial Commission probing into the assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali, some notable personalities of the UNP have been accused of having had links with the assassination Of her husband. "it will be truly ironic if Srimant - the leader of DUNLF, a party formed in the name of and to honour the memory her late husband - were to join the UNP composed of those who were involved in her husband's murder," said a political Critic.
A possible scenario for the DUNLF would be for its leadership to bide its time tolerating the present humiliation suffered at the hands of President Kumaratunga; and for Srimani Athulathmudali and her two loyalist MPs - Ravi Karunanayake and Kesaralal Gunasekere - to remain with the PA government until the referendum on constitutional reforms is announced. During the campaign for the referendum, they will most probably leave the PA making a statement protesting against the devolution package with regional councils and changes to the unitary character of the State, They will also try to revive the vislon of Laith Athulathrmudali, Who hadno conception at all of devolution of political power or a political settlement to the ethnic question, Such a move is most likely to be supported by the Rani Wickeremasinghe faction of the UNP which will, instead of directly opposing the devolution package, try to make use of as many disgruntled elements as possible against the PA government,
Resurrection of "Thimpu Principles"
The differences of opinion among Tamil political groups and parties regarding the devolution package and the political framework within which a solution to the ethnic conflict could be sought continue to create a dissonant note in the midst of the government's reiteration that the devolution package will be placed before Parliament very soon.
The EPDP continues to maintain that the 13th amendment to the Constitution forms a base for immediate implementation and improvements through negotiations, while other groups reject this idea out of hand. They seem to be banking on

Page 6
6 TAM TIMES
an improved version of the devolution pro
posals put forward by the government.
Recently, AGOTIC (Action Group of
Tamils in Colombo) organised a meeting
of different Tamil political parties and .
groups in Colombo to canvass the idea that the proposals put forward at the Thimpu meeting in 1985 should form the basis in any negotiations with the government with regard to a resolution of the on-going ethnic conflict.
The Thimpu proposals were the result of a consensus between the TULF PLOTE, LTTE, TELO, EPRLFand EROS at the time. They focused on fourkey features: the recognition of the Tamils of Sri Lanka as a separate nationality, the recognition of the North and Eastas the traditional homelands of the Tamils, acceptance of the right of the Tamils to self-determination and acceptance of the right of all Tamils living in Sri Lanka to citizenship of this country.
This meeting was attended by representatives of Several Tamil political parties, including Kumar Ponnambalam (ACTC) N. Srikantha (TELO) Vijayasingham (CWC), while key individuals in the Tamil political arena were there, as they said, in their personal capacity. Among them were P Devaraj (CWC), Chandrasekeran (UPF) and MP Thangathurai (TULF).
Speakers who expressed their reservations about using the Thimpu agreement as a basis for discussions, including TULF MPThangathurai, were shouted down. Observers commented that the AGOTIC groups seemed to be advocating a position that was even more militant and radical than that espoused by the | TTE.
in Europe, representatives of the LTTE who are doing their round of the capitals are reported to be speaking of an "unconditional ceasefire' and generally projecting a positive position vis-a-vis negotiations with the government,
In this context, commentators wonder whether the tactic is to put forward this ultra-radical line and thereby paralyse moderate Tamil opinion in Sri Lanka to the point that when the negotiations between the LTTE and the government take place, the LTTE will once more emerge as the 'sole representatives' of Tamil opinion in this country.
Dissension in the PA
All major political parties and coalitions in Sri Lanka appear to have entered a period of shake and jolt. Rifts within the ruling PA coalition, which are usually given wide coverage in the Colombo press, are now paralleled by potentially serious factionalism within the opposition UNP
Recent weeks witne velopments that shot tion of any Sri Lanka The Left partner ment - the CP LSSF perated over being C by the President on held a seminar in C grievances. The left p they would function a PA Coalition. The le ideologically uncomf ernments free markt cial policies. They views are not takeni all by the government MP saidthat importa sented to parliament without any consultat the coalition allies. even expects the all legislation in parliam taken for granted by don't like it at all.” sai MP
The minor coaliti ing the left parties, h unhappy with the wa by the SLFP during cal government ele been particularly i “high-handed' attitud lecting candidates fc The SLFP candidate given preference in and, in some plac DUNLF activists, whi nations, even conte independent candida
Responding to over the growing rifts tion, Batty Weerako General Secretary, \ press on June 1, play ment made a week trying to put the PA the correct path," a koon, who has emel as the LSSP's main Meanwhile, ther SLFP and the OUN further resulted in leader, Mrs. Srimani the cabinet. When a contested the Dehiv nicipal Council as ar industries Minister C for the sacking of Sri from the cabinet. G his attack on the DU difficult for the DUN ance With the othe Affairs Minister S. also joined the fi Athulathmudali shou Cabinet.
Some PApolitici that the DUNLF ha

15 JUNE 1997
sed a series of deld attract the attenwatcher.
of the PA governand SMP - exasontinuously ignored key policy matters, olombo to air their arties asserted that s a group within the t-wing parties are rtable with the govt economic and soomplain that their to consideration at leadership. One left nt legislation is preby the government jon Whatsoever with The PA leadership ies to defend such ent. "Our support is the President. We d another Left-wing
on partners, includave also been quite y they were treated he recently held lotions, The left has ncensed with the e of the SLFP in seIr the local election, s, they claim, were the candidate lists, es, some left and o were denied nomisted the election as teS. media speculation within the PA Coalion, MP and LSSP's wrote to the Sunday ing down their stateago. “We are merely overnment back on sserted Mr. Weeraged in recent years political strategist.
lations between the LF have gone sour the dropping of its Athulatihmudali, from group of DUNLFers "ela- Mt. Lavinia Muindependent group, V Gunaratne called nani Athulathmuldali Inaratne intensified NLF making it more F to continue its alliPA partners. Youth 3. Dissanayake has ay by saying that d be sacked from the
ins expresstheview s been behaving in
recent times like the UNP's Trojan Horse within the PAgovernment. Senior PApoliticians admit in private that Athulathmudali and Ravi Karunanayake of the DUNLF often give the impression of representing the UNP's strategic interests within the government.
Cooray - Ranil Battle Hots Up
The UNP now in the opposition after seventeen years of political power and comfort, appears to be feeling very uncomfortable with its own self. The second coming of Sirisena Cooray to active politics after the UNP lost power in 1994, has created new ripples within the party, now led by the youthful, yet colourless leader, Rani Wickremasinghe. During the past two years, Wickremasinghe has managed to marginalise Cooray, the accredited Premadasa loyalist of the UNP who held the powerful position of UNP General Secretary when Premadasa was the President. After a few months' stay abroad, Cooray is now back in Colombo, providing headlines for news-hungry journalists.
Meanwhile, the internal differences within the UNP struck a high point when a private television station, TNL aired a muppet show depicting Premadasa as living in hell and his alleged killer Babu as having found a place in heaven. Quite apart from the obviously bad taste of this program, the Premadasa family an: Sirisena Cooray came out strongly aga. nst this political satire. Incidentally, the TNL is owned, managed and controllec by the family members of UNP leade Rani Wickremasinghe. Cooray's strong denunciation of the Satire and his attach on the TNL are given wide publicity ir the LANKAGUARDIAN which is the thecretical journal of the Premadasa loyalists of the UNP - a clear indication that the powerful Premadasa faction of the UNP is in a bitter and combative mood agains the Wickremasinghe leadership of the UNP
The Colombo media has for some time now speculated on the developir battle for contro in the UNPThe Sirisena Cooray - Rani Wickremasinghe battle for supremacy within the UNP is approac ing an open show down as Presider Premadasa's birth anniversary (June 23 draws closer which the Cooray camp is determinant to commemorate on a grar: scale signalling its readiness to demorstrate its strength. Some see this also as a sign that Wickremasinghe's position as the UNP leader may not go unchallenge: any further. However, Cooray does n.

Page 7
5 JUNE 1997
seem to command much party support to take on Wickremasinghe in a battle for the UNP leadership.
The UNP is also facing another crisis, which seems to be totally unrecognised by the political whiz kids of both camps. This is a crisis of the social bases of the UNP's traditional Constituencies in the rural areas,
Many members of the so-called depressed castes in Sinhala society, particularly in Kurunegala, Matale, Ratnapura, Hambantota, Galle and Matara districts, find the UNP no longer representing their interests. Recently, it has been noted, these rural voters are not interested at all in the leadership tussle among urban-based leaders like Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sirisena Cooray. "We don't have a Premadasa or a Cyril Mathew in the UNP any more," commented a disgruntled UNPerina rural Hambantota village. When asked whether he would support the PA, this educated member of a depressed caste community retorted by saying that both the UNP and the PA were now dominated by two to three privileged CaSteS.
No Sense
The TNL puppet BREAK-DOWN co and irritate viewers A recent episode in
President Premá as languishing in h Babu was somewha come infora lot of c President's suppoi daughter Ms. Dulanj
While those who offensive seem to th not make fun of lead neither TNL nor the far felt the need to Cu any way. The progral acters who bear a st to current political President Kumaratun Opposition, Rani Wic leader Prabhakarar Thondaman are alsc while the Presiden Sanath Gunatilaka, c attire singing popular
Unitary State is invalid
Sri Lanka's Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof. G. L. Pieris, has gone on record as saying that under the present circumstances it would be impossible for the new Constitution of Sri Lanka to hold fast to the idea of a unitary state. Prof. Pieris made this statement at a seminar organised by the Sri Lanka High Commission in London. He went on to say that the concept of the unitary state was in contradiction to the key component of the new Constitution, which was the devolution and de-centralisation of decision-making powers to the provinces.
Professor Pieris, the architect of the new draft constitution, for the first time made public his position on the relevance of the concept of a 'unitary state', at a point when the devolution of power to the regions remains the key issue in discussions on the new Constitution.
Sri Lanka's political elite continues to be divided on the issue of the nature of the future Sri Lankan state. The opponents of devolution, mainly Sinhala nationalist intellectuals, have been accusing the PA government and Professor Pieris of deviating from the unitary state model. The draft constitutional proposals envisage Sri Lanka to be 'an indissoluble union of regions', but this has been a contentious issue in discussions held by the Parliamentary Select Committee to formulate a resolution to the ethnic conflict,
Industria
Labour strife con government, with seve dragging on in the priv tors. There has been a ge in management, t Tyres and Pugoda
Textile Mills, both viouslystate-owned el privatised under cur forms. There are now may be taken over more, in order to pretriat action.
Meanwhile, over Singer Company facto been on strike since represented by the Union. The CMU alle agement had violate Collective Agreemen the Union and the Cor a row, Workers claim th pany, which is the sing of the Sri Lankan cric to have money to sp none for the welfare ol
Re-eme of PR
The shadowy Peo Red Army (PRRA) is news, with reports of their hideouts by the The news came as a

f Humour
how called ALWAYS inues to entertain in Friday evenings. hich former lasa was portrayed and his assassin of a 'good guy', has ticism from the late ers, including his lee Jayakody. ind the programme nk that one should }rs, dead and alive, government has so b the programme in hme contains charrtling resemblance eaders, including a and leader of the kremasinghe. LTTE and CWC leader featured regularly, 's media advisor, omes on in cowboy romantic songs!
Unrest
tinues to haunt the bral unsettied strikes rate and public secgitation for a chanby unions at Kelani
of which were prenterprises that were ent economic resigns that Pugoda by the state, once ampt further indus
100 Workers at the ty in Colombo have May 20. They are eylon Mercantile ges that the manthe terms of the s signed between pany, two years in at the Singer Come biggest sponsor set team, appears re for cricket but its own Workforce,
gence RA
le's Revolutionary once again in the swoop on one of olice on May 28. surprise to many
TAMILTIMEs 7
quarters. PRRA has been virtually inactive since 1994, when the PA government came into power. While the Police say that some members of the PRRA, including its leader Silva, are Wanted in connection with a series of killings in the 1987-1989 period, commentators point out that "hunting' the PRRA has been po litically expedient for different political leaders at different political moments in our recent history. V
The close link between PRRA and the EPDP has also led to speculation that the moves against the PRRA are in fact aimed at intimidating the EPDP.The Police have even said they would consider raiding the EPDP's heavily fortified offices in Colombo to search for PRRA leaders. In a context in which the EPDP is continuing its agitation for an Interim Council in the North-East, while withholding its support for the government's devolution package, this may be read as a clear message from the authorities to the EPDP that it cannot expect its every move to be protected by the PA regime.
Lankan Woman to be Executed
Human rights workers in Lebanon have sent an appeal for help to their Sri Lankan colleagues on behalf of two Sri Lankan women presently in prison in Lebanon. One of them, Hewahakuru Leelawathie, is currently Serving a ten year prison sentence, while the other one, Ehala Vahumpurage Lily Nona is being tried for the murder of another Sri Lankan woman. They have asked that Leelawathie be brought back to Sri Lanka to serve out the rest of her sentence here. In the case of Lily Nona, there are fears that she will be sentenced to death and executed in Lebanon. In her case, they have asked that clemency be applied and her sentence commuted to life imprisonment, since the death sentence is not carried out in Sri Lanka. As she stands accused of murdering another Sri Lankan, the appeal for clemency may have a chance if it receives enough support from the Sri Lankan authorities.
This appeal once again highlights the plight of Sri Lankan migrant workers who face trial or imprisonment abroad, especially in West Asian countries where islamic laws apply. The Sri Lankan government has been remarkably lax in coming forward to defend the rights of its citizens in such situations. The tug-of-war that prevails between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labour in this respect, has resulted in gross injustice to migrant workers, on whose remittances our economy depends.
s

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8 TAM TIMES
Minister's Son Romanded: A Sri Lankan court on 28 May remanded the son of Deputy Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte in connection with the killing of a Papua New Guinean rugby coach outside a casino in the capital Colombo, court. Lohan Ratwatte was remanded in custody after he was identified by three prosecution witnesses at an identification parade as having been present at the scene when PNG coach Joel Pera was killed,
Pera was shot dead outside the casino on May 1 after an argument. The court also remanded four others in custody in connection with the killing of Pera, who was the coach at a local rugby club, All five are considered suspects in the case and were remanded in custody because the court has no power to grant bail without the advice of the Attorney-General in a murder case under Sri Lankan law, None of them has been charged.
Privately owned newspapers had earlier alleged that the police were dragging their feet in apprehending Logan Ratwatte be- see...is cause of interference by his father Anuruddha Ratwatte, who is also Minister for Power and Irrigation. Vehemently denying the allegation, the Minister told parliament that the police inquiry into Pera's killing would be independent and impartial and that he had not and would not interfere with the police investigation.
Elephants, Victims of War: Government soldiers have found three baby elephants orphaned in the jungles of war-torn northern Sri Lanka, apparent victims of the fighting, according to officials in Colombo.
The elephants, which were found over the past several weeks, are less than six months old, said Nandana Atapattu, a deputy director of the Wildlife Conservation Department. They have been taken to safety,
"This is very rare, especially during the rainy season. It is obviously because of the disturbance in the area." Atapattu said, Soldiers also found an elephant that died after stepping on a and mine in the war zone, Atapattu said, Electric wires also kill elephants in the area.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature estimates that between 2,500 to 3,000 elephants roam the Jungles of Sri Lanka. But 40 percent of them are in war-ravaged northern part of the island and wildlife officials can't reach them.
325 Lankan Soldiers Killed at Thandikulam: A statementissued by the LTTE on 12 June said that, despite Deputy Defence Minister Ratwatte's determined efforts to conceal military casualty figures the LTTE counted no less than 325 Sri Lankan soldiers dead after the Thandikulam battle, The entire Thandikulam camp was destroyed. The LTTE lost 80 LTTE fighters, 21 of whom are Women,
Massage Pillow, a Security Threat: A battery-operated massage pillow belonging to an opposition Member of Parliament recently caused a scare in Sri Lanka's parliament after police seized it as a potential security threat. The pillow was discovered in the car of former Speaker M H Mohammed during a routine check at the entrance of the high-security parliament building in the Colombo Suburb of Sri Jayewardenepura.
Mohammed told parliament he was not amused and said the police action amounted to harassment. Security is always tight at the parliament building, located on a small island in a lake, because of fears it may be attacked by the LTTE.
New Electoral System: The government of Sri Lanka on 5 June proposed converting the existing proportional representation (PR) election system into a hybrid of PR and first-past-the-post.
The proposed changes will lower the number of seats in
 

15 JUNE 1907
parliament to 198 from the present 225, reintroduce by-elections, do away with preference votes and also reintroduce multi-member constituencies in some areas,
The proposals were placed by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister G L. Peiris before a Parlamentary Select Committee debating constitutional reform and devolution of power, Peiris is chairman of the Select Committee made up of all parties in parliament. It has been meeting for more than a year.
Under the first-past-the-post system, each voter casts only one vote and the candidate receiving the most votes is declared the winner. Proportional representation is designed to give each party representation in an elected body as near as possible to their proportion of the vote it had obtained at an election.
Political analysts are of the view that the proposed new election system will ensure fairer representation, especially for minorities. The proposed election system and the power-sharing devolution plan will be in
M: cluded in the new constitution that the gov
ernment has said will be placed before parliament within the next two months,
Deported Swiss Paedophile to be Prosecuted: A Swiss prosecutor investigating the activities of a suspected Swiss paedophile deported from Sri Lanka recently said he had gathered reliable evidence to prosecute the man back in Switzerland. Zurich district attorney Peter Pellegrini said 54-year-old Viktor Baumann would stand trial towards the end of this year. "We have questioned many people....We have got reliable evidence and we will take all this with us back to Switzerland and process before using them in the trial," Pelligrini told a news conference held at Colombo's police headquarters. Sexual abuse carries a maximum sentence of seven years in Switzerland, Pelligrini said. Baumann, a resident businessman of Sri Lanka for a long time, was arrested by Swiss authorities after Sri Lanka deportec him last February. He was arrested last October by Sri Lankar police while in the company of several local children at his house near the coastal resort of Negombo, 24 miles (38 km) north of Colombo,
Sri Lanka has been co-operating with Swiss authorlities in a bild to clamp down on child abusers operating in the country, widely believed to be a popular destination among the world's paedophile,
In February, a Sri Lankan court sentenced 58-year-old Swiss national Armin Heinrich Pfaffhauser to two years in jail for child sexual abuse, Pfaffhauser was the first foreigner to be convicted of the offence. He had pleaded not guilty,
In 1995, Sri Lanka passed tough new laws aimed at curbing paedophile activity, The new law calls for a minimum 10-year jail term and a maximum of 20 for pimps and their clients, it pushed the minimum age of consent up to 18 for consenting adults,
25 Killed in LTTE Attack: A LTTE statement on 13 May said that LTTE forces on penetrated Pankulam's army/police military complex - and its surrounding airforce fortifications - killing 20 Sri Lankan soldiers and 5 armed homeguards. The attack took place on 13 June night and caused all remaining Sri Lankar military personnel to flee from the fighting. During the attack, a Sri Lankan rescue bid failed dramatically, with LTTE forces successfully holding reinforcements at bay, Eight LTTE members lost their lives.
Tourism Picks Up: Sri Lanka's tourism industry is reported to be well on its way to recovery this year after a 25 percent drop in arrivals in 1996, according to officials in Colombo, They said the revival of the struggling industry is also reflected in a rise ir

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5 JUNE 1997
prices of hotel shares on the Colombo Stock Exchange in recent weeks. "There has obviously been a recovery in tourist arrivals in the winter season which continued till April, "Ceylon Tourism Board chairman Sugathapala Samaranayake said.
Tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year rose by 17 percent over the same period in 1996 to 101,760, he said. Touristarrivals in Marchalone rose 29percentto 34,098 from 26,442 in the same month last year. "We attribute the recovery to the improved security situation and the promotional work done by the government and the private sector." Samaranayke added.
Sri Lanka's earnings from tourism plunged to $175 million in 1996 from $225 million the previous year, reducing the island to a low-budget destination, after Tamil Tiger attacks in capital Colombo which included the blowing up of the island's Central Bank complex and petroleum depots.
"We are trying to get back to the 1995 figure," he said. "From there we have to build for the future and work for growth." Samaranayake said average hotel occupancy was around 50 percent during the season and that some hotels were almost full. "There is also a fair amount of patronage by locals, particularly during weekends and long holidays," he said.
Analysts said hotel and travel sector stocks were expected to rise in 1997, mostly due to the recent revival. "We believe the tourist sector has clearly bottomed out and the only way is up." brokerage Jardine Fleming said in a recentreport. But it warned that although above-average growth can be expected from the hotel industry because of the revival, industry earnings will remain volatile, Sri Lankan stocks have already risen 12.1 percent this April 1997 on the back of political stability, lower corporate borrowing rates and expectations of better first quarter results.
Tea Output Reaches New Record: Sri Lanka's tea output last year established a new record of 258 million kilometres, which is an increase of 5 percent compared with the figures in 1995, according to recent figures from the Central Bank.
The Bank sources said that the increase was entirely from the low grown sector which recorded a substantial increase of 16.3 million kgs over its previous record whilst production from the high and medium grown sectors have declined marginally. At present, about 60 percent of tea production comes from the small holder sector which is a great achievement in the tea industry since 1980's.
The Sri Lankan government has taken several measures to increase productivity and profitability of tea. Sri Lankan has begun a process of modernising the tea industry with the infusion of new capital, new technology and improved management standards. The private sector with large plantations as well as the Small holdings have played a dynamic and central role in this development effort, the sources pointed out.
Tea is one of Sri Lanka's main export items and the sources of 25 percent of its export earning. Total tea exports during last year recorded 244 million kgs bettering its pervious record of 240 million kgs in 1995.
Army Pursuing Scorched Earth Policy: A statement by the LTTE on 20 May said that the Sri Lankan military, in its latest military offensive Sri Lanka was pursuing a scorched earth policy. The lush farmlands of Omanthai, Puliyankulam and Nedunkerni are no more. Armoured vehicles and tanks have been deliberately tearing up paddy lands and banana plantations with a view to making them un-cultivatable. Not a single building or farmer's hut is left standing in these areas. They have either been torched or bombed out. The stench of dead cattle is every where. The troops have maliciously destroyed several million rupees worth
 

TAMIL TIMES 9
of Tamil civilian property.
Displacement is total in these areas. In Omanthalakone 3500 families have been driven away. No effort has been undertaken to house the refugees by any organisation so far. But 330 families have found accommodation in schools - in Puthukudiyiruppu Maha Vidyalayam 107, Mullaitivu Maha Vidyalayam 108, Ananthapuram Vidyalayam 56 and ManthuvilVidyalayam 59. The rest are languishing in forests and roadsides. This can be visible to any person travelling in the area. The area is far away from the two main theatres of war Omanthai and Nedunkerni.
Furore over Ordination of Buddhist Women: The establishment of an order of Buddhist nuns (Bhikkunis) continues to create dissension within the Sinhala-Buddhist community, Conservatives are critical not only of the ordination of women, but of the fact that the ordination took place outside Sri Lanka. Some leading Buddhist women last year travelled to India to be ordained after years of being refused ordination by the Sri Lankan Buddhistclergy, in response, other Buddhist spokespersons who are known for their conservative views on other issues are coming forward to defend the small community of nuns.
Speaking at a seminar held at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress hall on April 20, Prof. Tandem Wijebandara said “Men's desire to suppress women, which has remained throughout human history has now manifested itself in a religious fashion'. He called on Sri Lankan women not to give into the slogans of people who oppose the setting up of the Bhikkuni Sasana.
Food Supplies to War Zone: Amidst accusations by the LTTE that the Sri Lankan authorities are seeking to starve the Tamils living in the northern war zone by preventing the transport of food supplies, Sri Lankan aid officials said on 3 June that almost 11-thousand tons of food supplies would be shipped to the northern war zone for civilians displaced by heavy fighting between government troops and the Tamil Tigers.
An official of the United Nation's world food program in Colombo said trucks would deliver 11-thousand tons of food supplies to the rebel-dominated north during June. The international Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) would provide escort for the trucks into the Vanni jungle region. The food would then be transferred to a quasi-government organisations called the Multi-Purpose Co-operative Societies (MPCSs) for distribution in the LTTE controlled areas of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar.
International relief agencies confirmed that food stocks in the area had dwindled after government shipments to the northern region were disrupted by a major army offensive begun in May,
New Rules For Recruiting Sri Lankans: The Sri Lankan government is formulating rules and regulations under which overseas employers of Sri Lankan manpower will be obliged to stick to provisions of contracts, Foreign Employment Bureau sources said recently.
The prime objective of the legislation is to safeguard the interest of the overseas contract workers including those of domestic maids and also those of the foreign employers. The regulations will commit the overseas employer to the payment of salary at a specified level, provision of air tickets and other minimum facilities, the sources said,
Similarly, it will bind the recruiting agencies to supply qualified and trained manpower. The Employment Bureau has requested that foreign employers should not recruit Sri Lankan labour through middlemen as this increases the cost of manpower supply by passing on the additional financial burden to

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10 TAM TIMES
both the employer and the contract worker,
In the Middle East at the moment, the policy of the Sri Lankan government was to target for junior and senior management levels before they target jobs at the lower rungs, according to A MM Thasleem, director general of the Colombo-based Trans Gulf Agency.
In 1996, Sri Lanka earned a total of 107 million U.S. dollars by way of foreign exchange remittances from its overseas workers representing a 10 percent increase over the previous year,
Arab Fear Dilution of Culture by Foreign Maids: A United Arab Emirates official says foreign maids can be a "serious threat" to the cultural and religious grooming of children in their care.
Mohammed Eissa al-SuWeidi said the 150,000 maids working in UAE households - mostly from Bangladesh, India, Philippines and Sri Lanka - tend to pass on their language and traditions to the children they look after. "This can greatly impede the children's assimilation of their own Arabic and Islamic culture," the country's Under Secretary for Labour and Social Affairs told the press recently.
He says many children grow up Speaking a "strange mixture of Arabic and English, in addition to the maid's mothertongue." Al-Suweidi blamed the presence of maids on UAE women, most of whom, he said, had "turned over their role as mothers to foreign nannies."
He said the Ministry's study had recommended new labour regulations to limit the number of domestic servants per household. The government, concerned about foreign influence diluting Arab culture and seeking to balance the country's demography, has established a special fund to help bridegrooms pay the often hefty dowries for UAE brides.
And fearing that the UAE could be left with a sizeable population of spinsters, the government is considering placing a ban on such marriages, similar to one in place in neighbouring Oman.
Lankan TiesWith China: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Laksman Kadirgamar said recently that his country was "proud of the quality of the special relations between Sri Lanka and China, because this kind of friendship is based on mutual respect."
Speaking at a special meeting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the minister noted that Sri Lanka and China have enjoyed co-operative and cordial contacts for several millennia. Such contacts covered a wide spectrum of interaction in the political, economic, social, and cultural fields, he said.
He pointed out, "On February 7, 1997, we completed foul decades of full relations. Yet, in terms of time, 40 years is a short period, considering the fact of the existence of state-tostate, government-to-government and people-to-people inter. action... for more than 2,000 years between the two countries.
No Smoking in Air Lanka: Air Lanka, Sri Lanka's national air line, will begin to operate fully no-smoking flights to and from Europe from July 1, according to Air Lanka sources. The air line's decision to go no-smoking is based on historical studie of passenger preferences on these routes.
By implementing the no-smoking rule, Air Lanka will be com plying with the recommendations of the International Civil Avia tion Organisation to operate fully no-smoking flights on interna tional routes. Air Lanka, established in 1979, declared its flight to West Asia and Asia (with the exception of Japan) to be full no-smoking last winter,
MoreWomen for Police: Sri Lankan police are recruiting mor women to the force, freeing the men to serve in the island
 

15 JUNE 1997
war-ravaged north and east, according to police sources.
"Frankly, there are not enough men today." Senior Superintendent Lalith Gunasekera of the PoliceTraining School told the press on 28 May. "More and more women, meanwhile, are wil. ing to come forward and take on the responsibility of being a policewoman"The training school at Kalutara, 40km (25 miles south of the capital Colombo, had so far this year graduatec 456 women, while another 535 are waiting in the wings to be inducted as
Sub-inspectors and constables, he said. "This is the highest number of women to have been trained by usin one year - the history of the force," said a senior official attached to the
police recruitment and training division.
"Part of the fallout from this developmer is that the police can now release more me to serve in the north and the east in a supportive role to the army” said the officia "We release policewomen also to serve - the north and the east and so far they havs fared extremely well," Gunasekera said.
World Bank to Help Lanka Fight Aids: The World Bank agreed to provide assistance to the tune of 1.45 million U.S. dollars to set up a central complex for the HIV Control Program in SLanka. It will be one of the mostmodern complexes in the wo. . with all modern and sophisticated equipment to treat patiers with VD, HIV positive and AIDS symptoms, according to hea Sources in Colombo,
The building to house the laboratory and the treatment cliri. will be constructed on the land opposite the premises of ti : presentVD campaign office in Colombo,
The first positive Aids case in the country was reported confirmed in 1986, The victim was found to have been infects: during his stay in London. The sources said there are 22.
HIV-positive cases in the country at present and it is believe:
that more than 8,000 people are carriers of the AIDS virus.
British Food Aid: The United Kingdom has provided 320,00c U.S. dollars to Sri Lanka through the Food and Agricultural Or. ganisation (FAO) to support the cultivation of food and other field crops in the war-ravaged Jaffna peninsula.
Under the project, Jaffna farmers will be supplied with waterpumps and sprayers as well as vegetable, pulse and sesame seeds to resume these crops' production this year. About 2,000 farmer families in the 12 Agrarian Service Centre divisions i the peninsula will be selected as beneficiaries under this project Aid officials said they were concerned about malnutritior among civilians displaced by the fighting.
Lanka's Inflation Drops: Sri Lanka's annual inflation has beer dropping steadily in recent months, standing at 7.8 percent last month, according to the latest statistics from the Central Bank The latest Colombo Consumers' Price Index published by the Department of Census and Statistics for the month of May 1997 showed that the country's inflation declined to 14.3 percent in March from 16.8 percent last December and fell again to 7e, percent in May this year,
The Colombo Consumers' Price Index is generally consoered as an indicator of inflationary trends or price increases r Sri Lanka. "These trends confirm the expectations that inflatior is on a downward trend in Sri Lanka," the Bank said. It added that the government will continue to persist with its anti-inflationary policies with a view to stabilising the econorry and promoting economic growth, LTTE Kills 3 PLOTE Memberg:
A statement by the LTTE issued on 12 June said that LTTE forces successfully attacked Plot's headquarters in Batticake killing three PLOTE cadres.

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15 JUNE 1997
ONUMANRIGHTS
Case of Rape and Murder
Amnesty International in a statement dated 21 May said that Murugesupillai Koneswary, aged 35 and a mother of four children, was killed at her home in 11th Colony village in the eastern Batticaloa in Sri Lanka by a grenade being thrown at her genitals on the evening of 17 May, Reportedly only her two-year-old child was present when the attackers entered her house, but her husband and three older children Were not at home at that time.
Circumstantial evidence suggests that she may have been raped prior to being killed and that the perpetrators may have been one or more police officers attached to the nearby Central Camp police station, on the border between Batticaloa and Amparai districts. Neighbours say they heard screams from the house, and shortly afterwards they heard an explosion. When they tried to go to Murugesupillai Koneswary's home, they heard shooting and rushed back indoors so they did not actually see the perpetrators. However, because this area is under the control of the police, observers claim that it is unlikely that there could have been any other people with arms in the area at that time,
Local people believe that the perpetrators may have thrown the handgrenade near her genitals in order to cover up the evidence of rape. The husband of Murugesupillai Koneswary, who discovered her body, made a complaint at Central Camp police station. Some police officers then took her body to the hospital at Kalmunai, However, no medical examination was carried out. It is not clear why no examination took place. Some reports Suggest that the police, who also advised the relatives to dispose of the body, may have pressurised the hospital authorities.
Amnesty Internationalis deeply concerned at the reports of the killing and possible rape of Murugesupillai Koneswary at 11th Colony, Batticaloa district, on 17 May 1997, and at reports that the perpetrators are believed to be police of ficers. Amnesty International urges the Sri
Lankan government ent investigation and perpetrators to justic be provided to witne the alleged perpetrat Sure on them to influ the investigation anc Adequate compensa provided to the husb Murugesupilai Kone Amnesty Interna September 1996, the an 18-year-old studer after she was stoppe at Kaithady, Jaffna di spread public protes mother, brother and r missing on the same inquiries at the sentry were found approxim Post-mortem investi dence of rape on the g lic outcry, eleven mer rity forces were arre: with this case and le them is pending.
However, in less p ported from other par east, such as Several C Batticaloa district in e. vestigations have not fective legal action a perpetrators. In those where perpetrators ha trial, victims of rape ha in court because of f Amnesty International In the meantime, P Kumaratunga ordered alleged rape and killing the police and a spec tives from the Crimina partment had already to the east, official sour The President’s diri resentations made by singham, a TULF Men for Batticaloa, who c President that the Wol killed in the shoot-out a lice, but had been rap In a further statem reacting to the directio ordering an inquiry, Am noted that the inquiryh to the Criminal Investig (CID), a specialist un team is said to have go Colombo to carry out
Amnesty Internati that the local police neighbours and othe give evidence to the them to give evidence t tiate the police's vers Cording to one sourc now claiming that Mur wary was killed by a st
 

TAMIL TIMES 11
hold an independ) bring the alleged Protection should ses to ensure that 'S cannot put presIce the outcome of the legal process. on should also be nd and children of vагу. onal noted that in rape and death of who "disappeared" at a sentry point rict, created widein Sri Lanka. Her sighbour had gone ay after they made point. Their bodies tely 6 weeks later. ations found evil's body. Amid pubbers of the secuted in connection gal action against
ominent cases res of the north and ases reported from arly 1997, initial inresulted in any efgainst the alleged exceptional cases ve been brought to ve failed to appear ear for their lives, said. resident Chandrika an inquiry into the of Koneshwary by ial team of detecinvestigation Debeen despatched xes said on 7 June. !ctive followed repJoseph Pararajaber of Parliament mplained to the han had not been s made out by pod and murdered. bnt dated 13 June by the President Iesty International is been entrusted ation Department of the police. A e to the area from e investigations. hal is concerned ay threaten the Nitnesses not to ID or pressurise at would substann of events. Aclocal police are jesupillai Konesl, not a grenade.
However, there is no damage to the house, apart from the crater inside the
OOm.
There is also concern that the CD may not be seen to be impartial as they are part of the police, and that witnesses may be reluctant to come forward as a result.
Amnesty International has obtained further information about the possible circumstances leading up to the killing of Murugesupillai Koneswary. Apparently, she had been harassed by officers of the Central Camp police station since March 1997. Around that time, police officers had stolen timberwhich Murugesupillai KoneSwary had bought to build a more permanent home than the Small hut in which she had been living. She had made a complaint to the Officer-in-Charge of the police station, after which the timber had been returned. On the actual day of her killing, she had had a verbal altercation with police officers at a checkpoint. Witnesses reported that she had spoken back when they had used offensive language with her.
The alleged perpetrators of the killing and rape reportedly had put the youngest child, who was with Murugesupillai Koneswary on the night of 17 May, outside the house. The child had Wandered into a neighbour's house around 11.30pm. Just around that time, the explosion was heard.
it has been confirmed that a post mortem was carried out at Kalmunai hospital, but the results are unknown, Amnesty International urges the Sri Lankan government to provide protection to the witnesses in this case to ensure that the alleged perpetrators cannot put pressure on them to influence the outcome of the inquiry and any legal process that may follow from it. Adequate compensation should also be provided to Murugesupillai Koneswary's family, Amnesty International added.
Two Women Raped
in another statement dated 21 May 1997, Amnesty International said that on 22 March, four soldiers from the Mayilampaveli army camp were taken into custody on suspicion of being responsible for the reported rape of Velan Rasamma, aged 34, and her sister, Velan Vasantha, aged 28, on 17 March 1997. The soldiers were initially remanded by the Batticaloa magistrate. On 28 March, an identification parade was held but the two women reportedly failed to identify the soldiers responsible for raping them. However, their mother was able to identify one of the soldiers.
The captain in charge of Mayilampaveli army camp was transferred out

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12 TAMIL TIMES
of the area shortly after the incident, apparently as a disciplinary measure, Although the preliminary judicial inquiry is proceeding, it is unsure whether the prosecution will be successful. The four Soldiers have been released on bail.
Amnesty International has received reliable reports that Velan Vasantha attempted to commit suicide by swallowing poison. She had reportedly left a note explaining to her prospective husband that she was unable to continue to live after what happened to her. The suicide attempt was unsuccessful.
Amnesty International welcomes the initial action taken against the suspected perpetrators of the reported rape of Velan Rasamma and Velan Vasantha on 7 March 1997. Amnesty International urges the Sri Lankan government to provide protection to the women to allow them to give evidence without fear of intimidation.
Kumarapuram Massacre - Court Hearing Resumes
A witness labourer from told a court on 4 June how he saw bullets rake the thatched walls of his house as government soldiers stood outside firing, court Krishnan Palanivel, 30, whose father was among 25 people killed in a massacre of Tamil villagers in eastern Sri Lanka last year, was giving evidence against eight soldiers charged with the atrocity.
Women and children were among the dead in the attack on the village of Kumarapuram, 30 km (19 miles) from the eastern port town of Trincomalee, on February 11, 1996.
The soldiers have also been charged with the attempted murder of 26 civilians wounded in the attack. Seven witnesses, out of a total of 120, gave evidence when the hearing resumed on 4 June at the Magistrate's court in eastern Muttur.
Palanivel told court how, upon returning home from work that evening, he saw two persons in army uniform standing outside his house and firing. Bullets smashed the walls, which were made from Coconut thatch, he said. Palanvel said he later found the bullet-riddled body of his father inside. He identified two suspects as the people who had fired at his house.
A 27-year-old mother of three, Pakyarasa Purnam, told the court that she hid inside a shop with her children and husband after hearing gunfire. Two men dressed in army uniforms came to the shop and began shooting. Her husband was killed, but she managed to run away from the back door with the children, she said. She could not identify any of the Suspects.
TGE N'D
tate Minister of D St was in when he address ence on Friday 6 June dence not seen sincet round of the conflict ( War, three Ratwate sc efforts at defending th advancing army. Strik he described the LT whom now call jack any more."
Ratwate's exhibiti ness was easy to und Jaya Sikurui meaning "Victory assured" was ssfully as far as the ac tate was concerned. Th se began on 13 May, U on of overall operation north-east Major Gene dene two divisions C Soldiers were involvec
In the first phase 55th Division had capt miles to the north of V: the A-9 trunk road ol highway. Omanthaico the gateway to the Tig tory of the northern n was commanded by B goda while Brigadier N the second in commal of these troops was with two ancillary move rasankulam and Maha lary movements were to divert LTTE attentic acMance met With sti at places such as Ma Kulam, Panicka Neel drikku. Eitha Kulam. | were fierce altercatio of a church and a hou set up camp in the Om
The rampage at Ki soldiers was apparent soldiers being killed on the same day. The g an inquiry into the m plaints by human right Tamil members of par

15 JUNIE 1997
RSSTRIKEBACK OOR DIE"BATTLE
By DB SJeyaraj
efence Anuruddha
a buoyant mood ed a press confer, Expressingconfihe beginning of this ubbed the Eelam offed at the LTTE's eVanniagainst the ing a strident note TE as “Terrorists als and not tigers
on of brazen cockerstand. Operation "certain victory" or Drogressing Succequisition of real eshe preliminary phander the supervisicommander for the ral Asoka Jayewaromprising 23,000
the newly created ured Omanthai, 10 vuniya Town along the Jaffna-Kandy uld be described as Jer-controlled territainland. The 55th igadier Sunil Kottelihal Marambe was hd. The main thrust from Thandikulam ments from Poovamadhu. The ancilideshows intended n.The main line of of LTTE resistance nicka Valavu, Kovil aaviadi, and Pann Omanthai there hs at the premises sing scheme. They anthai Maha Vidya
Imarapuram by the ly retaliation to two y the Tamil Tigers overnment ordered SSacre after Com| organisations and iament.
layam School and a row of shop buildIngS.
After a period of a brief full the same 55th division continued northwards in an arc-like movement. At the time of Ratwate's press conference these troops had captured Rambai Kulam, Vilakku Vaitha Kulam and Periyamadu. They were within three miles to the south-west of Puliyankulam, 22 miles to the north of Vavuniya. Puliyankulam was the target destination of the 55th division in the second phase of Jayasikurui.
Likewise the 53rd division led by Brigadier Vasantha Perera had broken out of the Weli-Oya base complex on 13 May and had proceeded through tracts of jungle. This division had earlier been involved in Operation Riviresa and had effected the entry into Jaffna Town. The second in command was Brigadier Nanda Mallawaaratchi. The 53rd progressed along the axis of an old sand track cutting through jungles and villages and reached Nedukerny 25 miles to the north-east of Wavuniya Town. Initially the LTTE did not oppose this line of advance vehemently as it apparently misjudged it to be another diversionary tactic.
The 53rd division moved forward in two columns through rural villages such as Oonchalkatti, Vedivaichakallu, Maruthodai, Pattikkudiyi Ruppu, Othiyamalai, Senaipilavu and Perunkulam. There was heavy fighting in Pattikkudiyiruppu with the Tigers. After reaching Nedunkerny the troops set up camp in the Nedunkerny Madhya Maha Vidyalayam College. They also converted the entire Pattikkudiyiruppu-Othiyamalaivillages into a base complex. More importantly linkage by road was established with the Weli-Oya base complex 11 miles to the south-east of Nedunkerny, if Omanthai is the gateway, Nedunkerny, situated in the interface of the Vavuniya and Mullaitheevu districts was the nerve centre of the Tiger heartland or "thaya bhoomi" of the Vanni.
After consolidating, Nedunkerny troops in the second phase of Jayasikurui, moved eastwards towards Mullaitheevu Town securing villages such as Marichukkatti, Palampaasi, Velankulam, Maaraallluppai, Thannimurippukulam, Samma

Page 13
5 JUNE 1997
rasankulam and Kaathaliyaar Samarasan Kulam. They are now at a point between Thanduvaan and Oddisuddan, a key town in the Vanni. Oddisuddan is only seven miles from Mullaitheevu Town.
Incidentally one aspect of the ongo
ing military manoeuvre is that the media spotlight is mainly on the troops moving northwards on the Jaffna-Kandy road axis. The focus is on the establishment of a ground link between the Jaffna peninsula and Vavuniya. What is not being reported fully is the significant, and from an LTTE perspective, the more dangerous military advances in the Mullaitheevu district. t
The first week of June also saw heavy aerial bombardment and artillery shielling of places to the north of Mankulam and the South of Kilinochi. This suggested that troops from Kilinochi were also preparing to move southwards to Kokkavil where in 1990 an army camp was totally demolished by the LTTE. If troops moved down from Kilinochi too that meant the opening of a third front thereby increasing the pressure on the LTTE.
Thus at the time of Ratwatte's press conference the army was poised to take Puliyantheevu and Oddisuddan in amatter of days, Troops were also in preparedness to move from Killinochi to Kokkavil. The second phase of the operation Jayasikurui was to be concluded after the achievement of these objectives. In that context General Ratwatte's cup of joy was overflowing. It was in that euphoric frame of mind that Ratwatte derisively dismissed the LTTE on 6 June. Three days later after midnight of Monday the 9th the “Tiger jackals" demonstrated that Ratwatte had grossly underestimated the capability and capacity of the LTTE.
Ratwatte's derogatory description of the Tigers as jackals was another indicator that the powers that be in Colombo had still not understood the ramifications of the armed struggle waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the past 21 years. The deputy defence minister's choice of the word jackal was perhaps because that animal usually backs out of a fight with an animal or animals that are stronger than it. In that sense the simile was because in Ratwatte's eyes the LTTE too was not engaging the army in direct combat but retreating and attacking behind COver,
What Mr Ratwatte has failed to grasp is that while the LTTE possesses some attributes of a conventional army it is only a guerrilla organisation in essence. A guerrilla organisation however powerful it may be is no match for a regular army when it comes to positional warfare. The conventional army with all the resources of a state at its disposal has a clear advantage over the guerrilla outfit particu
larly in terms of fire AS Such in certains las adopt neither o but evasive tactics.
History is reple guerrilla organisatio themselves and fol direct combat. Thes rillas being decimate tically weakened. Iti leader Velupillai Pra On certain occasic other priorities the whole not engaged unnecessarily.
One example is resa in the Jaffna p The TTE resisted fiercely during Pha berto 5 December V of Valigaamam and tured. The progress layed to buy time sc relocate its cadres, large proportion oft to the Vanni. In stril resa Phase One th fer stiff resistance phases two and thr resa Were conclude and Vadamaraatchi Thus the LTTE des territorial Control in still remains a pow because the greate potential was not de Warfare with the arn The guerrilla pri tics Could besumme "He who fights and fight another day". F his generals does no ped this point if hi press conference ar note of. So when he to jackals not only bombastic overconf displaying a percep damentals of guerri the ancient chines says the basic less emy". Ratwatte's gra suggested that he ha the mind set of his Prabakharan.
Interestingly wh Minister Ratwatte c he also seemed toh jackal is an animal gence and cunning natural Science Sup jackall. The crafty “ case bided its time a sively. Every jackal Frederick Forsythe'. only a "day", Ratwa had nights and days Thandikulam is

TAM TIMES 13
power and numbers, situations the guerrilffensive or defensive
te with instances of ns who Over-reached ught state armies in e resulted in the guered, destroyedor drass to the credit of LTTE bakharan that except ons necessitated by Tigers have on the in positional warfare
that of Operation Rivieninsula in 1995-96, the advancing army se One from 1 Octowhere the greaterpart Jaffna Town were capof the army was de) that the LTTE could military assets and a he civilian population king contrast to Rivie Tigers did not profto the army when ee of Operation Rivid in the Thenmaratchi divisions respectively. spite having to cede the Jaffna peninsula werful guerrilla force or part of its fighting stroyed in positional ny. nciple of evasive tacd up by the doggerel runs away, will live to Ratwatte like many of bt seem to have grasS statements at the e to be taken serious compared the Tigers was he expressing idence but was also tible lack of the funilla Warfare. Sun Tzu e expert on warfare on is "know thy ennodiloquent statement ad still not understood principal adversary
en Deputy Defence alled the LTTE jackal ave forgotten that the endowed with intelli. Folklore as well as port this view of the LTTE Jackal" in this and struck back decihas its day. Unlike s "jackal" which had atte's “Tiger jackals"
in this encounter. about three miles
north of Vavuniya Town. Further to the north is Nochimottai. Until the beginning of "Operation
Jayasikurui "Thandikulam was the northernmost point of army controlled areas from Vavuniya along the JaffnaKandy road. The LTTE sphere of control began from Nochimottai north of the village, adjacent to Thandikulam. The Army checkpoint and PLOTE posts were at the Thandikulam-Nochimottai border. Nochimottai south was something of anoman's land, The LTTE positions began at Nochimottainorth.
Thandikulam being on the border of Tiger territory was quite Vulnerable to LTTE attacks earlier. Both the army as Well as the PLOTE Which assisted the forces were ever vigilant. After the Army's successful advance to Omanthai the LTTE line of control got further pushed up. This relieved the pressure on Thandikulam. Security measures in the area became slightly relaxed.
Since the main action was occurring in areas north of Omanthal and also be cause the beleaguered LTTE was expected to remain defensive the personnel stationed at Thandikulam did not expect a major attack from the Tigers, indeed the atmosphere in Thandikulam was something akin to Wavuniya Town itself without the forces fearing an imminent attack. Still the field headquarters of the 55th Division, ammunition dumps and long range artillery positions etc. were in the Thandikulam area.
The LTTE targeted Thandikulam for these reasons. It was classic guerrilla strategy where the hunted quarry doubles back across enemy lines, breaches defences and strikes unexpectedly at the off-guard rear. Information obtained from a cross section of orthodox and unorthodox sources provides a picture of what transpired.
According to LTTEsources the operation was codenamed “SE ALLATHU SETHU MADI" meaning “DO OR DIE" It was masterminded by LTTE supremo Prabakharan. The operation was implemented at field level under the supervision of Karuna or Karuna Amman. Karuna is the special commander (Viseda Thalapathi) of the Batticaloa and Amparai districts. Trincomalee is under Sornam, the Commander of the elite Charles Anthony Brigade. Balarajah, the overall DeputyMilitary Commander of the LTTE is in charge of the Vanni regional defences at preSent.
Karuna himself had been summoned by Prabakharan to the Vanni prior to the commencement of Jayasikurui. Apparently Prabakharan was displeased over certain aspects of the LTTE attack on Vavunatheevu and Valairavu. Although it was a success the LTTE leader expected a Su

Page 14
14 TAMIL TIMES
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Page 15
15 JUNE 1997
perlative performance from his men and it was in connection with that incident that Karuna came to the Vanni. Once Warbroke Out heavily in the Vanni, Karuna, an experienced leader was assigned a new task along with Newton, a very Senior leader of the LTTE. Newton is supposedly the foremost explosives expert in the LTTE. He is now in charge of training new recruits. Operation "Do or Die" was to be executed without hindrance to the crucial defensive measures being enacted in the Vanni.
Karuna and Newton cobbled together an assault force from diverse resources. Cadres from the Jeyanthan Infantry Brigade of the east were summoned hastily. They travelled from the east by both land and sea. Some of these cadres while travelling by sea came in for heavy attack off the coast of Kokkilai in the Mullaitheevu District. Likewise some cadres travelling by land were accosted by troops near the Habarana jungles, Apart from the eastern cadres of the Jeyanthan Brigade, a fresh batch of new recruits recently trained by Newton was also involved. Others were from the Women Corps' Black Tiger Suicide Squad and members of the "Cheeta" (Vengai) Commando Unit. Around 1,000 to 1.500 cadres Were assembled for the“Door Die" operation.
LTTE cadres crossed Westwards off the Jaffna-Kandy Road and converged clandestinely in Periyathambanai, tranai Iluppai Kulam and Palamottai by Monday 9 June. These places are to the west, north-west and north of Thandikulam respectively, Tracts of jungle, villages and fields lie in between. At nightfall on Monday the Tigers hurried through jungle tracks and footpaths to the vicinity or Thandikulam. The assault commenced around 2.00 am in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Near simultaneous attacks were launched. Two Tiger groups used Marukkarampalai and Pathiniyaar Mahilankulam as launching pads for their attacks on the forward defence lines of Samayapuram and Ganesha Puram. These along with Sivapuram and Manipuram are colony schemes adjoining Thandikulam. It is assumed that a few black Tigers blew themselves up to gain the advantage of Surprise, The Tigers quicklyranthrough Samayapuram and Ganeshapuram to mount an attack on the headquarters and cantonment at Thandikulam.
Two other groups also attacked Thaindikulam. One group penetrated and moved through Kokuveli and proceeded southwards to Thandikulam. The other infiltrated the secured area of Navatkulam between Vavuniya Town and Thandikulam. This contingent moved northwards via the farm school and attacked Thandikulam military positions. Thus Thandikulam was
attacked from fou north, north-west, s The main assaul supplemented by ty cks on the Forwarc PLOTE positions a group moved north koolankulam while th east from Shanthas at Nochimottai ove flowing into the "Par bridge known as th am" was blown up b The LTTE also st as cut out points. T tions of a tempora strategic key points prevent reinforceme leaguered enemy W in progress. These c in Nochimottai in th kulam in the south effective reinforceme ever, while the Tige Thandikulam.
The LTTE also u; the operation which of its kind for a guer gion. Unlike in earlie like Pooneryn, Mullai the LTTE used long time. Three artillery p in Shastrykoolankulal Kalmadu
130mm, 122mm ge artillery seized fror at Mullaitheevu, Para naWe Were used here used to attack artiller dikulam, Nochimottai reinforcements by la from Vavuniya. The Ai tary installations wer artillery barrage wase artillery commandee and Nochimotai wa than 250 shells were About 40 landed in area itself.
The LTTE overra 6.00 am on the mor 10th. They remained nodikulam until the eve 11th and began withd sday. The security for enterThandikulam or ning and were able t Friday. The governme sources intensely byl kulam and nearby are raeli K-Firs, Argentir Russian-built Mi24 were used for the pt Was also maintained Eeratperiyakulam ca The LTTE destroy dump and an arms away a sizable numb

AMIL TIMES 15
directions namely uth-West and South. on Thandikulam was o co-ordinated attaDefence Lines and Nochimottai. One east from Peyaadiother moved southlai. There is a bridge a tributary stream ngi AAru" river. This “Nochimottai Paalthe LTTE too. t up what are known ese are fixed posinature located at The purpose is to its reaching the behile the operation is ut outs were set up e north and Navatof Thandikulam. No ints were sent, hows were in control of
sed another tactic in is perhaps the first rilla force in this rer attacks on places heevu or Paranthan
range artillery this ositions were set up m, Veppankulam and
and 85mm long ranin the security forces anthan and Puluka... initially these were y positions in Thanand also to prevent nd and air coming rport as well as mili9 under attack. This inhanced later when ed at Thandikulam S also used. More
fired by the LTTE. he Vavuniya Town
in Thandikulam by ing of Tuesday the n full control of Thaning of Wednesday awing only on Thur:es were able to rely by Thursday evetake over fully on it used its aerial reombarding Thandias intermittently. IlsJean Puccaras and alicopter gunships pose, Artillery fire rom Vavuniya and pS.
dan ammunitions epot. It also took r of arms, artillery,
ammunitions and vehicles. An artillery point with three 25 pounder guns was found destroyed with 20 corpses of the Gunner Unit lying nearby.The government claims that the gunners after putting up a last ditch stand destroyed the guns themselves. The field headquarters, messes and barracks etc were also demolished by the Tigers in the 48 to 72 hour period they dominated Thandikulam.
There are conflicting versions about casualties and losses too. The Tigers claim that nearly 300 soldiers were killed by them in operation“Do or Die". They do not give the figures of the injured or of any one being taken prisoner. TheTigers also claim that five tanks and a helicopter have been destroyed by them. Concerning their losses the LTTE says that they lost 81 including 21 girls. They do not give figures of injured cadres. An unconfirmed report states that Newton was among three senior leaders killed in the fighting.
The Sri Lankan Defence Ministry claims are different. At the time of this article being written the official figures are 97 soldiers and 9 officers killed and 86 soldiers and 12 officers Wounded. The government also says that an undisclosed amount of persons are reported "missing" still. The government also claims that 210 Tigers including 70 women cadres have been killed although only 48 bodies have been recovered by the forces. Another 300 Tigers are wounded. Refuting LTTE claims the government says that a Czchech-built T-55 tank was destroyed and two damaged while a Mi24 helicopter incurred minor damage.
Some policemen at Kokuvely and a few PLOTE cadres have also been killed. In addition there are considerable civilian casualties too. Preliminary reports state that 19 civilians were killed and 32 seriously injured. A further 80 sustained minor injuries. When the LTTE cadres first entered villages adjoining Thandikulam prior to the commencement of the attack the Tigers asked the people to run away. Some people ran in the direction of Thandikulam and got caught in the crossfire. Later the LTTE artillery barrage along with the army shelling and airforce bombing also caused civilian casualties.
More than 7,000 civilians including 600 Muslims have been temporarily displaced as a result of this attack. They have been lodged in four refugee camps including one in a Muslim"Madrasa" or religious school. Some Muslims from Pattanichoor have gone to Medawachiya. Other Tamils and Muslims have also taken refuge with relatives and friends in Vavuniya.
At least 18 soldiers have fied from the combat zone along with the escaping civillians, Since there was a cordial relationship prevailing between soldiers and c

Page 16
16TAMILTIMES
vilians many people had helped the soldiers. Four soldiers had even borrowed verties from the people and worn them. The soldiers and civilians had fied through circuitous routes incorporating shrubjungle, paddy fields, lake bunds, sandy bylanes and gravel tracks etc to reach Vavuniya safely.
At one point of time there had been panic in Vavuniya over a rumour that the LTTE was about to invade Vavuniya. This rumour was reinforced by the artillery barrage of the Tigers. It was supposed that the barrage was a precursor to the LTTE invasion of Vavuniya on foot. Warnings given to fleeing civilians had also fuelled this rumour. Unable to disregard the rumour the security authorities had also taken up defensive positions first. Vavuniya itself became virtually a ghost town for sometime. Normalcy returned as with the passage of time the rumours were dispelled.
Vavuniya residents said that their fear of altiger take-over diminished only when they saw a cavalcade of tanks and armoured cars preceding 8 columns of soldiers proceeding towards Thandikulam, These were reinforcements from Medawachiya, Chettikulam and Eeratperiya Kulam. Vavuniya residents said that they were standing on either side of the streets and watched the armoured Vehicles proceeding. Although no one cheered the mood was generally appreciative as Wavuniya people enjoying normalcy and relative prosperity did not want their lives disrupted as a result of LTTE activity,
Despite the rumour it was quite clear that the LTTE would not try to captureVavuniya as it would be impossible to hold on to it. Even holding onto Thandikulam too is not possible mainly because of its geographical location. What was feared, however, was the LTTE temporarily invading Vavuniya, destroying strategic buildings and perhaps looting businesses. The LTTE considers the PLOTE dominated Vavuniya as a hostile people using the artillery at its disposal indiscriminately against Vavuniya itself is indicative of this.
When operation Jayasikurui began its objectives were fourfold. The first was to establish control of the Jaffna-Kandy Road; the second was to enlarge the area of the Weli-Oya Region. The third was to capture as much of LTTE territory in the Vannias possible. The fourth was to push back the LTTE lines further up away from Nochimottai so as to prevent LTTE artillery attacking the Vavuniya airport effectively. Through operation Sei Allathu Sethu Madithetigers have demonstrated that Vavuniya is by no means invulnerable. For a brief period the entire town of Vavuniya was in jeopardy.
Similarly the f diers at Omantha also a question ma ture of Thandikula of this vanguard a ily. Moreover the fi Was annihilated t into disarray. Thes psychological imp Thandikulam is of The Tigers ha ough action that th umns are not mon They have shown further and furthe ity and vincibility ers have shown th city and capability of this magnitude intelligence even that they possess as ability to hit the The attack ha ernment painfully vancing may be re the area captured As the troops exp trol manpower wi thereby increasing politico-military ot ment One Cannots eration being aba Thandikulam. But may slow down fu
Thandikulam the process of bei dated. The bulk of dominating Thand for two nights and ing through the ji forces are cautiou, authority in the a has visited the af boost morale of th General Ratw the LTTE has atta the head which is
TTE terrain. Ever more powerful tha Mr RatWatte. It is that Thandikulam tail but the back. was the complac the rear. The faul "protecting the pc ing your ass" or n depending of cou one intends to us Overestimatir and underestima been the twin mis gist. Ratwatte's di as jackals is illust also shows that h fundamental natu Lanka is embroil complacency con ment is quite like

SJUNE 1997
te of the front-line so
and Periyamadu was rk for a while. The capm saw the interdiction hd rearbase temporareld headquarters itself hrowing the operation
mbolic, militaristic and
act of the assault on profound significance, lve demonstrated thrje advancing army Colblithically impregnable. that as troops advance r their points of fallibillso increase. The Tigat they have the capato mount an operation without alerting army how. They have shown great mobility as well enemy hard. s also made the govaware that while adlatively easy, retaining | will not be that easy, and their area of conIl continue to thin out vulnerability. Given the bjective of this governee the Jayasikurui Opndoned as a result of the pace of Jayasikurui rther, and Nochimottai are in ng cleared and consolithe Tiger cadres after ikulam and its environs days are now withdrawungles of Madhu. The sly re-establishing their rea. General Ratwate Fected area in a bid to Ie Soldiers. atte has also said that cked the tail instead of making swift strides into the government tail is in the LTTE head, says pertinent to point out in this case was not the Nhat went wrong here ancy over the safety of there was that of not sterior" or not "watchot"guarding your back" rse on the terminology 9, g one's own strength ting the enemy have takes of many a stratescription of the Tigers ative of this, Besides it e has not grasped the re of the conflict Sribd in. If such cocksure inues then the governly to face some more
setbacks in the future. At the same time LTTE propagandists must also realise that despite its effectiveness a solitary "Thandikulam" success by itself cannot reverse the military course of action being pursued by the present government. Latest reports as of 15 June indicate that the casualty toll among the security forces in the Tiger attack at Thandikulam number 535. This comprises 180 killed, 328 wounded, and 27 reported missing. There were seven naval casualties among the casualties. All missing persons are presumed to have been killed with the exception of few high ranking officers taken prisoner by the LTTE. More than a hundred troops escaped death by fleeing along with Tamil civilians to Vavuniya town.
Among the wounded, 94 have been classified as less severely injured (P2) and remaining 129 in all are described as "walking wounded"(P3).
The LTTE artillery barrage has also caused considerable damage to the sprawling military complex base known as the Joseph base in Vavuniya town. The Vavuniya airforce base also incurred damage in the attack.
Reports also state that the government was compelled to re-deploy troops from the front-lines of Omanthai and Nedunkerny to counter the LTTE at Thandikulam. Personnel belonging to the 55th division from Omanthai led by Brig. Sunil Kottegoda had to retrace their steps and moved backwards to reach Nochinottai north on foot. Commandos and special airborne brigade troops from Nedunkerny were airlifted back to Vavuniya for the counter-offensive at Thandikulam. Reports add that the 55th division headquarters and cantonment at Thandikulam have been totally demolished. Defence ministry sources have also admitted that Thandikulam base and its contiguous forward defence line outposts have been totally overwhelmed. Logistical requirements have necessitated the partial withdrawal of personnel from both the PuliyankulamOmanthaias well as the Nedunkerny-Oddisuddan fronts. As such the progress of Operation Jaya Sikurui seems to have been temporarily halted. O

Page 17
15 JUNE 1997
T:SSINSFIRSI
By Dr.S.Narapalasingam
ing power passed on to the Labour Party from the Tories following the
recent general election in Britain has aroused interest in the successful working of democracy in this multi-ethnic country, it may be recalled that universal suffrage came to Britain only in 1918 and to Ceylon, its then colony, not long after in 1931.While democracy in Britain has kept the country united, in Sri Lanka it has divided the people bitterly, resulting in the present bloody conflict. Even among the majority Sinhalese, there are many who are disappointed with the way it has functioned in Sri Lanka.
The decorum seen inthe ways all parties in Britain conducted their election campaigns must have envied the informed Sri Lankans. There were no violent incidents and no one was physically hurt. There were no harassment, intimidation, thuggery, abduction and arson throughout the six-weeks long campaign as well as on election day, Nor was there any post-election violence. People celebrated Labour party's landslide victory in very civilised manner. The two main opposition parties, Labour and Liberal Democrats, focused on matters relating to policy and competence to
govern. The failures of the Conservative government and the policy and the changes that their parties would introduce totackle the various problems fortheimmediate and long-term benefit of the people and the country were spelt out. The division within the ruling Tory party and the ways it handled the domestic problems as well as those arising from Britain's membership in the European Union were also highlighted.
The Conservative Party with its low rating in the opinion polls highlighted the positive trends in the economy. The economic indicators which showed low interest rates, low inflation, falling unemployment and higher growth rates compared with other EU countries were cited to prove its achievements. Prime Minister, John Major's determination and good humour during the campaign trail won him many admirers, despite his party's unpo
T he peaceful and dignified way rul
pularity. Political a seen only on billbo walls, lamp posts a ble space along pl Lanka.
All registered pa equitably by the bro including the BBC casts. Here too the on policy issues ar fectively the local ar There were no raci election propaganda issuing cards con pledges, called the t the British people w of this card was the card and see we kee Blair kept on stres campaign, "What if Hold me to it."
Media and the Jud The British mec role in ensuring mc democratic freedom tronic media have th the governments an doing by persons in of their positions in dependence of the E is beyond reproach. ous rulings of judge lating to IRA bombir the appeal court as to convict the suspe ered to be unsound of the Home Secret cial in the governme. and order have bee Courts.
The political deb expressed freely by cal parties and matt in the radio and tel On Current affairs b impartial way the el tion in Britain. The E government and ha under a Royal Char position parties to c the public. Moreove programmes, the C
 

TAM TIMES 17
dvertisements were ards and not on the d every other availaublic roads as in Sri
Lrties were given time adcasting companies, or their party broadmphasis was mainly ld ways to tackle efhd national problems. st overtones in their a. Labour's strategy of taining its election enpoint contract with as unique. At the top statement, "Keep this pour promises"Tony sing throughout the promise, I will deliver,
iciary lia play an important rality in politics and 1. The print and elece freedom to Criticise d expose any wrongauthority, regardless government. The inBritish judicial system Recently, the previis in Some cases regs were quashed by the evidences used cts were later discow. Even some rulings ary, the highest offiht responsible for law noverturned by the
ates and the opinions the public on politi2rs of public concern vision programmes bar testimony to the ctronic media funcBC is funded by the s been established ter. It too allows oponvey their views to in news and other abinet Ministers are
grilled fearlessly by the interviewers. The Broadcasting Act 1990 (which covers the independent sector) insists on impartiality in political coverage,
The need to have independent regulatory bodies in Britain originates solely from the standpoint of public interest. The Independent Broadcasting Authority, Monopolies and Mergers Commission, National Consumer Council and other regulatory bodies that have been established in respect of the recently privatised public utilities all exist to safeguard the interest of the general public. These are not used to serve the interest of the political party in power or their leadership.
Another significant feature of British democracy is that even the conduct of MPs is from time to time called into question by fellow members in the House of Commons. Besides the standard Parliamentary Select Committees, independent authorities are set up to investigate any allegations of misconduct when matters of grave concern arise. For instance, the report of Lord Nolan's committee on how standards of MPs might be improved was debated by the House on May 18, 1995. The committee's recommendations were accepted and among these were: MPs should be required to disclose the precise amount of income they receive from any outside source; appointments to any quango should be independently vetted; likewise the jobs that ministers take after leaving office should be independently Vetted; and MPs should not work for lobbying companies.
When President Jayawardene using his two-thirds majority in parliament dismissed the entire supreme court and instigated mobs to attack judges who handed down unpopular judgments, he was undermining democracy. When police officers found guilty of human rights violations by the supreme court were rewarded the very next day by promotions to senior positions, justice was ridiculed. The last free and fair election was in 1977, which brought the UNP under the leadership of J.R. Jayawardene to power with four-fifth majority. When democratic principles and values were thrown overboard by the powerful rulers for their own benefit, the media in Sri Lanka failed to speak out on behalf of the powerless people.The numerous deceitful measures taken defiantly by the leaders, starting from drafting the country's constitution with ulterior political motives to the politicisation of the institutions, whose independence is vital for assuring the rule of law and adherence to democratic principles, would not have been possible had the media protested in the way they did recently against the objectionable provisions in the Broadcasting Authority Bill. The independent press has often been gagged by the im

Page 18
18 TAMIL TIMES
position of censorship but even when it was free from censorship, it did not play its role to inform the people objectively not only of events but also of their consequences.
The role of the opposition in Parliament is percelved by Sri Lankan politicians very differently from that performed by their British counterparts. In Britain the opposition functions as the governmentin-waiting, having its shadow cabinet to follow closely the operations of the various Ministries and Departments. Policies are examined and even the conduct of Ministers are closely monitored by their counterparts in the shadow cabinet. Constructive and responsible criticisms based on facts are made as and when the need arises. The absence of the above practice in Sri Lanka showS the negative attitude of Lankan politicians when they lose the power to rule and have to serve the public from the opposition.
Ethnic and Cultural Diversity
People of different races, religions and cultures coexist along with the majority English. The sectarian violence is between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The IRA, a paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland had been engaged in violent acts directed against the British establishment. However, the British government did not react to these acts with vengeance by harassing the Irish catholics indiscriminately even when Lord Mountbatten (Queen's cousin and the first Governor-General of India) was killed by the IRA. There have been few racially motivated attacks against citizens of Asian origin in the past but the authorities have never Condoned such acts. Church leaderstoohave persistently condemned racial hatred and are active in promoting tolerance and unity.
Importantly, there are various independent organizations like the Commission for Racial Equality, Joint Council for the Welfare of immigrants and the British Refugee Council that expose any discriminatory acts against coloured immigrants and espouse equality of citizens, regardless of their ethnic origins, sex and colour of their skin. There are the Citizens Advice Bureaus in almost all council boroughs, where concerned citizens can obtain proper advice free of charge on matters ranging from employment to civic rights. The scheme by which legal aid is made available to the needy to finance their legal costs is also noteworthy. What is significant here is that these organisations are financially supported by the British government and allowed to function independently. There is the independent Police Complaint Authority to investigate complaints against the police officer(s) alleged to have misbehaved.
Everyone wielding is accountable to : ent body and in the
ln Victory and Det On May 2, the election those wh smooth way the ou John Major handec the victorious Tony the decorum with W during the few hours ing in ceremony of ter at Buckingham sent histop official denceforhim to tra he used the older ( submit his resigna the mean time, art der way for him to v dence at 10, Dowr speech John Maj Downing Street bek dignified and fitting said: "it has been to serve as Prime Kingdom over the
It is a privilege t people and it is a v indeed. I have beet ment for 18 years. | of the Governmen Cabinet for ten yea since 1990. When time to get off the Il propose to do”. H. out any visible ar gracefully.
Tony Blair whe ing Street from th Sworn in as the ne in his speech: “Il si may, by paying trib John Major for his age over these las manner of his lea cency of which is and I am pleased As stand here b Street, know all sponsibility that is trust that the Briti in me. This is nota for doctrine, or a r was a mandate to in our country tha ing for the future ( Labour Governm terests of all our p nation. That can be a Governmen trust in politics in it up, that decentr ple hope once ag should be always public. Today, eno now to do."
When Tony E

15 JUNE 1997
ower in government me truly independand to the people.
at
ay after the general saw the Swift and joing Prime Minister the reins of power to Blair will never forget ich the two behaved preceding the swearhe new Prime MinisPalace. John Major ar to Tony Blair's resiel to the Palace, While ar to go there first to on to the Queen. In angements were unacate the official resiing Street. The short or delivered outside re resigning was very for the occasion. He in immense privilege Minister of the United
last 6% years. hatcomestovery few ery precious privilege a Member of Parliahave been a member t for 14 years, of the rs and Prime Minister the curtain falls it is stage and that is what le said all these Withger accepting defeat
n he arrived in Downe Palace after being W Prime Minister said ould like to begin, if ute to my predecessor dignity and his court few days and for the ing, the essential dethe mark of the man to pay tribute to him. fore No 10 Downing too well the huge reipon me and the great h people have placed mandate for dogma or turn to the past, but it get those things done desperately need doBritain. And this new ht will govern in the inople - the whole of the romise you. And it will that seeks to restore is country, that cleans ises it, that gives peoin that politics is and bout the Service of the gh of talking-it is time
air, the youngest Brit
ish Prime Ministerin this century selected his Cabinet team, he saw to it that it represented the entire party spectrum. The Cabinet and the Power Steering Committee (the inner Cabinet group) are likewise not restricted to the major ethnic group, the English. Many senior Labour politicians are from Scotland. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Defense and Foreign Secretaries and the Transport Minister represent Scottish constituencies. The Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine of Lairg is a Scot. in fact nearly a third of the members of the new cabinet are Scots for no reason other than their competence and long period of service to the Labour movement. in the previous Tory government also there were Scots, though not in this proportion. Their ethnic background did not stand in the way of these appointments. The English and the Scots too had quarrelled in the distant past and engaged in warfare. Although they are determined to safeguard their separate national identities, for the majority the past is history, Labour party's well planned approach (its manifesto was released a year before the election), that brought great success in the general election was also evident in the way the new Labour Government started the business of governing immediately after assuming office. No time was wasted in victory celebrations and in organizing the facilities for those in power to lead a new pompous lifestyle. In many Eastern societies, the perception of those who have acquired power is that power must be conspicuous for the people to respect them! They then set about exhibiting the power they have acquired in the most indecent way,
The new Government did not have to devote its time in organizing the means to punish its political opponents. Nor did they have to engage in witch-hunts to punish civil servants who worked enthusiastically under the previous government. The time the Sri Lankan governments had spent over the last two decades in such vengeful work was colossal. This became routine since the time political neutrality of the public service was destroyed for narrow partisan reason. Even some progressive reforms introduced by a previous government are anathema to the succeeding government, solely for the sake of denying any credit to its political opponent. Time has little value for Lankan legislators when it comes to solving national problems.
The very first words in the Queen's speech (May 14) were; "My Government intends to govern for the benefit of the whole nation"This was also reiterated by Tony Blair when he said: "We have started as we mean to go on offering leadership, setting the agenda, not having it set for us. In short, doing the job we were elected

Page 19
15 JUNIE 1997
to do - governing for the whole nation." The Government's seriousness to implement its election manifesto immediately was evident from the 22 Bills and 3White Papers listed in the Queen's speech for action during the very first session of the new Parliament. Top priority is given to education and Constitutional reforms.
The Referendums Bill for Scottish and Welsh devolution was the first Bill introduced on May 15, the day after the opening of the new Parliament. The new Labour Government has also decided to introduce a Bill that will incorporate into the UK law the main provisions of the European Comention on Human Rights. Anew law to make racially motivated violence and racial harassment specific offence is expected to be in the Crime and Disorder Bill included in the list. Britain's foreign policy will have an ethical dimension with a focus on human rights. According to the new Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, it will "support the demands of other people for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves."
Devolution
The Scots and the Welsh have never complained that they have been the victims of discrimination by governments in Westminster in education or employment. There have never been attempts by the British governments to change intentionally the demographic character of Scotland and Wales. In terms of the proportion of the population, Scotland has a higher ratio of MPs in the British Parliament than in England. There is already some decentralisation via the Scottish and Welsh offices functioning under the direction of the respective cabinet Ministers in Westminster.
Scotland has a strong national identity and a majority of Scots have long backed a Scottish legislative assembly. This is not to be mistaken for complete independence. The opinion of the peoples of Scotland and Wales on devolution is clearly evident from the results of the general election. The Conservatives' robust defence of the Union in its present form, in the election campaign also contributed to their humiliating defeat in Scotland and Wales. The party failed to win a single seat. The Scottish National Party (SNP) won only 6 out of the 72 seats in Scotland. 56 seats went to Labour (50) and Lab Co-op (6). Liberal Democrats got elected in 10 Scottish constituencies. The Welsh nationalists (Plaid Cymru) won only 4 out of the 40 seats in Wales. The pro-devolution parties, Labour (31), Lab Co-op (3) and Lib Dem (2) captured all the other 36 seats.
A White Paper giving details of the proposed parliament and assembly is expected to be published soon. With re
gard to the former, it ckosely the recomme tish constitutional C Labour and Liberal parliament will be headed by a chief m for a fixed four-year cluded from the parl be: Defence and fore tion and nationalit Economy and tax ( vary income tax by 3 Deputy Prime Prescott's additional tary of State for the F tion of the important government to devot gions. The policy of Contrast to "old" Lab from centralised pov rule" to the people. A forward to establish r agencies in England latter is expected t mayor and a strategi must be aware that it ment and Welsh asse successful, English for their own assemb to a more federal sys mOW. Labour Views t form as "modernisin and to make fair wha leaders Seem to hav ahead into the twen realise that this char nomic and social sta in the new era.
Tony Blair's first Britain, after assun Northern Ireland on Sinn Fein the chance ment officials before and the first meeting 21. He also made it that he wanted Sinn F party talks but insist be excluded until th cease-fire. Tony Blai predecessor John M to make another effo into the full political nouncing itin Belfast. tive government, La Seek reconciliation a ment in Northern Ire operation with the ( Republic of Ireland.
Conclusion
The majority oft in the so-called matur not intellectuals. The sons, who have the V age to speak out ag. ominous blunders of the langer interestoft responsible for the vil

TAMILTMES 19
s expected to follow dations of the Scotonvention, a mainly Democrat body. The a single chamber, nister and would sit erm. The areas exament's powers will gn affairs; immigrat; Social security; xcept for power to p on basic rate).
Minister, John role as the Secrelegions is an indicae given by the new fe powers to the rehe "new" Labour in our is to move away fer by giving "home Bill is to be brought gional development outside London. The o have an elected c body. The leaders the Scottish parliaImbly are seen to be regions too will opt lies, which will lead tem than envisaged he constitutional reg what is outdated it is unjust." Labour e the vision to look ty-first century and nge is vital for ecobility and progress
official visit outside hing office was to May 16. He offered of meeting govern
an IRA ceasefire, took place on May clear in his speech eintojointhe multied that they would e IRA declared a
had consulted his ajor about his plan t to bring Sinn Fein process before anLike the Conservapour also Wants to ld a political settleand working in coovernment of the
e population even bd democracies are w enlightened persion and the courinst injustices and heir rulers do so in eir societies. Those dictive, violent and
un-Buddhistic politics practised in Sri Lanka undermined democracy for achieving their narrow goals. The intelligentsia and the print media by their acts of commission and omission, particularly the broadsheets had condoned it. Paradoxically, Buddhist clergy too had played a major partin its development. But it is the innocent people, who are called now to make sacrifices and are paying with their lives for the horrendous blunders of their leaders in the hope of a better and secure future for their societies.
What is practised in Britain is not majoritarian democracy. It cannot work satisfactorily in any multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-cultural Societies. Like the Scots and the Welsh, the Tamils in Sri Lanka too have a distinct regional identity. The threat to peace will remain, as long as ruling power is not devolved sufficiently to the regions (as in Britain need not be symmetrical) and by connection to the minority groups. The arguments advanced by some economists against devolution ignore the failure of centralised decision-making, over the past 50 years, to achieve high economic growth and living standards seen in some East Asian Countries.
Separation is not a viable option for lasting peace, as this will not solve the human and economic problems and lessen the hostility. Constraints on resources for investment in the economic and social sectors as a result of preemption by defence will become a major source of discontent and unrest.
In a climate of enmity, minorities living in mixed areas will also suffer. Devolution offers a chance to narrow the wide gap between the people and their rulers. The latter will be compelled to accord priority to the needs of the local people. They will also be conscious of their responsibility to the people. In short, by devolving powers to the regions democracy can be made to serve the people in all the regions, rather than the narrow political interests of the two main parties in Sri Lanka.
Professor Robert Oberst, a visiting American Scholar in Sri Lanka has quite rightly warned that the political patronage system that has paralysed Sri Lanka's bureaucracy and police poses a great threat to democracy in the island. According to him, devolution of power would be resisted by those who fear losing immense patronage benefits in a reformed political structure. Those who are stalling the select committee process by either opposing the devolution proposals or not taking a stand at all are in effect obstructing the replacement of the political patronage system by political democracy.O.

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20 TAMIL TIMES
The Integration of Peac and the Peace Proc
alavanar, Former Additional Secretary to
of Members of Parliament visited two countries, studied conflict resolution and came out with the joint recommendation that the Government and the LTTE should re-commence negotiations with a view to resolving the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It is indeed a healthy sign to find Parliamentarians from different po!- itical parties making a joint statement of this nature. In this paper, an attempt is made to provide a framework under which such talks could take place without necessarily throwing away any useful work that has been done to date.
The recent agreement between the President and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament was a bold step by the two leaders, the like of which was never seen before in the post-independence period in this country. That a facilitator had to come in to help in the process, though could have been avoided, nevertheless serves as a useful device for future efforts in bringing peace to Sri Lanka. It is worth noting that neither the Presidentnor the Leader of the Opposition conceded anything to the facilitator, either before, during or after the signing of the letters that have been exchanged by them. They did not concede anything to any other party either, except for the assurance provided to all peace loving people of Sri Lanka that peace efforts will be taken above party politics and the results will be honored by both parties, if there is prior agreement on them. There was also special reference to talks even with the LTTE. in this situation, the logical questions are, "Can peace talks be resumed with the LTTE? If so who should participate? What is the position of the Government's Devolution Package? What is the role of the Parliamentary Select Committee? How could the parties which are not directly involved in the negotiations get their views considered? How could the safety and security of everyone guaranteed? Above all how could the peace process be sustained in an environment where man-made disasters cannot be ruled out?" Obviously, there are no simple and clear answers to all these and related questions. However there is nothing like trying some answers in the interest of peace in Sri Lanka.
D uring the recent months, two groups
Simple logic tel|| ties are fighting each made only if either stop fighting and pla solve their problems mes of material Writt flict in Sri Lanka hav that is being done to War as well as other have no connection previous Governme war even after elever Sent Government di to end the war eithe of its term even wit the likes of which we viously during the po riod. Even at this st the fighters is sough ply that the war can to any modern fight deadly weapons at ment. Similar encou! forthcoming to supp chair fighters who by the war and th scores should be se
The large majori country do not belo referred to in the pl is desirable even at warring parties to ta of these people whi to stop the war but h; Out those Who refus did happen in 1994 to expect that it wi Within the next three tinues like this, The political parties have eral Parliamentaria also recognized thi should be brought t
One of the sigr at this stage is ther is brought about, I have proper enviro Cuss the measures peace to the counti ere. It is particularly that emotional react violence do not clo tive analysis by tho with the responsibi the job that they ha The cease-fire shc
 

15 JUNE 1997
sus that if two par| other, peace can be party loses or if they Ce faith in talkStore, Volumes and Voluen on the ethnic cona shown the damage those involved in the s in the country who with the fighting. The nt could not end the long years. The pred not find it possible r, during the first half h enhanced efforts, renotwitnessed prest-independence peage, if the advice of it, we may get the rebe won. This applies 3r who has access to hd other war equipragement will also be Ort the Warfrom armjo not lose anything ose who think that httied. yof the people of this ng to the categories evious paragraph. It this late stage for the ke note of the views do not have bullets ave the ballot to throw to stop the war. This . There is no reason I not happen again years, if the war conleaders of the major recognized this. Sevns and others have s. Therefore the war
an end. ificant steps needed fore a cease-fire, If it arliamentarians will ment to sit and dismeant to bring about in a calm atmosphimportant to ensure ons to destruction by d positive and objecte who are entrusted ty of doing justice to e been elected to do. uld also be properly
monitored by an independent party, preferably a foreign party acceptable to both sides. The Government, the LTTE, the official opposition party and other parties and organizations should help to stop the violence that is causing so much of destruction to the people and their properties.
A second factor of crucial importance isthe feedbackfrom the people to the Parliamentary Select Committee's work. Here again the need for a peaceful atmosphere needs no extra emphasis. Of special relevance is the feedback from the people of the North and East and even from other areas. No solution Worked out through the ongoing process could have much credibility as a solution if the people as a whole are denied the facility of studying the measures contemplated and making their views known to the Select Committee.
The Tamils in particular should feel that they are free to go to possible meeting places, have discussions, and make their views known to the Select Committee without the fear of being taken into custody by law enforcement authorities on suspicion. In this process, facilities which enable Tamils and others outside the North and East to interact with the people of the North and East are most desirable. It is therefore very necessary to revise the various security checks within and between regions to help the Select Committee process in a meaningful way. This is a matter that the Select Committee itself should insist on to ensure that all sections of the people of this country are provided adequate facilities to make representations to it. The ceasefire referred to earlier will be a first step in the right direction.
While a cease-fire is a first necessary step to bring about a calm atmosphere in the country, of equal importance is the provision of the basic needs to the Lakhs of people who have been displaced from their homes. These people and the people elsewhere in the country, especially the Tamil speaking people, who overwhelmingly voted for peace at the last General and Presidential elections should be convinced that meaningful measures are taken to bring to an end the suffering that they have gone through during the past fourteen years. Provision of basic needs is thus a top priority item in any peace effort.
It is well known that the North and East of the country have been seriously affected by the violence of the past fourteen years. After the cease-fire, urgent matters that need attention are the resettlement of people, reconstruction and rehabilitation. While discussions on Devolution and related issues continue, the details of resettlement, reconstruction and

Page 21
15 JUNE 1997
rehabilitation should be worked out simultaneously by groups consisting of Government representatives and the local political and administrative machinery, including the militant cadres in the respective areas. The participation of all these parties will be facilitated if the amnesty announced by the Government is kept open and the security of everyone is ensured. The rehabilitation should also cover the rehabilitation of human beings. In this Connection, We must learn from what has been happening in the world and accept the fact that today's militants could be tomorrow's protectors of the Nation. The attitude of forgetting and forgiving is of crucial importance as preached by all our religions.
As noted earlier the country could not
achieve peace by violent means for four
teen years. That peace cannot be achieved by violent means has been accepted earlier by both parties involved in the violent conflict in Sri Lanka. The earlier peace talks took place on this basis, When talks broke down, a clear strategy was not available to explore further peace initiatives without escalating the war. Consequently, mutual mistrust between the Government and the LTTE has increased, Under the circumstances, if talks without mediation are not considered helpful by the Government and the LTTE, the obvious alternative is to have talks facilitated by third party mediators. If the Government and the main Opposition party who were not at war with each other found it necessary to have a facilitator to work out and sign an understanding of the type referred to earlier, can we expect the Government and the LTTE to commence peace talks without the help of a facilitator?
However, no third party will like to come in as a mediator if the parties involved in the conflict do not ask for such mediation. If the assistance of an International organization or another Government is considered helpful, the initiative to get such help, should be taken by the Government. Instead of continuing with the costly war, the Government should consider this option seriously, especially at a time when the mediation process could provide very useful feedback to the Select Committee. Such discussion with the help of a third party mediator should also bring the main opposition party directly into the process, thus giving meaning to the agreement signed by the President and the Leader of the Opposition. The other parties represented in Parliament as well as the rest of the country will have their say through the Select Committee process.
it was in fact unfortunate that the earlier talks were conducted without either
party placing a peace package for Con
sideration. The ea in April 1995 and nounced a Devoluti 1995. The Package fied and a legal dra Government in Jar has been subject ous levels, the mos the Parliamentary the Government, party and the othe lect Committee wis cussions with the together and prepa taking into conside sions that took pla the same available Work to resolve the ment along with pro needs of the affecte proach on resettlel and rehabilitation, curity to all concern for further dialogue initial document she vative piece of work enough to the Tamil the LTTE. The LTT prepare a similar do same available as a feedback from the ta ered by the Select ( to time for further a In an earlier pa pointed out that the announced by the ( complete peace pac ps that are necessar ce have also been However, it is not int cus all the suggesti the present purpose mework for a coordir ordinated effort sho formulation and ap peace package, Mai in the past for want tation.
Since properimp cial importance to peace process, it is some of the key is: monitoring, review, f tion work connected package. In this rega that the monitoring, Work should be carr ing basis during for mentation. This will rective action whene Countered, Evaluatic is to be undertaken able phase in the ir We will like to know pected benefits hav in order to do the tory manner, it is r state the present (b.

TAML, TIMES 21
ler talks broke down he Government anIn Package in August has since been modiwas released by the uary 1996. This draft o discussion at variimportant one being Select Committee. If he main Opposition s involved in the Se| to have serious disTTE, they could get e an initial document ration all the discus:e to date and make as a political frameconflict. Such a docuposals to meet basic people, planned apment, reconstruction nd guarantee of seed could be the basis on the subject. The uldbe a highly innoto make it attractive speaking people and E on its part should cument and make the n initial proposal. The alks could be considDommittee from time Ction. per, the Author has legal draft package Government is not a kage. Additional stey to bring about peastated in that paper. ended to bring to foons in that paper, as is to bring out a fralated effort. Such could not end with the proval of an agreed yagreements failed of proper implemen
lementation is of cruthe success of the relevant to discuss ues involved in the pedback and evaluawith the final agreed rod, it is useful to note eview and feedback edout on a continumulation and impleacilitate speedy corfer problems are enn is an exercise that at the end of a suitplementation when Whether all the exbeen realized. above in a satisfacecessary to briefly seline) situation. At
present, we have an Executive Presidency which has been widely criticized by the people as not being suitable for us. The Provincial Councils System established under the unitary framework has been recognized as not suitable to meet the aspirations of the national minorities by the present governing party. The NorthEast Provincial Council was dissolved after functioning for a little over two years. Since then, for about eightyears there had been no Provincial Council for that Province. When the People's Alliance sought a mandate from the people, it promised to provide for maximum devolution, stop the war and bring about peace. However, as noted earlier, peace through direct talks failed to materialize and in the absence of an alternative strategy to take the peace process forward, the war was enhanced as a War for peace.
The losses to the country resulting from the war, including expenditures on defence, which were estimated to add up to about Rs. 100 Billion per year when the present Government came to power have shot up to about Rs. 150 Billion per year since then. Likewise, the loss of life which was about 5,000 per year when the Government came into office, shot up to about 7,000 per year since then. More than six Lakhs of people from the North and East have lost their homes and become refugees. Over two Lakhs of students from those areas are struggling to continue their education in pathetic conditions under trees without adequate furniture, etc. and without even necessities such as exercise books and the like. Higher education in the North has almost come to a stand still. People throughout the country are living in constant fear that there may be a major attack or bomb blast. The several check points throughout the country, partially and totally closed roads and the presence of armed security personnel in many places serve as reminders of the above to the people as well as visitors to this country.
Our country which was said to be marching towards a newly industrialized country status not so long ago seems to be going in the opposite direction. Fall of per capita income, increasing unemployment, increase in the cost of living, fall in the standards of living, etc. are being faced by the people.
When actions are initiated to implement any peace package, three groups of activities should be subject to close monitoring, review and feedback process. Firstly, all the actions contemplated should be scheduled and prepared in the form of a programme, which should be subject to daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual monitoring as appropriate and adequate feedback provided to the decision makers. Secondly, the benefits and the

Page 22
22 TAMIL TIMES
reduced harmful activities should be identified and made known to the decision makers and the people on a continuing basis. Thirdly, there should be an alertness to possible man made disasters that could upset the peace process. These tasks should be assigned to a Peace Secretariat that would function in a responsible manner with a sense of Commitment to peace. During the early stages, this Secretariat should function as an organization whichis primarily designed to handle disasterS.
When reference is made to man made disasters, attention also needs to be given to ways and means of taking action to prevent disasters. Experts who have handled such situations elsewhere in the Worldwill
be able to advise as to how signals on
' impending disasters could be identified, monitored and feedback provided. There should be in position a countrywide monitoring arrangement. If disasters occur, they will create disturbances which in turn will put back the peace process. Hence there should also be in position a disastermitigation arrangement.
A Peace Secretariat will be an important organization in the performance of the above tasks. However, a Secretariat alone cannot be expected to handle the above matters adequately. There should also be in position an organization which
could provide the net Status to the Secreta tivities. Key political tral and Regional le. ers should form suc is also desirable th functions above par
Reference was r Commission in the 1995. It is most ap| the functioning of the to above, under a Commission (which ( based and wested W authority than a Dev as its supporting Se lishment of a Peace supporting Peace Se Suggested as integri package to handle Commission shoulc President or the Prin Executive President ged). The Leader oft liament, Chief Minis Members nominatec (same number as the nisters) and not m Workers appointec should be the othern mission. The admin Peace Secretariat sl Secretary of the Con
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Issary authority and at and guide its aceaders at the Cenls and peace workan organization. It it the organization
politics. ade to a Devolution package of August ropriate to arrange Secretariat referred gh powered Peace ould be made broadh wider powers and lution Commission) retariat. The estabXommission and the cretariat are strongly l parts of the peace mplementation. The be headed by the he Minister (after the ial System is channe Opposition in Parters of the Regions, from the Parliament number of Chief Miore than five Peace by the President members of the ComIstrative head of the hould function as the nmission. (These are
analogous to a Disaster Management Council and a Disaster Management Secretariat suggested to handle natural disasters by a joint committee headed by the Author some years back).
New institutional arrangements created along with changes should come into existence, only interms of the new needs. If there is a Peace Commission of the type suggested, it will provide an ideal opportunity to decide on all matters relating to Centre - Region conflicts through healthy consultations. The chances of witnessing the recurrence of the unfortunate experiences of some of the Provincial Councils will be considerably reduced. Even matters such as the need for State of Emergency in a Region could be discussed by the Peace Commission in the first instance and decisions are taken in conSultation with it. Summary of Suggestions and Concluding Remarks
(a) The costs of the war which has been
going on for about fourteen years have been brought to focus. We have lost 5,000 to 7,000 lives per year, spent Billions and Billions of Rupees, destroyed Billions and Billions of Rupees worth of movable and immovable property in the process. By the quick resolution of all the problems, we
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Page 23
15 JUNE 1997
he Sri Lankan goverT nment plan to set up the island's first coalfired power plant in the remote north-western coastal village of Kalpitiya has run into trouble. Residents have complained that if the proposed 300 MW coalpower plant, to be set up at Kalpitiya in the Puttalam district, 160 km north of Colombo, was implemented, they would lose their traditional livelihoods of farming and fishing.
“installation of the power plant will seriously damage the current stable economic status of the people who mainly depend on agriculture and fishing without being a burden on the state," said the Buddhist monk Bulumulle Pannananda living in Norochcholaia, a prosperous village which borders the 300-acre site selected for the project.
"The people stand to lose all that if this project comes here. They are unlikely to stand by and let the authorities in Colombo have their wish,” Pannananda added.
In April, one man was killed and several were injured when police opened fire at a group of about 5,000 people demonstrating against the planned power plant. The government thinks the protests are orchestrated by "outsiders."
Sri Lanka's Power and Energy Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte told a news conference recently that initial feasibility studies to get the project off the ground had
(Continued from page 22)
will bring to an end the violence that has been contributing to all these destruction. (b) Through the cease-fire that comes out of the mediation efforts of a mediator acceptable to both parties and propermonitoring by the same mediator, the work of the Select Committee could be carried out in a more credible manner, (c) The discussion and follow-up process through the Select Committee on issues where agreement is reached at joint negotiations involving the Government, the main opposition party and the LTTE with the help of a third party mediator is a very useful method. The two major political parties have agreed to take the ethnic problem above party politics. The above approach will thus add strength to the entire peace process. The LTTE, the other political parties and all other organizations should play their respective roles on the same basis. (d) Basic needs should be provided as a matter of urgency to all the displaced persons and others who have been made refugees.
come to a halt c
some people. “Bu ple. Interested pa Scene from outs may evenbe a loi coal power to cor
Ratwatte did rectly of trying to said many people, the idea, suddenl "There is a lot of name of developr people not to yiel Ratwatte said.
Sri Lanka earl up a coal power on the eastern CC talists vehemently natural mon-Soon result in coal fun many miles inland rection, thus pollu Ratwate claimed porarily put on hol tion in the east in make the plantanc tion network less v. separatist Tamil Ti Plans for a sec
(e) While discuss and related issues of resettlement, re. bilitation should b neously by groups ment representativ cal and administrat ing the militant ca areas and steps tak tation. The rehabilit the rehabilitation ( amnesty offered
should be kept op of everyone shoulc (f) in this paper, i scribed as to how ti and its supportin should function to i to the Ethnic Prob (g) The suggestic made in this pap peaceful way to ha has proved intract be always some de of the full benefits Therefore, all of us out the respective t of us.
 

Ie to opposition from they are not local peoties have come to the le" Ratwatte said. "lt by which does not like e to our country."
ot accuse anyone dinfluence villagers, but who initially supported changed their minds, misinformation. In the ent, we appeal to the to false propaganda."
er shelvedplans to set lant near Trincomalee ast after environmenprotested, saying the and wind pattern would hes being carried for in a south-westerly diting a huge area. But hat the plant was temid till the security situanproves, which would its elaborate distribuulnerable to attacks by gers. ond plant on the west
ions on Devolution continue, the details Konstruction and rehaworked out simultaconsisting of Governes and the local politive machinery, includres in the respective en for early implemention should also cover f human beings. The by the Government In and the protection be ensured. has been briefly dee Peace Commission Peace Secretariat plement the Solution n. is which have been attempt to show a Idle a problem which »le to date. There will ays in the attainment any peace process. hould patiently carry sks that are expected O
AMIL TIMES 23
coast, utilising a soft loan provided by the Japanese government, were implemented shortly after the first one was shelved. The $500 milion plant, which would be Sri Lanka's sole coal-fired power plant, is scheduled to begin Servicing the national grid by the year 2003.
Officials for the state power utility Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), which will own and operate the plant, say the project land had been surveyed and boundaries demarcated, leaving two villages to its north and south untouched. Soil testing and other research, which was to be carried out jointly with a team of Swiss consultants, have been delayed due to protests and unsettled conditions in the area, they say. The CEB says only a handful of farmers, living on the land identified for the project, will be affected and that they will be compensated with alternative land and housing. But villagers say a massive coal power plant at their doorstep would result in their farms being covered with coal dust from the plant, which would reduce their incomes, in addition to exposing them to diseases related to air and noise pollution.
Agricultural sources say the village of Norochcholaia currently supplies about 40 percent of the national requirement of onions in addition to shipping out truckloads of sweet potatoes, potatoes and other vegetables daily.
Coal as a source for generation of electricity has two widely-criticised drawbacks globally. One is that coal is a nonrenewable source of energy and the other is that burning coal results in considerable pollution of the air. But Sri Lankan energy planners are convinced it is the country's future source of energy, even though all the raw material will have to be imported. They say a unit of electricity generated by a oil-fired plant would cost 5.5 cents, as compared to coal's 4.5 cents for a unit, which alone makes coal attractive for developing countries like Sri Lanka.
The CEB says it has proposed advanced anti-pollution methods to be installed at its plant at Kalpitiya and that it would not go ahead with the project if it fails to meet environmental standards, However the local fishermen are Worried that sea water temperature could rise by as much as 7.5 centigrade due to the release of water used to cool down the plant's turbines. Villagers say it could damage the entire fishing industry of the area. But the CEB guarantees that warm water released from the plant will be lim(Continued on next page)

Page 24
24, TAMIL TIMES
SAARC NINTH SUMMIT-AP OUTLooKFORFUTUR
eaders of the seven-nation South L Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) at the end
of their a three-day summit held in the Maldivian capital in mid May adopted a declaration to boost trade and foster good neighbourly relations and appointed a 15Member Group of Eminent Persons to recommend ways and means to revitalise the organisation.
SAARC, which represents one-fifth of the world's population, consists of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The South Asian leaders declared that they remained firmly committed to combating terrorism and drug trafficking which pose a serious threat to security and stability in countries of the region and stressed the urgent need to complete domestic legislation in member-states so that SAARC's anti-terrorism and antidrugs conventions can be enforced.
The declaration also urged all SAARC member states to work towards implementation of the 1996 U.N. Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism. It also called for international action to halt activities which help terrorist groupstocollectfunds fortheiractivities in South Asia. The leaders also agreed to exchange information regularly on terrorism and drug offences.
On the presently stalled Middle-east
peace process the S "expressed concern the peace process an lence against Palestir pied territories and th the peace process di government of Israel enlarging Jewish set cupied Palestinian te called for "the restora able rights of the Pal cluding the right to sel the establishment of under the leadership tine Liberation Orgar legitimate represent co-exist with its neigh harmony."
The declaration a veloped countries' col and poverty in the de the worsening of the ferent parts of the wo own region. It said, " sumption patterns int. tries and widespreac veloping countries ar. tributing to ecologica ferentparts of the wo While "both devel ing countries were re specific initiatives to Concerns, stress sho the acceleration of de oping countries to el
(continued from page 23) ited to a short distance from the point of discharge,
"We want the CEB to give a detailed description of the project without hiding the truth. But we also realise big power projects are a necessary evil we have to learn to live with," a spokesman for Foundation Limited, a non-governmental environmental organisation, said.
CBE's Chairman Argon Deraniyagala said it was necessary for the plant to begin servicing the national grid as scheduled in 2003, due to the CBE's long-term plans to reduce Sri Lanka's current high dependence on hydropower, Sri Lanka plans to reduce its reliance on hydros also been delayed by more than one week, Meteorological Department officials said.
Sri Lanka has an installed capacity of 1,115MW of hydropower and 250 MW
of thermal power. Th plans to reduce dep power by building m plants and buying ele plants. The first two,
bine and a 40 MW die stream before the en said. A 51 MW diese Consortium headed ain, a unit of German boldt-Deutz AG, is si erational by August n
Japan's Mitsui El building Company si tent in May to buildar barge-mounted powe combined cycle plant the outskirts of Col CBE's long-term plar supply over hydropo

5 JUNE 1997
outh Asian leaders at the setback to dunleashingofvioian people in occue resulting threat to le to policies of the in establishing and tlements in the ocrritories."They also tion of the inalienestinian people, inf-determination and
a sovereign state of the PLO (Palesisation), their sole ative, which could bours in peace and
lso blamed the densumption patterns veloping nations for environment in difprld, including their Jnsustainable conhe developed counpoverty in the dee major factors condegradation in difrld."
oped and developquired to undertake face environmental uld also be laid on velopment in develnable them to face
le CEB has said it endence on hydroore thermal power ctricity from private a 115 MWgas tur. sel plant, will be on d of June, RatWatte plant, funded by a by KHD Great Brity's Kloeckner Humcheduled to be opext year,
ngineering & Shipgned a letter of inhdoperate a 60MW rplant. Two 150 MW ts, to be located on ombo, are among hs to boost therma Wes, O
environmental challenges," it added.
The leaders also urged swift implementation of the recommendations of SAARC's two regional studies - one on the greenhouse effect and its impact on the region and the other on the causes and consequences of natural disasters and the preservation of the environment. They asked environment ministers of the member countries, who will meet annually as decided by the summit, to study the feasibility of drawing up a regional treaty on the environment and stressed the urgent need for co-operation through exchanging information, strategies and technologies for combating pollution of air and water,
The leaders also called for the urgent implementation of the agreements reached at the U.N. Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992, and decided to adopt a common and collective position at the June special session of the U.N. General Assembly,
The following are key points in the declaration: yr informal political talks to be started Within SAARC to relieve tensions and foster good neighbourly relations in order to strengthen and speed up regional co-operation.
A round of talks to be launched shortly to cut tariffs and remove non-tariff barriers with an aim to set up a free trade area called the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) by 2001.
A Group of Eminent Persons (GEP), consisting of officials with experience in SAARC activities, to identify ways to revitalise the organisation. sk Special measures to be taken to look after the interests of Smaller countries when intensifying regional economic cooperation.
Steps to ensure gender equality and bring women into the mainstream of the region's socio-economic development.
he Astrengthening of existing laws to combat trafficking of women and children in the region.
Stern measures to be taken to protect children from all forms of exploitation, and a study group to be set up to examine the reasons behind the problem.
The possibility of drawing up a Regional Treaty on the Environment as part of a collective initiative to address environmental problems.
k Member states to complete legislation to implement the SAARC Regional Conventions on Suppression of Terrorism and on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
Civili aviation authorities of member states to meet shortly to establish direct air links between SAARC capitals to promote people-to-people contact and tour

Page 25
15 JUNIE 1997
Sr. k. A call for international action to prevent the abuse of Refugee Conventions and to halt activities that help terrorist groups collect funds for their activities in South Asia. * A call on developed countries to substantially reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers and desist from restrictive trade practices.
The leaders expressed concern over international trends to impose new protectionist barriers by linking imports from developing countries to politicaly motiwated social and environmental values and concerns, such as human rights.
The leaders said the Middle East peace process was threatened by Israel's policy of establishing and enlarging new settlements in Palestinian territory.
According to the declaration, the Group of Eminent Persons (GEP) will "undertake a comprehensive appraisal of SAARC, and identify measures including mechanisms to further vitalise and enhance the effectiveness of the association in achieving its objectives."
The GEP is also charged with developing a long-range vision and formulating a perspective plan of action including a SAARC agenda which will spellout the target to be achieved by the year 2020. In a speech delivered at the opening of the summit, Indian Prime Minister inder Kumar Gujral said Asia accounted for 60 percent of gross world product in 1820, but the percentage dropped to 20 by 1950. The figure will go back up to 60 percent by 2020, Gujral added, citing projections from "authoritative studies."
The year 2020 "has become a symbolic as well as a specific destination, representing both perfect vision and a target year," he said.
The GEP composed of two people from each member country and the SAARC Secretary General, will report to the leaders on its Work at the next SAARC summit scheduled for February 1998 in Sri Lanka. The Male Summit also decided to extend the tenure of the SAARC Secretary General to a "non-renewable term of three years" with a view to "enhancing the effectiveness of the role and functioning of the Secretariat."
The SAARC Secretariat was established in January 1987 and the Secretary General is named on the principle of rotation in alphabetical order for a period of two years upon nomination by a member state. The present Secretary General, Naeem Hasan from Pakistan, took up the job on January 1, 1996.
The summit also provided an opportunity for the leaders of India and Pakistan to meet face for the first time in four years. The meeting between Indian Prime Minister inder Kumar Gujral and Paki
stan's Nawaz Sha of a regional sun progress towarde has produced thre tion of the sub-cont issue is rival clair stan to the Himala mir, a cause oftw Commentator ceedings at the nin Asian leaders clea that attitudes to t have undergone a ing branded a "po "club of the deaf, cause its charter es of anything controv states), observers have begun to sit the SAARC,
They think the given positive outlo a renewed chance ganisation from photo-opportunity inter-state co-oper changed from one o optimism," said on Watcher in New C Sharma, a senior of ministry said, "India reciprocity has com situation in the lastic ferring to what has the "Gujral Doctrine Prime Minister inde was until recently Minister in the Unite In his 10-month Minister, Gujral jett tional insistence on ings with neighbour stance, he unilateral tions on Pakistanis V of visitors is still m first time in half a ( has gone from being to one of getting a fi
Transportation between the countri undeveloped, havin of political hostility.
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TAMILTIMES 25
held on the sidelines it, raised hopes for ing the hostility that wars since the partient in 1947. The main ; by lindia and Pakian territory of Kashof their three Wars.
believe that the proSummit of the South ly reflected a feeling e regional grouping ea change. From ber man's club" and a umb and blind" (bechews the discussion sial among membermember-countries p and take notice of
meeting at Male has ok for the future with to transform the orjust a ceremonial o a true agency for tion. "The mood has cynicism to cautious long-time SAARCelhi, And Kamlesh icial of India's foreign 's new policy of nonpletely changed the one year." He was rebecome to be called "initiated by Indian r Kumar Gujral, who Nas India's Foreign dFront government. tenure as Foreign soned india's tradieciprocity in its deal... Last March, for inyeased visa restricsiting india. The flow nuscule, but for the entury the problem one of getting a visa ght. nks, like other links s of the regions, are fallen prey to years is easier for a Sri
Lankan to fly to Lahore through Bangkok than through Delhi. Observers are hoping that the latest thaw in India's relations with Pakistan will prove more durable than previous ones.
While improvements in India's relations with Pakistan are still confined largely to atmospherics, the Gujral Doctrine has yielded more significant dividends in improving relations with Bangladesh, with the signing of the agreement on the sharing of Ganga Riverwaters last year. Moreover, India's new stance has given Nepal the comfort it needed to agree to go ahead with the long-discussed joint development of the Mahakali hydro-project.
Indeed one of the most encouraging developments of the past year has been the series of official level meetings to formalise the Nepal initiative and form a sub-regional"Ouadrangle" of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal to identify and plan joint projects. Until recently even the principle of multilateral planning for such projects was anathema to India, with its insistence on bilateralism.
Just days before the South Asian leaders gathered in Male, a disagreement that had threatened to divide the SAARC into two groups led by the sub-continental arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, was fortunately patched up. Foreign ministers of the seven nations resolved the dispute over regional sub-groupings ahead of the Summit.
Dispute arose in April when India and three small neighbours - Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal - agreed to set up a smaller group to co-operage in watersharing, the environment, transport and trade. Pakistan, and to a lesser extent Sri Lanka and the Maldives, objected, saying the Growth Quadrangle sub-group was at odds with the spirit of the 12year-old SAARC, which aimed to set up a regional free trade area by 2005.
Pakistan saw the Growth Quadrangle as an attempt by its bigger neighbour india to isolate Pakistan. "Pakistan at this point in time is extremely apprehensive that it will be left out, partly because you
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Page 26
26 TAMIL TIMES
will find the formation of non-SAARC groupings emerging. This is being looked here as an attempt to subvert SAARC," Samina Ahmed, a research analyst at Islamabad-based Institute of Regional Studies, said reflecting Pakistani thinking on the matter.
But India argued that the four nations in the sub-regional group shared common problems, particularly in the areas of water resources and transport, which could be addressed by Special projects.
The festering dispute that threatened the summit was resolved when SAARC Foreign Ministers agreed at the weekend that member countries could co-operate in smaller groups provided the agreements applied to specific projects and did not undermine SAARC. "It has been agreed that under the SAARC charter, some member countries can co-operate with each other but remaining within the SAARC"a senior Pakistani diplomat said. "Bilateral or even quadrilateral projects don't weaken SAARC, provided they are specific projects,"an Indian diplomat said. The other factor giving a new impetus to SAARC, apartfrom the improving politics of the region, is a turnaround on the trade front. Trade liberalisation and other economic matters were originally left out of the SAARC program because the other members feared they would be swamped by Indian exports, Trade be
tween the SAARC c three percent of th member countries with the substantial economies of the complementarities a of trading within the assert themselves.
intra-SAARC tra below their importa and small compar groupings, have n about five percent India increased its countries by 50 per ports from them w amount. The Smalle ning to see the size c as an opportunity viewing it not only Source of investmel joint ventures.
The summit gal expected finalisati SAARC convention tion and protection the other on the awo tion. A body for the toms procedures ha and an agreementi SAARC Countries tc tration mechanism
Some observer SAARC provides th
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s are of the view that he ideal depoliticised
15 JUNE 1997
forum in which to implement such adVances. "It is inconceivable," saida Indian foreign office official, “that political sensitivities in India and Pakistan Would have allowed them to negotiate such measures bilaterally."
The South Asian Preferential Trade Area (SAPTA), first proposed by SriLanka in the 1993 summit, is being implemented much faster than originally expected, with the third round of tariff cuts, now in progress, expected to turn its attention also to the removal of quantitative restrictions which have become even more constraining now that tariffs are coming down. The aim is to usher in Zero tariffs in a South Asian FreeTrade Area (SAFTA)"preferably by the year 2000 or at the latest by 2005." The latter date has been chosen to accommodate Pakistan Which continues to be ambivalent about trade with india. Howeverfaced with growing volumes Indian exports disguised as third country exports, and of smuggling, important sections of Pakistani opinion are beginning to see the desirability of allowing Indian imports in openly, Islamabad has announced its agreement in principle to grant India Most Favoured Nation trade status, and is probably awaiting a suitable trade-off from India. Improvement in bilateral trade is expected to figure prominently in future discussions between india and Pakistan. O
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Page 27
15 JUNIE 1997
Caste Clashes
Tamil Nadu
T N Gopalan, Madras
eriyar EVR should be turning in his P grave. His much-vaunted Tamil society is fully stretched on the rack - but it is not the Aryans or the Brhamins with whom the Dravidians or the nonBrhamins are locking horns, but with the castes at the bottom rung of the Brhaminical hierarchy, the untouchables, the Panchamars, now known as the Dalits in most parts of the Country.
Fornearly a month now, the southern districts of the state have been rocked by murderous clashes between the TheVars and the Pallar sect among the Dalits.
Thevars themselves are considered the intermediate castes, in fact hardly a few rungs above the Dalits and have been the backbone of the Dravidian movement, especially of the DMK, for long in the southern region.
Chief Minister Karunanidhi who never ceases to harp on the need for unity among allTamils, read the non-Brhamin castes, including the Dalits and always waxes eloquent on the tremendous strides made by the Tamil society thanks to the Dravidian movement, is at his wit's end. When there were similar clashes, certainly much more intense than is the case now, in the latter part of 1995, the DMK was gloating on the inability of the then AIADMK government to rein in the violent elements and even darkly hinted that a Brhamin Jayalalitha was instigating the attacks on the Dallies and was in fact insidiously seeking to destroy the unity among the non-Brhamin castes. But now the boot is on the other foot. All his passionate rhetoric and desperate appeals to the Warring communities have failed to stem the violence. And worse many of Karunanidhi's own supporters among the sociologists and newspaper Columnists have started accusing him of allowing the Thevars to run amok, leaving the Dallies in the lurch. The irony will be complete when one realises that the latest round of Conflicts were sparked off when the DMK government sought to implement a decision taken during the last days of the Jayalalitha regime, and it was over such an apparently innocuous issue of naming a transport corporation,
Nothing much might be in a name for the more rational among the human beings, but in a society like that of the Tamils,
especially one whi rule of the Dravidia decades now, all symbolic gestures, tionally loaded, ar marches into the t Anxious to shr tag, Jayalalitha ha the state-owned P poration, operatin southern Tamil Na entity after Sunthar Dalit hero. Actually at the time of the ar when the presen Sought to give eff evoked violent prol of the area.
initially it only tion of road-traf stone-throwing inc more than symboli tated Thevars. The cause they conside community pride th areas populated by name of the hero one with whom the of an undeclared years.
With Some tac action against ther the agitation could the bud at an early Were a bit reluctar on the Thevars for C asing the resentme Whose nerves Wer any way. And more in the southern dist creasingly militant jump into the fray cation. Even durir though it was the which had abetted loose a reign ofter latter too had bee many an instance innocent Thevars.
And the rallying for the Dallies is DI medical doctor in h Coimbatore but wh ing the 1995 clash compromisingly cha the Dalits at the rec

TAMIL TIMES 27
Rock
ch has been under the nparties for over three cinds of symbols and have come to be emold terrifyingly so as it Nenty-first century.
ug off the pro-Thevar d decided to bifurcate andyan Transport Corg bus services in the du and name the new alingam, a little-known there were no protests nouncement then, but t government merely 2ct to that decision, it ests from the Thevars
started off as obstrucfic and some stray idents, surely nothing c protests by the agiy were protesting bered it an insult to their at buses plying in the them should carry the of a lower caste and y have been in a state
war for the last few
tful handling, prompt nischievous elements, have been nipped in stage. But the police tto come down hard bvious reasons, increbnt among the Pallars already on the edge important the Dallies ricts have become inand are ever ready to at the slightest provog the 1995 clashes, administration itself
the Thevars, letting or on the Dallies, the n the aggressors in und felled down many
point this time round Krishanaswamy K, a s forties, hailing from o shot into fame durs. It was he who unmpioned the cause of eiving end, and finally
managed to get elected to the state Assembly from the Ottapidaram constituency, reserved for the Scheduled Castes and dominated the Pallars. Once he smelled blood, he was not going to rest in peace, but predictably he kept upping the ante constantly.
He has been repeatedly making highly provocative speeches, slighting the Thevars no end, leaving a trail of bitterness and blood. In fact his reported statement that Suntharalingam, a Dalit, had scored over Pandyan, presumably a common name among the Thevars, has been cited as an excuse by the Thevars for their latest onslaught.
Anyway as the Thevars took to the streets, the Dallies hit back viciously and in no time Madurai, Kamarajar VOC and Tirunelveli districts were aflame - men and women hacked to death, even burnt alive and properties looted and destroyed. Elsewhere statues of Muthuramalinga Thevar and of Dr Ambedkar were damaged, increasing the tension still further, While the former is a godhead among the Thevars, the latter is of course the darling of the Dallies. Any perceived insult to their memories inevitably gives rise to serious clashes.
Atone stage the Dalits started taking on even the Naadaars who had nothing to do with the Thevar agitation.The southern districts seemed paralysed for a time and only some belated police action brought things under some control.
Karunanidhi was caught in a dilemma. Thevars would not go back on their demand that the Sundaralingam buses do not ply "in their areas." And any retraction on the issue would be seen as a betrayal by the Dallies. Many parts of the VOC district had become the hot-bed of the more militant among the Dallies. In fact bomb-making has become a cottage industry there. Krishnaswamy was hell-bent on creating more and more trouble.
For their part the Thevars, feeling cheated at the loss of their patron-saint, Sasikala, were out to do anything to regain their "lost dignity". Though the Thevars have always been a major part of the DMK's constituency, during the Jaya regime, Sasikala patronised and promoted the Thevars like never before. Though she actually hails from the Kallar community, it is broadbanded under the term Mukkalathor along with the Thevars and the Agumbadiyars. Not surprisingly then in some places during their picketing the agitationists demanded the immediate release of Sasikala from the prison, Karunanidhi did not dare antagonise the Thevars either. As a way out he suggested that the Sundaralingam buses do not ply along the "more sensitive routes" (Continued on next page)

Page 28
28 TAMIL TIMES
true last month when the
Taliban militia overran several vital positions in northern Afghanistan, forcing Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum to flee to Turkey. India's fears centred around the level of Pakistani involvement in the
ndia's worst fears came
latest Taliban offensive, After all, Gen Dostum's Mazar-i- Sharif was one of the last bastions of resistance to Taliban, along with Ahmed Shah Masood's Tajik guerillas and the ran-backed Shi'ite militiamen of the Hizb-i-Wahadat operating in parts of western and central Afghanistan. Gen Dostum, a military man from the Soviet days, was known to be a moderate and the Indianestablishment shudde-red at the very thought of Taliban taking over from him. After all, a repeat of a simil-artakeover in the Kashmir valley can ne-ver be ruled out in these incredible times
Gen Dostum's Sudden exit from the battleground on May 24 was preceded by a revolt by one of his commanders, Gen Abdul Malik, in the four provinces of Far-yab, Samangan,
AFFtiff) Sga
Jowzjan and Balkh. Gen Malik quietly switched sides to the Taliban and detained former Herat governor Ismail Khan. It has been alleged that Gen Malik was purchased by the Taliban, on the same lines of the Sudden deal between the Mujahideen and Gen Dostum himself which led to the fall of the Naji-bullah regime in Kabul six years ago.
Once Gen Malik decided to rebel, Gen Dostum's fall has been swift, with troops loyal to him giving up in no time the Baghdis province bordering Iran. His air force chiefs GenYousuf Shah and Jamail
left him by flying thei trolled by Taliban. Fir lord packed his bags with his family to Ar Ankara, stunning hi. and the CIS states. tered Mazar-i-Shar Ghulam Rasul took troops posed for We front of the historica one of Islam's holies
Gen Dostum's fa on the power equal
(Continued from page 27) And he also offered to Create one more transport corporation to be named after a Thevar chieftain. Many including the Dallies Cried foul at this all too evident attempt to appease the Thevar sentiments and there was more violence.
Finally he suggested that the transport corporations and districts named after the leaders of the past, including Periyar and Annadurai be reverted to their original names - they will simply be stripped of the names in all such cases and there will never again be the naming of any corporation or district after any leader. No Consensus could be evolved even around this most sensible suggestion, whatever Karunanidhi's own motives
might be,
The Pariar sect benefited from acce to the centre of pow a relatively more en have become mello time. Also the Vann antagonists, have b modating thanks to persons as Dr Ram
But the Pallars having to encounter Violent Thevars and ing but self-servin avenge the past. Th it will be quite a wh South See reason.
 

5 JUNE 1997
politics. While Iran kept urging the United Nations' special envoy to Afghanistan, Norbert Hall, to intervene and ensure a broad-based government, Russia went ahead and Warned Taliban nottopressahead its offensive, Russian foreign minis
terYevgeny Primakov said is the Taliban continued to push its offensive further nor-th, Russian forces stationed at Tajikistan would have to retaliate. Russian analysts were concerned over the possibility of tro-ops loyal to Gen Dostum and Masood being driven up north by the Taliban. Obvi-ously, these armed troops would be itching to fight the Taliban from across the border, a process which would eventually destabilise the region, the analysts feared.
ln India, newspaperarticles smelt the Taliban victory and started criticising the external affairs department for not keeping open a line of communication with the lslamicist group. Till now, Taliban was taboo for them since it had been backed by
jets to airfields conIally, the Uzbek war, left Mazar-i-Sharif kara and arrived in backers in Russia Taliban fighters enf and Commander over charge as his stern cameramen in shrine of Hazrat Ali, t places.
had its ramifications
ons in international
n the North, having ss to education and rat Chennai and by ghtened leadership, ved over a period of ars, their immediate KCOne TOre aCCOTe leadership of such aS,
Il rooted to the land,
he ever arrogant and
bd by the fire-spout
persons, is out to is a dangerous mix.
before those in the
O
Pakistan. Now that the Taliban was getting closer to the whole of Afghanistan, these newspaper commentators sought to dissociate Taliban from Pakistan and wanted the Indian establishment to get towards direct talks with Taliban Little did they realise the level of Pakistani involvement in the latest Taliban offensive
At this juncture, Saudi Arabia threw off its customary caution and became the second country, after Pakistan, to recognise the Taliban clerical administration. This implied, for Indian observers, that this radical lslamicist force might well have been created with Saudi help! This also implied the possibility of further worsening of relations between Saudi Arabia, which follows like Pakistan the Sunni brand of Islam, and Iran, where the favoured religion is Shi'ite Islam. The United States, on its part, decided to watch the Afghan developments from the ringside, despite making noises for ensuring a broad-based government.
The later developments turned out to be more than spectacular. The first sign of resistance to Taliban came on May 29. Taliban forces, who were of Pushtun ethnic stock, faced stiff opposition when they tried to disarm their Uzbek counterparts. Not satisfied with the Taliban offer of the (Continued on next page)

Page 29
SJUNE 1997
(Continued from page 28)
deputy foreign ministership of the country, Gen Malik captured his would-be-boss and the Taliban regime's foreign minister Mullah Mohammed Ghouse, northern administrator Mullah Abdul Razack and a central bank governor, Uzbek troops loyal to Gen Malik simply drove out Taliban militants from Mazar-i-Sharif,
On another front, Tajik fighters loyal to Masood captured two places at Kapisa province, killing more than 100 Taliban men, Masood also managed to take over smaller towns Doshi and Khinjan and cut off supplies to Taliban forces stationed at Pul-i-khumri. Having tasted victory, Masood moved his men south and captured the strategic town of Jabal-us-Siraj, 70km north of Kabuland at the foot of the Salang pass, which he lost to Taliban a few months ago. The forces loyal to Gen Malik seemed to have made up with Masood and captured two airports at Charikar and Bagram, just 50 to 60km from Kabul, sending shock waves across the Taliban ranks, Taliban claimed to have repulsed the attack and seized Golbahar, a key town north of Kabul,
The Taliban also suffered severe reverses losing more than 200 fighters in central Afghanistan last month, with the Hizb-i-Wahadat striking back in the Sheikh Ali district. Immediately thereafter, Pakistan came up with an offer of talks between the Warring groups, but the antiTaliban coalition partners rejected the of fer. They said they would like to talk to Taliban directly and not to Pakistan, stunning the Taliban's backers in the Pakistant armed forces,
indla has a lot of reasons to feel Worried about the continuing Afghan battle, There have been allegations from various quarters that the entire recent Taliban of fensive has been masterminded by Pakistani military intelligence and that Pakistani soldiers of Pushtun stockhave been fighting alongside Taliban militiamen.
More significant is the emerging geopolitics of the Afghan conflict, Northern Afghanistan, which is the scene of confrontation between Gen Malik and the Taliban, is crucial for the route of oli pipelines flowing from central Asia to the Arabian sea via Pakistan, rather than Iran, Pakistan and the United States, thus, have an obvious interest in the olland gas pipeline projects. By Creating and financing the Islamicist student movement of Taliban, Pakistan had seized an opportunity to control the Afghan developments. However, it is now a moot question whe-therTaliban alone would be able to provide security to the transfer of oil, especially in northern Afghanistan where Uzbek andTajik troops still holdsway. Hence, it is somewhat inevitable that the Afghan battle will continue. O
rthur C, Clari A on his face from his con
thing strang didn't receive as ment didn't last lic Science- fiction WI desk running his white stubble on hr beep anno-unced a an Associated Pri Cruz datelined 23 added:
“Ah, Was Wron long e-mail," he ex View at his home ir ped by post-polio ng effects of a disea him for two months old Clarke rarely le capital of the India Lanka. The writerb Hal, the malevolent of "2001: A Space hour or so every m and faxes and brow His computer is and business colle World- and to World morning, Clarkega computer screen - photographs ever probe Galileo. He mouse to trace a S Jupiter's loe-cove speculating that t handiwork of an all “Look at that li more than a hundra who believes Euro promising places fo we find any evider life - fossil life - of a greatly increase sp Clarke has cont explorations. Just W had ceased a proli tion and non-fiction 1950, the writer t “3001: The Final agents first raised ySSey two years ag ested. But the sugg
 

TANIML, TIMES 29
|AG
His final Odyssey
Ke had a bemused look as he raised his eyes puter screen. "Somee happened last night, ingle e-mail"The mong for the renowned iter. As he sat at his plectric razOr Over the is chin, an electronic an incoming message, ess report by Dexter May said. The report
g. Here comes a rather claims during an interColombo, Handicapsyndrome, the lingerasethathad paralysed in 1959, the 79-yearpaves his home in the n Ocean island of Sri est known for creating computer at the heart Odyssey" spends an orning reading e-mail sing the Web, ; his gateway to friends agues in the outside is beyond. One recent zed at an image on his one of the sharpest taken by the space | used his computer straight line visible on red satellite Europa, he line could be the en intelligence, ne, it is stretching for edmilles" said Clarke, pa is one of the most prlife beyond Earth. "If ice of life, even past nother World, it Would ace exploration." inued his own fictional hen many believed he fic output of both ficbooks that began in his month launched Odyssey." When his the idea of a final odo, Clarke wasn't inter|estion festered in the
back of his mind, until he was struck by the idea of reviving astronaut Frank Poole, last seen spinning off in space. "3001" is the fourth novel in Clark's Series of deep-space travel.
Clarke, who dreamed of space travel before rockets had passed the firecracker stage, was born in the English farming community of Minehead, but has lived in Sri Lanka since 1956. He came here because of his interest in marine diving - the closest he could get to the weightless feeling of space. He rarely gets into the sea now, but a recent Weekend found him in his scuba equipment kicking around a swimming pool. A diving instructor kept a close eye on the author,
His "2001: A Space Odyssey" written simultaneously in 1968 as a novel and screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick, was a frightening prophecy of artificial intelligence run amok. One year after"2001" made him a household name in science fiction, Clarke entered the homes of millions of Americans alongside Walter Cronkite, anchoring television coverage of the Apollo mission to the moon.
A framed front page of The New York Times of Monday, July 21, 1969, with the headline “Men Walk on Moon" hangs on the Wall near his desk, Scores of books and articles carrying his name are neatly stacked on bookshelves in his study room. "The whole Space Age, the first flight to the moon, was perhaps 50 years ahead of its time, because of the Cold War....The rate of technological development depends not on technology but on politics." Clarke said. Seated in his garden, sipping a steaming cup of tea, Clarke expressed disappointment thatman's interest in space has waned from the heady 1960s. But he admitted there has been more space exploration than he ever imagined he would see in his lifetime.
He lives alone on his tropical island now, but he's far from isolated, thanks to his soaring imagination and his computer. He also visits a club every evening for a game of table tennis. Though he has to clutch the table with one hand for support, Clarke is a tough competitor.
"I am a failed recluse," he said. O

Page 30
30 TAMIL TIMES
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ani Times Ltd. PO Box 12 Sutton, Surrey SM1 3TD. 0181-644 0972 Fax: 01812.
MATRMONIAL Jaffna Hindu parents seek for son, software engineer, 25, British, suitable educated girl with an awareness of religious and Cultural traditions. Send full details. M945 C/o Tamil Times.
Hindu bachelor professional seeks South Indian lady around 47 for early marriage. Religion no bar. Letters only. Raman 40A High Street, Hounslow, Middx. TW3 1. NW.
Tamil Hindu parents seek professional partner for son, 29, Canadian Citizen, Computer Engineer in good Canadian employment. Send details. M 947 C/o Tamil Times. Hindu parents seek vegetarian bride under 30 for profesSional son and groom, 30-35 for daughter in good employment. Please send photo, horoscope, details. M948 C/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu parents seek bride not below 5'2" preferably below 30 for son, doctor in USA, 37. Please send photo, horoscope with details, M 949 C/o Tamil Times.
JAFFNA Hindu brother seeks groom for good looking sister, 36, AB(UK), Accounts Assistant in Colombo, owns flat, willing to migrate. Send details. M 950 C/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu elders seek partner for male California professional, civil engineer, 46, divorcee, no encumbrances, US permanent resident, religion no bar. Box 2226, Oxnard, CA 93034, USA.
Ceylon Tamil parents seek partner for daughter, 28, fair, pretty, Canadian citizen, accountant, permanently enployed, innocent divorcee. Send details. M 952 C/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu brothers seek groom in employment for sister, 30, 5'5", fair, working in UK, Mars afflicted. Send heroscope, details. M953 c/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu sister seeks professional bride for brother, Civil engineer, 38, British citizen. Please send photo, details. M 954 C/o Tamil Times.
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bride in UK preferably below 39 for working citizen. Send photo, horoscope. M 955 c/o Tamil Times. Jaffna Hindu brother seeks groom for good looking sister, 36, l'AB(UK), Accounts Assistant in Colombo, owns flat, willing to migrate. Send details. M 950 C/O Tamil Times.
WEDDING BELLS
We congratulate the following couples on their recent wedding. Anoja daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Appiah Balasundaram of 404 Pond View Drive, Moorestown, New Jersey, USA and Julian Son of Mr. & Mrs. Russ Madison on 24th May 1997 at The Four Seasons Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Dr. Ravi Shankar son of Dr. and Mrs. M. Ramanathan of 92 Hitchings Way, Reigate, Surrey and Aparna daughter of the fate Mr. S. Kadirkamanathan and Mrs. Vidya Kadirkamanathan of 26 Marsh Hall, Wembley, Middx. on 25th May 1997 at Thurrock Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane, Grays Essex.
IN MEMORAM
ఖలీ ※
in loving memory of Mrs. Ranjini Geetanjali Thirunavukarasu on the first anniversary of her passing away on 24th May 1996.
Sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her husband Thiruna vulkarasu; children Poornima and Pradeep; father Mahalingam; mother-in-law Mrs. P. Ponnuthurai; Sisters Mrs. Lalitha Dilkushi Karunakaran and Priyadarshini Damayanthy; brothers Premkumar, Mohankumar, Ranjitikumar, Nimalkumar and Tilakumar, brothers-in-law Karuna
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ran and Balanathan, Sisterslaw Kamalarani, Vijayalaxmi, rmala, Yasothara, Nalini, amaladevi and Sugirthadevi. M. Ranjitikumar, 173 Kempton pad, Eastham, London E6 PU. Tel: 0181 471 93 1 1
ORTHCOMING EVENTS
uly 1 Feast of St. Oliver; arthilgai. uly 2 Pirathosam; Feast of ur Lady of Madhu in Sri anka. uly 3 Feast of St. Thomas.
July 4 Amavasai; Sri Lanka Kataragama Flag Hoisting 2eremony. July 5 (a) South London Tamil Welfare Group (SLTWG) drop in John Innes Youth Centre. Tel 01815453313. July 5 (b) 6.00pm Jaffna Hindu College OBA (UK) AGM, Dinner & Entertainment at St. Augustine Church Hall, East Lane, Wembley, Middx. Tel: 0181952 f 147. July 5 (c) 11.00am Kankesanturai Nadeswara College OSA (UK) Open Day at Wembley
5 JUNE 1997
High School, East Lane, Wembley, Middx. Tel: 0181 958 9867.
July 8 Sathurthi. July 10 Shashdi. July 11 Aani Uththiram; Feast of St. Benedict. July 12 SLTWG Trip to Stratford-upon-Avon. Tel: 0181 545 3313. July 14 Feast of St. Carmilus. July 16 Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Eekathasi.
July 17 Pirathosam. July 19 Jaffna Central Vs St. Johns Big Match and Open Day Fun Fair at Northwick Park Sports Centre, The Fairway, Wembley, Middx. Tel: 0181551 2183. July 20 SLTWG trip to Walsingham Church. Tel: 0181545 3313. July 21 Feast of St. Lawrence. July 23 San ka da ha ra Sathuirthi. July 26 Feast of St. Anne. July 28 Karthigai. July 30 Eekathasi. July 31 Pirathosam.
22.6.91.
Sixth Death Anniversary
22nd June 1997 In Ever Loving Memory Of
Balasubramaniam Sivagananathan
On the sixth anniversary of his passing away on
Remembered with love and affection by his step mother Mrs. Rajaletchumy Balasubramaniam, wife Kamala, brothers Dr. Sivaloganathan, Thirunavukkarasu, Radhakrishnan and Sritharan, sisters Mrs. Gowri Pathmanathan, Mrs. Bhagawathy, Mohanadas, Mrs. Mangayarkkarasi Jetheendran and Mrs. Jayanthi Kumaranayagam. - 22 Oakwood Drive, St. Albans, HertS. Tel 01727 853331

Page 31
15 JUNE 1997
Fourth Death Anniversary
10th June 1997 In Ever Loving Memory Of
Kanagambihai Ragunathan
May the Good Lord Sathia Sai Baba Bless and keep you in His Loving Care
Fondly remembered by your loving husband Ragu, son Sri, daughter-in-law Saku, grandson Vishva. - 173 Mammoth Hall Trail, Scarborough,
Ontario M1B 1 P8, Canada.
AUSTRALIAN
NEWSLETTER
The Sydney University Tamil Society established in 1991 started publishing a bilingual quarterly magazine titled "Kalappai” in 1994. This was done in order to encourage Tamil writers and to provide a standard magazine for readers. Kalappai has now successfully completed three years of publication and to celebrate, a Literary Forum is being planned to assess its impact on the readers and the community at large. The 13th issue of the magazine will be released at this forum which will be held at the Homebush Primary School Hall on Saturday, 19th July 1997 at 6 p.m.
The Kalappai Publications subcommittee took a bold step early this year with the publication of the Tamil Yellow Guide to facilitate Communication within the community by providing a guide of all Tamil business, service or community organisations in New South Wales. The first edition of the guide was a tremendous success and most of the copies were distributed within two weeks of release. It is proposed to produce a second expanded edition for 1998/99 with a lot more information.
Hindu Temple in Canberra: Canberra, the Federal Capital of Australia gained its first Hindu Temple on 1st June 1997. The Maha Kumbhabishekam of the Sri Vishnu Siva Mandir was preceded by several days of pujas and homams performed by priests from Sydney and India. The opening cere
mony was performed of Australia, Mr. John holy water on the Go Aarthi was performe Minister, Mrs. Kate ( followed by the welc Chairman of the AV Krishan Aggarwal. Si by the Prime Minister and India's High Conr lia Mr. G. Partha Sarat The Prime Minister ra Hindu Temple was lia 's deep rooted racii anCe. Mr. Parthasara strong links between
Melbourne Hindu Te Gopurams of the Sri at Carrum Downs completed recently ar kan was held on 25th gathering of devotees que cereтопy peri priests. Although there all over Australia, this, has completed the b Gopurams. Music Concert: The singer P. Susheela e audience at the Bar Sydney on Sunday 2 и/as accотрапied by of the legendary T.M. Sandaya Rekha.
Leinal L.
Book of
Seventeen year old Mr. and Mrs. Balas
 
 

TAMIL MES 31
out now Tamil Pages 97
Tamil Pages is the authoritative reference
on Tamil organisations based in Britain.
This year with more pages and more information.
For your free copy please send a self addressed C5 envelope with
BRITISH
to Oil
DIRECTORIES
38p stamp to:
British Tamil Directories 52 Kingsley Road, Wimbledon London SW19 8HF
Tamil Pages 97 also available in most Tamil shops and organisations
Tel. No: O181-543 2126 Fax: 0181-540 3442
by the Prime Minister Howard, who poured puram of the Mandir. d by the ACT Chief 2arnell and this was One address by the tandir Society, Mr. Jeeches were made ACT Chief Minister missioner in Austrahy. Said that the Canberasymbol of Australand religious tolerthy emphasised the Australia and India, mple: The twin Raja Siva Vishnu Temple n Melbourne were d the KumbhabisheMay 1997. A large witnessed this uniormed by several are several temples s the only one which ilding of twin Raja
veteran play back tertained a packed kstown Town Hall, 5th May 1997. She T.M.S. Balaraj, son Sounderarajan and
aunches Poems
Leinalla daughter of bramaniam of Red
bridge, liford, Essex has launched a book of poems entitled "Thinking in Dreams' published by Minerva Press of Knightsbridge, London.
Leinalla was educated at Eastcourt independent School in Goodmayes from the age of four and now attends the City of London School for Girls where she is doing her A levels. Last year she obtained nine As in her O levels, which included A" in her favourite subjects English and English literature. Her ambition is to be a poet, writer and lyricist. She has written songs for the composer Danisi Kirst. She enjoys playing the guitar. Her father Bala hails from Ipoh in Malaysia and her mother Sarojini is from Mauritius.
Copies of her book can be bought for £3.99 from WH Smith ISBN No 1 86 f06 603 1 or from her at 203 Redbridge Lane East, Redbridge, Ilford, Essex IG4 5DF. TEL, 0181 551 6432 Or 01814720256.
Wanted Mirudangam & Violin Teachers
British Association of Tamil Schools needs a qualified Mirudangam and Violin teacher with a sound knowledge of Tamil and a minimum of 10 years experience in accompanying Bharatha Natya dancers and proven ability to compose music for Bharatha Natyam. Basic salary E8000 per annum plus benefits. Closing date for written applications to Mr. K. Sivagurunathapillai, Chairman, B.A.T.S., 18 St. Michael Close, Bickley, Kent,
BR1 2DX by 12th July 1997.

Page 32
32 TAM TIMES
Dr. S. Krishnaswami
Born 27 June 1928 Died; 12 June 1996
An year ago on 12th June 1996 Dr. Krishnaswami found Eternal PeaCe in the hands of the Almighty. We, the near and dear ones and the many friends pray that his Soul rests in Peace.
Doctor, as he came to be affectionatey called, hailed from a well known family in Point Pedro and was the eldest son of Mr. M.K. and Mrs. Sangarapillai, a famous lawyer from the Jaffna bar, (Advocate Sangarapillai of Puloly). He had his early education at St. Patrick's College, Jaffna and later at Hartley College, Point Pedro from where he entered the University. At the University of Ceylon he obtained his Honours degree in Physics. After graduation he took up teaching at Parameswara College and served that institution with great devotion.
An Indian Government Cultural Scholarship took him to the University of Calcutta, where he had the distinction of studying under world famous scientists like Dr. Meghnad Saha and Dr. Satyen Bose. In 1952 he obtained the MSc, and had the unique distinction of being awarded the Gold Medal for the high academic excellence attained by him. His research interests took him to the University of ManChester from where he moved to the University of Durham along with his supervisor, Dr. A. W. Wolfendale and in July 1959 he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Pure Science, specialising in Nuclear Physics. On his return to Sri Lanka he was appointed Head of the Department of Physics at Jaffna College and served the department with great enthusiasm. It was during this period that he got married to Miss Jeyadevi Thillainathan, but very soon, they both went their separate ways.
An offer from the University of Singapore took him to that institution in 1965. He spent the greater part of his life there till his retirement from the post of Associate Professor in 1988. A great physicist and academician that he was, he sponsored several young and talented scholars to pursue their academic interests.
Retired life to him meant a period of reflection and meditation and for Such a life, he chose to reside in Madras from where he pursued his interests in Indian Philosophy and Religion. A very caring and Mnrm na Csinnatea person that he was, he
took great care to any one who so guidance. All thos with him, will rem ness and compas people with such Ones that were C that is the Law of accept God's will. He leaves behir brothers.
Dance D
The Bharata Nat and Nirujah, dis Thamotheramp hadeswara Naty. Mr. and Mrs. Ba place at the The court in Paris, F.
Smit Bhavany Sathyalingam, a teacher from Kal who is presently has produced m rann level both ir
Niruba and Nit performance wit Narthana Vinaj The Varnan Ragam was the the programme. After the interv Thavangani' in Thillana in Amir Well performed Guest, The May General, M. Did the young danc teacher.
The Orchestra and French art Smit Bhavany Smit Ambika Catherine Zalay Sivarajah, Violi Sri Jean Paul A Jenifer Walpole
 
 
 
 
 

elp, guide and advise ht his assistance or who came into Contact nber him for his kindon. It is hard to find ring qualities and the racteristic of him, but ife and we all have to
three sisters and four
S. Sara.
but in Paris
ya Arangetram of Niruba 'ciples of Smt Bhavany illai, director of Braalayam and daughters of lachandran of Paris took atre de Boulogne Bilan
Ce, s a disciple of Smt Neila well known exponent and kshetra, Adayar, Madras in Singapore. Bhavany any students to ArangetSri Lanka and France,
jah started the evening's Boomanjali followed by agar in Natai Ragam, elanai Vava' in Bairavi lighlight of the first half of
il the "The Krishna Leela tindola Ragam and the lawarshani Ragam were y the sisters. The Chief r of St. Denis, Conseiller ir Paillard paid tribute to }rs and their dedicated
consisting of Sri Lankan tes was:- Natuwangan: amotherampillai, Vocal hamotheram and Smit Miruthangam: Sri Muthu Sri M. Devarajah, Flute: boux, and Thambura: Smit
15 JUNE 1997
Hartley College P.P.A. (U.K. Branch)
The following were elected to the Executive Committee at the A.G.M. & Dinner held on 9th November 1996, President: Mr. V. Santhalingam, Vice President: Mr. A. Easwaramohan, Secretary: Mr. M. Kulasingam, Treasurer: Mr. T. Rajkumar, Sports Secretary: Mr. T. Aruinanthy, Committee: Messers S. Balasingam, S. Murare, V. Paramaguru, R. Selvarajan, N. Sivarajah & Dr. R. Mylvaganam.
The following were appointed to the Board of Trustees:- Chairman: Dr. R. Selvackadunco, Secretary: Mr. R. Raveendralingam, Treasurer: Mr. S. Sivakumaran.
Mr. S. Shanmuganathan, Vice President of the Colombo Branch and Mr. M. Atputhanathan, former teacher of the college were Guests of Honour.
There was a special message from the Hon. Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Mr. K.B. Ratnayake, a past pupil of Hartley.
Radio Asia Plans Tamil TV
Radio Asia - a broadcasting combine of experienced professionals in the same field have finalised arrangements to launch their European Tamil TV by satellite to thousands of Tamils living in UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and other Western European States. Radio Asia S.A, incorporated based in France, is already broadcasting a 24-hour Tamil Radio programme by satellite named "Tamil Oli' from January this year reaching thousands of homes across five European states. The programme content is nonpolitical and includes hourly news headlines with a major 45 minute News programme at 730 p.m. (GMT) covering World News, Indian, Tamil Nadu & Sri Lankan News with direct despatches from their correspondents.
The feather in the cap of this infant Radio Station is the agreement made with the BBC World Service Radio to take off the air and relay simultaneously the Tamil Osai - the popular half hour programme produced and broadcast by the BBC for more than 50 years, intended and targeted to Tamil listeners in the Indian subcontinent and beyond. It has also been agreed that the BBC Tamil Programme, Tamil Osai will be broadcast in Radio Asia's Tami Oli daily for the benefit of those Tamil listeners now living in Europe.
Radio Asia will launch their Tamil TV named TAMIL OZHl (meaning light) on 23rd June 1997. The TV Satellite COvers the same western states. Initially the programmes will be supplied by India's major TV Channel - the Sun TV whose programmes are at present the craze of the Tamil Viewers in India.

Page 33
15 JUNE 1997
Radio Asia is planning a grand launch event in its Paris Headquarters to celebrate the birth of Tamil TV in Europe.
Satellite details are: EUTEL SAT II F 6 HOT BIRD I positioned 13 degrees East.
For further details please contact Mr. Wimal Sockanathan, 727B London Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey CR7 6AU. Tel: 0181 689 7503; Fax. 0181 683 2645; Mobile: 0802 507 115; E-Mail: WimalsockGaol.com.
Sabaratnam Sabanathan
Saba as his friends, of whom he had many, called him, the Son of Sabaratnam and Maheswary was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in the same hospital in which his eldest daughter was born, and where he saved her life, but that is another story. He grew up as the second in a family of nine. Once he climbed a coconut tree much against the request of his father and fell down. But that was Saba, after all you don't know what you can do until you try.
He studied at Velanai Central and Jaffna Central Colleges and passed his A-levels very well despite being ill at the time, demonstrating the determination that would be with him throughout his life. It allowed him to enter Peradeniya Campus medical school, the youngest in his batch. Here he worked very hard and consistently with such organisation, that he was able to go to the beach and relax the day before the examination, which is exactly not the practice for medical students. But all his work was rewarded on 1st September 1972, when he passed the final MBBS with first class honours with distinctions in Anatomy, Forensic Medicine and Surgery.
An equally proud if not a prouder moment was in 1974, when Saba married Thirumani, the girl he loved. In September 1975, came their first daughter, Anusa. Saba worked very hard, he never considered doing anything less than his full ability. He loved what he did and the enjoyment and pride that he drew from medicine for the rest of his life. It was an enjoyment that he passed on to his coleagues, patients and his daughters.
Saba worked at the Jaffna & Colombo General Hospitals before going over to England in March 1977. He had worked in many hospitals before going over to Bradford Royal Infirmary. During this time, he gained many qualifications, F.R.C.S. (Eng), F.R.C.S. (Edin), F.M.C.A. and a D.M. from the University of Nottingham. He achieved his F.R.C.S. (Eng) in May 1980, the same time that his second daughter Anetha was born. He published 150 articles in various leading journals, to mention a few: The
Annals of Thoracic Medical Journal, ti Hospital Medicine, of Cardiothoracic S Cardiovascular Sut guest reviewer to se which was the Anna, He had also contri Various Surgical an and had written a lic Adult Lung Transpl. safe to say that he h future.
Saba used to sa looking for subjects not as one doctor sa simply a man who process saw how it or differently or simp Perhaps many othe would go on to think thoughts. He seized could do no less. For natural, to think, not often ask someone something, why', á young chidiren will ki most difficult questic would see it but h understand totally th type of thinking that I achievements. To in invented and develop pleural intercostal a method of pain reliefi testified by the fact th hospitals and of cour He introduced tissue acic surgery. He wa stenting airways. He better treatment for til pleural fistulae and a stumps to prevent br and a method of Si necessary for the Suci ment of oesophagea Single lung transplant co-invented a rib pu after thoraCOSCOpic SL a few and in the pipe pic volume reduction ment of emphysema. His priority was the that if surgery was po. would benefit, then d many patients who v unfit for surgery by r. would not ignore othe views. He worked as made every member ing the patient. He w endeavours by the Surgeons, who gav professorship of appointed one of the Royal College of Sur ing forward to it. One was when the formé congratulated him w Daily Star Gold Awa then Minister of Healt a finalist in the 1992 Award. His name W Marquis Who's Who something that he w highly pleased whei papers with his eldes
 

Surgery, the Western he British Journal of the European Journal urgery, the Journal of gery. Saba was the averal journals, one of ls of Thoracic Surgery. buted Six chapters in d medical text books Cal book A Guide to antation. It would be ad many ideas for the
y that he did not go to write about, he was ida journalist. He was observed and in the could be done better, ly notice the unusual. rS Observe but Saba about it and test his the opportunities, he him it was completely just accept. He would who was explaining and as anyone with OW, this is one of the OnS to be asked. He fe wanted others to e Subject. It was this ed him to many great lame but a few, he ped continuous extranalgesia, simply the in thoracic surgery, as at it is used in many se eight clinical trials. adhesive into thor's a world expert in invented a new and he repair of Bronchoway to revaSCularise onchopleural fistulae omach lengthening, essful surgical treatcancer. He brought ation to Bradford and ch to prevent pain rgery. These are just ine was an endoscoSurgery for the treat
patient. He believed sible and the patient it. He operated on Ould be considered Ost doctors. But he people's ideas and part of a team and eel involved includS recognised for his Royal College of him a Huntarian urgery. He was 2W examiners of the 2Ons and was lookhis proud moments P.M., John Major en presenting the f. He also met the Mrs. Bottomley as Doctor of the Year S included in the n the World 1997, proud of. He was he published two flaughter. Saba had
TAMIL TIMES 33
also just been invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Saba had the ability to weigh up arguments fairly and present his view and this helped with his work on the Medical Appeals Tribunal. He was not soft despite the appearance he gave. When he believed in something or someone, he put forward his views strongly. There were not many occasions when this was demonstrated. Saba managed to encourage others to see his point of view despite their best efforts. He never stopped learning whether with work or life. He was always looking to the next horizon and what if would offer. He was happy when he was invited to become a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the New York Academy of Science and a Fellow of the International College of Angiology.
Saba believed in sharing, as those who worked with him knew. He was generous with his knowledge, friendship and fame'. A lot of people were Surprised by his modesty as he never 'threw his weight about'. He enjoyed teaching and passing on what he had learned. Anytime, aтyопе, everyone could ask a question from him and get a complete explanation. If he did not know he would look it up and explain. He co-founded the Charity 'Lungs for Life, through which thousands of pounds have been raised to buy equipment for the Bradford Royal Infirmary
To mark his achievements as represented only by his work, would be to under estimate a most remarkable man. He left behind many people who were blessed by his advice and friendship, it is through these people that he will live on. While Saba's death is a great loss to medicine and his friends, the greatest loss is to his family. Saba was a great father and a wonderful husband, he always had the strength of his family behind him. We will miss him, and we will always remember.
Anusa Sabanathan, Medical Student at King's College London.
O.B.E. for Shanmugam
ši, Mr. S. Shanmugam was awarded the O.B.E. in the recent birthday honours of Her Majesty, the Queen, in recognition of his 29 years of meritorious service in the Department of Transport. He retired as Deputy Head of the Bridges Engineering Section on 16.6.97 and was responsible for the Design and Assessment of Tunnels and Bridges including long span cable stayed and suspension bridges.
Mr. & Mrs. Shanmugam hail from Analativu, Jaffna and have three children. We wish them several years of happy retired life.

Page 34
34 TAMILTIMES
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